Halo
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A/N-thank you very much for the kind reviews on the last chapter.
Chapter Thirty-Six-Passion
The signal was patchy- there was no holographic image this time-Leia's voice kept fading in and out, but the desperation in her tone was clear. The Resistance was in trouble and they needed help. Again. It was only when they responded that Kylo and Han realised the message wasn't being transmitted specifically to them but was being broadcast to all the of the Resistance's allies. The Falcon was the only one who had answered.
"They're sealed inside the old base on Crait with no way out." Han's complexion turned grey as he spoke. "The First Order got what they wanted and left them trapped inside until they starve."
"Its Snoke's MO-why waste essential resources finishing them off when he can let nature take its course." Kylo said bitterly. "That way he can justify that he kept his part of the bargain. He allowed them to reach Crait, but then made sure they were confined inside the old base with nothing to sustain them in the long term."
Han glanced uneasily at Kylo. He didn't even want to imagine the terrible things his son had to endure under Snoke's command. The dread crept over him like an icy chill, numbing his brain. He was going to Leia's rescue. There was no doubt about that. He couldn't ignore her plea for help, even after her recent betrayal. She was still his wife. She was Ben's mother. It was his duty to help her. And he wanted to. He did. But he worried about the effect this was all having on their son.
"Ben." Han said gruffly. "I have to go and help her. I- "
"I know." Kylo said quietly.
"I don't expect you to_" Han hesitated.
"Come?" Kylo finished for him.
Han sighed, rubbing a hand over his face wearily. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.
Kylo felt hemmed in inside the cockpit. He could hear a clock ticking inside his head like a timer on a bomb. He couldn't stop it, reverse it, or slow it down. Each tick was dragging him forward, helpless, and nervous to the allotted time. He knew he could no more avoid helping his father go to his mother's rescue than the beating of his own heart. The dread of having to face her again in the flesh was like an invisible demon sitting heavy on his shoulders. He wasn't ready for that. But once again circumstances had preceded him. HIs head felt a little giddy and his stomach nauseous.
"I'll come." Kylo said, his voice monotone.
Han's eyes shifted to his son and he let out a long-held breath. "You sure?"
Kylo met his father's unwavering gaze. "I want you to know that I'm not doing this for her or for the Resistance. I'm doing it for you."
Han's brown eyes were moist as he watched his son stand abruptly and leave the cockpit to go and find Rey.
Rey's hazel eyes were full of concern. She laid her hand lightly on Kylo's shoulder while he explained what had happened. Like always, her gentle touch soothed him. "You made the right choice." She assured him. Her hand remained on his shoulder as she spoke with such a soft voice, he felt her words calming him more by the way she said them, rather than the actual words themselves.
"Skywalker wanted me to forgive her…to make amends." Kylo looked at Rey imploringly as words failed him. "I'm not sure I can do that. Too much has happened." It took a great deal of strength for him to admit that to Rey. He waited for her judgement, but when it didn't come, his shoulders sagged with relief.
"Only you know if you'll ever be ready. And if that day never comes, you'll find a way to make peace with that." Rey rubbed his shoulder comfortingly before taking her hand away.
Kylo lamented the loss of her touch. His breathing quickened as he maintained eye-contact. She was so beautiful. Her eyes showed her soul. As Kylo looked into her eyes he knew, all the beauty of the galaxy could not even hope to compete with hers. Even after everything she had endured in her short life, she had not let the world break her. Sure, she could cry, but she would never let them take her true self from her. She was secure in who she was. And he loved that about her…
Love.
He loved her.
Of course, he did.
He'd loved her since the moment he had first laid eyes on her. Maybe even before that…
Han's teasing comment about kissing Rey was playing in the back of Kylo's mind as he focused his gaze on her mouth…oh, how he wanted to kiss that mouth! He moved his head closer to hers. Rey stood frozen, from both nerves and excitement. Kylo leaned in, so his forehead rested against hers. They closed their eyes at the same time. Both their breaths shaking in anticipation of their first kiss. "Thank you," he said, in barely more than a whisper.
"For what?" Rey whispered.
Kylo never got the chance to answer. BB-8 zoomed into the room, oblivious to the obvious sexual tension, the little droid bumped into Kylo's leg, startling him, and causing him to accidentally crack his forehead against Rey's.
"Ow!" Rey cried as she stepped back, clutching her forehead.
"Damn…Rey…I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Kylo put his hands on the side of her face, his own hot growing hot with embarrassment.
"I'm okay." Rey hissed through her teeth as she rubbed her forehead vigorously to ease the pain.
"BB-8, what the hell were you doing?" Kylo scolded the confused little astromech.
"You requested me to inform you when we reached Crait's orbit." BB-8 beeped at him in his binary language. He was feeling miffed at being yelled at for following orders.
"Right." Kylo muttered. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, Ben Solo." BB-8 chirped merrily in response.
Kylo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fate seemed continually to be against him. He glanced at Rey. Her cheeks were flaming. He guessed his was, too. She laughed nervously and he shrugged in defeat.
"We better…" Rey said, gesturing toward the cockpit.
"Yeah." Kylo agreed with a weak smile as he let her take the lead.
Crait was a small salty mineral planet located in a remote sector of the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories. Covered with a layer of white salt over its red soil, the planet once hosted a Rebel Alliance outpost during their early rebellion against the Galactic Empire. It was the same base the Resistance were trapped in now. Crait was rich in minerals and orbited one star. A thick crust of white-coloured salt covered nearly the entire planet surface, with red-coloured rhodochrosite base beneath. Though dominated by large salt flats, the planet also featured mountains, canyons, and deeply sunken waterways—which were possibly home to aquatic creatures.
After scanning the old Rebel base using the Millennium Falcon's often malfunctioning scanning systems, Han concluded that there was no sign of the First Order fleet. After deploying a super laser siege canon to seal in the massive front doors which protected the outpost, under the direction of General Hux, the enemy fleet seemed to have retreated, satisfied that there was no way that the Resistance would ever break through the mountain of rock trapping them inside in both the front and rear of the old base.
"Sheesh, this scanning system is practically antique!" Kylo complained when he double-checked the results.
Han glared at his son in annoyance. No one dissed the Falcon. "I was in the midst of updating them when she was stolen from me."
"If you say so." Kylo muttered as he returned his attention to the less than stellar scans of the old outpost. "Our best chance is to try and break through the rear of the base." He pointed out.
"That will mean blasting our way through." Rey replied nervously. "The rockfall's too substantial to move by hand and there's a big risk of hurting those inside If we use charges."
"You're right." A rare smile spread across Kylo's face, it extended right to his eyes, leaving Rey breathless at how handsome he looked. "Are you ready to put your skills to the test, Rey?" He asked.
"How?"
"By using the Force to clear that rockslide." Kylo revealed.
"I'm not ready for this!" Rey grumbled as she stood nervously surveying the sheer rockfall towering in front of her. The stone glinted jade-blue and dull crimson in the rising sun and curved away and away to east and west where she was standing. "Its impossible. I can't do it."
Kylo, standing beside her, wasn't swayed by her doubts. He had every faith that she could move the rocks. She just needed to believe in herself. The way she had fought so valiantly against the enemy on Ahch-to had proved to him that her powers had grown substantially, and he was certain that she was ready to take those powers to the next level. "You just need to believe." He coaxed her. "Now close your eyes and let the Force guide you."
Rey opened one eye again and looked at him sternly. "You could help." She suggested.
"Nope." Kylo clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head adamantly.
"Fine!" Rey huffed as she snapped her eye shut again and extended her right arm. "Here goes." She pictured the insurmountable rock in front of her, that giant palisade with its sheer curtains of solid rock in which bits of quartz winked dazzlingly in the sunlight. She imagined herself lifting those rocks and clearing a path for the Resistance fighters to escape.
The strain began to show on Rey's face as she summoned the Force to aid her. She felt the energy surge through her mortal body, enhancing her physical and mental strength as she pictured the rocks rising, defying gravity, and floating in the air around her. She suddenly felt lighter than air herself and dared to open her eyes to see if it was working. A small gasp left her parted lips as she stared in wonder at the rocks suspended around her. With a small wave of her hand she parted them, causing them to move left and right of her so there was a clear path toward the base's cave system. She had done it. She had cleared the blockage. The Resistance was free.
"Ben!" Rey cried in delight. Her hazel eyes shone with pride as she sought his praise. "Ben, I did it!" She turned her head to the right to find Han and Chewie staring at her in awed silence. Smiling, she turned her head the other way to look for Kylo, only to find him standing in front of her. "Ben." She whispered uncertainly.
Kylo kissed her. It was a full on, open-mouthed, sexual kiss. And he loved it. He loved the way her small body immediately melted into his. The way their lips fit like two puzzle pieces. The way she relented as he played with her hair and held her tighter and tighter. When they broke away after what seemed like ages, she looked up at him, her face glowing, her eyes bright, her lips plump from…
A dark shadow passed over their heads, blotting out the bright sun. Dread owned them, pushing away their happiness like an invisible gale. Looming high above them was the Mega-class Star Dreadnought, The Supremacy, that served as the flagship of Supreme Leader Snoke and the mobile headquarters of the First Order.
It was a trap.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.