Halo
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A/N-thank you for the kind reviews on the last chapter.
Chapter Fifty-Four-Pieces of a Puzzle
"Old Ben Kenobi remained like a beacon of hope to Leia even after his death. That's why she insisted on naming you after him." Han explained as his eyes wandered from Rey's stunned face to that of his son. He paused, suddenly feeling like he had forgotten to breathe. He was unable to continue, the shock robbing him of his voice as Kenobi's name bounced around inside his skull.
It was no secret to Ben that he had been named after the famous Jedi master. Obi-Wan Kenobi was considered a legend by the time of the New Republic Era. The fame of Kenobi's name and his deeds as a Jedi had weighed heavily on Ben when he was a child, growing up he had secretly harboured feelings of insecurity due to the expectations that had been thrust on him because of his heritage. It had made him resentful toward the late Jedi, especially as he thought that everyone expected him to be like his namesake despite never knowing Kenobi. It was part of the reason why Ben hated his name as it reminded him of a legacy that he believed had been built on lies.
Rey sensed Ben's ambivalence through their Force bond and she reached out to him. When she curled her fingers around his, she felt his shoulders relax. They really were each other's best source of comfort. The corners of Ben's mouth lifted up into a small smile as he turned to face her. He rubbed his thumb across the palm of her hand in a sweet gesture of reassurance. "I'm fine." He promised.
Letting go of his hand, Rey returned her attention to the non-descript box that had housed the lightsaber. Surely there had to be something more? Pulling the box toward her, she balanced it carefully on her knees and began to rummage around inside, looking for something…anything to give her further clues about her parents. She had so many more questions now they knew the lightsaber belonged to Old Ben Kenobi…
How did the lightsaber come into their possession?
Were they connected to the famous Jedi master in some way?
Was she?
What did it all mean?
Rey's frustration began to build when she found nothing else inside the box. There had to be more. There just had to. She was so sick of being denied answers. The harder she looked, the more questions she was left with. As her annoyance continued to grow, she felt like she might explode-she took a deep breath. She wanted to shout, have a tantrum and beat her hands on the ground like a toddler. She wanted to vent, let it out, but knew it would prove a useless venture.
"There's nothing!" Rey cried as she pushed the box off her lap. It toppled into the hot sand in front of her.
Ben wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, gently rubbing her arm. Despite the heaviness in her stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of her body pressed against his. She sunk into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple gesture. While they were immersed in each other, BB-8 sidled up to them. The inquisitive little droid studied the non-descript box for a minute. To the naked human eye, it did appear to be empty inside but the droid's sharper vision had caught something that Rey's had not. The box had a false bottom. A sharp cutting tool shot out of the little astromech's base and he proceeded to cut into the ancient wood.
"Stop it." Rey said in alarm when she noticed what BB-8 was doing. She made as if to grab the box but Ben stopped her.
"Wait." He cautioned her as he watched the little droid with interest.
"He's found something." Han said gruffly as he hunkered down next to BB-8. Chewie joined him and soon the jittery little astromech found himself surrounded on all sides. He hurriedly completed his task and rolled backwards when the bottom off the box fell away, revealing the hidden compartment underneath. Nestled inside was a datapad.
A quiet gasp left Rey's lips as she watched Ben pat BB-8 gently on his dome head in thanks before reaching for the datapad. The datapad was an inexpensive small electronic device used for storing information. Taking the place of the more primitive book, a datapad could store textual, graphic, and holographic data. They were commonly used as notebooks, day planners, calculators, and sketchpads. Some models could interface with and download information from larger computer networks. Most datapads came standard equipped with a touch-sensitive colour screen, audio pickups, headphone ports, and power packs. This one was clearly an older model.
"Rey." Ben said carefully as he passed her the datapad. She was clearly in shock. Her fingers were jumping rhythmically, as if in spasm. She nearly dropped it and Ben had to fold his hands around hers to keep them steady. "Do you want me to?" He offered.
"No." Rey said shakily. "I need to."
Ben, Han, Chewie and BB-8 formed a protective circle around Rey as she activated the datapad and began to skim through its contents. Her eyes desperately searched through the mine of information it held, seeking that one tangible connection to her parents. It was comprised mainly of star charts; some she didn't recognise. It seemed the user had been documenting their travels through the galaxy, and whoever the user was had travelled extensively, almost as if they were on the run or looking for something.
"This must have belonged to my parents." Rey said to Ben and the others. She continued flicking through the star charts until she came across one that she recognised. "Tatooine." She murmured.
"What?" Ben looked over her shoulder to get a closer look. "That was Luke's home world."
A list of the planet's local bylaws began to download as Rey widened the map on the screen using her fingers. She swiped them away impatiently and continued trawling through the star charts. "I don't recognise half of these." She snapped impatiently.
"Stop!" Ben said loudly, startling Rey. He pulled the datapad out of her grasp and stared at it with wide eyes.
"Ben." Han admonished him. "Be gentle with it. Those datapads can be sensitive. You could lose vital information if you're not careful. "
"The Jedi temple." Ben interrupted him harshly. "Look, this chart is mapping its direct location. No one but a privileged few knew the co-ordinates to Skywalker's academy."
The surprise registered on Han's face before he could hide it. He took the datapad from Ben and studied the contents with a practised eye. The more he saw, the more he was convinced he was seeing a pattern. He motioned for the others to draw closer. "This is like a record, history, or rather a collection of evidence about significant places in Luke's life. Whoever collated this stuff was clearly desperate to find him. But why?"
"My parents were looking for Luke Skywalker?" Rey questioned; her confusion clear. Even though it was blisteringly hot she began to shake as if she was cold. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't understand."
Ben put his arms back around her and held her close. "Its like a puzzle. We just need to fit the pieces together."
Rey's eyes turned glassy with tears of frustration. Why was nothing ever simple? She felt like she was hitting one brick wall after another. She sank into the comfort of Ben's embrace to steady her nerves, grateful that she wasn't alone. "I'm so tired, Ben." She said, her voice was muffled against his chest.
BB-8 was saddened by the tone of defeat in her voice. He rolled forward, his round form bumping into her lower leg. Rey pulled away from Ben slightly to look down at the little droid. "I want to help." He beeped at her in his binary language.
"I don't think there's much you can do, BB-8." Rey sighed as she discreetly wiped away a stray tear. "But thanks anyway."
Han exchanged a long look with Chewie before deciding to intervene. "You should never underestimate a droid." He said to Rey as he lowered himself down to BB-8's level. He hooked the datapad up to BB-8 and looked expectantly at the little orange and white astromech. "Work your magic, bud." He said.
While they all waited with baited breath, BB-8 immediately went to work. With his fast processing system, he began to sort through the data on the pad. He soon came across some encrypted files. Running a quick diagnostic, the clever little droid soon broke through the coded information. "I've done it!" He chirped proudly. Seconds later he beamed a three-dimensional hologram in front of him, revealing the image of a woman dressed in a long grey hooded cloak. The hood concealed most of her face, but the little it did reveal was significant-a pair of striking hazel eyes.
It was Rey's mother.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.