"Come on Chewie! Let's get to it!"
The Wookie bellowed back in annoyance, not thrilled to be rushed in boarding the last load of equipment.
Poe chuckled at the response, a noise that sounded from close by, but Ben was not entirely focused on his companions as they made the final preparations.
Ben's attention was instead held by the golden dice that hung from overhead panels, by the memories that he brushed with outstretched fingers.
Laughter and love whispered through his mind as though caught by a stray breeze, brushing lightly against his cheeks and against his heart. For the first time in his life, he embraced them with a fondness rather than an aching.
His lips curved upwards, and he cast his eyes beyond the small pieces of metal that held so much history, instead looking over the landing bay of Ajan Kloss.
The dense forest canopy dipped so low it almost seemed to encase them, a protective barrier over and around the landing bays that dotted the medical and military facilities of the largest port, Kloss.
It was beautiful. The planet had been largely abandoned, a sacrifice his mother had made when she had felt the darkness festering once more. She had refused to allow the planet her adoptive parents had entrusted her, to suffer the same fate as that which was once her home.
But there were those she had trusted, and those few had lived a quiet and inconspicuous life in Kloss, maintaining what remained. They watched over the distant planet, so that one day, the Rebellion and Leia may find a safe home here.
The memories of Ben's childhood had been buried so far beneath the pain of betrayal, and the rage of his failures, that even Snoke could not reach them.
He was unsure that even if the memories had resurfaced before his shift towards a balance within the force, that they would have even helped those who wanted to harm the Rebellion. His memories were filled with his mother's cool kisses and his father's affectionate hair ruffles, not coordinates to a planet many had forgotten to recall.
Ben shifted his shoulders, nudging himself back into the present.
His fingers dropped from the dice and to the metal below, grazing the mechanisms and switches. An errand thought jolted through his mind, throwing fuel onto the coals of doubt that stirred within his chest.
Would his father have allowed him to board his beloved Millennium Falcon, let alone be apart of those who were piloting it?
But a warmth washed through his chest, allowing those embers to still in its wake. Instead, he could see and feel his father's smile.
The anxieties within himself subsided; they came at him with a lethargy and a waned strength these days, an opponent he was able to fight far easier.
While he hadn't realised while submerged within the chaos, he was able to pinpoint the exact moment that physical and mental burden had been surgically removed after the fact, leaving a weightlessness he had not felt since he were a child.
It was Palpatine's death that had finally, completely freed him.
Ben smiled as he considered his liberation for what felt like the thousandth time, before his eyes shifted from the canopy overhead to the loading bay surface. His vision found two figures closing the space between the main quarters and the Falcon, and Ben's smile grew, an adoration instead settling in his orbs as he watched them.
Footsteps drew behind him, and a clap on his recently healed shoulder caused him to wince slightly.
"Ouch." He made out, brow quirked slightly as he turned to face Poe. Poe's own lop-sided smirk grew as he chuckled at Ben, before finding the second in command's seat and settling into it.
A deep rumble followed close by, and Chewie entered, greeting Ben with a familiarity and love which had been steadfast since he was a child.
His furry arm ruffled Ben's hair as he took up the pilot's seat, flicking switches and shifting mechanisms overhead.
It was a reunion Ben had been sure would end with his limbs ripped from his body, but Rey had reassured him that Chewie's forgiveness ran deep. Ben thought perhaps Chewie had been reluctant to kill someone who had still been hooked up to machines and bacta packs.
That was a week past. He knew that his injuries should have taken far more time to heal, but he had a sneaking suspicion, as he watched Finn and Rey, arms slung casually over each other's shoulders, mouths open and eyes crinkled with laughter, that she had ignored Poe's order and instead used her lifeforce to help Finn and Ben heal.
If Ben were to be honest with himself, he would have been surprised had she not healed them. She was far too compassionate and stubborn to sit by idle.
"We've double checked the engine bay and the warp capacitor, Poe. We are looking good to go." Ben turned his gaze to face Rose and BB-8 as they entered the cockpit. He anticipated the nervous smile Rose shot him as she sat in the seat behind Chewie, and furthest from Ben, and made an extra effort to give her a warm smile in response.
BB-8 chirped an agreement, and situated itself close to Poe's side, though the astromech's gaze rested diligently on Ben.
Ben knew that this would be a challenge as he moved forward in his life, but as the last two members of their search party entered the cockpit, he knew it was a challenge he would welcome, just to be in this space with them.
His gaze shifted to Rey and Finn, and the warmth in Ben's eyes felt reflected in theirs. Finn extended his hand to Ben, and they clasped their fingers together as though they were old friends.
"It's a nice feeling to both be on the right side of this." Finn offered, his words solidifying the comradery he had felt the moment he had awoken on that dusty floor on Endor's forest moon.
Ben nodded, a smirk curling at his lips, but he didn't verbalise his response. How could he fully capture the depthless gratitude he felt in being there? How could he explain the inexplicable feeling of belonging within his chest, to not only be a part of a group who had given him a chance of redemption, but to feel as though he was ready to accept it for the first time since his childhood?
He didn't need to speak the words though. Finn watched him closely, hands still clasped together, and he understood.
He understood completely.
Ben nodded again and moved himself, giving Finn the space to move behind Poe's seat. His fingers roamed to Poe's shoulder, gently squeezing, until Poe's head tilted upwards, eyeing Finn with a love that Ben knew far too well. Finn grinned as he ducked his head downwards, catching Poe's lips briefly before rubbing his shoulder once more and settling into the seat behind.
"Alright. We ready?" Poe called out, and Ben turned back, making his way to the seat across from where Rey had already become comfortable.
"Ready!" Rose called, excitement filling her voice.
BB-8 elicited a series of high-pitched beeps, a sound that echoed Rose's anticipation.
"Like old times." Finn responded, a whisper of a private joke echoed by Poe's small chuckle.
"Ready." Ben replied as he clasped the belt into its fastener. His eyes found Rey's, and she had a wide grin across her face as she called out.
"Let's get back out there." Rey turned her head to find Ben's gaze, the amber of her orbs as bright as he had ever seen them.
Ben smirked and reached his fingers out to her. She took them within her own, heat and cool melding, the excitement and nervousness of their mission lapping at their nerves, setting them alight.
Chewie's rolling growl filled the air and Poe clapped him on the shoulder as the engines roared below them, setting the vessel apart from the surface of the loading bay. Slowly, the greens of the jungle above them begun to roll into the swirling expanse of blues that extended before them.
The thrumming of the Falcon around him signalled their imminent warp, and Ben's heart clenched as the atmosphere shifted, propelling them through the silvers and stars of all the galaxies above them.
It was a fear, and it was an excitement, but above all, it was a contentment, a calm that flowed from the fingertips that held his, and a peace settled within his chest as he took in the scene before him.
It was a peace that told him he would never be alone again.
hello! this epilogue ended up morphing into a final chapter I think, which honestly makes no difference to me, as it brings to closure we all need, but also a faith that our favourite characters continue their adventures without us! I have considered writing another story regarding their missions from here on out, and I have imagined how I would see them spending their days, their months, their years, but I think I will end up leaving those tales for another time, or to the imaginations of the audience. for now, I am content that they have all received their happy endings, and overjoyed that I have now completed this story. It's only taken me nearly three years to get here! once again, thank you to RedPandaJoy and pam48 for the reviews on the last chapter, and for all who have reviewed previous chapters, inboxed, favourited and followed this story, I appreciate all of you beyond words. thank you so very much. be on the lookout for a one-shot regarding our interesting General whom I want to see a little more of, but otherwise, thank you for coming along on this ride! stay safe in this crazy world, and take this story with some hope that we are all deserving of a life of wonder and love. xxx