As they approached Niima outpost, Rey skidded the speeder to a halt at the crest of the hill overlooking the buildings below. She lifted her goggles, which did protect her eyes but also impaired her vision quite a bit, and squinted her eyes, trying to make out where the Falcon was and the best route to it from where they were now. Rey wanted to avoid as many people as possible. Ben was not yet – and never would be, she reminded herself – the Supreme Leader of the First Order, but he was an intimidating figure none-the-less, and highly memorable at that. The fewer people that could give descriptions of the pair, the better.
Luckily for them, the Falcon, was out of the way mostly, located with other junked out ships and freighters that Plutt had collected. Unluckily for them, it was the middle of the day and Niima was bustling with activity.
"So, what's the plan?" Ben asked. Rey wondered if the sound of his electronically distorted voice would ever not send shivers down her spine. "Just walk up and take it?"
"That would be difficult," Rey began, biting her lower lip nervously. "We had the lucky distraction of a First Order attack when we stole the Falcon the first time."
"You're welcome." Ben said followed by something that sounded suspiciously like a mechanical huff of laughter. "Sorry, I don't think we'll have that this time."
"No, you're probably right." Rey agreed with a smirk. "So, Plutt's thugs will probably try and stop us this time."
"I think we can handle them, Rey." Ben said, unimpressed.
"Oh, I'm sure we can, but I'd prefer to leave here without a body count if possible. If that's alright with you." Ben said nothing so Rey continued. "I could go down and cause some sort of distraction, perhaps? While everyone is distracted you can sneak onto the ship and get it prepared for take-off. Once it's ready I'll join you and we'll go. They won't be able to find us, right?"
"What kind of distraction?"
Rey huffed; she hadn't really thought one up yet. Could she just go down there and start raving madness at everyone? Surely that would catch their attention for a moment, but would it keep their attention? She thought about using the force to throw some things about. That would certainly draw attention her way, maybe too much though. She could imagine it now, some sun-worn local telling a stormtrooper captain "Oh, yeah, the Jedi girl? She went that-a-way." No that wouldn't do.
"I-I don't know, something distracting." She could figure it out when she got down there.
"You know what, those do tend to be the best kinds of distractions." She could see Ben shake his head out of the corner of her eye and decided to ignore it.
"Just focus on the Falcon, okay?" She said, annoyance tinting her voice. "I'll get us down there, just sneak around and start the ship, easy as that."
"Yes, I'm sure I'll blend right in." Ben responded dryly.
"That's not my fault, I didn't pick your wardrobe." Rey laughed. "I have to say, I much prefer the shorter tunic to this dress." Rey said, indicating the long ankle length robe he was currently wearing. "But fair enough, I'll take us round back first."
"It's not a -" Ben growled but cut himself short with an exasperated sigh. "Fine, just please hurry. It's very hot out here."
"Again, not my fault." Rey laughed again as she moved her goggles back into place. "How many layers are you wearing, anyway?"
If Ben answered, she could not her him over the engine of the speeder as it roared back to life under them. She did, however, feel him sigh yet again against her back and tighten his grip around her waist as he prepared for their descent towards Niima.
Rey skirted the outposts perimeter and stopped in an unpopulated (for now) spot on the south side of the outpost as close to the Falcon as possible. Ben hopped off and ducked behind a nearby pile of junk. With a quick nod from him, Rey was off, only glancing back once to see the great, hulking, black-clad figure trying to sneak around a sand-covered outpost. Rey shook her head and sighed. This was a terrible plan.
Rey circled back so that she was planted smack-dab in the middle of the outpost. Distraction, she needed a distraction. Her mind raced. Out of the corner of her eye, Rey saw a flash of black. It was gone as soon as she turned her head, but she knew who it was.
"I'm going to kill him." She muttered to herself under her breath. "I really am."
Others were turning and looking in the same direction, whispering and pointing among themselves. Okay, it was definitely time for that distraction. Without thinking, Rey hopped onto the speeder and kicked the speed as high as it would go. She pointed to an empty, nearly decrepit shell of a building, taking care to make sure there were no people around. She jumped off of the machine just in time, tucking and rolling into the sand below, as the speeder hit the building with a fiery and deafening crash.
People were shouting and running all about, but they were definitely distracted. Rey popped up into a low crouch and swiveled in her spot. Seeing the bright blue glow of the Falcon's sublight engine blowing the sand tarp off of the ship she started running. Ben was at the bottom of the ship's ramp, mask off, dark hair blowing in the wind. His eyes were wide, staring past Rey and his mouth was forming words Rey was too far away to hear.
"What happened?" He cried as she rushed past him.
"A distraction!" Rey called back. Rey was about to plop down into the pilot's seat when a large hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"No, you're co-pilot." Ben said shoving past her. Rey was frozen for a moment, her hands tightening into fists as frustration boiled in her chest.
"I know how to fly this ship." She said. Rey had been the unofficial pilot of the Falcon after Han's death. Chewie hadn't wanted it, though Rey had still had a hard time thinking of the ship as her own. Seeing someone else in the pilot's seat prickled her. Ben looked back at her, shaking his head.
"Yeah," He laughed humorlessly. "So do I."
Sudden embarrassment hit Rey's gut. Of course, Ben knew this ship, it was his fathers. He knew this ship better than she ever would. Ben probably learned how to fly in this ship. She imagined chubby hands reaching for the steering controls, a younger Han encouraging the boy who was far too young to be flying anything. Voices from outside seemed to be growing closer now. Stop them! That's my ship!
"You may want to sit down now." He said, flipping a switch causing the ship to rise shakily into the air. "Oh, this feels terrible. How long has this thing just been sitting here rusting?"
"A few years now." Rey said, taking her seat in the co-pilot's spot. A memory came over Rey, gasses mixing to form a poisonous concoction. "The motivator's shot. Among a few other things, but that is the main concern." She sighed, flipping on the deflector shields. Just in time too, she could hear the tell-tale sound of blaster fire outside of the ship. "As soon as we're up in the black, I'll have to take care of that."
"That's… not great." Ben grumbled as he pulled back the yoke, pointing the ship straight at the sky. The ship shuddered for a moment but, thankfully, did not stall.
"Whoa, take it easy." Rey said, gripping the armrests with white knuckles as the ship tore up into the sky, breaking through the atmosphere.
"Don't worry," Ben's voice seemed completely unaffected. "This ship's been through a lot worse than this."
Rey laughed, remembering Poe returning the Falcon on Ajan Kloss, the majority of it in flames after he had tried lightspeed skipping – succeeded in lightspeed skipping, she supposed. Rey had been so furious with him. Of course, this had been after a year of Rey catching up on all of the maintenance the ship had so sorely needed. Who knew how much it could take now? With the way it shuddered through the atmosphere, it felt like a stiff breeze could blow it to pieces.
Rey's teeth stopped vibrating as the ship cleared the planet's gravitational pull and settled into the inky blackness of space. Millions of stars dotted the void beyond. Rey's breath caught in her throat. She wondered if she would ever get over the beauty of space, if she would ever grow used to it. She turned to see Ben watching her curiously.
"The motivator?" Ben reminded her slowly.
"Oh!" Rey shot up in her seat, rushing over to grab the ship's tool kit. Ben followed, his pace far less frantic. Rey looked back to see that, at some point, he had removed his long outer robe and arm guards, leaving only the loose, plain black tunic and trousers. Ben stretched his shoulders and rolled his neck. Rey shook her head slightly, returning her attention to removing the correct floor panel.
Rey jumped down, taking a Harris wrench with her and got to work on stabilizing the motivator. Luckily, it had not yet started leaking, but she could tell that it would soon. Ben sat down on the edge of the floor panel above, one leg hanging into the opening.
"Now what?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Now… we wait." Rey said, focusing on the necessary repairs. A list began forming in her mind of everything that needed to be taken care of, the Falcon was in poor shape currently, but it would fly so long as she could fix this now.
"We just wait around?" Ben asked with a huff. "Some plan." He muttered under his breath.
"Listen," Rey said, tearing her focus away from the ship for a moment to point her wrench in Ben's direction. "I'm just telling you what happened last time, okay?" Rey turned back to the motivator. "There's a beacon on the ship, it snaps on when the ship is powered up. Han will see that and come to us… so long as he's nearby I suppose." Rey set down the wrench and held out an empty hand. "Can I -" She was cut off by a Pilex driver being placed in her open palm. "Thanks."
"And if he's not nearby?" Ben asked. Rey could almost hear the smirk on his face. She groaned, almost preferring the emotionless tones of Kylo Ren.
"We'll just head to the base. I just thought… Could you -"
"Bonding tape?" Ben asked, already handing her the tape. Rey took the tape and flashed Ben a poisonous smile.
"I just hope he's not still off rounding up rathtars." She muttered.
"What is my father doing with rathtars?" Ben asked, his tone incredulous.
"Apparently selling them to a king." Rey sighed, having finished her repairs and lifting herself up onto the floor panel across from Ben. He looked at her one eyebrow quirked; a corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "And screwing over two different gangs in the process."
"Yeah," Ben snorted. "That sounds like my father."
Rey stood, brushing the dark oils stains from her hands onto a piece of the fabric that crisscrossed over her torso. Ben also stood, gathering the tools and replacing the floor panel.
"Your father is in danger, Ben. That's one of the reasons I want to make sure he finds us. Those gangs are looking for him, and they aren't interested in talking." Rey said, taking a step towards Ben. He looked at her for a moment, a soft smile forming on his lips.
"My father is always in danger," he said with a quiet sigh. His dark eyes grew distant, as though he were looking off into a far-away horizon. "That's the story of his life." Ben's lips curled into a smile that reached his eyes which crinkled in the corners and Rey wasn't sure if she had ever seen anything so incredible. "Did you know that he spent a whole year frozen in carbonite?" He laughed. "I can't even tell you how many times he told me the story."
Ben's face fell in an instant. His eyes grew cold, glistening with ghosts of the past, some of them from a past that would never come to be. Rey could not say for sure what had changed his mood so instantaneously, but she had a guess. She reached out and touched his sleeve. Ben looked at her and for a moment she thought that he might cry.
"Ben," She said softly, but she had no other words.
Rey could feel Ben's sorrow and it had nothing to do with their bond. It radiated off of him, like heat from a star. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Ben seemed thrown for a moment, but soon relaxed, placing his hands on her back and melting into the embrace. Rey could feel him sigh against her, a deep and ragged thing.
"Killing," he began, his voice too tight to continue. "Killing my father was the worst mistake of my life. I knew it instantly, I knew it before I did it, I think." Rey could feel his heavy heart like it was a stone in her hands. She wished she could reach in and take the pain from him as she had done on the wreckage of the Death Star, but this was not the kind of wound she could heal.
"Things are different now," Rey said, burying her face in his tunic. "Your father is alive."
"That doesn't change what happened." Ben pulled her against him tighter. "That doesn't change what I did."
"You can't change the past," Rey began, but then dissolved into laughter at the irony of their situation. Ben began to laugh as well. They stood there for a while, holding each other and laughing at the absurdity of what was happening. Tears streamed down Rey's cheeks. As soon as they both calmed down, Rey pulled away to look up at Ben's face, keeping her hands at his waist.
"You can't change what happened. You can't undo the decisions you made." He looked away from her. "But, you can start to make the right ones."
Ben's mouth quirked and he sighed.
"That's my plan." He closed his eyes. "Will that be enough?"
"It has to be." They pulled apart and Ben sighed as if gathering himself.
"So, how much longer do you -" Ben started, but he was interrupted by the ship's lights dimming.
Ben and Rey looked at each other, eyes wide, and a wide smile spread across Rey's face. Both rushed to the cockpit to see a huge, bulky ship had trapped them in its tractor beam. Ben looked warily at Rey who simply nodded in response. Ben turned back to the ship. Rey saw him take a deep, shuddering breath and took his hand in hers and squeezed once. Ben squeezed back and they waited in silence until they were in the hangar of the larger ship and the Falcon's cabin door whoosh open.
"Chewie, we're home." Han's voice came from the lounge. Rey's heart soared and tears stung the corners of her eyes. Ben squeezed Rey's hand again as they made their way towards the sound.
"Come on out, all of you." Han called out. Chewie roared in agreement.
The door flew open and they saw Han, his blaster pointed straight at them, his face screwed up in determination. It took everything Rey had in her not to burst into tears. It was one thing knowing that Han was alive, it was quite another to see him in front of her in the flesh.
"Alright, hands up. Where's the rest…" he trailed off, his blaster falling to his side and his eyes going wide. Han's jaw went slack as his eyes searched the two people in front of him, or maybe just one of them. "Ben?" he asked, his voice quiet and trembling. He sounded as though he were worried speaking too loudly might scare away the man in front of him or break the illusion.
There was a moment of silence that must have felt much longer than it was. Ben let go of Rey's hand and approached his father, his lower lip trembling. Ben wrapped the older man in an embrace. Han's arms wrapped around his son instantly. Neither Chewie nor Rey moved, neither felt they had the right to break up such a moment.
"Dad," Ben said, his voice shaking just as much as Han's had. His back heaved in a silent sob. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything." He whispered.
Ben was not sure who pulled out of the embrace first, himself or his father. Han cupped Ben's cheek and Ben nearly burst into tears again, but he did not allow himself to. He took a deep breath and stared into his father's eyes. His father was alive, he wasn't a memory or a dream, this was real.
"Ben," Han said again. Ben's father was not a crying man, in fact, Ben could not remember his father ever crying before, but tears threatened the corners of his eyes now. Ben's father's eyes flicked all over his son's face, searching him, perhaps memorizing every detail in case this was all a dream. "What are you doing here? How did you…" Han trailed off. Ben shook his head with a half-smile.
"It's a long story." He said thickly. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me, kid." Han said with a laugh, slapping his son's arm. "At this point, you'd be surprised what I'd believe."
"We're headed to the Resistance Base." Rey said behind them, quietly. Han took a step back, looking at Rey as though he had only just noticed her. Han looked her up and down and then shot a quick look at Ben.
"Are you, then?" He crossed his arms, a signature smirk settling on his face. "Where'd you get the Falcon, anyway?"
"We stole it from Unkar Plutt, on Jakku." Rey stepped forward so that she was side-to-side with Ben. Ben's fingers twitched as he nearly reached for her hand again, but he thought better of it. Rey had held his hand in solidarity, to comfort and support him, he did not want to take advantage of her kindness.
"Gah," Han shook his head. "Plutt, I should have known."
"You should come with us." Rey offered. Ben looked down at her and she smiled at him. She nudged him with her elbow.
"Yes," Ben agreed awkwardly. He did want his father to go with them, but he didn't know what words to use to express that.
"Of course," Han said, patting Ben on the shoulder. His face turned downcast and he started chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Well, Chewie and I are in the middle of a pretty important job right now, maybe you and…"
Chewie interrupted Ben's father with a roar. He had said Han was being ridiculous and of course they should go with Ben. Then, Chewie stepped forward and wrapped Ben in a warm, fuzzy embrace, lifting Ben off of the ground as only Chewie could.
A familiar pain pierced Ben's heart. He felt like a child again, his father choosing a job over his own son. Ben pushed it down. That kind of pain would open a doorway to Snoke and Palpatine, he knew that all too well.
"The Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub are after you, Han." Rey piped up as Chewie set Ben down again. Han narrowed his eyes at the girl, his hand flicking to his blaster, instinctively.
"How'd you know that?" He asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
Rey seemed taken aback. Ben realized that Rey had not thought of how to explain her insider knowledge to a person who had never met her before. Rey looked at Ben, her eyes pleading. Ben opened his mouth, but as he did so, Rey spoke.
"The force." She explained quickly. Han crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed even further.
"That's not how the force works…" He started, but then his eyes flicked up to Ben. "Is it?"
"It is." Ben nodded. "Sometimes."
"Well, that's not good news." Han laughed. "I suppose they want their money." He sighed and rubbed one hand on the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's probably for the best that we go with the two of you." Han smiled up at Ben and Ben though his heart might break.
Han and Chewie left to disengage the lockdown they had placed on the Falcon. They agreed to gift the Eravana to the crew onboard as well as the job they had lined up, Ben suspected this was mostly to throw the two gangs off of his father's scent for as long as possible. Ben looked at Rey and felt a smile spread across his face, but it must have looked sadder than he intended.
"Hey, everything's alright." Rey said, rubbing his arm. Ben wondered when their relationship had warranted so much physical contact, not that he was complaining. He had no words, so he simply nodded at her.
When Chewie and Ben's father returned the four strapped in for takeoff, Han in the pilot seat, Chewie co-pilot, and Ben and Rey in the seats behind.
"Do you know where we're going?" Ben asked, turning to Rey.
"The base is on D'qar." Rey responded.
"D'qar, huh?" Han said absentmindedly, punching in coordinates. With a flash of stars streaking across the sky they hit lightspeed. Once they were in hyperspace, Han swiveled his chair around to face Rey.
"We were never properly introduced," Han said. Ben suppressed an eye roll. Only his father could sound so sarcastic when being polite. He stuck his hand out to Rey. "What's your name?"
"Rey," She responded, taking his hand.
"Han Solo." Ben's father said with a roguish smirk. "And this is Chewbaca." He gestured to the wookie who grunted a greeting.
"I know." Rey laughed. Ben's stomach dropped, but then he realized that Rey would have good cause to know who his father was. For one, Han Solo was a famous war hero and general, also, Rey was traveling with Han's son.
"Of course, you do." Han said with a sly look towards Ben. "So, you're with the Resistance?" Rey blanched at the question.
"Yes," She responded tightly.
Rey looked to Ben for help, but for the life of him he could not figure out why, and then it hit him. While Rey had been a part of the Resistance, she was not currently part of it, and yet she knew the location of their base. When they arrived and no one knew who she was, that was going to raise questions.
"How long to D'qar?" Ben asked his father.
"Oh, a few hours at least." Han was still looking at Rey. Ben knew that look all too well, the suspicious eyes of a smuggler.
"Rey and I have had a very long day." Ben said, faking a yawn and stretching his arms over his head. "I think we should get some rest. Rey," he reached out a hand to help her out of her seat and instantly wondered if it was too much. "I can show you where the crew quarters are."
"Actually, son," Han started and panic gripped Ben's heart. "Chewie can show her, I'd like to speak with you for a moment if that's alright."
Rey stood reluctantly and looked back at Ben, who swallowed hard, as Chewie led her back towards where the crew bunks were. Of course, Rey already knew where they were, but he and she needed to talk, needed to get their story straight. They couldn't go around telling people that they were time travelers, they would look completely insane, even to Ben's own father. Ben stood slowly and sat in the co-pilot's seat, feeling like a small boy again.
"Ben," Han began, taking one of Ben's hands in his own. Han's hands were older than Ben remembered. His fingers were still tough and calloused, but the skin was wrinkled and loose. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to see you, you can't imagine, but what happened? One minute you're with the First Order and the next – here you are."
Ben swallowed hard and thought on this for a moment. What could he tell his father that would make him understand without compromising his and Rey's secret? Ben decided to tell the truth.
"I realized a lot of things weren't the way I thought they were. My reality had been so twisted and I…" Ben didn't know how to finish that sentence, but his father seemed to understand anyway. Han nodded in understanding and acceptance.
Painful shame shot through Ben so violently he almost winced. Snoke had made it seem like it would have been impossible to return home, that no one had loved him or cared for him or would ever forgive him. If only Ben had known how easy it was to come home.
"Son," Han's voice faltered, and tears spilled from his eyes. "I am so proud of you. You know, when you're going where you need to be, sometimes the path isn't always a straight line. Sometimes, you've got to zig and zag and sometimes you get lost along the way. But the Solos, we always make it in the end."
Ben's father embraced him yet again. Ben wrapped his arms around his father.
"So," Han sat back, laughing, regaining his composure. "Who's the girl?" He cocked an eyebrow and Ben realized instantly that his father had the wrong idea.
"She's" Ben sputtered, searching his brain for a word that described his and Rey's relationship. "A friend." Ben hoped that by this point he and Rey could be described as such. A gnawing doubt in his stomach whispered in his ear that, to her, he was nothing more than one half of a dyad she unwillingly shared. He pushed that voice away.
"Sure, she is." Han laughed, tapping Ben's arm with a fist as he winked at him.
Ben sighed and thought about reiterating that his father had the wrong idea, but he knew that his effort would be wasted. He rose and shot his father a small smile.
"I really am tired; I'm going to go rest my eyes a bit. Wake me before we get to the base." Han nodded and Ben made his way back to the crew quarters.
The lights were dimmed, and Ben could see that Chewie was not around, but he also saw that Rey was fast asleep on one of the lower bunks. She had curled herself into as small of a ball as possible, her legs tucked tightly into her chest, and laid on top of the blanket, he doubted she had intended to fall asleep. Ben considered waking her up for a moment, but she looked so peaceful.
His traitorous mind flashed an image of her cold on a stone floor, her eyes wide open and lifeless. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like the air had been knocked from his lungs. He tentatively touched her hand, it was warm, she was alright. Still, his jaw trembled, and his breathing came shallow. She would be fine, he assured himself. Nothing would happen to her this time; she would be safe. He would make sure of that.