A/N - Welcome back to the story!
Ben surveyed the crowd assembled before him. They were gathered on the hill, thousands of men and women, from all different planets and all different species, working together for the same cause. There were even more of them just past the atmosphere, piloting ships from all over the galaxy, waiting for Leia's signal. He'd never thought that he'd see the day, let alone that he would be the one leading the charge to defeat Snoke, but life was never what he expected it to be.
As long as he got Rey back, he didn't care.
Finn stepped beside him, and Ben turned to the man that he had once despised but now considered an ally, if not quite a friend. There was more to the former stormtrooper than met the eye, and Ben had a feeling that Finn's ability to resist the First Order's brainwashing resulted from something other than his strong moral compass.
That was something to be explored after the war. But, for now…
"Here," Ben offered, extending his hand to Finn. The other man blinked in surprise, staring down at the lightsaber resting on Ben's palm.
"Your… your old lightsaber? The red, scary one?"
Ben rolled his eyes.
"I can help you make a new one when this is all over," He told Finn. "But for now, I think this will do you more good in battle than a blaster."
Finn hesitated, but eventually conceded, taking the lightsaber from Ben's outstretched hand.
"You think that I… that I could be…"
"You had to know that you had somewhat of a connection to the Force," Ben pointed out with a smile. "After all, you stood your ground against me."
Finn's eyes lit up, and he eagerly activated the lightsaber, eyes widening as the red blade crackled to life. In his stable hands, the previously unstable weapon seemed to calm, becoming sturdy and steady.
He frowned for a moment. Something wasn't quite right.
"Where are the little ones?" Finn asked. "You know, the red pokey things that stick out from the side?"
Ben grinned.
"Well, I needed a little something extra for a blade of my own, so I had to borrow," He admitted as Poe approached them.
"Looking good, Finn," Poe whistled, and Ben couldn't help but notice the other man blush a bit at the praise, quickly deactivating his lightsaber.
Poe turned to Ben.
"Well," He prompted. "Let's see yours."
Ben unclipped his new saber from his belt as he prepared to activate his weapon for the first time since construction. Poe and Finn took a step back as the blade flickered to life.
Ben was no Sith, but he was no Jedi either. He knew his blade could neither be red or blue. No, he needed something that represented him, that represented moral ambiguity, uncertainty, and reconstruction. An affinity with both the light and dark sides of the Force.
He had worked hours to incorporate both a piece of his previous crystal and the new one his Uncle had provided into a fully functioning blade. Something from his past and his future, something from the dark and from the light, something red and something blue.
So when his lightsaber activated for the first time, Ben smiled when he saw that it was purple.
"I didn't know they came in that color," Poe whispered to Finn.
Luke and Leia emerged from the crowd, both staring at Ben in awe.
"Now that is something I haven't seen before," Luke murmured, as Leia moved to embrace her son.
"I'm so proud of you, Ben," She whispered, before pulling back. Ben offered her a smile, before turning back to Poe and Finn.
"Let's do this."
At Leia's command, the Resistance troops charged towards the town, carrying torches and blasters and any other weapons they could find. Fire licked up the buildings, sparks shot high into the sky as screams and shouts of warning filled the air.
People blinked against the sleep clinging to them as they emerged from their houses. The glow of the fire lit their glossy eyed and slack jawed features as they gazed around them. Others scurried frantically around the street as they tried to get their bearings in the pandemonium.
He noticed some stormtroopers amongst the growing fire, but they were too flustered by the flames and trying to put them out to worry about who or what had started them.
Ben turned away from the town, rejoining Finn, Poe, Rose, and the other remaining Resistance fighters who would accompany him into the palace. Leia and Luke were already leading the troops to the gates. It would take a lot of force to get the gates open, but Ben was hoping they could take them down swiftly from within, once he found Rey.
If they could get to Snoke quickly many lives would be saved. The stormtroopers would fall apart if their leader was brought down. Their numbers weren't as strong as Snoke's, but they had the element of surprise and determination on their side.
The closer they got to the palace, the stronger the bond became. Snoke had weakened it, no doubt by invading Rey's mind, but he was beginning to be able to sense her once more.
It didn't take long to reach the mountain the palace had been carved into not long after the First Order had taken control. Though Snoke often preferred to rule from his ship, he refused to be swayed from his decision to create a palace fit for a Supreme Leader and a home base for the First Order.
He climbed over three rocks before arriving at a large boulder set against the side of the mountain. Reaching out with the force, he concentrated on lifting the ten foot tall and six foot wide rock out of the way. It creaked and groaned as it slid to the side, revealing the small tunnel carved into the mountainside.
Ben hadn't created the tunnel because he'd thought that he would one day be attempting to take down Snoke, but because he expected that one day his master would become frustrated enough to kill him.
He wiped the sweat from his brow as he set the boulder back down and took a step back. Rose let out a low whistle.
"Remind me not to piss you off."
His eyes began to pick up details of the tunnel from the little bit of light that filtered in behind him as the soldiers followed him into the dark and dank cavern. The passageway became more difficult to navigate as it became steadily steeper in its upward slope. However, Ben's anticipation of seeing Rey had him moving quickly through the tight spaces.
Eventually they arrived at the wall. Taking a moment to steady himself, he gathered full control of his senses as he reached out with the Force to assess if there was a presence beyond the barrier.
Stepping back, he pulled down the lever he had created. The back of the bookcase gave way with a small groan that set his teeth on edge. He was prepared for a fight as he stepped into the ruined library that used to be his.
A/N - What did you think about Ben's new lightsaber color? Let me know!
As always, please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, and predictions, and I'll see you in the next chapter!