Sixteen:

Rey was angry. She knew she probably shouldn't be-anger was supposed to be a quality of the living, especially of those who struggled-but she couldn't help it. Here in the Force, all was meant to be calm but it seemed to be anything but. Her death seemed to be just the first in a series of indignities that all seemed designed to annoy her, out her in danger and force her to watch and feel as the man she shared a Dyad with was put through the wringer.

She was under no illusions that she was hardly the stuff of legendary Jedi. After her death, she had spoken at length with Luke and more briefly with Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu…and she found herself disagreeing with their philosophy. Their devotion to the elimination of emotions made no sense and their fear of darkness to her mind made them unbalanced and vulnerable. Luke's decision to allow the Jedi to die had seemed inexplicable during her time on Ahch-To but as she had considered longer and longer, the more their beliefs seemed of another age. The conflict between Light and Dark had fuelled the wars that had torn the Galaxy over and over, had caused the deaths of millions and violence and intolerance. Yet all they were was the distillation of the struggles that mere mortals faced every day. Almost no one was purely light or irrevocably dark-the majority were a mixture of both, faced with anger and hatred, hardship, love, compassion, kindness, generosity, greed, selfishness and self-sacrifice. What mattered was what you chose to be, that you resisted using the dark for cruelty and hatred and remained true to yourself. She knew that Luke didn't agree with her-but Luke had given in to fear and had hidden for years, too scared to face the consequences of his actions and do better. The Jedi were afraid of emotions and had tried to expunge an essential part of being human to avoid the conflict…when the conflict was life. Choosing to be the best person you could be was part of being a sentient being-and in Rey's eyes, hiding near Dathomir waiting for something to happen wasn't the best option. Not when she could feel her friends in danger.

So she concentrated and followed her instincts, diving through the swirling eddies of the Force in search of one particular Jedi who maybe could help her in her quest.

oOo

"You know, it's at times like this that I wished we actually had one of those First Order Hyperspace Tracking devices," Poe grumbled. "We had the entry vector but beyond that…may we as well just spin a bottle to work out where they went!"

Chewie gave a long ululating growl and BB8 replied with a small warble.

"What?" Finn asked, exasperated. Poe rolled his eyes.

"The Wookiee said that space is three dimensional and that simply spinning a bottle misses at least one essential vector in plotting a destination," Tamini replied, grumbling. She had reluctantly agreed to sit with the crew in the cockpit as they wrestled with the conundrum of deciding what their next move. She was insistent that they returned to Kineva Station and her place with Kaalan Kon Kolb but no one else was keen to risk further encounters with the bounty hunters to return her at this time. The best they were willing to offer was to drop her off at a safe port to be collected, which was unacceptable to the healer, who knew her value and the deal that had been bartered for her services. The ensuing argument had left her sulking and Poe frustrated, wishing he was still a Commander not a General.

"It's official-everyone speaks Wookiee except me," Finn grumbled, watching his friend. Poe was the first friend he had made, a man who he had helped escape and who had easily and openly accepted the frantic stormtrooper FN2187 who had wanted nothing but to get away from the Finalizer and the First Order. Poe who had given him his name, Finn, because he refused to call a sentient being just by a number. And Poe who had welcomed him with a hug when they had been reunited in the rebel base of D'Qar. Poe who was his friend, his brother, his co-leader and who was ambivalent about this mission.

But Maker-who wasn't? It had been so much easier when it was the small plucky band of Resistance fighters, struggling against the overwhelming odds to bring down the Galaxy-spanning evil of the First Order and their cruel and vicious Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren. It had been so much easier when they were all there-Rey, Leia, Finn, Poe, Rose, Snap, Kaydel, Beau… He blinked and sighed. Then Exegol had happened and suddenly they had won-and lost. Leia, Snap and Rey were dead and the Galaxy was in flux once more. Senators and supporters of the Resistance were coming in, more by the day, all wanting a piece of the glory and demanding their places at the table in shaping the postbellum into some semblance of order once more. And Finn knew he and Poe should be there, intimately involved in the negotiations and the politics…but he could see in Poe's eyes the same disdain of that path.

In truth, this was much more fun. Even though they were apparently acting as backup and bodyguards for the man who had ravaged the Galaxy and tried to destroy them, it prevented them having to think about what they had lost, what was ending and what the Kriff they would do next. Finn only had two homes: The First Order and the Resistance. And on Exegol, they had effectively ended both. Of course, there were still pockets of First Order and there would be work to be done bringing them in but ultimately, the Resistance had destroyed itself by making itself redundant. At least here and now, Finn knew where he was, what he was doing and what his purpose was. What would he be once the mission was done?

The beeping of the comm alerted them and they sped back to the cockpit, with Poe flinging himself into the pilot's seat with a grimace as Rose's hologram appeared. Finn felt his lips lift in a small smile at the woman's image. Poe nodded.

"Hey Rose," he greeted her in a resigned voice.

"How are things going?" she asked, her voice superficially cheerful though Finn thought he could hear an edge.

"Almost to plan," Poe admitted.

"How almost?" Rose asked, frowning.

"Well, Kylo Ren had some sort of seizure and collapsed into a coma," Finn summarised. "Poe took us to Kineva Station to find a healer-but by the time we got back to the Falcon, there were bounty hunters on our tail-they almost blew us up before we got to the ship. When we got back to the ship, Ren was gone and BB8 said that four men took him prisoner and away before we returned."

"He escaped?" Rose asked thoughtfully. Chewie protested.

"Much as it pains me to say it, I don't think he went willingly," Poe sighed. Rose nodded.

"Well, I was calling because the Yanoj Free Traders have just broadcast on all frequencies that they have the infamous villain Kylo Ren and will be auctioning him to the highest bidder on D'Nolos in one standard day," Rose reported. Then she sighed. "I didn't think he would have gone willingly but he could have been captured when he escaped…"

"He didn't escape," Finn insisted as Poe frowned and cast him a glance.

"If that was a general broadcast, then everyone who wants Ren will be able to join the auction in order to get their hands on him-and do whatever they wish," Poe mused, his dark eyes flicking to look at his companions.

"Every world that wants him to face justice for his crimes will have a chance to bid for him," Finn realised.

"Not forgetting the less legal organisations such as the Hutts, the Guavian Death Gang…" Rose continued.

"Which is why we have to be there," Poe said suddenly. There was a pause.

"You want the Resistance to try to buy him?" Rose asked incredulously. "Kylo Ren? The Supreme Leader? The man who led them at Crait and helped kill thousands?"

Who helped them kill my sister? her eyes silently added.

"He's the only one who thinks we can bring Rey back," Finn interrupted, his eyes fired with urgency.

"And that's almost certainly a lie, a ploy to get you to help him escape…" Rose said firmly. Then she sighed. "Look, I want Rey back. She was one of my best friends. I want to see her again and hug her and…thank her for what she did. But she's dead. Even her body is gone. And I can't believe that we should be risking ourselves on this…"

"But we're going there anyway," Poe sighed, running his hands through his hair. "He's delivered. He says he knows how to get us back. He's saved our lives. And…" He shook his head. "I believe him. And I know we have to get him back."

"Rey wants to come home…but there isn't much time left," Finn murmured. "Rose, we have to do this…" Pausing for a moment with a stern look that eerily echoed Leia, the engineer finally conceded.

"I know," she sighed. "And that's why I'm coming as well. Jannah, Beau and I will come to meet you. I trust Zorri arrived safely." Poe groaned.

"Yeah-and she's spent the last two hours pointing out that we owe her our lives…well, pointing out to me…" he muttered.

"You know it won't be that simple," Finn pointed out as Rose finally smiled.

"Of course not," she said. "But we're the Resistance and Leia would expect us to do everything to get Rey back, if it was possible…and she would want us to help her son." Poe sighed.

"Can I say I'm getting a bad feeling about this?" he asked. Chewie gave a growl but before BB8 could interrupted, Finn sighed.

"He said Join the club!" he muttered.

"So now you speak Wookiee?" Poe asked him. Finn gave a watery grin.

"No. But that needed no translating. I don't suppose you have a plan, General?" Poe flashed his grin as he adjusted the hyperspace coordinates.

"As a matter of fact, General, I have," he said.

oOo

He really was getting fed up. Another awakening, another cell-this one in another cell, the walls blank metal with a force field covering the bars of the door. His body ached, muscles cramped and painful from the electrical current they had put through him. They were terrified of him because they knew what he was-what he had been-and what he could do.

Slowly, he raised his head, feeling an iron collar around his neck once more, needles piercing his skin from the device and hurting as he moved. There were shackles around his ankles and binders that jabbed more needles into his wrists. And as he tensed, he muffled a groan. There were other aches-the hot, bruised pain of kicks that clenched his gut as he moved and his back too. Clearly his captors had vented their frustrations at his escape and enjoyed the kicking they gave him.

Anger flared and he wondered why he was fighting it so much. No one wanted him, no one cared for him now…and there was nothing else he cared for. Like almost all of his life, he was alone. Really, really alone and now, there was no hope, no way out, no one who wanted to draw him back and protect and save him. They were gone-Mom and Rey-and all that was left was the knowledge that he was going to have to face the consequences of his crimes and be executed by someone-probably cruelly and painfully and very publicly so that everyone could sleep a little easier knowing that the Monster was dead.

You have that look in your eyes from the forest. When you called me a monster.

You are a monster.

Yes I am.

He pressed his eyes closed and took a deep breath. Hearing her voice again, even in his memory, hurt. He knew what he was-he always had, though he had lied to himself effectively. And so had Snoke. Lies, half-truths, manipulations. The man had manipulated his memories, abused his emotions, tortured him, hurt him because it would make him stronger…and it had, but it had also made him weaker and brittle. What Snoke had done had damaged him, taking from him the things that gave him control, the foundations of his calm and happiness. He rested his forehead on the cold metal floor. Thinking about Snoke and his manipulations really wasn't helping him, yet now the anger had receded, now he was free of the constant voices hissing in his mind. But it reminded him of what he was, of how he had always been the disappointment, the mistake.

I'd never felt so alone.

You're not alone.

Neither are you.

But he was. She was somewhere-but not alive. Somehow, miraculously amid the eddies fo the Force and his own rather busy schedule since Exegol, he had spoke to her, felt her. Rey was still there, the chance was still there to bring her back…but the truth was that he didn't know how. Somehow, he knew where she was…and he could guess where he could possibly find the information he needed. But to do that, he had to get out of here. And his captors weren't taking any chances. Slowly, carefully, he moved and pulled himself to his knees, feeling the needles pull. Painfully, he lifted his head and stared at the door, seeing the flicker of the force field, feeling the anxiety of his guards as they sat, their blasters levelled at his shape.

"You pull those triggers and you'll lose a planet's worth of bounty," he said hoarsely, scrambling up to his knees.

"It's awake," a Crolute said, his unpleasant face twisted in a sneer, though his hands tightened on his weapon.

"Play nice, Mongur," a masked humanoid said. "He's right. He's worth far more alive." Then he gave a laugh that probably sounded worse due to the mechanical alteration of the helmet. "Though how alive is debatable…" He narrowed his eyes and glared at the man.

"You think this will hold me?" he asked, allowing his voice to grow colder, more akin to the monster he had been. They wanted Kylo Ren? Fine. He would give them Kylo Ren. The third guard, an insectoid in a complex breathing apparatus, clutched his weapon harder but a chitinous palp slapped button on the stock and Ben felt his muscles spasm as current seared through him, his body slamming to the floor as the energy flowed.

Memories surged through his mind, images of Snoke sleeting through his consciousness. Snoke seducing him, the words silken and reasonable as he enticed the young Jedi padawan from his miserable existence of blame, isolation, disappointment, fear and misery to another life of power, darkness and immunity to pain. Promises of a glorious future, being the true heir to Vader, of wielding the darkness over a chaotic Galaxy until all was subjugated. Of ruling like his grand-sire before him…

Except it wasn't. Snoke punished any failure, any dissent, any signs that Ben Solo wasn't gone or that the faintest fraction of the light remained. And Snoke was brutal, his mercy non-existent as he repaid any failure with torture, with lightning scourging his form, over and over at Snoke's whim for every imagined failure until he was finally cowed. The feeling of every cell screaming at the assault of Force Lightning, of vision slipping and pain everywhere, driving him to the brink of madness, tormented over and over as he lay writhing in agony. There were scars…from other punishments less exotic but just as brutal…that he had never shared.

But the energy receded, leaving him shivering and more angry than he had allowed himself to be.

"That was the lowest setting of ten," the humanoid told him smugly.

"You make a move towards us, we shock you," Mongur the Crolute said.

"You refuse to do as we say, we shock you," the humanoid added.

"You don't do what we say quick enough, we shock you," Mongur added.

"And you try any of your sorcery nonsense or try to escape, we shock you then kill you," the insectoid chittered.

"Where am I?" Ben demanded, his voice flinty with anger. He had steeled himself but it still hurt when the current surged through him again. Head bowed, raven hair flopping over his face, he trembled as the power surged again.

"D'Nolos," the humanoid sneered. "You're a famous prize, Kylo Ren…and most of the Galaxy will pay millions of credits to possess you-and then kill you."

"Many of them wanting to do it over days and weeks," Mongur sneered. "I'd pay to watch that." Growling, he clutched at the Force-still slippery and beyond his flailing mental grasp-and felt a shudder of despair run through him. It wasn't as if he was totally helpless: Snoke had tortured him for years so he had a frame of reference and more resistance than they would credit or imagine. Somehow, he would have to find a way to turn his leash and collar into motivation, into a way to access the Force and enable his escape. And preferably without throwing away everything he had struggled to become.

Without reverting to the monster.

"I'll pass," he growled.

So they shocked him again.

A hundred light years away…or maybe just at his side…a pair of hazel eyes widened and for a second, he felt the lightest of touches on his cheek. He gasped, his skin tingling at the gentle caress. Amid the darkening of his eyes, he heard her voice.

"Rey?" he breathed.

Ben.