Part XIII
True to his previous thoughts, Ben took her to the small fresher in his shuttle, washing her body the best he could before lifting her and taking her once more against the wall. While sex through the bond was enough to hold them over, being with her in the flesh was beyond imagination. Every touch felt more grounded, where he thrust into her felt hotter, tighter, every detail of her body was available to him and not loosely interrupted through the Force.
They sat on the ramp of his shuttle, a blanket wrapped around their shoulders as they watched the sun rise over the desert planet. "Our lives are about to get complicated, aren't they?" Rey asked looked up at his glowing face.
"They don't have to be," he said with a sigh and pulled her in closer to his side.
"You know that's not true…" Rey played with a wayward sting of the blanket and thought about why she was going back at all. She cared for Finn and Rose and Chewie and she wanted to make sure they would be safe through any retaliation the New Order felt the attack warranted. "Promise me one thing," she spoke down into her lap.
"I will try," his voice was guarded, knowing that there were certain things that he could not guarantee her.
Looking up at him now she saw the conflict in his features, "If you have to attack, if you have to bring someone to pay for the attempt on your life, let me know so I can get my friends away in time."
He chewed on his lips for a long moment, looking out at the rising sun, "Poe will have to answer for his deeds, he gave the order, planned the mission, I may not be able to allow you to save him."
"I understand that," Rey said looking down again. "But Finn and Rose are engaged…they could really make a life for themselves away from the Resistance. And Chewie…well, he's family."
"So he is…" Ben reached over and wrapped his large hand around hers as they were clasped in her lap, "If I ever tell you to leave the base, don't second guess, don't stay and fight, just take your friends in any manner you need to and you get off Dantoonie." He squeezed her hands, "You understand?"
Rey looked up at him and nodded. "Thank you, Ben."
Just as the sun fully crested the horizon, Ben tucked her against his chest as he kissed her forehead, cheeks, lips, pulse points on her slender neck. "Please be careful," he whispered into her hair. "Poe will be very unsettled when I make my appearance later today. He will be searching for a mole, he will be on a witch hunt and you need to keep your head down."
Rey agreed and they shared one more lingering kiss before she stepped off his shuttle and stood next to the AT-AT. Pulling up the wrap cowl over her head, she shielded her face from the sand as Ben's craft lifted off and then soared through the clear cerulean sky of a Jakku dawn.
Walking back into her old home, she looked around longingly. While she had so many unsorted memories of this place, times of injury and near starvation, time of fear and such loneliness, she now had new memories that touched almost every surface. This place had almost ruined her, but it had also prepared her for what was to come and for that she was thankful.
So with one last look, she closed the main hatch of the Walker before boarding her own shuttle and watching that chapter of her life disappear as she approached the atmosphere.
Ben had been right and the Resistance base was in absolute chaos when she arrived, not with disappointment but rather with an expression of victory. They didn't know yet, Rey had mused to herself.
"Rey!" Finn called as he ran up to her, "You missed out on a good one!" He grabbed some of the supply crates that she was attempting to pull from the cargo hold of the gray shuttle.
"What happened?" She asked dumbly.
"We got him…we finally got him," Finn almost had tears in his eyes.
"Who?" Rey was still playing coy.
"Kylo Ren. The big cheese himself," he said with a puffed out chest. "Poe's intel was good and we took down his shuttle too. A ship like that you have to assume that the guy was compensating for something," Finn laughed at his own joke.
Rey tried to muster her best smile, "That's really great…" and knew for sure that Ben had absolutely nothing to compensate for.
Finn must have seen her unease, "Look Rey I know that you tried to save the guy and that he was Leia's son and all, but he had to go. You know that right?"
She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming at Finn that he was the blindest and most foolish man she has ever dared to call a friend. Not trusting the words that would fall from her lips, she just nodded her head.
"Hey everyone!" A crew chief called from across the hangar. "They are broadcasting the explosion again."
Rey walked with Finn over to a large screen that was displaying a female news anchor, and indeed they replayed a recording of the Command Shuttle coming out of orbit and down into the city center. Rey noticed right off that it wasn't Ben's newest shuttle and tried to hide her smirk at how clever he was.
As the shuttle lowered the landing gear and the wings started to fold, a rocket was fired from the ground and the ship exploded into a fireball, crashing the final few hundred feet to a landing pad. Rey jumped at the sight of it and a cold shiver ran through her body thinking how close she had come to losing Ben and everyone else around her cheered.
The anchor came back on, "And now we go live to the Coruscant Medical Center where Kylo Ren has just finished meeting with doctors to discuss the recovery of General Armitage Hux."
The hoop and hollers faded as everyone watched in disbelief as Kylo Ren strode out of the hospital entrance and up to a prearranged podium.
"That can't be him…they just put a tall guy in his helmet," someone from the back called out.
Once Kylo stood at the podium, his glove covered fingers gripped the sides of the metal frame before he lifted both of his hands to the side of his head, unlatching the mask and then pulling the helmet from his head. Gasps sounded around Rey as they all watched Kylo set the helmet down on the podium.
"Is that him?" A woman asked Finn.
"It looks like him, but Rey has seen him more up close…what do you say?" He turned to the Jedi.
Rey worked her mouth a few times but nothing came out, she almost wanted to blush at knowing how up close and personal she knew Kylo Ren, having memorized every freckle on his face, but instead she just stammered, "That's him…I gave him that scar. It would be hard to get right on a double."
They all fell quiet again as Kylo started to talk.
"Yesterday the terrorist group known as The Resistance carried out an attack on my personal shuttle. It has been confirmed that I was their intended target but I was called away to other matters and was unable to attend the celebration, hence was not on the transport when it was so inhumanly shot down.
"The New Order's General Hux was aboard the shuttle during the attack, he is alive but in critical condition. Those aboard that perished included the crew of four, Lieutenants Klakk and Waurie, Captain Gorgiou, and Navigator First Class Saretti. Two Troopers, TN 3498 and TN 103 also lost their lives. Additionally aboard was the Ambassador from Kuat, Aisha Zadane who leaves behind Darael Zadane, husband of seventeen years and three children, Bri, Rogmi, and Merisee who is just four years old.
"On the ground, five civilians working on the landing deck died as a result of horrific burns caused by the explosion and falling debris. Homes and businesses on the upper, mid, and lower levels were damaged as a result of the attack, totally figures as high as five million credits."
He sighed with a heavy head and pinched the bridge of his noes, "I come before you today with this report to illustrate that attacks on me, on the New Order, have a much broader reach. Twelve people lost their lives, husbands lost wives, mothers lost sons, children lost parents, all at the orders of the renegade General of The Resistance, Poe Dameron."
A photo of Poe from when he was first captured by the First Order was flashed up on the screen. He looked bloodied and crazed, the perfect picture of a man off-kilter enough to plan such an attack.
"My deepest sympathies go out to the families who lost loved ones and work to rebuild affected parts of the city has already been set forth." He paused again, setting his hand atop the helmet that was still perched on the podium. "As a result of this attack, and with concerns of the unrest in the galaxy that The Resistance has caused, I am here to announce the beginning of something new and different. A New Order.
"Our New Order has already freed enslaved worlds, cut out the corruption of the New Republic Senate, abolished cartels in the Outer Reaches, and have established programs for health care and education. Our newest program will address issues of agriculture," his lips slightly smirked, "assuring that no child will ever go hungry under our rule."
Rey had to cover her mouth with her hand as she tried to not let her smile show in her eyes.
"Gone will be the title of Supreme Leader along with the callous and cruel ways of the First Order. I am pleased to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity. From this day forth, I will lead the galaxy towards balance as Emperor Ren of the New Order."
Through the screen, cheers from the crowds that had gathered outside of the hospital to witness his address could be heard. Within the Resistance hanger, only hushed murmurs flitted between few. Somewhere far down a hall, Rey head a cry in anger along with something large hitting the floor, or maybe a wall.
Poe came storming out into the hanger yelling out in anger, "We tried to kill him and now he is announcing himself as Emperor?"
"Sir, you heard yourself…" a very brave Command member spoke. "He was supposed to be on that ship."
"But he wasn't, was he?" Poe sneered and then looked around the gathered masses with narrowed eyes.
Rey could see what was going through Poe's mind even without the Force. He was trying to speculate if Kylo had escaped death by mere happenstance, or if they had a mole in their midst. She attempted to keep her expression as concerned and surprised as those around her.
The next few weeks were uncomfortable around the Resistance base. Poe, as Ben had put it, was on a witch hunt for anyone who may have leaked the plans for the attack or if they even had implanted spies from the First…no…spies for the New Order.
Part of Rey felt as if she was betraying her friends, especially since she had started to read the thoughts of the Commanders whenever she got the chance. It had been pure luck that she overheard their last plans for the attack and she wasn't going to leave anything else to chance. To her, it wasn't enough that she had saved Ben, because twelve other people died and she was unable to do anything to prevent their deaths. It left her feeling helpless and even more lost.
Ben also worked to keep his personal calendar known to just a select few and refused to make any other planned public appearances until his council could come up with a reasonable plan to bring those responsible for the prior attack to justice.
The bond still opened every few days and Ben helped Rey work through some of the information sent to her datapad about food resources and population reports. Some nights they joined, gently when they needed comfort or roughly when they needed a release and some nights they just held each other until the bond cut out.
On a chilly night, when Ben had asked 'sabers or sex', Rey had surprised him and answered, "Sabers."
With a raised eyebrow, Ben had her lead the way, knowing by the power of the Force that he would end up in his training room again. He was back on the Finalizer and would be for another two weeks before he was due back on Coruscant for a legislative committee meeting.
Rey wore the grey leggings she had taken from her time on Mygeeto and the woven green cowl that Ben had gifted to her. Her fingerless gloves were also on her hands as winter had settled on Dantooine. Her breath showed in the air with each exhale and her cheeks were tinted pink.
"How is Hux doing?" Rey asked, pulling her saber from the small of her back and performing the push/twist movement that would separate her staff. She had been practicing using it as a two-handed weapon and wanted to show Ben.
"More machine that man and I'm starting to feel even more pity for my grandfather."
Rey nodded, as they had talked about the downfall of Anakin and his fight with Ben's namesake on Mustafar. She had thought about what a sad and lonely existence Vader must have had, presuming that his wife and children were dead, being kept alive with a suit, his arms and legs robotic and the thought of phantom pains from having his limbs burned off sent shivers through Rey's body.
Ben had also told her that once Hux had been stabilized it was realized that he would need robotic prosthetics for his right arm and leg and that he had also lost his left eye. Burns covered most of his body and batca had only been able to do so much. His face was disfigured and half of the pale hair was missing from his head.
"He was finally removed from the tanks early this week and they plan to start fitting the prosthetics when his skin has completely healed which should be…" but he was cut off when Rey advanced on him, using his bare hand to slap away the hilt of her left saber before he called his cross guarded hilt to his palm.
The sound of three hissing sabers echoed off the trees of Rey's clearing and also the steel walls of Ben's training room. "You're fighting dirty tonight, my love." He cooed at her as he sent a flourish of parries her way.
"Your enemy will never fight fair, you taught me that," her speech came out in grunts as she blocked his blows before advancing on him again.
"I'm glad you were listening," he smirked before Force pushing her back ten feet.
"Now who's being dirty?" Rey called out as she picked herself back up from the grass, holding out each hand as her saber zipped to their rightful places.
Ben twirled his saber, red sparks flying in the cold air, and he sank down into a ready stance, "You started it."
"I guess I should be the one to finish it then," she quipped before igniting her sabers again with the double snap and hiss as the unstable kybers vented. Steam rose from the two exhaust ports and Rey moved her left hilt into a backhanded grip, before charging at him again.
They both enjoyed to end their bonds breathless and even though this time it was because of saber and not sex, they were both left satisfied and drenched in sweat.
It was day four hundred before Rey felt comfortable being off-world again for any amount of time. It had been over a month since the attack and there were no other plans made or even thought of from Command. Ben had slipped her coordinates during their last bond and as she typed them into the navigation pad she felt a little deflated.
Jedha was a smaller planet, a moon really, and it was covered in sand, but instead of the sweltering heat like Jakku, Jedha was as frigid as Mygeeto. Perhaps she had to spell out the types of worlds she wanted to visit because Ben apparently was not getting the hint.
But she was desperate to see him after thirty-two days apart so she would take the cold as long as she had him to keep her warm.
His Command Shuttle wasn't hard to miss on the tarmac, and Rey set her ship down next to it. Gathering her green cowl around her neck and pulling the hood up to conceal her face, she stepped off the loading ramp and walked past the four guards who bowed to her.
Ben was sitting just inside the ramp to his ship and felt her irritation through the Force before he even saw her. "Another cold planet," she spoke loudly just as her head came into view. "Really Ben?"
"I've missed you too, sweetheart," Ben chuckled as he stood and walked to meet her at the top of the ramp, attempting to kiss the angry expression from her face.
"Ben, I mean it," Rey practically pouted into his kiss.
He had to laugh again because his teasing disregard for her feelings just upset her more. "We're not staying here," he whispered so low that she barely heard him.
Jerking her head back from him, Rey looked at his face with a concerned and confused expression. "Since our time is so limited, I figured that we could ride the rest of the way together," he attempted to ease her concerns.
"Oh," she said softly, her expression relaxing and a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Her defensive and quick to anger moods sometimes hindered her in the ability to remember that Ben had become quite considerate when it comes to her wishes.
Ben knew that one of the reasons Rey was able to get away from the Resistance base for their meetings was by using the excuse of going on supply runs. So he leaned down again placing a soft kiss to her temple before saying, "I'll give your list of needed supplies to the Port Master and your shuttle will be loaded and ready to go by the time we return."
"So where are we going?" She bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet after handing over a manifest.
"I was thinking that since last time you took me to see where you came from, that I would show you where I was born."
"Chandrila?" Rey asked in awe, thinking back to the times when Ben would tell her stories from his boyhood and her mouth might have watered at the memory of the chocolates.
"Well, maybe I should say where Kylo Ren was born..."
"The Academy?" Her mind flashed back to the visions that Anakin's saber had given to her and she didn't know if a charred temple where younglings were slaughtered was a place she ever wished to visit. Her distressed expression must have given her away.
"No, but how about you stop asking questions and let it be a surprise and I promise it will be warm."
"Fine," Rey conceded as the four guards started to walk onto the shuttle. "They coming with us?" She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder at the black-clad men...at least she assumed they were all men.
Ben nodded while taking her hand, "Ever since the attack, I was advised to always keep them with me."
Her face puckered in distaste and when Ben tilted his head as if to ask what was bothering her, she answered the silent question, "I'm not used to us having an audience on our trips..." She bit her lip and may have even blushed since they had a tendency to strip down and go at each other where ever and whenever the mood struck.
His smile was knowing, "They will mostly confine themselves to the bridge."
Rey frowned again, "Does that mean that I can't fly the shuttle?"
Gods he loved this woman, "Your command is answered only second to my own. If you wish to pilot the shuttle, the Captain's chair is yours."
Her face lit up, "I want to fly."
"Then you better go tell Arlan to vacate your seat." As he watched her scamper off to the bridge he sighed, their limited time together made moments like this even more special, but how he wished that he could watch her boss around his guard every day. Pulling his hand through his hair, he thanked the Force again for bringing the girl with the droid into his life.
When he walked onto the bridge, Rey was indeed in the Captain's seat and Tyris was strapping himself into the co-pilot's seat.
"Sir," Arlan said removing her helmet. "Her Imperial Majesty insisted on flying."
"So she did," Ben answered with a smile before strapping himself into a jump seat at the back of the cockpit.
The three other guarded followed suit before Rey called over her shoulder, "Everyone strapped in?" With just grunts in reply, she grinned back at Ben, "How fast did I get us off-world last time?"
"Forty-five seconds," Ben said pulling the pocket watch from his surcoat, knowing her intention. "You better hold on," he whispered to the troopers sitting next to him.
Rey plucked at the console and the access screen came out, her hand hovering over the scanner until she heard Ben call out 'Go!'.
The longest part of the sequence was waiting for the shuttle to grant her access to the controls, but once the ship was hers, Rey was off the ground, lowering the wings, and zipping towards the atmosphere in seconds. Ben only stopped the clock when she was far enough away from the planet to engage the hyperdrive, but since she didn't know where they were going, she couldn't program in the coordinates.
She looked back at him excitedly, "Forty-two seconds." Ben said with an approving smile. Davin looked like he was ready to vomit in the helmet that sat in his lap, and Cale looked like he was ready to go again. Arlan just let out a low, impressed whistle.
Rey clicked the release on her harness and let the shoulder straps fall behind her as she stood. "She's all your's Arlan..."
"Thank you, Empress," Arlan addressed as she walked towards the vacant seat.
"I asked you to call me Rey."
Arlan ghosted a look at Kylo, feeling unease with such an informal address, especially in front of the Emperor, but he just nodded, gesturing towards the Empress as if saying, 'Better to do as she asks' or 'Neither of us will win this one'. So Arlan nodded in reply before turning back to the Empress, "Thank you, Rey."
Standing in the doorway of the bridge, Rey turned to Ben, "I'm going to retire to our quarters for the remainder of the journey." Her eyebrow slightly raised, she was basically pouring lust through the bond.
As Rey turned to walk into the main hold, Ben give a tight-lipped smirk into his lap, for he often didn't act like a nutty fool in front of his guard. But he stood all the same and went to follow after his Empress.
"Have fun, sir," Cale quipped from his seat. He was next in line to become a Knight, so he had been spending more time around the others and with inductions, came the ability to have a brotherly rapport with his Master.
With a wink, Ben followed the pulse through the Force that would lead him to his love.
AN: I love writing these two all fluffy and in love! I am currently wrapping up Part XV so it still may be a few days between updates, but I will get them up as soon as I can. I am also going back through and doing some edits...nothing that would change the story but just fixing typos that I might have missed the first time though.
I have four more "moments" planned out for them and each one is taking me 2-3 parts to get through. Since I know so many of you are worried about when this story will come to an end...I wanted to let you know what to look forward to.
Thank you as always for all the love and support.