Part XIX

They stayed in the bath until the water started to cool. "I invited the guards over for dinner tonight," Ben told Rey as he held out a large towel for her, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"That was nice of you," she wasn't sure if this was a common occurrence or if this was something he was doing for her, to show that their lives wouldn't be filled with just people that held important titles. He knew she came from meager beginnings, but also knew that she could shine brighter than the most jewel draped queen.

"Arlan thinks I am cross with her…"

"No…" Rey padded over to him, still wrapped in her towel, and pressed her hands to his chest, her expression pleading. "I made her do it. You know…Empress commands and all." The last thing she wanted was to cause Arlan to lose her position or even her life, she had heard storied from Finn about Kylo Ren killing for lesser offenses. She stood up straighter, "I take full responsibility."

Sensing her feelings through the Force, Ben smiled at his Empress of the People. She was willing to go up against him for what was right and just. "I'm not angry with her. I'm glad you two have hit it off, but I need to be able to trust my guard fully. They can't keep secrets from me."

Rey bit at the corner of her lower lip, "Then maybe she could be assigned to me…when the time comes."

Each time she made plans for when she would finally join him, Ben's heart fluttered with excitement and anticipation. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

She smiled, "Then she will have to keep my schemes in confidence." Privately, Ray had been worried about leaving all of her friends behind, knowing that she would miss Rose desperately but also aware that standing by Ben would sever any sisterly affection between them. Through the coded communications on the datapad, Rey almost dared to call Arlan a friend.

Ben shifted uncomfortably, a slight pout wearing on his expression. "You shouldn't need to…or want to keep anything from me. There is nothing you can do that would make me love you less or not be proud to call you mine."

Rey returned with her own pout, "I want to be able to surprise you, be spontaneous. There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to keep some things to myself."

He took two steps and was standing before her, taking her face in his hands and lifting it to his. He placed a lingering kiss to her forehead before speaking, "Shield your thoughts if you must but never turn them off, never again."

Simply nodding, Rey brought her lips up to his once again to convey her regret at hurting him so deeply and also to show her devotion to the Force and their bond within it.

They dressed in their sleeping quarters, opting for more casual clothing. Rey slid into a pair of black leggings and a dark gray tunic leaving her feet bare. Ben dressed in black slacks and a black tunic. Not being as comfortable with informalities as Rey was, he pulled on a pair of boots.

The soft whirl of two cleaning droids was heard from the living room as they crossed the apartment to the kitchen. "That smells amazing Tyris," Rey commented as she padded up to the stove to see what he was making.

Tyris stood at attention, "Thank you, Empress."

She rolled her eyes, "I told all of you to call me Rey."

"Yes, ma'am," Tyris was still a little uncomfortable being so informal. It as only half a year ago that he received his own name, having been called FN 6743 before then.

One of the changes under Emperor Ren's New Order was that all of the trooper records were unsealed. The child soldiers of the First Order were given a choice, to leave and make their own lives, or stay, for a fair wage, and serve out terms or contacts with the New Order. Part of this decree was also, each trooper was given access to their personal files, which revealed their given names and homeworlds.

Unlike Cale, Tyris was happy to stay on the Emperor's guard for the rest of his career. He had no interest in joining the Knights or being sent on never-ending missions to the far reaches of the galaxy. Being close to Arlan was also a perk that he would publicly deny if asked.

Just as Tyris was holding out a spoon full of sauce for Rey to try, there was a knock at the door. Ben excused himself and walked to the entry.

Cale smiled wide when the door opened, "I hear the Empress is back with us, so I brought a bottle of wine." He held out a green glass bottle.

"How thoughtful," Ben deadpanned, knowing that the wine had come from his own personal reserve.

Davin ducked into the apartment with just a respectful nod to the Emperor. And then there was Arlan, standing at the back of the hall, her hands twisting in front of her hips and her gaze downcast.

"Arlan," Ben's voice was deep and commanding.

"Emperor," she answered, still not looking up.

He sighed, remembering that he had promised Rey that he wouldn't reprimand his guard. "Won't you come in?" He asked simply, holding out his hand to usher her forward.

Arlan changed a quick glance up at her Emperor and saw no anger in his face. "Thank you, sir."

Once she was through the threshold, Ben reached out and grabbed Arlan around her upper arm. He closed the door and then turned back to her wide eye's look since he had never touched her before. He pulled her in close to him so that he could speak down directly into her face, "Don't you ever keep anything from me ever again. Even if the Empress asks for your secrecy, you will report it to me or I will be forced to take it from you. Am I understood?"

While she had felt Ren enter her mind before, it had been just a gentle push, but she had heard horror stories of his interrogation techniques and did not wish for her brain to be ripped to ribbons. "Yes, Emperor," she answered without hesitation.

"When her Imperial Majesty joins us permanently, she has requested you to be head of her guard. I would implore you not to disappoint her or myself in this regard."

"Yes, sir…" she stammered, bowing her head. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me," he released her arm. "Thank Rey."

In the kitchen, Rey had graciously taken the wine from Cale and said a sweet hello to Davin. "Did Arlan come too?" She asked the two guards.

Tyris' shoulders tensed at the mention of Arlan's name and Cale just nodded solemnly. While Rey knew she had asked Ben to spare the guard's position and life, she also knew that he would handle it on his own terms. She had to respect that he was right, for the time being, the guards were part of his unit and he needed to be able to trust them completely.

So a few minutes later when Arlan walked into the kitchen, Rey gave her a partly sad but also partly reassuring smile, which the guard returned. "Ben, can you open the wine for us?" Rey asked as she went searching the cabinets for glasses.

"Second door over," Ben offered as he watched Rey stretch up on her tiptoes searching the top shelves. For a moment he thought about being entertaining and opening the bottle with his saber, but then considered how upset she would be with the mess it would make. So he just took out a traditional wine opener and went to work on the cork.

When the dinner was ready, Ben and Rey each took seats at the heads of the table. Cale sat at Ben's right side and Davin at his left. Arlan was to Rey's right and Tyris sat across from the female trooper. The supper was a simple pasta dish with garden greens and bread that Tyris said was from one of the most esteemed bakeries in the city center.

Rey thought that perhaps this was the first family dinner she had ever experienced. Back on the base, they all ate in the mess hall, and while she would group herself with dear friends, it was always rushed and she almost always felt as if she was intruding on Rose and Finn. Looking across the table at Ben, she saw his knowing smile and she guessed that he felt her warm emotions through the bond.

The conversation was light, much like their time around the fire on Endor and soon Rey was sitting back in her chair and rubbing her expanding midsection. "That was delicious Tyris. You must give me lessons some time."

"Any time, ma'am," he almost blushed under the praise of his Empress.

"Why don't you ladies go check out the view while us guys get this cleaned up," Cale suggested as he took a few steps over to Rey, offering his hand to help her stand from her seat.

Arlan stood as well and ushered her Empress towards the doors at the far end of the dining room. There was a terrace that stretched across the entire back side of the apartment, with doors to the living area and bedchamber as well.

As Rey passed Ben she set down her wine glass and he filled it without having to be asked. She gave him a sweet smile before bending down to give him a slow kiss on the lips. After parting from him, Rey followed Arlan out onto the terrace.

The city had its own ebb and flow. They were far above the surface, but they could still hear the bustle from below. Ships came into and out of the atmosphere and buzzed between buildings. What Rey enjoyed the most was the twinkle of lights that could be seen for miles in each direction. "A galaxy within a city," she mused thinking that there were humanoids and creatures from every world on Coruscant. A melting pot of life and for the first time since landing, she let herself absorb it through the Force.

Sipping on their wine, the two women looked out over the skyline. Rey took this time to really appraise the female guard. Arlan was slightly taller than Rey but just as toned and slender. Her pale purple hair was surprising natural, her pale skin almost glowed, and by contrast, her eyes were dark as night. Rey mused that Arlan had an otherworldly beauty about her, but was unsure which planet she haled from.

"Thank you for talking to the Emperor on my behalf." Arlan started.

"It is I who should be thanking you for keeping him here until I could come. I put him through quite a bit of pain and I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"Yeah…I've never seen him like that…" They were both quiet for a long moment before Arlan took a deep breath and spoke, "I don't assume to understand the Force, or what it means to you or Ren, but what happened back there?"

Rey sighed, not seeing any harm in being truthful with Arlan, "Ben and I share a special bond, we were brought together through the Cosmic Force and it means we can share knowledge, send and sense emotions in each other, and even communicate across long distances.

"Since I wanted to surprise him and knew that he would sense me as soon as I entered the sector, I did something so irresponsible."

When Arlan didn't push, Rey breathed in and out deeply. "I shut out the Force. I cut our bond and he thought that I was dead."

Arlan shivered and nodded, now understating why her master had reacted the way he did. "I've never seen him like that Rey…" Ren had been inconsolable. He had let out some of the most feral screams, clutching and clawing at his body as if some invisible force was cutting him from the inside out. He had crushed a durasteel table with just a twitch of his fingers and when he pulled at his hair and yelled out a heart-stopping 'No!', every glass object in the room had shattered. Shards, water droplets, and flowers that had once adorned vases floated in mid-air as if time had stopped and Arlan had looked around in awe and horror.

Ren's eyes had flashed gold for just a moment before a sob had racked his body. Just then a comm had come in that a shuttle was coming in for a landing on the Emperor's personal tarmac and Arlan had raced up to retrieve the Empress.

Another shiver ran through the trooper's body as she thought back to earlier that day. "Why are the two of you separated? Why not come here and be with him?"

Rey sipped her wine, the warmth spread in her gut and also set a color on her cheeks. "I'm with the Resistance…" she started to answer.

Arlan spit out the mouthful of wine she had taken in. "The Resistance? What…how…but…"

Blushing further, Rey had just assumed that Ben had said something to them about it. "I'm Rey…like bounty on my head for killing Supreme Leader Snoke…last Jedi…Beacon for the Resistance Rey…"

The trooper still looked on with a visually horrified look. She didn't know what to do with this information. She wasn't dense enough to think that Ren didn't know every piece of this, and he called her Empress, even though no official announcement had been made to Rey's rank and title and now Arlan knew why.

Rey laughed into her wine glass, "Ben tried to kill me…" she thought for a moment and counted on her fingers, "two or three times and I gave him that sweet scar," she ran her fingers down the right side of her face.

Arlan's expression had still not changed so Rey tried less humor and more facts, "Look, Snoke had to go. You have seen the changes that Ben has been able to accomplish and that would never have happened under the First Order." She twisted the stem of her glass between her fingers. "Back then I didn't know what kind of ruler he would be and I refused him. But the Force had other plans and we kept being shoved together whether we liked it or not and the rest is history."

"But why stay with the Resistance?"

"Their command has gone dark. They won't stop the attacks or the killing until their last fighter is run through by a menacing red saber, I suspect. I want to…need to convince them to settle with the New Order, become an ally before it is too late."

"So work from the inside?"

Rey nodded, "I rule with Ben through our bond and these little meetings we have and I try to bring the Resistance back around to the light."

Realization hit Arlan and her wide-eyed gaze met Rey's, "His birthday celebration…he went off world and told us to take the MK3 shuttle to Wobani for a few days."

"I only warned him of the attack, but I didn't know how the Resistance was going to do it. He came to me on Jakku."

"And the MK2 was shot down…"

Rey frowned, "The loss of life was so senseless."

Arlan nodded, "FN 103 used to bunk with me and a few other female troopers. She was sweet, planning to finish out her contact and then return to her homeworld…found out she had a sister who ran a hotel."

"May the Force be with them all," Rey said out into the twinkling lights of the city.

Just a beat later Ben walked from the apartment out onto the terrace. He came up behind Rey, wrapping his arms around her slim middle and resting his chin atop her head."I love the view from up here."

"It is quite spectacular," Rey said in a breathy tone.

Arlan felt as if she was intruding on a private moment so with a quiet 'Emperor' she dismissed her self back into the home.

Ben let out an exhausted sigh, twisting his head slightly to quickly gaze over his shoulder, "She's telling them about you."

"They have a right to know, Ben."

When he just hummed back in reply, Rey tried to reason with him. "They have a right to know what they're fighting for…what they're willing to lay their lives down for. I'm just sorry you didn't tell them sooner, I would hate for them to feel betrayed by us."

"It was none of their business."

Rey quirked up her eyebrow at him, "You have a woman who you call Empress and take to bed often, that you secretly run around the galaxy with, expecting them to pledge life and loyalty to and instruct them to not speak about it to anybody else in the Order." Now she raised both her eyebrows at him, "And you expect them not to be curious."

He sighed again knowing she was right.

"Do you think they will treat me differently knowing that I'm with the Resistance?" Rey's expression was painted with worry. She had come to be quite fond of Ben's guard unit and couldn't think of them being uncomfortable around her because of this revelation.

Ben leaned down over her shoulder, pressing his lips softly to her, "You aren't with the Resistance…you are with me."

"So I am," she whispered into their kiss.

"And if they give you any trouble, let me know and I'll take care of it."

Rey pulls the face. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me. If they have an issue with the path that I have chosen, I will deal with them myself."

He chuckled and rubbed at the split skin just above his brow, "I'm well aware you can fight your own battles." Rey reached up to run her thumb along his scar and he nuzzled into her palm before placing a kiss upon it, "Let's get back inside. Tyris brought something special for dessert."

Her eyes lit up and she scampered out of his hold and back toward the terrace doors.

Laid out on the table was an assortment of chocolates much like those that Ben had left her during one of their bonds, "Are these from Chandrila too?" Rey asked excitedly.

"No," Tyris answered. "They are local to Galactic City."

"If I had known you were coming, I would have had some other treats brought in from Chandrila," Ben's voice was teasing but also held an edge of annoyance, perhaps still a little upset by the events of the early day.

"Don't start Ben," Rey said lowly, not wanting to spoil their good time.

They each took back up their seats, but this time Ben pulled Rey into his lap hoping to maybe lick chocolate from her fingers again. He thought back to the first time they had kissed through the bond and was amazed at how far they had come. Rey must have felt his musing nostalgia because she turned towards him and gave a coy smile.

"So the Resistance," Cale was the first to mention the bantha in the room.

"Cale…" Ben warned.

"No it's alright," Rey said placing her hand on Ben's chest and then turned back to the guards sitting at the table. "I was pulled into this war by a feisty BB unit and an ex-trooper named Finn." She paused long enough to see if Ben would mutter traitor under his breath, but when he didn't she continued. "By acts of the Force, I ended up on the Falcon and had a run in with Han Solo."

A pleasing but sad smile crossed her lips when remembering her short time with Han. "That is how I ended up on Takodana and this big idiot here thought it was a good idea to knock me out with the Force and kidnap me."

"In my defense," Ben chuckled and popped a chocolate into his mouth, "you did shoot first."

Cale snickered, thinking about the fearless girl who pulled her saber on them the first time they met back on Er'Kit. He could imagine her wild eyes and bared teeth as she fired off shots at his Master.

Rey just rolled her eyes at both of them, "It was pure happenstance that I ended up with the Resistance and Ben wasn't too convincing when trying to get me to stay."

"I offered to teach you…"

"You strapped me to a table and then tried to kill my friend."

Ben comically shrugged as if to say that was a normal midweek day for him. "I got you in the end though."

"Almost," Davin cut in. "You are still one of them…"

Rey sighed, "There are good people there, just as there are good people in the Order. They just need a little push towards the Light…towards peace."

"We kept wondering why Ren never ordered an attack on the base," Cale said as he stretched back in his chair. The Knights had been chopping at the bit to get a piece of the action.

"I know one day something will need to be done, but I hope that I can bring Dameron in quietly and that he can have a fair trial."

"Trial," Cale scoffed.

"Yes. If we are looking at justice then none of our hands are clean. I keep telling Ben that something has to be done about Hux as well." Rey said to the group.

"Hux?" Davin asked in surprise.

"He is guilty of genocide. He fired that horrid weapon on the Hosnian system. I would think that Ben would share my judgment, after all, the same was done to Alderaan."

"We are not the sins of our blood," Ben reminded her, but deep down he did agree with her. The galaxy would want to see someone pay for the follies of the First Order. "At this time Hux is not really a concern as he is still drinking his meals through a straw."

Perhaps Rey found what her second mission as Empress would be…brining war criminals to heed.

"Well I think what you are doing is brave," Tyris finally spoke. When all eyes turned to him, he shrugged, "She is putting her neck on the line, living in secret, having to sneak around with the Emperor even when it is clear that they want to be together, and also acting as a double agent. If she was found out, they would put her before a firing squad without a second thought."

Rey squirmed uncomfortably in Ben's lap at the idea of a firing squad and agrees with his thought that she needed to learn to stop blaster bolts. "Thank you, Tyris." She replied simply and then bit at her lip. "And that makes asking this that much harder."

"What is it, Empress?" Davin asked.

She looked from Ben back to the guards. "We need to give the Resistance a win. I need to be able to feed them some intel that will have a good outcome for them. Poe is starting to be suspicious again…not towards me directly but it is bound to come back around."

Ben groaned gruffly and dug his fingers into her thigh as he had an arm around her back and resting on her leg. "Even more reason for you to come home now…"

Arlan eyed her Emperor before turning her gaze to Rey. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well they are running low on medical supplies and that would be considered a good take. So since the Resistance thinks that I am on my way to Antar 4, I can send a comm saying that I saw a New Order medical ship somewhere along the way. It can be stocked with just the basics, presumed to be on a restocking mission to a remote hospital. If I could give good intel against the Order, it would renew Poe's faith in my commitment to the Resistance."

"How long are we going to do this?" Ben sounded exhausted.

"As long as we have to, Ben." She felt his discontent through the bond and she wished with everything in her that she could ease his struggle. She too just wanted it all to be over so they could start their lives together, but total destruction and ion cannons from orbit was not the way to everlasting peace.

"What about the crew?" Arlan asked, having lost friends in past Resistance attacks. "Are we to sacrifice more of our own?"

"I'll go," Cale offered. "Maybe task two other Knights to the mission. We can handle ourselves if it goes south, but we will just surrender and give the ship over without much fight."

"You're really trying to get your Knighthood aren't you?" Arlan asked almost in spite.

Cale smiled, "No offense Ren, but your detail has been kind of boring as of late and I'm itching for some action."

Ben held up his hand in indifference, "We are a volunteer military now and I wouldn't want my Knight to get soft in peace times."

"Really?" Rey asked, surprised that they were considering her plan.

"I can get a ship together and put them in sector N11 by tomorrow evening."

"I will send out the comm in the morning," Rey said wrapping her arms around Ben's neck and planting a kiss to his lips.

"And that's our cue," Cale said as he stood. "With your permission, I will send a comm to Alister and Jix," he spoke to his Master.

Ben just looked at Rey, "It's your mission, Empress. Give your orders."

Rey smiled up at Cale and nodded, "Gather the Knights. Surrender quickly and then take an escape pod. We will send a transport to retrieve you."

Later that night, as Ben and Rey lie in bed, bare and wrapped around each other, Ben inclined his head and kissed the crown of her head. "You are about to get your first taste at ruling…"

She turned her face up to look at him, "What do you mean? I thought that I've been helping you all along."

"You have…you have my love," his eyes were kind but then shifted. "You have been building school and hospitals. You have been feeding the famished and freeing the enslaved. But I have shielded you from the darker side of what it means to rule."

Her brows pulled together and he kissed her forehead, "You ordered a mission that could put lives at risk. People on both sides could die and you have to make peace with that. You are in a position to rule…a position to command and with each order, you need to be able to weigh the risks with the benefits."

"I didn't think about that," Rey said bashfully. Ben had been allowing her to rule with kid gloves, not having to delve into anything that would dim her light with regret and blame.

"Well I will always be there to take some of that burden from you, but if my Knights feel threatened, they will not hesitate to do as their Master has taught them…they will survive. Do you understand?"

Back when Kylo was ruled by Snoke, he was a tool, a weapon to be called upon, and he killed indiscriminately. He could pretend that his conscience was clean and free from fault, he could leave the fallout to the Supreme Leader. But now that he was his own Master, heir apparent, and Emperor of the wide galaxy, he couldn't blame the blood on his hands on another, he too must consider all of the possible outcomes and consequences of his actions. This is perhaps why Ben had not made a move against Hux or Dameron, thinking the ramifications didn't yet match the gain.

Rey nodded into his chest. She knew that the barely trained Resistance fighters weren't a match to the skill of the Knights of Ren. They would surround and board the freighter thinking that they were going up against normal transport pilots, not seasoned warriors.

Quickly in her mind, she thought about the cost versus benefit of the mission. The Resistance desperately needed medical supplies and hopefully, the veteran Knights could use the Force if needed to deescalate any unpleasant situation that may come about. She also needed Poe to continue to trust her if she was going to succeed in her own personal mission to bring an end to this war.

Selfishly she wanted to curl herself up next to Ben every night and the longer it took her to bring Poe to his senses, the longer she had to put her own life and happiness on hold. As Ben lovingly stroked at her back and she inhaled his dark scent, she wanted her life with him to start as soon as possible.

AN: A little longer part for you because you all make my heart so happy. I think it will take me two more parts to finish their time on Coruscant. It's taking me about two days to write each part and I hoped to have this story finished by Halloween but I don't see that happening. I think we are pushing more towards 30 parts in the end. (Future me still laughing...40 glorious chapters!)

Thank you for coming along for the ride with our loving couple. Your comments and reviews are always so appreciated.