~ Six Months Later~
Poe Dameron had always been made for the sky, and teaching the recruits in N-1 starfighters he felt like his old self when the resistance was full. They made passes over the old capital, the forest, and the former stronghold practicing maneuvers and tactics. He was elated at how well they had picked up, but there was still much to teach them.
"Black leader, are we clear to head back?" a voice came through the radio, "The Queen doesn't want us wasting fuel reserves."
"Ah yes, the Queen." Poe chuckled steering his fighter back towards the new hangar, "Let's not upset her ey?"
The squadron of twenty fighters made for a curved waterfall. Poe was the last of them to station the fighter in the hangar. Out of the cockpit he watched the recruits exit and care for their ships. BB-8 chirped happily after ejecting from the fighter. A figure had stooped over to talking to the droid. Poe jumped down from the yellow bird.
"How did they do, General Dameron?"
"Well, your majesty." He swooped down greeting Calliope with a swift kiss, "They did well. Sabe especially."
Calliope looked over to the young girl excited among the other pilots. Sabe's term had ended in their silence of the mountain, and unanimously the people elected the oldest queen at 28 to rule them, "I'm glad."
She pulled the pilot by the collar behind the security of his fighter wrapping her fingers in his dark ebony curls.
"Cali." He couldn't finish his train of thought as she ardently met his lips. The way she twisted her hands in his hair ringing it around individual fingers. He thoroughly melted. Calliope finally pulled away with a sly grin on her face. Poe cleared his throat,
"Well your day must have been good."
Together they entered the new Naboo a bustling hive of rebellion and thriving society. Builders, engineers, and architects worked day in and out carving homes into the pastoral hillside. Here the resistance was no longer just surviving but growing under Leia's guidance and knowledge though she was now resiegned to a chair for most of her waking hours. Finn and Rose taught every day Nubians how to fire blasters, understand call signals, and operate the bases defences if the time ever arose were they needed to stand up. Calliope lifted her wrist on which was clasped a transportable communication line,
"Scavenger leader and Maz's boyfriend best head back before dark."
Chewie's roar came over the line that they would return soon.
Rey was outside of the Falcon rummaging through a fallen satellite. It brought her an immense amount of joy knowing no matter what or how much she brought back to the rebellion they would feed her same as everybody else. Not to mention the surroundings were 1,000 times better. The Naboo forest trickled with life. She could hear cascading water no matter where she trudged. Mud stuck to her boots, greenery brushed her shoulder, and the planet had taken the girl in. Rey sat on a moss covered log overhanging a creek. She closed her eyes letting the forces around push and pull. Calliope had given Rey everything she needed to repair the and lightsaber, but she couldn't help the urge to use it as the guardian did. "It took years of practice, determination and I have the scars to prove it." A solid weapon was easy to predict especially for someone vastly more trained than her, like Kylo Ren. The scavenger shuddered. There was a part of there that wanted to hold on to the soft illusion of Ben Solo. Each time they interacted now Rey led him on a chase of cat and mouse, and he would grow more frustrated and irate. She closed eyes summoning the inactive crystal from her pack. It hovered delicately before her. Taking a sure but anxious breath Rey ordered the crystal to ignite. The rock gave a faint spark. She commanded it again and again until frustration built in her. "Please." She resorted. The kyber crystal ignited into a blue electric flame. Slowly it followed her hand movement and Rey made sure to keep a safe distance from the radiating laser rock as it lashed out. The brooke beneath her dangling legs became muted and the tall dark Supreme Leader. Rey panicked begging the crystal to deactivate. She wouldn't have him see her practice. A thin line lashed out against the shoulder and as she let out of cry of pain the crystal fell into her hand inert. He turned showing a momentary concern for her injury in which she tried to cover.
"Your hurt." Kylo Ren's mouth moved and Ben's soothing voice came out, "You've been training. If only you had a proper teacher, and not stuffy old books with rigid and hyopritic ideals." Ren's voice came out in the end. He had seen her reading them one day, but had no idea who with. She could feel his frustration on the identity companion, and how we was just lure out of her any information. Rey let her hand go from clutching her arm.
"Blaster? You can't have fixed the saber." He drew closer inspecting it. Rey swept away from letting her feet splash in the water.
"Maybe I did fix it." She replied.
"The how could you have possibly injured yourself with it?"
Rey scowled trying to push him away and end the bond. She hadn't let him see anything around her.
"How is General Organa?"
"CALL HER BY WHAT SHE IS TO YOU!" Her voice cracked after the anger.
Kylo grinned at her resentment, "She hasn't been my mother for some time."
Rey's nostrils flared, "She could have been, and she is perfectly fine!" She detached them from each other.
Calliope could sense Rey's immense anger as the Falcon landed in the hangar, and the young girl entered the base. The Queen drew herself away from the council chambers who didn't need her presence to discuss housing. She followed the radiating anger to the outskirts of the settled area overlooking the valley below. The scavenger ferociously wailed her staff around.
"Rey." Calliope was quick to catch the staff as the startled girl twisted around, "What's the matter?"
"I feel things I know I shouldn't." she wanted to cry and held it back shaking her head, "And I just want to be free of them."
Calliope observed the girl, "You've seen him recently haven't you?"
Rey silently nodded.
"I want to see you early for lessons tomorrow. I think it's time we closed this bridge don't you?"
"Yes," she replied assuredly, but Calliope could feel a tremor meaning the exact opposite.
For those of you wondering, the those few months between will be doled out in flashbacks ;)
