Poe paced in front of his N-1 Star fighter newly painted black with orange stripes. BB-8 was latched in ready for the ship to go. He did not like this plan. Originally yes he had encouraged it, but now that it sat with him the plan twisted in his stomach knotting and unknotting incessantly. So many many different things could go wrong. First of which being that they would be caught and killed.
"Poe I can feel your worry all the way over here." Her voice came through his ear piece, "And I'm six systems away."
"Right, uh, sorry." Poe replied. His stomach turned for a different reason, "Hey-uh- Cali… if.. I mean when you get back. When all this is over…"He nervously paused, "Well I mean what I want to say is or the question i-s"
"Dameron keep the line clear." Leia's voice chimed in command.
"Yes ma'am." He embarrassingly rubbed his face even though neither of the woman were present with him.
BB-8 chirped at him.
"Yeah, yeah I should done it before. Mr. Know-it-all." The pilot sighed. He was going to do it the day of Anakin's graduation and between then and now there was no good time. That is what was eating at him. The chance to never ask her to spend the rest of their lives together… especially since he didn't know if either of them were going to have lives today. He had a horrible thought concerning Leia's command 'screw it' and he was about to speak when Calliope's voice fizzled over the comms in broken words,
"Shields-… down…-Reb-….."
The cruiser instantly jumped into hyper space and Poe into his fighter. Took out his comm line to put on his helmet,
"Black squadron stay tight, and don't let any bastards get behind you."
"You got it black leader!" Sabe's voice came through.
Kerroc came into view and black squadron bolted from the hangar to the planet's atmosphere.
"Shields are down. Let's hope the air assaults are offline." Poe commented seeing four large cannons fixed on the fighters as they descended into the planet. The cannons remained motionless. "Gold and White squads head on down! Approach the Falcon's beacon." To be sure they wouldn't come back online black squadron bombed out the cannons. Poe stuffed the comm back into his other ear.
"Cali, are we clear to come in?"
"There's something blocking communications." Leia relayed. Gold and White Squadron joined him. White squadron were all ground troop carriers.
"Alright… follow me in!" Poe dove low into the hangar taking blind shots inside the enemy lines. The N-1 blasters hit a rack of Tie-fighters causing a domino explosion. He gave cover to the ground troops as they rushed out of their transports. The pilot knew he should turn back outside, but BB-8 was already preparing the landing gear. "Sabe, you're in charge out there. Keep the skies clear." He threw off his helmet and jumped out bringing a rifle blaster with him. The surrounding storm troopers were scrambling into formation but the rebels were already primely positioned. Green bolts hammering against the rebels. Red bolts slamming against the First Order.
Calliope paced in front of the blast door. Her kyber crystal following her every move. Finn sat patching up Rose's leg and Rey rewired Ben's arm as he had slap-jobbed it on to himself. Anakin finally appeared with some blood dripping from his nose. Ben got up tearing away from Rey's fidgeting with his arm. He leaned down and wiped away the blood.
"Anakin, I-i." he struggled with words, what could he say to this injured boy, for bringing him here for causing all of his pains. He couldn't think of anything quite quick enough before the boy hugged him.
"You found your way back." Anakin gripped on to his father. Ben met eyes with Calliope who was looking upon minds connected; "Thank you." Ben reached out to her. "For what?" she wearily replied. "I know what you told him about me." he answered.
"I told m-...our son nothing less than the truth." Calliope turned her attention as the blast door lock gave an warning. Someone was trying to hack their way in. The troopers Chewy guarded grew restless. Rey got to her feet ignited her saber. Ben stood positioning himself between Anakin and the door. Calliope brought her crystal forward forming into a broad shield before her.
There was only the deafening sound of their heart beats and the locks simultaneous clicks as they became unhinged.
…
Calliope planted her feet ready to charge the moment the door opened. The two part door receded and she lifted her right foot to attack, but she met two deep brown eyes.
"Poe!" the crystal instantaneously deactivated but she had already pushed herself of finto a leap.
"Cali!" He dropped his blaster to catch her. She looked up at him with such surprise and so many questions but the pilot didn't want to answer any of them as he kissed her. The anxiety lifted from him as they were centered in the kiss. She was in his arms, alive.
"Escape now, kiss later!" Finn yelled aiding Rose limp up.
Poe pulled away, "Escape?" the pilot gave them all a grin, "No need to escape when the enemy surrenders unconditionally." He looked beyond to the man standing between Cali and Anakin. "You." Poe sneered.
Ben Solo relinquished himself to cuffs as the resistance began rounding up the high ranking officers. He watched Poe and Anakin hug. His jealousy was overshadowed as his mother descended a transport. She spoke with Calliope but kept her eyes on him. They discussed something and Ben stood as they approached with Rey who had clipped his saber to her hip opposite her own.
"Ben Solo," Leia's voice wavered in saying it, "You will remain under the custody of Force Master Rey." the woman took a hand over the cuffs releasing his hands, "She will escort you into exile."
"Th-thats it?" He managed in overwhelming shock.
"Unless you'd prefer death." Calliope replied with her typical tone of sarcasm.
"I'll never see my son again?" Ben looked past them. Poe had picked up the boy and sat him in a black and orange fighter. Leia looked at Calliope for that answer.
"Anakin is young… when he's older he may decide whether or not he wants to visit his father, but until then yes you won't see him."
He followed Rey into the Millenium Falcon watching the boy who looked so much like him, but was eminently so much more.
"So this is the end." He said hesitating on the ramp.
"Is it though?" Rey gave him a weak smile.
Epilogue
Everyone but Chewy, Rey, and Ben returned to Naboo. Finn and Rose began assisting the troopers to return to civilian life. Leia aided the construction of the new republic until she peaceably passed without warning. Anakin and Poe had been at her side both taken aback by the General's disappearance from her armchair. Calliope finished her second term as Queen denying the councils protest to keep her in power longer. After leaving the public service she and Poe began their lives together in a small home off in a beautiful hillside in the Nubian countryside not far from the forest where they first met. She relented in Anakin's persistent begging and allowed Poe to teach him how to fly. Rey returned in the Falcon occasionally to visit everyone and replenish on supplies. Anakin would bombard her with questions, and occasionally attempted to sneak on the Falcon to follow her back to his father.
Ten Years Later
A seventeen year old lanky boy with neatly combed and gelled black waves of hair took timid steps in an attempt at stealth. He adjusted the pack on his back in attempt to stifle the clinking of the bag's contents. First he went past the guest room with his Aunt Rey snoring contently. He looked in on a master bedroom. Two shaped human lumps, his mother and Poe were huddled in the bed together, and in seeing this he continued further down the hall. Each step a hushed creak. An angry flurry of chirps drew him to a halt as he reached the kitchen.
"BB-8! Please shh!" Anakin scooped down pleadingly to the droid. The droid beeped softly almost depressed. "Come on buddy…It's not like I'm going alone. Snaps is coming with me."
The droid beeped angrily.
"Yes, yes I know he's an exiled criminal, but he's my dad. I want to know him."
BB-8 gave a undecided sound, but in a flash the droid was hoisted up and they were out the door. Anakin heaved the droid on to the ground far enough away from the house to speak at a normal level. "Elders you're heavy!"
The Millenium Falcon was parked just over the hill. Anakin looked at the droid.
"Look by the time you run back in there and tell my parents I'll already have the Falcon primed to go, so why don't you just come with? I know you miss adventure." He grinned anticipating BB-8 to give in. However the droid decided to high tail it to the house. Anakin booked it towards the families most cherished ship. The ramp was down meaning Snaps had already made it inside.
"Planning to leave without saying anything were we?"
His mother's voice drew him to a skidding halt. She was in a haze before the ramp still in her night clothes, arms crossed. Calliope Soruna Dameron had aged well. Poe had convinced her a while ago to stop punishing herself and grow out her hair which now lay in a mahogany twist down to her elbow. Anakin sighed preparing to be disciplined and scorned.
"I hope Nova told her father she was leaving, and didn't sneak out like you." Calliope approached her son with a smile, "Captain Snaps would never forgive us."
Anakin grinned, "So I can go?"
She took her son in her arms, "You're half Solo. Can't keep you grounded forever."
Anakin hugged her back in earnest, "I'll be back."
"I know." Calliope pulled away giving him a sad smile before her image faded.
He rushed up the ramp to the cockpit adrenaline pulsating through his veins. A girl with an electric blue pixie cut sat in the co-pilot's chair priming the ignition. She smiled at him as he took the captain's seat.
"Set course for Ahch-to."
The Falcon hovered and Anakin took a long look out at Naboo watching the beautiful greenery disappear from beneath them.
I want to say thank you for all the love this story got, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I wanted to let you know of my up coming stories.
I wanted to keep this story PG so I kept a lot of what I wanted out to keep it so, however, the prequel "The Knight Nyx" will be rated M because of well sexual content. Tell me what you guys would think of a sequel with Anakin?
I am also working on two other stories that I'd like you guys to keep an eye out for-;
Once and Always- Breha Padme Solo, born an agonizing twelve minutes after her brother was quiet the flip side of her twin. Ben often felt alone while their parents were off leading busy lives, but he always had Breha who was a ray of sunshine no matter the situation. This was until they were separated Ben forced to join his Uncle in training. When Kylo Ren heard those words "they were aided by a girl" that's immediately who he anticipated capturing.
Also working on a Harry Potter Fanfic called-; Painting It, Black
Persephone Black approached 13 Grimmauld place with her purchases from Diagon Alley. She wore her honey blond hair in a tight neat bun, and her kitten heels clicked against the cobblestone. Two men stood outside of the house's magical entrance. One was robed in purple that complimented his dark skin. The other wore tattered robes and two distinct scars across his face. She knew the later one; her god father Remus Lupin.
"Miss Black... your grandmother has passed." The wizard robed in purple started.
A wave of utter relief washed over her. She dropped everything. That horrid abusive woman was gone.
