He looks ridiculous. The blonde wig clashes with his skin tone and the thick glasses make him look absurd. That and the grungy yellow color of the Resistance uniform makes it all look a little bit worse. Ben sits back in the seat next to their code breaker. The man gives him one look and grins to himself before powering up the small ship. Rey is moving towards the front of the ship. Her eyes fall on his. She tries to stop herself from laughing, but dissolves into a fit of laughter.

"I'm sorry, Commander," she says in between giggles.

Ben rolls his eyes. "Go sit down, ensign."

Her giggles fades. It's the first time that he's referred to her by her title rather than her name. He can sense a tinge of disappointment in her. Ben leans his head back against the headrest and lets out a sigh. Sometimes the way she acts around him reminds him a lot of a girl he met when training with his uncle. It should bother him that she's become so attached to him, but he finds it endearing.

DJ is typing coding into the computer as he moves the ship out of the hanger. He triggers the jump drive and the ship jumps into space. The ship comes out of lightspeed a distance away from the shield gate. DJ takes a chip and sticks it into a thin space near the jump drive.

"Your ship is c-c-cloaked," DJ does this odd stutter. "We should be able to slip right on through."

Ben's fingers grip around the armrests. He's not even sure where Hux found this guy, but he doesn't exactly trust him. Ben searches his mind and sees greed. This is just a payday for DJ, nothing more and nothing less. DJ tilts the ship to a small hangar bay - one possibly used only when important figures come onboard. There's another ship moving inside the hangar bay. Perfect. It will conceal the sound of their ship from the personnel inside.

The ship lands a few feet from the silver ship in front of them. Ben shuts his eyes and searches for signs of his mother. It isn't her, but it is someone that he knows. The exit ramp opens from the ship. Ben sees a head of soft violet hair crowning a woman dressed in grey. Ah, Amilyn Holdo, his mother's arrogant friend. Ben's chest burns with anger at the sight of that woman. It was either her or Chewie that would watch over him when his parents were away. He can still remember all the times Holdo talked down to him as a child. His eyes narrow to slits as he watches her walk out of the room with an array of guards escorting her.

The docking bay is cleared now. Ben hits the button to drop the ramp. He goes to Rey who waiting for him obediently. He reaches out and wraps his fingers around her wrist gently. He can feel a sense of anxiety coming off of her in waves.

"Stay near me," he says. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Rey's cheeks turn a deep crimson as her eyes flicker to the floor. A warm emotion radiates from her. Her eyes flutter back up to his and she gives him a small nod. He withdraws his fingers from her wrist and pivots toward the ramp. DJ has already made his way down into the hangar.

"Are you two just going to stand there and make eyes at each other? Or are we going to shut down this gate?" DJ calls to the both of them.

Ben glares down at him.

DJ throws his hands up defensively. "I'm j-j-just saying that we have a job to do! I want to get paid!"

Ben steps down the ramp and motions for Rey to follow him. The three of them leave the hangar and walk through a corridor. Ben can feel the heavy tools in his orange vest weigh him down as his heart pounds. He shouldn't be thinking of her, but all he can think about is his mother. She's not here, he tells himself. He would be able to sense her if that were the case.

The three of them enter a large, cylinder shaped room. DJ goes to a ladder. "We're going to need to climb."

"I saw as much on the map," Ben feels irritated by DJ's unneeded explanation.

DJ is the first to climb the ladder. Ben turns to Rey and places his hand on the small of her back to guide her.

"You first," he says.

Ben waits for Rey to climb up a few rungs before he follows her. He places his hands on the ladder and breathes. The room is quiet - all but the sound of the generators placed in the center of the room. He feels a certain uneasiness come over him. Their mission is too quiet. Ben forces that thought out of his mind and climbs up the rungs one by one.

It feels like an eternity before they reach the top of the ladder. Rey climbs up onto the steel rafter and holds her hand out to him. Ben takes her hand and climbs up next to her. A boxed room is in the center of the large cylinder shaped room. Ben steps across the rafters and goes to the control panel on the door.

DJ steps towards him and stares at the panel. He takes a golden piece of flint and places it between his teeth. His eyes run over the circuit panel. He takes the piece of flint from between his teeth. He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.

"Well shit!" DJ hisses.

"Is there a problem?" Ben growls.

"The p-p-problem is that this is all mechanics," DJ kicks a metal panel directly underneath the control panel. "None of this is connected to a computer. I'm not a mechanic. There's n-n-nothing I can do to get passed this door. It's smart if you th-th-think about it. You need both a mechanic and a code-breaker to drop the gate. Most people wouldn't think about that. Your buddy, Hux, sure didn't expect it."

"Can't we just blast our way through the door?" Ben asks.

"I wouldn't if I were you. They probably have a security system attached to this d-d-door. One small fuck up and we're all in handcuffs." DJ places his wrists together to drive his point home.

Ben places both hands on his temples. He tries to search his mind for a solution. His father had tried to teach him mechanics in his youth, but he never cared much for it. Now he's regretting his indifference to the skill his father tried to teach him.

"Let me look at it."

Ben turns to see Rey. There's this fierceness in her eyes as she approaches the both of them.

"I've done this type of stuff before," Rey insists. "It's the type labor that I was forced to do on Jakku. I don't know how good I am at it…"

Ben shrugs out of his orange vest. He steps towards Rey and offers her the jacket full of tools. Rey takes the vest in her hands and looks down upon it.

"It doesn't matter if you're a master mechanic or not," Ben looks to her. "You're all we got right now."

A smile flashes on her lips for a fleeting moment. She steps forward and leans down to the panel near the floor. Rey takes a screwdriver in hand and begins to remove the screws one by one. Rey pulls the panel off of the wall and looks to all of the wires and machinery. She takes a smaller screwdriver in hand and unscrews a smaller box. Several wires are connected to a piece of machinery inside the box.

Rey looks inside the box for a moment. Her lips part in a gasp before a smile crosses her face. Rey presses against a black switch. She cuts one of the cords and grabs a piece of electric tape. Rey tapes the cord back together. She flips the switch back on. A soft beeping sound fills the room before the door rises from the ground.

"It worked…" Rey's voice is full of wonder.

Ben kneels down to her level and places his hands on his shoulders. "Rey, you're a genius!"

Rey's face turns a deep shade of red as that familiar warmth resonates off of her. Ben helps her up from the floor. Her wide eyes are looking up to him with a hint of admiration. Ben hands linger on her biceps for just a moment longer before he pivots towards the door.

Ben follows DJ inside the box of a room. DJ makes his way to the computer and takes his seat on a black leather chair. He takes a black box from his vest and connects a pair of wires into the computer. Ben turns back to Rey. Her right hand is gripping her left bicep as her eyes seem to stare down at the floor. Her energy is so different than it usually is.

"And, there it goes…" DJ's voice almost sings. "The shield is dropping down. Let's get the fuck out of here. This place is going to be crawling with Resistance soldiers within minutes."

Ben takes the communicator from his pocket and radios Hux. "The gate has been breached. You're clear to jump to lightspeed."

Ben stuffs the communicator back in his pocket and takes Rey by her wrist. He rushes down the rafter until he reaches the ladder. He notices Resistance soldiers piling through the door below.

"We're going to need to find another way out," he says.

Ben eyes the room until his eyes fall on a ventilation shaft. He focuses on the metal grate covering the ventilation shaft. He pulls with his mind, peeling the grate off and throwing it over the rafters. His hand tightens around Rey's wrist as he guides her to the open vent.

"I'll be right behind you," he says.

Ben lifts her up by her waist. Rey grips onto the sides of the vent and forces herself upward. Once Rey successfully climbs into the vent, he jumps and catches the end of the vent with his fingers. He climbs into the ventilation shaft and follows behind Rey. He hears DJ climbing up behind him, but doesn't bother to slow down. At this point, he could care less if DJ makes it back to the Supremacy alive.

The vent is cramped and feels like a winding maze. Sweat drips from his temples as a feeling of nervousness runs through him. They don't have much time. Before long, Hux's fleet will drop from lightspeed and lay siege to this facility. Seconds after that very thought, the entire ventilation shaft rocks. Ben falls flat onto the steel beneath him. The First Order fleet has arrived.

His eyes spot light spilling through a grate. He waits for Rey to pass the light and stops before the grate. His hand touches Rey's boot to signal her to stop. Ben presses his back against the wall opposite of the grate. He sends his foot forward and kicks the grate off of its hinges.

"Come on! We have to find our way out of here before Hux blows this place to ash!" he shouts.

Ben pulls himself out of the vent and lands onto the floor. He waits for Rey to climb halfway out of the vent and reaches out to her waist with both hands. He draws her into his arms and sets her down onto the floor.

"We're going to find a way out of here," his eyes look down upon her. "I promise."

Ben takes her wrist in hand and guides her down the hallway. He sees a group of Resistance soldiers down the hall. Ben notes that they are still in disguise and continues to rush forward. His heart nearly stops when he sees violet hair between the crowd of Resistance soldiers.

Don't notice me, don't notice me, don't notice me, Ben repeats again and again in his mind. His eyes meet with Holdo's. She appears indifferent at first. Then, her eyes seem to narrow as a venomous look glints in her eyes.

"Capture that man!" she orders.

"Draw your lightsaber!" Ben orders to Rey before releasing his hold on her wrist.

He reaches to his belt and unhooks his lightsaber. He ignites the three bladed weapon and holds it before him. Rey follows suit, igniting the blade on her own weapon. Several lasers come towards him. He deflects them with ease. Many Resistance soldiers collapse to the floor. He stares down Holdo. He could kill her now, but time is of the essence. This gate is going to be space dust within minutes.

Ben rounds the corner with Rey by his side. Her eyes look up to him for a moment. "What about DJ?

"Fuck him," Ben replies.

They reach the end of the corridor. Several escape pods are lined against the wall. A sigh of relief escapes him. He deactivates his lightsaber. Rey switches her weapon off and attaches it to her belt. He places his hand on Rey's back and leads her to a cramped pod. He helps her inside and looks down to her.

"I'll be right behind you," he reassures.

"I… " she stammers. "I don't want to be alone."

He can sense her fear. He looks down to the pod. It would be a tight fit, but he could share it with her. Ben climbs in next to her. He draws her close to him and presses the button to eject. He shifts so that he's laying flat in the pod and looks out into the void of space.

Rey rests her head on his chest. Her hand clings to the material of his false Resistance uniform. That warm feeling seems to radiate off of her as she nestles into his chest.

It all dawns on him. He's felt this feeling radiating from his mother whenever she would look upon his father. She doesn't even understand, does she? The girl is so oblivious that she doesn't even recognize what she feels for him. He places his hand on her head and strokes her hair softly. What should he do about this? He's not even sure. The last time he had ever been with a girl was when he was training at his uncle's temple. Even then, it was mostly teenaged awkwardness which is nothing quite like what Rey seems to feel.

She loves him, but she doesn't even know it. Nor would she. She's never seen real love in her entire life. His hand drops around her waist and pulls her close to him. Ben looks out into the stars. It makes him wonder how the force drew them together. He's seen her in his dreams even before they met. Is it the force itself that has guided them together or is it some unforeseen being? He supposes he'll never really know.

The escape pod rattles as an explosion erupts from behind them. That would be the end of Coruscant's gate. He looks down at Rey. If not for her, that gate would still stand.

"You did well today," he says.

She shifts so that she can look up to him. Her eyes lock with his. It's as if she can see right into his soul. Rey shifts to rest her head back on his chest.

"Thank you," she replies.

The escape pod is floating through the hangar of the Supremacy. The pod lowers down to the floor. Ben sees Hux looking down at him through the window. Ben presses a button to open the escape pod.

Rey and Ben both sit up at the same time. The room erupts into loud claps and cheering. Hux is stoic for one moment before a curved half-smile emerges on his face. "You look ridiculous."

Ben pulls off his wig and glasses. He tosses them carelessly to the side and rises from the escape pod. He holds his hand out to Rey and lifts her up with him.

'What happened to the code breaker?" Hux asks.

"I don't know," Ben says. "And, I don't care."

Hux smiles at his words. A look of approval appears in his eyes as he looks to Rey. "I'm not sure how you found her, but she picks up fast. The Supreme Leader will be pleased."

Hux turns on his heel and walks away from the both of them. Ben walks through the hanger with Rey by his side. He reaches the door and turns to face her.

"We will be stationed here for some time," he says. "Once we stabilize the planet, you may go to the surface if you wish."

"What is Coruscant like?" Rey asks.

"It used to be the capital of the Empire," Ben explains. "It's very different from Jakku. Many people that come from wealth live on Coruscant. The people there are different from anyone you've met on Jakku. They are very aristocratic to put it simply."

Rey's eyes look to the ground. There's this sudden pause between them. Her eyes raise to him. He can sense a feeling of nervousness come over her.

"Thank you…" she whispers. "For everything…"

Emotion is pouring off of her like a raging tide. A timid sort of emotion runs through her. She steps backwards and rushes away from him. Ben watches as she rounds the corner. She's so hopelessly in love with him. Ben tenses. If Snoke were to discover such a development, Ben's not exactly sure how he would react. He tilts his head back and releases a deep sigh. This will complicate things.