5 years later…
Rey blinked in astonishment and glanced at her elegantly attired husband, she couldn't stop herself from stealing glances at him. She'd spent half the evening getting ready for this party only to have her hair and lipstick ruined the moment Ben had set eyes on her. His response to the sight of her in formal-wear had left her starving for more, much more, of his ardent appreciation for her efforts.
Ben was absolutely aware of every time Rey's eyes turned his way - the Force around her would spike and waves of hunger would wash over him. The way she sparkled in a jewel studded silver dress with her hair hanging loose down her back and the hungry way she kept looking at him was making it difficult for him to pay attention to anything else. He wasn't surprised to feel her eyes turn toward him but he was intrigued by the wave of shock that washed over him from her direction.
He broadened his focus beyond the tiny area surrounding the stunningly beautiful distraction that Rey -looking every inch a storybook princess at her first ball- was to him. Several floors above their heads, a radiant energy that could only belong to a Force attuned being was moving around. It was powerful but he could tell that it wasn't nearly as strong in the Force as he and Rey or their children were.
The ratification of the Federalization of Represented Collaborative Equal Powers agreement, which occured less than a year after the destruction of Soul Reaper, had officially marked the birth of the Federation some four years previously. In that time the fledgling Federation had managed to achieve so much peaceful cooperation in the galaxy that Ben and Rey had been able walk away from it all last year.
For that year the entire Solo family had been living aboard a well maintained SoroSuub 5000 that Ben had procured for the purpose of housing and training a new generation of Halcyon. Though the luxury yacht was an older model it provided them with everything they could hope for to allow them to easily raise and train their kids as they searched the galaxy for other Force Beings.
The ship, promptly renamed by Rey to *The Rising Phoenix*, boasted two hangar bays- each capable of comfortably housing up to three large-ish light fighters or one heavily modified YT-1300 and an X-Wing, top notch food replicators- capable of producing enough food for twenty people per meal, plenty of big open spaces - perfect to use for dormitories and teaching rooms, a top notch training area, an entertainment lounge, a play room for the little ones, and multiple luxorious refreshers spread throughout.
Armed with every available scrap of data pertaining to the ancient order, the pair had spent their time aboard *The Rising Phoenix* searching the galaxy for other Force Beings, but that wasn't why they were at this Ball. They'd come here to celebrate the inauguration of their long time friend and ally, Finn, to the *Councel of Ten.*
Finn had been instrumental in helping to bring about the evolution of the First Order's military resources into the new Federalized *Security and Military Assistance Corps.* He had been sworn in just a few hours ago as one of the first ten coequal counselors ever to be elected through a galaxy-spanning vote amongst the representatives of every planet in the Federation.
Rey set her drink down on the tray of a passing server droid and politely excused herself from the group of nattering politicians that were hellbent on topping each other's compliments to the couple on their work in the formation of the Federation. She followed the pulsing Force signature, drawn along by the steady hum of energy.
Ben frowned slightly and excused himself to follow his wife. He lost sight of her in the crowd as he was stopped by several eager beings that wanted to welcome him back to the Capitol. 'Wait there for a minute.' He thought to her, brushing past the varied group of alien representatives.
'It's right above me.' Rey replied, following the strong pull of the unknown Force being's energy.
'I can feel it, give me half a minute, I'll be right there.' He didn't need to ask where she was, he could easily pinpoint her energy signature from anywhere -even from half way across the galaxy.
'Walk faster.' She suggested, not pausing for even a heartbeat.
Ben wove his way quickly through the crowd and briskly made his way to Rey's side just in time to slip into a turbolift with her. "You didn't even bring your staff." He chided gently.
"I don't need it," She shrugged. "I have you, and you have your lightsaber."
The lift doors hissed open, a tall blue eyed boy with wheat colored hair startled visibly at seeing the couple in the elevator.
"Oh, excuse me!" The boy squeaked, gawking at the pair that he recognized as Ben Solo- the founder of the federation, and his wife Rey- the heroine of the Battle of Souls... as the victory over Soul Reaper had come to be called.
Both Solos could easily feel the boy's hero-worship cascading over them through the shivering Force energy surrounding him. They stepped off the lift as the boy turned to flee.
"Wait!" Rey called out, stopping the nervous youngster in his tracks. "We'd like to talk to you."
The skinny blond turned to face them, disbelief and a surge of fear rolling off of him. "Me?" He asked.
"You." Rey smiled gently, trying to put the kid at ease. "What's your name?"
"C-cal." He stammered. Blushing deeply the boy cleared his throat and in a voice crackling with pubescence he tried again. "Cal Shay."
"You know who we are." Ben said.
It wasn't a question but Cal answered as if it were, "Yes, Master Solo."
The strong belief that a Force Being should never use their abilities to wield power over others had been a cornerstone of the Halcyon belief system and would remain so in the new Halcyon Order that Ben, Rey, Ani and Ami Solo were the founding members of. One of the basic tenants of the ancient Halcyon Order had been that nobody, especially a Halcyon, had any right to be another person's Lord or Master.
The once much-abused apprentice -Ben- and the fiercely independant scavanger -Rey- were in complete agreeance with the ancients on that accord.
Ben grimaced, "Ben or Mister Solo will suffice."
"I'm sorry, Buh-... Mister Solo." The boy's nervousness would have been discernible to anyone paying a speck of attention, but it was painfully obvious to the pair of Halcyon.
"What do you know about the Force?" Ben asked tilting his head slightly in curiousity. He'd never learned to put people at ease and didn't bother trying it now.
"The Force?" Cal yelped. His parents had used to tell him all kinds of stories about their childhood hero, Luke Skywalker. Yinu and Cam Shay had told young Cal all about the evil Dark Lord of the Sith -Darth Vader-… and how heroic young Jedi Knight- Luke Skywalker- had saved the galaxy from him.
Both elder Shays had been killed five years ago by the Soul Reaper. Cal had been attending a prestigious boarding school in the Correlian capitol city when his parents had joined in with a convoy of well armed merchant ships for safety on their way through the dangerous area known as the Spice Lanes, to attend the conference with Kylo Ren of the First Order and to visit with their only child.
Cal knew that Kylo Ren had once been a Sith apprentice who had been turned back to the way of the Jedi by Rey Solo. He knew that Ben Solo was once known as Kylo Ren. He knew that the couple standing before him had ultimately been responsible for the victory over the monsters that had murdered his parents. He knew that the current prosperity, so abundant here on Corellia that even a thirteen year old well educated orphan could get a job cleaning refreshers at night for an almost decent wage was entirely due to the couple that was gazing at him in a friendly manner and talking to him like he was somebody they wanted to know.
"Not as much as you do, sir." The toe-headed youngster said with conviction in his crackling voice.
"You're not wrong," Ben conceeded with a wry grin then asked earnestly, "What all can you do?"
Cal gaped at his hero in open astonishment. "I can move things around with my mind." He answered once he finally remembered how to speak. "And I can make people think I'm somebody else." He waved a hand in front of his face and suddenly appeared to be decades older, and half a foot taller than he actually was.
A ripple of shock passed between husband and wife, neither had ever seen or heard of such an ability.
"May we speak with your parents?" Ben's voice was calm and steady despite the surges and spikes of excitement pulsing through the Force surrounding him.
Intense grief emanated from Cal Shay at the mention of his parents. The boy's face returned -sadness written all over it. "Soul Reaper killed them."
