***Author's Note***
Phew. Doozy of a chapter here, folks. It fought me tooth and nail, but here it is! Loads of plot in this one, hope you like it!
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In the wake of Ben's proposal to Rey, the party gained a new fervor, with Ben and Rey at its center. Everyone there wanted to offer their congratulations and to dance with the bride and groom to be. Ben avoided the Twi'lek from earlier, who seemed to be trying to pin him down for another "dance". To their credit, Finn and Poe volunteered to run interference for him. As the night went on, the ale and wine flowed freely, and Ben began to relax for the first time in a very long time. Usually he only relaxed when he and Rey were alone, but the atmosphere was contagious. Ben found that he did not mind the women that lined up to take their turn dancing with him, and he tried to have the same attitude with Rey's dance partners. The party continued far into the wee hours of the morning, and at last, people began to pair off and drift off on their own. The General was nowhere to be found, but then, neither was Captain Antilles. Ben didn't need the Force to know what was going on there. He found that he was pleased. At least his mother wasn't alone. He caught Rey's eye, and she glided gracefully over to him. He held his arms out, and she slid into them, resting her head on his chest.
Rey saw Poe and Finn leaning against a pair of pillars, chatting up a lovely pair of female pilots. Poe caught Rey's eye and winked. "Well, at least we know those two won't be sleeping alone tonight," Rey chuckled into Ben's ear. "And speaking of sleeping," Rey took Ben's hand and started to lead him to the door. "I think it's time we turned in." Finn and Poe noticed their friends attempting to make their escape and sent whoops of raucous laughter and catcalls in their direction. "So much for a quiet escape," Rey mumbled.
Ben wound his arm around Rey's waist, both of them weaving drunkenly, just a bit. They managed to find their way to their room, and before the door had slid shut behind them, they were already tearing each others clothes off. With the fervor that only comes in the wake of too much drink, they stumbled towards the bed, Ben hopping on one foot while desperately trying to get out of his confounded boots. Rey looked like a clumsy cantina dancer as she wiggled and shimmied, trying to get out of her dress. Finally, they made it to the bed, and out of their clothes; they tumbled together to the bed, and reached for each other.
Rey took hold of his manhood, and found it already hard for her. Ben rose over her, impatient for release. He drove wildly into her, and she cried out. Rey lifted her hips and matched his frantic pace. Ben leaned close and kissed her, "You're mine. Say it, Rey. You belong to me." His pace increased as he pounded roughly into her. "Say it," he moaned.
Rey gasped with pleasure, "I'm yours. Only yours." Ben moaned wildly and drove himself deep into her warmth as they climaxed together. Ben's arms gave out, and he collapsed on top of Rey, where he promptly fell asleep. Rey groaned under his weight. "You...great...oaf!" she could not manage to wiggle out from under his mass, so she resigned herself to simply not being able to breathe. She slid quickly into sleep, and for a time, there was peace. But it could not last.
Master Ren's fury was absolute. They had been unable to bring in the boy. "We know where he is. And yet, he is not standing before me. Why have we not sent an army to retrieve him? Captain Phasma! Ready my shuttle. I will retrieve him myself. You will accompany me. We will take this war directly to the General, and she will see all that she has built; all that she loves, brought down around her."
"Yes, Master Ren," replied Phasma, tremulously.
Ren turned and stormed from the chamber, his midnight robes billowing around his ankles. The doors slid shut behind him, and he reached up to remove his mask; as the mask slid apart...
Ben woke with a shout. He was lying as he had slept, on top of Rey. He looked down at her, and he knew that she had seen what he had. "We have to tell Uncle Luke." Rey nodded. They sprung out of bed and threw on their robes. They bolted out the door, sprinting down the hallways in search of Luke. They passed Poe and Finn, who glanced nervously at each other and followed. At last, they came to Luke's chambers and found him waiting in the doorway.
"I sensed your distress. Come in; Leia's on her way." Ben took to pacing up and down Luke's small bedchamber, while Rey watched him anxiously. Finally, Ben sensed his mother coming, and a moment later, she and Captain Antilles strode anxiously into the room.
"Luke said something was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me what." She took a good look at her son, and blanched. "What's going on?"
Rey and Ben glanced at each other, "Master Ren is coming," Ben whispered. The whole room grew still, and every face paled. "He's coming here. It's me he's after. He's still furious that I escaped him on Endor. He's bringing an army, and he's coming here to fetch me himself. I'm so sorry. I should have known this would happen. I've never been able to hide from him. I have been foolish. Now you are going to pay the price. Mother, I'm sorry, but you have to run. We all have to run. We need to evacuate this whole base." Rey sat motionless, staring at her hands. Are you sure we have to leave? Why can't we fight? Came her questioning thought. "No, Rey, we can't fight. He'll bring multiple contingents of Stormtroopers, an army of Knights alone, and we simply don't have enough manpower to defend the base." Rey shot suddenly to her feet. Ben! The Force-Sensitives! Ben felt his jaw drop. "You're right! Uncle! What about the Force-Sensitives? Do you think you could convince them to fight with us? If they stand with us, we could really stand a chance at turning Ren back!"
Luke's brow furrowed. "Ben, I think you're the one that would have more pull with them. You're the one they praise as a hero. They look to you; if you asked them, I'm almost certain that you would be able to convince them."
Ben nodded. "Alright; I'll talk to them. But mother, you need to leave. You need to take the younglings, and the non-combatants, and get off this planet." The General shook her head and opened her mouth to argue, but Ben put a finger on her lips and knelt before her, taking her shoulders in his hands. "Mother, you are the Resistance. They can't do without you." His voice cracked as he lowered it to a whisper, "I can't do without you. Please run." Leia nodded.
"Very well," she said thickly, "I'll take the noncoms and run. I won't tell you where we're going, in case you get captured. Reach out to me through the Force once it's all over, and I'll give you our location." She embraced her son as tightly as she could and turned on her heel, sprinting out the door.
Ben and Rey went immediately to speak with the adult Force-Sensitives, and found they were all waiting in the mess hall. The lot of them were milling about like a herd of nervous cattle. As soon as Ben, Rey, and Luke came quickly into the hall, every one of them lunged forward, shouting questions. Luke nodded at Ben, and he stepped forward, raising his hands for silence. The crowd fell silent, and Ben cleared his throat. "Now, I'm sure you've all felt a disturbance in the Force, which is why you all congregated here. I don't want to sugar-coat anything, so I'll just say it. Master Ren is on his way, and he's bringing an army with him." The crowd gasped, and some cried out in despair. "Calm down! We've come here to ask something of you. Many Knights of Ren will be coming with him. We will need all the Force Users that we can muster. My question to you is this: will you stand and fight? Will you fight beside us?" Without hesitation, every single Force-Sensitive answered in a resounding affirmative. Ben and Rey let out the breath they had been holding. "Thank you. We have a real chance of holding Ren off now."
Ben and Rey rushed off to find the General, and give her the good news. As they hurried along, Captain Morris came alongside them. "Masters," he said, "After the Endor Liberation, I have gained a new respect for the pair of you. I was hoping I could serve under you again. It would be my honor to fight beside you."
"That is an excellent notion, Morris. I would be pleased to accept; my mother is fleeing with the non-combatants, so I would like you to act as Commanding Officer in her stead. There is no other that I would trust with the position."
Captain Morris stumbled in surprise, "But, Sir, what about Captain Antilles? Certainly he would be a better choice?"
Ben smiled, "Captain Antilles has refused to leave my mother's side. He will be leaving with her."
"Ah," Captain Morris said, "I understand, Sir. I would be honored to accept. I will answer only to you. I'm sure your mother would do the same, if she were staying."
"Well done, Captain. If you please, go and organize the ground troops; they will be overrun with Stormtroopers, and they need to be ready. I will go and help my Uncle organize the Force Users." Captain Morris snapped a sharp salute and ran off to see to his duties. As Rey and Ben came out of the residential building, they saw that the base was a hive of activity. There were a handful of shuttles being prepped to take the noncoms off-planet. In an open field, Luke was helping to refine the Force Users' use of their light-sabers. Ben only hoped that it would be enough. Relax, Ben. We're doing all we can. We'll make it work somehow. Came Rey's thought in his mind. I certainly hope you're right, he replied.
They stood watching Luke spar with the Force Users, content to simply stand together in silence. They sank into the Force, twining their minds together, wanting to spend every moment together, as closely as they could. Each knew the other was more scared than they had ever been in their lives, but they took comfort in their love for one another and lent each other strength and courage. After what seemed an age, they sensed Leia coming over to them, and they began to come up out of their trance.
"Well, we're about to get on our way. Be safe, both of you. I can't..." The ever-stoic Leia choked, tears flooding her eyes. "I love you, Ben."
"I love you, mother. Be safe, yourself. We will join you as soon as we can." Luke came over and wrapped an arm around his twin's shoulders. Ben took his mother's right hand, and Rey's left. They walked together to the shuttles, which were putting the finishing touches on their preparations to leave the planet. They embraced Leia one final time, and watched as she walked up the ramp into the shuttle. As they backed away, the shuttles ignited their engines and lifted off. Ben and Luke felt like a part of themselves had climbed on that shuttle, and not come back. Rey buried her face in Ben's chest, trembling with fear. "It'll be alright, Rey. We'll survive this, somehow."
They returned indoors, fully cognizant of the fact that the hallways were oddly quiet; there were no children. That was what struck them the most. The children had been the lifeblood of the base. The families had made it easier, somehow; more like a home, and less like a military operation. They wandered back to the now-empty mess hall, feeling as empty as the hallways. Slowly, the mess hall began to fill as the remaining fighters wandered, looking for some kind of comfort.
Ben stood and cleared his throat. The milling crowd quieted and looked to him. "I know only last night, we were all in this very same room, enjoying one another's company. Just last night, in this very room, I asked my love to marry me. Today, however, we stand together in this room for a very different purpose. Today, we find ourselves waiting for our enemy to find us. Our enemy is coming for us, and we are going to meet him, head-on. Today, I look around and I see many that I have fought beside once before. However, today, we do not fight to rescue those who have been taken against their will. Today, we fight to defend our very way of life. Today, we fight for our families, for our friends, and for the safety of the entire galaxy. Until recently, I know none of you had any reason to trust me; in fact, every one of you had at least one reason to hate me and wish me dead. Today, I fight for my mother, I fight for my Uncle, my love, and the friends I have made here. I fight for you, and I fight for myself. Today, whatever comes, I will meet it standing by your side! Let us show Ren that we do not fear him! We will stand, we will fight, and we will make him fear us!" The crowd gathered in the mess hall cheered threw their fists in the air.
Ben's head spun as the vision came to him, Ren stood staring out the viewing windows from the command center of the Super Star Destroyer Interceptor. The world of D'Qar was just below him, and he was heading down to the planet, himself to assure success. He watched the fleet of shuttles depart and enter the atmosphere of D'Qar, feeling very self-satisfied with himself. "There is nowhere left to hide, Kylo Ren," he said aloud to himself. "I will return you to your training. I will slit the throat of your little pet, and cause you all the pain that I know how. You will regret leaving the First Order, and you will crawl back to me on hands and knees."
Ben shuddered back to the present, trembling. "They're here," he said. "Everyone to your stations! To battle, my friends! Defend your lives, defend your families!" On a massive roar, the crowd surged from the mess hall, gaining in numbers as they went. They arranged themselves on the border of the forest surrounding the base. Ben, Luke and Rey were front and center, along with Poe and Finn. The rest of the Force Users were dispersed throughout the ranks, as evenly as they could manage. Complete silence descended as they waited. As it happened, they did not have to wait for long. Out of the shadows of the trees marched the army of the First Order, led by none other than Captain Phasma. Simultaneously, the Force Users lit their light-sabers; the Force-Sensitives that had been rescued from Endor had brought their sabers with them from that hellish base.
"Give up," cried Phasma. "You are woefully outnumbered, and our Master will join us shortly! You will sign your own death warrants if you stand and fight. Kylo Ren! Master Ren desperately wishes you to return to his training. He says that if you will not come quietly, he will kill your pet. It would be a shame to see such potential wasted."
"You're wasting your time, Phasma! I stand between you and these people. I will not stand aside and watch them be slaughtered."
"Then it seems you have made your decision. Attack!"
Blaster bolts were suddenly flying through the air, striking down both Resistance Fighter and Stormtrooper alike. The Knights of Ren sprang into action, also, their red blades twirling and slicing through the air. Luke, Rey, and Ben sprang forward as one, and Force-Jumped over the line of Stormtroopers just n front of them. Ben's twin green light-sabers, Luke's single blue saber, and Rey's violet saber-staff glowed viciously in the growing gloom as they slashed and hacked at any enemy foolish enough to approach them. Luke cut down Knight after Knight; experience, it seemed, had its advantages over youth. Rey was a whirling dervish; she would block with one end of the staff, then lunge with the other, only to block again. She was a true master of the saber-staff; it was like she was the master of a deadly dance, to which only she knew the steps. Ben's twin sabers flashed with wild abandon.
After what seemed like hours, the battle began to turn in their favor. The Stormtroopers began to fall in the face of the Resistance's furious onslaught. The Resistance surged forward, light-sabers flashing, blaster-bolts flying, and it seemed their victory was assured. Ben glanced up at the sound of a massive incoming shuttle, and shuddered. Master Ren had arrived, and he brought reinforcements. He glanced to his right and saw Finn and Phasma locked in physical combat, both having lost their blasters. Glancing to his left, he saw Luke dueling three Knights at one time, seeming to need to spend very little effort. Standing together, Ben and Rey fought like two halves of the same whole. When one moved, the other echoed; when one blocked, the other lunged. Together, they had four Knights, but were managing just fine. They cut down the four Knights, and suddenly Ben perceived that his former Master had arrived. Ben and Rey stood stock-still, watching for Ren's appearance. Then, through the trees, he came, surrounded by Knights. The Knights charged first; Rey and Luke were the first to engage the new threat. Ben, however, walked forward to meet Ren.
"There's nowhere left for you to hide, boy," came the altered voice of Master Ren. "This is how you choose to die? Surrounded by these fools!?"
"These fools are my friends! I will stand between you and them, if it is the last thing that I do." Slowly, the skirmishes around them came to a halt as the surrounding fighters noticed what was happening. The Knights and the Force Users, however, did not stop. They could sense everything through the Force; they didn't need to watch.
"You are out of time, Kylo Ren. Return to me now, and I will spare your pet." Ren held out his hand.
Ben glared at the proffered hand and scowled. "You're a liar, and we both know it. You'll kill Rey, just to teach me a lesson and cause me pain. I know you too well, Ren."
Ren laughed, nodding. "Very good. It seems you haven't forgotten everything you were taught. It is a shame; you were my favorite Knight. You would have ruled by my side. Instead, you disappoint me, traitor."
Ren lunged forward as he lit his own twin red light-sabers. Ben neatly parried the blow. Ben countered with his own assault; he came high with his left, middle with his right, and a low, sweeping shot with his left twirling around like a deadly whirlwind. They sprang apart, only to lunge again, and neatly parried each others' attacks again and again. The pair fought like a matched set, and neither seemed willing to give in. With a block and a sudden spin, Ben brought the saber in his right hand up in a vicious slash, which connected. Ren cried out, his helmet sparking fitfully.. "You fool!" He cried; there was something...off about that voice. "You should have left well enough alone, Kylo Ren." Ben knew that voice.
It couldn't be; it wasn't possible. "No," he whispered. Master Ren reached up to removed his damaged helmet. As the helmet fell aside, Ben screamed, "NO!" in agony as a familiar face was revealed. "Padme?" He whispered her name, denial in his voice. "No," he moaned again as he staggered backwards. "It can't be. You're dead."
Yet, he knew it was true. The face of his beloved twin stood back at him; she was paler, with veins of black coursing through her skin, and her eyes had gone yellow, but Ben knew it was her. He walked slowly forward, his hands outstretched. When he reached her, Ben gently, lovingly, took the face of his twin in his hands and leaned his forehead against hers. "I have missed you," he murmured.
"You are a fool," came his sister's voice, with a new cruelty in it that Ben had never heard before. Ben blanched.
"You had your chance to rejoin me, Ben. You wasted it." Padme brought her hand up, and Ben was flung backwards, into a tree. As he staggered upright, he saw Padme Force-Jump towards him, and brought his sabers up to block, as quickly as he could. He was unprepared for the vicious nature of his twin's onslaught. Ben felt the battle shift in Padme's direction, and he swung wildly, just as he felt his sister's light-saber bite into his stomach. Simultaneously, his own light-saber slashed across her face, and Padme collapsed. Ben fell to the ground as well, and slid into unconsciousness.
***Author's Note***
Okay, all. Wipe the tears away. Lol. Little bit of a bombshell, huh? Oh, boy, was this one tough. As ever, thanks for reading. ^_^