***Author's Note***
Hello again, my dear readers! Okay, so, grab the tissues for this chapter. Absolutely one of the most emotional chapters I've written thus far. That's all I'll say. Read on, dear ones, and enjoy!
Three days later, a respectable force of 800 volunteers was outfitted and loading onto the transport ships. The assembled crowd began to part as Ben, Tuk-Tuk, Rey, Poe, BB-8, and Finn started towards the transport ships, packs slung over their shoulders. Many bowed respectfully when Ben and Rey passed by. Ben was struck by the difference in treatment between now and when he had first arrived. Before, people openly feared and hated him. Now, there was respect and no little awe in the faces he passed. Many, he recognized; he had fought beside nearly every soul there assembled at one time or another, and many more than once. Ben realized how he had truly built a life here; he had Rey, his mother, his Uncle, and he had friends. Ben knew he was lucky; most people didn't get a second chance. He was determined not to waste it. Following Ben's train of thought, Rey took his hand and leaned her head onto his shoulder. I love you, Ben Solo. If you are lucky, then so am I. Ben smiled in response and squeezed her hand gently.
As they reached their transport ship, Captain Morris stepped down onto the loading ramp. Ben smiled and shook his head, "Can't I ever get rid of you?" Ben and Morris laughed as they shook hands.
"I'm afraid you're stuck with me again, sir. You're certain Padme will strike at Tattooine?"
Ben nodded, "I grow more certain with every passing moment. Rey and I will take a short trip to her childhood home; she feels her father may have left something for her."
"I'll never get used to you Jedi-types. You always know too much. Speaking of which, your Uncle is already on board; he's waiting for you." The Captain chuckled and pointed into the ship.
Ben nodded, "Thank you, Captain. I'll go and see him, then." Ben and Rey entered the transport ship and walked to the back of the bay where Luke stood, waiting for them. As they approached, he turned.
"So; we both return to our beginnings. I haven't seen Tattooine since I left on the Falcon all those years ago. This should be interesting. Granted, I won't see it now, but you know what I mean." Luke chuckled, "I'll stay with the men in Mos Iseley; you two take a speeder and get back as soon as possible. If Padme arrives before you return, we can hold her off while you finish up."
Rey nodded in agreement, "I like that plan. Poe and Finn will be accompanying us. The four of us will return as quickly as possible."
Just then, Poe's voice crackled over the intercom system, "All right, you party people; we're about ready to get out of here. Now, we'll only be in hyperspace for a couple of hours, so don't go taking a nap on me. Everybody strapped in? Alright, then; let's go!" The engines rumbled to lift, and the loading ramp slowly shut.
Rey trembled slightly; she was ready. Ben wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Remember the first time we flew together? It didn't go very well," he chuckled.
Rey rolled her eyes, "That's putting in mildly; we were hit by a lucky Tie-Fighter shot just as we entered hyperspace. If not for that shot, we would never have crashed on Ord Biniir. We might have never fallen in love." Tuk-Tuk made a little chirruping sound from Ben's hood, and she smiled.
Ben chuckled, "No, I'm fairly certain I would have loved you anyway, woman." The pair lapsed into silence for the next couple of hours until they felt the ship fall out of hyperspace and enter the atmosphere of Tattooine. "Welcome home," Ben whispered in her ear.
BB-8 came rolling out of the cockpit towards Rey and Ben, beeping and whirring excitedly. "I know, BB-8, I'm excited, too. I haven't been here since I was a little girl. I'm looking forward to it." BB-8 whirred softly in response. Just then, they felt the transport ship touch down. Rey and Ben turned together and began to head for the loading ramp, hearing whispers of "Good luck" and "May the Force be with you" as they passed; some even reached out and squeezed her arm gently.
Poe and Finn joined them in short order, and Luke shouted from the top of the ramp, "Go! We'll look after things here. Only, hurry!" Luke hurried off to explain to the citizens of Mos Iseley what was happening. Ben and Rey managed to find a gentleman who was willing to let them borrow a five-seat speeder for their trip into the wastelands; Ben gave over the pilot's seat to Rey, as she seemed to know where they were heading while Finn, Poe, and BB-8 squeezed into the back.
They had been traveling in silence for about an hour, when suddenly Rey let out a soft gasp and wrenched the controls to the left, down an ill-used path. Another 15 minutes or so passed; in the distance, a small structure began to form on the edge of their side. Rey pulled the speeder over and jumped to the ground. Ben stood next to her and quietly asked, "Are you sure this is it? It looks like someone might live here."
Rey nodded, "I remember this house. Look; my toys are still laying about. And look at the door, Ben; there are scorch marks on it from a light-saber. I remember the day they were put there. This is it." Rey walked slowly to the door, reached under a pot to the right of the door, and came out with a key.
Ben leaned down to whisper in Poe's ear, "All right, now I'm convinced." Tuk-Tuk decided to put in, Rey; home now, as Ben lengthened his stride so that he and Tuk-Tuk entered the house just after Rey. She looked pale, he thought, but that was to be expected. He took her hand and let her lead him around the small common room. Suddenly, she froze, staring at a table on the other side of the room that was covered in dust. She walked over to the table, as though in a dream; there was something lying there.
"Look," she whispered.
"What is it, my Light?" Ben asked.
"It looks like a holocron data stick," she said as she reached out and took it.
Ben glanced quickly around, "There's a holocron over there. Come on, lets see what you've found."
Rey's hand shook as she inserted the data stick into the holocron; it buzzed and whirred to life. An opaque form blinked into life, and Rey's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. Staring down at them was her father, Qui-Gon Kenobi. He was tall and very handsome. Rey looked rather like him, Ben thought. They had the same proud posture, the same twinkle in their eyes. Rey even had his hair.
Qui-Gon Kenobi took a deep, steadying breath before he began to speak, "My darling daughter; if you are seeing this, then it means that I am dead, and I never returned for you on Jakku. For this, I am so sorry. I had never intended to leave you there; I had wanted to keep you with me, but it was no longer safe. Master Ren, the true leader of the First Order, found out who we are and sent his Knights after me. You are watching this, so I will therefore assume that they have finally caught up to me." Tears sprang to his eyes, and he looked down for a moment, as he wiped them away. "Leaving you an Jakku with no memory of who you were was the only way to keep you safe. However, I will also make the assumption that, as you have sought out your childhood home, you have figured out or been told who you are.
"Either way, someone must have unlocked your memories, or you would never have found this place. Personally, I'd wager that it was my father that helped you in this as much as he could. It would be very like him. I digress; I so wish I could have seen you grow up. How lonely a life you must have lived." Qui-Gon closed his eyes, and Rey knew he was looking into her future. "Yes, I can see you now, standing in this very room, watching this message. There is a tall, dark man beside you; of this, I am glad. I have seen this man before," he opened his eyes and looked straight into Rey's. "I had a vision of you yesterday as I meditated. You were all dressed in white, walking down an aisle draped with flowers and carpeted by a long, silver rug. There was a tall, dark man waiting for you; I could see by the look in his eyes that he adored you. How I wish I could have been there for you to give you away on your wedding day. I am so sorry, Rey. I tried to protect you; that is all that I have ever wanted, since the day you were born. I'm just glad you're not alone anymore.
"You've grown so beautiful, my child. You look just like my mother; you even wear your hair the way she did. It's a shame you never got to know your mother; you'd have liked her. She was Force-Sensitive, like you and me. She had learned much control instinctively, but I helped her to refine it. Oh, you remind me so much of her. You may look like my side, but you act just like her; at least, you did when you were a child. You were always stubborn and absolutely sure of yourself. You always knew exactly what the right thing was, and hastened to do it. You were always bringing home stray, injured animals and nursing them back to health. I can't begin to tell you how many cages I had to make.
"I will never forget how happy we were here. It was just the two of us, with the occasional visit from my father's spirit, but we never longed for company. You must know, my darling girl, that I have never stopped thinking about you, or wondering if you were safe. Not once after all this time. It's been five years for me; I'm sure it's been much longer for you. My father told me he'd keep an eye on you, and I'm certain that he did, but it should have been me. My father has most likely already told you my reasons, but I feel that you should hear it from your own father, as well.
"There was a prophecy made about you when I was still just a lad, myself. It foretold that you would redeem one of the greatest Dark Jedi that the galaxy has seen since Darth Vader. When my father told me just before he left with Luke Skywalker, I swore I would protect you, no matter what it cost; you weren't even conceived yet, and already I loved you. Master Ren heard about the prophecy; he grew obsessed with killing you before you could fulfill your destiny. When he sent the Knights to drag us from our home, I knew the time had come to run, and to make good on the oath I had taken, no matter what it might cost me, personally. The day I left you on Jakku and wiped your memories of our life together was the hardest day of my life; simply living every day without you is the hardest thing I have ever done." Qui-Gon's voice shook, and he paused to regain his composure.
"Now; there have been many rumors lately about Ren; they say he's had a vision of his own impending doom, perhaps at your hand, but I think it will be this Dark Jedi you're going to save. I don't know why, but it feels like the truth. Whatever the cause, he has been looking for something; an object of immense and ancient power. He seeks the Darksaber. He will never find it, however; I have tracked it for a long time, from the moment it vanished during the Clone Wars to now. I have found that there is a very old Twi'lek living deep in the woods on Kashyyk. He is the very same Twi'lek that stole the Darksaber from Darth Maul's corpse during the Clone Wars. I do not know his name; I doubt if he even knows his own name any more. He took the Darksaber with him, and has been hiding there ever since.
"You must go to him, and convince him to part with the Darksaber before Ren finds him. If he gets a hold of that weapon, it may well mean the end of everything we know. However, there is one thing you should know. The Darksaber is not like a regular light-saber. It chooses its bearer, and if at any time it senses hesitation from its bearer, it will not perform properly. If ever you find yourself facing the wielder of the Darksaber, try to make them hesitate, and that goes for your husband, too," here, he glanced at Ben, "If they hesitate, the Darksaber will begin to resist, and that will give you the opening you need to end it.
"Oh, my daughter, how I wish I had been able to finish this, rather than putting this terrible burden onto your shoulders. You are far too young to have so many worries. I would take them from you, if it were within my power to do so. I wish I were there with you now, rather than speaking to you from a hologram, long dead, myself. It's an odd thing, knowing you're going to die, but still trying to stay alive. Well, I know that every step I am able to take will lead them further away from you. I have never once stopped loving you, my darling girl. I miss you every moment of every day; it is a constant ache in my chest. I hope someday that you will be able to forgive me; perhaps some day I'll be able to meet you, even if it is postmortem. I would sit and talk to you about what you did on Jakku, and how you managed to survive. I would ask about your husband; who he is, how you met, when you knew you loved him. I would ask how he lost his arm, and where that scar on his face came from. I would ask about the animal perched on his shoulder, and if you plan to have children.
"It pains me more deeply than I have the words to express, knowing that I will never know my grandchildren. It's so unfair to you that you had to grow up without me. I wanted to be there; I hope you know that. I know I'm repeating myself, but there are some things, my sweet girl, that bear repeating. I fear my time is beginning to draw to a close; I fear they have found me at last. Therefore, I will say never be afraid, Rey; I will be with you, always. Remember, my dear; the Darksaber is on Kashyyk. But more importantly, I love you, my beautiful daughter, and I will be with you; I am in your heart, and in the mirror looking back at you. Be safe, my little love. May the Force be with you."
With that, Qui-Gon Kenobi's voice faded, and his image blinked out. Ben had just removed the data stick from the holocron when suddenly Tuk-Tuk's head snapped up, Danger! Bad trouble here now! Ben was going to ask him what he meant when they heard a mad chuckle coming from the doorway. They spun around to see Padme, grinning madly, eyes wide with greed. "So. It's on Kashyyk, is it? Good. That's good. And you've led me right to the information I sought. Thank you, dear brother. By the way, girl, your father died screaming. My Knights brought him to me, and I tortured him to death. He died whispering your name, so that should bring you some small comfort."
Ben and Rey stiffened with fury as ten Stormtroopers filed into the room, "We've got this," yelled Finn, "Take care of Padme!"
"BB-8!" Ben snapped, "Here; take this, and keep it safe. Hide until I call for you, okay? We won't let her take you."
Padme laughed maniacally, "That's the way you want to play this, is it? Very well; I'll kill you both, and then I'll tear the droid apart until I get what I want."
"You can try," snarled Rey through gritted teeth. Her saber-staff crackled and hissed as it sprang to life, and Ben's twin sabers whizzed through the air as he lit and twirled them. "You're going to have to get through us both, first." Ben and Rey sank into their fighting-stances, looking like a pair of matched blades as they waited for Padme to make the first move. Tuk-Tuk sprang from Ben's shoulders and ran off to hide with BB-8.
***Author's Note***
*Dries eyes* I actually cried writing this chapter, but I love it so so so much. I felt this chapter was necessary to move Rey forward, and to provide her with closure about her father's abandonment of her, and his eventual death. It's starting to look like I'm going to have to extend this to 35 chapters or thereabouts, though. Hope you enjoyed; leave a review, as ever, and thank you for reading. I adore each and every one of you beautiful people. 3