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Chapter 6
He was odd, very odd and Rey despised him. She would have hated to admit that she was jealous because he had Han and Leia. She craved a family; Maz had been right, her parents were not coming back for her.
Rey was wary of him. She was glad when General Organa tasked her to find master Skywalker. It was such a disappointment when Leia's twin refused to train her.
She remembered his words, "I have only seen this raw power once it did not scare me then but is scares me know."
Rey had tried to convince the older man. She knocked on his door for hours and then again after spending the night outside of his hut. It did not work. The Jedi master ultimately devised a Jedi mind trick where there was no more hut. Rey boarded the Falcon and returned to the resistance base. The first thing she noticed was the music. It was loud but not unpleasant. Finn hugged her hello. "He's been playing it for almost three hours now. Han is outside the convoy. I do not know what they are going to do with him."
Rey frowned and walked to her appointed quarters. They were next to Finn's. He came to her small room. "Does anyone know who he really is?"
Finn shook his head, "no. Poe did not even know the General had a son. I think the high commanders know but no one has said anything."
"He is a murderer." Rey said angrily.
Finn nodded and took her hands. "He is their son. He also defected Rey."
She frowned, "he killed people."
Her first real friend hung his head, "I could have too."
Rey sighed and grabbed his hand, "you are different. You are a good man Finn."
Finn smiled at her, "what happened?"
Rey told her friend. He frowned, "We could go away Rey."
She shook her head, "my place is here. I feel it. I know it, there is always been something. I have dreams about things and places that do not make sense to me."
Finn one armed hugged her. "I will stay with you Peanut." He said.
Rey frowned, "what is a peanut?"
Finn laughed and held her hand, "come with me. Peanuts are my favorite things after you and Poe. He showed me how to make a sandwich the other day." He pulled her and they made their way into the kitchen.
Rey had her first peanut butter and jelly sandwich that day. She thought it was the most delicious thing in the world. She met Poe properly that day.
"So you are the famous Rey." He said and grinned. Poe was a very good looking man.
Finn looked hopeful. Rey could tell he wanted his two friends to get along. "I am. Finn says you are the best pilot he's seen."
Poe looked at Finn and clapped him on the back. "Thanks pal." He said.
"I wanted to thank you for taking care of BB-8." He said with an open smile. Rey found herself smiling more and more.
"Not a problem." Rey said as BB chirped away.
Rey spent the day with the boys. The music could be heard all around camp.
"Everyone is puzzled about it." Poe explained. "It started earlier today. It is driving some of the old timers mad. I kind of like it." He continued.
"It is the general's son. He is force sensitive." Poe said with a small smile. "There are rumors about him."
Finn tried to contain himself. It was clear that he wanted to tell Poe. Rey intervened, it was not their place. In all ways General Organa was their leader and the face of the Resistance. "What have you heard?"
Poe shrugged, "you guys would know more since you brought him."
Rey and Finn were ready for the lie. "Han brought him aboard. We do not really know much else."
The pilot looked relieved, "the official story is that he was with his father, Han Solo. They were estranged from the General for years. He is force sensitive, Snoke singled him out years ago. Solo did not want him to become a Jedi and took him away."
"Rumors are that he trained with Skywalker and was captured when Kylo Ren killed the Jedi. They say that he was imprisoned in Starkiller base. It would make sense; you saw when he landed. He was weak and needed medical assistance." Poe said conspiratorially.
"Some say that he's Kylo Ren." Poe lowered his voice. "Of course they are mistaken. The General would never put the rebellion in such peril."
Finn and Rey nodded. Poor Poe did not know how right those rumors were. "The General and Solo have kept him away from everyone. He's been in that convoy for hours now."
Rey went back to her rooms and slept some. She heard a small alarm hours later. The music was louder than before. She went to the fresher and turned on the shower. Rey had never enjoyed showers so close together; water in Jakku was for drinking not for washing. She washed quickly and then received a note.
"Report to General Organa's quarters" It read.
Rey opened her drawers and dressed. The resistance had provided her with new clothes. She was happy that they were clean and in the colors she usually wore. Rey noticed that there was no more music playing. She wondered what happened to Ren.
General Organa and Han waited for her inside a door. The General looked happy. Rey caught some conversation. "I am going to make the stew he likes. The Alderaan with the green peppers. They should have them in the kitchens and that Corellian rice." The older woman said with a smile.
Han chuckled. "Ben will devour whatever you make Princess. He was always hungry."
Rey cleared her throat. She did not want to intrude but it was time they knew she was there.
"Hey kid." Han smiled and Rey smiled back.
Leia hugged her, "you were very brave." She said. They went to sit by the dining table that would no doubt hold dinner for Han's family later.
"Master Skywalker refused to come with me." Rey replied, ashamed to have failed the mission.
Han frowned, Leia placed a hand over his. "Rey, we have a proposition. You are force sensitive. You could be an asset to our cause. We want you to be trained." The older woman said reassuringly.
Rey was confused, "Master Skywalker refused; he is the last Jedi. There is no one else."
Leia shook her head. "Ben is force sensitive and he has Jedi training in the force."
The girl frowned, "no. He's evil. Kylo Ren killed many."
Leia frowned as well, "Kylo Ren died. Ben Solo made his way back. He made mistakes and believe me, he's paying for them. Ben always has, death and murder is something he has to live with now. Ben could train you well. Our wish is that you will accept and travel with Ben to build your own lightsaber."
Han intervened, "kid, we are not pressuring you. There is a ship with your name if you wish to leave. We understand you have no attachments here but we would love to have you." He smiled.
Rey looked at the older man and nodded. "My place is here; I feel it."
Leia nodded and welcomed her once more. Rey said her goodbyes and went back to her quarters. She had agreed because of Han and because she had to find her place in all these. She knew these powers had to mean something. She was force sensitive. Rey needed to develop those abilities.
She was almost aggressive to him throughout their trip to the kyber mines. She confronted him and took satisfaction from his brief hurt eyes. His face was very expressive, even when he thought he could control himself. He set a very hard pace but was almost cordial to her.
Rey began to read the Jedi texts that same night when he fell asleep. She was in awe when she built her own lightsaber. He told her to empty her head and relax every night before going to sleep and it was hard but she tried. She could not help but think that he was odd. His lightsaber was now purple, still unstable but it was not deep red like his old one. He did not wear a mask anymore either. She cleared her thoughts but could not help but wonder about the training. He said they would discuss the texts and then train. She was excited and gave up on clearing her head. She thought about lightsaber, the first order and Jedi temples.
The ride back to the resistance was uneventful. He played songs once more. Rey liked some of them and hummed under her breath as she thumbed through the texts. She caught herself before singing along to, "you ain't nothing but a hound dog." Chewie growled and sang along. Rey frowned and moved to her rooms.
They reached the base in the early hours of night. "Tomorrow 7:00AM." He said as he and Chewie moved to right. Chewie whined goodbye. Rey smiled at him and waved.
She found Finn and Poe in the mess hall. She sat by them and told them about her lightsaber. "I begin training tomorrow morning."
"Finn and I are going on a mission." Poe said.
"Where?" She asked.
Finn smiled at her, "Jakku."
Poe rolled his eyes, "yes, not exactly there. We are recruiting and there have been some candidates in nearby planets. I am sorry but there is nothing in Jakku anymore." Rey grinned. "There really is not."
Finn grabbed her hand, "We will be back in two weeks and then I will tell you all about it and you will tell me all about your training."
She grinned. "When do you leave?"
"Early afternoon. We forgot to tell you, Han Solo is coming with us. He's the leader of our mission."
Rey was surprised. "You could pilot yourself."
"Yes, but he is the one with the connections. We also need supplies and he is still a world class smuggler." Poe replied. Rey understood some more then. She spent more time talking to the boys and showed them her lightsaber.
"Whoa Rey." Finn said in awe. Poe grinned. "We will win in no time." He said when Rey swung her lightsaber. She blushed a little.
She woke up at 6:00 AM and read the books once more. She took notes and re-read them. Rey was a fast learner, always had been. She felt ready and confident. She combed her hair into her three buns and wore her beige clothes. The girl also ate some oatmeal in the mess hall. She loved it. Rey found that she loved all types of foods. She enjoyed all meals and sometimes took some food for later, just in case. She wrapped a piece of toast on a napkin and took it with her. Rey walked the halls when she realized that her teacher never said where to meet.
Rey tried to think where it could be. The resistance base did not have many places. There were the ship yards but that was highly unlikely. The mess hall was out of the question; it was too crowded. He was new around too. Where could he train her? She panicked for a few seconds. It was close to 7:00 AM now. He would be royally pissed if she were late. She thought to ask Finn for help when it clicked. The big convoy, Finn said that Kylo, no Ben, had played music there for almost a day before coming out.
She ran to the area where the old convoy was. He was there already; "You never said where we were meeting." She reproached as she entered the space.
He looked up from some books he held. He sat, his legs outstretched in front of him. "I must have forgotten." He said honestly. The man was infuriating.
Rey did not know what to do. She sat in front of him, "you said we had to discuss the Jedi texts."
Ben nodded, "we have to." He said and started with the blue one. "This is one of the oldest books…" Ben explained history while Rey listened attentively.
She asked him questions that Ben responded as honestly as it could it seemed. Rey understood the principle that the Force was everywhere. Master Skywalker told her initially. Ben expanded on the code and recited the words. Rey frowned, "you disagree."
The man assented, "I do. There cannot be only serenity. We are flawed, there is chaos, destruction, jealousy, doubt, hatred within us. One cannot live a life of only serenity." He said and then taught her more history.
They discussed the books for hours before her stomach growled. She took out her piece of toast and ate it quietly. "I wish you had not done that." He said with a scowl.
Rey scowled back, "I was hungry and I had food." She said as if excusing her behavior.
He rolled his eyes, "I planned to start combat training and now I cannot. You will likely puke that toast."
Rey glared at him, "I could keep my food down."
Her teacher shrugged, "Fine but we will start with basic meditation." He said and dropped to the floor. He waved his hand to the stereo system and played music.
"I wish you would turn that off." She said, expecting that he would.
"No." He replied.
Rey was annoyed, the music was loud and she knew the lyrics, it was one of the ones that she hummed to on their trip back from the mines.
"London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look to us
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
'Cept for the ring of that truncheon thing
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin' thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river
London calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
London calling to the zombies of death
Quit holding out and draw another breath
London calling and I don't want to shout
But when we were talking I saw you nodding out
London calling, see we ain't got no high
Except for that one with the yellowy eye
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
London is drowning, and I, I live by the river
Now get this
London calling, yes, I was there, too
An' you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!
London calling at the top of the dial
And after all this, won't you give me a smile?
I never felt so much a' like a'like a'like"
Rey tried not to sing but it was very hard, "London calling, London calling." Her brain supplied. She failed miserably. Another song played, familiar once again, less loud but very distracting too.
"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine
Well they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine
Well they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine
Well they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Ya know they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit you ain't no friend of mine."
Rey cleared her mind and tried. She was more successful, she barely heard or paid attention to the third song. She did not how long they stayed meditating. She was concentrated on a humming sound. It was the force; Rey knew it was. She could feel something more, less humming but strong, it felt like getting shocked from electricity, it was exciting. She was attracted to it. Rey thought, it felt like colors too. She knew one could not feel colors but if one could…She could feel purple. Rey was a smart girl; she knew that it was her teacher whom she could feel. She wondered if she could feel other people too.
"I don't know maybe." A voice said. Rey opened her eyes and it was her teacher. The force levitated her a bit. She felt the ground once she lost concentration.
"Can you feel people?" She asked as they stood up.
"Yes." He said off handedly. Rey thought he was being an entitled bastard once more. He had gifts that seemed to come so easy to him and yet he changed it all to be in the dark side.
"It is not as wonderful as you think." He replied a little angry. "Imagine being four and feeling everyone around you. I could feel Han and Leia and I thought that was normal. My dad used to be annoyed at my mom but she would make it right. One day we were at the park. Leia worked late that day so it was only me and dad. I felt the men around, I felt hatred for my father. "A Corellian smuggler, scum married to a Senator." Someone thought. It is overwhelming and annoying. It took me years to control all of that. I sincerely hope you do not have to experience that." He finished roughly.
Rey was shocked and felt terrible. "I apologize. I never thought."
He frowned, "I don't need your pity." He walked out the convoy.
"We have to find training space." Her teacher said and walked briskly. Rey followed him, she was a little ashamed and did not understand why.
The base was very small. The resistance was to stay hidden at all times. The convoy would not do. They ended up outside between the main living quarters building and the shipyards and hangar.
Ben seemed to not want to train there. "We have nowhere else." She replied.
"You are correct." He said annoyed and began their class.
Rey rolled her eyes when he taught her some defense stances. "I know hand to hand combat. I need to train."
It was his turn to pull a face, "Basics first." He gritted out.
He taught her to defend herself, and balance the saber and her weight. "Your arm will get tired if you just charge without balancing." He said and showed her.
Rey was tired after an hour. "You need to improve your resistance. Running and meditating helps." He said as he turned his saber off.
"I am in shape." She breathed out tiredly.
"Not for this you are not. You have to build your resistance." He said as if talking to a small child.
This man drove her to aggression. "Fine, how long do I run?" She asked.
"An hour before and after training." Her teacher said as he left.
Rey was sweaty and tired. She showered and then looked at the time, she had to see Finn and Poe off. She changed clothes and then went to the hangar.
Finn grinned as did Poe. "Hey Peanut." He said and hugged her.
"How was your day of training? They tell me you spent hours just there." He pointed to where Ben and her trained.
"I did. He's an asshole but I am learning." She said and smiled sweetly at him.
Poe smiled and flirted with her. "I bet you will be more beautiful and stronger when I come back." Rey laughed at him and punched his arm.
"Young Jedi Mistress, you pack a punch." He said and kissed her goodbye.
She felt the electricity, it was not because of Poe but because of Ben. He was near. She was correct, Ben Solo and his mother had come to see Han and Chewie off.
He changed into a dark shirt and blue pants; his hair was wet. General Organa held his arm. Han came out the Falcon. He grinned at his family and walked to them.
The three friends watched from the corner of their eyes. Rey could hear the conversation, "I will be back with supplies." He said and smiled winningly.
"This is goodbye for now." He said, "Your worshipfulness." He bowed and kissed her hands.
General Organa laughed and hugged him. "Be good and safe." She said as she kissed her husband.
It was Ben's turn to say goodbye. Ben Solo was slightly taller than his father, "Be good to your mother." He said and hugged him.
"I will." Ben replied with a smirk.
"You could come with me Ben." Han said while looking at his wife.
Ben shook his head and inched closer to Leia. "We will wait for you and uncle Chewie I swear."
General Organa looked elated at the gesture. Rey could not feel her in the force. Maybe Rey could only feel people she was in close proximity to.
"Bye Rey." Finn and Poe hugged her once more.
She could feel Ben's eyes on her. Rey could feel annoyance. She was annoyed at seeing him too.
Han came close to them. "You two, go tell Chewie to start her up."
The older man smiled at her, "Well kid, I will see you around. Keep training." He said and gave her a brief hug.
Rey smiled at him, "good luck Han."
The Solos and her watched as the Falcon took off.