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Chapter 22
Canto Bight
Rey moved through the casino, commanding herself to not tug on the almost lingerie-esque dress lest it snap under its tightness. At least Ben had given her his cloak, allowing her to burrow her nose in the hood and inhale his musky smell, comparing him to fine seats on a new X-Wing. She stopped behind his chair, casting a glance over the diminished gaming table before settling on him. Ben sat tall in an arm exposing, black silk vest-like shirt that hung almost to his knees with an ornate silver chain necklace at his collar bone. He sat tall, though in a more reclined position, showing Rey a handful of cards that meant absolutely nothing to her, but caused his more fish-like opponent to dab his forehead with a sweat rag.
"Best two out of three, unless you're scared?" The Pehall male taunted feebly.
"Now and pay," Ben retorted, "Don't think you can try to play me."
The sallow gills on the Pehall's neck fluttered in frustration, and he flopped his cards down on the delicate table. "Withdraw," He grumbled.
Rey smiled as Ben leaned forward to take the gold slabs of his winnings. He was Han Solo's son, after all.
A service droid wheeled in front of them, escorting them to another, more exclusive gaming room. Meanwhile, Rey clutched Ben's arm and marveled at the casino. Chandeliers of pure crystal, marble tiles, drinks of expensive liquors in glasses of every shape and color, pearls dripping from the necks of females and males, and gold everywhere she looked. The gamblers and patrons peered curiously at them as they passed, at least those who weren't focused on their gambling did. But what they focused on more was the slabs of gold the droid carried, not their faces. Rey and Ben had the fortune of realizing that Ben had never taken his mask off to anyone outside of the First Order, therefore allowing him to blend in well with the crowd (given a quick wardrobe change, of course). Clothes came relatively quickly, especially when Ben won his first stack of gold coins with in fifteen minutes of being on the casino floor after betting his lightsaber (Rey had wondered what he would have done if he'd lost it). In two hours, the gold had upgraded from coins to slabs.
The droid turned and opened a pair of doors that looked at first like soapy glass, until it chirped, "The Opal Lounge." Rey blinked as they walked through the high archway, realizing just why it was called the Opal Lounge. Mother-of-pearl panels decorated the walls, red opal balls hung from the chandelier, a solid opal table of midnight blue specked with glitter that looked like a pinwheel galaxy stood in the middle of the room, and cream colored chairs inlaid with white opal oblongs were positioned neatly around it.
"Good gracious," Rey breathed, calling Ben's attention.
"A chair would take a lifetime to earn," He whispered, his eyes also sweeping the room in awe.
She looked at him, feeling like they were two nebulas orbiting a white star. "What is the point of such opulence?" She asked, her eyes unable to remain still even when looking at him.
He gave a short snort before answering, "I guess it looks pretty."
The doors to another entrance opened, allowing the jingles from casino machines to flood in with a large, finely dressed alien of brown complexion. He sauntered in on two long stubs, his feet spread out into short claws. His face was smooth, yet held a certain rigidity that came with age, and atop his head was a puff of green hair. The moment he saw them standing there, he halted, and bowed low at the waist.
"Supreme leader Kylo Ren," His voice was unusually high pitched given his frame. He straightened, and nodded gently towards Rey. "What a privilege."
"It's no longer 'Supreme Leader,' Hurig," Ben replied, releasing Rey's arm to take her hand.
"My apologies, sir," Hurig told him, moving around the table to better access Ben. "I would know better than to insult a member of the illustrious Knights of Ren."
Ben shifted his weight towards Rey, "I hear you deal in Kyber crystals."
Rey looked at him. Of course! The crystal that powered her lightsaber, that could be cut down and distributed to power massive weapons. Even Star Killer Base required thousands of pounds of crystals.
Hurig nodded, his throat emitting a type of purr. "Why, yes. I've been known to dabble in that market. But I would hesitate to remind our former Supreme Leader that dealing with Kyber crystals was made illegal by the First Order. Notices went up on every mining system that all Kyber mines were to be reported to be destroyed."
"You and I both know that several of those mines went undetected," Ben told him, calmly. "That makes anyone with those crystals both traitors, and very rich men."
Hurig lifted a hand and shoved it slowly into his pocket, withdrawing from it a pipe of pure silver and a matching box of what looked to be matches. "I have a feeling we are about to forsake pretense, sir." He said, opening the box and withdrawing a match. "Shall we play a game of cards to settle our nerves?" He struck the match with his thumb and ignited it.
"I'm only here for the night." Ben told him, his demeanor as calm as ever.
"Then I would insist upon a game of cards," He touched the match to his pipe and puffed for a moment, "And have this be our negotiation rather than simply purchase and release."
"You have them here?" Rey asked.
Hurig turned to her with a look that suggested he had forgotten she was there. Almost at once, his eyes gravitated downwards, absorbing the sight of her dress that could be best described as a gold leotard half covered with midnight blue silk stretched to wrap around her waist and breasts, leaving her arms and legs sumptuously displayed even beneath Ben's cloak. She shifted beneath his gaze, the gold headband around her forehead tightening for a moment.
Immediately, Hurig backpedaled. "Apologies, miss. Your beauty has stunned me."
"How about her question?" Ben asked, a hint of a growl present.
"Well, of course I have the crystals with me," Hurig answered, addressing Ben with a glance at Rey. "Always keep your finest where you can see them, that's my motto." He glanced at Rey again.
He turned his body towards his own service droid and squeaked a command in his native language, sending the droid wheeling out suddenly. He turned back to Ben, his features changed. The Force surged around them, advising caution.
"Shall we make this a true gamble, sir?" Hurig asked, moving towards the table. "My crystals for…" He didn't hesitate showing his lust with this gaze, "One night with your lovely companion here?"
The atmosphere immediately dropped twenty degrees and the red opal chandelier began clinking with timid music above them. Ben's grip tightened on Rey's hand and he lifted his chin.
"No deal."
Rey watched him, her heart fluttering at the sight of his eyes narrowing, feeling his hunger for his lightsaber to slice this man in half for even thinking of touching her. She brushed his hand with her thumb, smiling. Not even if he could use the Force to cheat would he think of bargaining her.
The door opened, and the service droid rolled in, bearing a metal chest on two outstretched metal arms. Hurig immediately took it, and placed it on the table. "A look at the merchandise, if you please."
He turned a dial to unlock the chest, sending the interior locks clicking, then tilted back the lid and turned it to face Ben and Rey.
At once, Rey felt a pull towards the chest. Almost dumped onto the silk lining, dozens of clear Kyber crystals were packed, some thick, some thin, but all were roughly a foot long and perfect for use within a lightsaber. The more she looked, the more she could feel one crystal in particular calling to her like a string from her chest to the one before her. A call from a crystal buried under the shorter crystals positioned at the top, possibly to keep the best of the bunch hidden underneath.
"I'll pay you," Ben declared, pulling Rey from her stupor.
She turned to him, immediately feeling him redirect his feelings toward the task at hand. He wanted those crystals, needed them almost as badly as she did. Perhaps he had felt a crystal calling out to him, too.
Hurig smiled, and turned his face to his cache, the thoughts crossing through his mind loudly calling out to them. How to press the gamble without getting himself killed in the process?
"I'll play," Rey announced, her voice cool and calm in the room.
At once, Ben turned to her his shoulder almost hiding her from Hurig. "Rey," He warned, "You've never played before."
She turned to him, and smiled, sending the Force to him, encouraging him to trust her. "How hard can it be when grown men can trade women for it?"
"Best two out of three for the rookie," Hurig called.
Rey twitched her eyebrow at him, "Trust me."
SWSWSW
On the balcony of their suite, Ben loosed Rey's hair and kissed the sides and back of her neck as she gazed at the Kyber crystal that had called to her in her hands, the moon that lit the balcony catching the sequins on her dress. She didn't know what she had been expecting, the crystal was almost clear and a foot long. But, the more she held it to her chest, coupled with Ben's affection that she hadn't lost a game in three, the more she felt right. Content. His tongue tickled her and she burst into a fit of laughs so hard that she had to step away and looked at him, the crystal pressed to her stomach.
They stood in silence, gazing at one another, the sounds of a distant symphony catching in the wind and blowing over them. He stepped forward, his hands touching hers. The feel of his bare hands against hers was intoxicating for perhaps the stupidest reason Rey could figure. He felt naked, wholly hers to caress. Her bare leg touched his trouser thigh as she turned to put her crystal down on a side table, then straightened, letting him take her waist in his hands as she placed her hands on his chest. He leaned forward, nuzzling her nose with his.
A knock resounded throughout the suite, pulling their heads apart. At once, Ben stepped away from Rey and crossed the floor to the door. On the other side was a servant dressed in a yellow uniform, bearing a mahogany box in his hands.
"Your order, sir," The servant beamed, holding out the box.
"Thank you," Ben told him, taking the box and quickly grabbing a gold coin from his pocket to give to him.
"What's that?" Rey asked as soon as the door closed.
Ben brought it to her, a sly look on his face. "A present," He grinned, pulling the ribbon from the box's top. Inside, were two smaller, leather boxes. He took one out and closed the main box, tucking it under his arm to open it. It was a dark grey men's ring, the center cut out in the shape of a star so that it would glow upon his pale finger.
"Oops, that's mine," He apologized.
"It's lovely," Rey told him as he took it back and opened the main box.
This time, his grin softened to a look of pure love and happiness, almost indescribable as he took the second box and tossed his ring and the main box onto the table next to the Kyber crystal with a soft clong. With gentle fingers, he tilted the lid back on the box and held it out to her.
At once, tears hit Rey's cheeks and she cupped her mouth. It was a diamond ring of a star shaped exactly like his. The star's center was grey, while the rays were long white diamonds held together by a gold band. It was by far the most beautiful thing Rey had ever seen! She peered up at Ben, his look one of protection, love, and pure devotion.
He stepped back, and knelt before her, causing her to hiccup laughter.
"Will you be my wife, Rey Kenobi?"
She stroked his arm that held out the ring, smiling so much it hurt. "Yes, Ben Solo, I will."
SWSWSW
Rising Dawn
Kaydel Connix held her breath as Poe and a small squadron neared the most recent completed ship from Kylo's blueprint haul. This ship, a Class D Speed Destroyer was one that they could desperately use to weave between tightly packed formations and drop large numbers of bombs, taking hits like they were nothing.
"All ships switch to radio silence," Poe's voice rang out in the bridge. "Let's not give them a reason to get jumpy."
Kaydel swallowed, hearing the squadron sound off going into radio silence, recounting the times Kylo's information came through. Six hidden refueling stations on systems they hadn't known about, two bunkers filled to the brim with supplies that had been stored for exit strategies, and the invaluable Ikher preloaded with the locations of thirteen armories, on top of a food supply that could feed their entire fleet for a solid year. All had been simultaneous hits done in the succession of Supreme Leader Hux, and all had paid off wonderfully.
So why was she so nervous now?
Poe had led the charge in every single one of those raids, called forth the council to get their acts together and give the much needed supplies to systems that had been harshly punished by the First Order. Poe was fine. He would be perfectly fine… right?
She shifted in her shoes, her eyes glued to the blue holoscreen projecting the ships as they neared their target, scanning quickly for Poe's ship. There he was, the middle of three X-Wings, his nose sticking out further. She twisted her gold wedding band, mindless of the wrinkles it made on her hand as it pulled her skin. She couldn't care less if half the galaxy was on fire so long as Poe came back home unscathed.
Suddenly, two TIE fighter jets appeared on the holoscreen, then five more, followed by a Destroyer.
Kaydel screamed the same time she reached for her commlink to Poe's ear. "Poe! It's a trap! Get out of there! They're waiting for you!"
The triplet ships careened out of the way a second after the fighting began, Poe making a wide berth and firing three rapid shots in succession, one of the seven jets exploding.
"Get out of there!" Kaydel shouted into the commlink.
Poe, just like the scheming daredevil he was, ignored her, and broke off from the pack, heading straight for the unfinished Destroyer.
"Poe!" Kaydel screamed, eyes wide and teeth clenched, "Dammit, leave it!"
He skidded his jet into the narrowly closing landing pad, the last man inside what looked like a heavily fortified destroyer.
"He's locked in," Someone told her.
Kaydel couldn't help but smile tightly, "Or they're locked in with him."
The jets continued to zoom around the screen, two X-Wings exploding from well placed shots. Through it all, none of them broke radio silence, unnerving Kaydel even more. They appeared like jellyfish on a screen saver, untouchable and hardly even real.
Suddenly, the destroyer lurched, rattling the construction bridges still attached to it. The TIEs that had been seemingly so careful to not shoot at or so much as touch the destroyer, appeared to flinch at the sudden lurch. Then, all cannons, torpedoes, and whatever else they had turned on the sleek white surface. Their blasts bounced perfectly against fully operational shields that protected the destroyer almost fifty feet from the surface.
"This message is for the Rising Dawn, this is the Class D Speed Destroyer Sovereign."
Poe's voice rang out like a welcoming bell. Kaydel whirled around and attacked the commlink button. "POE!" She cried.
"Kaydel! Baby, we have a problem, none of the weapons are hooked up. I'm shooting blanks and none of the jets know it."
"Get out of there, I'll recall the jets," Kaydel sighed, waving an arm to the command bridge. Immediately they turned to their computer screens and began murmuring to the remaining jets to retreat.
"They're coming home, Poe." Kaydel told him, watching the X-Wing jets begin to cut away as the beautiful Sovereign ripped away from all tethers, bombs rippling off it's shielded surface. "You did it," She smiled.
"Yeah, I did it, alright." He grumbled, "I've got at least two squadrons of Stormtroopers banging on the door, and the entire First Order on notice. We've got a list of their ships and now they know it."
"How close are they from getting to you?" Kaydel asked, grabbing her holopad and touching the surface to and fro to pull up the specifics on the Sovereign.
"I'm safe, but I don't want to chance it." Poe told her, his voice wavering ever so slightly.
"You can't bring them here," She breathed, looking up from the specifications on the doors shielding him.
"I'm welcome to any ideas." His voice was getting shakier, meaning he was either finding a blaster or looking for a place to hide.
At once, Kaydel's mind clouded with memories. Their first meeting, her enlistment into the Resistance, their first date and kiss, their wedding night postponed for this mission. She shook her head and put her holopad down, the lieutenant across from her looking up.
"Give me a minute," She told Poe.
She turned her heel and hurried out of the command bridge, the eyes of the Resistance upon her. As she moved, a shrill hoot reached her and she turned, seeing BB-8 follow her closely, his head upturned in determination. Kaydel let him follow, leading him to a corridor where she could sit and place her hands on her knees.
BB-8 rolled close to her, gently nudging her knees. What are you going to do? He beeped.
Kaydel sighed, pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes for a moment. "Beebee Ate, if I do this, you cannot hoot or give any sharp sounds," She dropped her hands, "Okay?"
His body twitched, but ultimately moved forward in two successions, Yes.
She sat up straight, and exhaled, calming her nerves as best she could, then closed her eyes. Anxiety, met with peace. Her love met with hate for her husband's duty. The calm of this portion of space, met with the knowledge that there were battles being fought elsewhere. Balance.
"Ben," Kaydel whispered. "Brother, I need you."
SW
Canto Bight
Ben's eyes flew open, the wisps of Rey's hair clouding his eyes and nose. He lifted his head, hearing her voice again.
Ben.
Slowly, he withdrew his arm from over Rey's side and sat up, looking around the suite. He reached out to the Force, bridging this inexperienced connection with ease. He almost smiled when he saw her sitting there.
"Kay Dee?" He breathed.
The connection wavered, like jumping into a puddle. He couldn't use that name anymore. He had lost his privilege to that name a long time ago. Nevertheless, her connection returned.
"I need your help," She told him.
He could feel her disgust for such words. She still hated him, would always hate him. But what was happening now to make her seek him? Why was she using the Force now?
He sent these feelings to her, and waited, watching Rey sleep on her side as Kaydel twitched her head, trying to discern his question.
"It's Poe," She whispered.
A couch would have been softer than those feelings she whirled at his head. He rolled his eyes, so inexperienced. Deep seeded worry, so he was in danger. Love, an overwhelming love like what he felt for Rey. Was she married, then? Whatever, her lover Poe was in danger enough for her to call her estranged brother. Why would he be in danger? The question rang stupidly in his head like a gong. Poe Dameron was a danger magnet in that if it didn't come to him, he went headlong at it. But why so this time?
He let this question waft to her, doing his upmost to keep his thoughts of her lover's idiocy to himself.
She sent back a schematic of a ship, a beautiful, new ship that looked -unsurprisingly- like one of the ones he had given the Resistance.
Ben sighed. They lost all faith in him and his Padawans, so they decided not to include them in this new raid. If they had included him, he would have said to skip this ship and go for the next completed one for this very reason. He pulled the blanket up over Rey's arm just as a cool sea breeze fluttered the sheer curtains and blew over them. Ben stood and grabbed his cloak, throwing it on.
"Where is he?"
SWSWSW
Poe crawled through one of the ducts, praying to every deity he could recall that the new bolts were built to take grown men. He slithered to a halt, listening hard. There were two Stormtroopers talking a short distance from him. They weren't buying his disappearing act, and couldn't fix his quick blaster-to-the-communications-board until they landed and received new parts. Now where they landed, Poe could only hope they didn't unwire his moderately hard wired coordinates. C'mon Kay-Ko, he thought, using his toes to push him through the duct. Don't fail me, baby.
He slithered down another shaft, noting just how impressive this ship actually was. Two miles long, built for speed and for taking hits, it could have passed as a grim reaper or a royal yacht. Knowing Snoke and the First Order, there was a strong possibility of both happening. He smiled as he tilted open a vent cover. He would love to take Kaydel in one of these rooms for their wedding night. She could forgive him if he took her someplace nice. Or just, you know, be alive to have that wedding night. He loosened the screws on the grate with a pair of pliers from his flightsuit and pulled the grate into the duct with him.
Pulling himself from the duct, he dusted his hands on his trousers and stood. This was one of the luxury rooms, divided by walls with great, inconsistent holes to look like a porous sponge. There were even some solid white furniture, built especially for this ship. Poe looked down, and cursed. Of course he had to find the only patch of soot and track it through the all white room! He exhaled and started for the door, blaster at the ready.
He could hear movement outside, but all seemed to be avoiding this room. Poe sniggered to himself, Perhaps they're worried about not seeing each other in here. A shout rang out, followed by blasts. Poe leaned back away from the door, his mind racing with concentration. The shouts were inconsistent, and all were muffled and mechanical. The Stormtroopers were shouting.
Why would a Stormtrooper shout?
Poe looked to the control panel opening the door, narrowly missing a blast that cut through the wall near his head. He crouched to his knees and moved away from the door, blood rushing in his ears, and flipped over one of the special tables, (noting that it had been held on by a heavy magnet). Jumping behind it, he waited, forcing his breathing to come slower, his finger ready on the trigger.
The shouting outside the door stopped and the door slid open, revealing a very calm, wide eyed Rey, a smoking blaster in her hands.
"Hello, Poe!" She grinned.
He exhaled the moment he saw her. She wore old school grey robes with her customary arm wraps; her hair was pulled back behind her, and her lightsaber dangled from her side. But it was Rey!
"Are you a sight for sore eyes or what?!" He cried, lifting his head and smiling.
She giggled, then whirled around giving him her back, and grabbed her lightsaber and igniting it. In a dazzling, dizzying array of deflections, she met and blocked every single blaster shot fired at her. At once Poe jumped from his position and joined Rey's side, firing over her shoulder and killing three Stormtroopers.
"Ow!" Rey complained, turning off her lightsaber and looking at her hand. Her entire hand was red, the scar where she had previously been healed cut once again and complimented by the pungent waft of burned skin.
"You really need a new one," Poe told her.
She looked at him, "Stormtroopers first."
They moved cautiously out of the room, both picking up new blasters. "Kylo's with you I assume?"
"Of course!" Rey told him, barely glancing at him over her shoulder.
Blasts resounded in a further corridor, forcing Poe to swallow his accusatory question of, "So how did you get here?"
The moved quickly, Poe guiding Rey through the unfamiliar halls with what he could remember. A bright red blast split them, causing them to fly to the opposite walls where they could be shielded by ducking into the cutouts for communication and droid recharging.
Poe dared a peek around the corner, seeing a mass of black cloth whirl a searing red beam of light against other beams of light. He looked to Rey as she checked her blaster.
"Found your boyfriend!" He shouted over the din.
She turned to him and smiled. "Fiancé!" She told him, lifting her hand and showing him a diamond ring.
The warmth drained from Poe's body as his smile fixed on his face. He wanted to say something, anything, but words came to slowly as Rey shouted a sort of, "Hang on!" before jumping to her feet and bolting down the hall to her new… well, fiancé, swung madly.
"Lightsaber!" Poe heard him yell.
Rey immediately grabbed her lightsaber and handed it to him. Rather than igniting it or doing anything that would have been considered cool, Kylo chucked it down the corridor, and extended his hand towards it.
BANG!
Poe shot back into his cover and covered his face with his arm, earning for it a flash of heat upon his side that receded quickly.
"You blew up my lightsaber!" Rey's voice shrieked.
"Trust me, no I didn't," Kylo's deep voice answered, "I merely guided it. Your lightsaber was ready to blow."
Poe lowered his arm and peered around the corner. Kylo was on top of Rey, his whole body covering her from the flame as she scowled up at him from over her shoulder.
"That was Luke's lightsaber," She insisted.
He smirked down at her, a look that was clearly only meant for her, "Let the past die. I'll show you how to make a new one."
Poe looked down the corridor, hearing the distinct sound of more incoming Stormtroopers.
"Uh, guys, I hate to ruin the moment…"
At once, they were on their feet, ready and willing, to do battle once more, side-by-side, inseparable until death.
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