Alright, I'll throw you guys a bone. October's been kind of busy. So, if all goes well, you'll receive the final chapters by the first week of November. Or, not. I'm just playing it by ear. Reviews, as always, are appreciated.
Chapter 24
Finalizer
General Hux marched through the halls of the ship, Colonel Cutter on his flank.
"How did Ren get to that ship?" Hux demanded, hardly turning his head for the man to hear him.
"Holostreams do not show it was Ren, sir." Colonel Cutter told him, "We saw Commander Dameron pilot the ship Sovereign away from the ship yard, followed by a squadron of Rebel ships, though none of them contained Ren's flight patterns or that of the Rebel Ace other than Dameron. I believe that they did not include them in this mission."
"But they attacked and stole our ship according to the list Ren had made," Hux snarled. "He is working for the Rebels, and has complete knowledge of what ships we have currently in our arsenal and those yet to come."
"We can safely assume that, sir." Colonel Cutter responded.
"What is to be done about it?"
"With your permission, Supreme Leader, we would like to move your command from the Finalizer to the Sidious. It is a Class A Megaship Dreadnought, one that former Supreme Leader Snoke had commissioned as his personal transport, apart from the Supremacy that was his Capitol."
"Is it nearly as big as the Supremacy, Colonel?" Hux asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Three quarters the size, without the raw manufacturing plants, about the same number of cannons and munitions."
"Defensible, though?"
Colonel Cutter was silent for a moment, his boots the only noise in the echoing hallway. "It will take an inside man to take you down, sir. Ren can hammer away with the Rebels, but unless he's inside the sphere, he cannot hurt you."
Hux halted, turning full around. "And if Ren should somehow get in?"
"Then, he will be at will to kill us all, sir."
SWSWSW
Iker Dawn
It felt so good to see BB-8 roll through the corridors of a Resistance ship, Finn could almost taste it! It was odd, too. To be moving on unsteady ground that hummed with engines and thrumming feet, to be bussed by so many people all at once! He had missed it, he had to admit. All the silence of Ahch-To had gotten to him, toyed with his mind. Or was that the peace of the Force?
He latched onto it, seeking the smooth peace of that island around him. But, it didn't come to him. That peace was left on that island, and what greeted him was the discontented suspicion of those who looked at him. He still wore his robes, and walked as tall as when he first left, but there had been a difference since setting foot on this ship. He turned to Rose, wondering if she sensed it, too. Her slanted eyes flicked around, resting for a moment on a group of technicians who clumped around a command panel in an attempt to further connect the Iker to the Rising Dawn. She flicked her eyes forward and lifted her chin.
"You feel it, too?" Finn asked in a tone only she could hear.
"They don't trust us," She whispered back. "I've never known those guys to stay away from gossip." She jerked her head quickly back to the technicians.
Guilty by association, Finn thought. "Don't worry," He told her, "Just give them some time to get used to us again."
Rose made a non-committal noise, but otherwise stayed silent.
BB-8 halted suddenly, half of his body into the intersecting corridor ahead of them, then immediately rolled backwards, almost running into Poe if he hadn't stepped away.
"Beebee Ate, what's wrong?" Poe asked, looking down at him.
BB-8 turned his head towards the hallway and issued quick beeps while twitching his entire body towards the hallway. Poe looked up, half of his body turning towards Rose and Finn when the khaki tactical dress of Senator Por-Jho stepped into the hallway.
"Commander Dameron," She purred, her nostrils flaring at the sight of him. To Finn, her head looked like that of a sheep's stripped of it's skin but left with the muscle tissue and eyelids that narrowed into a condescending squint when looking at Poe. "You wouldn't happen to be avoiding the Council Meeting scheduled for today, would you? I believe the Jedi Knights Rose Tico and Finn were expected to be coming with you."
"We aren't Jedi," Rose told her, her posture leaning away from the intimidating Passva senator. "We are Padawans, apprentices. Master Ren was clear on that when we left Ahch-To."
Finn looked to Poe who cast him a look of apology. Senator Por-Jho on the other hand, flicked her squinted eyes between Rose and Finn before settling on Poe. "We changed the meeting time for this moment, Commander. In the East Gathering Room, located," She lifted a long-limbed arm and gestured it down the hall where they had appeared to be heading prior to her surprising them, "Just there."
"I know where it is, Senator," Poe grumbled at her. "I just think our distinguished guests should have a moment to rest before being eaten alive."
"So you could coach them what to say? No, I don't think that will be happening, Commander."
She stepped back, her frail looking body blocking the opposite hallway. "Jedi Apprentices, if you will meet with the Council of the New Republic, we would greatly appreciate it."
Finn's feelings were greatly troubled by her tone of voice and Poe's reluctance to adhere to his orders. He was a rebel in many ways, but since Crait, he had matured quite a bit. This however…
Rose touched Finn's hand with a brush of her own, prompting him to turn to her. At once, his feelings were smoothed, however like a hand sweeping spiked grass. She was calling to him, easing him. To have democracy, they must have Councils.
Finn returned to Senator Por-Jho, and stepped forward, "I'd be happy to speak to the Council. I know that with our testimonies, there'd be no way you could use our words for your own, private gains."
Senator Por-Jho reclaimed her arm, Poe smiled.
SW
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Council of the Resistance for the New Republic, thank you for gathering here today."
"Why am I here?" Poe hissed to the man on his right.
"As discussed prior to this meeting, we will be hearing from members of the New Jedi, Apprentices Finn and Rose. If you two would like to stand and recognize your achievements?"
Finn's mind immediately blanked. He looked at Rose who leaned back in equal bewilderment.
"She means tell us what secrets you learned from Kylo Ren," Poe said loudly, causing the man on his right to fly to him and shake his head while whispering discreetly.
At once, Finn's ire rose. This wasn't a question and answer session, this was a tribunal.
"Why should we?" Rose asked, lifting her eyebrow. "It was my knowledge that democratic meddling brought down the Jedi in the first place."
A pause rippled through the Council, (save that from Poe who chuckled as he leaned back, grinning)
"There are many rumors swirling around Kylo Ren and his… loyalties," A senator asked. "We simply want to put those rumors to rest."
"You knew them before we left," Finn told them. "He's a nomad, a rebel without a cause. His loyalty is to his wife, and the oath he swore when he became a Knight of Ren."
The council shifted simultaneously. "We were not aware that he was married," Another senator commented.
Poe's smile faded. He stood, and inhaled, "Before leaving the island of Ahch-To, I performed a marriage ceremony between… well, Ben Solo, and Captain Rey Kenobi. I didn't bring them along because I thought after, you know, saving my life they deserved a honeymoon period." He assumed his seat.
The council erupted into murmurs, one senator exclaiming, "Kenobi?"
"What are the implications of such a union?" Senator Por-Jho called, turning her attention from Finn and Rose to the Council members around her, immediately calming the crowd.
"Well, to me, it means that Ren is unquestionably going to stand with us," The first senator, a human male with salt and pepper hair and a medium build said. "It is Rey -Kenobi, I believe you said- that holds the power."
"You are generous, Senator Farea," Senator Por-Jho purred. "To me, it seems that Captain Rey has been tempted by an unreliable source. I prefer to know where our assets will stand. Either to the right or the left."
"Rey is for our cause," Finn told her. "She is committed to the destruction of the First Order."
"I see Senator Por-Jho's point," Senator Farea commented quickly, glancing to Rose who had piped up. "Captain Kenobi may be committed to fighting, but where does she stand on rebuilding? Fights can only last for so long before the fighters become winded. What is to replace the fight when it's done?"
Finn leaned back into his chair, glancing only slightly at Rose. They did have a point. Master Ren only agreed to teach them because he had no place to go, and he wanted to be with Rey. He had not renounced his loyalties to the Knights of Ren or even accepted a role as Jedi Master. Rey was the Jedi, Rey was the Rebel through and through. But, Rey was also destructive without meaning to be. She did well with the Resistance because there was a job to do. What would she, and most importantly, Ren, do when there were no more battles to fight?
"Why don't you ask her?"
All eyes shifted to Rose. Rose stood and moved to the center of the room, her demeanor one of absolute confidence. Finn smirked, she was used to scarier opponents and higher hills than a board room filled with prim senators and generals. "Rey fell in love with Master Ren because of what she knew he could become. Master Ren, the man capable of countless horrors. You know my story, and if you don't here it is: I was an orphan in the Haysian system. When the First Order was done pilfering what they could from us, they turned their cannons on our people. My sister and I watched as our home was destroyed in needless bloodshed."
"That may be," Senator Por-Jho began but Rose cut her off.
"I'm not finished!" She said firmly, staring her down. "I saw Master Ren when he was under Supreme Leader Snoke. I was there, as many of us were, when he started the fire at Naboo. I saw Rey charge after him with the intent to kill for what he did to us. When I started my training, I saw him as only one thing: the man who murdered my sister, my patron saint in the Resistance.
"I also saw him weak, an opposing image to the man I loathed with every fibre of my being. I heard him describe his youth, his truth shattering the pure image I had of General Leia Organa and Han Solo. I know why he is linked to the Knights of Ren, and I believe now, that he is not as unchangeable as you think."
She inhaled, watching the room sit in rapt attention. She continued:
"I think Master Ren will allow the New Republic to build in the ashes of the First Order. I don't think he will allow himself to become involved in politics, starting instead a new breed of Jedi, one with the moral code of… grey, rather than clear cut black or white. Because it was the strict adherence to what is white and what is black that caused the Jedi to fall, because it's refusal to accept change… just like what you guys are doing now in the name of safety." She lifted her palms for a moment before dropping them to her sides. "You want to monitor things you have no idea about. You don't know what Finn and I can do."
"That's right," Finn piped, sitting up straight.
"We were trained by the two strongest wielders of the Force, and most of you don't even know what the Force is!"
The Councilmembers shifted, looking to one another, but reluctantly keeping silent.
"Call them, ask them the questions you've asked us and each other here today. Because I promise you, I promise you, if you think you can't trust Master Ren because of what he's done in the past, you have no idea what Rey will do if you try to hurt him." She narrowed her look to Senator Por-Jho. "Rey has a legitimate family, now. A foundation to build upon. If Master Ren could hurt the First Order by giving us valuable information, what could Rey do by herself? What would happen if Master Ren, joined, her?"
An uneasy silence ripped through the room and Rose took one step back. "Don't think that the name of democracy can protect you. We're all mortals here, and they've slain gods. Master Ren killed Supreme Leader Snoke for Rey, and Rey turned a terror into a husband that kneels before her out of respect. You want to piss them off?" She lifted her palms shoulder height and stepped back away from them, "Be my guest."
Silence echoed through the room as Rose retook her seat, Finn hearing a steady exhale coming from her the moment her back touched the rest.
"Well, I have to agree with Apprentice Tico," Senator Farea commented, shifting all eyes to him. "I remember hearing stories my father told of the Jedi and their involvement with the Galactic Senate. They were enforcers of the law, not part of it. They had their own code, and the senate was not to interfere in it."
"So you would let Kylo Ren stalk through these halls, unchecked?" Senator Por-Jho sneered, narrowing her eyes at him.
"No," Poe told her. "Weren't you listening? He wouldn't have a right," He paused, then added in a quieter tone, "And neither would Rey."
A new life rippled through the council, a shift in posture. Finn looked at Poe, and curled his fists. They want Rey gone, even Poe, Finn thought. A chill descended over each person present as Finn's fist began to shake. Poe gave him a quick glance, then shifted his body away from him.
"As Jedi, we would call upon them when we need them. They would train new apprentices, become a force within the Force. They would have access to whatever we decide they are privy to. And if we need a Jedi Senator, then I nominate Finn." He swept his arm towards him, though he carefully avoided his gaze. "Finn can successfully interpret the New Republic Senate, the Resistance Council, and the New Jedi Order. You cannot deny that we'll be needing input at this point." He turned to Finn, shivering slightly at Finn's continued scowl, "And Finn's a politician. We all know that from his success on the Command Bridge during battles when you fine jerks like to butt in."
There were many smirks, and one chuckle, but many more were nodding and regarding Finn with a new outlook. Senator Finn, Jedi Knight.
Finn stood, bringing Rose with him. He inhaled, feeling more like he was wearing a First Order uniform than Jedi robes. "We must speak with Master Ren and Rey before you decide anything further."
"Best to wait for a vote," Senator Por-Jho purred. "Given that there is even a motion to vote-"
"I make a motion." Senator Farea interrupted.
"Seconded," Poe added.
"Thirded," Another councilmember piped.
Senator Por-Jho's nostrils flared.
"We'll be outside," Rose told them, touching Finn's arm.
SW
Finn paced from one end of the hallway to the other, in twenty-five, perfectly placed steps. BB-8 chose to roll from the board room door to the adjacent wall where Rose sat in meditation and back again, almost as if daring Finn to run into him. BB-8 hooted, and issued a series of beeps.
How exactly are you going to contact Rey, He asked.
Rose opened her eyes and looked at him. "C-3PO has a long-distance communicator. He's been talking to Poe for a while."
That's good, no one like's being left in the dark.
"Unless you're a Jedi," Finn grumbled, turning on his heel and walking back to them.
"Is it so bad?" Rose asked him. "We're able to operate on our own, no oversight from the Council or the Republic."
Finn stopped just before her and looked down at her. "They're choosing to be afraid of us."
"Are they?" She asked, "Fear doesn't get invitations to sit on council seats."
"I'm a soldier, they can trust soldiers because half of them are soldiers in the Resistance. Rey should be the one sitting on that seat, but she's not because they're afraid of her."
"There's always going to be fear, Finn." Rose told him. "How many times have we been on the brink of being wiped out? Hope for them is as fragile as a candle flame. They won't give that flame to what they don't trust out of protection."
Finn exhaled through his nostrils, and continued pacing.
"What's really bothering you?" Rose called after him. "It's not the formation of the New Jedi, it's something else."
Finn halted, his boots clicking loudly against the tiles. He placed the tip of his right boot behind his left, and about faced to her.
"Poe, just destroyed, what family we had."
Rose leaned away for a moment, then opened her jaw and issued a quiet, "Oh."
Finn had helped Poe escape. From that, Finn found Rey. Poe and Rey had developed a brother/sister bond over piloting missions that Finn coached. The three of them had become a family unit, inseparable. Or so they had thought. With this move, Poe had placed suspicion ahead of family, distance rather than bond.
Rose huffed, and looked at Finn. "Well, families fight. It's when they stop fighting for each other that problems begin."
"Is Poe fighting for us?" Finn asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Are you? Are you, really? Or are you just fighting because you cannot have Rey by your side anymore?"
Finn stared at her, a shiver running down his spine. "That's a low blow."
"Good thing I'm sitting below you."
Finn couldn't help but half smirk.
Suddenly, the door opened and Poe emerged, immediately sending BB-8 to his calves. Poe sighed what sounded more of a grumble and looked at Finn and Rose who didn't bother jumping to her feet.
"Let me guess," Finn asked, "No vote?"
"Delayed," Poe told him. "Until they can see what you guys can do."
"An audition?" Rose asked, rising to her feet. "To be considered noteworthy of being called Jedi?"
"It wasn't my idea," He grumbled. "But, that's how it is."
"And Rey and Master Ren?" Finn asked.
Poe inhaled deeply, "They're making it an audition for you guys. If Ren's as good as he said, you would be able to shine. Alone."
SWSWSW
Ahch-To
Three Weeks Later
Ben kissed Rey's spine and shoulders, watching her read one of the Jedi texts, this one specifically on making lightsabers. She smiled, feeling his fingers creep closer and closer to her breasts.
"Ben," She warned with a grin, "I'm trying to read about how to make a lightsaber."
"Mhm," Ben sounded. "I'd rather you learn, hands on." He slid his hand between her breasts to her throat and pulled her back into his chest, kissing her lips deeply and so thoroughly the book in Rey's hands tumbled into her lap and she reached back and ran her fingers through his fluffy hair.
Rey squealed, her lips curling upward in a grin and she wrenched her head away. "Ben Solo!"
"Rey Solo!" He grinned in the same elated scowl.
"Kenobi-Solo," She corrected.
"Kenobi-Solo," He repeated, rolling his eyes upward in minute punishment for not remembering, before returning to her. "Don't worry. I'll teach you how to make the lightsaber you want."
"Is it odd?" She asked, leaning back into his chest. "To dream of a lightsaber as much as I have?"
He shook his head. "I dreamt of mine for years. My lightsaber and my mask. I knew every angle, every stroke of the hammer. And you cannot make the one you want with that crystal you picked out. It's too fine, you have to use two of the smaller ones."
"And what about lightsabers for Finn and Rose?"
He hesitated, his breath coming slowly. "They're not ready for lightsabers, yet. They're trained in the Force, they're good fighters, but I always thought Jedi who were given swords as children took them for granted. Knights must earn their place."
"And… I'm to have a lightsaber?"
He shifted behind her, turning to look at her with more of his scarred eye. "Really? You need my permission to have a laser sword?"
Rey studied him, her eyes tracing his scar. It was so different seeing him this way, his eyes dancing beneath such a hideous reminder of their first chapter.
"Did you ever imagine us?" She asked quietly. "Back then?"
His smile softened, and he shook his head. "To be honest, if you hadn't kicked my ass we would have gotten nowhere."
"Why?" Rey asked, swallowing her laugh.
"I didn't want a trophy when I thought of a wife, if I thought of one. I wanted my equal. And baby, you're more than that." He nuzzled her nose with his. "You're my best friend, my lover. My apprentice and my superior."
Rey leaned forward and kissed him, once. Then twice. Then let him lay her down upon the grass, pushing the text aside, savoring the feel of his weight upon her, and the thrum of her heartbeat against her breastbone.
Ben pulled away, gazing down at her with eyes that smoldered. At once, he flicked his gaze beyond the small horizon, looking quickly for any intruders.
"No one," Rey breathed, smoothing his chest until she cupped his neck and shoulders. "They're at the beach."
He returned his gaze back down to her, and smirked.
SW
There had once been a forge on another island. The Caretakers told them so when they saw Rey and Ben deconstructing the metal of what remained of her imploded lightsaber. Ben looked at Rey when the Matron took off, waving back at them to follow her.
Rey scrambled to her feet, followed closely by her husband, and followed, stopping only when the Matron halted at a particular edge and pointed, squawking, "That island. The Jedi would swim there with their crystals and tools. They would return, standing taller and with swords."
Rey could understand the "standing taller" part. As soon as the Matron pointed the island out, Rey detected a whiff of something unbelievably strong. It wasn't a smell, not even a feeling. This was… a calling. An inescapable calling from her core to the island.
"Do you feel that?" She asked Ben.
"No," He replied, looking down at her. "But I can tell you do."
A boat was arranged for them to sail upon that day, along with a bag of tools taken from one of the many underground vaults where the Vanished Jedi's last effects waited. In a different bag, Rey stored three crystals: the one that had called to her on Canto Bight, and two smaller ones that mildly called out to her.
Once she was packed and supplies were added into the boat (the Matron said that apprentices usually didn't return within a month or two), Ben leapt in and turned around to help Rey enter. Ben had -although extremely limited- been taught to sail by some of the fishermen to better his fishing. But the breeze was perfect for sailing, and Ben steered them to the island.
It couldn't have been more than three miles away, but minutes after leaving the sandbar of Jedi Temple Island, they had entered deep water and Ben began to use real physical strength to keep them on course.
"Keep your eyes open!" He called over the whistling wind and waves. "I've seen big fish knock boats around here!"
But Rey could hardly hear him. Blood rushed in her ears, and her core was directed firmly towards the island. She ignored the splashing waves, and couldn't see the massive swirling fins flapping and diving in front of her. She could only stare at the island before her, hanging on to each small peak and promise of valleys. It was smaller than Jedi Temple Island, unsuitable for a large population to live upon for a long period of time, but that didn't appear to be the point.
Rey stood, and moved towards the nose of the boat, leaning half of her body over the bow.
"Careful," Ben called. "We're almost there!"
She couldn't hear him, and by the time he felt the Force emit from the island, it was too late to catch Rey from falling, legs over shoulders, into the ocean.
SW
Ben watched Rey drop further and further into the dark ocean, his core constricting tightly with more than shock. The Force was calling to her, but it was nothing like what he had become used to and certainly not what Rey had known. This was the Dark Side of the Force. It had masked itself and it now claimed his wife.
Without thinking, he dove in after her, desperately kicking his long limbs whilst his eyes scanned the darkening depths, pushing aside water until he found her.
She was at peace, her eyes half closed, her hands outstretched above her. The Dark Side had claimed her well, confusing her mind with something more enticing than survival. Ben reached for her, the touch of her skin shocking him like an electric current. If he hadn't been trained by Snoke, he would have been pulled into the same vacuum that she currently existed in. That is, if he could find the strength to hold on to her at all. He reached out with his other hand, gliding his fingers into her palm, reading what she saw while commanding himself to not get lost.
Her mother was there, in her mind. She held a toddler Rey in her lap, bouncing her up and down.
"Come now, Rey." She cooed, "Let's not dwell on food! There's other, prettier things to think about. Come on, think of better things to come."
Ben shook his head, blinking away the calming sight and accompanying warmth in his body. He yanked Rey's arm, wrapping his hand around her waist and kicked, summoning the Force into his body to propel the two of them from the depths and break the surface. The cold wind slapped him in welcome, and Ben inhaled sharply, lifting Rey as high as he could for similar effect.
She drew breath, but she was still not within the present. Her head lolled onto him, and her eyes stared, unfocused. Ben whirled around, looking for the boat. It had drifted, bobbing closer and closer to the intended island. Ben adjusted Rey's body, placing her back upon his chest and swam, backstroking, using the Force to keep Rey attached to him and above water.
He slung her body onto the beach, immediately cupping her face to feel how far gone into the Dark Side she had been pulled.
"Rey?" He breathed. "Baby, talk to me!"
She held still, the vein of the Dark Side wavering within her. Ben lowered his chin, latching onto the Dark Side that gripped her. It warbled, the vein itself almost sentient with only a faint, almost invisible, signature of the wielder, before breaking. The release sent her back arching upward and a gasp from her lips louder than he had ever heard it.
"That's it," Ben told her, his heart fluttering with life as he dropped control of the Dark Side. "That's it, just breathe."
Her body pulsed, her hands rising, looking for his. He gave her only one, using his other to steady her shoulder. "My… mum…" She breathed.
"Stay here with me," Ben told her, moving his arm from her shoulder to behind her neck, pulling her hand to his chest. "Stay here, Rey."
"Ben," She exhaled, her body falling limp until she curled into him, and her head nuzzled the hollow of his neck. "Ben… you're my family… now."
Ben's heart jolted and he arched his body over her, protecting her. "That's right," He breathed. "We're each other's family, now."
SW
Koita Mathe watched Kylo kiss his woman with farther than usual familiarity. He knew that kind of love, he had felt it from Fraja and Serotti. They were married, creating an even greater connection in the Force for either one of them.
But, Rey had fallen for his trap easily enough. Especially with a simple show of her mother's memory and she was ready to be goober fish food.
She's easier to control than I thought, He thought. His eyes flicked to Kylo, feeling him grab at the fibres of his vein of the Dark Side before Koita Mathe faded them completely. His nostrils flared, he couldn't use the Dark Side again on her in front of Kylo. He might not be able to use it again on her at all.
He dropped to his knees, in time to hide from Kylo's gaze. Kylo wasn't a fool, he could feel Koita Mathe's trick with the Dark Side, but -unlike Kylo- Koita Mathe was a skilled wielder of the Dark Side. Kylo hadn't been Snoke's sole apprentice after all. Simply his favorite.
Koita Mathe carefully crawled back down the slope, careful with each step to his cruiser. Kylo wouldn't force his wife to move when he was still too frightened of losing her, and he wasn't so foolish to leave when his cruiser might be seen. So, he would wait. He would stay perched there among the grass until the avians thought him worthy of setting their nests upon, and the grass felt comfortable enough to stroke with their leggy blades. Only when Kylo and Rey left the island would he move.
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