The Redemption of Ben Skywalker

by AngelofTartarus

Reylo AU. While the fight against Palpatine is over, the war is not finished. The First Order has regrouped and its generals have seized power in the absence of Kylo Ren and are continuing their mission to conquer the galaxy. Rey, Ben, Poe, and Finn must overcome their differences to defeat the First Order once and for all. Pairings: Reylo, Poe/Finn

13. A Brighter Tomorrow

Chapter 13 – A Brighter Tomorrow

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Rey twisted and turned in discomfort as she woke up with an uncomfortable pressure in her stomach. She opened an eye to see Ava's angelic face inches from her own, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the nightlamps. The child had moved closer during the night and her foot was currently lodged firmly in her gut. Rey winced as Ava dug her foot in further and shifted to reposition the girl's foot to a more comfortable spot. The movement rustled the blanket and Ben's eyes shot open. A flicker of panic washed over his face and he tensed up. He relaxed as he registered his surroundings and saw no threat.

"Good morning," Rey said quietly, choosing not to make a big deal about his reaction.

Ben smiled sleepily and Rey got butterflies in her stomach at seeing the soft emotions on his face. She was the only one lucky enough to see this side of him.

"Morning," Ben rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. "When are they expecting us at the range?"

Rey looked at her own glowing timepiece. "In about an hour." She stretched her limbs out, getting rid of aches and kinks. "Everyone is really looking forward to it. You're making a difference in how we fight."

"They are getting better," Ben adopted a neutral expression, but she could feel a twinkle of pride emanating through the bond.

Ava grunted and shifted one of her glittering white wings above the blankets, momentarily blocking their line of sight. Rey patted her gently to soothe the child back to sleep.

"I'll speak to Zala when she comes by," Rey promised him. "Ava can't stay with us every night until Tawna gives birth. It's just not practical."

"She needs to be with someone who has experience caring for children," Ben agreed, his eyes widening in alarm at the thought of keeping Ava.

Rey pursed her lips to keep her laughter from spilling out.

"Tawna entrusted Zala to babysit her while she nests and I wouldn't want to override her wishes," Ben said with a hint of defensiveness.

Rey schooled her expression and nodded. "And speaking of your tent. Once Tawna leaves, the materials in there won't be suitable for use."

"There aren't any extra mattresses or blankets. I found that out during the last inventory check," Ben said as he stared at the ceiling. "Don't worry. It wouldn't be the first time I've had to rough it."

"Don't be silly. We'll have to find another place for you to sleep," she said.

"Where else can I go?" Ben snarkily asked. "No one is going to willingly room with me."

"Well…" Rey rolled her head over to look at him.

Ben stared back, not comprehending her meaning. Then he blinked and understanding lit up his eyes.

"Would you like to share my tent, permanently?" Rey offered wholeheartedly, blushing a little. This was a big step.

"Yes, I would," he reached over to take her hand. "Thank you, Rey."

"My pleasure," she beamed at him, happiness radiating through her.

A piercing screech echoed into the crisp morning air, startling them both. Ava shot into an upright position, her wings stiff and raised in panic. The screech came again, drawn-out this time.

"Mummy!" Ava yelled out and scrambled out of the tent before either of them could react.

"Shit," Ben grumbled under his breath. He ripped off their shared blanket and surged to his feet.

Rey rolled to her feet as well and ran after them into the darkened encampment. The sun hadn't even risen yet, making it hard to see any obstacles. But since the tents were set up in rows, it was easy to make their way to Tawna's tent. Plus, it helped that there was a crowd of worried and curious Resistance fighters gathering outside the tent.

Rey and Ben pushed their way to the front of the crowd, following Ava as she darted through people's legs. Several medics were forming a perimeter around the tent and preventing everyone from getting too close.

"Give us some room!" Tattara urged everyone as they tried to get closer to see what was going on.

"Here's the emergency kit you asked for, Commander D'Acy," Mixa said as he pushed through the crowd and set down a large container.

"Thank you, Captain," Larma nodded in thanks as she took inventory of the medical supplies at hand.

"What's happening?" Ava shouted. "Where's my mummy?"

A sharp pained cry reverberated out of the tent, inducing everyone to go silent.

"Mummy!" Ava darted forward but Ben deftly snatched her up into his arms.

"You need to stay here, Ava," Ben said sternly.

"No!" Ava wriggled in his grasp.

"You have to stay with us for now, Ava," Rey reasoned with the child. She shivered as she recalled her close call with Tawna's sharp talons the day before. Logically, she knew Tawna would never hurt her child, even in a feral state, but the Jixiti wouldn't want any distractions during this critical time. "Your mother needs to do this by herself."

"She's hurt!" protested Ava as Tawna let out another screech, this one louder and more prolonged than the last. "My hugs always make her feel better."

"You can give her the biggest hug once she has the baby," Rey reassured the little girl.

Ava bit her lip as her mother warbled inside the tent. "Promise?"

"I promise," Rey patted her on the back, her heart going out to the distraught child.

Ava sniffled and buried her face in Ben's shoulder as her mother let out another cry. He shifted in discomfort but didn't dislodge the clingy child.

"I'm sorry, but we need more room," Mixa gestured to where he wanted them to move. "We're not expecting any problems, but we need space in case we need to go in."

"Of course," Rey nodded and helped him get everyone to move away from the tent and keep quiet so as not to further distress Tawna.

"Ava, sweetie, where are you?" Zala frantically asked as she pushed through the crowd.

"Zala!" Ava reached out to the caretaker, tears in her eyes. "Is mummy going to be okay?"

"Absolutely," Zala said firmly even as Tawna let out a long screech. She pulled Ava into her arms and hugged her close as the child whimpered. "I know this is scary, but she went through this for you too."

"I don't like it," Ava mumbled into her neck.

"It'll be alright, sweetie," Zala assured her. "Soon, you'll have a new brother or sister and we'll visit them and your mother when she's ready."

Ava frowned, discontent to be parted from her mother for a while longer, but she didn't argue.

"Thank you for looking after her for the night," Zala nodded to Rey and Ben. "I trust she was an angel?"

"Yes," Rey smiled and resisted the urge to rub the sore spot on her torso where Ava's foot had resided for most of the night. She nudged Ben lightly in his side.

"Yes, she was," Ben bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. He really needed to work on that.

"Everyone, let's go eat," Rey called out to the assembled Resistance fighters. "Larma will give us news of the birth once it happens."

Everyone mumbled to each other and called out good wishes to Tawna as they headed to the canteen. The food was simple fare again today, a mix of nuts and dried fruits with reconstituted bread rolls. Winn was in charge of serving the food and he deftly handed out bowls with a warm greeting. He closed off as he came face-to-face with Ben. The two stared at each other in a silent standoff before Winn silently handed him a bowl of food. Ben moved to get a cup of filtered water and Rey stepped forward to receive her food. She raised an eyebrow at Winn, silently asking for a status update on the search for a spy. Winn shook his head slightly. Rey nodded and moved off. She really couldn't have expected results so soon, but the quicker they caught the spy the better. She joined Ben at the water table, where he was speaking with Lando.

"Do you have a moment to talk, Ben?" Lando asked. "I wanted to speak with you before I leave."

"Sure, Uncle Lando," Ben said as he munched on a dried pear.

"Feel free to use the command center," Rey offered as she felt Ben's hesitancy to speak freely in the busy canteen.

"Thank you, Rey," Lando nodded.

The general and Ben walked off. Chewbacca rose from his seat at the edge of the canteen and joined them. Rey hoped this talk with his uncle would help Ben go further in his journey to heal and discover himself.

Rey grabbed a cup of water and joined Rose and Finn at one of the tables. They were in the middle of an intense discussion.

"No one is saying we shouldn't go back," Finn raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "I want to give those assholes the comeuppance they deserve, but we have to have a plan."

"They won't listen to reason. I know how these people think," Rose argued heatedly. "We need to put them out of business for good!"

"What's going on?" Rey asked in concern, alarmed to see Rose so fired up.

"We received a report about the Canto Casino on Cantonica," Finn brought her up to speed. "You may remember we visited the establishment to find a codebreaker to help us stop the First Order from tracking the Resistance's ships through hyperspace. Well, on our way out of the casino, we caused a bit of a ruckus and disrupted the status quo."

"So you trashed the place?" Rey guessed.

"Yes, but in their effort to rebuild and attract new wealthy customers, the owners have introduced high-stakes fathier races with additional obstacles thrown in," Rose bit out, her face twisted in rage. "Belching flames, venomous reptiles, and who knows what else they'll add. It's a hundred times more hazardous than what they were doing before. The children forced to ride in those races are in more danger than ever and I can't help but think it's my fault."

"None of this is your fault," Rey shook her head vehemently and placed her hand over Rose's clenched fist. She was appalled at the disregard and greed people could display in order to amuse themselves. But that gave her an idea. "What if we threatened their financial resources? If customers lose everything they have just by visiting the Canto Casino, surely the business will fall apart on its own."

"That could work," Finn brightened, but then his face fell. "But we don't have the skill to set up something like that."

"We don't, but we know someone who does," Rose shared a look with Finn.

"No…" Finn growled and shook his head.

"Yes," Rose nodded, a determined glint entering her eye.

"DJ," they said together, Rose with confidence and Finn with skepticism.

"Who's DJ?" Rey asked in confusion.

"He's a talented slicer we met in Canto Bight," Rose explained. "He helped us break into the Supremacy's computer systems."

"Yeah, and then he stabbed us in the back and betrayed us to the First Order," Finn's voice shook with anger. "He was only too happy to make a deal with Captain Phasma to save his skin and trade our lives for a container of credits."

"That shows we can trust him to act predictably," Rose shrugged. "He'll always act in his own self-interest. We can use that to our benefit this time."

"Can we trust him, even if we could locate him?" Finn gritted his teeth.

"We can trust he'll take the job if it works to his advantage," Rose reasoned. "I doubt he cares about the child labor and animal abuse, but if we offer him a share of the money in return for getting him access to the casino's core systems, he won't pass up the chance."

"Are you sure this DJ is a decent codebreaker?" Rey asked skeptically.

From what she'd heard of this man, she had her doubts. She'd known slimeballs like him on Jakku. One could hardly trust them to do the work they were hired to do without sabotaging it at the same time.

"As long as he doesn't get a better offer, he'll get the job done," Finn crossed his arms.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's worth it to make a deal with DJ if it means preventing those gutless, heartless wretches from enslaving more children and defenseless animals for their own amusement," Rose vehemently said.

Finn sighed and uncrossed his arms. "You're right. We have to do this, even if it means dealing with DJ again."

"We'll need to bring this to Poe and get his buy-in," Rey directed, though she doubted Poe would refuse their request. "If you can find the slicer and convince him to go along with this plan, I'll lead the charge myself. Whatever you need, Rose."

"I'll brief Poe on the situation," Finn insisted. "And I'll prep a fighter squadron ready to back us up."

"Thank you, both of you," Rose beamed and reached out to grasp their hands. "I can always count on you."

The bell rang, signaling the end of first meal and the start of the first shift.

"I'll work with Mosla to send a transmission to Takodana," Rose said, rising from her seat and searching for the four-armed commander. "With Maz's underground connections, she has to have some inkling where DJ ended up after Crait."

Commander Mosla was getting another cup of water, so Rose nodded goodbye to them and strode over to talk with her.

"You better run if you want to set up for the sparring sessions," Finn said as he chewed the rest of the dried fruit in his bowl. "I won't be able to help today. Poe and I are going to look through some old data packs he just found in Leia's belongings and see if there's any information on them that matches the cuff markings."

"I'm waiting for Ben to return from his talk with Lando," Rey nodded in understanding. "Mixa, Aarzio, and Sertali are all occupied with their morning shifts."

"Doesn't look like you'll be waiting long," Finn nodded behind her as he stood.

Rey turned as Finn walked away and smiled as Ben, Lando, and Chewbacca walked into the canteen. Ben's default expression of no emotion was firmly in place, but Rey could feel a lightness in his heart. She was glad his uncles had been able to counsel him on his new circumstances.

"We're heading back to our base, Rey," Lando informed her as he stopped at her table. Jannah and Zorii rose from their seats and C3PO and R2-D2 joined them as he made the pronouncement. "I'll send a transmission once I make contact with the runes specialist."

"Thank you for your support, General," Rey stood and clasped arms with the stately pilot.

"I'm glad I could be of some help," Lando returned her gesture.

"General Calrissian, we'll be waiting to hear from you," Poe said as he turned up out of the blue.

The pilot's appearance was less haggard today, but there were still dark circles under his eyes. Ben turned noticeably away from Poe, shunning the man. Poe's jaw tightened as he observed the symbolic gesture.

"It goes without saying, but Ben's presence at this base needs to remain quiet," Poe emphasized the importance of the secret.

"I agree. Ben has told me more about the information he's been supplying to us. We need to maintain our edge against the First Order as long as we can," Lando nodded his promise to keep his silence.

Jannah and Zorii voiced their compliance to hold their tongues while the droids muttered to each other.

"Yes, I want you to keep this information to yourselves," Lando stared at them sternly, particularly C3PO. "I will inform General Antilles when I see fit."

"Of course, sir," C3PO bobbed his head and bonked Artoo on the dome.

The astromech droid whistled he wouldn't say anything until a Resistance general rescinded the order.

"Very good," Lando smiled wistfully. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you," Poe and Rey replied.

Lando gave a slight bow and ruffled Ben's hair with an affectionate chuckle as he walked off. Ben snorted and fixed his mussed hair, a quick grin overtaking his face before he schooled it back into a blank mask.

"Good day, general, commander… Ben," C3PO jerked his head in a nod, rushing off after he acknowledged Ben.

Artoo whistled a farewell and rolled after Threepio, beeping for the protocol droid to slow down.

"We'll see you around," Jannah gave them a two-finger salute.

"Thank you for coming," Rey said, nodding to both her and Zorii, who was standing stoically beside the young woman. "I hope to see both of you again soon."

"If the Force wills it, that will be when it is time to crush the First Order once and for all," Zorii said with conviction. She nodded politely at Rey. "Until then, Jedi."

Zorii made a half-turn to follow Jannah when Ben stepped forward and took her hand. The woman whipped her blaster out, her green eyes visibly flashing with alarm through the opening in her helmet.

"It was nice to see you again, Zorii," Ben gave his most charming smile and brushed his lips against the back of her hand. "Goodbye."

Stars above, he was teasing her! Rey almost bit her tongue in half to prevent herself from laughing at the sight of Ben trying to be gallant.

Zorii scoffed and laughed, tugging her hand out of his grip.

"That farewell is far too many years too late," She wagged a finger in his face. "I'm still not forgiving you."

"Better late than never," Ben smirked and shrugged.

"Apply your charms on someone else," Zorii holstered her blaster. "They are wasted on me." She nodded for Jannah it was time to go. As she walked past Rey, she winked at her.

Rey nodded, her chest almost bursting from the effort it was taking not to chuckle. Zorii and Jannah had just vanished out of sight when a finger tickled her sides. It was too much and Rey collapsed in half as laughter burst out of her.

"Think it's funny, do you?" Ben said with a half-smile, withdrawing his hand from her side.

"Yes," Rey gasped between bouts of laughter. "I do."

"I can be nice."

This made Rey erupt into more laughter. She supposed his statement was true, but those times were indeed rare. Ben frowned, offended.

"I can be nice when I want to be," Ben rephrased, taking her hand.

Rey's heart fluttered as he raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it, his intense gaze boring into her.

"We should head to the training arena," Ben blinked, breaking his hold over her. He closed his hand firmly over hers and tugged her into in motion beside him. "We have a lot to cover today."

Right. Training. Rey urged her brain to focus, but she was sidetracked by the thought of Ben covering her. She let him lead her towards the training grounds as she made half-hearted attempts to stop daydreaming.

She was thrust back into reality like a splash of cold water to the face as she beheld what was left of the training range again. Her mad dash to the medical tents to save Finn and his squad hadn't afforded her the chance to examine the breadth of damage the scout ship had wrought. A trench the width of a standard scout ship split the arena, ending at the jungle tree line. Several trees had been decimated by the crash and the trunks had fallen into the end of the trench. Standing at the edge of the elongated pit, Rey could see a large metal container tipped on its side and electrorods were strewn in disarray. The terrain was uneven with high and low spots, but she guessed that even at the high points that the top of the trench would be above Ben's head.

"Perfect," Ben said with satisfaction.

Rey raised an eyebrow at him. The Resistance fighters who had amassed for the mid-morning sparring session made confused noises and sported flummoxed expressions.

"We needed some variation in the training," Ben said broadly. "You won't always be fighting on a flat plane. There will always be some sort of obstacle. Everyone grab a weapon and get in the trench."

The Resistance fighters murmured to each other in confusion, but followed orders and slid on their backsides into the trench. Rey jumped and landed lightly on the bottom. Ben followed her, landing a little heavier since he couldn't use the Force to temper his descent. Rey coughed as a plume of dust flew into the air and she waved her hand to disperse the particles.

"Go over the drills you've already learned!" Ben barked out the orders at the hesitant Resistance fighters roaming about. "Get used to fighting on different terrain."

He grabbed a set of electrorods off the ground and turned them up to full power so the weapons could withstand the touch of a lightsaber on low power. Ben settled into the Soresu fighting pose, waiting for her to start the fight. Rey had expected some instruction, but it looked like Ben was throwing her into the deep end, both figuratively and literally. She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it on low power. The twin yellow blades lit up the trench in a golden glow as the hinge engaged and snapped the lightsaber into its full position. Rey took a moment to secure her footing and open herself to the Force before launching into a Makashi-based fighting series. Ben caught her strikes to his torso and head, returning with jabs to her pelvis and her neck. Rey saw the attacks coming a mile away and snapped her lightsaber in practiced moves to parry them.

The soil of the trench walls hissed as one blade penetrated it. The obstacle hindered her movements and she was wrong-footed as she overcompensated her reach to parry the attack with the other end of the lightsaber instead. Ben didn't give her time to recover and pressed his advantage. Rey stumbled back, fending off the blows while extending her senses to make sure she didn't run into anyone. Her lightsaber constantly hit the walls as she was more focused on where Ben was pushing her than her fighting form. They approached the end of the trench where her path was blocked by the jumbled branches of the fallen trees. Rey tried to switch her strategy and press forward to avoid being backed into a corner, but Ben predicted her intentions and came at her with lunging strikes. It reminded her so much of their fight on Takodana that alarm flitted through her and the walls seemed to close in on her. She stepped back and her foot rolled on a tree branch, making her fall. She let go of her lightsaber with one hand and flailed to find purchase to prevent her fall into the prickly brambles. A strong grip encompassed her hand and stopped her mid-fall. The crackling tip of an electrorod hovered near her neck, the heat of it irritating her skin.

"You're fighting like the other Resistance fighters," Ben said angrily. His dark eyes flashed with disappointment and the emotions radiated through the bond. "Reactive and without thought."

"Don't insult my friends!" Rey shot back, regaining her footing and slashing her lightsaber at him.

Ben caught the strike and deflected her blade into the trench walls. The acrid smell of burnt soil filled the air between them as she tried to get the stuck lightsaber free.

"Don't strike blindly! Allow anger to overpower your reasoning and you will lose! Panic and you will die!" Ben reprimanded her as his electrorod once again hovered near her neck. "You know how to fight using the Force. Trust in yourself to know what to do!"

Ben pulled his arm back and slashed at her temple quicker than the eye could see. Rey let herself react instinctively and ducked to avoid the dangerous weapon, simultaneously yanking her blade out of the wall and moving to counterattack. Ben was already moving to parry and block her escape past him. Her connection with the Force was sending her unreasonable options – in her opinion – on her best move to win this bout. It made no sense what it was urging her to do, but she threw caution to the wind and listened. Imagining firework sparklers beneath her feet, Rey launched herself into the air and into a backflip. As she descended into the mass of fallen tree trunks and branches, she saw what she could not before. Making a slight adjustment to her feet's position, she landed securely on the dry bark of a thick tree trunk.

"Better," Ben said gruffly as he lowered the electrorod and picked up the one he'd dropped in order to catch her. He turned his back and walked back up the trench. "Again!"

Rey sighed and jumped back into the gulley to follow him. Ben corrected the stances of sparring Resistance fighters on the way and offered advice for fighting in such a different environment. His number one piece of wisdom was to not let the enemy corner you into a space where you couldn't effectively fight back. Rey blushed as that had been the cause of her downfall. She'd forgotten to use her abilities and tried to fight him on common ground.

"Use every advantage you have, Rey," Ben told her as they reset their stances. "Be the one in control of the fight. Don't let me get so close again."

Rey nodded sharply, opening herself to the Force again. It did more than just give her strength and power to fight back, it gave her the wisdom and intuition to fight to the best of her abilities. She snapped her lower lightsaber forward, feinting at his leg before redirecting her other blade to strike at his arm. She surged forward with each attack, her footing firm and sure. Ben was forced to move back towards his end of the trench by the ferocity of her attack strategy.

It all turned on its head when Ben jumped onto a higher plateau and used it to launch himself at her. She had no time to dodge and had to catch the blow. The power behind it sent her to her knees, a very precarious position to be in. Rey imagined a gale as strong as that of a sandstorm and thrust out her hand; the Force obeyed her call and sent energy to power her demand. Ben slid back on the packed dirt several inches, not nearly as far as she had visualized he would but it was enough for her to regain her footing before he advanced on her again.

Ben relentlessly pushed her back, but Rey refused to retreat to the end of the trench again. She used the various high and low plateaus to her advantage, springing to each one and using the raised terrain to launch a different attack on him and analyze his reactions. He had a tendency to slash heavily at her legs as she landed on a new spot, leaving him susceptible to attacks from above.

Rey gathered her power around her in a tight coil as she landed on the next plateau that was the height of Ben's waist. Predictably, he was lunging for her calf. Rey let one foot land partially and used the other to push off the wall and into a flip over his head. She pressed the button to close the lightsaber hinge as she completed the move and used the parallel blades to twist one electrorod out of Ben's grip. The material creaked and popped as the structural integrity failed and the weapon snapped in half. She stepped forward to repeat the move on his other electrorod, but he was one step ahead of her and had moved out of reach. As a result, she extended the blades too far and he was able to grab at the lightsaber hilt and wrestle her for command of the weapon. Rey called on the Force to assist her, explicitly visualizing what she intended. Ben's hand started slipping from the hilt like it was a womp rat doused in oil trying to scale a moisture vaporator. Rey was congratulating herself on her inventiveness when her feet left the ground. She yelped as Ben yanked her around and cornered her against the gulley wall. His thumb closed over the lightsaber power source and pushed the button. The lightsaber blades turned off and Rey was left without a weapon as Ben crowded her and tapped his deactivated electrorod against her forehead.

"Good, you're listening to the Force but you must simultaneously be aware of the present," Ben said with a mix of approval and censure. "It was smart to use the terrain to your advantage and to consider different attack points, but you have to remain aware of your proximity to your enemy at all times. You shouldn't have let me get on top of you."

"Maybe I want you to be on top of me," Rey leaned closer, almost letting their lips touch.

Ben's eyes widened and a dark red blush bloomed on his cheeks. His grip on her went limp while the rest of his body went stiff.

Rey smirked and wriggled out of his hold, taking back her lightsaber and grabbing his remaining electrorod from his slack hands as she reversed their positions and backed him against the dirt wall.

"But I prefer this too," Rey quipped, planting a quick kiss on him.

She slid the electrorod into the empty holster on his hip and left him standing there in a daze as she headed back up the gulch. The score was now 1-1, albeit she had cheated a little.

"C'mon, let's go again," Rey said as normally as she could.

She heard Ben snort in amusement as he followed and a spark of delight followed by suppressed lust flashed through the dyad.

"Don't get cocky," Ben teased as they walked together to the starting point. "You can't win every fight by seducing your opponent."

"It worked very well with you," Rey winked at him. "Who's to say it won't work on the next Supreme Leader?"

This earned a playful growl from him. He caught her hand and swung her around into his arms.

"If your plan is to use your wiles to win this war, then you don't need any further instruction from me," Ben chuckled as he held her in a loose embrace.

"Hey, less talking and more fighting!"

Rey glared at Winn as his voice broke into their world. Just as she was having some fun!

"Hmph, let's show him how it's done," Ben murmured wickedly in her ear.

"You're on," Rey agreed.

Rey held onto his hand as they walked back up to the starting point. She wasn't going to let anyone dictate how to live her life.

Rey watched with pride as the Resistance fighters sparred with each other on the uneven terrain. They were learning quickly and adding new skills to their repertoire. While the First Order was busy waiting for Dedlanite to be mined and refined into blaster fuel, the Resistance had taken the initiative to develop new ways to kick their enemy's butts!

Having returned to the start of the trench, they took up fighting poses again. Rey let the familiar flow of the Force race through her and she lunged forward with a powerful strike, aiming for what her senses told her was a weak spot. Ben went on the defensive and parried her attacks masterfully, quickening his movements as he sensed she could defend against them. She pressed her advantage, sensing victory was hers. She was doing a good job to keep him at a distance by using the length of her blades to battle him, but she hadn't accounted for his long legs. As she aced a flip and landed, he swept one of her feet from its secure placement on the ground. Ben manipulated her into a dip over his arm and gained control of the lightsaber. He held one of the high-energy beams over her throat.

"Was this what you had in mind earlier?" Ben asked with a mischievous smile, his head quirked adorably.

"Not quite," Rey said. As quick as a flash, she used the Force to right herself. She snatched back the lightsaber and Ben let her.

Rey lunged forward with quick strikes, aiming to deliver a barrage of attacks that Ben would find hard to defend against. Her efforts saw him retreating under the onslaught, but Rey didn't let herself become complacent. He tended to let her think she was winning, only to turn around and beat her. She was right. As they rounded a turn in the gulley, Ben switched techniques and transitioned into an attack series, turning the tight corner into a deathtrap. She was barely able to dodge and counter the deadly maelstrom of blows and find a safe spot to take a breather. Ben lunged again, aiming for her neck. Rey shifted and let his weapon skim her shoulder so she could have more time to plan her next move. Her arm involuntarily twitched as the electrorod zapped her.

She coiled her muscles tightly and summoned the Force as an idea came to her. Rey pushed off the ground at a low angle into a flip, narrowly avoiding the humming electrorod. She easily found her target and got him into a headlock with her legs. Ben wobbled at the unexpected move and Rey fought to readjust her weight to upset his balance. Ben gasped and fell ungracefully onto his butt, but recollected himself enough to bring his electrorod up to smack at her head. Rey swept her lightsaber up behind her back to block the strike and then hit the weapon out of his grip. She swung the lightsaber back around and positioned the tip of one blade over Ben's throat.

"Now this is more to my liking," Rey said with a challenging smile. "Do you yield?"

"Never," said Ben, his voice slightly muffled. His eyes were sparkling with amusement and mirth. "I quite like this view."

"Good," Rey smiled, resisting the urge to squirm in delight as warmth enveloped her nether regions. "I'm inclined to stay and bask in my victory."

"I'm inclined to let you," Ben raised a hand and ran it possessively over her thigh, making her breath catch in her throat.

The bell rang to signal lunch and they both looked up, startled at the interruption. Their gazes clashed with Winn, who was helping his sparring partner to his feet. He was sporting a sour look as he watched them. The other Resistance fighters were also staring at them, some with curiosity and others with long-suffering acceptance. Rey thought she saw some bronze credits change hands.

"It seems my gloating will have to wait," Rey let a pout grace her lips as she rose to her feet and helped Ben up. She had to touch base with Larma anyway and then assist Rose with the battle plans for their mission to Canto Bight. "Let's join the others. I'm hungry."

"Hmm, me too," Ben said as he pressed himself against her back. "Hunger is at the forefront of my mind right now."

Butterflies fluttered low in her stomach and she had to suppress the urge to giggle.

"Lunch is going to go cold if you two dilly-dally any longer," Winn berated them as he walked past. "Come on." He hoisted himself out of the trench and walked away without a backward glance.

"Killjoy," Ben muttered.

"He's just frustrated," Rey said, not even sure why she was offering an excuse for the pilot's behavior.

"Aren't we all?" Ben murmured in her ear as his growing erection pressed against her back.

"The shift changes can't come soon enough," Rey turned her head up to look at him, grinning widely.

As much as she wanted to stay and flirt some more, Winn was right; they really should get to the canteen to eat something. Without Tawna in charge of the food preparation efforts, the quality and warmth of the food weren't guaranteed. Rey hopped out of the trench, easily surpassing the high walls and landing on the hard-packed grounds of the arena. She knelt and offered a hand to Ben. He examined the walls for a moment and then ran forward, using a spot on the wall to propel himself up while also reaching for her hand. Rey overcompensated the effort needed to get him out, so Ben was launched up and he crashed into her. He twisted as they fell and Rey landed on him.

"Well, here we are again," Ben teased her. "I'll admit this position is starting to grow on me."

"I'll have to take advantage of this opportunity then."

Rey slid her hands up his chest and entangled them with his hair. Let her friends wait. To hell with a hot lunch. She melded her body against him fully as she brought their lips together. Ben let her take his mouth in a deep kiss as he slowly ran his hands down her body in sensuous strokes. Oh, the sheer pleasure of being this close to him and having his absolute focus on her was lighting a fire within her.

"Ahem."

They broke apart at yet another interruption and looked up. Larma was standing over them, her gaze flitting between them and a knowing expression on her face. Rey thought she was going to voice an opinion, but the commander subverted her expectation.

"I have news about Tawna," Larma said with a growing smile. "She's given birth and both mother and newborn are doing well from what we can tell."

"That's wonderful," Rey said genuinely as she stood and put her appearance to rights. No doubt she looked very rumpled. Ben on the other hand looked as suave as ever. "Has Tawna come out of the tent?"

"No, not yet," Larma shook her head as she pulled a recording device from her belt. She turned it on, displaying a holovid of Ben's former tent. Cries of a baby yearning for food and happy coos from Tawna emanated from the device speakers. "We're confident she's doing well and we've set up a watch so we can attend to her and the baby once she exits her feral form. Mixa is currently watching over them."

"Let me know if we need to rearrange some shifts," Rey offered. "I wouldn't want you to be short-staffed on healers."

"Tattara has offered to take an extra shift in the medical tent, so that shouldn't be necessary. I'll comm you if our needs change," Larma nodded in acknowledgment and then gestured for them to precede her to the canteen. "You two go get some lunch. I need to grab something from stores first."

"Don't take too long. The mad rush for hot food will be over soon," Rey told her. "They'll pick everything clean like piranhas in a palafish pond."

Larma chuckled. "Then you two better get going," she said over her shoulder as she headed back to the med tents.

Rey took Ben's hand in a firm clasp and they walked at a sedate pace to the canteen. As she'd suspected, everyone was practically pushing and shoving to get to the food. It may not be as good as Tawna's concoctions but at least it was hot, and hot food was better than cold grub. They finally made it to the front of the line and took their servings of now-lukewarm sandwiches and thinly cut potato stalks. As they walked to the partially filled table where Rose was tapping away at multiple datapads and ignoring her food, Rey overheard the happily eating Resistance fighters sharing the holorecording of the new baby's noises and theorizing what color the little Jixiti's scales would be. She listened in as Ben sped over to Rose's table.

"I think the child's scales will turn purple."

"No way! I bet the baby will take after Tarazel with those mesmerizing pink-red scales."

"Ten credits says you're wrong."

"No betting on the baby," Rey admonished the last person, flicking the sandy-haired young man on the shoulder.

"I wasn't serious, commander," he winked at her. "What color do you think the baby's scales will be?"

"Hmm," Rey hummed as she thought about it. "Golden yellow." She didn't know why, but she was certain about that.

"A bold guess," complimented the Resistance fighter. "We'll see if you're right soon enough."

His table jumped on Rey's guess, debating whether or not she could be right. Rey smiled and continued on her way, greeting her friends before joining Rose and Ben at their table. Rose was focused on developing the battle plans and explaining it to Ben, who was absently nodding along as he ate. Rey sat next to Ben and smiled as he pressed his leg against hers.

"How many people do you estimate we'll need for this operation?" Rey asked Rose before she took a huge bite out of her sandwich.

Rey figured they would mostly need ground support and a few starfighters, less than what they'd needed to conquer the Hollastin Dedlanite mines but more than a typical scouting mission. She pushed her chips forward to share them with Rose as her fellow commander passionately explained her preliminary plans to dismantle the blighted casino's horrendous operation.

-oOoOoOo-

Ben listened with passive disinterest as Rose expanded on her plan to smuggle Resistance fighters and a slicer – once they found him – into the Canto Bight Casino to hack the system and drain their funds. They were wasting their time planning such intricate details if their goal was to free the unpaid workers and animals of their corrupt overlords. In his opinion, nothing short of a frontal assault on the planet would work. They needed to spook the rich assholes into going underground and taking their blood money elsewhere. But that wasn't the way things were done here.

So Ben swallowed his opinions and just enjoyed the close contact with Rey and replayed the memory of them exploring each other's bodies yesterday and again today. Stars, he wished the day would go by faster.

"Won't you join us, Larma?"

Ben looked up as Rey gestured that Larma was welcome to sit at their table. The commander was holding a couple of wrapped sandwiches in her hands as well as a small packet.

"I'm afraid not, Rey," Larma smiled in apology. "I'm just grabbing food for myself and Mixa. We have another matter to attend to." She passed the small packet to Rey.

"What's this?" Rey asked as she raised the packet closer to her eyes so she could read the small glyphs.

Even sitting next to her, Ben couldn't read the fine print on the packaging.

Larma leaned down and whispered into Rey's ear. As she relayed what the packet's contents were for, Rey's cheeks went as red as a tomato. She nodded jerkily and hurriedly stuffed the packet into her utility belt. Larma patted her shoulder and walked away.

"What was that about?" Ben asked quietly.

"Nothing!" Rey squeaked. She coughed a few times to clear her throat. "Nothing. I'll tell you later."

Ben narrowed his eyes. Curiosity burned within him as he thought about what Larma had given Rey, but he ultimately decided to trust Rey would indeed tell him about it later. He went back to his potato stalks, which were getting cold. The cooks must have barely run them over the grill.

"Do you have time to go over the plans with us?" Rey asked him as the bell for the next shift rang. She pressed her leg more firmly against him. "We could use some unique insight."

More time with Rey? Sign him up. Ben opened his mouth to affirm he would be more than willing to stay when Aarzio sat down across from him.

"Break it up, lovebirds. I'm the one who will get reprimanded if we're late to our shift at the shipyard."

Rey sighed and pulled back. "I don't dare to cross the chief. You better get going," She kissed Ben's cheek. "I'll see you later."

"After a double shift," Ben frowned. Some idiot had messed up the shift schedule and booked him for non-stop work at the shipyard and then the communication center. It'd be past nightfall by the time all the work would be finished. He wouldn't get to see Rey until then because the commander in charge would dispatch only a couple of people to bring food from the canteen for everyone.

"It'll fly by."

Rey caressed his cheek and brought their lips together for a long kiss. Ben was almost gasping for breath by the time she pulled away.

"Now it definitely will," Ben said in a moderate tone, his insides buzzing with the intensity of needing to be somewhere alone with Rey. He rose to his feet before he could be tempted to act on his desires. "Bye, Rose," he directed across the table.

"Bye," Rose said absentmindedly as she entered more details into her datapad. "I'll get with you later to go over the details for the heist."

"Move it, man," Aarzio urged him. "We're really going to be late now."

"How can we be late when not everyone has finished eating?" Ben rolled his eyes but joined the throng of Resistance fighters filing out of the canteen to head to their next shift. Noticeably, all the mechanics were missing.

Nothing could dampen his spirits now with Rey's promise that the hours would fly by, not even a potential thrashing by Chief Baso Jeps. They entered the shipyard, definitely late for their shift by several minutes. Luckily for them, Baso was nowhere to be seen. They joined Sertali and Jorlou at the plasma refueling station, where the Selonian was busy showing the budding mechanic how to properly set the plasma flow rate.

"See?" Ben said smugly. "We made it here in time."

"You're lucky Baso is busy replacing the plasma converter from that damaged X-wing on the other side of the shipyard," Sertali said as she twisted a knob on the station console to fine-tune the plasma flow. "Otherwise, she would have torn your head off for waltzing in here so late and then assigned you to filter and clean fuel ducts."

Ben shuddered. Baso had made him do that a while back and he was loathe to repeat the experience. The work had been grimy and he'd left the shipyard smelling like he'd been swimming in swill, worse than that time with the latrine incident if it could be believed. He hurriedly stepped closer to Sertali and paid close attention as she guided Jorlou through the plasma induction process. The machinery rumbled and vibrated as plasma flowed through it and into the starship.

"I think I understand it now," Jorlou bit his lip as he doublechecked the specifications for the Razor Crest model and modulated the flow. "Ben, can you adjust the flow for the secondary intake line to .08?"

Ben stepped up to the other side of the control panel and twisted the dial until the readout showed the corrected flow rate. They finished with the Razor Crest and moved on to a Y-wing. Compared to the other tasks he'd done in the shipyard, this one was relatively easy but not monotonous. The finicky system required someone to constantly monitor the readout to ensure the correct flow rate was achieved and certain starships needed to be changed to specific rates at different intervals. Ben lost track of how many starships had been flown over to the station for plasma, so he gauged the passage of time by the sun moving overhead. The golden yellow sunlight was taking on an orange tinge when Baso landed a beat-up X-wing at the plasma station. Ben stayed out of her way as he hooked up a long black hose to the ship's intake valve.

"Damn rookie pilots," Baso grumbled to herself as she descended the ladder two steps at a time. "No respect for starship nuances."

"Did another pilot damage the converter by not disengaging the inertial dampeners first?" Sertali asked knowingly.

"Yes," Baso let out a grunt of annoyance. "I need to invest in a voice enhancer."

Ben made a personal note to invest in heavy-duty ear protection.

"They obviously can't hear me when I tell them that the new X-wing models have double inertial dampeners as an extra safety feature," Baso continued her diatribe, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "If the dampeners are still engaged when they throttle the engines, the plasma converter will burn out and be destroyed along with who else knows what! MORONS!"

"Maybe we can make those pilots do their own repairs," Jorlou suggested cautiously as he turned on the plasma connection. The machine whirred as it began the plasma flow and churned out data on the console.

"I would, but I fear what other damage they could cause in the process," Baso scoffed. "I told Leia a thousand times and now I'm telling Poe, don't recruit pilots who don't know their way around a starship!" She sighed and rubbed her eyes with one hand. "But I know we can't afford to go tilting at windmills. We need every pilot we can get, even if some of them are hard of hearing when it comes to basic flight instructions," Baso narrowed her eyes as she thought of something. "Tam!"

Aarzio jumped beside Ben, dropped his hydrospanner, and snapped to attention.

"Yes, chief?"

"You're a flyboy. The next time you're gallivanting around with your fellow pilots, you hold their feet to the fire over understanding the ships they're flying, you hear me?"

"Yes, chief!" Aarzio bobbed his head in agreement.

"Maybe they'll listen when the advice comes from multiple sources," Baso pursed her lips, suppressing a growl as she ran her gaze over the numbers displayed on the console. "Skywalker, boost the flow rate up to 1.2."

"The manual says not to go above 1.0, chief," Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"For a typical refueling, yes," Baso said, an eye twitching as someone dared to question her order. "I need to determine if the new convertor can maintain the target rate including the safety factor. If not, there's other damage I can't see."

"Ah," Ben nodded in understanding now and twisted the dial to the requested value.

Plasma sloshed as it flowed through the tube into the starship. Baso stepped in close to the starship's hull where the hose was connected and pressed her ear up against the vibrating metal.

"Bet you twenty credits the chief cuts the test off at fifteen seconds," Jorlou whispered to their small group.

"Seventeen seconds," Aarzio bet.

"Twenty-two seconds," Sertali said immediately.

"Nineteen seconds," Ben offered his guess up recklessly.

He didn't have twenty credits to contribute to the pot, but he wanted to throw in his bet anyway.

Jorlou tapped the seconds out on his wrist. The count reached ten seconds… fifteen… seventeen… eighteen…

"Turn it off!" Baso boomed as Jorlou tapped his wrist one last time.

"Nineteen seconds. Damn, you're good," Jorlou said as he flipped the switch to reduce the plasma flow rate to zero.

"Or just lucky," Sertali grumbled as she handed over twenty bronze credits and then went to consult with Baso.

"The kriffing stabilizers are shot," Baso told the Selonian as she folded her sleeves back and took out a two-pronged instrument from her belt. "We'll have to replace both before we run any more tests."

"You sure you aren't cheating by using your powers, Ben?" Aarzio asked as he handed over two silver credit chips. "You've been right not an insignificant part of the time."

"Still locked away," Ben grinned tightly as he tucked the credits into his pouch. He hated any reminder of his powerless state. "Just must be lucky."

"We can use all the luck we can get," Jorlou shrugged, passing over a pile of bronze credit chips and one silver credit. "Keep it up."

Ben shrugged. It was an empty request since no one could control luck. His stomach grumbled, so he fished a nutrient bar out of his utility belt and munched on it and then another one as he and Jorlou attended to several more starships requiring additional plasma and checks.

The sound of a horn blared across the base while they were in the middle of adjusting the plasma flow for a Y-wing. The cacophony made every mechanic stop and take notice. Red lights on posts at the edge of the shipyard flashed wildly.

"Warning. Level 4 storm inbound," stated a mechanical voice. "Seek shelter immediately."

"What's a Level 4 storm?" Ben asked Jorlou as the mechanic suddenly moved in a frenzy to unhook all the starfighters from the plasma refueling station.

"Remember that thunderstorm that happened when you first arrived at the base?" asked Jorlou as he stored the hoses away and drew a tarp securely over the plasma station.

"Yes," Ben nodded, recalling the delightful image of Rey dancing in the rain and splashing through the puddles.

"Well, this beast is a heckuva lot stronger and destructive."

A violent, icy wind blasted through the shipyard, causing goosebumps to rise all over Ben's body. The air became charged and he could almost taste the electricity in the air. He looked up as the sun's glow was obscured by a mass of dark grey clouds rolling in. Lightning flashed, lighting up the sky briefly in bright white. A cascade of thunder quickly followed it, making all the loose tools lying around quake and vibrate.

"SECURE ALL THE STARSHIPS TO THE GROUND!" Baso commanded in striding tones. "WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES!"

Ben wanted to seek shelter immediately as rain poured down, pelting him with bitterly cold droplets. However, Aarzio passed him a set of grounding straps and ran towards the nearest starship, so Ben followed suit and copied the pilot's actions to secure the ship to the ground. The ship stopped swaying in the wind and sank a few inches into the ground.

"Shouldn't we get back to our tents?" Ben had to shout to make himself heard over the tempest.

"We need to secure the starships or they'll fly away without us!" Aarzio shouted back, his eyes squinting as he tried to protect himself against the rain. "We have a few minutes before the storm gets worse!"

"Worse?" Ben was in disbelief. How could this thunderstorm get worse? This was answered a few seconds later as the rain fell so hard that he could barely see five feet in front of him.

With everyone working together, it took only a few minutes to batten down all the starships but each second was a struggle. Ben staggered out of the shipyard, narrowly avoiding colliding with Baso. The chief was focused on making sure everyone made it out of the shipyard, using gestures to point mechanics in the right direction as even she couldn't make herself audible in this din. Ben raised his arms to protect his face as the rain fell hard enough to sting with every droplet. He barely noticed Aarzio following him back to his tent and making sure he entered it. The guard double-tapped his shoulder and Ben turned on the tent threshold. Aarzio made a series of gestures that he interpreted as 'stay in the tent' before the guard ran towards his own tent that he shared with Mixa.

Ben zipped up the tent's folds securely, making sure not a single drop of rain could get in. Thankfully, it looked like the Resistance had the forethought to acquire shelter that could withstand the extreme tropical weather. The gale was intensifying and beating against the walls and making the fabric flap alarmingly, but the tent didn't break or sway nor did it let any of the wind pass through. It also muted the storm so his eardrums didn't feel like they were being assaulted anymore.

"Some storm, huh?"

Ben whirled around. Rey greeted him with a bashful smile. Her clothes were sopping wet and her triple bun hairdo was sagging towards her neck.

"Definitely," Ben relaxed, letting himself smile.

"It reminds me of a sandstorm I experienced on Jakku five years ago. It covered all of the good scavenging finds I discovered that week," She raked her gaze over him and suppressed what looked like a chuckle. "You look like a wet womp rat."

"I think we both do," Ben smirked and ran his hand through his drenched hair plastered to his head.

"We'll be in here for a while," Rey said as she tried to smooth her hair and put it to rights. "I wasn't here the last time a storm of this magnitude passed through, but Megara said it almost washed away the medical tents. Larma had to relocate all her supplies to a different location. The storm lasted most of the day, so this one will probably be the same."

Ben raised an eyebrow as she rambled and gestured about nervously. Her cheeks were steadily turning a deep pink color.

"So, you know, there's time if we want to… kiss… and other stuff," Rey could barely meet his gaze.

Ben extended his hand, reaching out to her with an open palm. Rey hesitated before stepping forward and taking his hand. He pulled her close and rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Just because we finally have some alone time, it doesn't mean we have to have sex," Ben assured her, guessing the weight of potential expectation on his part was weighing on her mind. "We'll wait until you're ready."

He'd probably expire from frustration, but he would wait a thousand lifetimes if necessary.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous. We almost did it last night," Rey huffed in exasperation, looking up at him and placing her chin on his chest as she returned his embrace. "Maybe it's because Larma-"

She cut herself off and frowned even as she remained close to him.

"What did Larma say?" Ben asked as he grabbed a blanket and used a corner to dry her hair. He was still burning with curiosity about what the healer had whispered to Rey earlier.

"She knows about us," Rey informed him as she passively accepted his ministrations.

"Everyone knows about us," Ben corrected her as the silence grew. "We haven't exactly been subtle."

Rey shuffled her feet and her blush deepened and spread to her neck.

"She knows we want to have sex," she said, deeply mortified.

"Oh," Ben felt his own cheeks burn at the knowledge that his remaining motherly figure knew about his sex life.

"I think that's why she gave me the-" she pressed her lips closed as her face went beet red.

"The…?" Ben questioned.

Rey's eyes darted to her collection of items next to the bed. Ben followed her gaze and noticed a new item. It was the mystery packet that Larma had handed to her earlier.

"What is that?" Ben moved to take a closer look.

"Wait!" Rey let out a panicked squeak and tackled him.

Taken off-guard, Ben lost his footing and they tumbled onto the mattress. He twisted to reach out to the packet, but Rey used her legs to propel him in the opposite direction and onto his back. She pinned his arms down, compromising his reach. Ben was sufficiently distracted with her lithe form covering him. He smirked up at her.

"Don't give me that look," Rey admonished him. "This was an accident."

"The Force works in mysterious ways," Ben murmured, leaning up into her space. "I'm certainly not going to question it."

"You're right," Rey said breathily. "Maybe we shouldn't."

This close to her, Ben could see her pupils dilate and hear her breathing quicken as her lips parted. Ben took her mouth in a deep kiss as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his body up into her soft curves. She let out a breathy moan and reached a hand down to the hem of his damp shirt. Flickers of pleasure shot through him as her fingers grazed his skin. He pulled back long enough to let her pull his shirt off fully before he dove in for another soul-searching kiss. He cupped her breast and rolled his thumb over her nipple until it hardened. Rey whimpered in pleasure and broke free of the kiss to catch her breath. She helplessly pressed into his touch as she reached back to unwrap her tunic. Ben admired the pink skin as it was revealed, the tantalizing view causing his cock to harden and make his pants unbearably tight. Finally, her tunic was discarded and her beautiful body was bared to the lamp's soft glow.

"Touch me," she begged raggedly, bringing his hands up to her.

"As you wish," Ben murmured, leaning in.

Their lips met in a chain of kisses as he leisurely explored her body. He swallowed her gasps into his mouth as he caressed sensitive areas. He leisurely let his hands roam, enjoying every moan and breathy sigh that left her lips. Rey spread her legs over his hips and thrust down in rhythmic movements and he could bear the tension no longer.

With one fluid movement, Ben flipped them over and settled more fully between her legs. Rey groaned and her back arched as pleasure washed over her features. Ben had to force himself to focus on the tent wall and count the seconds between the latest lightning flash and thunder clash to distract himself from coming prematurely. He'd just barely gained enough self-control when Rey's fingers deftly unzipped his trousers and shoved them down and off. He almost disgraced himself as she brushed his cock with innocent touches. He entwined his fingers with hers and pulled her arms up to pin them above her head. Rey grinned at him as though she knew she'd almost pushed him over the edge. Ben rose to the challenge and thrust down, drawing a shocked gasp from her. Rey surged up and rolled them over. She pushed her leggings down and used her feet to get them off entirely. She pressed her pussy against his cock and slid back and forth. It made him harder than Durasteel to feel how slick and wet she already was. Ben gripped her hips firmly, preventing her from moving, and thrust up at his own pace.

"Oh, fuck!" Rey shouted, her hands clutching his as she tried to get him to move faster.

Ben felt her open to him and it became easier to move as she grew more slick. A primal urge overcame him, the need to make her come taking over. He quickened his pace, rubbing against her clit relentlessly.

"Ben!" Rey gasped as her hips stuttered against him. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she silently screamed as her orgasm overtook her.

Pride infused him at the knowledge he was the one who had brought her to this state. He relaxed his grip on her lush curves as Rey collapsed against his chest, breathing hard. The slight forward movement positioned her perfectly and the tip of his cock nestled against her entrance. Rey wriggled as he caressed her back and an inch of his cock slipped into her.

"Oh, wait!" Rey said, lifting her head off his chest.

Ben groaned. That little bit was heaven and he had to resist the urge to press into her fully. He pulled her up and off him even as his body screamed at him to take her.

"I almost forgot," Rey reached for something over his head.

Ben couldn't remember how to breathe as the gentle slope of her breast pressed against his cheek. Stars, this woman knew how to torture a man.

"I need to take this first," she said as she rattled the item.

It was the packet she'd tried to hide from him earlier. Ben read the small glyphs on the packet, which were visible at such a close range.

"Ah," he said, understanding now.

It was to prevent pregnancies. He took the plastic packet from her and popped a pill out of the aluminum backing.

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Rey asked with a slight blush.

"I'm not fool enough to tempt karma," Ben nodded in agreement, smiling sardonically.

Rey narrowed her eyes at his self-disparaging comment and opened her mouth to argue, but stopped in shock as he dry-swallowed the pill.

"Hey, that's for me!" Rey left her outstretched hand in the air that she'd been extending to accept the pill.

"This particular brand is for the sperm-producing partner," Ben informed her and handed the packet back to her so she could read the instructions again. His father had given him this brand when he'd first become sexually active, insisting it was better to unholster a blaster than to try and prevent a loaded blaster from firing. "Now, where were we?" He embraced her, trying to shift her focus back to more pleasurable pursuits.

"We were about to make love," Rey tossed the packet aside and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing their lips together.

They spent long, slow moments locked together, just feeling each other. Rey wrapped her strong legs around his waist and he couldn't wait any longer. Leaning forward, he tumbled her back onto the mattress and settled against her, staring into her darkened hazel eyes.

"Please," Rey wriggled against him.

"Do you want this?" Ben murmured as he undulated against her and laid a chain of kisses down the side of her neck.

"Yes!" Rey gasped, thrusting up against him. "Stop teasing me!"

Ben ducked his head and chuckled under his breath. So demanding.

He guided his cock to her slick entrance and pressed in slowly. Tight, velvety walls enclosed his length, offering brief resistance before submitting to his advance. Ben groaned with pleasure as he sank fully into her and their pelvises met. This was a million times better than all his fantasies about her combined. It couldn't possibly get better than this.

Then Rey lifted her hips, taking him in just a little more. She strained against him, her ability to move hindered with her legs spread wide and her hips pinned down by his bulk. His control broke and he pulled back and thrust in deep, drawing a pleasured yelp from her. Rey matched his wild pace as he drove into her with abandon. Her fingers dove into his hair and she pulled his head down to slam their mouths together in a ferocious kiss.

Doubled emotion blazed through their dyad, feeding their lust and need for each other. Ben gasped at the heightened sensations running through him, urging him to fuck his mate and bring her to completion. The pleasured noises Rey was making fed his ego like a brush fire and he redoubled his efforts to keep her satisfied. He plunged in and out of her hot pussy, seeking to stroke that one spot that was sure to make her see stars. He was reaching his limits when Rey hollered and sank her nails into his shoulders, her hips shooting up to take him to the hilt. They were lucky the gale outside was loud enough to mask her cries of pleasure. Ben thrust deeply into her with short, frantic movements as she quivered around him, prolonging her orgasm. Deep in the throes of pleasure, she'd never looked more beautiful and unrestrained. The building pressure in him boiled over and he gave one final thrust before going still as he spilled his cum in her. In that moment, nothing could have torn him away from her.

Ben collapsed onto his side, bringing Rey with him and enveloping her in a tight embrace. Rey swung a leg over his hip, keeping them together. They breathed hard against each other, almost gasping as they recovered from their vigorous love-making. The rain pounded against the ceiling of the tent, providing a steady ambient background noise. Ben could see the fabric ripple alarmingly as the storm continued to rage.

"Mmm, I've never loved the rain so much. Thank goodness for this storm," Rey sighed and snuggled into him. Her loose hair tickled his chest. "I don't think I could have waited any longer."

"I've never been a fan of this kind of weather, but I can say definitively that I love rain now," Ben sighed in contentment, letting the emotions move freely through the dyad. Rey smiled against his chest and he chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing," Rey said. "It's just… this is nice."

"Yeah," Ben agreed. "It's nice being close to someone I trust. It's been a while."

"What does that mean?" Rey asked curiously.

"Nothing," Ben shrugged. "It's just nice not having to watch my back during intimate moments."

Rey pulled away, sliding off of him. Ben suppressed a groan and his spent cock twitched with mild interest. She sat up and stared at him.

"You can't just say something like that and stop," Rey teasingly flicked his shoulder. "What happened?"

"There's not much to tell," Ben snorted with laughter and laced his hands behind his head. Rey raised an eyebrow, her curiosity burning through him. "Okay, fine," he relented. "It's rare to find someone who wants to be near me for the right reasons. Most people are either too scared to get close to a super-powered individual or they're only doing it to gain power."

Rey nodded in understanding.

"About a year ago, I got involved with one of my lieutenants because I needed an outlet," Ben said. She'd been a convenient distraction. "She tried to slip a poisoned dagger between my ribs while I was fucking her. Kind of destroyed the fragile trust I had in getting that close to anyone anymore."

"Well, I'm glad it didn't stop you from letting me get close," Rey draped herself against him soothingly. She ran her fingers over his torso, searching for a stab wound but found nothing. He had indeed been successful in sidestepping the assassination attempt.

"You're special," Ben smiled happily. "And besides, we've already scratched your itch to stab me with our battle on Kef Bir."

Rey rolled her eyes. "So how did you escape the lieutenant's assassination attempt?"

Ben scoffed in mock outrage. "Please, I saw it coming from a parsec away. Who reaches up to their own hair during sex? I was curious if she had the courage to use the poisoned shivs she'd hidden there."

"I hope you demoted her and reassigned her to sanitation duties," Rey said spitefully.

"No, I promoted her to colonel and gave her a bridge position," Ben told her.

Rey was speechless for a moment, her mouth working as she recollected herself. "Only you would think that's the smart thing to do," she berated him. "What in the galaxy prompted you to keep an aspiring murderer near you?"

"I hoped Kandia would target Hux next," Ben shrugged. Honestly, he'd admired Rokrisa's ambition and willingness to do whatever it took to get to the next level. He sighed in disappointment. "She did try to get him into her bed, but Hux wasn't interested in her. It would have been hilarious."

"I always thought the First Order had a rigid structure and honor among their own people, but it sounds like a strong culture of backstabbing and ugly politics," Rey said consideringly.

"Yeah, but I thrived in that environment," Ben agreed. Then a realization struck him. "But I wasn't happy. I was always alone because I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone fully." The thought was a lonely one.

"You're not alone," Rey said. She reached out to cup his cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone. "Not anymore."

Ben was gripped by an emotion that he didn't quite know how to name as he stared into her earnest hazel eyes. He grappled for several seconds, trying to find the right words to articulate his feelings.

"I know," he finally said, fighting to get the words out amid the strong emotions choking him. "Thank you, Rey."

It was wholly inadequate to describe how he was feeling, but Rey just smiled and nodded in understanding. He pulled her into a tight hug and just let his emotions flow freely through their bond, letting them speak for him. They held each other close and listened to the rain as they drifted into sleep.

-oOoOoOo-

Rey couldn't stop smiling as she worked with Poe and Finn in the command center to follow R2-D2's lead on the suppressor cuff suppliers. The storm had lasted another day and a half and she'd spent every single moment in Ben's arms. Flashes of pleasure thrummed through her and her nether regions clenched with want just thinking back on the steamy sex sessions. They would need another packet of birth control pills if they wanted to go again.

"I know that look," Finn murmured in her ear.

Rey blushed.

"It's the same one I'm sporting after spending the storm with Poe," Finn smirked knowingly.

Rey let out a helpless giggle. "I guess the storm was good for something then," she whispered back.

"I can hear you, you know," Poe interrupted them as he plotted the route to Savareen on the hologram map.

Rey and Finn straightened up, sporting twin looks of sheepishness.

"All I ask is that you spare us the details," Poe smiled at her. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," Rey said definitively. "Yes, I am."

BB-8 whistled supportively from its position at Poe's feet.

"I'm happy for you," Poe said with a hint of a smile, echoing the droid's sentiments. He gestured to the hologram of the Outer Rim star systems. The route was overlaid and marked in red. "I've prepared a course to Hollastin and then Savareen. Our mission is two-fold in this region. Wedge has pledged some of his people to relieve our base's fighters on Hollastin mining Dedlanite. We'll pick them up and continue to Savareen, avoiding Tatooine space, and search for clues on who carved those runes into the ruins."

"Perfect," Rey said. They needed their fighters back on the base for upcoming missions, especially the hackers for the Canto Bight mission. "I do have one thing I need to bring up with you both," She took a deep breath. "We have a problem. I believe there's a spy on the base. Too many things aren't adding up. The bomb in the latrine several months ago followed by Anzen's murder. Daria said he couldn't have sliced his own throat, so that means he was framed for the explosion or he had an accomplice. Then there was that false distress signal that took me away from the base and could have cost us Finn and his scout team's lives. I can't sense any ill intent, so my judgment may be clouded on this matter."

"How is that possible?" Finn asked in bewilderment.

"I don't know. Winn was the one who brought this to my attention," She couldn't believe it either. "He doesn't appear to be affected by whoever it is. I trust him to run this to ground."

"Are you certain he's not the spy?" Poe asked consideringly.

"I'm mostly certain," she admitted. "He has it out for Ben, but even he has his doubts that Ben is the culprit. I'm certain Winn is someone we can trust with this investigation."

"Then we'll leave it in his hands," Poe said decisively. He tapped a command into the control console. "But I'm recording the details here and setting reminders for us to follow up on it. If someone is tampering with our thoughts, I don't want to take chances this will slip by us again." He made a copy and handed it to BB-8, who accepted it into an information port.

"Good call," Rey nodded in approval. "I can-"

The communications console bleeped frantically and a red light flashed. Finn moved to bring up the notification.

"It's an incoming intelligence report on Lando's frequency," Finn stated as he read through the information. "The First Order is close to completing a new hyperspace tracking technology. It'll be distributed to the First Order fleet within the next few weeks."

"Their first iteration of hyperspace tracking almost finished the Resistance as we fled D'Qar," Poe said grimly. "If they are developing better tech and manage to use it throughout their fleet, the Resistance will be done for."

"We won't be able to go anywhere without them following us on our heels," Rey said, equally horrified. This did not bode well. "They could decimate us. What can we do?"

"We're the closest base to the Retribution, the star destroyer the tech is housed on," Finn finished reading the report. He tapped on the console, zooming out on the map and pointing to Vakkar.

"We need to get to the Retribution before they get notice we know about the plans," Rey said.

"You're right," Finn nodded. "We have a short window of opportunity here."

"We can travel there and back within a day," Poe calculated in his mind. "We'll be quicker if we take the Falcon."

"I replied to Lando's transmission, letting him know we're taking the mission," Finn finished sending the encrypted communique. He tapped out another message. "I'm letting Rose know what's going on and to keep it under wraps."

"Good," Poe checked his blaster's fuel levels and nodded. "Let's get going then."

They exited the tent and made their way through the deserted base. Everyone was likely in the canteen, enjoying a hot dinner for the first time in two days instead of nutrition bars. They stopped by the supply depot and grabbed an extra Dedlanite fuel rod for Finn's blaster and an energy pack for BB-8 before heading for the shipyard. As they stepped onto the hard-packed dirt, Aarzio came speeding past them with a focused expression on his face.

"General, Commanders," he nodded curtly before he disappeared behind the guard tower.

"What's eating him?" Finn asked as they continued towards the Falcon.

"Dunno," Poe shrugged.

Rey wondered why Aarzio was so abrupt with them as well. He was usually so happy-go-lucky.

BB-8 beeped sadly, wondering why the pilot hadn't acknowledged it.

"I don't know, buddy. He must have something on his mind. I'm sure he didn't mean to exclude you. Come on, let's go," Poe consoled the bot.

They walked around the guard tower, waving at the sentry on duty and indicating they would be taking a ship. They came up to the Falcon and Poe closed an open compartment on the wing's underside. A technician must have been working on the ship and left for dinner. There was still a stool by the port and a set of dirty rags and tools piled on the ground. Rey moved the items out of the way so they wouldn't get destroyed during takeoff. They headed up the ramp, quickly closing it behind them. Poe took the pilot's seat and Rey slid into the co-pilot's chair. Finn buckled himself into the seat right behind Poe and BB-8 settled next to him.

Poe quickly flipped the toggles and switches, starting the ignition sequence. The Falcon rose smoothly into the sky and out of the atmosphere. Rey double-checked their navigation route with the navicomputer and confirmed they were clear to jump to lightspeed. Poe gripped the toggle and pushed it forward. The stars melded together as they entered hyperspace.

BB-8 got bored of their conversation on how they were going to infiltrate the Retribution and wheeled out of the cockpit to check on the ship's systems. A few hours later as they were approaching the coordinates for the Retribution, Rey realized she hadn't left a message for Ben. She'd been thinking about what was needed for the mission and the criticality of it that she hadn't thought about how Ben might perceive her sudden absence. She hoped he realized she'd been called away on a mission and hadn't gotten cold feet about moving their relationship to the next level.

The console beeped, indicating they were getting close to their destination. A yellow warning light blinked on and emitted a low tone. BB-8 rolled back into the cockpit, asking what was going on.

"I'm bringing us out of hyperspace. Looks like there's an asteroid field there that can help us evade detection," Poe said as he flipped the alarm off.

"What?" Rey asked, bringing herself back into the moment just as the Falcon exited lightspeed. "Fuck, Poe!" she cursed vehemently as craggy grey rocks zipped past them, just barely missing the hull.

"Give us some warning next time!" Finn yelped.

"I did!" Poe protested.

"A little more warning that you intend to do something crazy," Rey pleaded with him as she checked the deflector's power grid. Thankfully, it was operating at full capacity.

"Says the woman who drove this ship through a downed super star destroyer to escape those TIE-fighters on Jakku," Finn said in amusement.

"At least I knew what I was flying into," Rey turned to give Finn a sweet smile before turning back to the console. "I can see the star destroyer on long-range sensors."

"Right where it's supposed to be," Poe slowed the ship down.

The large star destroyer gradually came into view at the edge of the asteroid field. Poe masterfully maneuvered the Falcon onto an asteroid as they waited for the right moment to make their move.

Rey fidgeted as she felt something through the Force. It felt like… Ben. Was he trying to get in contact with her? She knew she should have stopped Aarzio and given him a message to relay to Ben. BB-8 whined down at her feet and she looked down to give the droid a reassuring smile. She was fine.

"Here we go," Poe said as a stream of garbage was ejected from a waste port on the star destroyer.

He flew the Falcon through the safe zone created by the garbage and aligned the ship with an airlock in a blind spot. Now all they had to do was break in.

"BB-8, you're up," Poe said as he finalized the alignment and locked the ship into position.

BB-8 whistled and rolled out of the cockpit. They followed the little droid into the corridor. Rey paused as they passed by the main hold. Ben's presence was heavy in the Force. She waited for their dyad to connect them, but a visual connection wasn't forthcoming.

"Rey, are you alright?" Poe asked from up ahead.

"I thought I felt something," She couldn't shake the feeling.

"Yeah, like someone's listening in, right?" Finn asked from beside her. He'd also stopped to look around.

"It's just mission jitters," Poe reassured them. "Come on, the clock is ticking. We don't have much time until we're discovered."

"Of course," Rey forced herself to move forward. This was so odd.

At the airlock, BB-8 did its magic and tricked the Retribution into opening the port without triggering an alarm. Poe pulled his blaster and sat on the edge of the entrance, preparing to drop in. BB-8 rolled close, waiting to be picked up by him.

"You're staying with the ship, BeeBee," Poe told the droid.

BB-8 rolled back half a sphere and let out a shocked chirp.

"This mission requires stealth," he said, patting the droid consolingly. "We'll comm you if we run into trouble." With that, Poe jumped down and landed lightly on the gray flooring.

Rey couldn't help but agree with Poe's decision. She loved the little droid to pieces, but it was the opposite of stealthy, sort of like Poe.

BB-8 beeped unhappily, but rolled back and went to monitor the communication wavelengths, giving her and Finn space to drop into the enemy ship. Finn exited the Falcon next, blaster at the ready. Rey unclipped her lightsaber and followed them. They locked the port back up and carefully made their way further into the ship. They would steal the hyperspace tracking technology and escape before the enemy knew they were here.

-oOoOoOo-

Ben held as still as a statue, not moving a single muscle. His lungs started to burn, but he didn't dare to even breathe as the trio stopped right above the smuggler's hold where he was hiding.

"I thought I felt something," Rey said overhead.

Fuck. Ben felt her reaching out through the Force, wondering what he wanted. He squeezed his eyes shut, meditating quickly to put some distance between them.

"Yeah, like someone's listening in, right?"

"It's just mission jitters," Poe said in the distance.

Ben sent the most calming vibes he could muster at the moment. Rey and Finn moved on after a few tense seconds and the sounds of their conversation faded away.

Ben exhaled sharply.

"Fuck."

---

A/N: Poor Ben can't stop getting into trouble, can he?