Meet Me in the Grey (Reylo fanfiction) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 29: Blitzkrieg

A note from your humble author: One more lemon before shit gets real. Please don't be too angry with me after this chapter, and most importantly – hold onto your butts!  

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The X-Wing pilots were finishing their squadron practice for the day, and Rando had a free moment away from his Jedi training.

It felt a little awkward to be learning the basics alongside a very young Ewok child, but he was grateful for the opportunity to learn at all. He knew the basics of piloting, but he was no ace at it. He had always been disappointed that he had never quite been the pilot that his father was, but perhaps he could make up for it by fighting in other ways. He was eager to offer any help that he could to the resistance.

He and Yibya were not yet ready to make their own sabers, but Master Luke had supplied them with vibro-swords to practice with in the meantime in lieu of low-powered practice sabers which had not been procured yet. It had felt unusual to wield anything but a blaster at first, but he was gradually getting used to it.

He watched the pilots walk in from the tarmac as he rested in the shade of one of the tall Takodana trees.

Jessika spotted him and immediately waved and made her way towards him. Between her squad practice and his Jedi training they had little time to see each other, but they were both beginning to look forward to whatever brief moments together they could find.

"I see Luke Skywalker gave you a break for once!" she declared as she joined him.

"He was called to a meeting with the General. I figured I'd hang out here and see how you were doing."

General Organa had finally convinced the rest of the superior officers to relocate the base. Most everyone was busy with preparations as they were set to relocate first thing in the morning.

They had received a transmission from the Millennium Falcon; Rey and Ben would be returning by the end of the day; just in time before the entire resistance operation pulled up stakes.

They had been gone about a week, and he had missed them both terribly. He was dying to know all about how their mission went, if they found Ereus Ren, and most importantly, if Ben got to enter any races. He also especially missed seeing Rey. Though he had given up on her ever feeling anything more for him than friendship, a part of his heart would always be in love with her, even though he knew not to expect anything from it. That realization had been a bitter pill to swallow, but he did find that being with Jessika somewhat eased the pain in his heart.

Jessika was sweet and charismatic and she did share many of his interests, but she only knew him at his best. He had never opened himself up to her the way he had to Rey. He had never shared the pain and vulnerability that he had so freely expressed to Rey. A part of him wanted to. He was still dealing with the terrible pain at the loss of his father, an open wound that afflicted his heart every day since the battle on Endor. Often he would still seek time alone to weep where no one would see. He still felt the burning hatred against the First Order, Snoke, and his terrible Knights of Ren for all that they had taken from him. He was glad to have his mother back, but at the same time he knew he would never get back all the years with her that he missed while growing up, that were forever taken from him. And the terrible knowledge of the torment and pain that she had endured while under the control of the First Order; and knowing that she too, had lost his father.

His mother was the only person he felt entirely comfortable talking to about the loss of his father. The only one who felt that pain and loss as much as him, but at the same time, he had to learn to know her all over again.

Rey and Ben faced many similar demons to his own; it was why he felt the most understood in their company, but Jess, she was innocent. To share his sorrows with her, would only steal the smile from her pretty face, and he did not want that. He didn't want to do or say anything to rob her of her cheerful disposition. Jess had seen the face of war as much as any resistance pilot, and even lost people in her own life, but unlike him, she seemed to rise above her adversity in a way that made it seem as if almost nothing could ever dampen her spirits.