*artwork used does not belong to me*
A short time ago in a galaxy far away, following the events of The Last Jedi.....
"We have everything we need." General Organa told Rey, handing the broken lightsaber back to her.
Rey looked up at the woman in confusion, sadness filling her face. Leia gently touched her cheek.
"Trust in the Force, Rey." She said before getting up and leaving to go speak with the other remaining Resistance members.
Rey stayed sitting, staring down at the broken saber in her hands. She knew nothing of constructing a lightsaber. She had no weapon to use against Ben and the First Order, save for blasters. And even then - the Falcon didn't have an arsenal on board. They needed a base. They needed to refuel. They needed help. They needed hope.
Rey sighed. She turned and looked at Finn in the corner, fiddling with his hands as he sat next to the dark haired girl who was sleeping. The one who had been injured. The one who Finn looked down at with a look Rey recalled he had once looked at her with.
A Porg scurried past her feet squawking, followed closely by BB-8, who beeped angrily at it. He rolled to a stop in front of Rey and gave a few curious beeps and chirps. She smiled at him.
"I'll be fine, thanks." She said. She reached down and tickled the underside of his chin, generating a pleased purr from the Droid. The seat shuddered as Poe plopped down next to her.
"That was some flying you did out there." Poe said, clearly impressed by her. Rey smiled and blushed slightly.
"Thanks."
"You know, I don't if Finn told you, but I'm a pretty impressive pilot myself."
"No, I don't think he ever mentioned that." Rey said, Poe's face falling slightly. BB-8 made a chirp. Poe shot him a look.
"Well I'm sure General Organa wouldn't mind if I helped Chewie pilot this ship. I mean, I am a Commander - "
"Captain." Lieutenant Connix corrected as she walked past the two. BB-8 beeped again, clearly frustrating Poe. Rey smiled and blushed again.
"Regardless." Poe said, straightening his jacket and running a hand through his hair, "I can help out. But it is your ship after all. It's your call."
"That would be great. I really need to take a breather." Rey said. She looked down at the broken saber in her hands.
General Organa walked past them again, escorted by Connix.
"General!" Poe said, leaping to his feet.
"Yes Poe?"
"I had an idea about our next course of action."
Leia sighed, rolling her eyes.
"No, no, no. Hear me out. It doesn't involve blowing anything up...... yet."
"Out with it then." She said.
"We need to refuel. That's obvious. We need a place to hide out while we await replies to our message and rebuild."
"I'm well aware." Leia said.
"We know the First Order is going to try to find us. They know we know this. I was thinking we could go somewhere obvious - so obvious they don't think we would go there, and therefore don't come looking for us." Poe blurted out.
Leia looked at him for a minute, then at Connix, then back to Poe.
"That's actually very clever, Poe. Great idea."
Poe beamed.
"You're still demoted." Leia said in reply to his reaction. Poe frowned, jutting out his lips in annoyance. Connix smirked. Rey giggled softly to herself.
"Just where did you have in mind?" She asked.
"Naboo?" Poe said hopefully. Leias eyes lit up. "It's the next closest planet. They have swamps that can shield the Falcon. There are old hangers with the old droids and ships from the Battle of Naboo that we can occupy. I'm sure the Queen would be more than willing to help us out." He finished breathlessly.
Leia thought it over for a moment.
"I will speak with the Queen myself." Leia said. "Until she agrees, we are only stopping to refuel." She instructed.
"Yes General!" Poe said happily. He raced off towards the cockpit. Leia looked at Rey and gave her a small smile before going to sit with the other Commanders.
Rey got up and walked up to one of the few bedrooms on the ship, the hiss of the door opening and closing behind her a welcoming and familiar sound. She sat down on the edge of her bed and hung her head in her hands, tears welling at her eyes and beginning to fall.
So much death. So much loss. The Resistance had been dwindled to staggering low numbers. Luke was gone. She felt extreme guilt over this. She gulped down a sob, the tears falling more freely now. Her mind wandered to Ben, and how angry he had been down on Crait, sending the fighters to shoot her down. Her vision showed him turning from the Dark side. Luke and Leia knew there was still a sliver of light in him. Rey could feel it too. Why did he have to be this way?
XXX
Ben stomped back onto his ship, grinding his teeth angrily.
"Ren..... I mean, Supreme Leader." Hux began. "We have the coordinates in the system for Ahch-To. Should we make our way there?"
"No." Ben said angrily. "Skywalker is dead. There is no need." He shoved past Hux, making his way to the co-pilots chair.
"Dead?" Hux asked confused. He stared out onto the salty landscape, the blood red underside of the ground looking like a massacre. "But he wasn't really there."
"He's passed on his own." Ben said, clenching a hand into a fist. He was fuming. Luke died on his own, and not at his hands. He would never get a chance to kill that man. The man that had tried to kill him. The man that had turned him to the Dark side. The man that made him become Kylo Ren.
"I see." Hux said, a smirk playing at his lips. "Where is our next objective? The ship? With the girl?" He said 'girl' with emphasis, seeking to poke at Ben's emotions. It worked.
Ben stood up and got within inches of Huxs face.
"I AM THE SUPREME LEADER AND WE WILL DO WHAT I SAY." He screamed. The pilot flinched as Ben heaved himself back into his chair. Hux wiped at his face.
"Supreme Leader." Hux cooed. "They are bound to be refueling. The more time they have away from us--"
Ben shot Hux a glare and he stepped back and was quiet.
The cockpit was tense as Ben mulled things over. That blasted ship. That piece of garbage. That damn Rey and her friends.... And his mother.....
"We go back to the main ship." Ben said sharply.
"Supreme Leader--" Hux began to interrupt.
"Strengthen the troops. I will not be humiliated again." He barked.
"Yes Supreme Leader." The pilot said as they began the route back to the cruiser.
Once back on the Cruiser, Hux pestered about Phasma's replacement as they walked past the wreckage from the escape of the traitor Finn and the Resistance girl.
"I leave that to you General. I'm off to my quarters. Do not disturb me until we reach the outer rim." Ben demanded.
"As you wish Supreme Leader." He turned on his heel and headed off towards the command deck.
Ben huffed off to his room on the cruiser. The Stormtroopers marched past, hugging close to the walls of the hall to avoid him.
He punched the button releasing the door to his room. He entered and kicked at a chair in anger as he made his way to the bathroom.
He wiped his face off with a damp towel and spat in the sink, the taste of the salt from Crait still lingering his mouth. He touched his scar with his gloved hand and flinched at the thought of how he received it.
Damn girl and her friends with the Resistance. Outsmarting him and escaping in his fathers damn ship, thanks to his good for nothing Uncle. The longer Rey was around with the Falcon, he would be constantly reminded of Han and the feeling of igniting his saber in his fathers heart.
A soft sound from out in his room stirred him from his thoughts. He grabbed for his saber on his belt. It was probably Hux, ignoring his orders to leave him alone - as usual.
Ben looked out into his bedroom, preparing to ignite his saber. Rey was sitting on the edge of his bed, crying, her arm wraps damp from wiping away tears. They had connected.
XXX
"What are you doing here." He said, still holding his unlit saber in his hand. Rey jumped and turned around. She had not sensed the connection in her state of emotions. She hastily wiped at her face, backing away.
"Why is this still happening." She managed to choke out. "Snoke is dead."
"If I knew how this happened, I would make sure it never happens again." Ben snapped at her. She blinked her tear stained eyes at him, and Ben instinctively lowered his saber. It was quiet for a moment, save for her sniffles.
"Are you coming after us?" She asked quietly. Ben ignored her and turned around to a counter with a cabinet and started pulling out a glass and a silver bottle.
"Why is this happening." She asked again. He continued to ignore her as he poured the contents of the bottle into the glass.
"The Force." He said gruffly, before raising the glass to his lips and drinking.
"Yes, but why." She asked, clearly annoyed.
"I... I don't know." He continued to sip his drink. It was still quiet and awkward. She was still there.
"Luke is gone." Rey said, stating the obvious. She knew he knew. He refilled his drink.
"Why did you do it." She asked after a minute. "My vision..... You were supposed to turn." She trailed off as Ben whirled towards her.
"I could ask you the same thing." He spat. "I offered you the chance to rule with me! You humiliated me! I am the Supreme Leader now! I can destroy you!" He shouted. As much as he wanted her to cower from his harsh words, she stood firm.
"I have not lost hope." She finally spoke. He nearly laughed. His mothers favorite word. He opened his mouth to snarkily reply when Rey was clearly distracted by something happening on her side of the connection.
"I'll be right out!" She called.
"Who is there." Ben snapped, unable to control his mouth.
"None of your business." Rey said.
"Is it the Traitor?" He said, stepping forward, his grip tightening on his saber. The look on her face told him 'no'.
A faded voice came from the connection.
"I can't figure out how to work the controls!"
Ben recognized it as the voice of the pilot, Poe. The one he had interrogated not too long ago.
"I'll be right out." She repeated again. She gave Ben one last look of sadness and confusion and the connection was cut off.
Ben threw his glass at the wall, shards ricocheting into several directions. He flipped on his saber and began to hack the bar counter into pieces. He angrily screamed as he let his emotions have the better of him.
The door to his quarters opened and a droid and two Stormtroopers stood in the doorway.
"GET ME NEW QUARTERS." Ben yelled at them as he left the smoldering bedroom.