Finally, the old Imperial base came into view just ahead of them. Seeing the base brought back so many memories to Han. He remembered coming here with Luke and Leia, so many years ago to stop the second Death Star.
"This is it," he said. Then he led the others towards the old base.
Just as they were about to enter the base, Ben stopped in his tracks. "Wait," he said.
Han turned to face him. "What is it kid?" he asked.
Just then, a large group of stormtroopers came out of the base. They stepped aside to allow a chrome figure to pass.
"Phasma!" Ben yelled, lifting his lightsaber.
"You might not want to do that," she stepped aside to reveal Leia, being held back by two stormtroopers who had blasters pointed at her head.
Han smiled at the sight of his wife after so many years. As happy as he been to see the Millennium Falcon, he was even happier to see her. He thought nothing could compare to being reunited with his old ship, until he laid eyes on his wife again for the first time. "You changed your hair," he said, noticing that it was a different color.
"Same jacket," she replied, noticing that he was still wearing the same old jacket that he had been wearing the last time she had seen him.
Han looked down embarrassed. "No this is a new jacket," he said, but she could tell that he was lying.
"Mom!" Ben cried, pushing past the stormtroopers to embrace her.
Phasma pulled the lightsaber from his hand, but Ben didn't care, he was too happy to see his mother again.
Han's jaw dropped. He looked at Ben, then back at her. "Mom?" he asked, but she didn't answer him. His heart broke, she had moved on. "This is your son?"
"Our son." Leia corrected him.
"Our son?" Han asked, even more surprised. But he was also relieved.
Ben lifted his head from his mother's shoulder and looked at Han. "Wait...he's my father?"
Leia nodded.
Han looked Ben up and down. "He's my son?"
Leia nodded. "Ben Solo."
Ben went over to his father and hugged him. "I never knew that you were my father," he said. "But I always hoped that you were."
Han's eyes widened. Then he returned the hug. He was a father? He felt happy, but at the same time he was too surprised to know how to react. And deep down he felt slightly guilty, he'd missed Ben's childhood.
"That's enough of all of this sentimental nonsense," Phasma said.
But that didn't stop Leia from breaking free of the stormtroopers grip. She rushed over to join the hug with her husband and her son.
Rey smiled sadly as she watched the family together. She had always wanted a family that loved her, but it was something she knew that she would never have.
"That's enough!" Phasma yelled. A group of stormtroopers went over to break them up.
Two stormtroopers came over and began dragging Leia away.
Ben felt anger well up inside of him. He tried to control himself, but he had felt that it was his responsibility to protect his mother. He went over and punched one of the stormtroopers in the face, causing him to fall backwards. "Don't hurt my mother," he yelled.
Han punched the second stormtrooper in the face. "Yeah, and don't hurt my wife either."
Leia gave them both a small smile. "I'm not helpless, you know."
"I know," said Han with that look in his eyes.
She smiled even wider.
"What are you doing here, Mom?" Ben asked.
"I was looking for the map to find my brother. I got tired of waiting, so I decided to come myself."
"Alone?" Ben and Han asked at the same time.
Leia only shrugged.
Han shook his head. It was just like her.
Phasma made a gesture and more stormtroopers came out of the old base. They moved to surround the small group. It took twenty of them to hold Chewbacca down. But after a struggle, and a few stormtroopers missing their arms, they had the Wookiee tied up. The stormtroopers took all of their weapons and tied up the small group of rebels. Now they were all bound and sitting on the ground before Phasma.
"FN-2197!" she said kicking the former stormtrooper as she walked past.
"Ow!" Finn grunted.
Phasma smirked at his pain under her helmet. "You traitor!" she added harshly. Then she walked over to stand in front of Han and Ben. "Now, Solo..." she began.
"Yes?" Han and Ben asked at the same time.
Phasma looked back and forth between the two of them, now she could see a resemblance between them. So this Jedi was the son of the famous smuggler, no wonder he had escaped her attempts at destroying the Jedi. He and Skywalker were the last. "Both of you are going to help me find the map," she said.
"Look, we don't know where the map is," said Han. "And even if we did, what makes you think that we would help you find it?"
Phasma stepped over to Leia and ignited her red lightsaber. "I'll rephrase that. Help me find the map, or the princess dies."
"Don't help her," Leia pleaded.
Han wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He looked at her pleading eyes. I always talk my way out of it, he thought. "We don't know where the map is," Han replied.
"I know that you've already found a piece of it." She looked at Ben. "Hand it over, and I won't hurt your mother."
Ben kept a blank expression on his face.
"Now!" Phasma yelled, moving her lightsaber closer to Leia's head.
"Wait!" Ben yelled.
Phasma lowered her lightsaber and looked back at him.
Suddenly Ben sensed something coming behind Phasma. He looked past her to see a young Resistance pilot. He had met him before, his name was Poe, and he was said to be the best pilot in the Resistance. Well, second best, Ben thought. So, his mother hadn't come alone after all?
Poe gestured for Ben to continue.
A smirk appeared on Ben's face.
"What are you smiling about?" Phasma demanded.
"How can I hand over the map if I'm tied up?" he asked, holding up his cuffed hands for her to see.
Han smirked. That's my boy, he thought.
Phasma grumbled in a low voice, but then used the Force to remove the cuffs from his hands. But she left his feet bound.
He stood up and began searching his pockets for the drives that held the pieces of the map.
Just then a loud cry came from behind Phasma. She turned to see Poe charging towards her.
While she was distracted, Ben used the Force to remove the cuffs from his feet. He Force pulled his lightsaber from one of the stormtroopers, into his hand.
Phasma was only distracted for a moment. After she recovered from her shock, she lifted her hand and slammed Poe to the ground with the Force. She turned just as Ben's lightsaber flew into his hand. She ignited her own red lightsaber and stood ready to face him.
He ignited his green lightsaber and stood ready to fight. He held his left hand behind his back, so that Phasma wouldn't see him twisting it. The cuffs fell off of the others hands and feet, as he used the Force to remove them.
Phasma swung her lightsaber at him, and he quickly lifted his to block it. Every time Phasma swung her lightsaber, Ben moved his effortlessly to block her. Her rage was no match for his desire to defend those he cared about.
He stepped around Phasma and she turned to face him. Ben could now see those he was trying to defend. They stood and watched worried. They were unarmed and couldn't help him. He looked back, and saw the stormtroopers moving to join the fight. He that they held his friends' weapons. He reached out towards them, and Force pulled the blasters and Rey's staff away from them. The weapons flew over Phasma's head to land in the hands of those who owned them.
Han smiled proudly at his son. Then he lifted his blaster and began shooting the stormtroopers.
Ben returned his attention to Phasma. She swung her lightsaber at him and he ducked beneath it. Then quickly moved to stab her in the stomach with his lightsaber, but she quickly swung her lightsaber to parry his strike. Ben swung again, at her head this time, but she lifted her red bladed lightsaber and pushed him back.
Rey was surrounded by stormtroopers, but she handled them pretty well with her staff. Two stormtroopers came towards her. She held her staff in both hands and pushed them back hard. They landed on the ground with a groan. Suddenly, she noticed several speeders next to the base. "Look!" she told Leia, pointing to the speeders.
Leia smiled and nodded.
Leia and Rey went over to the speeders. Rey climbed into one of them.
"Han!" Leia called, getting into a second speeder.
"Nice work," Han called back, coming over.
Suddenly a small orange and white BB unit droid rolled into view. "Buddy!" Poe exclaimed running to the little droid. He picked up the little droid and put him into a speeder. Then he climbed into the speeder.
Finn climbed in after him. He raised his blaster. "I'll cover you." He shoot a stormtrooper who had his blaster aimed at Poe and was about to fire.
"Thanks," said Poe, then he flew the speeder through the trees.
Han climbed into the speeder with Rey. "Move over, I'm driving," he exclaimed. She moved to the back seat to let Chewbacca sit next to Han.
Leia moved her speeder past where Ben was still fighting Phasma. "Ben!" she called as she came towards him.
He turned to glance at her. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw his mother approaching in the speeder. He turned back to look at Phasma, just in time to block her strike. He moved quickly as his mother passed by him. He did a backflip, using the Force to jump up onto the speeder.
"Thank you," he said.
She smiled. "No thank you. For bringing your father back."
"Why didn't you tell me that he was my father?" he asked.
"I missed your father so much when he was gone, I didn't want you to feel that same pain," she explained. "And I had to protect you. If the bounty hunters who took your father away knew that you were his son, they would have tried to take you away too. I already had to protect you from Snoke because he wanted to use you for your power. I didn't want to bring anymore on you."
Ben nodded. He knew that she was only trying to protect him. "I'm just glad we're together now."
"Me too." Leia agreed. "If only we could find Luke."