Author's Note: This is the last calm chapter before we starting heading into the climax of this story. I wrote this chapter on the plane flying from LA after spending two full days in Disneyland; I was absolutely loaded with inspiration after going to Galaxy's Edge and being totally immersed in the land of Star Wars. Seeing Rey and Kylo there was so much fun and reminded me how I love the storytelling of Star Wars!
*
"It's actually kind of pleasant to be on a planet that's not war torn or teeming with bounty hunters."
Rey smiled, turning to look back over her shoulder as she lead the Knights and Ren through the forest in the dusk. Alwick was barely visible as the last one in the party, his short stature disappearing from time to time behind Vurdan's broad form.
"The first time I came here, I had never seen so much green in my entire life" she called out loudly so he could hear her from the back.
Daylight was diminishing more with each passing minute, the sky changing its colors from light violet to a darker blue; the details on the foliage and the ground were being lost, and only silhouettes were discernible for the time being.
"Reminds me of when we were younger," Vurdan quipped, "training at the temple on Yavin 4."
"Don't speak of that place" Tyrus' voice cut through the darkness, "we need not talk of the past."
Vurdan continued despite Tyrus' vehement feelings toward the topic. "The past is part of who we are and we can't change that, Tyrus. Ignoring it just hides the gravity of its impact."
"Talking about it changes nothing, so move on already."
Tyrus' words effectively shut the conversation down. Rey digested their short exchange, finding it interesting how the personalities of the Knights did not completely align with Kylo on the subject of their past.
Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.
"I'm interested in seeing this ship, the Millenium Falcon. There's quite a legend behind it" Freen's light voice emitted from the middle of their party. No one answered his comment, especially not Ren who walked closely behind Rey in the dark.
Facing your past can't be an easy thing, Rey thought to herself as she tried to focus on her footsteps landing flat with the dirt, unable to see far ahead for tripping hazards. A small moon circling Takodana had been rising slowly with the setting of the sun, and it just barely illuminated the way.
Despite fleeing headlong from his past, it was as if destiny was bringing Ben Solo full circle to address it. Everything he'd ever run from or tried to destroy was now being placed in his path forcibly to be dealt with. First Rey, then his mother, the Resistance, and now his father's ship. Rey could only guess by the silent connection between them that he was dreading it from the moment they left the base.
The unconscious spy had been locked inside the storage closet underground, the panel damaged by BB-8 to malfunction so she could not escape right away. A small bag of rations and water had been tossed in at her limp feet before the door was securely shut. The First Order was too ruthless to come looking for her once all communication was ceased, but it gave Rey solace that she had a fighting chance of survival.
Ren had been silent since leaving Maz's; the only sound he made was the clinking of the buckle on the chest held in the crook of his arm. The chest that once held the lightsaber, among the rest of some personal belongings.
"How much farther?" his deep voice asked from behind her, as if he could hear her thoughts.
"Nearly there" Rey breathed, "it's just over the next hill."
The woods were almost totally black now, and the sounds of rushing water flitted to her ears, discernibly close to the hiking party. They descended a bleak slope toward the sound of the water, arriving shortly at a waterfall filling a small lake. The width of it alone was breathtaking even in the darkness as the moonlight brightened the water falling from the ridge above, churning the lake constantly.
"We're here" she called out again, setting foot on the sharp rocks surrounding the lake. Ren and the Knights joined her on the bank as they looked up in awe at the waterfall.
"Where is this ship, lass?" Vurdan smirked.
Rey smiled coyly at him before leaping from the rocks right into the falls, soaked instantly as she passed through the water and landed onto wet rock on the other side. It was a cave big enough to hold a ship hidden behind the waterfall.
Vurdan's laughed was muffled through the water. "Well I'll be!" he exclaimed.
One by one, the Knights jumped through the waterfall, shaking the water from their faces once on the other side, walking past her towards the lights that could be seen farther the cave. Ren was the last to appear, his hair plastered to the sides of his face.
They stood there, staring at each other for a fleeting moment; Rey was caught off guard by his ruggedness, reminiscent of what he'd looked like when he'd rescued her from drowning. There was something about the way the water dripped from his eyelashes and rolled over his full lips in the dim light of the cave.
He straightened, noticing how she studied him. Warmth spread to her cheeks as she realized the bond was humming pleasantly. Tearing her eyes from his lips was almost painful.
"This way" she cleared her throat, turning her face quickly from him. Her cheeks still burned as she walked ahead of the Knights down into the cave.
Floor lamps were placed along the wide path, small, but practical. A bright torch lit up where the cave ended, revealing the dusty hull of the Millenium Falcon. Making contact with the hull, a shower of sparks speckled the ground at the feet of a tall and hairy figure.
Rey quickened her steps, trying to approach Chewie ahead of everyone so he wouldn't reach for his blaster. She motioned for them all to stop as she approached the Wookiee.
"Chewie!" she called out.
The Wookiee released the torch handle and lifted the welding visor from his furry face, revealing dark eyes and his black nose. A low noise of greeting came from him.
Upon seeing the Knights and Kylo Ren, Chewie rose to his full height and roared unexpectantly, dropping the torch and the mask to the ground as he stomped around the edge of the Falcon.
"Hey! It's ok!" Rey exclaimed as she moved in his way. "Chewie, they're with me, I brought them here!"
Chewbacca halted as he roared again, looking down at Rey and then to the Knights behind her, who had backed up with their hands on their hilts, save for Ren. Chewie shook one long arm aggressively in Kylo's direction.
"Easy..." she reached out and grasped his thick, hairy paw, stroking the back of it firmly. "He is with me. Just trust me."
Chewbacca's shoulders relaxed slightly as he focused on his paw, nodding his head to Rey.
"Did you get the orders from Poe? Is she ready to fly?" she inquired.
More nodding and snuffling noises were heard as the Wookiee answered her. Rey smiled at his reply.
"Let's get going then...the First Order could be here shortly" Rey said as she turned toward them, gesturing toward the loading ramp.
Tyrus carefully walked past them, followed by Alwick, Vurdan, and finally Freen. She watched as they ascended the ramp, and she had the fleeting realization that this would have been unheard of to Luke or Leia. What would they have thought to see his former students and nephew boarding the Falcon to go and face the leader of the First Order?
Her mind wandered momentarily, realizing Ren had not boarded. Out of the corner of her eye, two figures slowly approached one another, and she suddenly feared a fight would break out. To her surprise, she saw sadness in Ren's expression as Chewbacca stood a few feet from him. Sorrowful sounds came from the Wookiee as Ren looked on with hurt and regret, swallowing down emotion.
It was a reunion she was witnessing. Chewbacca took a step forward, gently laying one paw on Ren's shoulder, and they each bowed their heads in a tender moment that she could only describe as perhaps forgiveness. It nearly brought a tear to her eye with gladness to see two old friends possibly reconcile.
*
"What a piece of junk" Tyrus muttered under his breath, standing behind Rey's shoulder in the cockpit of the Falcon.
"She'll surprise you, I promise" Rey assured as she spun in her chair before reaching over her head, flipping switches to the white lights on controls.
Vurdan shook his head from the back of the cockpit. "If we don't get blasted out of space before we can get aboard the Finalizer, I am going to buy a chance ticket."
"I'll buy one with you" Alwick agreed.
"Knights!" Ren's voice boomed from outside the cockpit. "Move to the common room for the time being. Rey and I will man the cockpit for now."
Freen had a sly grin on his face, winking at Rey. "Of course, sir" he obliged before slipping out of the pilot's area.
Alwick looked disappointed as Vurdan grabbed him by the shoulder and twisted him around towards the doorway. Rey watched them leave, a fondness blooming in her chest for their interactions. From her observations, not everyone who answered the call of the Dark Side was an absolute, not even Kylo Ren.
It was only once the cockpit emptied that Ren entered, his tall and broad form seemingly huge in the small area. Rey rose from the pilot's chair and gestured for him to sit down. He sighed quietly as he accepted the offer, and sunk down into the pilot's chair as Rey took her place in the co-pilot seat.
Her heart was mysteriously beating at a rapid rate as she focused on going through the ship's systems. Was it their proximity, or the privacy of the cockpit causing that effect?
Rey glanced to her left several times as she skimmed the read-outs, noticing how he slowly moved through prepping the engines and warming up the hyperdrive. Tapping into the bond, there was an overall feeling of nostalgia from Ren's end, and she could only imagine that he was overwhelmed with memories flooding back from before he went to Luke's temple. Memories that likely involved him travelling with Han from system to system.
"Don't forget the-" she started.
"The compressor has been bypassed but not repaired, I'm aware" he finished for her, adjusting the chair height for his long legs.
She closed her mouth awkwardly, suddenly recalling how he must have seen that incident in her head while strapped to the interrogation chair.
The Falcon's computer beeped as the warm-up sequence was nearly complete, and a moment later the engines roared to life, shaking the ship slightly as it rose up off the cave floor.
"We need to pick up Finn first before heading into orbit. I'll direct you after take off."
Reaching forward to her left, Rey pulled a lever downward responsible for raising the landing gear. It lowered about an inch before meeting resistance against its track. Rey frowned as she tugged on the lever a bit harder, annoyed with the disruption in take off. Before she could attempt to problem solve, Ren reached forward and placed his right hand over hers, closing his fingers firmly around the knuckles. An unexpected thrill shot through her insides as he gently guided the lever in her grip back to the previous position before pulling down, wiggling it back and forth through the track segment where it had gotten stuck.
"Once in awhile the landing gear lever would get stuck. It would be pretty stressful for dad when we needed to make a quick getaway" he explained as he let go of her hand.
That response surprised her - she had never heard him refer to Han so casually before. The skin on the back of her hand felt naked from the contact.
The Falcon rotated to face the mouth of the cave; it was just darkness covered by a wall of water. With expert control, Ren hit the thrusters as he kept it low enough from the ceiling. The ship burst through the waterfall and into the nighttime sky.
"That way" she pointed out the right side of the window, and he guided the ship smoothly in the direction.
A question had been nagging Rey for quite some time now; there hadn't been any right opportunity to ask. Stomach flip-flopping nervously, she rubbed her sore chest in an attempt to work up some courage.
"Ben," Rey's voice shook slightly, "have we met before?"
Concentrating on keeping the Falcon above the dark treetops, Ren's head twitched in her direction in response to her question, and she noticed his lips shut tightly together.
"Ben?" she pressed, swiveling her seat towards him.
"Is there a landmark I am heading for?" he interjected, his gaze focused on the window.
Heart sinking with discouragement, Rey sighed as she touched the navigational screen on the dash, the distance closing between them and Finn's pick up point.
"Yes, a canyon with deep fissures. It's dead ahead."
Several kilometers passed by before a clay-colored ridge appeared beyond treeline. A crevice could be seen where it split the ridge apart, a few scraggly trees alongside where it's entrance was accessible from the ground. A dark figure in a brown pilot jacket was waving his arms widely above his head nearby the crevice.
Rey activated the comm system as Ren let up on the Falcon's propulsion and angled the ship toward a small clearing nearby. "We'll let down the landing gear so you can jump on, Finn."
"There's no rush, Rey" came his disappointed reply over the comm. "The First Order is already here."
From outside the cockpit door, Rey could hear Chewie's sorrowful howl in response.