[ THE NEW REBEL BASE ]
AJAN KLOSS WAS WET.
halo knew this the moment she woke up. she was seated in the co-captains chair, a reflective blanket pulled gently around her shoulders. that was her first awareness. because she was hot.
the inside of the falcon swam with moisture. the air was humid, fogging the corners of the front windshield, sticking to halo's damp hair, and dripping from every surface. she discarded the metallic draping from her body, and stood quickly.
they were landed in the middle of nothing but jungle. she could see the flora of the moon just outside, emerald in color, heavy with moisture. just beyond the horizon, the sun had begin to rise, casting golden light on the inside of the falcon.
poe was fast asleep, eyes rimmed red, body slumped over the main control deck.
he must have landed them there before deciding to sleep again. halo could only wonder why he hadn't taken them straight to the base the resistance was no doubt in the midst of constructing.
she pulled her wild curls up, securing them in place with a piece of cloth she had torn from her shirt. huffing in a much needed breath, she went quickly to the air control panel on the side of the falcon's main port, pushing an array of buttons before the temperature finally began to drop, and the moisture slowly evaporated.
poe must have forgot to climatize before sleeping.
she beckoned her saber to her side with the force, clicking it to her belt, before walking to the next compartment. but before she could move any further, she froze.
ben was still asleep, skin pale and covered in sweat. dark bruises haunted the underside of his eyes, and his breaths came and went in shallow and quick intervals. and right beside him, sat finn.
the ex storm trooper radiated a wild amount of emotion, halo could feel it. anger, hatred, confusion, loyalty... betrayal. his fists were clenched by his side, and his jaw was stiff. halo could tell by the angle of his back that he had been sitting like this for some time.
"i've been sitting here all night," finn said, his voice low and tired.
halo did not ask how he knew that she was standing there.
"why?"
finn let out a breathy laugh, but in it, there was no humor.
"i've been trying to pick up even the slightest bit of evil off of him. anything to give me a good reason to shoot him, right here, right now."
halo swallowed down the instinct that rose up inside of her to protect ben at all costs. she pushed it far away. because even though those words brought about something inside of her that was too primal for even the young jedi to understand, she knew why finn felt that way. she understood. his whole life had been stripped away because of the choices kylo ren had made. halo wouldn't be able to live with something like that either.
instead, she sat down beside finn, icy eyes analyzing every rise and fall of ben's chest.
"and? what did you find?"
finn shook his head.
"nothing."
halo looked at finn closely, really closely. he was a far cry from the scared boy she had encountered on jakku. he was maturing, becoming the man he always could have been. yes, he was arrogant, selfish, one-sided, and ignorant. but he was also kind, selfless, and loyal to the core. and beneath all of that, there was something else, something halo hadn't seen before.
her master's words echoed in her mind. he had said to bring finn with them to dagobah.
carefully, halo reached out to him with the tendrils of the force. slowly, she felt his presence grow stronger. it was all the usual things she had identified him with, that same feeling of warmth, orderliness, and chaos. but she reached deeper, deeper, until...
she sucked in a sharp breath.
it hit her like a wave, like a breath of fresh air. the force. moving inside of him as it does a child moving into their apprenticeship. it was the same kind luke had felt in her before she had become his padawan. the same leia had felt in ben when she became pregnant with him.
halo felt her eyes begin to water.
"finn," she said slowly, "you said just now that you were trying to sense evil in ben. you knew i was in the room without turning around. do you understand what this means?"
the man turned to look at halo.
he hated her for many of the things she had done. for bringing this man who had destroyed so many aspects of his life onto the falcon, for stealing rey from her. he was angry, and he was jealous. but also, he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone in his whole life.
halo saved him. she cured the rot that had settled in his brain when he was a storm trooper. she embodied everything he tried so desperately to hold on to. he loved her. and she loved him. and he trusted her. and she knew.
"i think i do."
halo smiled at him. it was warm, something he hadn't seen in so long.
"finn, this person is not kylo ren. this is someone else. the person i grew up with. if you really want to know if you can trust him, you need only reach out with your feelings, and look inside."
he looked at her skeptically. but his energy spoke loudly.
"reach out with your feelings, finn."
finn looked at her once more, his dark eyes flat and unyielding, before he turned to look at the sleeping figure of ben once more. his eyes closed. and then, halo felt him release a breath. a breath of surprise, and anguish.
when finn opened his eyes again, they were filled with tears.
he had no idea.
"what the hell was that?"
halo put her hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it reassuringly. she knew what he must have seen. all the years of regret, of anguish, fear, deceit. everything that made up kylo ren. and now, what made up ben solo.
"luke always used to tell me that the only jedi you could trust were the ones who were vulnerable," she said softly. "if someone radiated light so powerful that it was blinding, or darkness so horrible that it crushed every last breath in your lungs, then they were dark-side users," halo spoke.
her long fingers outstretched, coming to graze the side of ben's cheek.
"but if in someone's presence you could feel all of it, the good and the bad," her voice caught, "then that meant they were safe. encompassed in light. able to feel both, but also able to choose. with the dark side, you can't choose. that is how i know he's back. before, he was always pulled away from me. by himself, by snoke, by the legacy of vader. but now, he is in control. you feel it, don't you?"
finn nodded. he did feel it. he was loathe to admit it, but he felt it.
there was a beat of silence before halo spoke again, her hands once more coming to clasp around his own.
"finn, i know i'm putting a lot on you. but i need you to be strong like i know you can."
the ex storm trooper looked at her in question, but didn't press any further.
"when we locate the base, you and rey and ben and i are all going somewhere. master luke told me that it must be so. i know you want to be with rose and poe, but i'm asking you to trust me. this is something we all must do."
he didn't resist like she expected he would. like he usually would. it was as if he knew she would say it before she even did.
"i know. i'm ready."
-
halo walked coldly in front of chewie as he held ben in his arms. she could feel rey's hand enclosed around her own, feel the support and comfort radiating from the woman. she really was trying her best to offer to halo what she could. to keep her standing, when all she wanted to do was fall.
poe's shoulders were hunched as he walked some distance ahead. despite encouragement from rose and poe, he had refused to say a word. he seemed determined to do something, what it was, they didn't know.
when what was left of the rebellion caught sight of them, cries of relief and joy were spouted. footsteps littered the wet ground, all flocking to their new general, in hopes of finding some peace in his words.
it took only a moment for them to notice who chewie held against him.
cries of surprised, fear, and disgust rang out. in an instant, blasters were loaded, all pointing at the same central target. and it took an even smaller amount of time for halo and rey to draw their sabers.
many people in the rebellion were weary of the girls. the strange jedi whose powers were the stuff of legend. while they were responsible for saving them, they still were feared. why, halo would never know. but she never felt trust and acceptance among them. not like finn, rose, and poe did.
it was evident in their eyes. at the sight of the glowing weapons, some blasters dropped. but many remained raised. until poe came between them all.
"general, what do you think your-"
"can it, commander d'acy," poe muttered, his hand raising to block her from coming any further.
the aging commander stared at the group, her eyes lingering especially long on the unconscious form of ben, who chewie held to his chest fiercely.
but after an interval passed, a flicker of understanding passed over her eyes.
"where's leia?"
[ hello it is me your boi.
i'm sorry i haven't updated since the 16th century i am very pregnant and life is tough.
but alas, here is a chapter for you all.
i'm sorry my writing sucks, my hormones are affecting my brain.
xx kona ]