🦋💫happy may the fourth!✨🪐
"I wanna be forgotten,
and I don't want to be reminded.
You say, "Please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet.
I wanna be beside her,
she wanna be admired.
You say, "Please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet."
-"What Ever Happened" by The Strokes
Resistance Base in an Undisclosed Location:
"What do you mean he hasn't returned?" Han Solo interrogated Poe while Chewbacca groaned disappointedly behind him.
"He stopped the transmission before we could ask him what he was doing." Poe replied.
"And we haven't received anything from him since." Leia chimed in from a corner of the command center.
Han looked over at Leia. Despite the obvious worry she felt, Leia looked as poised as ever. She never seemed to falter, and Han realized in that moment that he couldn't either. He needed to stay strong for himself and his family.
"Well, what do we know?" Han asked Poe.
"Next to nothing..."
Poe refused to finish his thought. He looked off into the distance away from Han's glares.
"You're hiding something, Dameron."
Poe turned around and started towards the door. Leia stood in his way and stopped him with a push of her hand.
"Poe if there's anything you know that could help us, you need to say something. If not for your General, for your friend."
As Leia's hand left his chest, Poe's head dropped to the floor.
"I'm sorry General, but I know nothing."
It was obvious that he was lying, and Poe knew it. But he also knew that his number one priority was to keep his promises.
Poe looked back at Han. He was as worried as Leia, but he had a more difficult time hiding it. With a nod in Han's direction, Poe quickly sped out of the room. Leia walked over to Han. He pulled her into a warm embrace. It felt so familiar to Leia, yet so foreign. She felt a strange calmness knowing that they had raised their son to fight for goodness, but she also felt overwhelming dread that he was constantly in danger or pain.
"I know Poe is lying, but he wouldn't lie unless if it was for our own good." Leia whispered into Han's chest.
"You're right. We just have to believe in Ben now." Han gently spoke into Leia's hair.
Starkiller Base:
Ben's eyes shot open with a jolt. He was unable to move his limbs because they were strapped to a metal chair. The room he was in was dark and cold. His only company was the uncomfortable metal chair and a shadowy figure in the corner. After attempting to break free from his restraints for a moment, Ben realized that he wouldn't be getting out of this anytime soon, or at least while he was being stared at by a mysterious shadow. After all, he didn't wanna get out. This was all apart of his plan.
"Where am I?" Ben called out into the void.
"You're my guest." The shadowy figure responded.
Rey stepped out of the darkness to reveal herself. Ben has never been this close to her before. Most of the times he'd seen her was on a packed battle field with hundreds of soldiers all attacking her. Ben couldn't help but think of how human she looked. In his mind she was always a monster that needed to be stopped. It was difficult to imagine her like that when she was staring him in the face.
"You do realize that interrogating me won't work." Ben taunted.
Rey knew that Ben could read minds, but she wouldn't let him into her's. Therefore, she couldn't risk trying to infiltrate his.
"I know. I have no intention of trying to interrogate you." Rey laughed manically.
"That's a relief. Now you can release this uncomfortable restraints."
Rey stepped toward Ben. Her long cloak dragged behind her. She placed her hand on Ben's headrest and moved towards his face.
"Why would I do that when I have you right where I want you?" She whispered inches away from Ben's cheek.
"I don't know, it would be the hospitable thing to do."
Ben knew that his cheeky banter was getting under her skin, and he loved it. If he annoyed her enough, her barriers would come down enough for him to reach into her mind for a second.
"You're a cocky one aren't you?" Rey mumbled into his gaze.
"You're a temperamental one aren't you?" Ben jeered back.
Rey slammed her hand on his headrest and backed away. She laughed to herself like she knew something that Ben didn't. It puzzled him.
"Why did you come on to my ship? You knew I would catch you, you knew that I could kill you if I wanted."
"But you don't."
"How could you possibly know that?"
Ben sensed worry in her. He was bluffing that he was reading her mind, but she was starting to believe it.
"You know enough about me, who I am, what I can do. So, Rey, take a guess."
Her mental barrier fell down another inch.
"You couldn't possibly be reading my mind."
"Why not?"
Another inch.
"Because I'm not letting you in."
"You're sure of that?"
Rey's expression went cold. And just for a second she let go. Ben instantly grabbed hold of her mind tightly. Rey gasped in pain and clutched her forehead.
In her mind, Ben saw tunnels of darkness leading nowhere and dark clouds floating in front of a blue sky. He continued to probe until he found himself in a sandy desert. Standing next to him was a child. She was screaming and crying at a passing ship in the sky. A cloaked man with wrinkly hands was pulling her away into a separate ship. The child glanced once more to the sky before being pulled away. As her small face filled with tears tilted upwards, the ship suddenly erupted into pieces. A piercing mixture of screams and cries came out of her mouth as she was being yanked away.
"They're gone, no time for whining!" The cloaked man yelled at the child.
"Mama! Papa!" The girl cried out.
Just before Ben could see the girl being dragged to the ship, he felt a warm fire on his throat. He removed himself from Rey's mind to find her double sided lightsaber poised to decapitate him.
"Get. Out. Of. My. Head." Rey hissed at Ben.
"That little girl was you, wasn't it?" Ben chose his words carefully because dying wasn't apart of his assassination plan.
"I said, get out of my head." Rey retorted.
"Why were you so scared? Who was the man taking you away from your parents?" Ben whispered.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Rey said while choking back tears caught in her throat.
"I saw your memories, Rey. I can help you."
"I don't want your help." Her voice cracked underneath her breath.
"Rey, just because dark things happened to you doesn't mean you have to be dark."
The heat on Ben's neck got closer. Sweat trickled down his brow and his breathing increased.
"You don't know anything about me."
"I know what's in your head."
Rey leaned into Ben's ear. She was clearly in a lot of pain from Ben's attempts at deciphering her past.
"I can hide whatever I want from you."
"Rey, stop letting your pride control you." Ben agitated her.
"Wise words coming from a man with a lightsaber to his neck."
"You know I can take whatever I want."
Ben said directly into Rey's eyes.
Rey's other hand met Ben's cheek. She pulled him to her. A single tear was falling into her lips.
"It won't matter if you're dead."
"True, but you don't wanna kill me."
"Oh, I don't? Why is that, Solo?" Rey laughed.
"Because I'd be more useful as an ally than I would dead."
Rey's face relaxed in confusion. She stumbled backwards for a moment. But the moment was long enough for Ben to Force release himself from the restraints. Ben leaped from the chair and stared at Rey in surprise. Honestly, he wasn't expecting that to work.
"You are clever, Ben."
Rey raised her saber into a battle stance. Ben instinctually reached for his holster. Of course, his saber wasn't there.
"But sadly, not clever enough." Rey taunted.
She lunged toward him in one fluid motion. Ben jumped to his right to get out of her way. This made her even more angry. She screamed at him with all of her power. Without any premeditation, Ben lifted his hand and focused on the door lock behind her. With a tilt of his head it swung open. Rey turned around to see what Ben had done. Before she even realized it, Ben jumped to the ceiling and grabbed one of the pipes. He swung himself passed Rey and bounded out the door. Rey ran after him.
"Lock down the ship, do not let that man leave!"
Rey left the small interrogation room and the hallway's gates closed behind her. No troopers were able to follow her. It was just Ben and Rey's fight now.
Ben saw the loading dock far ahead of him with several ships that he could leap onto and fly far away. But, he didn't want to leave until he completed his mission. However, he needed to find his lightsaber if he had any chance of doing so.
Ben examined each room he passed hoping to find the items they confiscated from him after they apparently knocked him out and dragged him to the interrogation room. He could hear the thunder of Rey's boots following him closely.
After looking in about ten different rooms, he saw a small closet that appeared to have a table with three shiny objects on it. It was guarded by two stormtroopers inside. Knowing he didn't stand a chance against Rey without a lightsaber, he reluctantly charged into the room. With two waves of his hand the troopers fell to the ground. Rey's feet slid on the tile as she tried to follow Ben's erratic turn. Without a moment to think Ben grabbed hold of the hilt of his saber. Rey turned into the room and faced Ben with her lightsaber ignited and ready to fight. Ben lifted the hilt behind his shoulder and lunged as blue light filled the room.
"Why must is always come to this?" Rey's mouth was illuminated with red sparks every time she spoke.
"It's in our nature to fight each other."
Ben hurdled towards Rey with all his strength. She blocked the cut of his saber with the tension from her's. Ben sensed in Rey's expression that she had no desire to kill him. He only sensed fear. It was the same fear that was inside the child he saw in her mind. Ben didn't want to kill her, but he knew he had to for his family. This war wouldn't end unless she was dead.
"Just a few minutes ago you said you wanted to be allies." Rey's voice had a certain tenderness to it that Ben hadn't expected.
"I lied." He replied sharply.
Ben removed his saber from Rey's and tried to swipe at her legs. Rey leaped into the air and flipped backwards. She landed ten feet away from Ben in the hallway. Before Ben had the chance to run after her, Rey extended her hand out towards him. Ben felt his feet lift from the ground and he grasped at his throat to get air. Ben fought against her Force hold on his windpipe and Rey fought against killing him in that instant.
"I don't want to kill you, Ben. I want to teach you. I want you to learn how to accept the darkness that is inside us, not fight it."
Ben felt her grip loosen and he took the chance to escape. He pointed his hand at her and watched Rey immediately fall to the ground. Ben's tumbled down with her and he could finally breathe again. As Rey gasped for the air that the tough ground knocked out of her, Ben stood above her to claim his triumph. He motioned for the hilt of her saber to fall into his hands. With the double sided saber in his hands, Ben put the hilts above Rey's face and ignited both of them. She looked up at him and the colors painted her face with blue and red.
"I've resisted the dark once, I can do it again. And I will keep resisting until the galaxy is safe."
Rey looked pathetic below him. In her face, Ben saw fear and terror. Ben saw himself. He saw the small boy that was below Luke Skywalker's lightsaber preparing to be struck down.
"If I am the dangerous one, then why am I on the ground about to be slaughtered like an animal."
Ben paused. He looked into Rey's eyes. They were hazel like his. As he looked at the cowering girl below him, he realized that killing her would hurt him more than it hurt her.
"Kill her, now. Do it. Fulfill your desire." A voice bellowed from inside Ben's head.
His temples tensed from the pounding ache in his mind and he groaned in pain. This voice wasn't new to him. He heard it every time he neared the darkness. Every time he thought of doing something to appease his desires, the voice echoed inside his skull urging him to do it. It was deep, menacing, and hard to ignore. Ben stepped back trying to resist the voices.
"Get out of my head." He spoke to himself.
The echoes left. Now, it was his own decision.
Reluctantly, he lowered the sabers to his side. Rey forced her saber back into her hands and stood up to meet Ben. She didn't get ready to fight, she simply stood there. Ben stood proudly in front of her.
"I don't want to kill you either. I want to stand with you. I want you to be by my side, as a Jedi."
Rey thought to herself for a moment. She gazed into Ben's eyes. His eyes were that same hazel she saw in the mirror. They were kinder and gentler than her's. But, they had known the same pain.
"I'll never stand with you. You are weak, like your father."
"At least I'm nothing like my grandfather...Rey Palpatine." Her name left his body like it was torture to say.
Rey snarled in his direction. Anger filled her body and she prepared to plunge her weapon deep into his chest.
Without warning, the doors to the hallway flew open. Storm troopers flooded the gates. Knowing he wouldn't have another opportunity, Ben bolted as fast as he could towards the loading bay.
"Shut that gate!" Rey yelled.
The gate began to close in front of him. The door was massive and metal and slowly sinking down to destroy his last hope. Luckily, he was able to slide under the door just before it closed to the ground. Rey tried to chase him but she was blocked by metal.
There was a perfectly positioned TIE fighter at the edge of the loading bay. A First Order Pilot was just getting back from the fight. He was carefully stepping out of the fighter and Ben captured the moment in a flash, like he always did. He ran up to the dock and stood carefully out of the pilot's direct view.
"Excuse me, Sir. We need to confiscate this TIE fighter." Ben said in his best fake deeper voice, which was almost impossible.
"What? Why?" The pilot replied without turning to look at the imposter standing behind him with a hand on the hilt of a lightsaber.
"Ask the Supreme Leader."
The pilot's body shifted to look at Ben.
"What? Supreme Leader?... Wait, you aren't with the Order. I've never met you before." The pilot looked Ben up and down with undoubting suspicion.
"Then, it's a shame we have to meet this way." Ben shrugged.
"What are you talking about? Help! We have an intruder!" The pilot picked a blaster out from his belt and went to point it at Ben.
"Trust me, they already know."
Ben looked back at the door that was previously shut. It was now wide open and Rey was about to stop Ben's escape attempt, which he couldn't let happen.
"I'm sorry about this." Ben apoligized.
The pilot raised one brow and pointed his blaster in fear. He didn't want to, but Ben knew what he had to do. With a single swipe of his lightsaber the Pilot's hand fell to the ground. He screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground. Ben rushed into the cockpit of the TIE fighter and examined the buttons. Quickly, he identified the start button and the blaster. Then, he went to push the control that closed the cockpit.
"What have you done?" The pilot yelled through painful cries at Ben.
"Don't worry, I hear robotic hands work just fine."
The pilot didn't realize it then, but Ben did him a kindness. He could've decapitated him with a flick of his wrist. Besides, the loss of one hand has never stopped anyone.
The cockpit closed in on him. The controls were still warm from the battle. Rey was slowly approaching the still docked ship with an army of troopers behind her. With no time to loose, Ben hit the ignition and cranked the wheel to the left. He was sent zooming out of the loading dock. Rey watched as he flew away in one of her very own ships.
"Should we go after him Supreme Leader?" A trooper spoke up from behind her.
"No. We will face him again. I can feel it."
Resistance Base in an Undisclosed Location:
Poe was running as fast as he could to the end of the hallway. The doors quickly swung open in his face. Leia was running out as he was running in.
"General Organa, there's-"
"A First Order TIE fighter trying to dock on our base, I know." Leia cut him off.
Poe stood astonished as Leia appeared to excited and not completely terrified.
"General Organa, do I have clearance to order an air strike on the pilot?" Poe called out to Leia as she walked away.
"No, of course not."
Poe sighed and chased after her. He was jogging by her side to keep up with her stride.
"What do you mean, General. I doubt Empress Rey is sending us a base-warming gift."
"Me too, but it would be funny if she did." Leia jauntily laughed time herself.
Poe rubbed his brow in confusion and apparent stress. In this moment he realized how much he truly missed being on the front lines and not having to deal with getting confusing orders everyday.
"I'm afraid you've confused me." Poe attempted to laugh along with the General.
"That happens a lot doesn't it." Leia teased.
Poe stopped in tracks and watched Leia walk away. A pair of doors opened behind him and Han Solo walked out. He placed his hand on Poe's shoulder as they both watched Leia practically skip out to the dock.
"Why is she so happy about a First Order TIE fighter trying to get on the base?" Poe sighed out of breath.
"Because that TIE fighter is being flown by our son."
Han squeezed Poe's shoulder and walked out behind Leia.
"How do you know that?" Poe shouted after him.
"She felt it, Poe!" Han shouted back.
Poe smiled to himself and let a single tired laugh escape. Leia never ceased to surprise him.
The dock was jam packed with anxious and eager resistance personnel. Each of them was waiting for the call to resume the fight or lay their weapons down. Leia entered with Han by her side.
"Open up the dock." Leia commanded the loading guard.
The guard nodded his head in compliance and hit the large red button that release the two large steel doors. Leia and Han locked eyes and mentally told each other what the both needed to hear. With a smile, Han reached for Leia's hand and their fingers intertwined.
Poe walked onto the dock in just enough time to see the gates lower. Resistance workers filed to the sides of the bay and awaited their next instruction. Leia and Han paved the way to the end of the large hall and watched as the TIE fighter approached the doors. Releasing smoke and the sounds of muffled engines in its wake, the fighter began to land. Steadily, it approached the ground. Finally with one big thump on the ground, the ship landed.
"Close the dock." Leia motioned towards the guard.
As the doors closed once more, Leia and Han walked over to the enemy ship. The cockpit doors flew open with a gust of air. A single head popped out with a mass a black curls covering his face.
"Ben." Han gasped towards his son.
Ben's hand guided itself to his long curls and brushed them back behind his ears. A smile crossed his lips as he looked down at his loving parents.
"Dad." Ben muttered at his father standing below him.
The entire dock erupted in cheers and laughs. Everyone was hugging and high-fiving one another. Poe hugged and embraced his fellow comrades. This was a huge relief to everyone in the Resistance- but Leia still wondered if her son was still her son, or if he had gotten into more trouble on the First Order base.
Ben climbed out of the fighter and ran into his parents arms as fast as he could. They pulled him in as tight as possible and embraced him. Han held his son's head in his hands as Leia wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry I worried you." Ben whispered into their ear's alone.
"You should be sorry." Leia said.
"We're just glad you're home, kid." Han replied.
Poe escaped from the celebration and ran over to greet Ben. He patted him on the back and was greeted with a smile. Leia and Han let go and left the old friends to themselves.
"Nice to see you home, pal!" Poe chuckled.
"It's great to see you, Dameron." Ben laughed and pulled Poe into a warm hug.
Poe and Ben had been friends since Poe joined the Resistance years ago. They were the two best pilots the Resistance had. What started as competition turned into a deep friendship. They looked out for each other.
"You had us all freaking out over here."
Poe pushed out of the hug and playfully slapped Ben's shoulder.
"I know, I feel so terrible about that." Ben apologetically sighed.
"So," Poe moved in closer to Ben so their conversation couldn't be overheard, "did you compelete your mission?"
"Did you tell them what I was doing?"
"No, no, of course not. They asked but I pretended like I didn't know anything."
Ben let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, man. I owe you one."
"You owe me many a 'one'. Now tell me what happened." Poe interrogated impatiently.
"I almost killed her... but, I came up with a new plan."
"What kind of plan? Let us all die one by one while the First Order gets stronger everyday?" Poe was aggravated and confused because Ben seemed so eager to finish this fight.
"No."
"Then what kind of plan?"
Ben paused for a moment. He glanced behind him and to his side to make sure no one was listening in. He leaned in as close as he could to Poe's ear.
"She has good in her, I sensed it. I'm going to see her again... and then she'll side with me."
Poe stepped back in astonishment. Ben never spoke so surely and plainly. It sounded like Ben saw the future and knew exactly what was going to happen and he learned how not to fear it. Poe was proud of him and terrified for him.
"You sure about this? Are you sure that you want to put yourself at risk again for the possibility that she might change?"
"Yes. And in the mean time, I need you to take over my job."