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Prologue
In a galaxy vast, where legends reside
The Force ensures balance, destiny’s guide
From light to dark, the pendulum shifts
Pursuing harmony, its presence uplifts Balance it seeks, a delicate art
To keep the world from tearing apart
A yin and a yang, a constant dance
Its wielders few, those given a chance When darkness grows, the balance swings
Fear and hatred spread their dark wings
Paths diverge, fates unfold
Infinite stories yet to be told But sometimes, friends, a glitch may occur
Like a hiccup in space, it makes things a blur
Lightsabers flicker, Jedi trip on their robes
Even droids in distress, out of sync with their code The Force will endure, steadfast and strong
Calling for champions to right each wrong
In their duality, they take a stand
Like rivers converging, bound by fate’s hand For peace and prosperity, they must strive
To foster harmony and keep hope alive
In unity, they’ll fight together as one
A dyad in the Force, not to be undone
☯ Ben tosses and turns as the persistent voices clamor for attention.The light has a voice, and it sounds suspiciously like his Uncle Luke. The dark has its own agenda, the source of its voice unknown but no less familiar. Ben simply wants to rest. Even in sleep, he struggles for his own footing, fighting to be free of intrusive thoughts and the weight of others’ expectations.
“On your guard, young Solo?”
He doesn’t want to hear; he doesn’t want to fall into the dark that calls and tempts him with the lure of power, purpose, and destiny. He knows this game, and he’s tired of playing. The voice sounds pleased with its challenge, its cold claws creeping down Ben’s spine in a rush of prickling chills. Pressure builds behind his eyes as the voice rips its way into his skull.He grinds his teeth, refusing to respond. The voice laughs–deep, taunting, disgusted.
“Weak child. It’s no wonder you are not a Master. Pitiful.”
Ben’s anger surges at the irony. His struggles with the dark—anger, fear, bitterness—are why he hasn’t been endorsed for the Master level.He learned from his last slew of nightmares that succumbing to his rage does nothing to ease the darkness of his dreams. The voice returns each night, another form of unsolicited training, and Ben fears the emotions he can’t suppress only feed it and make it stronger. He tries to let his feelings go, acknowledging that Luke may not be totally wrong about the usefulness of meditation. Concentrating, he sinks deeper, reaching for the Force to push the intrusion away.The air splinters around him, and the dark voice roars in his ears.
“Useless boy!”
Ben pushes against an invisible wall, desperate to get away, searching the darkness until he finds a slight reprieve and a tantalizing glimpse of peace. A dim and distant light gleams through the Force like a soft ray of sunshine. He follows, stepping toward the light and letting the darkness go, discarding the voice and the pressure as if shedding the weight of a Wookiee from his shoulders. In the swirling waves of Force energy, in the space between tension and relaxation, he finds his footing and the dream changes.The quiet is deafening. He can hear the thundering of his own heartbeat in his ears.He’s escaped.It’s been twenty years since he last managed to extinguish the voice. He’s so light he could float away.Disorientation follows as his brain rearranges itself, happy to find free space where the voice once hid. Abruptly, he’s on the move, soaring impossibly fast through the stars, joining the fluctuations in the Force. He’s connected, part of a whole. Like a drop of water in the ocean, the energy bonds and reflects. And he feels… better, impossibly unencumbered and unburdened.A magnet pulls him across the galaxy, and he’s hurtling through a narrow hyperspace lane until he pops out the other side, blinking against bright sunlight. He has the strangest urge to pinch himself, but nothing has ever felt so real.Except for the fact that he’s hanging upside down, drenched in a layer of sweat, droplets sliding from his forehead to pool on the steel floor below. His arms are outstretched, one finding purchase on a side panel while the other reaches out toward a control console. His body seems to simmer, sizzling in the scorching heat. Whatever vessel he’s in provides little shade.The next sign that something is wrong is the shortness of his limbs as he reaches toward an ion shield generator unit tucked in the controls. He can almost touch it, and he needs it desperately.Somehow, Ben knows this part means a sizable dinner.Which makes absolutely no sense.The more staggering sign of a problem is the hunger gnawing at his insides and pounding in the back of his skull. He fights past the foreign feelings, looking for perspective and taking a deep breath.All he knows is he needs this part.He tries a few swings from his knees until he clutches the unit and gives it a tug.“Yes!” he cries. Ben jolts at the unfamiliar sound, clutching the part to his chest.That was not his voice. His head rushes, dizzy in the heat and struggling to puzzle out any clues. As he tries to swallow around the desert in his mouth, his eyes dart around the bright room and find no signs of company.Nervously, he tries speaking again. “Is anyone there?” Again, his voice emerges soft, not only in a whisper but feminine and accented. He falls out of sync with his body, rocking and landing on his hip, sprawled on the floor of a ship that is missing its top half.
Ow.
He squints as sunlight blazes into his eyes and shuffles to sit up, looking down in shock at his…
What. The. Kriff.
…incredibly toned and tanned forearms? Slim fingers stained with oil?Ben’s heart speeds up, and his breath catches in his throat. He has dirt caked under his blunt nails, his beige clothing may as well be rags, and his instincts scream that he must leave soon and return to trade. With no conscious thought, he stands, rubs his small, sore hip, and stuffs the generator into his pack.He opens his mouth to say he’s right here, to see if his own voice emerges, but he’s unexpectedly torn from his newfound peace, from his dreams altogether. Distantly he hears the feminine voice again, this time echoing in a desperate cry, though he can’t make out the wordsIn a blink he’s awake, wide-eyed in his bed, a green glow dancing on the far wall and a sinister surge sullying the Force around him.It doesn’t even register that the menacing presence could be his uncle, and he’s not sure he fully grasps what’s happening, but his eyes find Luke looming over him in his private room, two hands wrapped around a raised and ignited lightsaber. The rage that usually invades Ben’s mind glows in Luke’s glaring blue eyes, screaming for action. Ben knows the feel of it quite intimately.Instinct takes over, and he raises his hand, his saber already soaring into his grip as he ignites his sword to collide with his uncle’s. Their expressions clash as fiercely as their weapons, and Luke hollers for him to stop.“Ben! No!” Hatred morphs into panic in Luke’s eyes, and Ben raises his free hand, using the Force to buckle the single hut onto his uncle. He watches Luke collapse under a pile of bricks as he clears a path to safe ground.Uncle…Master Luke… tried to kill him.In his sleep.He had quite a few choice opinions regarding his uncle, but he never thought Luke Skywalker was a coward. Familiar anger surges, and he already misses his peaceful dream. He takes a step back, his grip on his lightsaber tensing as he stands over the pile of bricks, looking down in shock, heart racing wildly. He switches off the saber, frozen with indecision.Should he…leave him there?Others from nearby huts file into the courtyard with curiosity on their faces. Tai arrives first, rushing to check him over. His best friend’s blue eyes flit over him in search of injuries. Tai is younger, shorter, darker, skinnier, and much calmer than Ben. His concern is evident in his hard-angled jaw and furrowed brows.“Did you use the Force in your sleep?” he asks with a hesitant grin. “Luke is gonna be pissed at you again,” Tai tries to joke, but he stills when Ben turns to him. What did he see in his face? Shock? Guilt? Anger? Fear? Too many emotions to count, probably.“He tried to kill me,” Ben admits in a hushed confession, nodding his head toward the pile that was once his hut, struggling to comprehend his uncle’s motivation. “I was asleep, and he tried to kill me,” he repeats, trying to process that this is real, that this happened. Tai lets out a low whistle, his eyebrows shooting up his bald head. He points discretely as if to ask: Luke is under there?Ben can only nod while the scene plays on an endless loop in his mind. He’s still trying to process everything. He’d been there, seen it, but it doesn’t feel real. Not yet. Luke was his uncle, his master, and the last of his family not to turn their back on him.Or, he had been.Their gazes meet, ice hardening in Tai’s crystal blue eyes, and Ben knows his friend believes him. Another weight is lifted–he realizes how afraid he’d been that no one would. Thankfully, he has one friend he can trust, someone to talk to about Luke and how unforgiving he can be. Ben could count on one hand the times he’d managed to please his uncle. The others made similar mistakes and were met with kind understanding.
So much darkness, so much Vader in you.
And, yes, there’s that reminder; each repeated dose of disapproval makes it harder for Ben to master his resentment and anger.Tai leans forward to match Ben’s low tone. “What are we going to do?” he wonders, and Ben feels a sense of resolve. He said we, and Ben’s not sure he’s ever been part of a “we” before.He eyes the small shipyard to the east. In the dim moonlight, he can’t make out his uncle’s old X-wing or his own ship, but he knows they’re there.“You’ll come with me?” Ben questions, a little disbelieving. Tai laughs, smacking Ben’s upper arms and giving him a shake.“Yes, and we’ll start our own temple,” his friend reassures with a smile. Ben slowly smiles back, nodding at Tai’s eager expression when a ship breaks into the atmosphere above, streaking through the sky. The gathering apprentices point, speculations buzzing around them. The Force urges Ben to be on his guard, and he’s thankful for the reassuring weight of his saber in his palm.He feels the familiar call seep in like ink darkening the blood in his veins. The voice from his dreams approaches, calling him to the ship, urging him to flee, to take his place as his grandfather’s heir. After all this time, the voice has come for him, tonight of all nights.Black clouds gather in the sky, shrouding the two moons, and the dark tugs at his heart. The tempting whispers promise power and passion, strength and triumph, family and legacy, and Ben is tempted to reach out, to dip his toe in the mighty waters of the Dark Side.If it wasn’t for Tai’s solid shoulder against his, he may have already turned. With Luke’s betrayal a fresh, open wound, part of him still wants to. Then he remembers the slivers of his dream. He’d broken free. He’d somehow carved out his own path to the light.He could do it again.A cold, slippery press against his mental shields connects like a plug into a power outlet. He hates the feeling of absolute rot inside and the deceptive lure of power, and he loathes the effort it takes to push it from his mind.Ben reinforces his mental shields, fear curling in his gut as the overwhelming presence grows and tries to sway his emotions. He screams in his mind to the dark influence.
“I’m not going with you!”
There is no response as the ship starts its descent. All the apprentices are awake now, having clambered from their beds either at the sound of his hut collapsing or the hum of the approaching ship. Ben feels their fear, surprise, and worry–no one is sure where to find Master Skywalker. Only a handful have lightsabers, and they clearly note their fearless Jedi leader’s absence. Young, hopeful eyes fall on Ben and Tai.Before he can find any words of reassurance, the voice cuts into his mind like a serrated blade, and he braces himself for pain.“You’re mine, boy. Embrace the power of the Dark Side. Become the Master you are meant to be.”A part of Ben accepts this. He’s known the familiar call for a lifetime. Another refuses it, the part that is called to the light, that knows there is peace in the Force, the part that heard her voice.And isn’t that the way he’s always been? Torn. Called to both the light and the dark.Ben shares a look with Tai as he strengthens his connection with the Force. His friend calls his lightsaber and encourages the others to follow his lead with the narrow vibroswords the younger ones use for practice.“Where’s Luke?” some ask. Others declare that this must be a test, but most of them are silent—observing and waiting as a massive command shuttle descends to Ossus.It lands in a whoosh of exhaust, the clouds settling like a dark fog over the lush landscape as the ship lights dim. Anxious quiet fills the roiling air, the energy around the dozen or so padawans zapping with alarm. They form a semicircle, preparing to face the unknown threat.With Luke out of commission, Ben’s the most senior apprentice, followed by Tai. They step forward together, keeping the younglings a few yards back, their blue and green sabers raised to light the dark sky. The slow creak of the descending ship ramp adds to the tension, and Ben watches in awe as a squadron of stormtroopers, he counts twenty soldiers, exits in full First Order armor to form a dual line. Four Praetorian guards follow, their robes blood-red in the ship's yellow light. Next in line are six masked figures, all in black and heavily armored. Ben doesn’t recognize whatever gang or unit they belong to, nor does he see any sigils.Could they be here for Luke?The Force whispers that he should quit fooling himself.A storm brews, the winds whip, and lightning flashes across the sky. A tall, golden-robed sentient of unknown species emerges just as a blast of thunder rings in Ben’s ears. The being’s face is caved in on one side, and its watery blue eyes are intent on Ben.Ben knows before it speaks that this is the source of the voice–the dark voice that has haunted him for years, turning his dreams into nightmares and his confidence to doubt. The Dark Sider, who must be seven feet tall, seems to glide over the wet grass. Ben sees no evidence of armor or weapons, but he supposes the troops have plenty to take on a dozen padawans and two Masters-in-training. Darkness wafts off the creature as if he’s brought the storm, and the rain falls all at once, soaking his robes.“Come.” The command is growled in the rough voice Ben has fought his whole life. “It is time, my noble acolyte.” The condescension drips off each word as watery blue eyes stare into his.Ben lifts his chin and shakes his head once, defiant. He hasn’t come this far to turn back now.The creature gestures, long gold robes rustling in the wind and rain, directing his soldiers with a graceful wave of his hand.
“Bring Solo to me. Kill the rest.”
The creature smiles then, an unnatural, gleeful smirk that twists his features, and the rain comes down harder with another clap of thunder, slanting sharp and cold over Ben’s face.Bile rises in his throat. They have to protect the younglings.Ben doesn’t know if he hears the voice in his ears or his head, or both, but his heart skips a beat as he looks at his friend. Tai gives him a firm nod, a reminder that he’s not alone. His friend clenches his jaw, his stance stretching as if he's about to attack. Ben looks back to find what captured Tai’s attention–a slew of kids with practice swords about to face a platoon of highly trained soldiers. He gestures for them to stay back, to run, but the stubborn, noble defiance of the Jedi shines in their eyes.This would be an excellent time to have a Jedi Master around who didn’t try to murder his underlings in their sleep. And speaking of Luke, R2 seems determined to find him among the ruined hut. With one of his many implements, the droid stacks stones one by one while grumbling a series of irritated beeps.Ben looks away. He can’t count on Luke waking. He can’t count on Luke at all.He allows himself all of five seconds to consider surrender.Realizing the young ones will be targets regardless, Ben straightens his spine, purpose settling in as his eyes harden and his feet mimic his friend's fighting stance. This creature has been in his head, and Ben knows his actions, or lack thereof, summoned him tonight. He’d finally escaped–had that been the catalyst? It no longer matters. This monster is here for Ben, so Ben must keep everyone safe.His saber vibrates with the pressure of his grip as he works to connect with the apprentices over the sounds of the storm. Ben concentrates, ignoring his bare feet and sodden nightrobe, ignoring the panic in the air, and soon the wind and rain fade into the background. They have a major disadvantage, half in their pajamas for kriff’s sake, but they need some semblance of a plan to offset the formations of the troops and guards, and the younglings need out of here.Ben brushes a few minds, finding a thirteen-year-old named Voe who often flies the supply vessel. He commands her to get the smallest of them off-planet and to go to the General. He sends his mother’s private code, repeating it again and again and making Voe repeat it, too. That’s as far as he gets planning-wise before blaster fire blazes through the air like glowing rays of death.Tai and Ben spring into action, turning in unison as the first blows come. Their weapons react automatically, and the blue and green sabers fire red bolts back at their assailants. A few go down, but the volley has just begun, and two sabers are not enough to block every blast. They add their hands as additional shields, shooting bolts away with the Force. The younglings block the few that get past, and Ben realizes they might have a fighting chance.Tai’s green saber is a whirling circle of light, his skills lightning fast and fluid, and Ben joins him in a charge. They can’t keep playing defense with the children only yards away. Ben howls, and Tai’s voice joins his in a crescendo of determination. The black and red knights rush to greet them, their own vibroweapons surprising amalgamations of Imperial, Mandalorian, and First Order tech.Reaching out with his senses, Ben gets lost in each movement. His heart pounds a steady rhythm as he spins, parries, blocks, and thrusts. Time is meaningless, and his muscles ache as he uses both his saber and his free hand to wield the Force. The sky flashes with lightning while blue and green sabers buzz against bright white vibroswords and block red blaster fire.Behind him, the clash of weapons slows as the padawans tire, their blocks becoming less precise and their small circle shrinking. Surounded and outnumbered, they look to Ben with desperation in their young eyes. Sorrow fills the air as the first child cries out and slumps to the earth.Another padawan falls even as Tai lands successful blows, and more join as Ben engages three black-clad knights. Pain fills the frantic energy around him, and the rain starts to pour as if Ossus grieves for the younglings. His only hope is the small group of four who have reached the supply vessel. They still have a chance. He pushes the code through to Voe once more and feels her determination. They’re almost ready to take off.With each fallen soldier and padawan, it feels like a drop of water ripples across the still Force around him, more souls lost in the vastness.Ben’s lips curl as he watches two heavily-armed thugs cheer, seeming to revel in the destruction, surprisingly arrogant and annoyingly smug for grown men who’ve just won a battle against poorly armed children.A Praetorian finishes off the last fighting padawan with a brutal thrust that feels as if it stabs Ben’s heart too. The robed guard turns to the ominous creature, shouting over the storm.“Supreme Leader Snoke, the last of our troopers have fallen, sir! There are only–” he’s cut off as Ben lunges forward, taking his head with a satisfying swipe of his saber.Tai engages a red-masked guard, while the final three knights move to flank Snoke. Ben marches forward, resolving to blow each cowardly piece of bantha fodder off the planet. They can do this, it’s two on five now, and Ben almost feels hopeful. Adrenaline rushes in his ears as he hones in on, he scoffs internally, Supreme Leader Snoke, who stands proudly with a trail of lifeless children in his wake.Ben fights through the remaining knights, using the Force and his saber to take them out one by one until he reaches the man of his nightmares. He blows a final masked figure back, stepping purposefully over each fallen knight, intent on confronting Snoke.A twisted smile curves his thin slit of a mouth, and he peers over Ben’s head as if he is hardly worth notice. Ben’s eyes follow warily, catching the small ship on its retreat from the planet. He sends encouragement to Voe, and his heart sinks when the creature before him raises his hands, sending two streams of Force lightning to the ship as if swatting a bothersome fly.Stupefied, Ben can only stare helplessly as the explosion rips across the Force, the younglings crying out as they take the hit. The ship spins in a dizzying downward spiral until it crashes into the cliffside in a fiery blaze. Grief and sorrow hang heavy in the air, and Ben stumbles forward, rocked by the swell of emotion.A dark chuckle comes from the creature, and a loud, pained grunt escapes Tai. Ben turns, his knees threatening to collapse just as Tai falls, eyes wide and sad, a vibrosword straight through his chest.Rage is a surge, a rising tide that explodes and sparks down to his fingertips. With Snoke’s satisfied glinting eyes physically in front of him, Tai’s lifeforce diminishing, and Luke a murderous bastard, Ben unleashes his anger. Why fight his natural proclivity toward unfiltered fury?He uses his left hand to send Snoke flying until he slams into the side of the ship, then raises his saber, sneering as he feigns a lunge, using the Force to knock Snoke back for a second smack, then quickly cutting off his air supply and watching in amused satisfaction as the creature clasps his long, thin throat with his long, gnarled fingers.The malevolent power is delicious, irresistible… so much power to fill the empty places inside that should be full of camaraderie and connection and peace. He spent his life resisting the dark, and for what? Everyone is gone. He failed them all. Ben harnesses the dark energy, channeling it, fueling his anger, extending his hand and squeezing, intent on inflicting agonizing torment upon Snoke or anyone else foolish enough to get in his path.He will crush him once and for all.“Ben, stop!”He loses his grip on Snoke at the sound of his uncle's scratchy voice. The dark creature gasps and coughs, eventually laughing, throwing his head back as if Luke is right on time. Ben isn’t sure who he most wants to Force choke. He stands between them with his hand raised toward Luke and his saber raised toward Snoke.Luke hobbles closer, rain soaking his hair, beard, and robes. He ignites his green saber and turns it toward Snoke.“You dare to use your influence here?” Luke screams in a raspy growl. “You think to take my nephew? Kill my students?” Luke’s howls of sorrow echo in Ben’s chest, and he doesn’t know what to believe. Luke somehow manages to stare down the massive smirking creature, his saber raised as if to strike.Like with Snoke, Ben feels like an afterthought.Snoke’s resonant voice is mocking as he steps toward Luke. “Twenty years you’ve had the strongest apprentice since Darth Vader under your fumbling fingertips, and still he is torn. So much time in the light has him conflicted and…” He pauses, then spits the next word. “Sentimental.”Snoke takes another long step toward Luke, his hands folded behind his back as if unconcerned with Luke’s threat. “You hold him back.” The creature turns its eyes on Ben. “Join me, and become the most powerful Force user in the galaxy.” Ben feels the Force behind the words, and the seductive pull of the dark wraps around his heart.Luke’s stance shifts, one booted foot dragging across the dirt, the tip of his toe nudging at the robes of Ben’s fallen friend. Tai’s blank eyes stare past him, and Ben watches as he fades, his body slowly twinkling into the Force. Ben feels it again, the call to the dark, growing as the drop of Tai’s life joins the billions before him in the endless ocean that is the Force.Pointless. Meaningless.“Ben!” his uncle calls, his voice uncharacteristically hysterical. Ben’s eyes jerk up without permission to glare at Luke through the driving rain. “Don’t go this way. Let me explain. You’re my nephew; we’ll figure this out. I know what it’s like to struggle.”Ben scoffs, disbelieving. Luke may be a renowned, sage Jedi, but he’s never had faith in Ben. He does look sincere, his face open and covered in scratches, blood running with the rain. He finds his uncle’s eyes tense, yet the same open sky blue he remembers from his childhood. Visions surface, Luke teaching him Force-catch and healing away his scrapes with a wink. He misses that Luke. Ben’s tense expression eases and he looks at his uncle, hurt and vulnerable, a thousand feelings rushing through him.Then the vision shifts and Luke is barking at Ben in angry disappointment, castigating him for letting the dark in, for every mistake, for every loss of his temper. Then, he sees it again, Luke standing over his bed, saber raised and eyes glowing, intent on extinguishing the darkness.On extinguishing Ben.But the choice before him is his own, not Luke’s. He can choose Snoke and a path of anger, hate, and fear or Luke and self-righteousness. He’s tried Luke’s way for twenty years, finding himself rent in two, in constant pain, always fighting for restraint. Snoke’s path leads to pain as well, and the murdering bastard is wrong if he thinks killing his fellow students will convince him to turn.Perhaps he can choose his own path–the freedom to find peace and light, to be unconfined and untorn. He thinks of the connection to the desert planet and the mysterious body he inhabited. That soft voice called out as if just as lost, just as lonely as Ben. Maybe he can find her.Maybe he can still live up to the slew of family he’s failed thus far. Solo, Organa, Skywalker… even his namesake Kenobi comes with weighty expectations. He thinks of the last time he saw his mom, his dad, and his uncle Chewie, and he longs for another chance. He chews at the skin on the inside of his lips, his gaze growing distant as he takes in the massacre around him, his mind searching for a way to leave both of these monsters behind.Finally, Ben looks to each master, his insides as divided as ever. What if Luke snaps again and tries to kill him? What if someday he doesn’t wake up in time? The voice in his mind–this Snoke–he promises power but not peace. Ben won’t join either of them.They both reach out and touch his mind, using their power to influence his thoughts. He snarls, forcing them out with a roar and a glare. He can make his own kriffing decision.He knows what he needs to do.Resolved, he takes a step toward Snoke, who flicks a hand in Luke’s direction, his gnarled fingers stretching and sparking. Ben knows this move, this power. It took out the younglings trying to escape.He doesn’t think, he just moves, his legs kicking off the ground hard as he rushes forward, propelling himself with the Force and stretching his body, saber extended to block the blow. Force lightning cracks in the air, twisting and sharpening from Snoke’s outstretched hands. His uncle braces for the attack too late, his saber half-lifted. In the split second between the moves, Ben intercepts.His saber blocks a dozen streams of lightning, sending them back toward Snoke as his body begins to fall. He reaches his free hand out, bracing for impact as a single blow cracks into his face like a thousand blaster bolts. His cheek is on fire as his body slams to the ground, and the Force whirrs in his ears as his vision grows darker. Instinctively, he reaches out to the Force, trying to find that connection, that one blip of peace he found in his strange dream.His eyes refuse to stay open, and Ben swears he feels her with him as the world fades.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A little further and she’d have it. The metal unit taunts Rey, scant inches out of her reach. Hanging upsidedown with her legs hooked securly to a crossbeam, she gathers her momentum, calms her breath, and swings, giving the unit a tug before her fingers slip away. It’s half out of its socket when a wave of pressure pulses in her head. She loses her grip and closes her eyes against sudden dizziness, feeling as though her limbs are transforming—becoming heavier, longer, and stronger. Strands of wet hair cling to her face, and it smells much more fresh and clean than her own. She can’t identify the scent, but it's rich and pleasing. She brushes a few strands away, then opens her eyes to watch a large pale hand stretch toward the console. She can reach easily!Wait. Rey blinks, her head twisting from side to side but finding nothing unusual save the sense of stretching, like experiencng a sudden growth spurt in a matter of seconds. She knows what dehydration feels like. She’s had sun sickness, too, but this is different. The console before her seems to melt along the edges. The air feels like syrup. Has she been bitten by something? Poisoned? Hallucinations are not a good sign; and this one feels lucid, moving as if she’s controlling it. Ignoring her unease, Rey detaches the unit in a rush hoping to stash it before she succumbs to whatever this is.“Yes!” she cries triumphantly in someone else’s voice, shocking herself and losing her balance. She falls awkwardly, landing hard on steel floor, the wind knocked from her lungs while she keeps the unit safe in her oddly large hand. Rey breathes through the pain, letting it wash over her. Struggling for balance, she stands on unsteady legs, tucking the precious unit in her pack. She is convinced she’ll be fine once she finishes off her canteen, she turns toward the exit. But her balance shifts again as her big, bare - bare? - feet stumble, straining to support her weight. This time, it’s as if she’s stepped off a beam and into a chasm, the world falling out from under her. Sluggish and worn, she fights nausea, curling up on the steel floor to catch her breath, willing the disorientation away. Rey’s heart pounds and her hands shake, but with a solid dose of denial, she closes her eyes and convinces herself that this too will pass.Instead of rest, she finds herself hurtling across the galaxy, caught in an invisible tractor beam. Pressure builds in her mind, threatening to blow her eardrums until, with an audible pop , the air seems to still. She’s floating in a dream, caught in the ebb and flow of a strange stream of starlight.The world snaps into focus, and Rey’s heartrate slows. She’s cozy, her toes free of the grating sand that never fails to make its way into her socks. The feel and smell of soft bedding around her are beyond all her imaginings. The air is cool and clean, and she takes a deep breath as she darts her eyes around a small room. Moonlight filters in through a stone window, and Rey wants nothing more than to stand up, to look around this strange place. She tries to move the large limbs that are suddenly her body, but she’s being tugged gently into unconsciousness. Rey relaxes into it, comfortable in the warm blankets.She should have known it was too good to last. The sounds of peace fade with the light, and a menacing presence fills her head while fear tightens her chest.This is no dream. Close, but other. She gasps in pain, her head splitting as if it’s being pried open quicker than the fuselage of a fallen ship in the Jakku desert. Agitated and woozy, Rey looks around, finding only dark emptiness and echoing memories that aren’t hers. Gradually, as if peeling the layers of an onion back one by one, images appear through a haze of darkness as slick as oil. Foreign emotions slither deeper into her mind in inky tendrils. After a second of hesitation, Rey follows. A handsome man with green-blue eyes and a scruffy beard frowns at Rey, then turns to a small, sad woman. His voice is low, as if speaking the words any louder might make them true. “He has too much Vader in him.”Rey knows that name: Darth Vader, the monster who killed so many before she was born. A Sith of legend and the Emperor's right hand.The same despondent woman floats back into view, her face crumpling, her big brown eyes red with tears. She places her hand on Rey’s shoulder, and a sweet, subtle warmth spreads through Rey’s chest . “You need help, Ben, more than I can give you.” Rey’s heart squeezes at the love in her eyes, and she straightens her spine, determined not to disappoint her. The woman clutches both hands over her heart. “Your Uncle Luke loves you. He understands more than anyone.” Rey’s throat closes, and tears burn her eyes. She’s being sent away.Rey feels the push this time, and she latches onto the swirls of color as a shorter man appears, his deep frown surrounded by a beard sprinkled with gray. He’s pacing, angry, standing over Rey. Guilt seeps into Rey’s gut. She’s disappointed him. Again.Foreign emotions twist in her stomach. She feels like a voyeur, spying on someone’s private memories. Whatever the man is about to say is lost as Rey wills the connection closed, sending a commanding “no” along the dark path. With this person's memories at hand, she knows it will work. There is power here, power she can touch, and taste, and use . It’s part of her. It’s part of him. It's part of everything.A Force, like in the stories of the Jedi.The darkness around lightens, the swirls slow, and it’s almost pretty for a moment until the oppressive force returns with a renewed vigor. Rey is falling then, pressed into the vacuum of a collapsing star that’s beckoning and stretching her every molecule.She rebuffs the rotten feeling with the same forceful push, and the wispy dark fades. The world around her moves forward while emptiness greets her. Where is she? Who is she? Rey knows this isn’t her dream, or her bed, or her memories.Like the shift of a shadow, a foreign presence fills the space, creeping in before surging in a whirlwind. Pain tears through her skull as she thrashes in the sheets. She cannot stop this much power. Her instincts scream to run, hide, flee , but she’s dragged back into the darkness. “Who have I found in young Solo’s mind?” booms a voice, omnipresent as if echoing from every direction of the nebula in which she’s trapped. Rey twists and turns, trying to find the source, but it’s no use. She feels like a fly stuck in an intangible web, a myriad of spider eyes looking at her from every direction. Her own reflection seems to spark in their gaze and she finds an infinite number of “Reys" staring back at her. “Is…anyone there?” She calls out, her voice echoing as all the other Reys repeat her words. But so too does another voice that is deep and distant, not the cruel voice from earlier. She hears it as if from a great distance, her words in a singular male voice, threading through the dark like a beam of light shining through the fog. Until it's doused by black. The eerie voice interrupts, calm and curious, strange and chilling. “What is your place in all this?” She doesn’t answer. She wouldn’t even if she knew.Rey can feel his hot anger surge around her. It clashes with the sudden cold needle that slices into her head and pulses down her spine. She’s the only Rey affected, and the other reflections fade until only the voice registers. “You’re a scavenger?” The taunting words cut into her. Rey feels the power, observing it, touching it. She has to try again while the voice is busy mocking her.
“You’re no one, and yet you found a way here. Impressive.”
Rey’s heart pangs at the cruel reminder, and as the power radiates in her mind, she follows it back to the source. She pushes, mirroring what was done to her after the voice’s painful demonstration, sensing she pushed hard enough when she hears a distant howl of pain. More memories that are not hers fly through her mind, not those of a child but those of a monster. She sees innocents dying with a twist of a contorted finger. She sees soldiers fighting to the death, the backdrop a single, cruel chuckle. She doesn’t want to go deeper but she can’t stop, slipping into the void. Snoke, they called him, not born but created, pieces sewn together and others resurrected with some downright spooky rituals—a being raised in the darkness, his master twisting his mind just as he strove to twist this person he called young Solo . Rey feels Snoke’s childlike desire for any bit of affection grow into a well of devotion to one cause–the dark side of the Force. His master snuffed out Snoke’s light until all that remained was a rotten husk with carved-out pieces as much on the inside as out. She can’t help the wave of pity that follows. At this Snoke snears, shoving her out of his mind with howl. Rey wakes to another unwelcome sight. A robed man hovers over her, glaring and shaking and wearing Jedi robes, clenching what looks like a real lightsaber hilt in his hand. She feels the familiar, slippery, cold influence surging inside the older Jedi, and she pinches her eyes closed, reaching out again to feel for the new power and yelling into the void to will herself– Solo –awake.
Wake up!
Wake up, wake up, wake up!
Come back!
In a blink, she's squinting into the bright Jakku sun, and the annoying sensation of sand in her boots is almost reassuring. She finds herself standing with her pack in her grip. What the kriff just happened? It’s as if she was adrift in a waking dream before being pulled into someone else’s nightmare.Has the heat finally caught up to her? Has the sun fried her senes? Has she gone mad? It seems like anyone who stays in Jakku long enough goes soft in the mind. She doesn’t think she’s hallucinating, though. It all felt too real. Rey frowns, remembering the visions, hoping that whoever Solo is, he'll be okay. The man standing over him looked absolutely deranged, not to mention the monster that haunted his mind. ☯ Luckily, Rey makes it back to the outpost in time to trade, collecting three whole portions and two canteens with the help of her newfound power. A subtle suggestion and a press into Unkar’s mind were all it took before he nodded and accepted her offer with a robotic grunt. “These are worth… three portions.”Holding back a snicker, Rey leaves the outpost, eager to return to her walker where her old BTL Y-wing display waits. She uses it like her own personal tutor, learning numerous languages and practicing flight simulations. If she’s lucky, it might hold some answers about the Jedi, this Snoke person, or the power she’d somehow known how to use thanks to someone else’s memories.Or maybe she did have sunstroke and Unkar was in an unusually good mood. The afternoon’s lucid dreams were impossible to process, her memories more feeling than substance. Four names remain–Solo, Snoke, Ben, and Luke. She recalls an image of a sadly beautiful woman and a gruff-looking man with tired eyes. She wishes this were her family, that the Force had somehow brought her to them, but a feeling tells her otherwise.Maybe Ben is Solo; the woman was clearly talking to him, and he seemed devastated about Uncle Luke's potential help. Ben Solo. It's as good a name as any, she supposes. Packing up her speeder, Rey returns to her sorry excuse for a home, stowing the items she means to keep, hiding her precious portions, and heading back outside to set her traps.Just as she sets the final net, pain erupts like a hammer to her face, agony lighting up every nerve with shocks of electricity like sharp nails digging into her cheek. The shock blasts her face, neck, and chest like buring lightning. She collapses, writhing on the sand, and for one single moment, she thinks she could die from the pain—as if the forces of nature had conspired to strike her down. She wants out , away, but she’s stuck now, silently screaming, aware of nothing but pain until she’s aware of nothing at all. ☯ As consciousness creeps back into Rey’s throbbing skull, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed for the second time in a day, her face a torrent of agony. Her hands fly to her cheek, and she winces at the hot pain, fingers brushing a Bacta patch that feels sunken into her cheek . Anxiety grips her heart. Where is she? How did she get here? And who dared to shoot her in the face? She tries to clear her foggy thoughts, but the feeling of having her face bludgeoned by a Wookiee with a hammer remains.Odd that she’d be injured, considering she was last hauling the day’s stash and has no memory of an attacker. No one had been around, of that she’s certain. The hum of an engine and the repetitive beat of a heart monitor are the only sounds she hears as she braves an unfocused look around what appears to be the med bay of a starship. Everything is shiny durasteel, much too bright, the overhead lights intent on boring into her brain.Her pulse ticks up rapidly when an old, blue-and-white R2 unit beeps from her left, its robotic noises oddly annoyed. Next to the R2 unit is a Med-droid with a shining bald head, huminoid frame, and illuminated yellow eyes in large sockets, indicating it was scanning.“Remain calm. You have a concussion–” The rest of the droid’s words are lost as Rey looks out the small viewport and sees the stars zooming by at hyperspeed. Circling swirls of starlight remind her of her earlier visions, and she worries this is another hallucination.Seriously, where is she? Had she passed out? Surely she couldn’t have been kidnapped. They wouldn’t keep her in a med bay if she were to be sold to a salvage crew or a pleasure house. Was the outpost attacked? Nausea rolls in her stomach, sweat drips down her spine, and kriffing hell her face hurts. She shouldn’t have opened her eyes. The R2 unit and the med-droid fuss over her, their concern adding a dash of bitterness and a generous helping of loneliness to the stew that is now her damaged brain.“Please lie back. It is time for your second pain relief injection. You will feel a pinch,” the tall, thin med-droid cautions, and the prick in Rey’s upper arm is nothing, really, but she shrieks when she looks on, finding a large, pale, muscled arm that is not her own extending out from a medgown. She wants to blame the pain meds, and she would if this hadn’t already happened today with her hair and her feet and her voice… Trying to sit up is fruitless as the room spins. Panicking, she looks for a receptacle, taking one from the R2 unit before she loses the meager contents of her stomach. She’s gagging into it when the door opens with an electric swoosh. Normally, she’d be up and out of her chair searching for her staff, or anything to use as a potential weapon, including the droids if need be–but she couldn’t get out of the bed if someone offered her a million portions. Spitting unceremoniously, she looks up to find big brown eyes on the nervous-looking face of a man she guesses isn’t much older than her, but she’s really quite unsure as her vision is dancing with purple spots.When she blinks to clear them, a cool cloth is placed in her hand, and she holds it to her forehead, grateful, hoping to dispel the queasiness. “Take it easy there, big guy,” the man says. Her stomach drops as his words prompt her to look down at her body. She’s fairly certain of what she will find, but is also hoping she’s delirious with pain or quality meds or both.Nope. There they are: long legs and big, socked feet that are certainly not hers. Her hand finds her hair, the soft, silky strands thicker and shorter than her own, and a sniff confirms her suspicions. The same rich, unknown aroma she remembers from her fall during today’s scavenge fills her nostrils.Is it still “today?” Is this reincarnation? Cloning gone wrong? Why does she remember everything about her life if she’s in someone else’s body? One moment she’s Rey, then she blinks, and she’s not.As she mentally catalogs symptoms of heat stroke, trying to make that diagnosis fit this insanity, the man speaks again.“I hope you don’t mind having to take your ship,” he says, looking out the viewport for a quick assessment. “She’s really something. R2D2 set up the autopilot, thank the stars, or we’d have been stuck on Ossus. And after…” the man trails off, his eyes distant. “Well, you know, you were part of the battle.”Rey stares through heavy lids as she only half comprehends. What battle? Ossus could be a moon on this big, pleasant-smelling body’s ass for all she knows. The man scratches the side of his head, looking behind him and then to the side before pulling over a stool to sit. He rubs his hand down his weary face before he shakes his head. Brown eyes meet hers, and she blinks against dizziness, trying to study the man’s face.“Alright, I’m going to level with you here. I, uh, well,” he winces, leaning back as if he felt safer being out of arm’s reach. “I was part of Snoke’s forces.” Fidgeting with his collar, he studies her as if expecting a specific kind of response. Her muddled mind reaches for the name. Snoke, the monster in the dream that wasn’t hers. Her brows wrinkle together, sending shocking pain radiating down her face and along her neck. Right, no moving her face. She corrects herself. His face.A thousand questions rest on the tip of her tongue, but she can’t seem to form a sentence.The man gives a snort, his entire frame deflating in relief.“You took that news a lot better than I thought you would,” he says with an easy smile. He’s cute when he’s not looking so worried, his big brown eyes smiling, too. “I’m FN-2187. What’s your name?”“My name is Re-” She stops, wishing she were more surprised when her voice emerges crisp and pleasing but with a hard, deep timbre. Her jaw smarts as she winces against the unexpected sound. The med-droid interjects, addressing Finn in a formal monotone.“This is Ben Solo of Houses Organa and Solo. Age twenty-eight. Species: human. Homeworld: Chandrila. Residence: Ossus.” The R2 unit gives a long whistle, as if this news impresses him. The med-droid moves forward to reach a metal hand toward Rey’s cheek, touching the patches where her face burns. The touch is feather-light, and the cooling patches are nice, but the wound is too tender, and she twists out of reach. Rey’s head spins again, her bafflement growing as she considers that after five seconds she knows more about Ben Solo’s origins than her own.Her new human companion replies in a low tone. “That explains why Snoke wanted you so badly... and how well you fight.”“What happened to me?” she whispers, hoping this FN chap has more answers.“I found you like this on Ossus,” FN explains, gesturing to her prone body. “Man, you must have been hit with something brutal.” He stares at her face–Ben Solo’s face. “Uh…obviously. Anyway, I was, uh, hiding,” he rushes on as if talking faster will cover his admission. “There were only a few solid bodies left when I ventured out to find a ship, and you were the only one breathing.” He winces. “I’m sorry if you lost people—” he trails off. “You’re lucky to be alive.” Rey nods for him to continue. What she really needs to know is how she ended up on Ossus and where they are now.“It was surreal,” FN says. “...a misty field of empty Jedi robes and dead First Order operatives. The Knights of Ren were just piles of armor. Snoke’s command shuttle was obliterated.” His gaze drifts off her face, his pupils blowing wide and she knows he’s seeing whatever happened on Ossus. He’s there, and not here with her. Her arm moves to reach across the distance to FN, but it flops uselessly off the bed. Kriff. Quality meds, indeed.FN jerks back as if the hand is about to attack before he gives a tense chuckle. With quick movements, he places her hand back on the bed and gives it an awkward tap, backing away when the job is done.“Right, well, I’ll let you rest.” FN stands, knocking into his stool, catching it, and twisting awkwardly. “Let you heal, and uh, check on our flight path.” He gives another awkward chuckle. “We’re heading to Mustafar until things settle down.” Now, wait just a minute. Rey tries to sit up, but her new body must be broken in more ways than the one, and she watches as FN walks backward toward the door, shrugging in her direction. “It was the closest hiding spot I knew of, with the abandoned Empire base. They say even General Hux won’t go there. The lava people are… selective about who they allow in the caves.” He turns to rush out the door. Rey wants to stop him, but so many questions fight for dominance she fails to articulate a single one. Then he’s gone, and Rey sags, her spinning head trying to make sense of the unbelievable. “Please lie back and rest, sir,” the med-droid advises. With a groan, Rey closes her eyes and tries to determine what she knows. She knows her mind, or soul, or something is in the body of Ben Solo. She knows FN is way too nervous. He may have saved her life…. She should probably say thank you, come to think of it, but he’s holding back. She’s on a ship bound for Mustafar, and she can’t even picture it on a star chart. Lava people?All she really figures is that FN is a coward. He hid for the battle in which she—Ben–was injured, and FN is hiding now, clearly switching sides.It doesn’t sound like a bad thing, him leaving Snoke, but loyalty is something she values. Although his was clearly misplaced, it could easily shift again.The medication seeps into Ben’s blood until his big body goes limp. She fears sleep and this body's propensity for terrible nightmares. Eyes drooping, Rey fights the pull, afraid, but she sinks deeper nonetheless. ☯
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In time, Ben’s eyes flutter open, and he’s almost blinded by the unexpected brightness. He lifts his head, gasping as he processes the sun burning into his skin and endless sand in every direction. He is sprawled out on his back, a bundle of ship parts at his side along with a metal staff. He stands unsteadily, peering across red-orange dunes toward a fallen AT-AT.Refusing to believe his eyes, he looks around for Snoke, his uncle, Tai, and the others. His heart aches with the memory despite its panicked thumping. He searches for any clue as to where he is or why. There are no obvious signs of civilization, no distance markers in sight, but there are lifeforms nearby. This surely isn’t Ossus with its sandy ridges and treeless landscape. Ben can think of about twenty desert planets off the top of his head. He could be anywhere.What in the living kriff happened? If his last memory is correct, he should be dead or at least in a significant amount of pain. The voice, Snoke, had been queuing up Force lightning as if it were as easy as making a rock float, and Ben had taken a blow to his face. Reaching tentatively for his cheek, his fingers search as his breathing halts. He feels no imprint of the blow, no pain, but he also doesn’t feel any scruff, and why is his nose suddenly so small? Ben’s heart races. He reaches for his hair, finding it tied back in a row of three small buns.Sweat gathers on his back while fear prickles at his temples. He brings his hands before his eyes and finds them dainty, calloused, and, most notably, not his. This is all kinds of wrong.Words and thoughts flee, and any attempt to make sense of the situation leaves Ben feeling like the ground below is morphing into quicksand.One step at a time. Adjusting his slick foreign palms, Ben picks up the pack and staff and continues toward what strangely feels like home. At the thought, his once articulate tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth.This is someone’s home.It will have to do for now. He’s hot, sweaty, tired, and achy. At a minimum, the transport should provide shelter from the sun. A painful lurch in his stomach tells him he should also look for food. Now that his attention is focused on it, he realizes he isn’t just peckish, as if he knows it’s almost time for a meal, rather he feels a pit of gnawing emptiness, a constant yearning for nourishment as if she’s always been hungry.He stops his trudge, mulling the word “she” for about two seconds until it clicks. She was the girl he thought he’d dreamed, or hallucinated, before this whole nightmare of an evening began. She was the body his brain somehow inhabited.Looking down, his suspicions are confirmed. Oh kriffing hell, he has breasts. He has….quite lovely breasts, subtle curves bound below a faded tunic.Or rather, she does.Ben looks away, feeling guilty for admiring them given the circumstances, his eyes drawn to small feet wearing what can barely be called boots, judging by worn soles and the amount of sand in his socks at present.With panic sending a jolt down his spine, Ben instinctively reaches for the Force, desperately trying to center himself and make sense of such bizarre circumstances.The Force responds, its soothing spirit greeting him not as a reluctant ally but as a trusted friend. His eyes sting as he thinks of Tai, and a few hot tears fall as he lets himself grieve while soaking up the comforting Force energy around him. It dances almost playfully over his skin, seemingly intent on unraveling the knots of his anxiety. His first reaction is a rush of triumph. Reaching for the Force without anger has always been a challenge for Ben, but it surrenders to him now with an ease that feels as natural as breathing.His second reaction is jealousy. Is this what she feels when she uses the Force? The energy thrumming through her is as fluid as calligraphy, each pulse a letter delicately inked in perfect balance.There’s no tear here, no jagged fault line between the dark and the light. Yes, the dark is there at the edges, but it’s not clamoring for attention every blasted second.For a moment, Ben entertains the absurd thought that he could get used to this. He has a feeling he’s getting the better end of the deal despite finding himself in a desert in the middle of nowhere. If he is in her body, it stands to reason she is in his. And in that case, how injured is his body? Where is it? Until they can somehow fix this, Ben imagines she will not be happy with the state of his face.And what of Luke? Would he find her - or rather, Ben’s body? Would his mother? Surely she would hear of the attack.Suppose Snoke’s lightning had zapped Ben’s body and pushed his soul into another person–and vice-versa. In that case, it’s likely that people, including his parents, will think he’s gone mad and possibly refer him for a psychiatric evaluation. Or worse, Luke will have him meditating eighteen hours a day.Ben’s scoff is lighter than anticipated. As if he’d ever train with Luke again. His Master, his uncle, tried to kill him. Ben shouldn’t be giving him a second thought.If he was pushed from his body with his death. In that case, what happened to the girl? Had she really gotten the raw end of the deal and experienced his end? He gets sunlight and freedom, ease with the Force, and soft breasts while she gets… his oafish, scarred body before crossing to the other side? No, no, he would have felt it, wouldn’t he? He’s distracted by a hint of suspicion tingling up his spine.The Force urges caution, and Ben slows his steps, searching for signs of danger.Ah, clever girl. Ben feels a wave of respect for his body double. A trip wire stretches below the sand approximately four inches from his foot, invisible to his eyes but luckily not to the Force, and he senses it just in time to halt in his tracks a yard from the transport’s steel door.Ben follows the wire until he finds the fuse box, disengaging what appears to be a mostly-patched electric net with the strangest combinations of materials he’d ever seen. Ben lets the Force take control as he reengages the electric net. He spends a long minute disengaging one wire after another until he’s finally walking into a makeshift home, ducking through the doorway out of habit, not used to his currently smaller frame.When he opens the door, a cascade of emotion threatens to buckle Ben’s knees, his mind a confusing conflagration of both his and her feelings as he takes in the small space: his pity at the state of her meager belongings, her comfort and security in the shelter she’s made her home, his awe that he’s here, in this place, in this body.Her care for her space shows in every corner. He spies a hammock strung between two crossbeams and more neatly stacked piles of scavenged parts than he can count. They line the dwelling, arranged in every possible category, from ship parts to tools to microchips. Everything is second- or third-hand, remade, reworked, or restored.Ben eyes the scavenger’s staff, the metal welded together with care, and wonders if it’s her most valuable possession. Its heft is reassuring as he struggles to grasp his situation. He’s hesitant to put it down.He reaches for his belt despite knowing he won’t find his saber. More tears gather as he takes the final steps inside and secures the door behind him. Time itself seems to slow as his new reality settles over him like a second skin. This is her home, no matter its unusual design, and while today’s unbelievable circumstances should leave him reeling and raging, he feels refuge here, safe in a surreal realm of calm.She has no personal items on display, and Ben thinks it likely that any valuable possessions are hidden away. Still, the transport was secured for a reason; he prefers not to be surprised by raiders too.Hopefully, he can find water or food.As he scans the room, his eyes land on the far wall. He’s drawn to it, reaching out, one trim finger tracing one of the thousands of tally marks etched into the surface.Pain and uncertainty radiate from the symbols, yet in the midst of pity, Ben recognizes strength and tenacity, as if each mark stands as a testament to both endurance and vulnerability. He kept similar marks in his journal, another lost item, almost twenty year’s worth to be precise.Turning away, a thrill of curiosity cuts through Ben’s anxiety when he discovers an old BTL display. Kneeling directly in front of the screen, Ben flicks it on with the eagerness of a padawan wielding their first lightsaber.What will he learn about his counterpart? A name would be a start, along with a location.Another wave of unease shifts his thoughts, and he finds himself distracted by a vivid memory.A familiar blend of odors, metallic with a hint of ozone, tells him he’s on the Falcon as he takes in the scene. He was probably eight at the time, weeks from being shipped off to Ossus and Uncle Luke. He’d gone on a supply run with his father and Chewie, needing a break from his mother’s tears.Underneath the metallic notes, a comforting aroma lingers. To a young Ben, Han Solo smelled of strength and swagger and well-worn leather, while Uncle Chewie smelled of cozy hideaways and freshly-washed linen. As they made the jump to hyperspeed, Chewie’s big paw clamped down on Ben’s back, yanking him close until his face pressed against surprisingly soft fur. Ben had pounded his skinny arms on Chewie to let go, but deep down, he appreciated the friendly touch.His low growl was unmistakable in its sincerity. “You’ll holo or comm if you need anything, you got that?” Another pound on Ben’s back drove the point home.Gasping for a breath, a young Ben looked up at his larger-than-life, war-hero uncle and nodded.Now, Ben can’t help but wonder if he should try to contact him. He knows the code to the Falcon. That is, if his father hadn’t lost his beloved ship again.He searches the transport more thoroughly, finding no help, when the Force pulses a warning. Switching off the BTL, Ben moves to the cracked double-paned window. A duo of wrapped raiders are stopped on speeders in the distance, hovering over the crest of a sand dune. Ben frowns as one shakes their head, pointing in his direction. He calls to the Force, and with a wave, he urges the two visitors to move on. Their speeders rev, and they skim over the sand, leaving a trail in their wake.His stomach cramps. Her stomach, anyway, and when he touches his flat middle, he finds his hands shaking.How can a person go so long without eating? He can feel it in the tremble of his legs. Ben needs to find her food stash. He takes a breath, centering himself, trying to connect with this body. Nudges from the Force have been helpful so far.Clearly, this body is accustomed to following the Force instinctively.Yet, as he reaches out, he doesn’t get any unique tinglings or urges and ends up with no clue where to start. He taps his toe along the metal flooring, lifting off a few that wiggle only to find machine parts, tools, and in one, a slew of tan wraps that she clearly uses for clothing. He is hoping for a journal or something personal to try and narrow the gulf between them.He pries up the next loose panel, finding little ration packets he’s only seen in emergency med kits. Ben’s small fingers pinch at the first one: poly-starch insta-bread. He’ll need water to activate it. His dry lips press together as he pushes it aside to inspect the next package. It’s a green gel-like substance in three distinct sections.
Joy.
Ben peels the plastic easily, her fingers much quicker and more dexterous than his own in separating the pieces. The first section jiggles out into his palm. He tips it into his mouth eagerly, chewing and swallowing half of it before his spine straightens, and he's overcome with a great shiver of revulsion. He gags, his body torn between accepting the nutrients or tossing her entire stomach contents.He winces, forcing the rest of it down with a dramatic scowl, then looks at the other two clumps still in the packet. If he wasn’t starving he’d toss it, but instead, he decides to manage them without chewing. He removes the other two, tearing them into smaller parts before swallowing them like medicine. They taste marginally better–more like sawdust than moss.With a curled lip, Ben moves to put the poly-starch packet back in the floor cubby when he spots a divot at the bottom. It’s just big enough for his fingernail, small as it is now, and he pries it up to find her actual food stash. He pales, knowing what he just ate was probably expired and simply there to deter or trick a quick thief into leaving without her real stash.“Kriff,” he mutters, surprised when his voice rings out feminine and smooth. He studies her accent, noting a subtle Coruscanti inflection. “My name is Ben,” he tries, and it sounds ridiculous, talking to himself in someone else’s voice. But his name is soft on her tongue, and he wishes he could divine her name. “Who are you?” he asks, but neither she nor the universe answer.In her real stash are a handful of portions and three canteens of water. He pulls one out, downing the entire thing in a long chug before licking his lips so as not to waste a single drop. It has a metal tang to it but this he accepts with gratefulness.In seconds his stomach rolls and he whimpers as a new kind of cramp hits him. Ben had been too hungry to question things, and he hopes her stomach is strong enough to handle expired gel portions. His nose crinkles as a wave of discomfort clenches inside his gut. He rights her hiding spot, putting back the empty bottle and the false bottom.Then, with a twisting stomach, he moves to her hammock, slipping into the bed with a groan. He’d love a shower but just thinking about the effort makes him hot. Where would he go? Who could he ask? How would he pay?Instead, he finds a comfortable position and closes his eyes. His little hands rest on his midsection, and he lets them glide up over trim ribs to the small mounds of her breasts, closing his eyes as the bed sways under his weight. If he squeezes and fondles, it’s just to soothe himself to sleep.As he drifts off, he wonders if perhaps he’ll wake up as himself.☯His body double is a total nerd.Hours later, Ben is no closer to discovering the girl’s name, but he knows her browser history. He shakes his head as he flips through the digital menu on her restored BTL. There's no sign of who she is nor any Galactic GEOpositioning or Starmaps. He could be on any number of desert planets.The screen shows hundreds of hours of flight simulations, ship repair tutorials, and even more hours of language lessons on the popular GalacticGabber program. According to the progress bars, the girl can speak Binary, Huttese, Jawa, Teedo, Shyriiwook, Basic, and dozens more. Why is she living here? She could make a fortune as a translator. He himself could manage some Binary thanks to R2, and he could understand Shyriiwook even if he could hardly speak it.Ben opens his mouth to see if he can access her knowledge–Uncle Chewie would be impressed if Ben finally learned to speak his bizarre language–and he wonders if he imagines the voice that comes, muffled but familiar, through the steel walls.“Wharrrr!”Ben is on his feet at the unmistakable howl. A small peephole shows two familiar figures sprawled under his body double’s electric net.It couldn’t be.In the twist of cosmic comedy that was this day, Ben stumbles through the door to a sight that defies all reason and leaves him just as dumbfounded as when he woke in a woman’s body.There, caught in the very trap he’d reset, are the last two people he would expect to find.Ben is running out of ways to process more emotions than he’s ever allowed himself to feel, mostly torn between bewilderment and wonder.“Dad?” blurts Ben, staring down at the two struggling smugglers, watching his father twist against the heavy weight. Were they here for him? Hope sparks in his chest, dimming when his next thought is to wonder if they came for her.Helping them disengage the net, Ben watches in shock as Chewie shakes off a mountain of sand, and a whimsical giggle (oh, kriff, he did not intend that sound) escapes Ben’s throat unbidden.The Force had lost its mind. First his Uncle Luke, then the girl, and now his family? Would his mother magically appear with hugs and cookies next?“Okay, Uncle Chewie?” Ben asks as his surrogate uncle steps closer, big brown eyes studying his (her) face. A mirror would be nice, come to think of it.Chewie stands over him, even taller than usual to Ben’s newly reduced stature. One paw points to Ben while the other rests on the blaster at his hip.His uncle’s yell echoes over the sands. “What the hell is going on?”A few feet away, Han’s expression is almost sad, as if he hadn’t found what he’d been looking for. “Listen, sweetheart,” his dad says with an easy smile.Ben grimaces at the endearment, struggling to find the words to explain. His dad is holding his hands up in a sign of peace, and Chewie’s height is all the intimidation he needs.“I’m looking for my son. Chewie, pull a picture up on the holo, will you?”“Dad, it’s me,” tries Ben, the words a weak explanation to his ears. How could he make them believe? Chewie offers his arm, his mini holo flashing a younger, green-screen image of Ben.“I know what I used to look like! That’s me, I mean, it was me.”Chewie and Han share a look, and Ben huffs and tries again.“It’s a long story, but I was injured, and I woke up here. I know it’s crazy. Just…ask me something. Anything.”His father’s voice is skeptical, but he’s not laughing him off.“You’re saying you’re Ben Solo.”“Yes,” he replies, though his feminine voice doesn’t help prove his case.Chewie grumbles, complaining that she could be some kind of mind-reading creature and that she should tell them what she knows.“Okay,” he agrees. “Okay….” He takes a breath, letting it all out in one great jumble. “I’m Ben Solo. I was on Ossus until today, training at Uncle Luke’s, um, the Jedi Temple. I’ve spent most of the past twenty years there, and I haven’t seen you for almost five. You came for Mom and Uncle Luke’s name day celebration. Uncle Chewie, you taught me how to use the cannons on the Falcon. Before I left, you told me I could always call if I needed you. Dad, you gave me your lucky dice the same day. They’re still on Ossus,” along with his ship, his calligraphy set, his saber, his journal, and hopefully, his body.A sudden realization strikes him then, and a sick feeling settles in his stomach. What if Snoke has her? If Luke fell, which Ben may not have felt because he’d passed out, and Snoke prevailed, he would have taken Ben alive. A cold chill settles in his blood. The sick paths of his dreams all lead back to the powerful Sith. He could be torturing her or forcing his way into her mind and dicing her up on the inside.How strong is she with the Force? After observing Snoke’s power, Ben isn’t sure it matters.His father’s eyes are as big as Chewie’s, understanding flashing there as if he can see right into Ben’s panic, and then one side of Han’s mouth curves up in a lopsided grin that makes Ben’s heart squeeze.“You look… very pretty, son,” Han declares, his eyes crinkling. Ben stills, his chaotic thoughts pausing before he rolls his eyes, and he wonders how it looks on her face. Of course, his father would joke at a time like this.Chewie nods emphatically, piling on and bemoaning the loss of Ben’s admittedly fabulous hair. “I think you have a pleasant figure,” he hoots in Shyriiwook, his snicker a great, heaving guffaw.Ben doesn’t necessarily disagree, but he shakes his head, walking between the two.“You’re telling your mother,” his father hastens to add. “I wouldn’t know how to begin. But first, let’s get off this planet.”“Whurrhh,” agrees Chewie.Ben has a million questions, but he starts with a simple one. “Where are we, anyway?”“Nowhere,” replies Han, while Chewie explains that this is the planet of Jakku.Jakku. She’s from the Western Reaches.But then, no one is from Jakku. Her accent is evidence.“The Falcon’s not far,” his dad explains. “I imagine you have quite a story to tell us.” Ben accepts an awkward pat on the back from his dad, about to ask how in the world they ended up here in the first place, when he seems to lose his footing and an invisible vice tightens around his thoughts. Instead of finding hard-packed sand underfoot, he steps as if from a ship into open space, floating in a vacuum until his mind goes dark.When he blinks awake, his body is heavy, sore as if he’d run Luke’s obstacle course for hours, and he’s in a fog of what must be pain injections judging by the white-hot throb of agony in his cheek. The smells of leather, linen, and sun on the sand are replaced by the smell of Bacta, and Ben’s heart races as a familiar series of beeps greet him.“Welcome back, Benny,” snarks R2. No one but R2 calls him Benny. Ben has learned to ignore it; if he complains, the droid would deliberately beep the name more often.Ben looks down, finding his own, long, socked feet sticking out from a blanket. He’s lying back on a reclined med chair in a med bay he’d recognize anywhere. Uncomfortable, itchy bandages are affixed to his face, and he’s wearing a standard gown.This is his ship, and neither he nor R2 are piloting it.Ben sighs. He’d just found his father, or rather, his father had just found him, and now, apparently, he and the girl have switched back. There is a moment of relief that she is alive and his body safe, and long moments of wondering what she thinks of all this.Did she even wake? He couldn't have been on Jakku more than a few hours.Yes, the Force has lost its mind.Resigned, Ben turns his sore face to the droid. “Where are we, R2?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Rey wakes, the med-droid offers her another pain injection. She’d like to decline, considering the fog in her aching skull, but the pain is worse than the haziness, so she reluctantly accepts, along with a generous bottle of water from R2. It’s so cool and fresh she has to force herself to take small sips.Since FN hasn’t returned, Rey appreciates a few moments to study her new, and hopefully temporary, body. She examines Ben’s hands first. His fingers are pale, much longer and thicker than her own, which makes sense considering his almost two-meter height. Smooth skin and clean nails are marred only by a single callus at the base of his thumb. She wonders if it’s where he grips a weapon, and she brushes over it with her other fingers. She has a similar callus from her staff.Before she can explore more of her massive new frame, Ben’s internal alarm tells her it’s time to empty her bladder. Well, his bladder, in his male body.
Oh, come on.
Maybe she can hold it. Or, maybe she can aim without having to actually hold it.As the seconds tick by, subtle discomfort grows from a gentle nudge to unrelenting urgency.The red sign for a single ‘fresher blinks at her mockingly, and she gives in, shifting to sit up, thankful for the pain meds even with the spinning feeling it leaves in her head as she moves. A single dose once cost her two days worth of portions on Jakku. She’d had a minor disagreement with an engine cylinder and a crankshaft which resulted in two broken fingers.“Take it slow, miss,” the R2 unit beeps. Rey nods, shuffling in socked feet to the ‘fresher door and locking it, lest FN catch her trying to operate her new equipment.Rey presses the control to lift the seat, doing a little dance as she hesitates for a few more moments. It should be no big deal, really. Everyone had to pee. Oh, Maker, if she was in his body, and he was in hers, he could see…he could touch…Dammit!An image of her body walking around the outpost with another person’s brain piloting the ship makes her head spin, and the idea of that brain cataloging every one of her flaws is equally disturbing.Rey fumbles with the ties of her med robe, the navy blue garment the only thing separating Ben’s bare form from her view. With a deep breath, she opens the ties and looks down.She’s incredibly fit. Well, he is. Her hand runs down well-defined pecs and hard abs that are sprinkled with dark hair. Eager to explore but more eager to pee, Rey aims as best she can with her hips and lets out a super stream of urine. Kriff, she could cut through metal with this. At least the mechanics are simple. Guys had it so easy. Funny that the first cock she gets to see up close is kind of… her own. His, but temporarily hers? Oh, kriff. She has a cock!Yes, Rey, you’re pissing from your very own cock. She can’t help a grin, despite the circumstances, because it's all so outrageous, and honestly, she must still be dreaming…A second later, another impossible truth causes Rey’s heart to skip a beat. Did that droid call her miss? No way, R2 couldn’t possibly know, it’s too crazy to believe and it’s happening to her.Rey gives her hips a little wiggle, shaking the dew off the lily, so to speak, and she laughs at the flop of her dick against her thigh, surprising herself when a rich, pleasing male chuckle escapes instead, a kind of ha-ha-ha with a slight bark to it. She ties her robe and finishes her clean-up, disappointed there’s no mirror. While Ben has a nice laugh and an equally nice body, she wouldn’t mind a look at his face. Still, she could test out Ben’s voice with a few questions for R2. Her big, socked steps exit the ‘fresher, and she glances around the room until her eyes fall on the R2 unit.The droid is dusty, with heat stains on its front and sides that make the silver dome cap look gray in places. She closes the gap between them. As she towers over the droid she realizes she finally has the height for intimidation. Rey points Ben’s big finger and narrows her eyes.“You know!” she accuses in her deep, man voice, and the R2 unit makes a whirring noise she interprets with a scowl. Her expression tugs on her face bandage, and she resists a wince as it still smarts. “I don’t care, you’re going to tell me what the kriff is going on, or so help me, I will reprogram your Binary box to translate every beep into Hutteese.”The low, grumbled beeps that emit from the droid don’t need interpretation. ☯ If her head was spinning earlier, it’s a veritable sandstorm now that she’s gathered some much-needed information. Ben Solo is training to be a Jedi, like his Uncle, Luke Skywalker–the Jedi who blew up the Death Star and defeated the Empire before she was ever born. A legend, a hero…And his mother is Leia kriffin’ Organa, a former Senator, also a war hero, the leader of the Rebellion, and the current general of the Resistance. She’s a household name, like her father, a quip when someone does something good. The twins had saved the galaxy from a truly dark age, and this body she wears, he’s their family.So, like, no one special. Rey grouses, pacing as she ponders that she’s basically living inside royalty. Ben Solo would be a prince if Alderaan still existed, and he’s a Jedi for kriff’s sake, a Skywalker, an Organa, and a Solo. And she’s, well, she’s literally no one. And that’s not even the worst of it. Ben was attacked by a Darksider and left for dead until FN discovered his body and R2 suggested they take Ben's ship. So, it’s the three of them heading toward some old base to hide out.As she's about to ask more about Ben, like does this happen to him often and is it a documented condition, when the world grows quiet and still. Pressure coils between her ears, and all Rey can think is that she'll wake up alone again, back on Jakku.Rey rushes to the bed, jumping to land on the mattress, hoping that will help with the switch. When she blinks, the feeling of being pulled like putty through a gap in the universe invades as she suspected it would. She’s suddenly sprawling in the sand, warm and dry and less dizzy than the last time. Her body feels light as if she could float away, like she’s lost half her body weight in two seconds. She coughs, her mouth gritty; tears well in her eyes in frustration.“Kriffin’ big body and his stupid droid—” “New legs giving you trouble, son?” An unfamiliar voice alerts Rey’s instincts just as a hand wraps around her arm. She twists, kicking out to sweep her attacker’s legs. The mystery man thuds beside her into the sand with a heavy grunt. She looks up and balks as a huge Wookiee nears, howling at her to stop. Rey trips, scrambling back, looking around for her staff while crab-walking backward on all fours. The man she took out stands with a scowl, dusting off his pants. He holds his hands up to show he means no harm, and the same blue-green eyes from Ben’s memories look down at her.The Wookiee chortles a deep sound, the inflection tipping off Rey that he’s laughing at his companion. The pleasant sound is infectious, and she finds herself relaxing, glad to be in a familiar setting and pain-free in her own body despite the strangers waiting for her.“She’s stronger than she looks, and she took me by surprise,” the man explains in irritation. His voice is gruff and deep, turning tentative as he gives Rey a weary side-eye. “Are you still Ben?”“No,” she says with a shake of her head. The man’s eyes dim while the Wookiee’s laugh grows, and Rey can’t help but agree with both assessments. It is all completely absurd. She realizes Ben was here not a second ago. The Wookiee chuckles, saying she’s obviously tough and that the man is getting old and soft to be swept off his feet so easily. Her grin fades, however, as he warbles on about how she might be mentally unstable or using some kind of newfangled cloning tech, at one point referring to her as a skinny twig. She finally loses the last remnants of her patience when they start discussing what to do with her.“If you could kindly refrain from talking about me like I’m not here, that’d be great.” “Sure sounds like Ben to me,” the man mutters to the Wookiee.Rey stands, brushing sand off her dirty clothes. “And, I’m not mentally unstable.” With a rush of relief, she spots her staff not far away, thankful Ben brought it with him, uh, her. Womp rats. Maybe she is mentally unstable. Rey snags it up before making a beeline for her home.“Wait,” the man calls out, “you’re coming with us.” She peers back over her shoulder and looks them both over. She can figure out why they need her, the body-swapping is rather inconvenient, but Rey glances at her lonely transport. Without her defending it and keeping the traps up with the generator, it will be ravaged. And she’s been waiting here so long.She’d thought about leaving often, yet she couldn’t seem to muster up the nerve to go, still hoping, always hoping…“I have a ship at the outpost,” the man adds. “We’ll keep you safe.”She could come back. If she left, she could always…“Naaarh?” the Wookiee asks, wondering aloud why they would take her off-planet. Rey knows already. No one is looking for her, she’s not important, she’s nobody. But somewhere on a ship in the vast expanse of space, someone very important is healing, and she imagines Ben Solo doesn’t appreciate slipping in and out of her body.She’s already decided to help before she forms the words. “Let me get my things.” Her staff may be her favorite possession but it isn’t all she needs. The Wookiee howls again, and she frowns at his sarcastic words, spinning on her heel and pointing her staff at him. “What do you expect?” she barks, losing the last threads of her patience. “My body is being randomly possessed by a man I don’t know. Should I not jump at the chance for help just because you’re strangers?”
Yeah, okay, they were strangers, but everyone who came to the Outpost was a stranger. And it wasn’t everyday one found oneself in another body. And they had a ship. And probably food. Her stomach growls just thinking about the potential of anythiing - anything - other than portions.Unless… what did Wookiees eat? Meat, surely, but humans?
Rey knows she’s distracting herself from much more important questions—like, where would they go? And what if… what if her parents came back? The thought lances through her, sharp and cold despite the desert heat. It’s foolish. They wouldn’t. She’s spent years knowing that, telling herself that, and yet—Rey’s steps are quick and harsh over the sand, leaving a trail of divots until she reaches her AT-AT. Who else could she ask for help? She doesn’t know anyone well enough for such a conversation. No one else would believe her and at least these two have seen her as Rey (and as Ben in her body). Rey gathers a small bag of items and hides what she has to leave behind in hopes that it’s still here when she returns.She heads to the door with her bag over her shoulder when she stops and turns back. She adds one last tally to her wall with a heavy heart. It’s then Rey notices that her blankets are folded neatly on her hammock, probably for the first time in history. Ben must have found her home, and he respected it. Nothing else is out of place, so she mentally thanks him for the small kindness. With dozens of questions swirling in her brain, the ones that plague her the most are about her body double. She can’t help but wonder where home is for Ben. ☯ They bicker like an old married couple, distracting Rey from her reticence about leaving Jakku and leading her—staff, toolbelt, and rucksack in tow—to a Corellian YT-series 1300fp freighter. The ship seems more a patchwork of upgrades than an old model, and Rey’s senses alight as she mentally catalogs the enhancements and augmentations she can note from the outside, itching to get her hands on the controls.As they prepare to board, she turns to the tall Wookiee. “How did you know where to find Ben?”“The Force is strong with the Princess. She sensed him and sent us to collect.”He says it like she should know who the Princess is. With her mind whirring, Rey can only shake her head as she’s led to a hold with a bench and a Dejarik table. Chewie shoves a mini-holo, perfect for wearing on the wrist, into her hand.Rey can’t help a flutter of excitement. This is not tech one finds on old, abandoned vessels. She wants to take it apart and then put it back together, maybe see if she can improve the range or capabilities.“Make yourself at home, kid.” The man gestures all around but is vague enough that Rey simply looks around the open area. The Wookiee chirrs, and the older man snarks back, their jests more amused than annoyed.“Oh can it, Chewie.” He goes to the mirror, fixing his hair before turning to his friend. “Presentable?” he questions, and the Wookiee named Chewie, apparently, pats a big hand on the older man’s leather-clad shoulder. He yowls a few words of encouragement about his appearance before the man brushes him off. “Okay, enough, I know when smoke is being blown up my ass.”Chewie barks a laugh, putting his weapon down before shaking more sand from his fur, while his partner stares on with a look of resigned acceptance and a loud groan.“You couldn’t have done that outside? You’re gonna gum up the works!” The man scowls, buttoning up his top collar and straightening his leather jacket. Chewie gives a disgruntled howl. “Bringing pieces of Jakku across the galaxy, I tell ya…” He turns to Rey and looks her over before his lips purse tight, and he rakes a hand through his shaggy hair. “Ready?”She isn’t sure for what, but he takes her silence for a yes, grabs the holo device from her, and sets it on the table facing himself. It’s silent until a droid answers, a protocol unit with dimly-lit circular eyes forming in the blue holo lights.“C-3PO, human cyborg relations. Unfortunately, all holos have been directed to–” The droid’s golden arms rise up into view. “Oh, Han Solo, I hardly recognized you, sir.” Rey straightens in her seat. Han Solo? The Han Solo? The smuggler known across the galaxy for his fourteen-parsec Kessel run and saving the galaxy with Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa?He was sent for Ben? Of course, he was, he’s probably the best soldier Leia has. Who better to collect her son? She winces. She knocked Han kiffin’ Solo on his ass. The droid and Han go back and forth, and her limbs grow rigid, her mouth dropping open.Solo.Ben Solo.She is the slowest person in the galaxy, the realization late but hitting her like a slap to the face. Leia Organa and Han Solo…. Chewie is short for Chewbacca she bets, and his exploits in the Rebellion as a renowned smuggler are the cherry on this particularly humbling pie.Rey shivers, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she struggles to understand how she is switching bodies with one of the most famous individuals in the universe. He has huge footsteps to follow, and she… well, she doesn’t even know who her parents are. She’s a sand rat orphan with a bad tinkering habit and no real resources. What is her place in all of this? Why is she here?“I’m telling you, this news is important enough to interrupt the General. Her son Ben was inside a woman.” Han’s frown is etched into his face before Chewie’s distinctive laughter loudly erupts, his innuendo drawing Rey’s hard gaze. Han’s expression turns wry, his eyes flashing to his friend. “That would be battle-interrupting news, wouldn’t it?” Then Han is laughing with Chewie at Ben’s expense, and Rey’s stomach tightens in a vice of surprising anger.“Master Solo, I doubt that news is worth bothering the General when we are mid-evacuation--”Han shares a worried look with Chewie, then turns back to the droid’s holo image. “I mean, the Force switched his body. He was this girl, and now she’s herself. She says he’s injured.” He scowls at his feeble explanation. “Get her, Threepio.”“Of course. Yes. Right away, sir.” The droid makes an uncomfortable sound. “Please hold while I find the General.” Before the droid disconnects the com, Rey reminds herself that these people are here to help her, or, at least, to help Ben. She’s probably not that important to them in the grand scheme of things.The holo is quiet a long time. Chewie comments on the battle, and Han quips back that she–Leia–is always in trouble of some sort or another. Though, he does look worried, unable to hold still, tugging at his collar, adjusting his jacket sleeves, and scratching at the scruff on his chin. Rey’s irritation at the two interlopers fades by the time the holo clicks on again, and Rey sees the projected face of Leia Organa.She was awaited, and now that she is available to him, Han clams up. He stares at the holo of Ben’s mother, and Rey looks between them, figuring their relationship must be strained. Chewie yowls out a greeting, and still Han is quiet. “What?” the general questions, and Han’s gaze finds Rey’s with frowning determination.He grabs her arm, and she’s hauled up and into the frame of the holocam. She’s face to face with Leia Organa, sort of, the mother of her body swapper and leader of an entire rebellion. Suddenly, she understands why Han struggled. Leia is poised as if she’s always in a hurry, leaning toward the screen expectantly. Rey stretches a smile across her face before turning to look at Han and Chewie for help until Han opens his mouth and actually speaks.“This,” announces Han, “was Ben not a half hour ago.” Rey winces, feeling as if she’s being scolded for something she can’t control. “Now, I don’t rightly know bantha shit about the Force, but this particular,” he waves his hand while wiggling his fingers, “magic trick, seems pretty kriffed up, Leia. Our son is no longer a woman. Somehow I lost him, but I figure I should bring this part of him back—”Rey wants him to stop, mortification washing over her, a surge of familiar power inside rising. Han stops rambling, furrowing his brow. He gives her a bewildered look before she shakes it off, releasing the Force like a phantom fist she just figured out how to unclench.“Our son is no longer a what now?” Leia asks, voice rising with each word. “Hello?” Han steps out of the way, and Rey finds herself in the position to explain.“My name is Rey,” she tries, not liking this one bit, and shooting Han a glare. She crosses her arms as Leia leans closer, her face getting bigger on the screen. Rey tries to be reassuring. “Ben’s face is injured. He’s on a ship with an R2 unit and a med-droid caring for him.” And FN, but she’s not sure how to explain him, her memories are fuzzy. “I was there, uh, I was…Ben. And I believe he was on Jakku during that time.” Her explanation sounds ridiculous, but Leia doesn’t look particularly surprised.Suddenly, all at once, Leia is laughing. It goes on, the woman hissing in a breath and wiping her eyes. She looks pained for a moment, the expression fleeting before she rights herself, big brown eyes turning grave. The General takes a breath, purses her lips against a smile, and sits up straight before clearing her throat as if her laugh was simply a coughing fit.“Oh, my dear girl, don't worry. We will keep you safe. But, I’m afraid your very existence is dangerous. I know you don’t know us, but you are linked by the Force to our son. I ask you to trust me. I have a plan.” Leia’s eyes are direct, staring into Rey’s, and she finds herself nodding. “Right now, we need to tuck you away. Han?” her voice rises. “I’m thinking Takodana. We have enemies on our tail, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. But you, Rey, do you know where my son is?”She opens her mouth, happy she can help, knowing from FN that they are bound for Mustafar. But it’s then that Leia’s image flickers. The holo on the table is still projecting, but the General herself is cutting in and out. Another woman comes into view, and Leia turns to her, face urgent. The holo blanks.“Whaar,” Chewie points out, noting they can try again later, but neither Han nor Rey reply. She doesn’t want to think about the possibility of Leia finding trouble while escaping the battle the droid mentioned, and she’s sure from Han’s tense expression that he doesn’t either. ☯ She’s shown a cabin and the ‘fresher, and Han opens up a passenger cot built into the side of the wall. A twin-sized mat is inside, a shelf for her things built into the space inside, and Rey shoves her meager belongings in with a true smile. She has her own bunk!“Chewie and I sleep down the hall.” Han rubs at his face, his eyes tired. “He’s really okay?”“Yes,” Rey nods, reassuring him for the third time. Han looks more relieved each time, and Rey’s shoulders ease. Ben’s dad might enjoy a laugh, but he clearly loves his son. “Right, I’ll leave you to it, goodnight, kiddo.” He goes, and Rey blinks at his back, puzzling over another endearment and unsure the last time someone called her anything but girl. Leia called her dear on the holo, and now this? She’ll be spoiled. She shouldn’t get used to it.When she showers, she marvels at the water pressure regardless of the cold. She rarely had the extra credits or portions to trade for a spot at the bathhouse. Sandbaths were uncomfortable and abrasive, and she lathers up twice to really soak in the unexpected treat. Bath items smelling of mint wash away the no-longer-permanent layer of Jakku from her skin, and she’s pleased to dress in fresh clothing, stowing her soiled items and hoping she can wash them later.Rey climbs into the cot and shuts herself in, feeling enclosed, but it’s not too dark, and her things are where she can see them, so she shuts her eyes. After the day she had, she thought her mind would whirl with speculations, but she’s so exhausted it seems she drifts instantly. One moment she’s in the cot, and the next, she’s floating in the ether of nothingness.Black streaks mesh with dark gray above, and Rey raises her hand to feel through the dream substance. She stares at Ben’s phantom hand overlapping her own as she moves her fingers through the air.“Is anyone there?” It’s only a little shocking to hear her voice and his meshed, and she turns as if he’ll be right behind her, but she’s greeted with more swirling darkness, and her sigh is the same echo of two voices.“You’re here, aren’t you?” their voices ask.“Why is this happening?” This time they both laugh, his hearty and rich and hers light and airy. She stares at her palms, then her feet, where his long legs extend past her own like a shadow. Somehow he’s right here, draped around her like a full-body coat. Slowly, carefully, they wrap their arms around themselves. It’s a hug, a silent reassurance she didn’t know she needed, and she curls up, convincing herself she can feel his heat as they overlap in the twisting cosmos.It's… nice, not being alone.