Ben Solo

IV

Ben had just turned eight. For his birthday, Luke gave him a training orb all his own, despite the fact that he had no lightsaber.

Lando, against Leia's wishes, gave him a blaster, which she immediately confiscated, much to Ben's disappointment.

About seven years before, Luke had gotten so fed up of C-3PO that he had deactivated him and given him to Han.  Han gave Ben the droid for his birthday, with instructions to "figure out how to turn him back on."

Leia's present wasn't material.  She told Ben about her and Luke's plans to make a new Jedi school, and that he would be enrolled.

Ben was ecstatic.  So was Poe, whose mother Aura had told him he could enroll as well.

Poe's gift to him was a small fleet of X-Wings, bought from a visiting trader with his few druggats he earned by running errands for pilots.

Ben and Poe ran off to play with the tiny metal toys.

They made the appropriate engine noises with their mouths, shouting "Pew! Pew!" whenever they took out a TIE-Fighter, represented by a bit of bark they picked off of the trees.

After they had worn themselves out with the battle, they lay down on the grass.

Boots stopped next to Ben's head. A hand came down.

The hand was connected to his uncle. He grabbed his uncle's wrist and helped pull himself up.

"Come on. Your mother wants me to take you to scout for places for the Jedi school to go." Luke said as he led the boy away.

"On the Falcon?"

"No, your father doesn't trust us with that."

"Then which one? I can't fly an X-Wing and only one person fits in them, without a bunch of squeezing," Ben glanced around at the base.

"Those aren't the only two ships on base, Ben."

"Well, there are a whole bunch of X-Wings..."

"Don't be a smart Alec."

Ben opened his mouth to comment that he was not, in fact, named Alec, but wisely shut it.

Luke led him to a workshop behind his house.  Under a large sheet was a large ship, about the same size as an X-Wing, but differently shaped.

He pulled off the sheet to reveal a TIE-Fighter, painted orange and white, rather than its usual black.

Ben gaped at the ship.

Luke walked around it.  "This seats two; one pilot, and one gunner."

Ben was speechless.  He walked up and placed his hand on it.  On the side was hand-written "The Expedition."

"Where did you find it?"

"We captured it about nine years ago, during a battle, and it was badly crippled.  I fixed it up, gave it a bit of a paint job."  Luke patted The Expedition proudly.

"Are we leaving right now?"

"No, you need to go grab some things.  I'm going to give you a list, and you need to remember it."

"Okay."

"Ready?"

Ben nodded.

"You need four shirts, two pairs of sturdy pants, and any toiletries your mother gives you.  Put them in a bag, as small as you can get them.  Got it?"

Ben nodded again.

He ran off to pack.  Poe caught up with him.

"What did your uncle want?" he asked.

"I get to go with him to look for the place for the Jedi school!" Ben exclaimed, slowing so he could talk to his friend.

"Really?  In what?"

"A TIE-Fighter."

"A Twin Ion Engine Fighter?  From the Empire?  I didn't know there was any," Poe said excitedly.

"Yep.  He repainted it though."

"Wow," Poe whispered.

"I have to pack now."  They had arrived at Ben's house.  "Goodbye, I'll see you in a bit."

"I'm going to wait out here.  I want to see the TIE-Fighter."

Ben nodded and ran inside.  Leia had a bag open on his bed.  Inside, she had already packed everything.  She handed him some clothes.

"Get changed," she instructed, and left the room.

Ben put on the green pants and shirt, and laced up his boots.

Then he grabbed his bag and walked out.

Leia and Han were waiting in the kitchen to walk with their little boy to where Luke was waiting out in front of the hangar.

Luke shoved Ben's bag between the two seat's backs.

Poe stood in awe of the TIE-Fighter.  "I want to fly one of those one day."

Aura ruffled her son's hair.  "Maybe someday.  But I think this is the last one."

Han knelt down and looked into his son's eyes.  "Now, Ben, look after your uncle.  He needs special care, okay?  R2 can't help him on this mission."

There wasn't enough space for the old droid on the small ship.

Ben nodded solemnly.  Han grinned and messed up his hair.

Leia hugged Ben.  "Be careful, and don't hurt anyone."

"I know, Mom."

"I love you."  She kissed his cheek.

Ben wiped off the kiss, embarrassed.

Then he said goodbye to Poe. 

"Come back, sometime soon," Poe said.

"I will," Ben replied.

They hugged, and Ben got into his seat.  Luke soon got into his, and the people around moved backwards.

Luke closed up the orange TIE-Fighter and they lifted off.

Before they jumped into hyperspace, Luke informed Ben of the workings of the guns he was sitting by.

"Do you see the gunner's controls?"

"Yes," Ben said, putting his small hands on them.

"Don't touch them unless I tell you to. The only reason we might use them is if we run into some bounty hunters. Do you see the red button on the controls?"

Ben looked at it and nodded, and Luke sensed it. "Good. That's how you fire. There's a screen also, with some guides for shooting. If the target gets within it, the guns will lock on it and it will be easier to shoot. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Whatever you do, no firing in light speed or hyperspace. No one's done it yet, but with the accelerated speed, you could either rip a hole in hyperspace, or even blow up a planet with the power of the Death Star."

"Cool," Ben whispered.

"No, not cool. Deadly. Hands off the controls, put them on your armrests. I'll make the jump now."

Ben did so, and the tiny TIE-Fighter jumped forward, first at light speed, then into hyperspace.

When they dropped out, an icy planet came into view.

"Here's our first stop. Hoth."