Chewie beside him, Ben races into the control room. Admiral Ackbar leaps up. "You!"
Chewie growls and steps menacingly towards the admiral.
"What is it, Ben?" Mother asks. Finn and Poe gape at him.
"Rey escaped—for a minute. And then they caught her again." Or else they killed her, but no—that's not possible, Ben would've felt it. Snoke wouldn't miss the opportunity to torture him.
"Snoke told you this?" Mother frowns.
"No—Rey. She—I could hear her."
"Are you saying you and Rey are Force-bonded?" Admiral Ackbar demands.
Ben nods. "They're in the Outer Rim."
"Well, that narrows it down," scoffs Ackbar.
Ben deflates. BB-8 rolls over to him and leans against his leg. "But—"
Chewie roars.
"I think we might want to consider having Ben work with us," Luke says.
"I agree," Lando says. "He has inside knowledge. He's more familiar with common locations. If we work together, if we use his intelligence—if he can help us analyze what we have—" He jabs his thumb at Ben. "We might be able to find Rey faster."
"I agree," says Luke. "You've made use of Finn's intelligence. Why not Ben's?"
"Because Finn wasn't a mass murderer, or Snoke's personal pet," snaps Ackbar.
Chewie snarls at the creature.
"I know what I was," Ben says. "But I'm not Kylo Ren. Not anymore. Please—I want to help. I came here to find Rey. I want to find her."
"And I worked on that weapon that killed the New Republic," Finn chimes in. "In theory, I killed people too." He looks at Ben as if expecting a high-five.
"I think we can chance it," Poe says. "We can still lock him up at night if you're worried about him stabbing you after dark, Ackbar."
Ben's vision clouds, and in his mind he sees Rey—a gash on her temple, blood caked to her hair, receiving treatment from a medical droid. Her hands fold over her stomach, and her expression is of complete defiance.
Snoke! he calls wildly. Snoke—Supreme Leader!
No response. The image fades.
"Rey?" Luke asks.
"She's okay," Ben breathes. "For now." He looks to Chewie, who shrugs as it to say, you need to tell them yourself.
He shakes his head. I can't. Not now.
Chewie growls, but he doesn't tell them, and guilt gnaws at Ben. Guilt, and also something far more benevolent: trust.
YOU ARE READING
•LEGACY - A Reylo Story•
Fanfiction*WRITTEN PRE-TROS, POST TLJ* When a ship crashes near the Resistance base, Finn and Poe are shocked to discover Kylo Ren. What does he want? And where is Rey? And as for Kylo, he must decide how much he can trust them with what he knows about Snoke...
