Star Wars: A dyad in the Force 「A Reylo FanFiction」

Act 18: A walk through Hell

If your path demands

you walk through hell,

walk as if you own the place.

Jakku, 35 ABY

Hell was not for ordinary sins. It was not for the parents who lost their tempers in frustration whilst struggling under the stresses of life. It was not for the mentally ill or those too damaged to know right from wrong. Hell was reserved for those who knew their actions were wrong and did them nonetheless, enjoying the anguish of others and taking what was not rightfully theirs. And rightfully for Ben Solo as well. He felt that way as the warm sun burned his skin, and the sand felt like fire against his bare feet.

The agony was pure torture for Ben, and had endured a lot of pain throughout his life; Snoke or Papetine had made sure that he would be the perfect apprentice that would fear nothing, feel nothing, and care about nothing. There had been moments when Kylo Ren had wanted to scream during his training, but he never committed to such acts, even in private or isolation. All those years of torture were nothing compared to what he was going through now.

The embarrassment of walking all naked in the burning unknown desert, the pain of his broken ribs and hurt knee, and the guilt of his wrongdoings; were all building up as a heavy barrier he would carry with him forever. The heat of the sand burned his feet as he kept walking forward, holding his injured side. Every swallow was like glass down his throat and his eyes watered with the effort. Water was a wishful dream, and food was a concept not even worth the effort of hoping for.

Maybe that was supposed to be his end. He thought. He was not worthy of dying a peaceful and easy death. He paused and fell on his knees, panting for air. He knew: he had to get up and keep walking. A poor excuse like he was dying from dehydration or his injuries wasn't acknowledged here, not after what he had done. Ben screamed in agony as he pulled himself up and started walking again.

His throat was dry and sore; every lungful of hot hair robbed more water from his body. There was a pain at the back of his head that threatened to grow into a powerful migraine, a sure sign that dehydration wasn't gone. He laughed as he acknowledged that without water, that problem couldn't be fixed. If he had a liter of water right now, he would drain the whole thing, but he could not wish for comfort. Like his victims weren't.

"Is there a reason you pass through our domain at such late hour all alone human?" came a voice from the south. "Alone and naked!"

Ben stopped and straightened his body figure, as much as his injuries allowed him to. His brown eyes narrowed, examining the southern parts from where the voice came. Suddenly he noticed an alien creature staring at him, with a few of his men. "I was left behind! And I lost my way! Where are we?" he demanded.

The alien residents of Jakku observed the half-dead men in front of them. "Interesting!" he said, rubbing his jaw and walking around Ben. "Wounded, are we?" he asked and poked his side where his broken ribs were. Ben bit his lips, hiding his pain and discomfort. "No water..." he added, smirking, "I guess no food either... And not wearing any clothes. And still, he has the spirit to fight back!"

Ben's eyes glared at the man. Even in his hurting state, he could fight him. Though Ben never made any threatening move towards him or his men. He would never repeat his actions as Kylo Ren had, even for criminals like those. "You never answered. Where are we? Which planet?" he insisted.

A shorter male cut him off. "He seems familiar somehow?" he quizzed, stepping closer towards Ben and aiming his blaster at Ben. "Funny Human he is?" he turned and looked at his party. "We are the ones with the weapons here, and he is acting all-powerful and mighty!"

"Iku, lower your gun; we need such a treasure alive." their leader spoke, and the shorter creature cursed and stepped back. "We do appreciate humans who can survive the burning sun of Jakku. There is always work from them here."

Solo stared at the large alien man astounded "Jakku?" he questioned in bewilderment. He gazed away from the group of thieves and took a better look at his surroundings. Indeed that desert place looked similar to Jakku. Why would the force bring him there? It wouldn't matter if he ended up on any forsaken Planet. But Jakku? He seemed bothered and confused as he felt the conflict rising inside him. And suddenly connected with the Force as something or someone was calling him. Then he heard a voice calling his name.

"Ben!"

Solo gathered all his remaining energy to shut the connection down as he found out that the one who was calling him was Rey. He gave all his strength to block the awareness and ended up collapsing in the burning sand in front of the alien party. The connection was lost again.

"Iku cover him up! We are taking him with us!" the leader announced. His men stared at him, puzzled. "We need more scavengers to work for us. He seems strong enough."'

Ben opened his eyes to a desert area of brightly yellow colors. A few men surrounded him. Otherwise, there was nothing to see. The men seemed familiar; those were the same group of outlaws he had crossed paths earlier before he had fainted. He was thirsty. So much so that his throat burnt, and his eyeballs were quite dry. A wry smile appeared on his lips, and he downed it in one. When finally he sat back up, everything was just the same as before, the intensifying thirst blistering his throat, and the men were looking at him.

Hell. This was hell.

The leader stepped closer to him and threw to Ben an aluminum container of water, a ripped shirt and pants, and finally two old leather boots. "I'm Noida Leader of the Line Breakers. Water is hard to find in Jakku, and you already know that" he told him and knelt before Ben. "I'm offering you water and clothes. Walk east, and you will find Ruins from old spacecraft." he coughed a laugh. "We have to thank the Battle of Jakku for that. Find one to rest. You will need it. Then start scavenging. We will visit you every three days to claim our reward. We don't care how you spend your days. But every three days when we arrive, you better have gathered the best quality for us. The rest you can sell in the northern parts. They will share with you a portion of a meal. I hope you will survive."

Ben tilted his head confused. He recalled that before he fainted, the Leader of the Line Breakers talking about available work in Jakku. Was he now supposed to live in Jakku? To work as a scavenger? He almost laughed at the irony. But again, Ben would accept anything that the Force would throw in his way. Maybe he was worthy of living on this forsaken planet. Maybe here he would find a way slowly to atone for his wrongdoings or spend his day paying for them. He gazed at Noida seriously "And how do you know I won't escape?" he questioned seriously.

"You won't!" Noida assured him, "No-one ever escapes from Jakku easily. And we'll know where to find you!" the leader told him and stood up, walking away from him. He and his team disappeared into their ship and left Ben behind.

Ben grabbed the container of water and brought it close to his mouth. He took a few drops. The water hurt his lips, but it eased his thirst. Then he grabbed the shirt and pants that were offered to him. "Black," he mumbled to himself. He shook his head and slowly started getting dressed. Then he would go east to find a place to rest.

「 Upcoming Chapter: Act Nineteen」

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