Saving the Monster

Chapter 61

The procession of ships lifted into the sky, ten in total, including the First Order shuttle.

Ben punched in the coordinates for Ajan Kloss and Rey heard him inhale deeply.  He was as scared as she was.  Not about the inevitable battle that was coming, but about seeing familiar faces, the raw and terrifying fear of rejection.

Lando sat  behind them, his hand resting on his stick, his chin on top, "This ain't gonna be an easy sell kid, you know that?" Lando said, his eyes on Ben.

Soon the round green shape of a planet came into view and Rey turned to Lando, "We're entering the atmosphere, Tarrful needs to try to make contact"

Lando nodded, lifting the shuttles com link to his mouth, "I'll radio him now..."

The com link suddenly made a loud buzzing noise and Lando frowned at it.  A moments silence then before a series of roars and grunts came through, Tarrful was onto it.

The air in the cockpit of the shuttle became still as the three of them waited for a response from the resistance on the ground, waited to see who would reply, which voice from their past they'd hear.

"She knows I'm here" Ben said suddenly, his eyes distant, "my mother, she knows I'm here..."

Rey and Lando turned to look at him and Lando raised his brows, "Look don't get jumpy kid, let Tarrful do the talking, he'll get us in"

Rey reached out and held Bens hand and he squeezed hers, his fingers closing tightly around hers, clearly grateful for the support.

"You have clearance to land", Leias voice, clear and strong rang out through the cockpit and Lando punched the air triumphantly.  Rey looked at Ben.  He was breathing hard, his eyes round, unblinking, she squeezed his hand, but this time he didn't squeeze back, his eyes were focused on the planet before them, green and vast, a place full of risks for both of them.

They followed the Wookie fleet, touching down in a clearing that Rey recognised as being just south of her newest training run, the one that her and Finn had set up in what seemed like another lifetime.

Lando was the first up, despite his age, clearly keen to see Leia.  Ben and Rey were more hesitant, standing, but hanging back as the door lowered, a blast of steam obscuring the outside world.  Lando paused in the doorway, turning back to look at them, "Come on, let's lay our cards on the table"

Rey was about to nod when another voice rang out, a voice she recognised, Poes voice, and he didn't sound happy,

"What the hell, that's Kylo Rens shuttle!"

Lando looked at Ben and Ben looked at Rey but no one spoke and for a moment no one moved.

The sound of running troops and then blasters being raised was enough to snap Lando into action and send him hurrying as quickly as he could down the ramp, into the sunshine, and out of view, "Easy there hot shot.." came Landos voice, showing none of the trepidation that Rey knew he felt.

Poes voice now, filled with relief, "Lando? Did you steal this? Win this? If you did then you're even better than I thought..."

"Not exactly, we've come to warn you" Rey heard Lando say, and then another voice, Finns, filled with suspicion,

"Warn us about what?"

"A storm is headed your way, we brought the whole goddam Wookie army, you're gonna need it" Lando said solomly.

"Need it? What's going on?" Came Finns voice again, anxious now.

Before Lando coukd answer Poe interjected, "Hang on Finn, before he tells us what, I want to know who this "We" he keeps referring to is? Who's in there with you?"