Ben Solo

VIII

The day came for the Jedi trainees and their master to depart.

Leia had been watching Ben all day, and, now that he was about to follow his father onto the Millennium Falcon, she was began to break down.

She hugged him. "Be safe. I love you, so much. You'll come back every now and then, right?"

Ben hugged her back. "Okay, mom. Bye."

He just wanted to get onto the Falcon as soon as possible, frankly, his mother was embarrassing him.

She kissed his cheek and he ran up the ramp, rubbing off the kiss as he reached the top.

Han Solo closed the blast door. Chewbacca was sitting in his copilot's seat, and Luke was nearby. Ben leaned in between the two seats. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah. Go sit down, kid."

"Where are the rest?"

"Check one of the rooms."

Ben ran off to find them. They were behind the first door he checked. Poe was laying down on a long shelf seat, and the two human girls were sitting next to a table idly. Onya was sitting on the floor, knotting a piece of twine, one of her lekku hanging over her shoulder.

He walked over to where his friend was, pushing his legs off so he could sit next to him.

Luke called back, "We're lifting off now."

They all braced themselves, except for Onya, who stayed still as they started their journey.

Luke yelled a bit later to tell them they were going to make the jump into light speed, and then hyperspace, and again, they braced themselves.

As soon as they dropped back out, Ben ran out to the cockpit to see the farming planet again.

Luke told Han the coordinates and they landed just outside of the base.

This time, the door was closed and the base was nearly invisible under the grain field that concealed it. Luke typed in the code and the door opened.

It was just as dimly lit as last time, but this time there were no bats.

Luke directed Ben to show the other trainees to the barracks.

"Do I get first pick?"

"Why don't you let everyone else choose first.  Poe, hold him responsible for that."

Luke and Han went down the hall the other way.  Ben made a face at his uncle.

"This way."

He led them to the hallway.

He noticed as they passed the training room that the door had been repaired by the people who had kept the base up all these years.

Ben opened the door to the hall and walked down, opening every door as he passed, counting them.

He walked back to them past the forty-two open doors, free of those weird flying things.

"Who's choosing first?" Ben asked grudgingly.

They all looked at each other.  Then Averann pointed to Onya.  "I think she should."

Poe raised his eyebrows in question to her and she nodded.

The tall Twi'lek walked down the hall a few doors, then looked inside one.  "I'll have this one."

"Okay.  Ilia?  Do you want to go next?" Ben asked.

She nodded and chose the one Ben had wanted originally.  Poe sensed his friend's annoyance.

Then Averann chose one at the end of the hall, three from the door to the showers and on the right.