Ben Solo

XII

Ben shook his head. "I haven't felt anything."

"No offense kid, but you aren't the biggest authority on the darkness here." Kelvin pushed the button and the blast door slid open.

They walked in and sat down.

Leia nodded to them and continued what she was saying.  "There are reports that a group is rising, led by a Supreme Leader, a thing called Snoke.  They call themselves the First Order.  As of right now, it appears as though they have little power, but we need to keep an eye on them."

"How could they be recruiting anyone if there are only six Jedis in the whole galaxy?" Ben whispered to Poe.

The boy shrugged.  "Maybe we aren't the only ones."

Ben tipped his shoulders and turned his attention back to his mother.

"My brother has not reported any senses of darkness, but I suspect Snoke may be powerful in the Force," Leia continued.  "If so, we must be alert to any signs that he is gathering power.  We aren't yet certain what sector of the Galaxy he is in, or where he plans to construct his base, but we do know that they are not an immediate threat."

A sigh went around the room, one of relief.

She held up her hands.  "But that does not mean we can brush this under the carpet.  There's nothing to worry about right now, but we need to keep an eye on them.  He may just be attempting to create a group, and it may die down altogether.  But we must be one our guard."

Kelvin spoke up.  "Why don't we just track him down, hire a bounty hunter, and take care of him?"

"Have bounty hunters ever been loyal in the first place?" Leia asked.  Kelvin shrugged.  She continued, "This Snoke may be powerful to persuade even the loyalist man or woman we have to join him, and bounty hunters are generally neutral anyway."

Another pilot lent her opinion to the conversation.  "Why not have Luke and his Jedis go after him?"

"I will not risk them."

"But if this First Order gains power, then they could destroy us," another protested.

"Let's just get some spies and track down Snoke, and have some of us take him out," Mara called out.

A few others shouted their agreement with the pilot.

Leia lifted her hands.  Silence fell again.

"We will not engage this Supreme Leader yet.  He most certainly is not a supreme leader as of yet, and his First Order is no threat to us yet."

She dismissed the meeting.

Ben and Poe wandered off to the hill they used to play on.  "What do you think of it?" Poe asked.

Ben shrugged.  "It's no threat yet," he said, agreeing with his mother.

"I knew you'd say that.  I think we should take some action at least."

He shrugged again. "None of us have really sensed anything yet."

"None of us have been trying to. It's like when you walk into a room and don't really acknowledge what's in there until you're looking for something."

"I don't know." Ben decided to change the subject. "Do you think we're staying here overnight or will my father take us home again today?"

"I hope we can stay.  My mother is out on a scouting mission, and she won't be back until tomorrow."

"If we are staying, do you want to stay in my room?"

Poe shrugged.

They went back down to the main base for dinner.  For the first time in two years, they sat at the table they had sat at when they were younger.