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Prologue

“Finn! Finn!” Rose called from a crop of trees, waving a hand.

The new Resistance base was on a luxuriant moon orbiting around Ajan Kloss. Hiding from the First Order had never been so easy and pleasurable: the climate, the trees, the birds… one could easily forget about the ongoing war, with the right amount of alcohol. Finn jogged to reach her, and they exchanged a brief kiss and a quick hug.

They left the battle of Crait behind them, but physical and psychological injuries were hard to overcome. Rose, in particular, had to face many broken bones, and she was still undergoing rehabilitation therapy with a medical droid that General Calrissian brought them. But she was strong, and Finn was more than happy to pass his time with her, helping her to recover –even if slowly– from her injury. 

“Did you receive Poe’s message?” she asked him.

“I did, I was going to the meeting point. Take my hand,” he said, helping her stand from the rock she was sitting on.

“Thank you. Do you think this has anything to do with Rey?” 

Finn exhaled. Their friend had been behaving strangely since Crait. The first couple of months, Finn had caught Rey bawling her eyes out on more than one occasion, then she’d started wandering in the jungle alone… he thought she was going to practice her Force abilities, but the books she’d brought with her from Ahch-To remained in the Falcon, untouched in the unopened drawer. Once, Rose had inadvertently caught Rey at the nearby falls, staring into thin air and whispering. It was like the Battle of Crait had scarred her more than others, even if she’d never directly faced the First Order, having remained on the Falcon for the whole time. They would have gladly helped her, but she was too proud to ask for support.

The couple finally arrived at the meeting point. The Generals were already there, as was Poe, and a couple of other people, including the droids. Maz Kanata joined the group after a handful of minutes, followed by Snap and the other pilots. Only Rey was noticeably missing.

“Hi,” Rose greeted. “Sorry if we’re late,” she smiled, nodding to her crutches.

“Don’t worry, my dear,” Leia reassured her. “We’ll wait for Rey before we begin.”

“Yeah,” Poe intervened. “I have big news.”

Finn fetched a chair for Rose, and helped her sit down while they waited.

And they waited.

And waited.

Rey finally arrived, at least fifteen minutes late, and definitely in a not fashionable way: she was sweaty, her hair was disheveled, and her leggings bore grass stains everywhere.

“Hey, forgive me,” she began. “I was… practicing.”

“With what?” Leia inquired. “Your lightsaber is still broken.”

“Oh,” Rey answered, her cheeks reddening. “I was practicing with general Force things, you know… such as physical stuff?”

Several people exchanged worried glances, but no one dared look Rey in the eye. Many Resistance members felt wary around her and her powers, and they considered her eccentric to say the least, so they avoided interacting with her altogether. Finn was always trying to include her in group activities, but she felt out of place with too many people around.

“Okay,” Maz shouted, saving Rey from her embarrassment and making everyone fall silent. “We have big news!”

“Somehow,” Poe took a deep breath. “The Supreme Leader of the First Order decreed a ceasefire.”

Murmurs of approval and surprise rose from the small crowd. This was extremely suspicious. Finn stole a glance in Rose’s direction, but she was too busy checking on Rey to meet his gaze. Finn’s eyes followed Rose’s and there she was: their Jedi friend was looking at her feet, her face frozen in a perpetual, uncanny smirk, as if her body was there with them, but her mind was who knew where and who knew with whom.

“Quiet!” Poe shouted. “The Supreme Leader has also asked to meet with a delegation to make… negotiations.”

This time, the murmurs that rose from the crowd were more outraged than anything. Rey scrunched her face and smiled at no one in particular, her head tilted left, in the direction of a tree trunk. Rose turned towards Finn, her eyes as wide as saucers, mouthing something that he could only interpret as “What the fuck”.

“I’ve decided to ask you to vote on this matter,” Leia added. “Tonight, we’ll organise a voting booth here, and I want everyone to participate.”

General Calrissian stood beside Leia, smiling. “There will be only one question: should we accept their proposal and send that delegation? You have the whole afternoon to think about it.”

Finn helped Rose stand again, and when they were finally ready to go, Rey wasn’t there anymore, already having disappeared into the thick of the jungle.

***

The voting booth consisted of a table with two pots on it, hidden behind a curtain hanging from two trees. Everyone had a round pebble –acquired by Rey herself in the nearby creek bed– and they had to put it in one of the pots, which were respectively labeled with yirt, for yes, and nern, for no. Rose immediately put her pebble into the yirt pot, and Finn did the same, after taking a couple of minutes to think about it. Before exiting the booth, he tried to weigh both pots, but they seemed equal to him: it was difficult to determine which answer would be the winning one.

Once they had voted, they stopped by Leia’s office to drink some caf and hear the results. Rey had been the last one to vote, and after she came out, Poe and Kaydel opened the pots and began counting the pebbles, supervised by General Ematt. The yes won with the narrow margin of a single pebble over the no. 

“We’re going to meet Kylo Ren,” Poe announced. “Let’s only hope this won’t be a trap.”

“I’m going to lead the delegation,” Leia said. “Who wants to come with me? I will not force anyone, of course.”

Rey raised her hand. “I volunteer. I’m familiar with him, by now.” 

Her smile was almost blinding. What kind of person smiles at the opportunity to meet Kylo Ren?

Rose whispered in Finn’s ear. “We should go as well. Just to keep an eye on her?”

He nodded, raising his hand. “We’re in as well, we both voted yes. ”

“Good,” Leia nodded. “I’m going to contact Kylo Ren tomorrow, first thing in the morning. If anyone else wants to come, I will need their names before then.”

Day One

In the end, they chose planet Bar’leth, in the Core, for their meeting. The whole system had avoided taking sides during the war, to preserve its prestigious universities and museum from any possible attack from either side, becoming a haven for scholars and artists. Rose couldn’t help feeling a bit out of place, but Finn squeezed her hand in reassurance: many of their comrades would have felt out of place in that environment, and several First Order people would feel that way, too.

The delegation from the Resistance consisted of General Organa, General Ematt, Rey, Finn and Rose. General Calrissian, Poe, Kaydel and Maz decided to remain on base in case things went south. The First Order, despite having more funds than the Resistance, hadn’t recovered from the losses suffered on Crait, and their delegation was small as well, composed only of General Hux, General Pardanee, Officer Kandia and another Officer, a mousy young man called Mitaka who looked particularly miserable on the duracrete landing pad where the Upsilon-class Command shuttle had just docked. 

The Supreme Leader himself disembarked the ship after everyone else, making quite the entrance: larger than life, he was wearing his usual padded tunic, and a well worn hooded cape. He was maskless, and not even his dark, unruly mop of hair was able to soften the harsh features of his face, all edges and sharp lines, now even more pronounced by the silver scar bisecting his right cheek. He was the epitome of tall, dark and brooding.

Rose turned towards Leia, to gauge her reaction: Rose knew that Kylo Ren was Leia’s son. If Rey hadn’t spilled the beans, during a girls only drunken night on base, she would never have guessed that the General was the Supreme Leader’s mother, since she never behaved like she was, attacking her adversary ruthlessly and relentlessly, never holding back.

Leia’s face was the usual expressionless mask, but her eyes… her eyes were shining, and she could detect love and longing in them, as if she was finally proud to see her son after so many years, in a peaceful setting. Turning her head, Rose checked on Rey, sitting at Finn’s left: her gaze was fixed on Kylo Ren too, and Rose noticed that her eyes were shining as well, and her cheeks were sporting a healthy blush. 

The Supreme Leader profusely thanked the delegation, and when his eyes met Rey’s, he quickly averted them, his cheeks reddening quickly. Rose snorted loudly: her friend had a lot of explaining to do.

***

The accommodations provided by Bar’leth Central Government were luckily not far from the capital historical centre: they would live, for the duration of the negotiations, in an old cloistery, dating back to the first University of the planet. Despite having been recently renovated, the ancient building still reflected the old mores of the past, and the wing occupied by the Resistance delegation was separated from the one occupied by the First Order by a tall, windowless wall.

Finn found himself laughing at the sight. “We didn’t have separate quarters when I was a stormtrooper. Boys and girls lived and trained side by side.”

“This is, indeed, very old,” Rose answered. “I wonder how… someone will cope with this forced separation?”

“Why? We don’t have to talk to the First Order outside of our official meetings.”

“Oh, we don’t for sure. But maybe someone wants to.”

Finn looked befuddled. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

Day Two

The main downside of walking with crutches was that both Rose and Finn had to wake up earlier than the others, since they were slower. At dawn, Finn sneaked from Rose’s room to return to his own to take a shower, and upon passing Rey’s door, he heard her talking excitedly, the occasional laugh echoing in the empty corridor. He tried to eavesdrop, but it definitely sounded like his friend was talking alone.

Intrigued, he knocked on her door, and Rey opened it quickly.

“Good morning!” she said, “It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”

“It is indeed! Rose is doing her exercises for her leg, and then we’ll have breakfast downstairs. Is Leia here?”

Rey’s cheeks reddened again: she was blushing a lot lately. “No. I’m alone.”

“You were talking alone?” Finn inquired. 

“Yep. Force training.”

Finn retreated slowly from the door, his lips pursed. “O–okay. See you downstairs then.”

***

Kylo Ren was already in the main hall when Finn and Rose arrived there to have breakfast. He greeted them stiffly, but Rose couldn’t help noticing how he already looked more rested than yesterday, the heavy bags under his eyes now visibly diminished. He’d also washed his hair – she wasn’t sure he’d combed it, though – and his pitted cape was nowhere to be seen, leaving him in his padded tunic and leather trousers only.

Finn acknowledged him with a nod, but Rose slowly limped towards him, her right hand outstretched. Kylo Ren abandoned his cup of caf on a nearby table and wiped his palm on his clothes before shaking her hand. 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said.

“You don’t hate me,” he stated, his deep voice rumbling low, a hint of surprise tinting it.

“If I cared about hate, I would never have left Hays Minor, but I’m here today, with you.”

Kylo had the decency to look ashamed, but he soon got distracted by Rey’s entrance, and Rose followed his gaze. Her friend was clad in light grey today, despite having worn only off-white for the past six months, and her hair was partially down, with a single bun at the top of her head. Rose smirked, and returned to Finn’s table. 

***

The morning passed surprisingly well, without any major commotion. Kylo Ren stressed repeatedly how the war should end without any further bloodshed on both sides, and they worked together on a schedule for the following days. The ceasefire wasn’t enough to put an end to the ongoing conflict: there was the future of innumerable Star Systems at stake here, and it was their duty to decide what was best for the Galaxy.

Finn observed how the people more involved, for the moment, were the elders. General Organa and General Ematt launched themselves in a heated discussion with Hux and Pardanee, the highest ranking Officers of the First Order. Their Junior Officers were simply listening, as were Rose and himself, while their respective Force users… seemed to be distracted, and indifferent about what happened around them. 

It was like they were alone in the room, their eyes glued to each other, their ears deaf to the fact that the history of the Galaxy was being rewritten by the people around them. Their lips weren’t moving, but their eyes were luminous and deep, like they were sharing a secret that no one else in the room could understand. A secret that gave Finn the chills.

“Rose,” he whispered, elbowing his partner. “Something is wrong with Rey.”

Rose exhaled, without answering.

“Do you think Kylo Ren is controlling her through the Force or something like that? This morning, she was talking alone in her room.”

“Was she?”

“She was laughing too. But not laughing-laughing. She was giggling like a little girl.”

Rose elbowed him, clearing her voice. “We have to vote now, raise your hand.”

Finn complied, even if he’d been distracted by Rey’s strange behaviour.

“Thank you,” General Ematt announced. “At least we can concur that after dinner, no one will discuss anything and we’ll be free to visit the beautiful monuments of this capital.”

***

The first day of negotiations came almost to nothing. Both sides were firm on their propositions, the First Order bent on maintaining its whole fleet, and its own army as well, governed by the rule of a single, powerful person, and the Resistance fighting for the opposite, for a direct democracy to rule over the Galaxy.

Rose huffed in annoyance. Both sides were right and wrong at the same time. The First Order could guarantee quickness of action while being under a single ruler, but quickness of actions meant also that no one could fight against blood-curdling decisions such as genocide. Democracy was excellent on paper, but both the Republic and the New Republic had failed in eradicating slavery, since those who profited the most from slaves could vote as anyone else. The Galaxy needed something new, some way to break the cycle of violence that had plagued it forever, and Rose hoped they could finally find a solution together.

Finn joined her at dinner, his plate overflowing with delicacies. Rose tried a Kodari rice roll, but her mind flew straight away to the kitchen workers. Were they paid enough for their work? Could they have permits to see their families? Were their medical expenses covered? Rey would agree with her that these were important questions for them to ask, since she had lived as little more than a slave for most of her life. 

Their friend was currently sitting at her table, stuffing her face with food without any regard for appetizers, main courses, or side dishes. Not even sweets could survive her fury, and she inhaled a whole Oi-oi puff and some salad together, just because she could. At another table Hux’s face was contorted in so much disgust that Rose though he was going to suffocate, while Kylo Ren gazed at Rey like she was the most beautiful angel in the Galaxy. 

“We need to talk to Rey,” Rose whispered to Finn.

“About what?”

“She has an advantage we don’t have, and we’re going to exploit that.”

“Uh? You mean the Force?”

Rose elbowed him. “You’re as romantic as an asteroid, sometimes.”

Day Three

The following day, Rose and Finn made sure to wait for Rey before going downstairs for breakfast. Their friend was wearing different clothes today, darker than before, a nice medium grey that complimented the green of her eyes. Her hairstyle was different as well: she had abandoned her single bun, gathering the upper portion of her hair in a small ponytail and leaving her lengths free to brush her shoulders. Rose was sure that her lashes looked fuller and darker as well, but she knew that Rey wasn’t used to wear makeup, so she just blamed the poor light of the cloistery.

Finn broke the ice. “Rey, we have some propositions, but we fear that the First Order will not take them seriously.”

“Why?” she asked, surprised. “We decided that we’ll listen to everyone. Our votes have the same weight as Leia’s or Be– Kylo Ren’s.”

“I know,” Finn added, playing his part. “But... I have a history with them. I just don’t want to be in the spotlight, you know?”

Rey nodded, and Rose started to explain her thoughts about the exploitation of resources on different planets, and the huge problem represented by the ties between slavery and corrupt governments. Rey listened carefully, commenting that she hadn’t thought about many of the issues presented by Rose, and soon Finn talked about his experience as a stormtrooper, and how this was another kind of slavery that needed to be stopped as soon as possible.

Rey nodded. “I will talk to Leia and General Ematt about this.”

“But Leia was raised as a princess, and Ematt is a Republican at heart,” Finn added. “While we experienced first hand what being an underdog means, yourself included.”

“I’m sure they’ll be receptive to these issues, but they might not understand how they represent the core of finally bringing peace to the Galaxy,” Rose said. “We need you to convince the First Order that the first step to solve our problems is to abolish slavery everywhere.”

Rey blushed. “I don’t– I don’t know if I’ll be able to convince anyone.”

“You don’t have to convince anyone . Just the right person.”

***

Today, the Supreme Leader was sporting a new outfit: the padded tunic had disappeared, substituted by a lighter one –black as usual– that left his throat free. His hair seemed combed as well, and Rose couldn’t help admiring how his dark locks curled around his ears, brushing the elegant tendons of his long, statuesque neck. Maybe, if she squinted, she could glimpse why Rey was so besotted, despite all the crimes he committed in the past. 

Her new favourite non-couple didn’t mingle during breakfast as Rose was hoping, but they remained at their designed tables, playing their usual game of secret glimpses. What if Finn was right, and they had been communicating the whole time? Rey liked to be alone too much for someone who grew up on a desert planet, forced to fend for herself. What if she wasn’t really alone, but she was with him, always? Rose couldn’t even cope with such a level of intimacy, and the thought almost gave her the chills. Finn was with her, all right, but he was a separate entity from her, and he understood when she needed some time alone, when she needed her space. 

Speaking of which, she looked for him: he was on the balcony, talking with Leia. The General was watching her son while she conversed with Finn, and her eyes were even more dreamy than usual, while Finn looked quite shocked. It was good seeing her happy for once, but she couldn’t help worrying about Finn. When he joined her to finally begin the negotiations, she asked what he and Leia had talked about.

“Did you know she’s his mother?” he said, and Rose nodded, squeezing his hand.

***

The third day of negotiations risked to come almost to nothing as well, but towards the end of the afternoon, Leia finally conceded that they could never dismantle the First Order and remove its presence altogether, since many systems, especially in the Outer Rim, could easily fall prey to crime syndicates, such as the Hutt Cartel and the Crimson Dawn of old.

Rey finally raised her hand, and she timidly made her opinion on the matter known. “I think that we don’t need to eliminate the First Order or the Resistance. We need to transform them into something that will work, something that people will look up to. I raised myself on a planet that needs the hand of a central, strong government, but it was too poor to catch the First Order’s eye. An eye easily distracted by natural resources.”

Silence filled the room. Finn looked at Kylo Ren, his feature now sweetened by his dreamy gaze, rosy lips quivering in Rey’s direction, and then he looked at Rey, biting her lower lip and smiling shyly at their former nemesis. If he hadn’t known them, he would suspect that they were hiding something.

“Yes,” the Supreme Leader conceded. “Every planet should be protected against organized crime, regardless of their economic value. We should implement a solidarity network towards poorer systems, in order to avoid internal fights and the spread of thuggery, that unavoidably leads to racketeering and worse things. What do you think?”

The vote was unanimous. Rey waved at Rose and Finn, smiling: they finally were on to something.

Day Four

The following day was fruitful as well. The debate became fiery, especially after conversations focused on what to do with the Stormtrooper program, so strongly solicited by Snoke and implemented by Hux himself, who fiercely defended it in front of the Resistance.

When Rey raised her hand, Kylo Ren interrupted Hux, seeing that the discussion wasn’t going anywhere, and he spurred her to talk, since she’d kept silent for the whole day. Her voice sounded loud and clear in the room: she was more confident than yesterday. 

“Thank you, Be– Supreme Leader. I think that my only suggestion on the matter would be to focus on maintaining the fleet as it is, mainly for defense purpose, and to maintain the army as well, with a single, substantial change. I would make the enrollment elective. You can’t keep abducting children.”

Kylo Ren clapped his hands. “This is an excellent idea. An army composed exclusively of volunteers means a loyal army for once, no defections. Right?” 

Hux seethed with rage, but General Pardanee exclaimed “I like this!” swifty followed by Kandia and Mitaka’s nods of approval. Kylo Ren turned towards Rey and smiled, making Rose’s heart skip a beat: his face transformed completely, harsh lines becoming gentle, and small wrinkles complimenting the slanted shapes of his eyes.

“Those two,” Finn exhaled. “They’re hiding something from us.”

Rose snorted. “They’re not doing a great job.”

“What do you mean?”

“Saving what we love, remember?” Rose said, taking Finn’s hand.

***

That evening, the dinner was hosted by the local archaeological museum, and it included a visit to its halls afterwards, lead by the director of the museum, a tall, serious man with salt and pepper hair and the mayor of the city, a chatty middle-aged woman. The thought of walking for the whole night in long corridors wasn’t really appealing for Rose: after the dinner, she told Rey that she was going to return to her room, and not to worry since Finn was going to keep her company.

“That’s nonsense, let’s see what I can do about it,” she answered, and without moving, she caught Kylo Ren’s attention from the opposite side of the table. The two exchanged their usual glances full of longing and promises, and Rey sighed deeply, without even worrying about her friends’ presence besides her. The Tooka was out of the bag, apparently.

Finn and Rose observed closely the silent exchange, jolting when the Supreme Leader roared Mitaka’s name, and the young Officer almost tripped on his feet to reach him as quickly as possible from his seat, and after having received orders, he ran towards them.

“The Imperial Law 1138/12BBY-Cultural Accessibility decrees that every building hosting a permanent collection is compelled to keep at least two hoverchairs for visitors unable to walk,” he panted, red in the face. “If they don’t, we could fill an official complaint that would result in a fine to pay to Miss Tico here.”

“Thank you,” Rey smiled. “That was… surprisingly efficient.”

“Fetch that hoverchair for Miss Tico immediately,” Kylo Ren barked, abandoning his seat to tell the mayor and the director to wait for the visit, and Mitaka quickly obeyed, exiting the dinner hall. 

The Supreme Leader was in black as usual, wearing high waisted trousers fastened by a sash, and what definitely looked like a silk shirt with bouffant sleeves. It was a wild change from his usual wardrobe, but he looked so good that no one dared to say anything, not even Hux. 

For the first time, Rose asked herself how could Rey resist such a treat, how she could keep pretending that nothing was happening between the two of them. She looked at her friend, now standing next to Leia and Ematt: Rey was radiant as well tonight, in a dark grey tunic and matching leggings, her hair finally free of any updo and her eyes highlighted by long, curved lashes – Rose was pretty sure that her friend was wearing makeup for real now, and she wondered who taught Rey how to use it.

Luckily, Mitaka came back with the hoverchair –he even offered to push it– and the director finally began the visit, followed closely by the mayor and the Generals. The museum was so enormous that soon the small group composed of Rose, Finn, and the Junior Officers of the First Order was left behind, but they just shrugged and began wandering on their own, indifferent to the boring notions the director kept spewing.

Soon, Finn and Rose discovered that Dopheld Mitaka and Tishra Kandia were actually fun young people, and it was a real pleasure to have them around. They took turns pushing Rose around, laughing every time the holochair sputtered under their combined weight, and for once Rose was glad she hadn’t insisted on returning to her rooms with Finn, or she wouldn’t have discovered the soft underbelly of the First Order.

“How’s the situation at the moment?” Finn asked them.

“It’s like… everything got frozen after Crait?” Tishra revealed. “Snoke was the person who used to make decisions, and then he died… we were just waiting for something to happen, until Ren said that the war needed to stop.”

“It was a huge surprise,” Dopheld added. “His hatred for Hux is well known, but this was a really mind-blowing decision.”

“Was Hux the one pushing for continuing the war?” Rose asked.

“Indeed. He and Snoke were responsible for hitting the Hosnian System too. Frankly, Ren was always out of place. He was mainly this enraged being wandering around on our ships, throwing tantrums and making messes for us to clean up.” 

“Once he almost choked me,” Dopheld shivered. “But now he… looks different.”

“He’s in love,” Tishra sing-songed. “I have told you, and you’ll owe me five hundred credits by the end of the week.”

“What are you talking about?” Finn exclaimed.

“She’s convinced Ren and your Jedi are… having a secret relationship,” Mitaka huffed. “Behind everyone’s back.”

Rose squealed so loudly that she almost scared everyone. “I’m not alone then!”

“No, you’re not!” Tishra laughed. “General Pardaneee thinks the same, we even helped Ren dress himself as a human being and not as a brawler for once!”

“So the silk shirt was your idea? He looks so good in that,” Rose gushed.

“He does! He’s a dream to play dress up, we only had to tell him that Rey would have appreciated new clothes and he became putty in our hands.”

Finn and Dopheld exchanged a helpless look.

Day Five

Rose and Finn decided to take their breakfast with the Junior Officers, to everyone’s surprise. Their evening at the museum had been truly memorable, and now Finn was involved in the betting round about Rey and Kylo Ren’s hypothetical forbidden relationship too, against Tishra and Rose. While the girls waged on a full-fledged love story, complete with the most classical romantic tropes, he and Dopheld agreed to disagree, settling for a generic and inexplicable mysterious Force connection between the two. 

Pardanee approached the group, greeting the Junior Officers.

“General, we have a new ally,” Tishra beamed, presenting Rose to her.

“Nice to meet you!” Pardanee exclaimed, shaking Rose’s hand with vigour. “Speaking of which,” she whispered, “Have you seen our lovebirds? Yesterday evening, they weren’t with us at the museum. They followed us only until we reached the prehistoric hall, then they disappeared.”

“They weren’t with us either,” Finn commented. “We thought they were with you for the whole time!”

“And you must be Finn, our ex-stormtrooper,” the General said, shaking his hand as well. “You’re quite famous within the First Order.”

“Am I?” He asked, befuddled.

“He’s here!” Tishra interrupted. “He’s entering the hall!”

“I hope they disappeared to have sex yesterday evening. He needs to get laid so bad,” Pardanee commented, making everyone splutter in shock.

But the most surprising thing was Kylo Ren’s new outfit: he had the same high waisted trousers as yesterday, but he was wearing another shirt today, sporting less extravagant sleeves but with a plunging neckline that exalted the crease between his pectorals and made people whisper excitedly behind his back, his own mother included. His hair finally looked soft and combed, framing his angular face with gentle waves. He looked well rested for once, and the thought made Rose smile. She was glad for him, he deserved a bit of respite seeing how hard he was working to bring peace.

“That’s it,” Pardanee sighed. “That’s my boy.”

Rey entered the hall a couple of minutes later, and the murmuring picked up since she was in black as well. Even the ever-serious General Ematt choked on his caf when she greeted everyone, her silken tunic billowing at every step, an intricate leather belt underlining her slim waist and her muscled back. 

Before taking her place at the table, she smiled warmly at the Supreme Leader. “Good morning, Ben.”

He lifted his hand, waving his fingers and smiling, his chest rising in longing.

“I wish they would finally kiss,” Tishra pleaded to no one in particular. 

“Is it public knowledge, then?” Finn whispered. “That his real name is Ben Solo, I mean.”

“Yes and no,” Pardanee said. “The inner circle already knew, but no one else outside of them. He’s General Organa’s son,” she explained to the Junior Officers.

Tishra took Dopheld’s arm, squeezing it. “This is even more heartbreaking.”

***

The day proved itself to be exhausting. Today’s agenda was about an eventual merging of the First Order and the Resistance, with the final goal of installing a central government that could be fair and offer equal opportunity of growth to every Star System, regardless of the presence of natural resources, while simultaneously protecting its poorest citizens from exploitation by the greediest ones.

Rey fought fiercely to eradicate slavery, and Kylo Ren –or better, Ben Solo– fought beside her, supporting her views on the matter and disclosing how his own lineage stemmed from slavery itself, with Shmi and Anakin Skywalker being treated as property, and not people. In the end, everyone agreed on making the ownership of sentient beings illegal in the whole Galaxy, and even Hux raised his hand for the final poll –maybe in shame– but the important thing was the result in the end.

That evening, everyone was too tired to wander around, and after their dinner, they decided to remain in the building, occupying a section of the library hosted in the cloisters. It was a fairly sheltered hall, with armchairs, table, shelves with holobooks and a small loveseat in front of a crackling fireplace.

No one dared use the loveseat, and when Ben and Rey joined the others, after having been conveniently detained by Ematt to talk about a couple of details, they found that all the other seats had already been taken. Blushing and avoiding each other’s eyes, they finally sat down on the small couch in front of the fire, and it was a little miracle that the whole room didn’t erupt in cheering around them. 

Rose tried to keep the discussion up to avoid arousing suspicion, but everyone was quite distracted now. Pardanee and Hux, from their corner, were observing the couple in silence while sipping on ksaa, while Leia discreetly wiped a lonely tear on her cheekbone, with Ematt gently patting her shoulder. Tishra was literally vibrating beside her, and Finn and Dopheld had just realized that they had lost the bet. 

“You know what?” Finn said. “Let’s go get some fresh air.”

“Good idea,” Rose answered, and they slowly returned outside, leaving Ben and Rey alone.

Day Six

The following morning, all the eyes were on the Supreme Leader and the Last Jedi. After what had happened during the previous evening, Rose felt like they were here to play matchmaker first, and decide about the future of the Galaxy second, in their spare time.

Even Leia was pushing for the couple to finally end up together, commenting loudly –and outright in front of them– how beautiful they were together, making them blush uncomfortably. Rose wasn’t sure if hers was merely a mother’s desire to finally see her own son happy, but her reactions weren’t so different from Tishra’s squealing or General Pardanee’s witty comments.

Rose could see how Rey and Ben needed time and space for themselves and now she almost felt sorry for partaking in the bet between Kandia and Mitaka. She simply wanted her friend Rey to be happy, and if being happy for her meant having a relationship with the man once known as Kylo Ren, so be it.

Finn pinched her thigh. “Voting now, raise your arm.”

She got distracted. They were currently facing the matter of which form of Government to establish. While she was looking at the lipstick on Rey’s lips, the others, after having done the same, started debating about how the kind of democracy adopted by the Republic and the New Republic had proven itself to be detrimental to many Systems in the long run, permitting bribable people to have seats in the Galactic Senate. 

General Hux tried to propose an elective monarchy as the better solution, but the Supreme Leader refused to even take that idea into consideration, seeing how things had gone under Snoke. Leia pushed for an oligarchy of sorts, with a restricted upper council formed by representatives of every System elected by the people. 

“How is that different from a Republic?” Pardanee asked.

“Giving special powers to a single person will be illegal in any circumstance,” Ematt replied. “That’s how Palpatine seized power, and we don’t want to experience that again.”

“It’s not about the shape of something,” Rey intervened. “It’s how bad people twist that shape for their own ends.”

“Exactly,” Ben added. “We need to write a new Galactic Constitution, and we will be the ones who’ll write it. Who’s with me?”

Everyone raised their hand.

“We will meet again here then, in a month.”

***

That evening, Finn and Rose returned to her room, deciding to avoid more social gatherings in order to rest her injured leg. Their plan was to watch a holodrama and recuperate the sleep they’d lost during the week, but as soon as they got comfortable on the bed, a noise from outside made them jump: it was a loud thud, like some bricks – or tiles that just fell down from above.

“What was that?” Finn exclaimed, abandoning the soft cocoon made by cushions and covers.

Rose sighed. “I hope the building will not collapse on us. I don’t want to get up.”

He opened the door, searching for the source of the noise: at the end of the corridor there was Rey, on the ground, with… some debris next to her.

“Are you okay?” he exclaimed. “What happened?”

“I feel so stupid,” she whined. “I tried to… climb the wall, but some bricks were evidently loose.”

Finn lent her an arm to get on her feet. “Why would you need to climb this?”

Rey patted her leggings, groaning when she touched her knee: it was scraped.

“Nothing. I was training.”

“In the dead of night?

“I was going to see Ben, Finn, come on,” she mumbled, her face red. “After the numbers all of you pulled in the last days, I didn’t want to be seen while going to his room.”

“Oh.”

“Rey, what happened?” Rose asked, limping towards them. “Are you injured?”

“No. I think I have twisted my ankle, and my knee is bruised.”

“Then you’re injured. Come inside, we have Rose’s medikit.”

Finn helped Rey reach the bed, and he propped up some pillows behind her back, while Rose looked for useful medical supplies. Their friend’s ankle was already a bit swollen,and her knee got scraped against the bricks, small droplets of blood already seeping through the fabric of her leggings.

“Give me some bacta,” Rey said. 

She applied two patches on her injuries, breaking their wrappers nervously, her hands trembling. Finn reached for her, patting her shoulder.

“I’m sorry Rey,” he said. “We behaved like children.”

“It’s my fault. I’m a coward.” she sniffed. “Keeping this a secret ruined everything. I thought that seeing him here would have been easy, but it became awkward quickly.”

“There’s no need to hide,” Rose said, hugging her. “We’ll never judge you for loving him.”

Finn’s arm enveloped both the girls at once. “We have seen that he’s changed, that he’s trying to do good. You were right about him.”

Ben found them like this, when he stormed into the room.

“Rey!” he exclaimed, panting, almost unhinging the door. “I felt you falling, I felt nothing under my feet and then pain.”

“Ben!” she cried. “You’re here!”

Her friends promptly released Rey from their embrace, and she tried to get on her feet to meet Ben, but he met her halfway, slowly guiding her on the mattress again with a delicate push. She opened her arms, but instead of hugging her, he kneeled at her feet, resting his head on her thighs. She caressed his hair sweetly, and both Finn and Rose thought about quietly sneaking out of the room, leaving them alone, but the scene was so heart warming that looking the other way was impossible.

“Of course I’m here,” he whispered, his hands roaming over her bacta patches. “Are you injured?”

“No,” she answered. “I twisted my ankle and scraped my knee.”

“Then you’re injured!” Ben exclaimed, outraged, and everyone laughed.

“Do you want to stay here?” Rose inquired. “We can sleep in the room they assigned to Finn.”

“Or you could go there?” Finn added, shrugging. “We never used it.”

“No,” she answered, her fingers still caressing Ben’s scalp. “Thank you, but my room is only a few doors away, we’ll go there.”

“I’m carrying you,” Ben announced, picking Rey up like she weighed nothing, making her squeal in delight and surprise.

“See you tomorrow,” she waved, smiling. “Thank you for the bacta.”

***

The following morning, Rey and Ben entered the hall together, hand in hand. Credits were exchanged while the couple pretended to not see, and then their last day of work began, even if there weren’t many things left to take into consideration.

“I’m stepping down.” Ben announced. “The role of Supreme Leader will cease to exist from now on. My last decree will be to appoint General Organa as Interim Leader of the Constituent Assembly that will meet again here, next month.”

Everyone raised their hand save for Leia, smiling sweetly at her son. 

“Good,” he commented. “We’ll have our last lunch with the major today, then we’ll return to our respective bases.”

Tishra raised her hand. “Does it makes sense to do that? The First Order is technically under General Organa’s guide, now.”

Ben looked at his mother.

“We may need a couple of ships to bring water and other supplies to Ryloth. They’re still recovering after the First Order bombed Lessu,” she answered. “A couple of ex First Order officers could come with us, to arrange for the transportation.”

Tishra nodded, hopeful.

***

Lunch revealed itself to be another never ending affair, like the visit to the museum, but the overall atmosphere was more relaxed, making the company extremely enjoyable. Wine was poured, and laughter soon filled the dining hall: for once, Rose didn’t long for the privacy of her room. 

Rey was sitting next to Ben this time, and luckily no one was bothering them, letting them enjoy their last hours together before everyone’s departure. Discovering Ben’s hidden softness during last night’s accident had been mind blowing. Every time he looked at Rey, his whole face transformed, like he was another person altogether: Rose could see in his eyes the same light she could see in Finn’s when he looked at her, so full of fondness and love.

“Rey looks so happy,” he whispered. “We should leave them alone, they deserve it after what we put them through this week.”

“Clever,” Rose answered. “Tishra and Dopheld are already coming with us. We could give Pardanee and Hux a ride as well…”

“Leaving the Upsilon-class shuttle to Rey and Ben,” Finn continued. “I can’t wait to see Hux on the Falcon.”

“He’ll be disgusted by the porg’s nest.”

“He will. Let’s do this, please!”

***

Rey tiredly closed her room after having gathered her belongings in her backpack, carefully folding the new clothes she’d ordered with Leia’s help. She couldn’t wait to return to Ajan Kloss and rest: the whole week had been exhausting for her and for Ben as well, and even if the work they did was fundamental for the future of the Galaxy, she craved the silence of the jungle on the small moon where the Resistance had been hiding so far, even if she would then be able to meet him only through their Force connections. 

But it didn’t matter to her. They could meditate together, walk between the trees, and by night, they could simply lay in the same bunk, whispering sweet nothings to each other without anyone else around them. Finally being able to touch him in person had been everything Rey could have desired, and even more, but she missed sharing her silence with him, and enjoying his presence without having to worry about anything else. Anyways, she would see him again in person in a month, so there was no pressure on her part.

Before going downstairs Rey knocked on Rose’s door to see if her friend was ready, but no one answered. She tried Finn’s room as well, but again, her knocking was met with absolute silence, and the same thing happened when she checked on Leia’s and Ematt’s doors. She checked the time, and she wasn’t late, but it looked like there was no one in the cloistery anymore.

Rey started running. She exited the building, to see if there was anyone around, but to no avail. The private astroport they’d used on the first day was not far, and she decided to check on it, since she recognized the Upsilon-class shuttle folded wings peeking from behind a building. Upon reaching the landing strip, her face fell: the Falcon wasn’t there anymore, but there was Ben, standing in front of his shuttle, with its pilot, a man named Tavson – if she recalled correctly.

“Ben?” she squeaked, arresting her run. “Where are the others?”

“They took off an hour ago,” he shrugged. 

“They left me a message for you, Ma’am,” Commander Tavson said. “They said that for logistic reasons, it would have been easier for them to take the other ship to reach Ajan Kloss together.”

“And we’re free to take the shuttle and go wherever we want,” Ben continued. “My mother said we’re not needed until next month, they want to focus on reconstruction until then.”

“Wherever we want,” Rey muttered, approaching him.

Ben’s arms closed tightly around her, and Commander Tavson politely pretended to check on the ship, leaving them alone. Rey buried her face in his chest. She inhaled deeply, running her fingers across the wide expanse of his back, and sighed.

“Take me somewhere green.”

Ben laughed, kissing her forehead.

“I hope you’ll like Naboo.”

END