Chapter Sixteen - Resolution

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, but you look strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark!

AN: I am providing a brief summary of the content that was in chapter 15 for anyone that was not comfortable with reading it and decided to skip it.Chapter Fifteen summary: After Rey falls asleep next to Ben, they share a dream together but neither realize it's a dream at first. Things get heated between them when Kylo, still contending with his residual corruption from Snoke's influence, starts pushing Rey too far. She almost opts to fight him off savagely but instead chooses to plead with him one last time, successfully drawing out his true self. After waking up together for real, the two begin to hash things out, with him deciding Rey requires some swimming lessons.

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Ben blinked back the memory of his dream, still fresh in his mind like a raw, throbbing wound. Attempting to refocus on their conversation, he turned to Rey with a dubious expression. "Are you sure about that?" he asked as he began tapping various keys on his computer terminal. After they had both taken turns in the fresher in preparation for the day, he had remembered his promise the day before. "He's really the one you want released first?"

"Yes," Rey answered with a nod and a wince. "Poe... doesn't do so well in captivity. And I think Finn and Rose will be fine for a few more days."

Ben paused from pressing the final key that would connect a transmission to the and turned his head to look at the woman standing beside him. She met his gaze expectantly, curiously noting his hesitation. A question that had been nagging at him for a long time suddenly pushed itself to the fore of his mind and he could no longer ignore it, though he struggled with how to word the inquiry without digging up negative memories. "You used to have feelings for him... For Finn." He grimaced, unused to using the traitor's nickname. "What changed?"

Rey blinked at him quizzically, obviously not expecting such a question, though she eventually smiled and dropped her eyes to the floor briefly. "Finn was the first friend I ever had. So yes, I suppose I infatuated with him at one time." Rey sighed, as if she were letting the notion go once and for all. "But our paths diverged some time ago."

"You never once felt jealous when- " He didn't finish his sentence, he didn't want to. The topic seemed so irrelevant despite his inexplicable curiosity. Besides, he was sure she could fill in the blanks easily enough.

"I already told you Ben," Rey said, her eyes softening up at him. " love means choosing the other person's happiness over your own." She gave him a smirk full of mischief. "Besides, I had another male vying for my attention at the time."

Ben raised a hand to cup her face gently, releasing a disparaging sigh of his own. "Your light blinds me at times like this."

Rey's smirk remained as she leaned into his touch, though her eyes narrowed for a riposte. "I'll choose to take that as a compliment."

Ben let out an amused breath as he lowered his hand and turned back to the terminal to finish the chore he started. "Supreme Leader!" The captain answered over the com fervently.

"Captain, I have new orders for the rebel pilot, Poe Dameron," Ben replied crisply. He couldn't decipher whether the captain's intensity was due to surprise or fear. "He is to be released today at the soonest possible convenience."

"Released, sir?" The captain sounded bewildered by the order.

"Load him onto a shuttle with disabled weapons systems and enough fuel for a single jump," Ben clarified with a grumble. "And keep this operation as quiet as possible, Captain. I've grown immensely tired of people undermining my authority lately."

"Y-Yes Sire!" the captain replied, as if he were afraid of being suspected for the offense himself. "I will do just as you say, my lord."

"Good," Ben snapped and cut the transmission, finding it oddly difficult to shut off his irritable mindset after dealing with any of his subordinates. It couldn't be helped though, as it seemed like fiery intensity was the only way to get things done without being questioned about them.

His burning ire suddenly cooled as he felt Rey's hand in his, her fingers weaving and curling through his own. Her touch sent waves of calm through his system, like it always did, even through the gloves they both wore. He turned to see a content smile on her face, and sent her a devious one in return. "Come along apprentice. We have much to learn today."---

Everything in a stormtrooper's life was regimented. A set time span for sleep, for bathing, for training, even eating had a deadline, for if you didn't make it to your assigned post on time... well, the consequences were better left unspoken.

Zeroes sat at a table in the central mess hall, contemplating how much longer he had to finish his meal before his allotted time was up. He had learned very early on in his cadet years that if you didn't eat quickly, you went hungry, which left very little time for talking.