Chapter 6: Don’t Use the Force, Ben

SUMMARY: [ABY 18] A Force-injured Twi’lek brings charges against Padawan Ben Solo and brings child psychologist Dr. Amanda Snoke rushing to the village of Tuanul on Jakku.

“Nothing’s broken, but she took a hard knock to the head. She’ll need to be monitored all night.” Luke removed his hand from the unconscious Twi’lek’s forehead. He could feel the Living Force flowing through her and knew she would awaken and recover. But the scream that had brought him and the Tuanul villagers running still had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Finding her crumpled at the foot of the well, they’d all feared the worst.

He could also sense the intense fear that clutched at his nephew’s heart. The boy had tried to run, but at a shout from the Jedi Master, Ben had come to a halt and remained watchful from the shadows while the Twi’lek girl was examined and carried inside to a pallet. Luke got to his feet and came to stand over his padawan, hands on hips. “What happened?” he said evenly.

Ben looked up and then dropped his gaze again. The night had taken on a chill and he’d taken off his his boots to feel the warm sand between his toes. It was somehow soothing. Hugging his arms close to his chest, he mumbled, “She was going to eat me.” It sounded absurd now. He’d never heard of Twi’leks eating people, not like the Ewoks did.

Luke blinked. “What?”

Ben bit is lower lip, recalling the hungry look in her eyes, how she’d touched his hair and then how her hand had dropped to his belt. His voice wavered and his ears turned red. “She wanted to eat me.”

A couple of the younger villagers heard the remark and snickered.

Elder Josira’s hand flew to her mouth. Taking a moment to decide how to respond to the delicate situation, she finally said, “The girl has not fully escaped her former life, I’m afraid. It will take time.”

Luke nodded, understanding, saddened for the exploitative life the girl had endured in the sex trade and sympathetic to his nephew’s innocence. Yet deep inside the Jedi Master, annoyance bubbled to the surface. Hadn’t Han taught his son anything about women? Han Solo — the biggest swaggering ladies’ man he knew. But in the past few years, Han Solo hadn’t been around enough to be a father.

“You and I are going to have to have a talk.” Luke told Ben, gently gripping the boy’s sleeve, pity welling up in his eyes. “And not just about using the Force to push people away.”

One of the villagers chuckled lightly as he headed with the others back into the assembly hut. He remembered all too well the awkward conversation he’d had with his own father about the happabores and bloggins at that age.

#   #   #

Luke rubbed sleepy eyes. He’d been up all night watching the Twi’lek girl Ukij’ruhay for signs of serious head injury and talking with her after she was awake. He looked at the holo image before him now in the quiet alcove where he and Ben had tried to get a little sleep. “Ukij’s pretty bruised and she’s lost the feeling in one of her lekku. She may lose the tip, and she’s pressing charges against Ben.” He glanced at his nephew, curled on his pallet, finally asleep and breathing softly.

“I’m coming,” the holo image of a tall blonde human female answered at once. “I can be on Jakku in twenty standard hours.”

Sighing, Luke nodded in thanks. In the corner, Ben Solo stirred as the image of Dr. Amanda Snoke winked out.

At the Galactic Institute of Behavioral Neuroscience on Hosnian Prime, Amanda rose from her desk and remarked to her assistant, Kotha Ranee, a Togruta female, “Well, it seems my little man has gotten himself into trouble again.”

“Never a dull moment with the Solos,” Kotha acknowledge with a smirk. She tapped on her datapad. “There’s a flight leaving for Jakku at oh-four-hundred hours.”

“Excellent. Put me on it.”

Amanda didn’t care that she wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. Things were going just the way she’d planned. At thirteen, Ben was tapping into the Force almost as second nature, and, despite outward appearances, he was gaining more control of his powers, more focus.

And, what was equally exiting was that another Force-sensitive youngling had been discovered on Jakku. She’d done the right thing, she told herself, by allowing Luke Skywalker to live. Dark eyes — alien eyes — smoldered like embers in deep shadow as she considered her ambition and desire. Skywalker would never turn to the dark side, but he’d quickly lead her to Force-sensitives who would, like Ben. If they didn’t, well, that could be remedied.

Amanda Snoke smiled a satisfied smile as she stowed her datapad and commlink in her briefcase and closed the door to her office. Yes, everything is going swimmingly, she thought, except these infernal cycles human women have! Her high heels clicked on the marble floor as she headed for the refresher, screwing her eyes shut as a cramp wracked her abdomen.

No, what bothered Snoke the most was the frailty of the human body she occupied. Next time, she’d select another species…and something male.

 

@MyKyloRen  4 March 2018

 

Chapter 5: Raw Untamed Power

SUMMARY: [ABY 18] In their quest to find Jedi relics, Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo reach the Jakku village of Tuanul, where the Church of the Force welcomes them…but not for long.

Ben looked up at Luke and blinked. “What was that?…A Force-vision?” His tone was one of shock and barely suppressed excitement.

Luke’s eyes went wide, mirroring his nephew’s expression. “Force-vision?” Where had the kid learned the concept? “What do you know about Force-visions?”

Ben shrugged, casting around the dim interior of the wrecked AT-AT for the girl who’d made the scratch-marks. She’d seemed so real. “I read about them somewhere,” he offered vaguely.

“Like where?” Luke looked around too, but there was nothing to see — with his own eyes or through the Force.

“On the nets…somewhere.” Ben walked over to the wall again and ran a hand over its smooth surface. The marks had been right there. He saw them. He felt them!

The Jedi Master stepped closer. “There are Jedi teachings on the nets?” He didn’t believe it for a second. He’d searched the networks and archives culled from a hundred different systems and found nothing. Only the names of wanted “criminals” remained. The Empire had done a thorough job of erasing the Jedi’s legacy.

“Yeah,” Ben continued absently, now walking through the spot where he’d seen the girl on her hammock. “Master Sifo-Dyas, I think his name was. He was talking about it in a holovid.”

Luke had heard the name. “I saw that file, but it was corrupted beyond repair. How did you get it to play for you?”

Ben clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “I don’t know. It just opened.” He wanted answers, not questions. He wanted to find the mystery girl. How could she vanish like that? She was right there and she was crying. Why wouldn’t his master help him find her? Why was Luke concerned with stupid files?

“All right,” Luke said with a sigh. “You can show me later. What you saw could have been a Force-vision — an echo of the future, I’m guessing, because it doesn’t look like anyone’s ever lived here and there are no scratches on the wall…yet,” he pointed out. “But now that we’ve opened the hatch, maybe she’ll make a home here some day. Or not. We can’t know for sure. Always in motion the future is…and there are many futures. That’s what Master Yoda taught me.”

Ben scowled and pushed past him. “Yoda talked funny.”

With a sigh, Luke watched Han Solo’s kid pull open the heavy hatch and stride out into the deepening twilight. They’d spent way too much time here.

#   #   #

It was full dark when they reached the village of Tuanul, which huddled beyond a deep cavern. On the outskirts of the ramshackle huts, master and padawan were met by ascetics adorned in simple attire, their tunics belted with the Sash of the Balanced.

“Welcome, Master,” said one of them — matronly and human — stepping forward and extending both hands as Luke and Ben dismounted. “We’re very pleased you could join us for a few days.” Her discerning gaze took in Ben. “And this is your apprentice?”

Luke nodded. “Ben. My nephew.”

“I am Elder Jasira. We don’t have much, but what we have is yours, for we are one in the light.”

Luke knew these people called themselves The Church of the Force. Although they didn’t claim to be Force-users, they had, nonetheless, dedicated themselves to the ideals of the Jedi. They regarded their renowned guests with thoughtful eyes and ushered the Jedi into a communal hut, placing steaming bowls of mush into Luke’s and Ben’s hands. It was simple fare, but the taste was not unpleasant. The sweet water, on the other hand, was cool and delicious.

As Luke Skywalker, legend and hero, regaled an audience of a dozen councilors, Ben excused himself to study the stars. They were so bright in the desert. Maybe, he hoped, he’d see the girl again and could ask her things about the future.

“Don’t go far,” Luke warned.

Ben gave him a nod and found himself petting a baby antelope-like creature drinking from a watering trough.

“You’re a Jedi?” came a soft voice behind him. She was a fascinating shade of blue, Ben noticed as he turned to face her. She was young but older than him by a few years. “A padawan learner?” she mused, coming closer.

He could smell her now — a sweet almost honeyed scent, but sharp with exotic spice. “That’s right.” He didn’t like the way she looked at him from head to toe and slowly back again. “And you’re a Twi’lek, right?” he observed, trying to think of something to say.

She nodded, her eyelids half-closed. “They rescued me from the Hutts a while back.” She cocked her head to one side. “Maybe I could teach you a few things about Twi’leks.” She bit her full lower lip, considering him as she reached out to finger a strand of his dark hair. “And you could teach me things about being a Jedi.”

She was really close now. He could feel her breath on his cheek. He wanted to pull away but was afraid it would be rude. The blood surged hot in his veins and his breath quickened. As she licked her lips, he heard it — a voice in his head, female as well but older, mature and hissy. “She’ll eat you alive….She’ll eat you!”

In a blur, Ben pulled away. His hand was out, the Force surging through him like a bolt of otherworldly electricity. It thrust from his fingertips and sent the Twi’lek girl flying backwards. With a sickly thud, she hit the abutment of a well and lay still.

 

@MyKyloRen   22 February 2018