Chapter Text
The small boy sitting in the pilot’s chair watched as the planet came into view. The blues and greens dazzled him, but, most of all, Ben was dazzled by the pull of the Force. Uncle Luke had asked his Father to come to this planet and smuggle as many kyber crystals as the Falcon’s hold could carry.
The galaxy was on its way to stability as the Resistance worked to rebuild the government after the fall of the empire. Luke was gathering students for his Jedi School and needed the crystals for the new sabers being constructed.
Leia had argued against taking little Ben along. The New Republic was still working to bring the old Empire to heel. Han had decided to take his son with to teach him the ways of a smuggler. He knew Leia didn’t want her son to have anything to do with smuggling.
None of that mattered to Ben, he was just happy to be included in something important. Luke had told Ben stories about the kyber crystals when he was younger. How could something like a crystal be alive? He had so many questions flowing through his mind. It was better to concentrate on the questions. All of the voices were dulled when he focused on his questions.
Ben was determined to find the perfect kyber crystal. He thought about it long and hard until he could visualize it in his mind. He could feel the crystal on the planet and couldn’t wait until they landed.
On the far side of the planet a small ginger boy sat, quietly strapped into his seat. He had done his very best to be left at home. It was much better for him when no one noticed his presence, but the admiral had wanted him to come. Today was not his day; then again, no day was his. The closer they got to the planet, the more trepidation settled around him. This trip would change his life and he wasn't sure it would be for the better.
Armitage didn’t believe in the spiritual. It was too messy, too chaotic. After all, one spiritual man with a glowing sword brought the Empire to its end. When he ruled the galaxy, there would be rules and order. Although, he thought perhaps having an enforcer would be a good thing. The people were more complacent when they had something otherworldly to believe in. He could envision his enforcer, an imposing figure, dressed in black robes, and holding a glowing saber. There was something off about the saber in the man’s hand. It didn’t look stable like the pictures he’d seen; there was a cross guard on it. As he pondered the oddity of it all, the figure reached up to pull off his helmet. His mind went quiet as eyes of deep rich caf looked straight into his soul. He was mesmerized at the beauty of the man his mind created. Even as the thought crossed his mind the figure smiled as a scar began to appear across his face. Armitage blinked, coming back to himself. Where had that thought come from?
None of it mattered anyway. Armitage had so much to do before he even needed to think about things like enforcers. He shivered a little in his seat as the ship landed on the planet. Something here was going to disrupt his ordered world. His fingernails cut into his palms as he clenched his fists and composed his face into an expressionless mask. It wouldn’t do for the admiral to see anything less than perfection. Armitage was determined to make her proud. She had saved him from his father after all.
Armitage picked up the data pad from the seat next to him. He quietly went through the mission logs for the trip. They were here to pick up kyber crystals to power the weapons needed to wrest control of the galaxy back into the more capable hands of the First Order. There was a staggering amount of crystal needed to power the weapon Armitage wanted to build. It would be like nothing the galaxy had seen before. Surely with the weapon behind him, he could not fail.
Ben could barely sit still as Han landed the Falcon. He couldn’t wait to go out and explore! He was so sure that this was the place he would find his crystal. He overheard Uncle Luke telling his parents about kyber crystals. Ben knew that they powered the lightsabers that the Jedi wielded. Uncle Luke had said something about them being alive. Ben wasn’t certain about crystals being alive but he knew he needed one if he was going to be the greatest Jedi ever.
“Come on kid! Let’s get going before this place is crawling with imperials. The ship has a tracker on it so we don't have much time.” Han called from hatch. Luke came running from the back room.
“What do you mean there is a tracker on the ship?! Why didn’t you say something before? I would have requisitioned a cargo ship!” Luke shouted at Han.
It always seemed funny to Ben that his father appeared to be closer to his uncle than he was to Ben’s mother. He thought he saw the regret in his mother’s eyes when they were together but he couldn’t be sure.
“I tried to tell you! You were more interested in my…” He trailed off as he saw Ben walk up behind Luke. “Well I tried to tell you but you just would listen, other things on your mind I suppose.” Han just grinned unrepentantly and shrugged as Luke fixed him with a glare.
“I didn’t want the remnants of the empire to get wind of this place but it can’t be helped. Sooner or later, what’s left of the empire would have found it. Let’s collect as many of the crystals we can.” Luke brushed by Han. Little Ben could feel the Force reach out from Uncle Luke to wrap briefly around Han. It was fascinating to watch their bond. It grew stronger each time they went on these smuggling runs together. Ben hoped that one day he would find someone to bond with.
“Come with me, Ben. I’ll show you how to feel the crystals we are looking for. We need kyber roughly the size of a baby’s fist. Do you think you can help me collect them?” Ben nodded and quietly followed his uncle down the ramp onto the planet.
Armitage didn’t see the point in coming to this back-water planet for some mystical crystal but Admiral Sloane had insisted that he could learn something. So here he was, standing with a small pouch and a cutting torch. The admiral had instructed him to collect large thumb-sized crystals. When he asked why, she told him that was the size the Jedi used to power their lightsabers. The First Order was on a mission to collect the naturally grown crystals to prevent the Jedi from having readily available crystals and mining for larger kyber to power their weapons.
“This is ridiculous!” Armitage muttered to himself as he searched the area for crystals. He had been searching the rocky hills for hours and still had nothing to show for it. As he was ready to resign this futile search, a glint high on a jagged cliff face caught his eye. “About time!” He calculated the best way to scale the cliff face to get to the crystals that fit the Admiral’s description as he cautiously navigated the terrain. Finding the first hand-hold, Armitage started his accent, all the while muttering to himself about the idiocy of the mission. The stone was smooth with a scattering of jagged outcroppings where the Kyber broke off and fell away.
Armitage’s hands slipped just as he reached the crystals he needed. His miserable life flashed before his eyes as he fell. A muffled shout echoed as his body slammed onto the crystal outcropping with jarring impact, impaling himself through his heart and out his chest. He gasped as his hands curled up towards the crystal jutting out of his chest. A face swam into his vison, dark hair and deep brown eyes, blocking out his view of the sky. Fat wet drops fell on his cheeks. Was it raining?
“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. I’m Ben Solo and I can fix this.” The voice floated around Armitage as he lay on the rock. “I’m going to break the crystal. It’s going to hurt, I’m sorry.”
As soon as he set his foot on the planet, Ben could feel the Force from the kyber crystals wrap around him like a warm blanket. A feeling of peace wrapped around him as the voices quieted. It was an odd feeling being the only one in his head. He closed his eyes and let the sensations flow around him, enjoying the welcoming feel. He was so immersed in crystals that he felt their unease at an interloper amongst them. Ben followed the call to a cliff face, arriving in time to see a red-haired boy lose his footing and fall from the cliff face. He let out a strangled scream as he watched the boy be impaled on a spiked outcropping. Ben raced to where the boy lay.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. I can fix this. I’m Ben Solo and I can fix this.” He tried to make his voice sound more confident than he felt. He gathered himself and pulled from the Force around him. The Kyber made a discordant note in his mind. Please! Please, he begged. I have to save him. I can’t watch him die. I’ll do anything to save him!
Ben felt a hesitation from the Kyber before they bolstered him. He closed his eyes briefly weighing his options before addressing the boy once again. “I’m going to break the crystal. It’s going to hurt, I’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, Ben, broke the Kyber sticking out of the boy’s chest. Armitage let out a strangled scream. Unable to lift the weight of Armitage’s lax frame from the remaining crystal, Ben did the only thing he could think of, he broke the other end of the crystal. His palms ripped open on the rough edges as he rolled Armitage free. The Kyber remained impaling Armitage’s heart but Ben left it, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop the blood flow if it was removed. He quickly placed his hands on the wound, his blood mixing with that of the boy he was desperate to heal. As Ben healed Armitage, the Kyber soaked in his own blood fused with the heart as it healed around the crystal.
Armitage closed his eyes. Why would this boy he had never met want him to live? Why did he care? His eyes sprang open and he let out a scream as the blood soaked Kyber fused with his heart. Just as he thought the intense burning pain would never stop it winked out. He blinked at the boy before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.
“You have to live. I won’t ever let you die.” Ben whispered fiercely. He felt something inside him click like a key in a lock before he followed the boy into unconsciousness.
Across the way, Luke felt a great rolling ripple in the Force. He dropped the Kyber he was carrying in a pile next to the Falcon and raced to where the ripple originated. He skidded to a halt as he came upon Ben draped over the body of a thin red-headed boy. He looked up as footsteps approached from the other direction. A woman in a clean pressed admiral uniform met his eyes. For a moment time seemed to slow as each contemplated their weapons.
“Are they still alive?” The woman’s voice broke the quiet. She couldn’t lose Armitage; he was the key to keeping the commandant in line. He was highly intelligent for one so young. His ideas on how to improve his father’s training program were nothing short of brilliant.
“Yes. I can feel Ben faintly on the edge of my mind” He paused and reached out with the Force. “the other boy as well.” He left out the odd feeling he was getting from the pair. She only asked if they were living and Luke wasn’t about to volunteer information.
Luke carefully picked up Ben checking him for injury. He was relieved to see only torn palms, easy enough to fix with a jar of bacta. He glanced back to see the woman pick up the slim red haired boy. The pool of blood on the ground was concerning; nearly three pints soaked the ground. He glanced from Ben to the other boy and back again. What happened here? What did Ben do? Luke prayed that this had nothing to do with the odd voice that Ben struggled with.
The woman lifted Armitage, unconcerned about the blood now soaking her uniform. She checked him over with quick military precision. The amount of blood soaking the ground was disconcerting but Armitage appeared to be whole. Getting him back to the ship’s med-bay would be the best option. The cadets were nearly done gathering the kyber. It was time to leave before the New Republic sent their X-Wings. She turned away carrying the small limp body away.
Luke looked back at the ground to see that the kyber had soaked up the blood. He saw a brief flash of a red-haired man on a throne with a masked figure beside him. He blinked and the image disappeared leaving a sheet of smooth kyber behind. He picked it up and the image flashed as the light hit it. The only option was to take it with and study it later.
Luke turned and quickly carried Ben back to the Falcon. They need to leave the planet before the Imperial officer alerted her crew. He didn’t want to alarm Han so he put Ben down in his bunk before returning to retrieve the kyber he had dropped in his haste to reach Ben. He shut the hatch and headed to the cockpit. “Let’s go Flyboy. We need to leave now. The Imperials are here and my sister will kill me if anything happens to Ben.” Luke sent a quick prayer that Han wouldn’t ask any questions.
“Well that was fast! You usually last longer than that.” Han responded with a cheeky wink as he set the Falcon for takeoff.