Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ben Solo was Skywalker. His mother's father was Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader. But that was all in the past. Ben ran along the Jedi Temple hallways. 

He was late.

Ben hadn't been looking where he was going and felt the body of someone. He went flying backward and hit the floor.

"Watch it!" A young voice called. Ben sat up and looked to see a small young boy. He looked up at him.

"Sorry.." He said softly. The younger boy looked at him, placing his hands on his hips.

"Who are you?" 

"Ben.." He said.

"Ben who?" The younger boy pressed.

"Ben Solo." He replied.

"My name is Rey. Rey Palpatine. I can shoot lightning. But I'm not evil." Rey said his lower lip in a pout. Ben smiled.

"Well...It's nice to meet you Rey Palpatine.." Ben said as he sat up and held out his hand. "How old are you?"

Rey grabbed his hand and shook it hard. Ben winced slightly as he looked at him.

"I'm thirteen...you?" Rey asked.

"Fourteen," Ben said. Rey scrunched up his face.  He must be jealous.  Ben thought.

"What class do you have?" Rey asked.

"I have Saber training with my Uncle Luke," Ben said. Rey had on a smile.

"Me too." He said. He then shocked Ben, lightly and playfully.

"Ow!" Ben said and looked at his new friend. Rey smiled.

"Walk with me Solo," Rey said. Ben nodded.

"Alright...Palpatine." 

~*~

Ben turned fifteen when he met Finn Emerson and Poe Dameron. They were a year older than Ben but he didn't care. He had more friends besides the mouthy and no filter what so ever Rey. He spoke to his mother about how he had a fondness for the boy and he didn't know why. Han had told Ben maybe he had sexual feelings for Rey. Ben quickly shot it down as fast as the Falcon could shoot. Hand and Leia laughed and told him whatever he decided, they would love him and support him.

~*~

At sixteen Ben had his first sleepover with Finn and Poe and Rey. Finn and Poe gossiped about the girls. But Rey wasn't interested. Even when the boys had a shirtless pillow fight, Rey wouldn't join and went to bed. Later that month on the planet Yavin 4, Ben went down to the watering hole to go and have some fun slashing fun with Finn and Poe and a few girls who joined as well. Jedi could have relationships now...after Anakin, they made it well legal for Jedi to marry and produce children.

Ben walked down the path and stopped when he saw the back of someone down in the watering hole. He squinted. It was Rey! He never really seen him naked before. Rey was slender and thin. He had shoulder-length hair and when he turned around. Ben's eyes widened. Rey had breasts! Very small ones. Almost barely noticeable. Ben blushed red and he and Rey had eye contact. 

"Ben?" Rey called covering himself and looking at him. "Ben I can explain!" 

But Ben had run off into the forest.

Ben had told his mother. Leia seemed not fazed by this and remained calm. He told her how confused he was and wondered how it could happen.

"Transgender...It was common far back. Today it still is... it's accepted . Ben, it's perfectly normal to change your body if you don't feel comfortable in it. Maybe you should speak to him.." Leia said as she had looked at her son through the hologram that he kept regularly talking to her and or his father as well.

Ben nodded. "Alright, mother..." He said and they bid their goodbyes. He shut it off and turned around to see Rey staring at him silently. Ben looked at the boy and waved almost dumbfounded. Rey rolled his eyes and walked over to Ben and took his hand. He drugs him outside to the window and climbed on the roof. Both boys looked at one another and Rey spoke first.

"I was born a girl. But Palpatine wanted a boy. So he changed me. I mean made me think that I wanted to be a boy. So I started to change. I got rid of my breasts and well...not my..." Rey blushed. Ben nodded.

"You don't have to say it," Ben said softly.

Rey looked over to him. The sun was setting and Ben watched as Rey would study his face, his lips his entire body. Rey leaned in closer. Ben took both of his hands and they kissed. Ben was gentle. He cupped his face and kissed him deeper. Rey pulled away and smiled.

"Ben.." 

Ben join me. You and I can rule the galaxy! 

Ben! The Jedi Temple! It's burning! 

Uncle Luke!

Rey?!

Rey! 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 2: THE RISE OF PALPATINE

Nine-Years-Later

“Rey!” Ben shot up in his bed. Sweat running down his neckline. He was breathing in deeply. Ben looked around and found his room empty. Ben ran a hand through his black hair. 

It's been nine years. Nine years since Rey had turned dark and burned down the Jedi Temple and taking a handful of young followers who didn't know better. Uncle Luke was so ashamed of his failing that he went into hiding and wasn't seen again.

Ben was now twenty-five. He had finished his Jedi training just last year. He thought of Rey a lot. He really missed him. Finn and Poe where still Padawans and now it was up to Ben to train his two best friends. He got out of bed and got dressed into grey pants and a flowing white long sleeve-shirt. He slipped on black boots and placed on his leather belt that his father had gifted him for his twenty-first birthday. He placed his saber in the pocket and pulled back his hair.

Time to find Finn and Poe . He thought as he walked through the doors and out into the halls of the palace on Naboo, this is where he started his own small Jedi temple. That only really consisted of Finn and Poe and a few others that weren't killed or taken in the Jedi Temple Raid. 

Han and Leia, his mother and father had split. Leia was grief stricken that her twin brother had gone into hiding. Han on the other hand couldn't just sit on a planet. No Han had to work and use his hands. So he left, with his wookie friend, Chewie, thought it would be best to stay with Leia during this time of grief.

"Finn!" Ben called out when he saw his friend using the Force to hover a wrench and a handful of tools inches away from Rose's grasp. (She was Finn's girlfriend) Finn looked around almost embarrassed. Red glowing on his cheeks, as if Ben just caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. 

"That's not how the Force works!" Ben said and cracked a playful smile. Finn dropped the tools back into the tool box, Rose kissed Finn on the cheek and huffed off to go and fix one of the X-Wings.

"How are you doing? You got bags under your eyes." Finn said as he fist bumped Ben. Ben looked at Finn. He shrugged and looked at his feet.

"Is it Rey?" Finn asked. Ben blushed slightly. After the Jedi Temple Raid, everyone knew about Rey once being a woman and then becoming a man and even the massive crush Ben had on Rey. He was bullied for it. Made fun off. No one's ever really heard of it before. What was it called on that planet that was destroyed billions of years ago? Gay? 

"Um.." Ben said softly. "Yeah..." Finn had placed a hand on Ben's broad shoulder. 

"It's okay.." Finn said and slapped his back. “Let’s go find our pilot and padawan in training!” He took off and ran over to the x-wing fighters. Ben went to take a step to the landing pad when he felt a sharp pain in his head. He let out a groan  and rubbed his temples.

“Ben.” Ben shot up and looked around wildly. Then he saw him. Rey. He was standing there, just a few feet away. He still had the feminine face, and he was dressed in a dark like dress, and a black cape. He smiled.

“Rey?” Ben whispered.

“It worked, Snoke said it would and it did.” He whispered. Then he pointed something at Ben. With a press of his thumb, a double red saber. He wielded it around and pointed it at him.

“Ben, if you don’t go now. This planet will be destroyed in an hour. You need to get out of here. You and our friends.”

“Our?” Ben asked angrily. He glared at him. “I-”

“Ben you have to trust me.”

“Rey-”

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he let out a yelp. He whirled around and saw this mother. She had grey hair and kind brown eyes. She opened up her mouth and then shut it quickly. She hugged him tightly.

“Ben there First Order coming here...Ben you need to go...right now.” She said.

“What? No! I’m gonna stay here.” He said gripping her arms.

“Benjamin Kylo Solo. You listen here. This planet is going up in half an hour. You need to get all your friends out of here and go to the Resistance Base. We’ll meet you there..Okay?” Leia asked. Ben nodded looking at his mother and felt her hug him again. She pulled away and pushed him to the Millenium Falcon. It was a hassle, but he got into the cockpit along with Finn and Poe and Rose. RD-D2 and BB8 also rolled onto the platform. Ben watched his mother standing there. He let out a choke. Was he crying? Just then Chewie roared out, scaring Finn and Poe. 

“Oh? He’s coming?” Finn asked. He never was a big fan of the fuzz ball. The Falcon was raising off the ground as people on the ground where heading to their emergency ships for evacuation.

“Ben.”
It was Rey. He was calling to him. Ben bit into his lip. Finn leaned over and looked at Ben.

“So Resistance Base it is.” Finn said. Ben looked at him. As the ship shot off into space.

“Um...Yeah...Totally.” Ben whispered.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Jakku

Ben was flying the Falcon through lightspeed. He finally put the ship on auto pilot, he got out of the cockpit and went over to his friends who were sitting down looking grim. 

“What do we do now?” Finn asked. “What’s going to happen to Naboo?” 

“I..” Ben began. He wanted to tell them all about seeing Rey. “I don’t know. It was my mother’s orders..” Ben said. 

“What happened Ben? Are we going to be okay?” Rose asked, looking at him. Ben didn’t know what to say. He just shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said before-” Everyone felt the Falcon jerk hard. Chewie roared and Ben looked over to see the wookie panicking as he began to frantically push the buttons. 

“What? What do you mean we ran out of gas?!” Ben asked. “Who last used--” He paused. He glared at Poe.

“ Poe! ” Everyone shouted. Poe looked at them and shrugged. 

“I-I-I was visiting a friend!” Poe said looking at everyone.

“You took my ship? !” Ben cried. Chewie roared in annoyance.

“You’re ship? Solo when the hell is this you’re ship?!” Poe asked. Ben growled. He turned away from Chewie and got straight up in his friend’s face. 

“It is my ship!” Ben yelled.

“No it’s Han’s. But your daddy ran off.” Poe said. Ben grew angry. He  reached out and in a matter of seconds, Poe was choking. Finn was yelling at him. 

This isn’t you! A voice told him. Ben dropped Poe. He back away, 

“I--I don’t--know--where--that--c-c-ame from..” He said as he backed away. He could feel the ship dropping out of hyperspace. The ship was tilting forward. Ben was using the force to keep his friends upright. Ben could hear yelling. Chewie was in the cockpit.  

“Pull up! Pull up! I see the ground, pull up!” Finn was yelling. Ben was frozen. He couldn’t believe he hurt his friend. Then everything went black.

~*~

“Ben?” He could hear someone shaking him. He groaned and shot up and bumped his head against someone else’s.

“Ow!” It was Poe. He looked at him. 

“Poe I never-” Poe had put a hand on his mouth. Ben looked at him angrily, he removed the hand. 

“Poe I-” Ben began to say. Poe once again placed his hand over Ben’s mouth. 

“I hear them!” cried a voice. Suddenly Ben felt a hand on his shoulder and was yanked from under the table and dragged out. Gun’s were pointed at them. Ben raised his hands and so did Poe.

“Jabba will be pleased.” One of the people in the masks say. “We caught the slave’s son.” 

Slave? Ben wondered. 

“Jabba the Hutt. Was a crazy crook, little Starfighter. Stole your mom...made her wear this horrible outfit. Your parents won’t tell you..but don’t worry Uncle Lando will.”

“He’s alive?!” Ben cried as he was being tugged out of the falcon. It was placed on some sort of gurney. Ben studied it. It was First Order tech. Ben found himself being tossed into a metal cage along with Poe, Finn, Chewie and Rose. 

“Where are the droids?” Ben asked. Finn hushed him. 

“Hiding, they got away.” 

“Jabba the Hutt is alive! How are we gonna get out of here?!” Ben asked. Poe raised his cuffed hands and started using the Force. The cage started to slowly cave in on itself.

“Stop! Stop! You’re gonna kill us all!” Finn yelled. Rose looked to Ben.

“What are we gonna do?” Rose asked softly. Ben shook his head. 

“I don’t know...I really don't,” Ben said as he felt the cart move forward. The group sat in silence as it moved along the sandy desert.

-*-

Leia felt the ship leave Naboo. She felt a shift in the Force. Her eyes widened. “Ben.” She whispered. She looked out the window. This place, Naboo. Was her mother’s home, now she had to leave it for Arch Kross. She looked away from the window. 

Ben. She called thought the force. But it was silent. 

-*-

Ben felt naked. He looked down only to be wearing high waisted tight pants and nothing else. His saber was dropped in the crash and he knew sure enough that the bandits took it. He had on a collar, more like a chain. He felt disgusted by all this. Ben was being pushed down the stairs as he entered an open room. There he was. Jabba the Hutt. Big and he seemed to be missing half an eye. The left side of him is slightly darker than the other.  

“ Ben Solo! Son of Han Solo and my lovely Princess Leia.” He said. Ben looked at him, then he glanced to the side and saw Finn and Poe. Rose was chained as well in a golden bra and red fabric barely covering her. Ben blushed and looked away. 

“Closer.” Jabba said. Ben shook his head. He wanted to stay as far away from his thing. As possible.

“I said closer!” Jabba yanked on the chain that he was just given and Ben felt himself going face first into the slime of Jabba. It stunk! Ben tried to push off of him and he felt a hand grab his hair and force him to look up. Jabba licked his lips. Ben scrunched up his face and looked away gagging.

One day had passed, Ben found himself lying beside Jabba the Hutt. A cloaked figure came into the room. Ben sat up. He heard the roars of Chewie and he thought maybe he could have gotten out and saved them. 

“Who are you?” Jabba asked. The cloaked figure took off it’s dark hood to reveal a handsome redhead.

“To make a deal.” He said. Ben watched him, who was this man? 

“What deal?” Jabba asked laughing. 

“ That Emperor Palpatine himself wanted your new ‘slaves,’ personally.” The man said. 

“No deal!” Jabba said as he yanked the chain on Ben’s neck. The man sighed. 

“I was afraid you were gonna say that.” All of a sudden Ben heard the sound of a gun click. He looked around and saw at least twenty guns or so pointed at Jabba. 

“The slaves Jabba…” The man said, he brushed aside his coat and Ben eyed the man’s hip.

His saber. Why would the man have his lightsaber? Unless the droids got help...but from the First Order? In a swift move, Ben felt the saber come to his hand. He ignited it and cut away the chain, rolling away from Jabba as blasters started to fire. He dodged the line of fire and ran down the hallway. He found his friends who were all in the cell. 

“Ben!” Poe said happily. Chewie roared.

“Stay back!” Ben yelled. He raised his saber and cut the lock on the door. In a matter of seconds he felt Chewie wrap his arms around him.

‘Are you Okay? Did he hurt you?’ Chewie asked softly. Ben shook his head and he turned off his saber and went to pocket it when he realized he didn’t really have any clothes. Finn already had given his jacket to Rose to cover up.

“If you want the Falcon. I can lead you to it.” Came a voice, Ben turned around and saw the red head looking at him. Ben glared at him.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“Armitage Hux.” The man replied. “But you can call me Hux. I’m here to help.” 

Finn glared at him. “Are you with Leia?” He asked. Hux shook his head. 

“No. I’m my own man. I have my own little group.” He replied.

“You said you were with the First Order!” Ben snarled. Hux looked at him. Almost like he was a child being naughty. 

“You foolish boy. Haven’t you heard of lying?” He asked. “Now come along.” He took off his cloak and handed it to Ben. “Cover up now. I can’t be looking at all of that. ” Ben snatched the cloak from Hux and put it around his shoulders. 

Hux led them along with twenty other human and alien people who were running down the tunnel. It looked like the inside of an old star destroyer. Ben looked at him as he got into the Falcon. Chewie roared to start the engines.

“I can help you find the Palpatine.” Hux said. Ben looked at him. 

“Rey?” Ben whispered. Hux nodded. 

“Is he okay?” Ben asked, getting closer to the man. 

“He’s different.” Hux said as he then said something into his radio that he had on him. Ben nodded. 

“Fine. You lead us to Rey. But then we go our separate ways.” Ben said as he turned around went to go and get dressed.

Rey was different. Ben thought as he got dressed. His Rey… He started to undress. 

“Ben” He looked up and saw him. 

“Rey.” Ben whispered. Rey looked horrible, his eyes darkened, his cheek puffed up like he’d been hit. 

“You can’t come. Ben you have to go back. Palpatine wants you dead..” Ben shook his head.

“Rey what happened?” He started to walk forward to him. “You can tell me...Please..” He whispered.

Rey shook his head. “Ben…” He began but then paused. “Looks like you already have someone to pleasure you.” He said as he cut off the connection between them. Ben turned around and saw Hux leaning up against the door frame watching him. Ben glared at him.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Ben snarled. He went to cover up. 

Hux lowered his head. He couldn’t look at him.

“What?” Ben asked as he was slipping on his shirt. 

“Palpatine wants you dead.” Hux said. Ben glared at him. 

“I know that.” He said angrily. “Rey just told me.” 

Hux shrugged. He really didn’t care. Ben looked at him and then looked away.

“What is it...Princess?” He asked. Ben paused as he bit into his lip. He would not be called a princess. He was not a princess. 

“I’m not...a Princess.” He said as he shook his head. Hux as he looked at Ben and walked out of the room.  

“Is it true?” Hux asked. Ben stopped. 

“Is what true?” Ben asked looking over his shoulder. 

“Your parents defeated the empire. The empire .” He said it almost sounded like one of those, what did his uncle call them? Fanboys? Ben crossed his arms over his big chest and leaned against the door frame.

"Yes my parents served. Who are you?" Ben asked. Armitage turned to him.

"I'm you're spy."