Chapter Text
The day after Ben turns ten (approximately) she sets off to join the AgriCorps. All her friends skip their lessons that day, as expected, and line up together to send her off. She has to assure Bant that she will definitely come back to visit - would she dare miss the Spring Festival? Bant laughs until her eyes turn watery.
Reeft’s farewell is more subdued but it is Ben’s turn to almost cry when he projects how much he is going to miss her across their Force Bond. Her other friends, while not privy to Reeft and Ben’s conversation, do not find it too hard to guess what is going on.
Garen rolls his eyes but tugs Ben into a fierce embrace of his own. Physical contact is rare at the Temple and Ben rarely enjoys it but Garen does and Ben knows he wants the physical reassurance of their entwined bodies. She pats him awkwardly on the back and they break away from each other with a laugh.
Siri sends her a rush of comfort across the Force and tugs at their bond. It is zir attempt to reassure Ben, to remind her that they will be connected no matter where she is or ze are. Ben does not smile but she shows zir her gratitude and love.
Quinlan, not one for physical contact or reassurance, shrugs coldly before Siri sets zir eyes on him. He smiles sheepishly at her and Ben has no qualms about sending her roaring laughter at him. He crosses his arms sulkily but has no further reaction.
And then she boards the transport with a final bow in their direction. It is a small ship, a courier, and she is one of the only ones aboard. There is a captain, a few servicemen and some other passengers.
The ship stops at Bandomeer and Ben very much hopes Xanatos does not remember her - or at least does not bother with her. Even if he sees her, he will probably not recognise her anyway: she was caked in mud last time they crossed paths. And she doubts he is in power yet. Has he even fallen?
Maybe, maybe not.
Ben decides her time can be put to use for more productive things - like napping. She had difficulty sleeping last night. For once, it was not her Force visions which returned with a vengeance once she entered the temple. Obi-Wan’s had never really dissipated and Aben’yaa’s were rare so it was quite a shock. An unpleasant one too.
Ben swears the Force is laughing when she releases her discontent into it. It vibrates, it usually vibrates but it vibrates almost happily. It sounds like a light melodic note.
Whether the Force is laughing at her or not, she is glad it is not silent for once because this feels like a point where she is going to need its guidance. Up until now, life has not been too difficult for her. Obi-Wan had smuggled himself onto things before, had met the Instructors and then she was given the gift of growing alongside her friends, of a second childhood.
She knows nothing of what is coming, never even met an AgriCoprs member (actually, Obi-Wan probably had but if so, he did not remember) and this decision is probably a little bit rushed... Or not.
She had put the work in, though, had allowed herself to be enchanted during botany and had seen some material in the Archives about the subject. Ben is not able to lose herself in her musings for much longer - Bandomeer is fast approaching.
The planet does not look too different in Obi-Wan’s memories. Ben is not sure whether that is a good thing or not. Aben’yaa advises caution, unwilling to be captured by Xanatos and Ben relaxes, letting Aben’yaa see out of one eye and Obi-Wan the other. She will need their- her experience if she is to stay safe.
Of course, safety is rather objective but Ben would be happy if-
She refuses to say it, refuses to think it. There is no point in jinxing herself before she has set her first foot on a planet that is not Coruscant. The person coming to pick her up should be there when she disembarks. Instructor Yoda had shared with her their Force signature.
Each Force signature is unique so Ben did not really have anything to compare it too but it had felt steady and warm like a small fire. A bit gruff too but gentle as well, like a hard sweet with a chewy centre. She could not really tell anymore about them but it was an imprint, an ash so she really had not been expecting much more than to recognise them.
Passed on Force signatures are weak, diluted. Like tea when you brew it for too little time and you get something watery and tasteless. It is still tea, you can still taste whatever it has been infused with but it is incredibly difficult to glean much about the taste if you do not know what has gone into it.
But passed on Force signatures are different to the signatures of those who cannot use the Force. Their signatures are just a little dimmer, there is less of a signature - it has not just been diluted.
Ben stretches out her senses, they are close to landing and from this distance she should be able to- ahh, there it is. She can sense the Force signature now, becomes more keenly aware of it than she was but a mere moment ago.
She bows to them in the Force, feels their nod back - with what appears to be a hint of ... happiness? She tastes it with her tongue and swirls it around thoughtfully. Satisfaction.
The transport comes to a gentle stop and Ben should not be surprised but she is because Obi-Wan’s transport had almost always crashed and at other times had been adjusted to war so landed silently or dramatically.
Ben is one of the first to offload, following the bright beacon over to the neighbouring bays.
”Well?” says the Dresselian abruptly, “Get on.”
Naturally, Ben obeys.