ladyofleithian | Chapter Twenty Three: Horizons

In which we see what exactly has become of Atin the Mandalorian/Narudar Ren, and things get worse.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Notes: I have to apologize for the characterization of Luke in this chapter. Mostly I'm going for a man who is doing his best considering the situation he's in (he's afraid that the Jedi are being manipulated into all this), but I don't know if it works or not. Again, I'm really sorry.

The problem with spying was the matter of candidates to actually sort out.

There were candidates, of course, no mistake, but Ben couldn’t say he could find them yet. Even the matter of Master Naris -- he hated Master Naris for his general sadism towards his students, but he couldn’t find anything that would suggest that Naris was actually the Supreme Leader. Even going through Naris’ thoughts -- all while trying to pretend you were casual, of course, pretend that you weren’t doing anything -- didn’t yield any results, other than learning what exactly had turned Naris into such a sadist -- the death of his Padawan during the Purges. Ben could at least feel some pity for him there. He couldn’t say that he liked him, of course, but he could feel some pity.

Uncle Luke didn’t like him going through minds, of course. And Ben couldn’t help but feel some guilt doing it -- after all, you couldn’t just go through minds like they were archives. And yet at the same time, it seemed like the most reliable option to take. You didn’t have to go through other options that would actually risk you getting caught, or anything like that. You could do some double-checking after eavesdropping, or even while you were doing it, all while acting casual.

What was getting disturbing was how easy it was sometimes. The leakover aside, the cluster of thoughts that occasionally felt like a whole tidal wave of needs, wants, fears, and more, Ben didn’t know if it was necessarily right. Taking advantage of how sensitive he was to others’ thoughts...was it right?

And then there was the threat of war on the horizon. Everything that Ben had heard about Narudar Ren -- he was ruthless, cruel, vicious, had left several towns in pieces. Even hearing about it on the Holonet, feeling it through the Force as well, made him wonder why Uncle Luke didn’t do something about it. He had to, right? He had to at least do something. He couldn’t just stand back and watch while others were being slaughtered.

It wasn’t like Ben could do anything as is; he was only fifteen years old, three years away from signing up for military service. But he could at least try and talk Uncle Luke into it, right?

Unfortunately, talking with his uncle wasn’t enough to persuade him. “We have to be careful,” Uncle Luke said. “There’s a threat out there, behind Narudar Ren. We have to be cautious. For all intents and purposes, we may be walking into a trap.”

“How...” Ben still couldn’t believe it. “Walking into a trap -- people are dying out there!”

“I know, Ben.” The best that Ben could take in terms of what his uncle was doing was that at least he wasn’t doing this out of spite. He really seemed to think that there was someone out there -- Snoke, maybe? Whoever Snoke was... “But we can’t afford to rush in like that. We have to wait for Snoke to show himself.”

“We can’t just wait,” Ben said. “People are dying out there, Uncle.” A beat. “Please.”

Their eyes met, and Ben wondered what exactly was behind his uncle’s eyes that was preventing him, more than anything, from understanding. Then Uncle Luke spoke again. “I’m sorry, Ben,” he said. “I’m going to have to deliberate some more about this.”

You always deliberate, Ben thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. It wasn’t true, of course, but in the midst of his frustration that seemed to surround him like a sea, Ben knew he would have said anything just to get through to his uncle. Somehow.

***

The thing was that in times like these, when it seemed like the Mandalorian Wars of old were starting to repeat themselves (at least from what Poe had heard in his history classes; those wars had obviously happened long before he was born), was that the best thing to do was sign up. Poe could still remember what his mother had once said about why she and his father had ultimately signed up to fight against the Empire: they couldn’t simply stand by while other people suffered. And like both his parents, Poe doubted that he could stand by while other people suffered either.

It was just a matter of signing up. He was old enough, after all. Some were accepting soldiers as young as fifteen years old, but Poe was old enough to sign up, eighteen years old, and he could go there.

So it was really a matter of running towards Ben outside the Enclave of Yavin IV, and Ben catching him. “Hey, Poe,” he said, long after they’d hugged, long after Poe had been all but swept into Ben’s embrace (Poe was older, but Ben was taller). “What’s the good news?”

“I signed up to be a Republic pilot.”

“Congratulations, Poe!” Ben grinned even as he spoke. “You’re going to be fantastic, I just know it. One of the best.”

They hugged again, and Poe found himself taking in Ben’s scent. Yavin IV’s scent, a scent like jungles and forests and racing through them, a smell that was a lot, actually, like home. It was still funny that Ben was taller than he was despite being three years younger than him, and Poe found himself taking comfort in his presence. He was grounded, he was home. Ben was as much home as anything else, anyone else.

He was going to miss Ben when he went away, he knew that. Poe did love the stars, ever since he heard them from his parents’ stories as a boy, but he was going to miss Ben.

Did he have to miss Ben, though?

“You could come with me,” he said. “I mean, we could use all the Jedi we can get.”

Ben looked, just for a moment, as if he were considering it, before he said, “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Poe said. “Think of the things we could do. Together.”

He was already hyperfocused on Ben’s face, quietly pleading with him to just say yes...

But Ben shook his head. “I’m too young,” he said.

“They’ve been accepting some people in earlier, haven’t they?”

“Yeah. But still...I’m way too young.”

“Right.” Poe bit his lip. He had almost wished that Ben could come with him. To think of the things that they could do together, to think of the things that could happen...

“But I’m going to do what I can to persuade Uncle Luke to do something,” Ben said. “I’ve got to. I mean, even if he doesn’t want to -- ’’

“What do you mean ‘doesn’t want to’?” Poe said.

“He’s hesitating. I wouldn’t say it’s like he doesn’t want to act, but it’s like he’s...on the edge of something. Like he’s deliberating or whatnot.”

“He shouldn’t!”

“I know.” Ben’s face was solemn. “It’s not fair. But I’m going to do what I can to argue, and...well, I’ll do what I can to help you. Even if I can’t go into the military yet.”

They hugged again, and Poe almost wished that they could stay that way. Then Ben drew away. “Just be careful, Poe,” he said. “Don’t get yourself killed out there. And...if you need me, you always know where to find me.”

“I’ll write,” Poe said.

“Same here. And Poe?”

“Yeah?”

Ben’s smile was practically radiant. “May the Force be with you.”

“You too.”

Poe headed towards his ship, and even getting inside and blasting off into the sky, he could only hope against hope that he would see Ben again.