#Ben has had a long day and has already leapt out of a ship while being shot at. falling in a car is nbd

[orangeblobby]

#ben 10 #ben 10 omniverse #ben tennyson #everyone screaming and hes so nonchalant #Ben has had a long day and has already leapt out of a ship while being shot at. falling in a car is nbd #my gifs #al chatters #ben ten #argit looks like hes about to have a heart attack

[benjhawkins]

Fortune’s Favour, Or, The Man who Met with a Mermaid and Lived to Tell the Tale

A bit of original fiction set in 1820 by yrs truly

The October gale swept through Salem Harbor with such ferocity it left us quite glad to make port and head into the nearest tavern, leaving the raging sea behind us. 

The tavern was warm and crowded, many sailors seeking refuge along with several men from the Custom House, all enjoying a drink before once again braving the winds and lashing rains.

“Benjamin Hawkins, as I live and breathe!” I had scarcely walked through the tavern door and shook off the rain when a jolly, booming voice greeted me. I was delighted to espy the face of my dearest friend amongst the crowd. Seeing him after months at sea warmed my soul to such a degree that I all but ran to greet him. 

“Charlie Fortune, aren’t you a sight for weary eyes,” I said, for it was true. His outstretched arms embraced me, and all my cares fell away.

“Come, have a drink and sit with us. We are sharing frightening tales and Thomas swears he saw a spectre last weekend in the old Turner house.” Charlie winked, put a tankard in my hand, and off we went. 

The corner table was filled with the usual suspects, familiar tars and stevedores who called Salem home. Old friends are always a welcoming sight, and they raised their glasses in cheer when I sat down with Charlie. 

“Surely Benji has a terrifying tale he can grace us with?” Thomas said, tilting his mug of ale in my direction. 

“And what if I did?” I grinned.

Charlie slapped my thigh most enthusiastically. He knew what story I’d in mind. 

“Have I told ye all of the mermaid?” said I. 

“Ain’t no such thing as mermaids, lad,” Lefty scoffed, leaning back in his chair.

“I saw one once! In the West Indies!” Davey piped up, and was met with a few laughs from the boys.

“Do you remember the wreck of the Olinda some time past?” I asked the table.

The fellows nodded. It was big news along the wharves. Her cause of wreck was officially recorded as related to the Great Gale of Georges Bank, and she broke up upon the rocks.

“Myself being the only surviving member of the crew, I can attest to the actual reason for her sinking, and I tell you most empathetically it was due to the actions of a mermaid.”

The boys all quieted, and I leaned in to tell my tale.

“We set sail on a Friday, though we all assuredly know what bad luck it is,” I began, “and were not long departed from Salem Harbor, when Captain Rollins spied a mermaid sitting upon a rock jutting from the waves. Truth be told, though I have been at sea since I was a lad of 14, I myself never believed in mermaids until that day.”

Lefty scoffed again but was quickly scolded into silence by the boys.

Davey’s eyes grew large. “Did the mermaid have pale blue skin and dark hair? ‘Twas what the mermaid in the West Indies looked like.”

“‘Twas exactly what this mermaid looked like,” I nodded, “and she watched us from the rocks while she combed her hair, singing with the most beautifully bewitching voice one could imagine. So bewitching indeed, that our captain, God rest his soul, sailed directly towards her.”

Our little corner of the tavern was silent now, save the soft clinking of tankards and the crackling roar of the fireplace. 

“Her song was sweet indeed, offering riches to fill our holds, tempting us with talk of her sisters, each one prettier than the last, all hungry for male company. Of the men of our ship I alone was resistant to her charms, and vainly pleaded with the captain to bring the ship about lest we strike the rocks. A few sailors had already jumped overboard in an attempt to swim to her, and were quickly lost in the sea. But no, the captain insisted this pretty mermaid would make a fine prize for the East India Marine Society. We hit the rocks on our starboard side.

“We heard the mermaid laugh then, but there was no merriment in it. She seemed to delight in our peril, her green eyes flashing. She was the most beautiful and the most terrifying creature I have ever beheld.”

The table sat in absolute silence, all eyes on me.

“I shall spare you the goriest details of the swift sinking of our ship, but through the pounding waves I saw I was the only man left alive. I clung to a bit of a spar and was preparing to make my peace with the world, when suddenly the mermaid jumped from her rocky perch to meet me face to face.

“Her brow was quizzical. ‘You are not like these other men,’ she mused. ‘How is it you alone are unaffected by my song?’

“I replied that surely it was because I hadn’t an ear at all for music, unlike the rest of my crew.” 

Charlie elbowed me. He knew this to be a false recollection of events. But the truth of it shall never be uttered in a crowded tavern.

“Go on then, Ben,” he said with twinkling eye. “What happened next?”

“She gave me a pearl earring, and in exchange--for one must never fail to return a mermaid’s gift in kind--I gave her a gold ring engraved with an anchor, meant as a token for a sweetheart. She promised me fair winds and following seas as long as I should wear the pearl, and I asked her to give the ring to someone she truly loved. She said she had just the mermaid in mind, blew me a kiss, and leapt beneath the waves, leaving me alone and adrift as the seas quieted.” 

I pulled off my hat at this moment and turned my head, to show the company that a fine pearl did indeed ornament my ear. 

Lefty shook his head while Davey stared in wonderment, and still everyone was silent. Quite a satisfactory reaction. 

“I’ll drink to that,” said Charlie, offering his tankard in salute. We all drained our drinks in one go. 

Before long, it was time to take our leave.

“Gentlemen, the company has been most edifying, but I’m afraid I must escort young Mr. Hawkins to his room for the night,” Charlie said with a wink, reaching for his hat and coat. We bade them all goodnight, and out we stepped into clear moonlight, marveling at how quickly the gale had passed.

“You left out my favorite part of the tale,” Charlie said, once we were well out of earshot of the tavern. “Won’t you tell me again?” he pleaded, laughing.

“You know well that’s between God and myself,” I teased, but told him as it went.

“In truth, the mermaid had spoken thus: ‘You are not like these other men, for the love in your heart is different. Your heart belongs not to a woman, nor to silver, nor to gold.’

“‘Indeed,’ I told her, thinking I had nothing else to lose, ‘though I have traveled the seas since I was a lad, sailed innumerable times round the Horn, I always come back to Salem, and to my one love Charlie Fortune.‘” 

Here Charlie sighed. “That is my favorite part.”

“Let me tell it!” I laughed. “She then said, ‘I have lived thousands of years and will live a thousand more and I can sense the rare love that radiates from your heart for your Charlie Fortune.’”

“She saved you because you declared your love for me!” Charlie’s hand flew to his breast, and he laughed again.

“She saved me because she liked your ring,” I gave him a wink.

We continued our merry banter until we reached Charlie’s boarding rooms, and I gladly let myself be led in, his hand warm on the small of my back. 

I was truly home at last.

#age of sail #original fiction #pls enjoy!! #do let me know if there are problems with the readmore cut

[darthlordcommie]

Star Wars: Sequels

Alright. So, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Now that I’ve seen Rise of Skywalker, I am going to put together the plot that is essentially my take on how the ST should’ve gone. This is my opinion, and should not be taken as gospel for anything. I’m just a bi with ideas. I will be referencing the movies that got made, so, spoiler warning. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Adjusted 

- So, the movie had some problems, but overall, I have no issue with just sticking to the movie as it is, with a few adjustments for long-term changes. 

- Finn will fully have the Force. He’ll actively using it, starting on Takodana, even if it’s subconscious. 

- They won’t see the lights from Starkiller Base all over the galaxy. That’s not how light works.

- The issue with Artoo will be that he got damaged during the same attack Luke disappeared, and it’s hell finding parts to repair him. That’s what Han was doing, running around, “smuggling”. Getting the parts they needed.

- Vice Admiral Holdo will have a cameo. 

- There will be no sexual tension between Rey and Kylo Ren. Not even a hint.

- Before he’s injured, Finn will leave a mark on Kylo. Then Rey will also leave a mark. Balanced.

- Artoo will finished being repaired in time for everyone to return from Starkiller Base. Allowing him to show off the rest of the map. 

- The movie will end with a funeral for Han, with a mention that as soon as Finn recovers, he and Rey will be off to hunt for Luke Skywalker, since they’re both Force sensitive. Poe and Rey meet while checking up on Finn. 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Repaired. 

- The movie will start with the Resistance on a new base on a different planet. They’ve been hopping to different bases in order to prevent the First Order from finding them. During this time, Rey has started working as a mechanic in the Resistance. At this point, she meets the mechanic Rose, and the two strike up a friendship. Rey mentions to Rose that she wants to know who her parents were. 

- It’ll cut to a vision of a stormy planet, with darkness hiding under the surface. This will turn out to be Finn’s vision, which wakes him up. After a few days of recovering, during which he spends time with Poe, Rey, and Chewbacca, preparations are made. 

- During this time, Kylo will have been recovering from the injuries Rey and Finn dealt him, and more significantly, with the injury from Chewbacca’s bowcaster. 

- As soon as they’re ready, Chewbacca pilots the Millennium Falcon out from the base, with Finn, Rey, and Artoo aboard. Their jump to hyperspace will alert First Order scouts who were investigating the system. 

- They arrive on Ach-To, and meet Luke. After a great deal of talking, and much reticence from him, they learn that the night Ben had fallen to the dark side, Luke had found Ben standing over a dead student with his lightsaber ignited. Because Ben had exhibited issues with the dark side in the past, Luke leapt to draw his blade, parrying Ben’s blade, before Ben blasted him into a hut, and helped kill the rest of Luke’s students. Afterwards, Luke learned that the student had been killed by First Order assassins who had snuck into his academy, and that Ben had, in fact, drawn his lightsaber because he had sensed danger. As Luke felt that Ben’s fall was his fault, Luke left, deciding that he would never train another student, but would instead hunt down the remnants of Palpatine’s superweapons and Sith artifacts, in order to destroy them. However, when hunting for Ach-To, in order to seek clarity, Luke’s ship was damaged, and ultimately wrecked beyond repair by the storm he was landing in, leaving him stranded. 

- Cut to the First Order, with General Hux telling Supreme Leader Snoke that they found the Resistance. Snoke tells Hux to deploy, and to be certain that none of the Resistance escapes. 

- Cut back to Ach-To, where Finn and Rey have finally managed to convince Luke to give them Jedi training. He agrees, and they begin learning the ways of the Force. During this time, they get to know Luke, and begin seeing him as a true mentor, rather than a reluctant teacher. 

- Then we return to the Resistance base, where everyone’s begun evacuation, as the First Order has started approaching the planet. As they begin spinning up the ships, Poe leads the fighter squadrons to destroy the first ship approaching, a dreadnought that would be able to keep the Resistance fleet from escaping the atmosphere. 

- During the ensuing battle, multiple pilots die, and Paige, Rose’s sister and the pilot of one of the Y-Wing bombers, sacrifices herself to bomb the command deck and destroy the dreadnought. Thanks to this, the Resistance manages to jump to lightspeed. However, with new hyperspace tracking, the First Order manages to keep up. A short battle follows, with the Resistance hangar being blasted closed by First Order fighters, and Kylo fires on the command center, leading to most of the Resistance leadership dead, and Leia just barely alive. Command passes to Vice-Admiral Holdo, who chooses Poe as her second, due to the trust that Leia had placed in him. 

- At this point, Finn has a crisis. After wandering the island for a time, he runs into Luke, at which point Finn confesses that he doesn’t want to be a soldier, because he feels like that would be letting the First Order’s training in him “win”. Luke explains that, while Jedi were warriors, they were also teachers, healers, diplomats, and much more, despite what Imperial propaganda and the events of the last few decades said. Luke then explains that to him, the most important thing about being a Jedi was trying to help people, and that whether Finn did that by fighting or other ways, simply by selfless acts of kindness, Finn had already started walking the path of the Jedi. 

- During this conversation, Rey, still feeling unmoored, and wanting to find her parents and have the same bond that she’d seen Rose have with her sister, enters the cave on the island where the dark side is the strongest, and has a vision of killing Finn and the members of the Resistance, before kneeling to Snoke. After getting out of the cave, she stays quiet about what happened. 

- At this time, Holdo explains to Poe that they’ve approached a system where an old Rebel Alliance base is, hidden on Krayt. The plan is to keep the larger cruisers flying, slip to the base under the First Order’s radar, and hide until the danger has passed. To that end, Poe and Rose, along with the hacker DJ, build jammers that will prevent the First Order from detecting their transports. 

- While all this is happening, Kylo and Snoke have been slowly heading towards a confrontation. While Snoke becomes more and more controlling, Kylo becomes more ambitious, ultimately sneaking to the Sith planet Korriban, where he learns of a ritual that would allow him to steal another dark-sider’s power. 

- At this point, both Rey and Finn have a vision about the Resistance being in danger. This leads to them, along with Luke, leaving Ach-To, with Chewie flying the Millennium Falcon to where Luke senses Leia. 

- However, the vision had been sent by Snoke, to pull them into a trap, so he could destroy them at the same time as the Resistance. 

- While they’re flying, Rey confesses what she did and saw in the cave to Luke, who tells her that fear and anger are part of what makes people alive, but that Jedi are defined by not allowing those emotions to control them, and that who her family was isn’t as important as who it is now. 

- As the Resistance transports begin to fly towards Krayt, the First Order reveals that DJ was a spy the entire time, and begin to fire on them. Poe, Rose, and BB-8 chase DJ through the maintenance corridors of the cruiser in order to keep him from destroying it, ending with DJ being killed. 

- At this moment, Kylo confronts Snoke, using the ritual he’d learned to steal Snoke’s knowledge of the Force and cut Snoke off from it. Because Snoke’s body is helpless without it, Kylo kills him easily, before battling Snoke’s guards and killing them with his new knowledge, claiming the title of Supreme Leader. 

- As the First Order fleet fires, Leia, awake but still injured, takes over piloting the cruiser while the transports escape, sacrificing herself to destroy the flagship and leave the fleet in disarray. 

- With the Resistance pinned down, they begin trying to find a hidden entrance out of Krayt. 

- When the Millennium Falcon arrives, it immediately takes out several TIE fighters, and lands, before being confronted by the Knights of Ren. Luke projects an image of himself to distract and delay Kylo, while Rey takes the Skywalker lightsaber and Finn takes Luke’s lightsaber, defeating the knights, before working together to open the way for the Resistance to pile aboard the Millennium Falcon and escape. 

- The movie ends on the Falcon with them all mourning Leia’s death, and with Finn and Poe and Rey and Rose meeting back up, with Rey comforting Rose over her sister’s death. 

- The events of this movie take place over a timespan of 3 months, with a timeskip of a few months between this movie and TFA. 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Overhauled 

- After a timeskip of a year, we pick up with Kylo finding Palpatine’s last vault on Exegol, where he discovers Sith cultists having built a massive fleet. Kylo announces this, declaring that the galaxy has one standard week to surrender, or be destroyed, as the First Order begins preparing the fleet. 

- We then cut to the Resistance, which has rebuilt itself from the events of TLJ. Luke has upped the ante of Rey and Finn’s training, and they’re significantly more skilled than they were before. 

- Poe, Finn, and Chewie return from a mission where they learn about Exegol, and that there’s a spy in the First Order. 

- At the same time, Rey and Rose return from a mission where they recruited new people to the Resistance, including Lando Calrissian, who’d been working as the governor of a small system.

- Admiral Holdo sends Finn, Rey, Rose, Poe, BB-8, Chewie, and Threepio on a mission to locate Exegol, while Luke, Lando, and Maz Kanata are sent to gather as many people as they can in order to lead a strike on the First Order. Privately, Holdo tells Poe that she’s dying, and that he needed to be ready to take leadership. 

- As they begin hunting for Exegol, they pick up where Luke’s hunt for the planet had ended, on Pasaana. After working through the festivities, the group finds a bounty hunter’s ship, and find out that Threepio has knowledge of Exegol, locked in his memory banks, but he’s unable to access them. Poe mentions that he knows someone who can help them unlock Threepio’s memories, and leads them to Kijimi, where that someone turns out to be a family friend. 

- They run into Poe’s mother, who’s happy to meet everyone, and mentions that she’s heard about Finn from the rare messages Poe manages to send, with Poe being somewhat embarrassed. 

- The knowledge in Threepio’s memory turns out to be a statement that “The path to the Emperor’s final end starts at his beginning.”

- A First Order spy recognizes the Millennium Falcon, and Kylo shows up, aiming to kill Rey and Finn before they can revive the Jedi Order and pose a threat to his plan. Chewie and the Falcon get captured, and everyone sneaks aboard Kylo’s ship to save him. 

- In the process, Poe and Finn are captured, and are about to be executed. Finn tells Poe there’s something he needs to know, but before he can continue, some of the stormtroopers turn on the rest, revealing that, after learning about Finn, they had turned traitor, and were in fact the spies who had been leaking knowledge from the First Order. 

- While this was happening, Rose and Rey sabotage Kylo’s flagship in order to prevent it from pursuing them, buying time to escape. There are multiple times when Rey loses track while watching Rose work. 

- On the way out, they encounter General Hux. Poe kills him. 

- As they’re escaping, Kylo confronts them, leading to Finn and Rey dueling him to buy time for everyone else to get to the Falcon. In the process, they’re both disarmed, with Kylo offering Rey a place at his side, while preparing to have Finn killed by stormtroopers. Finn tells the stormtroopers that they don’t have to follow orders, and that the First Order lied to them, while Rey turns Kylo down, before both flee on the Falcon as it uses its thrusters to push everyone back. Luke’s lightsaber and the Skywalker lightsaber are both left behind. 

- After escaping, the crew puzzles over the message Threepio had had, before Chewie recalls and mentions that Palpatine had originally been born on Naboo. 

- After arriving on the planet, they search for information on Palpatine, and are pointed to an archive by an old woman. After hunting for the information they need, Rey manages to find it, a description of the planet and the coordinates to it logged in the last days of the Old Republic by “Senator Amidala”. 

- They return to the Resistance base, where they learn that Admiral Holdo has passed away, with Poe being declared her successor, and the new General. At this point, Luke, Lando, and Maz return, with the message that while they spoke to a lot of people, nobody outright agreed to fight the First Order. 

- Luke guides Finn and Rey in forging lightsabers of their own. Rey builds one with a purple blade, while Finn’s has a yellow blade.

- Finn and Rey fly to Exegol, ahead of the Resistance fleet, while Lando and Chewie fly off in the Falcon to make one last appeal. Before they leave, Poe asks Finn what he was going to say on Kylo’s ship, and Finn says he’ll tell after the battle. Rose tells Rey to “come back to her”. 

- When they land, Finn and Rey enter the vault, and are greeted by the ghost of Palpatine, tied to one of the Sith artifacts there. After being taunted, Finn for his fear and Rey for her anger, they rebuff him, stating that they were united as Jedi. 

- As the battle erupts, Rose and the ex-stormtroopers, led by one who named herself Jannah, lead a ground assault on the flagship, in order to destroy the navigation tower to prevent the fleet from taking off. Poe leads all the ships on an assault against the fleet, focusing on the TIE fighters while hoping reinforcements would arrive. 

- Finn and Rey confront Kylo Ren, and begin battling him in the vault. The two work together to match him. 

- Luke forces the First Order fleet to stay down, using the Force to hold them until the tower was disabled, exhausting himself, and passing into the Force after doing so.

- The battle begins going south as the number of fighters begin overwhelming the Resistance, while First Order troopers begin attacking the ground assault. Kylo repulses Finn and Rey, knocking them both off their feet. 

- As it looks dark, Lando arrives, with a massive fleet from all over the galaxy. Poe and Lando turn things around, and begin destroying ships. Poe’s mother shows up to fly as a pilot alongside her son. Multiple stormtroopers from the flagship, inspired by Finn’s appeal, turn on the First Order, helping the ground assault destroy the bridge as the Resistance escapes. 

- As they struggle against Kylo, Finn and Rey both push up, and for a moment, they hear Luke’s voice “For you are Jedi Knights”. Inspired by this last message from their mentor, they engage, ultimately defeating Kylo, and striking him down at the same moment. 

- After everyone escapes, the Resistance reconvenes on Naboo. After a ceremony dedicated to everyone who fell, including Holdo and Luke, everyone holds a celebration.

- Before reconvening on Naboo, Finn and Rey go to Tatooine, landing at the Lars moisture farm in order to put up a small grave for Luke, alongside five other graves put up years ago. 

- During the celebration, Finn finally tells Poe what he’d been going to say, which was that he loved him. Poe responds by kissing Finn. Finn kisses back. 

- Rey and Rose find a quiet spot in the celebration. Rose asks if Rey still wants to find her family. Rey says that she’d found a family, and that she’d also found Rose. The two kiss, and we see everyone looking out as the sun sets. End movie. 

#star wars #rey #kylo #finn #poe #rose #finn x poe #rey x rose

[wayward-wren]

Detroit: Remain Human - Chapter one.

Summary:  A year after the android uprising and things have settled down somewhat in Detroit. But tensions are still running high and the humans are not as accepting as the androids as was hoped. Then, while investigating a crime scene, Connor and Hank find evidence of an android murderer. Alice doesn't return home from school. And Markus gets word that androids are goings missing. The uneasy coexistence between humans and androids is threatened and those who want to keep it strong need to act fast before their world crumbles around them.

Warnings: Bit of blood/violence. Major character death maybe.

Pairings: Luther/Kara. Hank & Connor (not ship. Don’t tag as ship) 

A/N: Wooo new story! with a really original title, I know *glances at pile of unfinished fics* *Coughs and shoves pile away* Let’s go! 

| A03 | Next Chapter |

 The music was almost as loud as the siren as the car screeched to a halt. Police lights flashed, lighting up the crime scene and casting reflections in the puddles left over from a rainfall earlier that day. Connor stepped out of the passenger door, sending droplets of water flying as he placed his foot in a puddle. He sighed, glancing over the car roof to his partner, Hank, who was currently heaving himself out of the driver’s seat. He was muttering to himself again.

  “Why do we always get called out at the worst time,” he complained, leaning against the car door.

“It’s our job, Lieutenant,” Connor said simply.

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean I have’ta like it.” With a sigh, Hank straightened out and pushed himself off the car. “Alright. Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Connor examined the surrounding area. It was a simple and well-kept residential area; houses with neat gardens lit dimly by the glow of street lamps. The house in question was surrounded by a small group of people, kept at bay by the holographic police tape, that Connor and Hank shouldered their way through. The house itself looked much the same as the buildings around it, recently painted, lawns mowed and well kept; a respectable place to live.

One striking difference told this house apart from those surrounding it. A noticeable smashed window, glass shards littering the garden and glass below.  It looked like it had been broken from inside, and Connor scanned the area around for any further clues. At first glance, nothing came to light and he decided to investigate more thoroughly after the briefing.

         Hank was already in conversation with Ben Collins when he stepped up the stairs outside the house and joined them on the deck.  

         “…got a call from one of the neighbours who heard the window smash,” Collins was saying as Connor arrived. “Dispatch found the dead body of a Thomas Wilson– and traces of red ice. We thought it best to call you up.” Hank muttered something unsavoury about red ice under his breath as the briefing continued. “The victim was a well-respected businessman, well off, though his fortune had gone down after the androids got equal rights. He’s a widower with two sons, one currently living with him. The crime scene is being documented, but I’ll leave you to what you do best.” Collins nodded at Hank and turned to leave. Connor stepped to the side, knowing from experience that he was expected to move.

         “Alright,” Hank said reluctantly. “Let’s get this over with.” He moved into the house, cursing red ice under his breath.

         Connor turned his attention to the garden, examining the broken window and the garden below it. From the state of the garden, it looked like someone had leapt out the window. Satisfied for now, he moved inside.

         The scene that greeted him was like many he had seen during the last year; a dead body, a mess of a scene, and a story waiting to be discovered. The body was slumped in the corner of the living room and Hank was already crouching over it. A quick facial recognition scan and Connor confirmed the victim as Thomas Wilson.

Working efficiently, Connor examined the room, piecing together what had happened. From what information he could gather, the victim and suspect had been sitting the sofas, across from each other. The suspect had attacked the victim with a knife, leaping across the table and knocking a couple of glasses over, spilling water onto the floor. He had then stabbed the victim, who had tried to run but had been stabbed again as he escaped.

         Having seen enough, Connor’s next course of action was to investigate the kitchen for any further clues. But first, he joined Hank by the window.

         “Found anything?” Hank asked.

         “Not really. From what I can tell the attack was unprovoked.” He frowned, noticing for the first time a bullet hole in the window frame. “Have you seen any signs of a gun, Lieutenant?”

         “Nah, nothing like that. Did find that though.” He nodded to a smoking pipe on the cabinet in the corner – obviously used for red ice. “This case has nothing to do with stopping the epidemic. We need to find the source – not those who take it. Especially not after they’re already dead.” He scowled, turning to look out the smashed window.

         “I was going to look in the…” Connor trailed off, something catching his eye. He frowned, moving closer to the window. A small smear of blue liquid was sticking to the shattered glass. Ignoring Hank’s disgusted look, Connor dipped his finger into it and brought it to his mouth.

         “Thirium,” he said after a second of analysing.

         “The killer was an android?” Hank asked.

         “That’s a possibility,” Connor said slowly, glancing at the officers moving around the room.

         “That’s not good,” Hank muttered.

         Connor frowned, wiping his fingers clean on his pants. It really wasn’t good. Only a year after the android uprising and tensions were still high. If an android was killing humans that conflict could arise again very quickly. And that was not something any of the androids wanted to go through again. Not after they had fought so hard for freedom.

         “Don’t tell anyone yet,” he said quietly. He wanted Markus to know before any of the humans did. Hank nodded.

         “Makes sense. Don’t want the humans all upset.” He sighed, turning his attention back to the room. “This is a dead end. What are we even doing here.”

         “We need to learn what happened,” Connor said.

         “Just because red ice is on scene suddenly it’s an excuse to call us in.” He snorted. “This job’s simple enough even Reed could do it.”

         “It’s worth a look around – maybe we can learn who his supplier was and find another lead. I’ll investigate the kitchen.”

         Hank nodded absently, crossing his arms and looking around the room, lost in thought. Connor left him to it and moved into the kitchen.

         The kitchen was a good size and seemed undisturbed. A large table filled the middle of the room, a few chairs sitting around it. There didn’t seem to be any clues in here, but Connor began to move around the room anyway.

         He was halfway around when he paused, hearing something. A small noise coming from the pantry, like an animal in distress. Wary, Connor moved towards the pantry, carefully pushing the door open.

         A loud bang rang through the kitchen. Connor jumped back, a bullet whistling past his head. A curse came from the other room, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Hank and a couple of other officers rush through. He shook his head, gesturing for them to stay back, and turned to the figure huddled in the pantry.

         It was a boy – maybe twelve years old - gripping a gun tightly in his hand. He was shaking and obviously terrified. Connor crouched down, holding his hands where the boy could see them.

         “It’s alright,” he said calmly. “I’m not going to hurt you.” The boy stared at him but slowly began lowering the weapon. “My name is Connor. I’m a police officer – I’m here to help.” He held out his hand, slowly. “May I have the gun?”

         Shakily and warily, the boy reached forward, handing the gun to Connor. The android gently took it from him, flipped the safety on and slid it across the floor - out of reach.

         “What’s your name?” Connor asked, though he already knew from facial recognition. The boy looked up, blinking.

         “Sam,” he muttered.

         “Can you tell me what happened, Sam?”

         The boy dropped his gaze, obviously remembering.

         “A man showed up. He was asking about an old android we used to own. Then he pulled out a knife and…” He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut and hugging his legs.

         “Do you remember anything about the android this man was asking about?” Connor asked. Sam shook his head.

         “It was a couple years ago. I think she got stolen or something.”

         “Do you have an android working for you?”

         “No,” the boy said, shaking his head. “Dad didn’t want to hire anyone.”

         “Alright. Just a few more questions. How long has your father been taking red ice?”

         The boy looked down, seemingly embarrassed.

         “Since Mom died. About a year ago. I tried to get him to stop.”

         “Do you know anything about that?”

         Sam frowned, scuffing his shoes on the tiles of the floor.

         “I know where he gets it from,” he said quietly.

         “That would be a big help.”

         “I followed him one day.” He seemed rather proud of that fact. “He was over in Virginia Park area.”

         “Thank you,” Connor said, standing. He stepped back and let one of the other officers take over, helping the boy up and talking softly to him. Hank moved beside him.

         “So we got your lead after all,” he said.

         “It appears so. However, I’m more worried about the motive of the killer. It appears he was an android – if the thirium is anything to go by. And who is the android he’s looking for?”

         “Beats me,” Hank muttered.

         “Whatever the case, I need to let Markus know what is happening.”

| Next Chapter |

#detroit become human #D:BH #detroit become human fanfiction #fanfiction #Connor (DBH) #Hank (DBH) #my fanfics

[queseraone]

Maybe One Day - Part 6

A collection of one-shots of Jay Halstead as a dad. Because we all need that in our lives. Co-written with @halsteadpd

When canon gives you lemons, you make fluff…

Catch up here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Jay and Erin had a rare day off in the middle of the week. Intelligence had just closed down a drug ring running from Cicero that was shipping all over the United States and Canada. It was a school day, so they still had to get up early to drop off the boys, but they weren’t as rushed that morning; they had decided to let Maddie stay home from daycare after her incessant begging. It was next to impossible to say no to her, especially when all she wanted was to hang out with her mommy and daddy.

Erin stayed home with Maddie while Jay trudged through the snow to take Ben and Zach to school. Despite their brutal winters, snow days were rare in Chicago. Jay was happy when he parked the car in the garage and got back into the warm house, knowing he wouldn’t have to venture back out in the cold again until later that afternoon.

As Jay walked through the garage door, he slipped off his jacket and kicked the snow off his boots before putting everything away in the closet. He was met by the smell of coffee wafting through the house and could hear cartoons playing from the living room. Jay smiled as he made his way towards the kitchen where he found Erin finishing up the dishes from breakfast.

Jay barely had time to kiss his wife hello before he heard Maddie call for him, her voice full of excitement. “Daddyyyyyyy!” She came out of nowhere and leapt into her father’s arms.

“Maddieeeeeeeee!” Jay mimicked the little girl’s enthusiasm, tickling her sides before putting her down. “What’s up baby?”

“Can you play princesses with me? Pleeeeeeease?” Before Jay even had a chance to answer, he found himself being dragged into the living room by his four-year-old daughter. In a matter of seconds, Maddie had him sitting cross-legged on the floor and had already put a sparkly crown on his head. “Now Daddy, I’m the main princess, but you can be my backup princess. Just like when you’re at work with Mommy.”

“Now what makes you think that Mommy’s not my backup at work?”

“Daddy you’re so silly! Mommy drives and that means she’s the boss!” Maddie giggled as she started piling necklaces around Jay’s neck, pausing only to adjust his tiara.

Jay’s mouth dropped open and he shook his head with a laugh. Maddie had clearly been spending too much time with Erin—he knew he’d get his payback later and would soon transition his little girl to his side.

“Okay Daddy, now we have to do our nails.”

“Are you sure, Mads? I think we both look very pretty already,” Jay gestured down at the heap of plastic jewellery he was wearing.

“Yes, of course Daddy.” Maddie replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jay sighed but grabbed the bottle of nail polish off of the coffee table. “You first sweetie, okay?” Maddie grinned from ear to ear as her father held her little hand in his own and started to carefully paint her fingernails with the glittery pink polish. The first time Jay had painted his daughter’s nails was a total disaster, but he’d done it enough by now to be pretty good at it.

“Daddy. I hafta ask you something.”

“You can ask me anything baby,” Jay glanced up from his task and immediately grew concerned when he saw how serious Maddie looked. “What is it?”

“Where do babies come from?” Well he certainly wasn’t expecting that. “Because Uncle Will and Aunt Natalie are having a baby and when I asked Uncle Will he told me to ask you.”

Jay was going to kill his brother. Will could have given the little girl a simple explanation and Maddie would have been satisfied with his answer, but of course Will just had to make things more difficult for Jay. He coughed a little, clearing his throat before answering. “Well, um. You see babies… babies come from the mommy’s belly.”

“Yeah I know that, but how do they get in there?”

“Well, the daddy puts the baby there.” When Jay looked up from his little girl’s pink nails, she had a look of confusion on her face.

“How?”

Erin overheard the conversation from the kitchen and chose that moment to come join her husband and daughter in the living room. When Jay noticed her presence he shot her a look of desperation, silently pleading with her to help him with the interrogation he was getting from their daughter. Erin just bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing; she wanted to see where this was going.

“Well, the mommies and the daddies each have… um, baby making stuff in them.”

“You do? What kind of baby making stuff?”

Jay huffed out an exasperated sigh. “Well Daddy has sperm and Mommy has eggs. And when the sperm and egg meet, they make a baby.”

“Ooohhh,” Maddie said understandingly. “But wait—how does Mommy get the sperms?”

“Well, uh, first I have to make Mommy really, um… happy.”

“Like how I’m happy when I get to go play at Lucy’s house?”

Jay’s eyes grew wide as he shook his head. “No! No, no, no. Not that kind of happy.” He cleared his throat, subconsciously tugging at the collar of his t-shirt. “A… um… a different kind of happy. A special… uh, grown-up happy.”

“Oh. And then what?”

“Well then, um—” Jay ran his hand through his hair, his face bright red as he tried to work up the nerve to explain sex to his four-year-old daughter. “Then Daddy puts his… um, penis into Mommy’s… vagina and—”

“Mommy!” Maddie gasped, glancing over to where Erin was seated on the couch. The little girl looked absolutely horrified. “How could you let Daddy do that to you!?”

Erin’s cheeks flushed at her daughter’s question. “Um, sweetie I think that’s probably enough for today. How about you do Daddy’s nails and then we’ll have some lunch?”

“Okay!” Maddie smiled, satisfied with her father’s explanation. She had already moved on from the subject, grabbing hold of Jay’s hand and slathering pink polish on his nails to match her own.

After lunch, Jay, Erin and Maddie bundled up to venture out into the snow. While Jay shovelled the driveway and sidewalk, Erin helped Maddie make a snowman. It wasn’t long before Jay felt something hit him square in the back; he turned around to see a devilish look on his wife’s face as she was already busy balling up more snow between her mitten-clad hands.

But Jay was faster. When he threw his own snowball across the yard, it hit Erin’s wrist and knocked the snow right out of her hand. She laughed and quickly encouraged Maddie to help with her attack against Jay. He had a better arm though, so the girls quickly resorted to tackling him into the snowbank.

Eventually Jay snuck away to pick up the boys from school. As he pulled their Jeep into the driveway, he noticed Erin and Maddie were still outside. They were distracted making snow angels, so Jay quickly turned around in his seat to rally his troops. “Okay boys, here’s the plan,” Jay began. He spoke like he was directing detectives on a raid, not planning a snowball fight with his sons. “So we’re going to get out on my side so we can use the car as a shield. That also gives us time to prepare our snowballs. Then when we’re all ready, we attack, okay?”

“But wait Dad, what about our uniforms?” Zach asked, his face filled with worry.

“That’s not important right now, what’s important is that we win.” Both boys nodded in agreement, and when Jay extended his fist they quickly bumped their own fists against it.

The excitement of playing in the snow took a toll on the Halstead children—there were no arguments or stall tactics at bedtime that night. Once the kids were all sleeping soundly, Jay stretched out in bed, surfing channels while Erin took a shower. He too was absolutely exhausted; running around with Maddie all day came at a price, but Jay wouldn’t change it for the world.

Erin walked into the bedroom a moment later wearing only a short satin robe, her hair twisted into a towel on top of her head.

Jay noticed her presence immediately. “Hey you,” he smirked, the television forgotten as the remote control fell from his hand—his wife had his undivided attention.

Erin’s face broke into a wide grin as she hopped up to join him on the bed, her legs straddled around his waist. “Hey yourself,” she murmured, leaning down to press her lips against Jay’s. She quickly pulled him closer to her as she deepened the kiss.

Jay pulled back after a moment, a sly smile gracing his face. “Not that I’m complaining at all, but what’s gotten into you babe?”

“Oh… nothing. I didn’t think I need a reason to kiss my very attractive husband?” She bent down and peppered kisses along his jawline. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day. Watching you with the kids? Ugh, you are so fucking sexy.”

“Yeah? Well I know other things you find even sexier.” His voice dropped lower.

“You know, I think this is the part where you’re supposed to make me grown-up happy.” Erin whispered in his ear, her voice even raspier than usual, sending a shiver through his body. Jay sat up, moving Erin with him as he changed their position, flipping them so she was now pinned beneath him. He leaned back to pull off his shirt before grabbing her chin to bring her even closer, quickly moving to cover her neck with open mouth kisses. As his hands dipped into her robe, Jay was confused to feel her touch his abs and push him away. She was breathless as she spoke: “Wait…”

“What? What’s wrong?” Jay groaned, biting his lip to try to contain his disappointment.

“You need to keep your… baby making stuff out of me. We are done with all that Mr. Halstead.”

Jay rolled his eyes before getting off the bed, reaching toward his bedside table to grab a condom from the top drawer. He handed it to Erin as he made his way to the bedroom door to make sure it was locked, kicking off his sweatpants as he practically ran back to the bed. She giggled as he climbed back on top of her, barely having enough time to slide the condom on him before Jay was yanking the robe from her shoulders, pawing at her all over again.

Jay and Erin were completely exhausted as they made their way into the district the next day. They were always sluggish after taking a day off, especially when the entire day was spent entertaining their daughter, and their late-night fun didn’t exactly leave them feeling well-rested. Fortunately, it was still pretty quiet upstairs; Intelligence was finishing up paperwork from their drug bust earlier that week.

It wasn’t long before they got a call from patrol; they’d located a suspect that the unit had been chasing, and they needed someone to come pick him up. Ruzek and Atwater were first up, jumping at the chance to get away from their desks and out of the bullpen. Less than an hour later, they’d hauled the perp down to the district and thrown him in the cage.

Voight called Jay downstairs to help with the interrogation. Angelo Shaw had been running girls up and down the east coast for years. Every time Intelligence was close to bringing him in, Shaw would disappear.

Jay wrapped his fingers around the cage, fuming at Shaw, anger burning in his eyes. It pissed him off even more when the suspect began to laugh at him. The man had a reputation for kidnapping and torture— all Jay could think about was his four-year-old at a time like this.

“Dude, you aren’t as intimidating as you think.” Shaw laughed, his voice menacing.

“Keys.” Jay ordered with his hand held out to Voight. He opened the cage angrily before handing the keys back. “You really think it’s funny? Hurting those girls?” He stood in front of Shaw before grabbing him by the neck.

“Halstead.” Voight’s gruff voice warned him. “HALSTEAD!” He called out later when Jay didn’t step back. “Upstairs.” Voight ordered, his voice steady, almost eerily calm.

Jay hesitantly moved out of the cage, dropping Shaw back down on the bench. He shot an exasperated look at Voight before reluctantly making his way over to the door where Ruzek and Atwater were trying—unsuccessfully—to hide their laughter.

“You know Halstead, pink’s really your colour.” Atwater chuckled, nudging Jay’s shoulder with his own.

Jay narrowed his eyes at the two men before looking down at his hands. His nails were still covered in the glittery pink polish Maddie had put on the day before. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You have daughters, Adam. You know what it’s like.”

“Yeah, I do. But unlike you I don’t go out in public like that!”

“Well, Erin didn’t seem to mind it last night.” Jay admitted with a sly grin.

As they made their way back up the stairs to the bullpen, Atwater changed the subject, asking if they were excited for the Hawks game that night. But Jay was distracted—all he could think about was how Maddie definitely had him wrapped around her little finger. He would do anything for his little girl, even if it meant making a fool of himself at work.

Let us know what you think! We’re taking requests, so hit us up if there’s something specific you’d like to see! Everyone’s Daddy Jay dreams should come true! ;)

#writing: maybe one day #maybe one day #daddy jay #queseraone #halsteadpd #linstead fanfiction #linstead #linstead au #chicago pd #cpd fanfiction #jay halstead #erin lindsay #mine #ours #my writing #jay x erin #erin x jay #fluff

[theresistanceandtheforce]

Part Three: Chapter Twenty-Five: Who Are You

We rejoin the story four years after the events on Artorias. In that time the strength of the First Order has grown under the leadership of a new Supreme Leader. Their name and face are not known, they remain in the shadows, but there are whispers. The Knights of Ren, which fled capture after the Second Battle of Tatooine have returned to the Emperors side and are now feared throughout the galaxy as they never were before. Although more planets have joined The Resistance, fighting for the New Republic, the brutality of the First Order has been swift and relentless. Many planets have been captured, and species enslaved. The last of the large Resistance strongholds, on Kashyyyk, has been under relentless attack as the First Order attempts to capture the planet for its resources. The Kashyyyk armies have recently intercepted intermission that the Supreme Leader themself will be arriving en force to take the planet once and for all. Until now the Supreme Leaders whereabouts have been unknown. Engaging in combat with the incoming fleet is the Resistances only chance to attack the Supreme Leader and cut the head from the body.

She sat up with a start, heart beating out of her chest. It was always the same dream, dying of old age alone on Baskarn, always the same woeful serenity, and yet she still would wake up in a panic. Rey let her body fall back down against the rough cot as she tried to even her breathing. "Where are you," she whispered to herself as she stared up at the ceiling.

Suddenly the door of her room swung open, the lights flicked on. “Rey! Pack Solo, they arrived early, we need to get him off the planet."

Before Rey could react Poe was already grabbing a small backpack and throwing Solos belongings in to it frantically, including a battle scarred lightsaber.

She leapt out of bed, it had become a habit for her to sleep in her regular clothes and shoes, always at the ready, and ran towards the small cot in the corner of the room where the child still slept. Rey swept him up in her arms gently, hugging him to her chest, before following Poe as he raced out of the room.

Around them the base was a frenzy of activity as everyone ran towards their ships, their weapons, their armour, preparing to take a stand for the planet. It was obvious by the panic Rey felt around her, like a fog only her mind could detect, that they had been caught off guard.

The toddler squirmed against Rey’s chest, slowly waking up as she hurried along the chaotic corridors beside Poe, maneuvering their way through the crowd towards the evacuation shuttle at the back of the base. A part of her wished he could have just stayed asleep, that way she wouldn’t have to tell him goodbye. She held him closer, savoring the sweet smell of his hair, the sensation of his heart beating against her chest, and the comfort it gave her to feel his small body protected in her embrace.

“So they arrived early?” She asked as they turned down another hallway, the bases exit just in sight. It was a redundant question, the turmoiled thoughts around her were evidence they had in fact arrived, but she wanted the details.

Poe nodded, keeping his gaze ahead, she felt the worry in his heart, for the fleet, for the planet, and for her son. “Their fleet just arrived in the upper atmosphere, two weeks earlier than expected. They must have caught wind of what we were planning, but it won’t stop us though.” His voice was filled with resolute determination. The years as general had hardened him, made him serious. The only soft spot in his heart remained for Solo, who Poe had come to love, forming a bond with the child that Rey did not quite understand, but cherished. Solo had more than a mother to love and support him, he had a whole makeshift family at the base as it had grown to become their home.

They passed through the exit doors and outside on to the back outdoor launch pad of the base, thick jungle all around. A storm brewed above them, rough winds, thick clouds, and the distant roar of thunder. The air smelled of dirt and fuel as the Resistance fleet began to take off. Waiting was the evacuation shuttle, it was the very ship they had taken to Baskarn, and then Artorias. It had been hers before she surrendered it for those unable to fight and any valuables that needed to be taken off planet. Waiting at the entrance was Chewbacca. He’d been chosen to lead the evacuation due to a recent injury to his arm which left him unable to properly pilot. He called out to them as they approached.

Rey paused, gazing at the ship with a heavy heart. She’d known this day was coming, the day she would have to let him go, for how long, she did not know.

Poe placed his hand on the small of her back, "Rey, he needs to get to safety, and you need to come with me, we'll be late to join the fleet. Give him to Chewie."

Rey fought back tears as she turned the now awake child in her arms and set him down on the ground, crouching down to his eye level, the wind tugging at her white garments, loosening her hair.

The more he grew, the more he looked like his father, and the more her heart broke just a little at the sight of him. Black hair sticking up in all directions, but cut shorter, skin pale, eyes dark and wide, brimmed by long lashes. But he had Rey's narrow nose and thin lips. Cheeks rosey and chubby. He looked back at her with concern, sensing the palpable pandemonium all around.

The older he became, the more she worried that the same conflict his father had faced would touch him too. In the four years since his birth, Rey had done everything in her power to show he was loved and cared for, to teach him kindness, to show him her role as mother was just as important as her role as a fighter, and to prepare him for the powers she knew already grew within him. She’d developed a deep respect and sympathy for Leia over the years as she came to learn the conflict the general must have had in raising Ben.

Solo rubbed his tired eyes, looking from her to Poe as he became more alert. "What's going on?"

She cast her eyes to the cloudy skies, trying to contain her tears before looking back down at his worried features. "Remember when mommy said you would have to go somewhere to be safe? Do you remember?" He nodded quietly. "Good, that's good. That time is now." She stroked the hair away from his forehead. "You be brave alright. Watch over Chewie, the elders, and the children. I love you with all my heart. I will see you again as soon as I can."

Suddenly the child's face disappeared from her view as Chewie picked him up and began carrying him towards the ship, sadness in his furry features as he turned away from them.

Solo's head peeked out from behind Chewbacca's shoulder, tears welled in his wide eyes, "Mooom," he reached out with a small hand. She could feel the feeble strength of his force abilities tugging gently at her, unwilling to leave.

Poe put a comforting but restraining arm around Rey’s shoulders as they both watched with teary eyes as Solo was loaded into the ship. "Chewies family love him as their own. He is in good hands."

Rey looked on as the ship lifted up off the ground and took off into the storm above. 

There was no time to cry, or worry, a war needed to be won, and this conflict, tearing Rey between her two roles, would only be her companion as long as the galaxy was in turmoil.

***

At the jungles edge, where the thick canopies ended in a steep ledge, giving way to a vast ocean peppered in islands, Poe and Rey joined the others as they waited, peering up at the armada in the sky. Acclamator-Class Assault ships hovered above in rows, illuminated by flashes of lightning.

"We've been waiting for this moment." Finn whispered as he stared up.

Rey's heart beat fast with adrenaline as she stared up at the First Order fleet. The Supreme Leader was smart, they knew they'd be a target, and so they had arrived in an Assault ship, camouflaged among the rest of the fleet. It would be her job to find their ship. She was ready to learn if her suspicions were right, to learn if the cloaked figure she'd seen on Artorias was the new Supreme Leader, and if so, to end them. She no longer feared the power she had felt there. In the years following she had honed her strengths, her abilities, fine tuned them, and was ready to test them.

"Let's go!" Poe shouted, beckoning them to follow as he jumped into a modified X-Wing Starfighter with attached underbelly turret. He'd been questioned many times over how he chose to conduct himself as General, fighting alongside his fleet rather than simply commanding them from the control room but he refused to remain behind while everyone else gave their lives for the cause.

Rey adjusted her helmet and turned on the communication chanel she had with her apprentices, fed through a small earpiece. "This is Rey. Is everyone in place?" She hopped in to her own X-Wing, giving Finn a nod as he disappeared within Poe's ship, crawling down into the turret.

"Yes, we are in position atop the treeline, awaiting your orders,” came the voice of GZ-1690, or as she now went by, Gwen.

Rey closed her ships doors, adjusting the controls and took off behind Poe and Finn. "Good, stay as hidden as you can. Pay attention to my command, and if the base is attacked by foot soldiers we will need to abandon this plan so that you can hold them off. Keep the youngest in the trees, the rest of you protect the base and control rooms."

She adjusted her ships shields to account for the possibility of a lightning strike and brought her ship in line with the others as they gathered amidst the clouds.

Poe’s commanding voice came over the fleets communication line. "I want tight formations. Don't be stupid and think you can break off and take one of these things. In your assigned groupings, keep your focus on their control rooms. It is the most vulnerable part of these ships. Be prepared for TIE's. Use the clouds to your advantage, their ships are not designed for easy maneuverability within a planet's atmosphere, they are at a disadvantage. When Rey pinpoints the Supreme Leaders ship she will try and identify it for us. When I give the signal, abandon your attacks, focus on the ship that is separated from the rest. Protect your bombers. Remember who and what you fight for, keep that within your heart. May the force be with you."

Cheers and rallying cries in different dialects rang out through the communication channel as units began separating from the whole and making their way towards the First Orders assault ships.

“May the force be with you,” Rey whispered, setting her sights on the intimidating ships above. After the second battle of Tatooine their forces had been practically decimated. Since then it had only been small skirmishes as both the Resistance and First Order accumulated more numbers, more allies, more weapons, and more supplies. Until now.

"GO!" Poe roared with authority as Rey took off, the first to fly forward, her mind set on one goal, find the Supreme Leader.

Around them the sky lit up with fire as their attack was launched. From the holds of the assault ships swarmed TIE line fighters. They were outnumbered.

Poe flew his X-Wing protectively behind Rey’s ship as she began to navigate the anarchy arising all around. She could extend her mind far, but every shot fired, every swerve of avoidance, every panicked communication, was mental interference. She needed to get her ship as close as possible to each assault vessel in order to pinpoint the mind of the Supreme Leader, and identify their ship for the Resistance. This made her an easy target, hence Poe and Finns purpose as chaperone, protecting her flank as she tried to graze over and under the assault ships with a scouring mind.

She approached a second Assault ship, swerving her own vessel to avoid a volley of cannon fire coming from it as it tried to wipe out a small group of X-Wings that protected a bombing vessel. She ducked into the clouds around the ship, extending her mind. Her thoughts projecting out like tendrils or feelers, wading through the hate directed at the Resistance, searching, searching for something more, something darker, hoping against hope that what she would find would be familiar, would be the cloaked figure.

Suddenly an explosion illuminated the sky in smoke and fire. An assault ship was going down, attacked by four bombers. It's nose broke off first, smoke billowing out from within, before the rest of the vessel began to plummet towards the ocean. The roaring thunder clapping like a final exhale as it crashed to the depths.

"YES!" Finn cheered, his voice in her ear bringing a smile to her lips before Rey refocused her mind, speeding past the top of an assault ship, avoiding the bursts of fire directed at her as she maneuvered the frenzied airspace.

She sped by another assault ship. She was slowly learning exactly what she could ignore as the sweat dripped down her brow from the concentration. With each ship she passed, waving through the unimportant thoughts became easier.

Abruptly Rey felt weightless, her ship spinning out as its wing was clipped by fire. "No!" She exclaimed aloud with frustration as she was jolted in her seat. Clutching at the wheel she managed to stabilize the ship only to find a TIE close on her tail. She raced through the clouds above the Assault ship, trying to lose the relentless TIE. In a risky move she suddenly cut all controls, making the ship abruptly dip from the sky. As it began to freefall she quickly started the ship back up, turning it upside down and back around until she had reversed the roles, firing persistently at the TIE until it backed off only to be pursued by Poe as she raced towards another assault ship, the alarms on her ship filling the cockpit with a shrill shriek.

“He’s on you again!” Finn's voice yelled with warning.

She pressed forward, accelerating towards another assault ship, ignoring the alarms.

Suddenly her mental limbs touched upon something, and Rey felt a strange sensation radiate through her. It was almost as if she could sense the pilot in the TIE behind her. Feel the movement of their hands on the ships control, feel their heart beating with adrenaline as they held her in their sights.

"He's still on you Rey! You need to lose him! We can't get him, he's flying too close on your tail for us to shoot."

She shook her head of the sensation, swerving her ship from one side to the next, avoiding the unrelenting pilot behind her, and drew close to the underbelly of the next assault ship.

She shifted through the adrenaline, the hate, orbes of like minds focusing on the destruction of her fleet with much more speed than the previous ships.

And then she felt it.

A mind of black undulating wisps of poisonous thoughts. A shudder ran down her spine as she felt the individual notice her intrusion, the same feeling as being watched in an empty room.

I've been waiting for this day.

They pushed her out of their mental parameters with such violence her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her hands let go of the controls, her body convulsing as if she'd been stunned.

Her vision blurred to black.

"Rey!"

She gasped, her eyes springing open just in time to see the smoke filling the cabin of her ship. She'd been clipped again. 

"THAT'S THEIR SHIP!" She exclaimed, gripping the controls with trembling hands and frantically trying to figure out what to do as her ship began to malfunction. She covered her mouth with her arm as she began to cough from the smoke.

"Rey!" It was Poe, his voice full of authority, "You need to jump ship! You're going to go down!"

She looked up at the assault ship above her, knowing who was within. "I won't make it that easy for them." She maneuvered her ship past her attacker and pointed the nose directly at the Emperor's ship. She punched the controls, sending the ship speeding forward and ejected herself. Her body flew up through the pilot hatch. She was weightless for a moment, feeling the cold damp air around, smelling fuel as it lingered in the air, before suddenly her ship made impact with the assault ships reactor, sending a fiery shockwave radiating throughout the air, pushing outwards instead of directly down. She covered her face with her arms, feeling the heat against her bare arms, and then suddenly she began to plummet, but her feet soon felt stability as they made contact with the roof of Poe’s X-Wing as he gently guided it to catch her before her body could accelerate. She balanced between the two engines at the top, lowering her body to even out her centre of gravity.

In the confusion of the explosion they'd lost their attacker.

"I think you cut their shield!" Poe said in half disbelief through Rey's earpiece.

"Only one way to find out! Set me down on that ship below us!" She said, closing her eyes as the storms winds stung her face, "I need a stable place to do this." She felt the ship turn and begin to lower, heading in the direction of the fallen assault ship, part of its haul sticking out of the raging sea.

A burst of lightning sparked through the aerial battlefield.

"It's too dangerous there! You're out in the open! Poe!" Finn called helplessly over the line from the turret.

"She's right." Poe said with a gruff voice, excelloratong the X-wing until they were close enough for Rey to hop off the ship and atop the carcass that jutted out.

She was met with a spray of water as the ocean waves violently battered the sides of the fallen ship, causing her to almost slip, but she steadied her footing. She looked up, the fire on the Supreme Leaders had already been put out by external safety measures, but it was still vulnerable. Now was the time to strike. "I need to switch my channels. Tell the fleet we're ready."

Poe gave her a solute from the cockpit and took off, ascending back towards the battlefield above.

They didn't need to take it down, just separate it. Make it obvious to the fleet which ship they needed to target.

Stabilizing her footing atop the slippery panels of the half sunken ship she switched her communication channel to speak with her apprentices. "Are you all safe? Are you in place?"

"We are! We're ready! But Rey, we need to tell you, we've felt a disturbance in the force, at least we thought we did."

That must have been it, Rey thought, looking up at the erratic skies. That feeling. "We will discuss that later. Now I need you all to concentrate with me, like I taught you, and if anything happens to me, anything, you need to keep trying, they shouldn't suspect anything from your end. "

She looked up at the frenzy of activity, ships chasing ships, smoke, fire, falling pieces of metal crashing into the waves, it didn’t look good. They simply did not have the resources that the First Order had. But they did have her.

She focused her gaze upon the assault ship above, her eyes straining from the intensity. She recalibrated her thoughts, emptying her mind of anything but the ship in her sights. “PULL!” She yelled, water splashing her as a wave made impact with the ship, soaking her clothing. Her whole body tensed as she mentally tugged on the assault ship, feeling the minds of the others working with her as if together, hands beside hands, they pulled upon an invisible rope, the assault ship on the other end.

Rey’s eyes widened as she watched the ship come closer, and closer. It was working. Of course they had practiced, but boulders, trees, smaller vessels, they were not comparable to a full sized Assault ship.

She was sweating, panting. The veins in her neck and forehead protruded with strain. She could barely breath as she pulled upon the enormous vessel, feeling it come closer and closer, until slowly, painstakingly the ship began to separate from the rest, and as it did, the Resistance fleet launched their full attack, concentrating all efforts on the single assault ship floating apart from the rest.

Suddenly the familiar sound of a lightsabers release caught her attention amidst the boom of ship fire, ripples of thunder, and crash of waves.

Instinctually she ducked, just as a red lightsaber swung over her head, right where her neck had been.

She jumped back and gasped in shock as her eyes settled upon the helmet of her attacker. It looked as if it had been crumpled and damaged but sotered and repaired. It was the mask that had sent ripples of fear through her, the mask that had killed, attacked, tortured. She'd thought it had been discarded long ago. Who would dare wear it now?

It couldn't be him.

It couldn't be.

Their frame was large, shoulders wide, stance stiff, as they stood, taking her in. In their hand they held a familiar lightsaber, it was so similar, but different. Newer, with different adages. Even from her distance she could tell, Ben's lightsaber had become etched in to her mind over the years. But she had never seen anyone else wield such a similar weapon.

It couldn't be him.

She projected her mind to theirs, hoping in some sick twist of fate her attacker was Ben, but she was met by nothing. No red aura of troubled but protective thoughts, only the faintest hint of neural activity hinted at by pink sparks, but only the sparks, there were no words or images. She'd never felt anything like it before.

She needed to get rid of them, she could sense her apprentices struggling without her.

Her hand thrust out in a swift movement, sending the figure stumbling back a single step before she felt them pressing back upon her. Her eyes grew wide with surprise, the force ran through them too. They were strong, almost as strong as her, years ago she would have faltered, but not now.

She yelled, a loud guttural battle cry, thrusting her full mental strength at the person before leaping towards them, her lightsaber extending in an illuminating glow, aimed at their chest as they struggled to get back up on their feet atop their slippery battleground. 

They rolled to the left, just as her lightsaber pierced the hull of the sunken ship, and kicked her back. She brought the lightsaber back in to her awaiting hand as she stood and ran forward, just as her attacker jumped to their feet. The figure lept at her and their lightsabers met with an angry buzz.

She twisted her lightsaber, grazing their leg and jumped back.

They beat their chest with anger, indistinguishable sounds of frustration coming from within their helmet as they made another attack. They sounded more beast than man. She twirled the lightsaber in her hand, blocking them, and leapt up, twisting her body and bringing the saber down, only to be blocked. She swung left to right, sending them back as she advanced.

They rushed at her with ferocity. She jumped upwards, landing and spinning, slashing at their leg again, causing them to slip and fall back.

"WHO ARE YOU" She screamed, concentrating with her mind until suddenly the helmet went flying off.

The lightsaber almost slipped from her grip as her mouth dropped open. The dark waves of her attackers hair parted in the violent storms wind, revealing a familiar face, the faintest scar trailing down across their left eye.

He looked the same, but not. His pale skin was ashy, almost green, as if it no longer belonged to the living. His eyes, once beautiful dark pools, were glazed over with grey. His full lips were pale and dried.

"Ben?" She gasped out his name as she struggled to breathe. She felt faint from the shock.

"STAR DESTROYERS!" Yelled an unfamiliar voice over the fleet-wide communication channel.

"They're going to blockade us in! It's an ambush!"

"Since when did they have star destroyers!"

She stepped back, away from him, her mind trying to process what she was seeing, while her body refused to move more than a step.

"RETREAT! GET OFF OF THE PLANET NOW! WHILE WE STILL CAN! YOU KNOW WHERE TO MEET. TIKO, GRAB THE REST FROM THE BASE. TILLUS GET THE JEDI FROM THE TREETOPS." It was Poe’s voice, commanding the fleet to disengage and leave the planet, but Rey couldn’t hear. The communications were simply a buzz in her pulsing and confused mind.

She took another step back, her foot feeling the edge of the sunken ship, legs becoming soaked from the waves as they hurled themselves against the immersed vessel.

Ben stood, his eyes staring forward blankly, his face almost expressionless as his chest rose and fell with its familiar rhythm. 

"Rey! We're coming to get you, prepare to jump!" Finn's voice snapped her out of her gaze upon the man she had loved, still loved. She looked up at the sky, watching as the Resistance fleet began to disperse, the separated assault ship badly damaged, but still flying.

She turned back to Ben, he'd gotten closer. She realized she was crying as she began to shake her head in denial. "You can't be him! He's dead!" She'd seen, she remembered, in painful agony, the moment he had taken his own life before her, seen in vision and reality, the jerk of his head as the lightsaber sliced through his torso, the blood, there was so much blood, and the look from his glistening eyes as he stared up at her, taking his last breath.

She angrily swung her lightsaber in front of herself, threatening him not to come closer, "Tell me who you are!"

Suddenly the roar of a ships engine filled her ears as Poe's X-Wing appeared next to her.

"JUMP!" Poe yelled from the cockpit.

Rey spared another glance at the figure in front of her, her heart longing for something her eyes could not see. It was him, but it wasn't. 

She leapt off of the vessel and on top of the ships hood, scrambling into the open cockpit. Poe locked his arm around hers for lack of another safety harness, as she sat, crammed into the single pilot cockpit. Her eyes could not leave the figure on the sunken vessel, watching them get smaller and smaller as the X-Wing jumped to hyperspace, coordinates punched to meet the rest of the small-vessel fleet.

It couldn't be him.

He was dead.