Locked to solo_junior

[ledger_not_clean]

Natasha looked around the bar, noticing how many people were watching her. It made her nervous because she knew the First Order was looking for her, determined to find her before she could possibly find the Resistance. She'd gone directly to Maz's, knowing as well that the woman was her best chance at getting away. She hadn't gotten away unscathed though. She'd been shot and she was pretty badly injured, but she did her best to hide it in the way she carried herself.

Instead of asking too many questions Maz had just pointed to a man that she explained would help get Natasha off planet and far away, all she had to do was ask. So she started over, fighting the urge to limp. She knew she looked pretty battered up, but she could pretend it was nothing as she sat down beside the man, shifting the hood covering her head a bit which flashed her red hair, one of the biggest things she was trying to hide. "Are you looking for work?"

She looked around before looking at him again. "I need off planet and as far away as possible. I need to get away from anyone who could report back to the First Order and Maz said you're my best bet."

Comments

[ledger_not_clean]

"I'm doing it anyways...and I'll probably do it again when we have gotten there." She said, giving him a look before smiling softly. She liked this pilot and she hoped this wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

"Not really worried about scarring. Its not like I've got anyone to show off to." She shrugged a shoulder, rolling onto her back again and stretching again just because it felt good.

[solo_junior]

He shrugged in return, stepping back again to give her her space, "Hey, if you can't find someone who appreciates them then it's probably better if you keep looking until you do."

That was his theory on scars, and he had a fair few of them himself.

And then, changing the subject, he asked: "You ready to make planetfall? We can send a couple messages, sort out where to go from here."

[ledger_not_clean]

She nodded, smiling at him. "Not that I think you would have any problem finding someone who could appreciate you." She said teasingly, raising an eyebrow before blushing just a bit and laughing.

"Yeah that would work fine. It'll be nice to be able to relax without worrying about First Order soldiers coming after me...or the Knights." She said, sighing.

[solo_junior]

He'd been about to answer that first comment when the second instance caught him off-guard. It wasn't exactly a deer in the headlights, but it was damn close, holding almost perfectly still, voice gone just a little quieter as he asked: "Knights?"

The Knights of Ren weren't the only order of Knights, he knew that much, but they were generally the only ones referred to simply by title, and there were few enough people who knew they actually existed and weren't just some ghost story.

[ledger_not_clean]

Natasha seemed to notice the difference and she shifted, slowly pushing herself up and nodding. "The Knights of Ren. I was a spy and hired assassin for the First Order until I apparently grew a conscience." She said, her voice soft as she looked anywhere but at him. "They are building a weapon...something that could destroy...well anything in the universe it comes up against. I only know a small bit about it, but I know that Snoke is heavily involved."

She brushed her fingers through her hair. "What he doesn't know is that I also know...where he is. Now. They don't know how much information I got away with. So he sent the Knights after me as well."

[solo_junior]

"How many of them are left?" He'd killed two himself, and he didn't know whether or not they'd been replaced, all he knew was that he was supposed to lead them. Or so Snoke had tried to convince him since he was a child.

While he wanted to tell her who he was, he hadn't told anyone before, anyone who knew was already involved somehow, and he couldn't be sure whether or not that was really why Maz had sent her to him.

[ledger_not_clean]

"At least three. I'm not sure beyond them. Especially in the last year or two. It could have changed." She said, shaking her head before slowly turning until she was completely on her stomach and pressing her face into a pillow.

[solo_junior]

At least three still left one for sure unaccounted for, but that was enough of a margin of error for Ben, "And they're just after you because of what you know?"

As opposed to being after him for what he could do. He didn't think she was a Force-user, though it was possible that she was masking herself from him, it had happened before, but he also wasn't going to make her out herself if she was, if she said they just wanted to make sure she didn't get her information to the Resistance, he'd go with that.

[ledger_not_clean]

She nodded before moving and pulling a chip out of a hidden pocket, holding it up to him once before slipping it back. "Its plans and maps. They lead to Snoke's hiding place and pretty much every base they have. It could be the key for the Resistance to finally destroy them all." She sighed.

[solo_junior]

His brows both lifted at that, he didn't demand proof that that was what was on the chip, mostly because he could sense her conviction, knew she wasn't hiding anything, which in and of itself was almost terrifying, that sort of focus.

So he just nodded, "We'll get you there. I can promise that much." Because now he felt responsible for her, more than he had before, because if the Knights were after both of them, sticking together just made sense.

[ledger_not_clean]

She nodded back, a small smile lighting up her face. "Thank you. I just...get me as close as you can. You're already putting yourself in danger enough for me. You don't have to keep doing it." It was obvious that she didn't expect it. She had been an assassin after all. In her life she'd come across plenty of instances where people would ditch someone in her shoes quickly.

[solo_junior]

He gave a little shrug, "Not putting me in as much danger as you might think, actually."

He shook his head then, as if brushing that off, adding: "General Organa is my mother. I've had at least one bounty hanging over my head since before I could walk." Which was as much of an explanation asn he was willing to give right at present.

[ledger_not_clean]

Natasha stared at him, her jaw dropping as she took in that information. "Oh my god...thats...wow." She said, shaking her head. "Is that way you try and stay as far away from all of this conflict as you can?"

[solo_junior]

"Pretty much." There was more to it than that, certainly, but he figured if she knew about the General, she'd be smart enough to put the rest of the pieces together, that he'd trained with Luke. Most assumed he'd been there when the Knights of Ren had laid siege to it, before it had become the Hidden Academy.

He hadn't been, but only barely, and he had no idea where the place was now, though he suspected he'd be able to find his Uncle's presence if he reached far enough, but he never did, he was glad to be away from that line of teaching and from the isolation he'd felt there.

[ledger_not_clean]

"I understand." She said nodding at him before settling again and just watching him for a long moment. "I understand why you would want to stay away...I probably would too if I had gone through what you did. Being that close to everything."

[solo_junior]

"She and I are... estranged." That was putting it gently, and Ben was ever-diplomatic about that sort of thing, "Which means I can't take you all the way there, but I can get you to someone who can."

A twitch of a smile followed, "But until then, you're stuck with me, sorry."

[ledger_not_clean]

She nodded. "Though, it might be good to see her...sorry. Forget I said that. It isn't my business." She said softly before laughing and shaking her head.

"If its you I have to be stuck with, I can handle that." She said before pushing herself up slowly and leaning closer, gently kissing his cheek.

[solo_junior]

He'd been about to answer that first with something barbed, but he bit his tongue to keep it in, especially at her apology, she'd already been through hell and back and didn't need him making it worse.

Which was why he was surprised by the kiss, brow creasing just a little as he turned to study her face, "You don't have to, I mean, I'm not expecting you to, that's..." His brow creased just a little further at the double false-start, shaking his head a little as he finally collected himself enough to say: "That isn't something you have to offer. I'll still take you as far as I can."

[ledger_not_clean]

"Ben...I know. I know you don't expect anything and that isn't why. I didn't do that out of...some sense of obligation. Believe me, I wouldn't do it if I thought you expected it. I'd throw myself out the airlock before I let someone think they had a right to me ever again." She said, laying her hand on his arm.

"And just because...it is implied doesn't mean I expect you to just take it." She smiled warmly before moving back to the bed, laying down again though turning her head to watch him.

[solo_junior]

And she definitely meant that, which made him smile, just a little, reaching out an almost-hesitant hand to pet over her hair gently, tucking it behind her ear and leaning in to press a kiss to her temple before he said: "Get some rest. We've still got a couple hours until our first stop, and I know passing out because of painkillers isn't the same thing as actual sleep."

That was definitely the voice of experience, though in his case it was generally less passing out from painkillers as it was just throwing himself into the deepest, shortest healing trance he could afford.

[ledger_not_clean]

She tilted her head into that light press, smiling before tipping her head back so she could kiss his cheek. She smiled up at him, stretching just a bit before settling, letting the tiredness work its way over her before she yawned and closed her eyes.

[solo_junior]

He was tempted to give a little push with the Force to make sure she stayed asleep, but suspected that she wouldn't appreciate the assist, so he didn't do so.

Instead he returned to the cockpit to keep an eye on things, make sure that there were no proximity alerts, nothing that would require them to drop out of hyperspace before the intended time.

[ledger_not_clean]

She slept well for a few hours, surprised at the fact when she woke up. She shifted, turning to look towards where he was, listening to the sounds of the ship around them and thinking about what had passed.

She smiled a bit to herself, carefully sitting up and stretching slowly.

[solo_junior]

Ben was still in the cockpit, relaxed in the pilot's seat, half-turned so that he could keep an eye on the controls and on her, as well as being able to read the datapad in his lap, though there was a good chance that the datapad was mostly for show.

He did turn around more fully when he heard her moving, giving a small smile, "Feeling better?"

[ledger_not_clean]

She nodded, stretching again before slowly getting up and making her way up to the front next to him. "Much. I needed that rest, thank you." She said sincerely, smiling warmly at him before sitting down. "How far are we?"