Rey and Ben boarded Rey's ship. "Where are we going?" Ben asked as he helped load their few belongings.

"Ajan Kloss."

Ben furrowed his brows. "What's on Ajan Kloss?"

"My friends."

Ben's eyes widened. "And why would we go see your Resistance friends who I'm sure thoroughly hate me?"

"We have to start somewhere. We'll have a whole galaxy to make things right with. Our best shot is starting with my friends, who at least have some reason to listen to me."

Ben paused before nodding. Rey prepared to take off in the ship. "Plus, Kiteena shared some disturbing news while you were… away." Rey looked out the window thoughtfully. "I think we may already have a new fight drawing near."

Ben got an uneasy sense at her cryptic words and mulled them over as they flew away to the former Resistance base.

Rey landed amidst the cover of the trees, trying to make their entrance as covert as possible. They disembarked their ship in silence. It was late at night when they arrived.

Ben felt uneasy in Resistance terrority. He may be ready to call a truce but he didn't expect as much from his old enemies. He was on high alert with every crunching step they took in the forest.

Rey led the way, feeling much more at ease here than Ben but she was worried for him. She was worried for her friends as well. Desperately, she wanted to avoid a fight between them.

Ben sensed someone drawing near and he rested his hand on his lightsaber, but kept it holstered for now. He had been focused on the noise he'd heard in the distant forest and had gotten distracted. Before he knew it, he realized he was bumping into someone.

Finn screamed, like full on screamed, at having suddenly bumped into his former nightmare of a boss in the middle of the dark forest. Bird-like animals took off flying from the tree tops, startled by such a sound. Finn screamed and full on freaked out.

Ben stumbled back and used the Force to shut the ex-stormtrooper up, before he woke up the whole galaxy, alerting everyone in existence to their arrival.

Rey's eyes widened and she quickly stepped in between the two boys. She pushed Ben's hand down, looking at him straight in the eyes. "Ben, stop!" She ordered. He looked at her and relented at her demand.

She rushed over to Finn. "Finn, Finn, are you okay?"

Clutching his neck, he gasped for air. "No! No! I am not okay, Rey!" He looked at her with bewilderment. "Hell no, I'm not okay. And obviously you're not either considering you're here with him." Finn narrowed his eyes at Kylo Ren, his former head boss.

Ben shook his head. He knelt down to be eye level with Finn. "I'm not here to hurt you or Rey."

"The Force choking said differently." He argued.

"You were going to wake up the whole galaxy to our arrival!" He volleyed back.

"Boys!" Rey shouted over their bickering, pointedly choosing her choice of words. "We're not going to get anywhere at this rate." She sighed.

"And why do you want to get anywhere with him?" Finn shot back, not hiding his jealousy.

Rey offered Finn a hand up, looking him in the eyes. "Because… Ben Solo saved my life. I would never have left Exegol, if not for his actions, Finn." She said passionately, looking into his eyes.

Ben looked away as Rey helped him up. Finn looked at Kylo Ren incredulously. "You expect me to believe overnight Kylo Ren turned into a hero all of a sudden?"

Ben looked up, eyes darkened at the sound of the name.

"No, I'm hoping you'll believe the truth… that the conflict which has always been in Ben Solo grew to a breaking point as of late and over time he made the decision to walk towards the light... and saved my life."

Rey looked Finn seriously in the eyes. "If Ben had not shown up, I would not have made it out of Palpatine's Sith lair. Killing him by reflecting his own power took all of the life Force in me. ...Ben gave it back." She looked at Ben, eyes glassy as she spoke aloud what he did for her.

Finn didn't look happy, but he was starting to look more accepting.

Unfortunately, Finn's moments of startled screaming had woken up the rest of the remaining Resistance forces and they were surrounded. A hundred Resistance fighters encircled them, blasters pointed at Ben. Ben reached for his lightsaber. He heard Rey's voice in his head.

No! Don't. Please?

He looked towards her.

It'll be much harder to win their trust, if you greet them with light sword blazing.

What do you suggest I do, then? Surrender?

Rey nodded and he felt it through the Force bond. Sighing with great disdain for the idea, he slowly raised up his ungloved, lightsaber-less hands, dropping to his knees as was customary for a prisoner.

Rey smiled at his gentle humility, even laced with his distaste. She frowned right after as Resistance fighters swarmed Kylo Ren, cuffing him and taking him away. She had to turn their hearts fast towards Ben Solo, hoping she could draw on Leia's final actions and faith in her son to help turn the tide.

Everyone on the Resistance had suffered so much at the hand's on the First Order and had lost so many they loved and fought with. As they dropped Kylo Ren down onto the forest ground, a fist collided hard into his face, leaving a bruise and busting open his bottom lip. He reached up with his hands cuffed in front of him and wiped it off. "Yeah, I probably deserved that."

"You deserve much worse, you coldblooded monster." Someone, different than the man who had struck him, appeared and spoke those words. She was a young Asian woman who spoke with venomous passion.

"You deserve to lose everyone you've ever loved, if you've ever loved anyone besides yourself." She added.

Ben looked down. "Already have before." He agreed.

His response surprised Rose out of her fury. She looked hard at him. Rey rushed up to his defense. She spoke to the entire group.

"Please, I know everyone here has lost a lot to the First Order and Kylo Ren, but he's the only reason we won at all." She turned to look everyone in the eyes, addressing each one of them. "He's the only reason I beat Palpatine and came back from Exegol. I was trapped, Palpatine pushing me towards the dark side - urging me to replace him as Empress. I had lost all hope and didn't see a way out, until Ben showed up to help me against Palpatine."

The Resistance turned to one another, talking and seeing if they believed her.

"Kylo Ren is dead. Ben Solo lives. He's a key part of the reason we were able to have a victory celebration and he's the only reason I'm alive today. I died. I was dead on Exegol in Palpatine's lair. Ben Solo selflessly gave me life again through the Force, even at the highest cost to him, which General Leia, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and myself came together to correct." Rey explained.

The story settled heavy over the Resistance.

Ben had been looking up at her from his place on the ground throughout the entire speech. Ben had looked worried. Rey smiled at him. He gave a small smile back.

"Your life saved, or even all of our lives and the battle won, doesn't bring back the trillions of lives he and his First Order wiped out. Kill the murderer!" One angry short alien stood up and spoke.

"Neither will taking his." Maz stepped forward to address the alien and the rest of the group, hoping to preserve the life of Ben Solo, who Leia had died for.

"Princess and general Leia was a friend to us all. She helped keep our hope alive in the galaxy during our darkest times and build faith in this fight once again. Her last dying act was to give her life so that her son, Ben Solo, might be brought back to the light and live again. We owe her sacrifice more respect than to stomp out the light, which she gave hers to bring back." Maz pleaded.

The Resistance still seemed unsure and talked among themselves; some talked in hushed uncertain whispers, while others argued between each other.

Finally, someone made a decision and stepped forward. General Finn removed the cuffs and offered a hand up to Ben Solo, staring him right in the eyes. Ben looked at the former stormtrooper's hand in shock, before taking it and rising.

"I'm done with hatred. Just because you haven't shown mercy in the past, doesn't mean I have to be as ruthless as you. I'm not you. I will never be. I won't add anymore bloodshed to this story, unless I have to." Finn warned Ben.

Ben understood and nodded, grateful for Finn taking the higher ground and feeling a wash of shame over his actions and treatment of others as Kylo Ren. He wanted to say sorry but when he tried it felt like he was being Force choked and the words got stuck within. Ben's eyes met Finn's and they understood each other in that moment.

The codebreaker's words echoed in his mind, "Good guys, bad guys - made up words."

"As General of this Resistance, I will not permit the death penalty of Ben Solo, in honor of General Leia's last act."

Poe stepped forward. "Don't forget you're not the only general here." He gave the hardest look he could to Kylo Ren. "I lost many good fighters and dear friends because of this rat." He looked at Ben with disdain boiling in his eyes.

Rey stepped forward. "Poe, please. I know he and the dark side have cost you and all of us a great deal, but this isn't the way. Please, Poe." The sun was rising and her softly sunlight brown eyes were shining up at his in a heartfelt plea. The seasoned pilot rubbed his hand over his face as he thought over his decision as general.

He turned and addressed the crowd. Nervousness shot through Ben and Rey as they shared a worried look.

Poe thought, what would Leia do?

"However, General Finn is right. Taking his life in vengeance and hatred makes us just like him and the dark side, the Sith. That's a path I don't want to go down, and I don't think any of you want to either."

The Resistance talked more among themselves, before seeming to accept their generals declaration. It was clear many weren't happy about it but saw enough wisdom in resigning themselves to their generals' choice.

"Thank you." Rey said to Poe and Finn and Maz. Poe and Finn stormed off, wanting to get far away from Ben Solo. Maz nodded her appreciation for the gratitude.

"I see your mother's eyes in you, dear child." She turned and said to Ben, who towered far over her. He knelt down to speak with her. "Really? Leia's?" He questioned.

"Yes, more darkness in them but her light shines through you, Ben Solo." Maz smiled at him. "I am glad you have found your way home. She missed you."

Ben nodded, holding back tears clouding his eyes. "I missed her as well."

Maz tilted her head, studying him. "Then, why not come home sooner?"

Ben looked at the ground, finding the words, before looking back at Maz. "I didn't think I could have."

Maz just smiled at him. "Then, you have a lot to learn about love, child."