It had only been a decade since he and Chewbacca last boarded the Millennium Falcon, though it felt like centuries. It was like coming home. It was so safe, familiar, and ultimately somewhat rickety. He could smell the telltale stench of mechanical failure and the acrid smell of human sweat. Someone was on board. This fact had already been made obvious considering that the ship couldn't have made it out of the atmosphere of Jakku on its own. The Falcon was legendary, but not magical.

Chewbacca grumbled something behind him and he nodded, looking at the railing on the ship's floor. He hoisted it up with a flick of his wrist and peered down into the cubby. Two humans—one male, one female, and a Droid—blinked back at him. The two humans looked startled, but the droid appeared to be almost frightened (as much as a droid could appear frightened). The young woman looked as if she were ready to engage with him in combat. Well, that wasn't good.

"Get out of there," he commanded, stepping back to allow the three of them to climb out from the hole. "Where's the pilot?"

The girl glared at him.

"I'm the pilot," she said indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. He watched her with his eyebrows raised. He could have sworn they had lost the Falcon to someone decidedly less human, less female, and a whole lot less attractive. He studied her for a moment, eyes raking over her lithe form. She was thin and muscular, though somewhat malnourished. He could tell from the hollow of her cheeks and the way her robes hung off her body. She looked uncomfortable beneath his gaze.

"That can't be right," he said, pursing his lips and thinking for a moment. She looked as if she were going to argue with him, but he cut her off. "How did you come across the Millennium Falcon?"

She paused for a moment, eyes widening, eyebrows raised high on her forehead in surprise.

"The Millennium Falcon?" She asked, sounding impressed.

"Yes," he said, before continuing with a flirty grin: "My Millennium Falcon."

Chewbacca made a noise of protest behind him.

He turned and looked at the Wookie over his shoulder. "Our Millennium Falcon."

The girl gave him a once over. "You look a little young to be Han Solo," she admitted. Next to her, her companion laughed quietly.

"You're very observant," he tells her, clapping his hands together. "And you still haven't told me how you happened to find m-our ship."

"I stole it," she said simply. "Now tell me who you are."

"You stole it?" He responded with a laugh. "Why am I not surprised?" He turned to share a meaningful glance with Chewbacca, and the Wookie made a noise of amusement.

"Tell me who you are," The girl repeated, voice borderline dangerous.

He turned back to her, running his fingers through his dark hair for a moment before deciding how to go about this situation. He decided the best course of action would be to, of course, antagonize her.

"You first."

The woman glowered at him, setting her jaw and grinding her teeth. Next to her, her male companion shifted uncomfortably. She must have quite the temper, Ben realized. The droid at her feet tilted its head backwards to look at her.

"No, you." He laughed. She was stubborn, he'd give her that. But he wouldn't give in. He could feel Chewbacca staring at him, willing him to just give up and be the polite young man his mother raised him to be. But that was just it, he was his mother's son through and through and that woman's stubbornness rivaled almost anyone else's in the Galaxy. Getting him to give in would not be so easy.

"You're the one who stole our ship," he informed her coolly. "I think it's only fair yo-"

"Oh for the love of!" her male companion shouted. "I'm Finn," he said with annoyance, before motioning to the girl. "This is Rey," and last he motions to the droid, "and this is BB-8."

Rey glared daggers at Finn.

"BB-8?" Ben asked in interest, looking down at the small BB-8 unit with orange and white coloring. "the droid both The Resistance and The First Order are looking for?" His lips curled into a grin. Oh, this would be fun.

"Just tell him the droid has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker why don't you!" Rey growled to Finn. Finn stared back at her, less than impressed by her admission. He hadn't been about to tell anyone that, Ben was certain, but he found himself glad Rey had managed to blurt out that little tidbit of information. Not that finding his former Jedi Master was high on his list of priorities, but it would mean something to his mother.

"The droid has a map that leads to Luke?" He asked, very interested in the cargo this droid possesses. At least now he knew why The First Order and The Resistance were so eager to get their hands on it.

"Yes," Rey mumbled, moving to fall into a fighting stance. She grips her staff in her hands and narrowed her eyes at him. He laughed.

"I'm not going to fight you," he tells her, instead extending his hand. "I'm Ben Solo."

Rey paused, eyeing him suspiciously. Next to her, BB-8 beeps comfortingly. She turns to look at the droid briefly before facing Ben again and relaxing her stance, placing the staff back over her shoulder. Of course she would take the droid's words over his. He lets his hand fall back to his side.

"Thank you, BB-8," he responds to the droid with a grin. "He's right you know," Ben continues, "General Leia Organa is my mother. Glad to see you remember me, droid."

Rey stared at him in disbelief and BB-8 beeps in annoyance. The droid doesn't much care for being referred to as, "droid".

"Are you taking us to The First Order?" Finn asked. Both Ben and Chewbacca laughed. The man had completely missed the point of this whole conversation.

"Of course not," Ben said, "I would never turn in my uncle to those morons."

"Your Uncle?" Rey asked flatly, obviously in disbelief.

"Yes, my uncle," Ben responded, driving the point home. BB-8 beeped in confirmation, obviously on his side now that he knew who he was. It had been a long time since Ben had visited his mother, it was a wonder the BB unit believed his story at all. Especially considering he's certain he only ever met the droid once, if that. He had been with R2 at the time, attempting to coax the droid out of reserve power when the BB unit had rolled in with his master, one of his mother's best pilots, in tow.

He never did figure out what was wrong with R2 before he left with his father. His mother had been devastated, and he couldn't stand the way she looked at him after Luke had fled. He felt like she was seeing a ghost instead of him. His father didn't look at him that way, not always.

"Luke Skywalker is real?" She asked in a whisper. He laughed again, it was his turn to stare at her in disbelief. "I always thought he was just a story," she continued thoughtfully. "Does this mean The Force and the Jedi are also real?" The look of disbelief on his face, gave way to legitimate shock that she had no idea that The Force or Jedi were very much real.

"They're all real," he tells her, "I have first hand experience." He paused for a long moment here, feeling Chewbacca's gaze on him, the wookie wondering if he was going to say any more about the Jedi. The idea of telling this girl—this stranger—the story of what had been done to them wasn't high on his list of priorities. He shot his uncle a withering glance and knew he understood.

"Anyway," he said. "I'll be taking the Falcon back now. Thank you for finding it."

"You can't just leave us here!" Rey shouted, surprised by his insolence, the conversation finally going where he needed it to.

"I actually can," he responded, watching in amusement as her face twisted in rage. "but I won't. We need to get that droid to the Resistance before it's too late."

"That's where it's master is from," Finn explained, adding as an afterthought, "and me as well." Ben eyed him with amusement. This kid was so obviously not part of the Resistance. Not if he asked if Ben was going to be taking them back to The First Order after he mentioned General Organa.

"Ah," he said, deciding to play along. "I can take you to your base, but first we need to take a small detour."

"Detour?" Rey asked.

"Yeah," he responded, wincing slightly. "Dear old dad seems to have gotten himself into some deep shit with a few rival gangs. Nothing to worry about. Quick in, quick out rescue." Rey did not look amused by the turn of events.

"Your...dad?" Rey asked.

"Oh, was that not obvious?" Ben asked sarcastically. "Han Solo?"

Rey rolled her eyes at him.

"What?" Ben continued with a smirk, heading towards the flight deck with Chewbacca in tow. "I can't leave him out there. Even if I wanted to, Chewbacca would smother me to death under all that fur." Chewbacca growled in agreement.

"I need you to take me back to Jakku," Rey says suddenly.

Ben, who had just been about to climb the ladder to the deck, turned around and stared at her. Next to her, he heard her companion's gasp of surprise, followed by a mumbled, "Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku?"

"Why?" Ben asked, ignoring the other man.

"I...I didn't ask for this. You and Finn can handle the droid. I need to go back and wait for my family." She looked conflicted, almost pained to have to leave BB-8 with strangers. Ben Solo shook his head.

"I'm not taking you back," he told her, holding up a hand when she opens her mouth to protest. "We really need to rescue my father first. It's actually a little time sensitive and we may have already taken too much of a detour when we discovered the Falcon." Rey stared at him in disbelief.

He left the three of them behind him as he made his way up the ladder with Chewbacca. Unbeknownst to him, BB-8 revealed the sliver of map he contained shortly thereafter to a curious and eager Rey.

Rescuing his father consisted of flying to a planet called Takodana and visiting a huge fortress run by a small woman named Maz. Han Solo had never really been in any danger, he had just needed funds to settle a debt. Funds his son and Chewbacca were begrudgingly bringing to him after smuggling several Ranthars for a job Han had set up.

"Ben Solo!" Maz said loudly, clapping the smuggler's son on his back. Ben chuckled and looked down at her.

"A pleasure to see you as always, Maz," Ben said with a disarming grin. "I'm here to find my father." Maz clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"I hope you brought the credits, or they may actually kill him this time." Ben laughed at that, he'd like to see someone try to kill his father as long as he was still around. "You can find him down in the basement, he has quite the audience of crime lords currently." Ben smiled, shaking his head before he turned to where Rey and Finn were standing a few feet away with BB-8.

"Come on," he ordered, waving for them to follow after him and Chewbacca.

"Leave the Wookie," Maz said with a wicked grin as she gazes up at Chewbacca. Ben looks up at his uncle in a silent question. He responded in kind, handing Ben his bowcaster and letting Maz grip his enormous furry hand and lead him to a table so they can catch up. Ben turned back to his other companions, waving them forward once more with an amused expression as he watched Chewbacca and Maz.

Rey steps forward, shooting a questioning glance in the direction of the two, and Finn and the droid follow after her. He pushed through the crowd and headed down into the basement where his father awaited in the presence of several crime lords he had managed to swindle over the years. Ben just hoped he doesn't have to draw his lightsaber this time, he'd much rather avoid getting his hands dirty. Especially since he currently had guests. He would be a poor host if he were leading these poor unsuspecting travelers into a trap. His mother would be livid.

"Where are you leading us?" Rey asked as they made their way down the stairs. They were old, covered in dirt and moss and he knew what this looked like, of course. He could tell she definitely didn't trust him.

"To Han Solo," he informed her, descending the stairs two at a time. He was ready to get this over with. Pay off the crime bosses and then handle this droid business. He knew his mother would be grateful for the BB unit, after all it did belong to one of her better pilots. He just hoped she would be equally happy to see him and his father again as well.

"And he's down here...in this dungeon?" Rey inquired. She certainly asked a lot of questions, not that he could blame her, not really. He was a stranger, but he hadn't done anything to harm her yet, and he knew she had seen the lightsaber at his hip.

"Yes," Ben responded, reaching the bottom of the stairs and starting to walk down the dirt covered hallway. He veered off to the right and his three companions struggled to keep up with him. His stride was long and sure while the rest of them stuttered along, with the exception of BB-8, who seemed to have no problem predicting his movements and following. He managed a smile at that.

"Why?" Rey asked, almost jogging to keep up with him now. Though it didn't seem like it really bothered her, not as much as it bothered her friend Finn who was glaring at him. He ignored the fake Resistance member in favor of answering Rey's endless stream of questioning.

"To make little scavengers ask questions," he retorted, picking up on some of her surface thoughts; a party trick he learned from some of the Jedi he'd encountered in his life. Before they had all been slaughtered by The First Order, that is. Rey stumbled for a moment, her face belaying surprise.

"Ho-how did you know?" She asked. He just chuckled and shook his head.

"No matter now," he informed her, stopping in front of one of the many doors located in the hall. "We're here." He reached out then, knocking on the large wooden door in front of him. The slot located above the knocker flicked open. Ben had to hold back laughter at how dramatic this whole situation was, his father always seemed to fall line with these sort of people.

"Who are you?" a male Pa'lowick asked, trunk lowered and beady eyes peering at him from the slot. Ben grinned charmingly.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me," he responded. The Pa'lowick stared at him, unblinking and several long moments of silence passed between the two of them.

"I'm here for Han Solo," Ben clarified with an eyeroll. He tapped his long fingers against his thigh impatiently. The Pa'lowick continued to stare at him as if he hadn't said anything at all.

"I have the credits," he continued, clenching his jaw in annoyance. This time the Pa'lowick finally acknowledged him, shutting the slot on the door and opening it just so. Ben stalked forward, obviously annoyed by the events that had just transpired between them. Rey, Finn, and BB-8 made sure to follow.

"They can't enter," the Pa'lowick said, narrowing its eyestalks at his three companions. Ben shot him another enchanting grin.

"They're my guests," he informed the man, "they're just here to help me with Han."

"They can wait outside," he argued, moving slightly out of the way to grant Ben entrance while glaring at Rey and Finn. Ben shot an apologetic glance back at them before disappearing into the room to retrieve his father.

He found him sitting at a table, engaged in a game surrounded by several crime lords and their henchmen. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but ultimately found the entire situation to be incredibly amusing. Upon Ben's entry to the room, Han turned over his shoulder, making eye contact with his son.

"Son!" He said, standing up from the table and breaking whatever spell he had on the men in the room.

"Father," Ben responded, albeit a bit less enthusiastic. Not that he wasn't happy to see his father, just that he knew this wasn't anything close to the amount of credits these bosses had asked for.

"I have the credits you asked for," Ben said, tossing them onto the table for the bosses to fight over. They began to shout insults right away, fighting greedily over the money as he had intended. He met his father's eyes, bidding him silently to move quickly away so that they could leave the room before they were discovered.

Han stood up from the table with grace and ease, moving away from the criminals at a pace that is quick, but not quick enough to raise suspicion. Ben remained where he was, attempting to look relaxed as he watched and waited as his father made his way toward him. It seemed like an eternity passed before Han is on the other side of him and Ben can finally turn to leave the room. They're almost to the door when the first blaster bolt sounds from behind them.

Out of instinct, Ben raised his hand and stops it in midair. Han had already grabbed the bowcaster Ben had strapped to his shoulder for that reason. He quickly aims and fires as Ben draws his saber. He ignites the double sided blade and relishes just briefly as the look of fear on the faces of the men in the room is illuminated by the blue and red glow.

Maz was going to be pissed.

Han hits his knees, tipping over the nearest table and taking cover behind it. Ben, now the only open target left in the room, takes fire. He easily deflects the bolts from their blasters, watching as they make contact with his blade and fling off. The room is bathed in an eerie glow as they continue to fire.

Behind cover, Han shoots, attempting to weed out the herd so Ben can get close enough to do more than deflect their blaster bolts. He's able to drop two of the men, but there's still 8 left and the Pa'lowick that let him in is nowhere to be found. Ben takes his chances, moving forward quickly, drawing on the force to throw the men back and disorient them. He lunges, twirling his saber between him and two of the men. He feels it make contact, the smell of blood and burning skin filling the air.

He continues through them in a haze. He can hear the bowcaster firing behind him, knocking the men back as he cuts down the ones his father misses. The blood is rushing to his ears, the sound of his lightsaber, the bowcaster, and his breathing are the only things he can hear. The fight is over before he realizes it is, and his father is by his side, face contorted in worry, fingers brushing against his face to bring him back down from the high of killing.

Ben almost flinches away from his father's touch, but he stops himself. The look of pain that flashes in his father's eyes briefly will haunt him for years to come. He powers down his saber and re-sheathes it. He's breathing heavy, forehead beaded with sweat. The fight hadn't been particularly challenging, but he feels the pull within him, the same pull that has kept him from his mother all these years. The pull of the darkness.

"What happened in here?" Rey asked, throwing the wooden door open. She, Finn, and BB-8 entered the room quickly, eyeing the bodies on the ground, the smell of blood and singed flesh still heavy in the air. Finn looks as if he may vomit, his face covered in sweat, his lips trembling. Rey, for her part, doesn't react much at all. She keeps her eyes on Ben and Han, refusing to look around at the bodies that are at his feet.

"We should go," Ben said, stepping over the body nearest him and heading towards the door. His father follows him, saying nothing. However, when Ben reaches Rey she stops him, her hand grazing his thigh in a decidedly, non-accidental way. He's nearly taken aback by her forwardness until he realizes she has the blaster he had strapped there aimed at someone behind his head. She shoots, once, twice, and a third time before he hears the thump of a body falling to the floor. It's only then that he looks over his shoulder, seeing the Pa'lowick on the ground.

"Nice shot," his father says, clapping the girl on her shoulder. She places the blaster back in it's holster at his thigh, eyes meeting his for a moment as he feels her hand brush against him once more. He almost shivers at the touch; there was something about this girl.

"Now can you take me back to Jakku?" she asked, effectively breaking the moment that had just passed between them. He bites back a growl as he nods at her.

"If that's where you want to go," he tells her. "But I thought for sure you'd want to see this little guy get handed over to the Resistance." He looks down at BB-8 who beeps an affirmative up to him, it seemed the droid wasn't too keen on Rey going back to Jakku either.

"It is," she said seriously, with a tight nod. She really did want to return to her home, she had been gone too long. The anxiety of missing even a moment there after waiting for someone to come find her for 15 long years was irrational, but she knew she needed to return.

"I see you've made a mess again, Solo," Maz grumbled from the doorway. And as the small woman enters he sees Rey's eyes suddenly glaze over like she's listening to something she can't quite hear.