"Alright, we're home," Dameron announced as they touched down on the launchpad. Ben had to admit, the man was an exceptional pilot. He had barely felt the clunker settle on its gear. "Dark lord, with me please."

Archex and Chewie hung back to take care of cargo, while Ben grabbed his pack and followed Poe onto the tarmac. Overhead was a massive canvas canopy, mimicking the real canopy of the giant trees encircling the base. Dappled sunlight shone in strobing beams, moving in the wind.

"First off, I'm just going to get this off my chest," Dameron said when they'd reached a spot that was out of earshot of others but still had good sight lines. "I'm not happy that you're here. I don't trust you, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. But Rey trusts you, and we trust Rey."

Ben nodded, prepared for this and more.

"So here's how it'll be. You lose your temper, you hurt anyone, you betray us, you're out of here. One chance, that's what I'm giving you, and that's for Rey's sake." Poe held up a finger, emphasizing its solitary state. "One. Now what happened between you and me, that's in the past and I'll leave it there. From what Rey tells me you've had your own problems, so you don't mention it and I won't."

"I understand," Ben said curtly, not expecting the man's generosity. "I also assume my one chance will be regardless of provocation."

"Yeah, you're going to have to be better than that. There are people here who have lost loved ones to you personally. You're going to have to handle that like a big boy, without your red toy and magic tricks."

Ben nodded again, newfound control over his temper already being tried.

"Stick with Archex until Rey's back. I won't confine you to quarters, but don't go anywhere alone. That's for your sake as well as ours right now. Stay out of trouble."

Ben hefted his pack and turned to go back to find his enforced companion.

"Oh, and what are you going to call yourself here?"

Ben shrugged, running a hand through his hair.

"I assume people will have a variety of things they'll want to call me. Kylo Ren, murderer, war criminal, monster. You've already covered loser and dark lord."

"I'm trying to be respectful here. Trying. So help me out."

"Rey calls me Ben Solo."

"Goddamn Solo. You need to know how much that makes me want to punch you."

"I'm aware," Ben said, failing at keeping all of the acid out of his voice.

He had a look around while Archex finished up. Most of the Resistance equipment looked either cheap and new, or old but functional, like it had been donated. It was baffling that with all the money and power the First Order commanded these ragtag people could constantly thwart them with things Rey could have personally scavenged and patched back together.

The room he was to share was like a closet. Bare concrete walls, no window, two narrow cots, plain blankets, and two metal lockers. Kenobi's hut seemed grand by comparison, and his quarters with the First Order palatial. But Rey will be here, so I don't care if they make me sleep in the sanitation tank.

"So why don't you share quarters with your wife?" Ben asked when Archex pointed him to the unmade bed. A stack of folded clean bedding sat on the pillow, one towel, and what looked like standard kit. It was again more than he had anticipated.

"I rarely leave base, this was my first trip out for months. The kids are having a bit of a school holiday. Vi, she's only here maybe a few days a month, so she doesn't have a permanent bunk. She sleeps in the women's barracks, like Rey. They've got some beds that they hotsheet."

Ben knew enough about military life that he didn't pry, but Archex voiced the answer anyway.

"Yeah, when she's here you can kip elsewhere for the night, and I'll return the favour. Privacy is at a premium."

Opening the locker Ben found civilian clothes inside.

"They belonged to the last guy. May even fit you, no one will mind if you wear them. His wife died the month before him in a bombed out supply run, and their kid is too little to want them," Archex said, voice even, his back to Ben while he turned the combination on his own locker. He changed his jacket, moving items from one set of pockets to another. There was a photo of a imp-faced woman holding up a red knit sweater, smiling fiercely with pride stuck to the back.

On the top shelf was a scarlet stormtrooper helmet.

Finally it clicked.

"Cardinal," Ben blurted, "you're fucking Cardinal ."

"Slower than I expected, Ren."

"Head of the entire stormtrooper training program for a generation and you're holed up in a Resistance nursery?"

Archex swung around and his expression was unimpressed.

"As opposed to you, who is currently of no use or benefit to anyone."

Ben considered all of the possible responses to this before settling.

"Yeah, that's true. So why don't you have kids?"

Archex's back and shoulders visibly bunched through his clothes, and Ben felt a wave of carefully channeled despair.

"You don't ask that. Just don't. Now Leia may have been diplomatic, and Han may have been charming, but neither were known for tact, so I'll give you a pass this time, but don't ask that again. Don't ask anyone that again. Your parents should have taught you things like that."

"Ben, there's trouble, you'll hear it soon."

"What kind of trouble?"

"I just passed a First Order convoy bombing a civilian outpost. Poe will be scrambling fighters to meet me. I wanted to give you a head's up before-"

The klaxon began wailing throughout the base, the call for all pilots.

"Are you safe?"

"Yeah, I'm staying out of sight until the rest of my squadron arrive, then I'll join the fleet."

"I won't bother pointing out that you're tired and low on fuel."

"Nope, don't."

"Be safe," he said, feeling that pit of fear building in his chest again, the one that made him want to rip the galaxy apart rather than lose her.

"You're going to help me," Archex decided, pushing him towards the door. "Follow me, you'll have to run."

He dashed off, Ben hard-pressed to catch the older man as he ran through the base. When they entered into the main hanger a young woman in an orange flight suit, also running, passed the former trooper a toddler and changed directions towards her ship without a second look. Archex pressed the youngling's head into his shoulder, diving into a small room with an unmarked door.

Inside was a man with a radio headset already calling directions, two little girls at his feet. He swiftly exited, pausing only long enough to give each of his daughters a peck on the top of the head.

Archex reached into his jacket and pulled out a thin leather folio with a zipper.

"Take this, check off name as they come in."

Kylo glanced around, opening the folder. The room was large, filled with toys, some tables and chairs for various ages, a holo screen, a kitchenette, and a partition he suspected held a toilet. Colourful posters and photos of scenery covered the walls, making it by far the friendliest space he'd seen since his own childhood. In one corner was a tall shelf, holding a locked box and office supplies. The door to the room was incredibly thick, and there were no windows.

"Is this supposed to be a munitions hold?"

"Later, now check off names as I call them."

Ben examined the paper inside and the first was a column of names, the rest of the columns scrawled with dates and times.

Archex rhymed off the three younglings present, another three dozen poured in over the next five minutes.

"That's everyone on base right now, we're locking up," he said, holding a screaming infant. "Put on the black coat on that peg, and take the baby."

Ben reluctantly did both. To his shock, the baby nuzzled deep into the fabric and calmed, whimpering slightly against his neck.

"It's her father's. You're going to be sleeping in his bed," Archex explained, already moving on to calm the other distressed small ones. Ben watched older children take responsibility for the younger, starting up the animated holo vid, seeing if anyone needed potty, handing out snacks.

Ben shifted the baby to check what Archex knew without looking on the page, that he'd marked off all but one name. The last one was crossed out, with FO CASUALTY and a date of a few days previous.

This was a part of the war Ben hadn't had to consider. He looked behind the page and for each youngling there was a form of information about health, contacts, and most ghoulish, parents wishes incase capture was unavoidable scrawled on the back.

"What the fuck is this," Ben whispered when the other man returned. "Would some really rather see their kid die than be taken to become stormtroopers?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "And don't ask me if I'm capable of following through because I don't know. I actually just don't know, and I'll tell you, if I'm having nightmares, it's about this. That lock box? It's a blaster to protect the kids, or do the unthinkable. Still think I have the easy job?"

"What happened to this one?" Ben pointed at the name.

"Family was trying to get him to his aunt and uncle's on Naboo, didn't make it. Nowhere is safe now, so these kids might as well stay with their parents. You got baby Luke to sleep, that's good."

"Luke," Ben frowned, trying not to shift the warm bundle.

"Yeah, baby Luke. FN-2187, Finn now I guess, and his girl have him most of the time since he lost his parents. They need the practice."

"Rey mentioned they were... expecting."

"Idiot didn't know First Order implants are annuals."

The back of Ben's neck started to burn a little.

"Annuals?"

Archex frowned at him, and scooped up a crawler pawing at his knees.

"Yeah, it's part of your annual physical. It's in the shot, the one that stings. Don't they tell you kids this? Lasts an extra month if you're lucky, cheap bastards. Dameron said you'd been missing over a year, so better hit the medbay later unless you want tiny Force-users mucking about with this noisy bunch."

Ben crushed his lips together, grateful Archex was called away to resolve a battle brewing over a toy.

"Rey, are you alright?"

"Is that a baby?"

"I'll explain later. What's going on?"

"See for yourself," she offered, her concentration on her console.

Using her eyes, Ben saw the dogfight unfold around him. The First Order bombers were outnumbered, and unsupported by a star destroyer. It was just a matter of time before the Resistance picked off the TIEs. Rey avoided a great deal of burning debris, bits of ships from both sides represented.

He swallowed down a surge of fearful anger that Rey was in harm's way, controlling his body so that he exerted no additional pressure on the fragile child on his shoulder.

"Got him!" Rey crowed, taking out a TIE on her tail with a sophisticated maneuver he recognized as having likely been drawn from his own mind. He recognized the TIE before it exploded into flames as well. It belonged to one of his own squadron.

Ben felt sick, watching his lover rejoice over killing a man he'd trained.

Archex, Cardinal, had been right. This was a lose-lose war.

When the skirmish ended, and people began to return from their consoles, ships, comm towers, fire stations, and command rooms, they stopped to pick up their younglings. Ben helped keep track, grateful that most of the galaxy couldn't recognize the former supreme leader without his mask.

"I'm here to pick one up," said a most welcome voice at the door. "He's very tall, scowly, likes to throw tantrums."

"In the corner being covered in stickers," Archex pointed without looking, changing the baby.

Rey grinned at him, lighting up the room. Ben could tell she was exhausted, but jubilant. He farewelled the cluster of remaining kids who had surrounded, and stood prepared for the attack he knew was coming. She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her around the waist and just held her.

"I got a tow home," she explained, eyes warming to his.

"Medbay," Archex reminded Ben.

"I'm fine," Rey reassured him, "not a scratch."

"No, your supreme boyfriend has an expired implant."

Rey released Ben all at once, stepping back.

"I'm pretty sure hugging is fine," Archex commented dryly.