Chapter Twenty Eight: Pledge

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, but you know what I always say: Speak softly and drive a big tank!

Ben wasn't entirely sure how to reply to Rey's implication: that she was in effect scavenging his positive traits amidst the negative; that she was drawing out the best in him. In a way, he supposed that was true, if only because he felt a profound contentment in her presence, a foreign feeling that he had not known except for splotchy flashes of memory from childhood.

Even though they had only been affectionately holding each others faces for a few seconds, Ben could feel a number of eyes lingering on their exchange from around the medbay. Although it didn't bother him the way it unnerved Rey, he was becoming more and more exhausted the longer he remained standing and could scarcely think of anything aside from escaping to their shared quarters where they could continue... whatever this was in peace and privacy.

For the same reason, any clever remark he may have normally had eluded him. Thankfully, he knew an effective way to make her back down from her determined venture and he was shameless enough to employ the tactic without hesitation. He leaned in closer, wordlessly intent on kissing her pale ruby lips even though he knew she would object to the intimate display in public.

As he expected, Rey's expression blinked into a stern one and she tensed in his hold, shifting her hands to his chest to resist. "Oi, now hold on Ben, I think you injected one too many of those stims earlier." She eyed him carefully and he could feel her gently probing his thoughts. She relaxed a little, her smile returning with relief to find him completely cognizant. "Oh, right. You're just tired then?"

"Could be the stims too." Ben shrugged indifferently, relenting his pursuit for a kiss despite a roaming desire lingering for it. He gave her a playful look and lowered his tone suggestively. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd like to take you to bed now."

Bristling against him, Rey's response was delayed as her mind revolved around his meaning. "I'll allow that comment," she said, clearly contending against an inappropriate smile as she gave him an equally playful shove. "But only because I feel like I could sleep for a full rotation myself."

Ben didn't hesitate to act on her prompt and finally moved to exit through the medbay's double doors, effectively evading their former debate about his mother. It wasn't that he couldn't work up a plausible argument on the matter, he simply just didn't have the patience or desire to address it at present. Especially not when he could instead be lying comfortably in his bed with his betrothed nestled blissfully beside him.

His much anticipated daydream was quickly snatched away, however, as they stepped out of the medbay and into the bustling hallway outside. "Ah, Supreme Leader, Prime Leader," a nearby trooper greeted, apparently having been standing guard there. "Good to see you're both alright, but I have urgent matters to discuss with you."

Ben's gaze hardened as he noticed an oddity in the way the trooper tried to speak softly despite his helmet's amplifier and the way he seemed to glance around suspiciously, as if he expected to be targeted by a sniper in the passing stream of soldiers at any moment.

"Thank you for standing guard, Zeroes," Rey said and moved closer to the trooper before Ben could work up a reply. "What is it?"

From the floor came a warbled string of beeps before the trooper could even begin explaining himself. Ben and Rey looked down to see BB-8 teetering on his axis anxiously.

"Sorry Beebee," Rey apologized as she knelt down to check his antenna, as if it were a compulsive habit. "I didn't to leave you out here. Things got a little crazy, ok?"

, the droid grumbled with an unusual amount of insolence before pivoting his optics up to Ben pointedly. any Obviously, the mech and the trooper had spent a long time standing vigil together, though any conversation they had was apparently one sided.

Scowling with annoyance, Ben ignored the query and turned back to the trooper. His patience was wearing thin and his fatigue was taking its toll. "Urgent matters, trooper?"

"Er, yes sir, sorry sir," Zeroes replied with a snap of a salute as Rey regained her height to listen as well. "My squad and I have been hearing a lot of dangerous chatter among the higher ups and we believe these attempts on your life so far were just the beginning." He spoke slowly and paused to take another nervous glance around, making sure no passerby lingered long enough to hear more than two or three words.

"We think something big is coming, something really drastic this time," Zeroes paused again, more for effect than discretion. "One of my squad-mates is currently in contact with a suspected conspirator who seems to be recruiting volunteers for a "special" job within the next standard cycle. If our squad is chosen, I'll try to send you a warning with whatever information I receive. However, any further contact will be too dangerous..."

For Ben, nothing the trooper said was surprising, except for the fact that he apparently had a squad of loyal soldiers working undercover for him. Although he couldn't check on the rest of the squad's moral, after momentarily peering into the Force and noting Zeroes' stalwart blue intentions, he wasn't about to question his words. Especially when Rey seemed to trust him so resolutely. "Take the droid," Ben replied, catching Rey's apt attention. "When you discover something important, send him to us with a message."

" droid, sir?" Zeroes indicated BB-8 and he seemed to visibly wither at the suggestion. When Ben nodded the trooper tipped his helmed head down dubiously. "I might need to give him a new paint job, then."

Rey cringed a little at that, though Ben caught the flash of a telling smirk on her face. "Poe won't like that."

"Do it," Ben affirmed automatically with another nod. Any loss for that damn pilot was a win in his mind.

BB-8 let out a long, forlorn whine in response.

Ben couldn't remember the last time he was so grateful to reach his quarters. It was all he could do not to collapse on his bed as soon as he laid eyes on it. Stims were a double-edged blade in that although they offered immediate energy and stability they also took heavy loans on stamina. Therefore, his mind and body felt ten times heavier than normal and he wasn't even sure he could handle crossing over to the fresher, much less manage a shower.

Unfortunately, there was a much more pressing issue at hand than his personal hygiene. He moved to his computer terminal, noting with a glance how Rey's eyes also lingered on the bed before meeting his, as if she were in the same dilemma as him. He had to immediately quell a brief fantasy about sharing a shower session with her before it had a chance to materialize fully and incur her wrath. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the task before him and started up a communication to the .

The action caught Rey's attention and she eased closer curiously. "You're releasing Finn early?"

"If I wait until tomorrow, he might not be alive to release." Ben nodded as he proceeded to give the captain strict instructions to keep the release quiet again. "Remember Captain, should happen to the prisoner, your fate will be the same as his." The silence that followed spoke for itself and Ben didn't wait for the officer's stammering reply to finish before cutting the call.