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English
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Part 1 of Duality of Time
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2020-01-23
Updated:
2022-04-24
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14/?
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Duality of Time

Chapter 5: Tree Assassins and Dreams

Summary:

In which more lives are saved, cloaks are appreciated, Stormpilot reigns, and Rey is Tired™

Notes:

Shoutout to my lil bro who patiently listened as I rambled for two hours straight about this fic.

Chapter Text

“Hanzo! Where are you?!” Bente shouts desperately into the forest. “I’m coming, Hanzo! Hold on!”

There’s snow filling her boots and numbing her toes, but Bente doesn’t care. She grits her teeth and leaps off a large boulder with the Force. She lands in a crouch and is off like a rocket again. They’d only been apart for less than an hour and already Hanzo has somehow managed to upgrade his brunch with death to a fancy three-course meal.

Seriously, Bente expected this kind of shit from herself not from her passive, nerdy brother. This day is just getting stranger and stranger.

“Kriff!” Bente ducks her head in time for a stray tree to fly harmlessly over her. The planet is beginning to deteriorate from the inside out. She’s running out of time! She wills her legs to go faster despite the fact that her feet are going numb and her breaths are nothing more than sharp rasps of air.

Bente can still feel her brother and the simple fact he’s still alive keeps her going. She’d been so close to losing him just minutes before. And stars, how it had hurt to think she would be all that was left of their little family. But whatever fate Hanzo had foreseen was thwarted and Ben had nearly crashed into a tree from the sheer amount of relief she felt. Hanzo is unconscious, that much she gathered when she tried nudging his mind, and his shields up but he is alive. 

Bente is nearing her brother when she sees her. 

She just manages to get enough air into her lungs to shout, “Mom! No, wait, please!” 

Bente can see her mother standing tall in the distance. Bente turns her head when she hears a familiar ship approach. 

“Hanzo!” Bente cries. She can feel her brother on the ship. She tries accessing the bond but its no use while Hanzo’s asleep. “No! Don’t leave me! Come BACK!” Bente howls as the Falcon takes off with her family on it. Bente is going to continue chasing after it, no matter useless it would be in the end, when she trips. She groans and flips over onto her back and looks over at the dark pile she tripped over.

“Oh gods!” She screams. “Gross, gross, gross. It’s still warm !” Bente scrambles back from the dead body. She screams again when she almost falls into the open trench behind her. Bente quickly stands and steps back from the canyon. Maker, is her whole family just pre-destined to fall into pits or something?

Very hesitantly she shuffles over to the corpse. Once she’s close enough she can see that the person—a very large man—is still breathing. Barely, but it’s enough to prove he isn’t a corpse.

Yet. 

Bente can feel his life force is fading steadily. She’s actually surprised he’s lasted this long, most others would have died from this kind of depletion. Curious, Bente inches even closer and peers down at the pale, ruined face.

“DAD?!” Bente shouts in surprise. Kylo Ren doesn’t respond seeing as he’s unconscious and likely bleeding out. The ground shakes again, knocking the girl to her knees.

“Oh no, you bastard, you don’t get to die here.” Bente gets up and places her hands on his chest. “Not after you kicked my little brother’s ass and scared me half to death.” Bente begins gathering her life force into her hands and Kylo’s eyes flutter open at the sensation. She holds her breath and stares at him. His eyes are cloudy with pain and exhaustion but they hold her own for a moment before shutting closed again. 

Bente breathes a sigh of relief—her dad isn’t really someone she wants nor knows how to deal with right now—and focuses all her energy on channeling her life force into Kylo’s body.  Sweat beads her brow and she grits her teeth, trying her best to close the deepest wounds. 

It’s hard work and they don’t have much time, but Bente gives it her all like she always does. She looks down at her handy work and finds she was more or less successful. The wounds are still there but they’ve stopped bleeding at least and his life force is a tad steadier than it was before. Bente shrugs and stands, pocketing the knight’s fallen lightsaber. Healing was always more Hanzo’s forte. Bente liked the smashing and the fighting bits a lot more. 

She hooks her arms under her dad’s armpits and begins retracing her steps. 

“Gods, dad, you’re heavy.” Bente complains as she drags Kylo Ren's limp body through the snow and to the TIE fighter she ‘liberated’. She prays to the Force she’ll make it in time before the planet explodes. “What are they feeding you? You’re huge .” Bente’s eyes widen as what looks like fire shoots out of the crack in the planet where she found Kylo. 

“Okay. That’s not good.” Bente unceremoniously drops the man’s body to the floor and lifts him with the Force instead. She races through the tree with her dad bobbing up and down furiously behind her. Bente winces as a branch whacks the underside of her dad’s chin and snaps his head backward. 

“Shit! Sorry, dad.” Bente huffs and hurriedly checks his vitals. Still alive. Good. 

As carefully as she can she places her dad inside, his limp body scrunched up awkwardly in the gunner’s chair.

CRACK!

Bente is halfway inside the ship when a tree comes careening down on them. 

“Shit shit shitty shitshit.” Bente scrambles the rest of the way inside. She only just thwarts the tree’s assassination attempt on them. This planet is really determined to kill her, huh? Bente puts the TIE fighter to work and shoots off into the sky. She pointedly doesn’t look back as the planet explodes behind, rocking the little ship dangerously.

Bente breathes a sigh of relief once they’re in the clear. She tries to look back to check on her dad but it’s impossible to get a good look in such a small craft. She uses the Force and brushes against the surface of his mind to get a read on his condition. Kylo’s...stable, but if he doesn’t get to a medbay soon then all the effort she’s put into saving his ass would be for naught. 

And Bente would really like it for the her of this timeline to born alongside her brother. And that can’t happen without both her parents alive and present. Bente knows how babies are made. Even though her mom had, with much embarrassment, told her that’s not her and her brother were conceived. Hanzo may have believed the whole ‘Force babies’ insanity but Bente’s not so naive. Honestly, you’d think with all the romance crap Hanzo reads he’d know better. Hopefully, they’ll both be long gone before that can happen.

Bente is about to pull away from his kind, having lingered long enough, when she feels something slimy and cold start in her direction. Immediately, Bente jerks back, heart racing.

“Snoke,” she whispers in horror. She shivers and makes a face. Oh gods, that had to be him. Her mother had told them that Emperor Palpatine had been manipulating their father through Snoke—one of his many puppets—for years by camping out in his head since he was baby. Ugh, the pedophile. Bente can’t imagine having so vile and dark living in her head for years, grooming her and whispering lies where no one could contradict them. Though she supposes the two assholes got what they deserved in the end. 

“I’m so going to regret this.” Bente moans. She turns around and reaches for her father’s belt. “Come on where are you? You gotta have- ah-ha!” Bente’s hand closes around her father’s personal comm. She finds a message from one General Hux demanding to know Kylo Ren’s whereabouts and return to-

Bente punches in the coordinates for the First Order ship and sets the fighter to auto-pilot. She leans back in the seat and yawns. 

She turns her head and mumbles, “You better thank me when you’re all better, Dad.” 

The back of her head gently hits the backrest and she gets as comfortable as she can for the trip.

Dad.

“Dad,” Bente repeats, “Daddy. Daddy-o hehe. Papa. Father- nah that’s more Hanzo’s thing.” 

Bente doesn’t know if she can trust these past versions of her mother and uncle to keep her brother safe. But she’s going to have to whether she likes it or not because where she’s headed... safe is the last thing she’ll be. Especially if Kylo doesn’t believe her, frankly, insane story and decides to just turn her in to the First Order instead. 

Bente shudders at the very real possibility of being taken to Snoke if her abilities in the Force are discovered by him. Maker, one of them has to make it out of this mess alive if only to bust the other out of trouble.

Stay safe, Hanzo. Bente sends and then allows herself to rest. 

 

 

Hanzo knows he’s sleeping. He’s also dreaming. And floating, if the sense of weightlessness is anything to go by. His eyes are already closed when he expands his awareness into the Force. He reaches out searching for the fiery ball of light that is his sister.

There, beyond his foggy consciousness and space, is his brilliant sister. He rushes to it and curls himself around her. The moment they come into contact his ears pop and Hanzo opens his eyes.

A surge of relief fills him when he sees his sister standing in front of him, her back to him, studying the vast expanse of nothing stretching out in front of them.

Hanzo represses the instinct to just run up and tackle his twin in a hug. He knew better than to sneak up on Bente like that. The half-dozen black eyes in his past taught him so. Instead, he slowly approaches her.

“Bente.” He says into the silence, he word warbles briefly as it passes by his lips. Bente yelps and whirls around to face him.

“Hanzo!” She erases the space between them with two long strides and wraps him up in a firm hug. Hanzo sighs and returns the embrace. Bente takes in a shuddering breath and then pulls away. “For kriff’s sake, Hanzo, how many times do I have to tell you not to creep up on me.” Her voice shakes slightly despite her chiding tone. 

Hanzo shrugs, her hands on his shoulders moving with the motion. “It’s important to be aware of one’s surroundings at all times.”

Bente rolls her eyes and grumbles, “I shouldn’t have to in my dreams.” Hanzo lips twitch at their usual banter.

“It could be my dream.”

“What- oh, never mind, what are you doing in my dream?” Bente looks around at the void around them. “Wait. Is this even a dream? Where the kriff are we?”

“We’re where the Force wants us to be.”

Bente swivels around with an annoyed frown. “By the gods, Hanzo, if you start spewing some half-assed mystical Force mumble jumbo I will punch you...in… the face...” She trails off, staring at him in abject horror. 

“Bente?” He asks, concerned. Bente extends a shaky hand towards his face.

“...your face…”

Hanzo reaches up and feels the familiar material of a bacta patch. Bente’s hand cups his own gently. 

Her distressed expression twists into something angry. Her eyes scan the rest of him and he feels the Force around them responding to her rising fury, the dreamscape rising in temperature. 

“ Who ?” Bente demands in a growl. Hanzo knows better to try and lie to her. 

“Father.” 

Bente’s expression flickers with conflict before settling into a fierce scowl. 

“I should have just left him on that ice rock to rot.”

Hanzo frowns at her words. “I don’t understand.” Bente sighs and lets her hand fall away from his face so she can cross her arms.

“Found the rotter half-dead in the snow. Healed him the best I could, but...” Hanzo watch in quiet fascination as Bente’s anger is replaced with an expression he’s seen from his sister and his mother many times before. It pulls Bente’s lips in her usual snarl but a mix of fear and worry makes her brows furrow. It’s an expression Hanzo is very familiar with, having grown up with the two overly-protective women, but he supposes that honor has been extended to their father now. “...he...he was dying and I’m not as good as you with the whole healing thing...I couldn’t let him die n-not like mo-” Bente shakes her head, unable to finish the sentence. “So, um, I’m taking him back.”

Hanzo swallows heavily. He knows the answer already but he asks anyway. 

“Back where?”

Bente shuffles nervously, her cloak her swaying with her steps. “The, uh, First...Order?”

Hanzo’s eyes go skyward. He inhales deeply and takes that moment to settle the tempest of distress and fear Bente’s words bring up in him. His sister is smart despite her impulsive tendencies. She’s strong, he reminds himself, and capable of taking care of herself. He trusts her.

Even so, he can’t help but asking, “You are aware of the danger you are putting yourself in?”

Bente rolls her eyes. “Yeah, Hanzo, I’m not an idiot”

 “I beg to differ.”

Bente raises a brow and smirks down at him from her superior height. 

“Then beg.” 

Hanzo groans and rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands, careful not to disturb the bacta patches even if it’s just a dream. Bente huffs and throws her arms out. “What was I supposed to do? The Resistance would just chuck dad in a prison cell if they don’t shoot us down first. Also, we’re not even born yet so all our contacts are moot. And even if I could find a healer they’d either report us or kill Dad.” 

Hanzo admits she does have a point. He squints up at her. “You promise to be careful?”

Bente’s lips curl into a charming grin. “Aren’t I always.”

“No,” Hanzo deadpans, “quite the opposite, actually.”

Bente deflates visibly. She pouts at him and petulantly retorts, “Says the one who charged in and challenged Dad after losing his lunch.”

Hanzo raises a brow. “Did you want me to let him murder Grandfather?”

Bente winces. “All I’m saying is that I expected that from me not, well,” she shrugs, “you.”

“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” Hanzo replies evenly. 

“Aw, lil bro,” Bente rests her hand daintily on her chest. “That’s so sweet of you.” 

“You are welcome,” Hanzo replies seriously, oblivious to her teasing. Bente ruffles his short hair fondly before resuming her earlier pout. 

“I just can’t believe you fought Dad, though.” Bente sighs wistfully and leans against him lightly. “What I wouldn’t give to go toe-to-toe with him.”

“You would have been hardpressed to defeat him.” Hanzo touches the healing slash mark going across his face. “He’s a very aggressive fighter.”

“Meh. I could have taken him.” Bente sends him an image through their bond of her standing over their father’s unconscious body, lightsaber held up high. Hanzo rolls his eyes, lip quirking in amusement.

All this talk about their father has him wondering...what was the man like? For all that their mother longed for him and the stories she’d told them, Hanzo doesn’t know much about the man. He wants to know what he is like outside their mother’s stories and wistful recollections. Their introduction—if you could call it that— had been relatively brief and tense.

“Bente?” His sister hums in response. “What's he like?”

Bente shrugs, jostling him slightly. “I dunno. He’s been out cold the whole time.” Hanzo frowns in disappointment. Bente sees this and squeezes his shoulder. “But when he wakes up I’ll find out.” Her teeth flash white in a predatory grin. “After I break his nose, though.”

“ Bente .” Hanzo scolds. “He had no reason not to attack me. I was an enemy. I hold no grudges.”

“Okay, fine. You have a point,” her nose wrinkles in distaste, “but you may not hold a grudge but I do .” She shines her wolfish grin down at him. “Someone has to defend your honor and who better than your big sister.”

“My hero,” Hanzo remarks dryly. Bente’s responding laughter is cut off suddenly. “Bente?” She pushes off him gently to stand to her full height. She looks down at her hands and frowns, holding them up. She looks through the transparent skin and back at him.

“Hanzo…” Bente trails off and slowly lowers her hands when she sees that Hanzo is also fading. He struggles to keep his face stoic as usual when he meets her gaze.

“I believe we’re waking up.” Bente must see through his farce—she always has— and her face softens as it only does when it’s just them.

“Don’t worry we’ll find each other again,” Bente says and then winks, confidence and conviction in her statement strengthening her stance. “Force knows even it can’t keep us apart. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Hanzo knows this to be true. There is nothing that can keep Bente from him and vice-versa. Solos have never been good at letting go. Hanzo hugs his sister and buries his face in her cloak. 

“I like your cloak.” He mumbles into the thick fabric. It’s disappearing quickly, but he can still feel it. It’s surprisingly soft. The cloak twists around his fingers as he grips it tighter, reluctant to let go.

Bente lets out a choked laugh and holds him just as tight. 

“Thanks, I stole it from dad’s closet.” 

Hanzo’s reply dies in his throat as Bente completely fades away. He tries to call out after her but he can’t push her name past the emotions lodged in his throat.

Hanzo wakes. A sorrowful whimper leaves his chapped lips when he finds himself alone.

Bente…

There is no reply.

 

 

Poe groans and tries to ignore the incessant beeping coming from somewhere in the dark room.

“Poe, can you please get that?” Finn pleads from beside him, head buried under his pillow. 

Poe whines, “Why can’t you?”

“It’s your comm.”

“How do you know that? It could be yours, for all I know.” 

“The, uh, Force told me.”

“Sure, buddy, sure.” Poe rolls his eyes but gets up like the good husband he is and fumbles in the dark as he pats random objects looking for the comm. He digs inside a familiar leather jacket and pulls out the comm with a triumphant, “Aha! Found it!” He turns it on and looks for the message that had rudely disrupted their sleep. 

“It was your comm, by the way. Must be getting a little rusty with your old- oof!” Poe stumbled and nearly tripped over a pair of discarded pants. The pillow Finn had thrown slides down his face and joins the mess on the floor. Poe laughs in response and Finn smiles into the mattress.

Poe’s laughter is cut off abruptly. Finn lifts his head and blinks blearily until he can make out Poe’s face in the dull glow of his comm. 

“Poe?” He asks, voice hoarse with sleep. Poe turns him, face grave and eery in the low lighting. Finn springs up and out of the bed, years of training kicking in. “What is it?” he asks as he rounds Poe’s side. Poe wordlessly hands him the device and Finn reads the message for himself.

Poe’s already decoded it. It’s from the Falcon, Rey more likely as its an older code that she and Finn came up so they could keep in touch when the twins were first born and Finn was swept up in his general duties. They had created a special code, separate from the Resistance’s standard one so Finn could easily pick it out. It’s a mixture of binary and Shyriiwook, with a few personal jokes sprinkled in. It’s simple but hard to crack without context. 

Finn feels ice creep into his fingers, tightening his grip on the comm. A sharp crack echoes in the dark room.

“I’ll get the ship ready,” Poe says, voice hard like steel, already putting on the clothes they’d shed only a few hours beforehand. Finn nods and follows suit and is ready in less than a minute. Efficiency was something the First Order had put emphasis on and Finn has never really shaken that particular conditioning. The ability to get battle-ready at a moment’s notice is a useful skill in war and one that has not only saved his life but that of his comrades.

Finn double checks his weapons and then goes out to meet Poe, who’s already starting up his X-wing. Poe had become rather fond of the ship and had kept it after the war ended. It had gone through some remodeling, Poe wanting there to be enough room for two people so he could take Finn on a ‘romantic, starlit’ flight. If you called jumping at lightspeed romantic, that is. Finn hadn’t been very amused that first trip.

BB-8 greets him solemnly. Finn gives the droid a short nod before climbing in the seat behind his husband. 

“Ahch-To?” Poe asks for confirmation, already tapping in the coordinates. 

“Ahch-To,” Finn confirms. Poe nods and smoothly maneuvers the starfighter out of their private hangar and into the void of space outside. 

The Force crackles with barely hidden anger. Poe whistles under his breath as he catches sight of Finn’s stormy face in the canopy’s reflection. He’d have pitied the poor fools who thought themselves big and bad enough to target Rey and her brood if he wasn’t so pissed off himself.

Poe just hopes they make it in time. If Rey hasn’t already destroyed them all, that is. This shaping up to be a repeat of the Kaalsian Gang Massacre. And Poe is all for it.

 

 

It’s so cold. Rey has never felt so cold and alone before. She thought the Force is supposed to bring you peace. Although without Ben, Rey doubts she will ever find true serenity. 

Rey opens her mouth to cry out but before she can make any noise, the cold is rushing in. Her lungs and throat burn from the cold’s onslaught. Rey weakly thrashes but it’s no use. Her limbs are numb and heavy. It’s all so heavy and Rey is so tired. 

She. Is. Just. So. Tired. 

Tired of being half-alive, half a person. Tired of this wretched solitude. Rey is contemplating just letting go, maybe she’ll go wherever Ben is, when she feels him.

Beloved. 

BEN. Her soul, her everything, howls. 

Our children still need you.

YES. 

Oh, how could she have forgotten her precious babies? Her only source of light and joy nowadays. Rey jolts as if shocked as a beautifully familiar warmth spreads out from her core, chasing away the cold. 

Ben, she sighs in heads.

He is always saving her. From Snoke, her loneliness, Palpatine, and even death. Now it is her turn.

 Beneath the tumultuous waters of Ahch-To, Rey’s eyes snap open.