Your prison is walking this world all alone

[jedi_librettist]

Ben watched out the window as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. He took a shaky breath. It was time. He wouldn't burden his brother anymore. He walked back to his cabin. He didn't know how what he would do after he left. It didn't matter. This was the right thing.

Comments

[middleoftheforce]

"Well, I'm assuming you'll want something to eat, to clean up, and things like that?" Leia suggested, looking at Ben with a sense of quiet wondering. Mostly as to what had happened all those years. "Knowing your brother..." She turned to look at Solo who just shrugged.

"I'll pull the cargo out."

[jedi_librettist]

Ben shrugged. He didn't know how to tell his mother he wasn't hungry. He ate a little more than when Bail found him now but he was still far from eating a normal amount. "Ani's probably hungry. It's almost his snack time."

[middleoftheforce]

"Then we should go get him something to eat."

[jedi_librettist]

Ben grimaced. That meant dealing with crowds on a planet that could easily recognize him. "Where?"

[middleoftheforce]

Leia gave it a moment of thought. "The mess hall in the base would be the best bet." She gestured over to the building.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben's eyes grew wide. "Isn't there somewhere... private?"

[middleoftheforce]

A small frown. "My quarters, I suppose."

[jedi_librettist]

Ben nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

[middleoftheforce]

Leia nodded, leading them to her quarters. Solo sighed. Ben would need to get used to the crowds sooner or later, you couldn't exactly avoid them.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben tried to smile. He dropped back a step to talk to his brother. "You said I wouldn't have to be... him, remember?"

[middleoftheforce]

"Going to the mess isn't being him," he said. "It's blending. Making people not notice you. Best place to hide is in a crowd."

[jedi_librettist]

"Right. They'll just assume I'm your clone."

Ben rolled his eyes.

"Dada," Ani whined, wiggling.

[middleoftheforce]

"With the stuff I've pulled? There'll be some here who'd believe that."

He glanced at Ani, wondering what was annoying the kid now.

[jedi_librettist]

"And I just happened to show up now with a kid. I doubt they're stupid, Bail. They'll figure it out."

"Dada!" Ani repeated, more insistently. "Stop!"

[middleoftheforce]

He stopped, looking at the kid.

"What's up with you?"

[jedi_librettist]

The toddler frowned. "Dada not being nice. Dada stop."

[middleoftheforce]

Solo shrugged, glancing at Ben. "You heard the Kid. Stop being not nice."

[jedi_librettist]

Ben sighed, shaking his hair away from his face. "Fine. Just... don't try for anything that will remind everyone else I exist."

[middleoftheforce]

Solo looked at Ben, and then glanced at Ani.

"What do we think to that, kid?"

[jedi_librettist]

Ani looked intently at his father and then turned back to his uncle. "Dada scared. Why?"

[middleoftheforce]

Now that was a question.

"It's been a long while since he's seen anyone round here," he said simply. "Seeing people you haven't seen in a long time can be scary."

[jedi_librettist]

The toddler frowned but rested his head on Ben's shoulder.

Ben shrugged his free shoulder. "That'd be simple way of putting it. I guess it's accurate enough."

[middleoftheforce]

"How would you put it then?" Solo said, tilting his head in Ani's direction as if to remind his brother of the presence of the too young to understand the complicated reasons child.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben shrugged again. "Something like that, I guess. But it's especially scary when you did things you shouldn't have done."

[middleoftheforce]

"That explain it all for you, Kid?" Solo glanced once more at Ani.