+1 Former Space Tyrant

[chiaro_oscuro]

  Ben Solo's tried to keep a low profile in the Nexus. He's spent some of his time in the Underbelly, some out in the Wilds, and the occasional visit to the Crossroads Cafe or the Viper's Pit. If he's going to be stuck here for the rest of his days, he may as well learn the geography of the place and make himself at home. There are worse places, he's decided. The winter's manageable for now, there's easy access to food and water, and finding a place to stay shouldn't be too difficult with the advice he was given. 

Now he's found a spot in the Plaza, looking over the winter scenery with a cup of still-warm hot chocolate and a hamburger from Lord of the Fries for his lunch. Ben still feels strange in such a peaceful place, even though he's certainly not the only one in the Nexus with a dark history. It's too big for that. He didn't exactly ask to be here, either. The last thing he remembered, he was dying on Exegol, and the next moment he found himself flat on his back in the Nexus. The wounds from his battle with his old Knights and the time he spent in Palpatine's pit were all healed. That made it a lot easier for him to get to his feet, dust himself off, and head in the general direction of civilization.

Whether he likes it or not, he's been given a second chance. He has no intentions of wasting it. The multiverse isn't done with Ben Solo just yet. Ben already handled the basics - in short order he grabbed a PINpoint, watched the PSA, and hastily read over a pamphlet. He's learned as much as he could, for now at least.

What to do with his life now is the difficult question. He's already decided he's going to need more work on his temper and self-control, leftovers from his Kylo Ren persona. Self-defense is one thing, and he intends to stay sharp so he can fight if he has to, but he wants to improve himself further before even trying to join the community here. He's trying to find ways to keep his temper in check: meditation, drinks, throwing his energy into quiet activities like reading. There is a book beside him, recently borrowed from the Grand Library. He likes it there.

Ben asks his question with some caution, putting down the hot chocolate. He's put some thought into choosing the right one. "Do you have any goals here in the Nexus? Things you want to do over the long term? There's all the time and space in the world here. Unique opportunities you might not have at home." 

Comments

[sweetcandygirl]

"Goals specifically for the Nexus?" The question comes from a very fair-skinned woman, wearing a tailor made armor jacket, there are several weapons visible from her weapons belt, including a large wooden bat and a sparkly gun.

"Never really thought that anyone could do anything long term here. After all... the whole setting changes. In a split second." She pops a piece of gum in her mouth.

"But the friendships I have made here... those I consider unique."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I'm under that impression, yes. I haven't been here for long, but I've heard some stories." Ben observes the woman, both her weapons and her armor. A fighter, clearly.

He brings his burger a little closer, to eat as they talk.

"I don't have any friends here yet," he tells her, a little haltingly, "but I should try making some." It's not something he's done in a very, very long time, and it's not something he's good at (the opposite, actually), but he's decided to try.

[sweetcandygirl]

"Ya'll gonna meet all walks of life here. Some ya'll get along great with. Others that are like a little gnat in your brain, jumping on your last nerve. Most places are protected by the anti-violence field... so you can't even bash some sense into an idiot." Harley shrugs.

"But there are places for violence too."

"The thing you have to be careful of is when your friends become your enemies."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Yes, the anti-violence field. I know about that - there was a man with a knife earlier, or something that used to be a man. Didn't get close enough to see which. It attacked me in the Plaza, and a force I couldn't see blocked the blow."

Ben has no idea what happened to the masked figure after he withdrew from the situation, but the creature doesn't seem to be causing problems now, and he's not complaining about that. He can only assume it was dealt with or gave up. Besides, he has bigger priorities now.

"I've heard there have been difficulties in the Nexus before, and the field's protection isn't foolproof." He listens to the warning - Harley's clearly been here a lot longer, so he files her advice with the rest he's recieved here. "You sound like you've been here for a while."

[dennis_murdoc]

"I'm trying to get better at socializing. Talking to people I don't already know. I'm better at being polite, than being friendly, though I can fake it pretty well. I don't live here, though, so, in terms of living my life, no. That stuffs all at home."

Dennis settles into a nearby chair. He's not good at friendly, but he doesn't lack curiosity.

"If you're wondering what to do with your life, I don't see why that would be different here than anywhere else."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I can't go back to my world," Ben tells the boy, frank but quiet. Whether he would if he could is a question he's asked himself, but it won't happen either way so he's tried to put it out of his head. It's irrelevant. "I died."

He shuffles into a better posture when he sees the boy joining him. He doesn't really do friendly, either, and he's mostly been avoiding social interaction on purpose.

"Some of us have done things back in our home worlds that we're..." Ben doesn't want to frighten this boy too badly, so he decides not to go into detail, keeping things simple. "Not proud of. This is a chance for a fresh start."

[dennis_murdoc]

"Yeah, I know some other people in that situation," Dennis said, nodding.

Dennis can't help smiling a bit in amusement.

"I take it you did something a bit more than run some traffic lights."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"My name is Ben Solo." Ben gives the name tentatively, as if it's one he's still getting used to using again. "The video I saw said people come here all kinds of ways. Dying is apparently one of them."

He drinks some of his hot chocolate, then holds back a bitter laugh at the comment about traffic lights.

"That's putting it mildly." Ben shakes his head, but he can't help but return the boy's smile at the sheer understatement of it. "I was a terror."

[the_rebel_son]

Lucifer had been so wrapped up in his own for the past month that it was good to get out and just walk. Unfortunately, this had curtailed his own desire to keep track of newcomers to the Nexus. It was as much a curiosity about others as a defensive choice. There were other world with angels. He had enough problems with his own Heaven, let alone having another one show up here.

This is the main reason that the man he'd never seen before gives him pause, but it is his question that gets the angel's attention. His wings, all four white as the snow, shift at his back. There were so many reasons coming to the Nexus had been prosperous for himself and his kind.

"For now, it remains a respite for my people from the isolation and torture of our prison. However, they have taken to the freedom well and now have their own goals."

[chiaro_oscuro]

Four white wings. Not human, clearly, and this alien being talks of torture and oppression - things Ben knows too much about and, he thinks with shame, for the wrong reasons.

Ben hasn't encountered the other fallen angels yet, and he doesn't know who he's talking to, but he's well aware from the nature of the Nexus that his place on the power scale is lower than it would be back home.

"Your people? Are they in hiding?" Ben decides to learn a little more about who this stranger is, if he can. Clearly a leader from the way he talks, and a powerful, imposing one at that. He's careful to address the stranger with the utmost respect, bowing his head slightly. No need to make any more enemies here. "This place looks like a good home for those who have nowhere else to go."

[the_rebel_son]

"I am an angel." He knew he was holding back some information but he had seen all sorts of reactions to their presence. It was better to tread slowly.

"It is more a reprieve and a chance to be what we were before our imprisonment." He sighs considering the man before him. The bow is interesting, but he answers with an even smaller nod of the head. "This place is beyond the reach of many we would prefer not to deal with."

He pauses, considering the assertion. "Is that why you have come here? You have nowhere to go."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"You're an angel." It's a statement, not a question. Ben takes him at his word. "I take it there are other angels here, besides you?"

It's the first time Ben's met an angel in this place, and from the angel's words he's not the only one. He had a feeling the stranger was dangerous, and powerful - someone to tread carefully around, but he doesn't feel threatened.

"...yes," he tells the angel, answering slowly. "I didn't come here, exactly. Not of my free will. I died in my world, and woke up in this place. Not the first time that's happened, apparently."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han wouldn’t have put a ton of thought into one single question to ask — even in the nexus, you don’t have to stop at one. How often is one action, even when it’s a well thought out one, enough anyway? You had to feel your way through every conversation (and most situations in life, too) because they were all different. That was the only strategizing that ever made sense to this guy.

“I’ve been able to travel in and out on my ship.” Han says with a faint smile, his scarred chin tilt to a cocky angle. “So when I’m here I look for cargo I bring back home and turn a good profit on.”

“You look like you’re new.”

[chiaro_oscuro]

When Ben Solo sees his father approach, alive and in the flesh, he's in the middle of eating his lunch. He freezes for a moment, almost comically, then forces down the bite of burger in his mouth. He swallows an apology with it. Hello. I'm Ben Solo. Your son. I'm sorry I stabbed you through the chest with a lightsaber. That's not really the kind of thing you can apologize for.

Han looks young, on closer observation. Young enough to not have had a son yet, and Han doen't seem to know who Ben is. People can enter the Nexus from any point in history. Ben isn't sure whether to tell his father the truth about who he is, what became of him, and especially what he did to Han. He wouldn't blame Han for not wanting to have him. Ben himself wonders if the galaxy would have been a better place without him in it, or whether Palpatine would have simply found someone else to fill his role. But he also isn't sure whether burdening the man with that knowledge would be the right thing to do.

"That does seem like the kind of thing the Nexus would be good for." He answers his father politely, but stiffly, hoping Han doesn't notice the telltale signs of anxiety. "You're right. I am new."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It probably was not a good idea for Ben to reveal the relationship between them. Leia and Han were driving each other crazy, almost every time they ran into each other, and that was without any of the baggage from the future to have to worry about. Besides. He might not even believe the young man if he attempted to try.

“Yeah, it’s something anyway.”

A Rebel Alliance stipend didn’t necessarily all the expenses he incurred in his day to day existence and it wasn’t helping him pay off any of the old debts he was carrying around with him. Smuggling in and out of the nexus helped make up some of the difference.

“So. What have you thought about doing?”

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben decides to keep quiet about who exactly he is - he figures Han not knowing the truth would be best for both of them, for many different reasons. He tries his best to put on a relaxed front as he talks to his father. This will be awkward, but he'll try and navigate as best he can.

"This must be a good place for smuggling. There are all kinds of things in the Nexus you can't find back home."

Ben figures he'll need a job here eventually, or some way to earn money, especially since he can't leave. He's been thinking of things he might be able to help with, or work he can do. There has to be something.

"I...don't know," he finally says. "I've been thinking about that. What to do with myself now."

[solobutnotalone]

It was a well thought out question, she herself hadn’t been sure what she would do when Solo first brought her there. But she had met some new people and had a reasonably enjoyable time. Well particularly enjoyable actually. For a woman who lived and breathed a cause in her own time and space, this was a vacation without the worry of failing her duties back home.

She responded by way of a smile and a gentle word. ”Welcome.”

She waited politely while the young man chewed before she continued so he wouldn’t feel on the spot to answer with a mouthful of food. “That was a very good question. One of the better ones I’ve heard so far. And I can’t speak for you or what you might do outside of all,” She gestures around them, “this.”

“But for me this place has allowed me to slow down and live. I’m involved in quite a lot when I’m from,” See that? She’s learning to conjugate theoretical time-space. “so being able to actual stop and do something I want to for a change is refreshing.”

“May I?” She gestured to the open seat at the small table.

[chiaro_oscuro]

There was a familiar face, another one Ben wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to see.

The first thing Ben noticed when he recognized General Organa was that Leia was young. She didn't seem to recognize her son on sight, which meant that she was probably from a time before Ben was born.

He had no ill will towards his mother now. They were both different people than they were when mother and son stood as opposing commanders in a war. Ben was no longer Supreme Leader of anything, and Leia was from another time entirely, before the Resistance and the First Order. Ben Solo decided back on the ruins of the Death Star that he was not his mother's enemy anymore. However, he wasn't sure whether identifying himself as her future son - let alone her son who killed her husband, terrorized the galaxy, and destroyed their family - would be a good idea, for both of their sakes.

Ben was grateful that Leia gave him the opportunity to clear his mouth before he spoke, for his own already-frayed dignity's sake. He finished chewing, swallowed, then answered her.

"Live. Well put. The Nexus has given me a chance to do that as well. You're right - I am new." He noted the irony that he's learning to build a life for himself here after he died back in his home world. Ben nodded in reply when Leia gestured to the seat, granting her permission to join him. His smile's weak, but there. "Feel free to join me."

[solobutnotalone]

"Again, welcome. I hope you'll find this place as rewarding as I have. I'm Leia Organa" As usual in less formal situations she omitted Princess here as it tended to put new people off. Leia pulled out a chair and seated herself. "Thank you."

Her hands folded neatly into one another on the table and she smiled, unaware of the thoughts he had on her or a husband she hadn't married yet. Honestly the relationship between herself and the man he knew as his father was a bit warm and cold. The latter more often than the former currently, and not just due to the new base construction on Hoth. People change, people grow and people learn, that's the take away here, and hopefully he would understand that in time.

"When most people come here they immediately want to find a way home or out. It's hard to acclimate that this Nexus is unfettered opportunity. Things you wouldn't have dreamed possible can but truth here." Does that sound a bit more like the mother he knew who had lead so many forces? She had a way with inspiration.

"So, if you could do anything, anything at all that you wanted, what would it be?" She leaned in with a pleasant smile, waiting to hear what his answer would be.

[pathfromdarknesstogray]

The Nexus itself is all about second chances, and that's a lesson that Dia herself has taken to heart as best she can given her situation and all considered. When not actively trying to conceal her presence, she's not difficult to miss, as even though she's no longer with the Sith Empire, she still favors the black robes of the Sith themselves.

Partially because it's what she had with her when she left the Empire, but also because it's what she's most comfortable in. Routine, habit, all of that.

As such, she's got loose black robes, heavier ones, given there's still a winter's chill in the air, and a long lightsaber hilt on her belt. One of those dualsaber types that can split into two separate blades as needed.

The Force is definitely with this one. Dia does keep her respectful distance, in no small part because she has no idea how Ben will react to her presence. She stands, in a relaxed, parade-rest-like stance with her hands behind her back and her feet shoulder width apart.

When she speaks, it's with an English Imperial accent, "I suppose aside from repair my ship, my biggest goal will be to eventually return home when I've had a chance to..." She frowns, trying to find the right words, "...Better myself. To become more than the weapon I was trained to be."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"We have that in common - I'm not proud of who I was back in my home world, either. I can't leave the Nexus, so I suppose my goal is to build a new life here. My name is Ben Solo."

He's become increasingly confident and comfortable in the use of his old name. It feels like taking his identity back from the darkness that consumed him for so long.

Ben recognizes a fellow Force user, and judging from her clothing he has a guess about her background. Those are Sith robes. Part of him is relieved that he's not the only one with darksider history in the Nexus. This stranger might be able to relate to his past more than most here, though he's decided to be cautious when discussing his personal history out of principle until he knows her better.

Even though he's no longer a practicing darksider, he himself still prefers dark clothes as a matter of personal taste. Ben has a suspicion that his dark traits will always be a part of him, just like his past as Kylo Ren, and the best he can do is hold them in check.

"Your ship is damaged?" Ben listens to the stranger explain her situation. "I was a pilot before I came to this place, among other things. If you would like, I might be able to help you with repairs at some point. It's only an offer, though." He smiles, but with some bitterness to it. "Consider yourself lucky that you have a home to return to."

[pathfromdarknesstogrey]

In Dia's case, it's probably easier to say that she's no longer actively practicing the Dark Side. She'll never be a Jedi, she's been steeped too long in the dark side of things for much too long. Too passionate and ruled by emotions, too pragmatic. But she tries to avoid using the Dark side of the Force as much as she can.

But it's not easy. It's frighteningly easy to relapse into old habits, particularly when she's frustrated or angry enough at someone or thing, in that she can lash out, use the Force with malicious, harmful intent instead of being its guide.

Being fair, she does prefer darker clothing as a general rule, as well.

"I've done things I'm not proud of. Particularly in hindsight since I've been on my own, away from certain influences." The Sith Empire, her old master, for two. But she was a slave, not raised in it so much as had to survive in it. She tries to temper her emotional side with more logic and critical thinking that many of her contemporaries. She has a talent for compartmentalizing her emotions, too, which helps. "I can't change the past, but I at least attempt to learn from what I've done. To be more."

"As for my ship, I'm .... willing to have assistance. It's a difficult and long road to fixing it."

As for going home, there's, well. It's definitely not a small part of her, but there's definitely a part of her that's debating not going back. Burn her bridges and disappear into the Nexus.

[jedied]

Rey has only just gotten here recently, herself. She's... fairly unphased by it, all things considered. It's been a good place to regroup when things get to be a little too much back home. Which, these days, seems like all the time.

Being the last Jedi with all your mentors gone isn't an easy thing to navigate. At least here, she'd gathered, was a chance to run into nearly anybody. She hasn't stumbled onto anyone from her own world yet, but there's always a first.

Speaking of which...

She feels the faint ping of recognition along the Force before she sees him, and at first ignores it, assuming it's something else entirely because she's fully unprepared for the reality that she's about to walk into. She'd just been wandering, taking in the scenery. Lost in her own head, mostly.

And then she hears a familiar voice and her head whips around to see him, sitting there on a bench and drinking a hot beverage like that's a normal thing for him to do. Which, she supposes, it is now.

She can't answer his question, though. She's too busy trying to find her voice.

"... Ben?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben hadn't forgotten Rey since Exegol, far from it. However, he had quickly learned that contacting her through the dyad to let her know he was alive here wouldn't work in the Nexus, and decided it would be better to cut his losses and focus on building a new life for himself. He honestly didn't expect to see her again.

She was alive and had a future in their world, an important role to fill. He, on the other hand, did not, something he accepted when he had died so that she could live.

When he feels the familiar presence in the Force in turn, he ignores it at first. He's sure he's imagining it, even in a place like this where seemingly anything can happen. It can't be her. It's his mind playing tricks on him.

However, Ben looks up from his drink when he hears her voice, at first sure he's imagining things, or that somehow the dyad's flickering to life again. Then he actually sees Rey. He blinks, then blinks again before he's satisfied this isn't some kind of illusion.

No, this is real, very real, and Ben's not sure what to say to her. There's so much he wants to say - relief to see her again, apologies, concern whether she came here through death, too - that he's overwhelmed. He slowly puts the hot chocolate down.

His expression's blank, then startled, like a deer caught in the headlights.

Ben's voice is clear when he addresses her, but only a little more than a whisper. "...Rey? Are you...?"

[jedied]

"I'm real."

The first time she'd come here that had been her concern; that this was all some strange hallucination. It had taken a few visits to get over that, and though she'd had the concept of meeting someone here who's dead in her world explained to her -- it was no stranger than the idea of Force ghosts, really -- she hadn't quite been prepared.

She wants to reach out, to touch him, to prove to herself that they're both real and really here, but she finds herself frozen to the spot, her limbs utterly refusing to obey.