Last On: The Uugteen save Klive, Poe, and the bunch by attacking Hux's men and overwhelming him with their numbers. Hux surrenders to Poe during the battle.

Chapter 40 - Reeducation

Ben was attending one of the most upbeat resistance meetings he'd been to yet. Poe had just briefed them on his portion of the events on Akiva that led to Hux being taken prisoner.

"And then Hugs says 'we surrender.'" Poe explained. The room was filled with sudden cheering and applause.

Ben couldn't help but think, if things had gone differently, these same people would be cheering his own capture instead. But then he heard Rey, beside him, chuckle, and it broke him out of it. That was not this reality.

"We still don't know what made the Uugteen attack the Stormtroopers, yet. I understand Ben and Rey have more to share on that point." Everyone in the room looked over to them. Ben and Rey had to tell their story.

"We were on Withrafisp Road, when we saw an Uugteen near the entrance to the Catacombs." Rey began.

"It was a child. We followed the Uugteen child, until she led us back to her people." Ben felt tempted to skip the part about the trap and their kissing.

"Well, the child eventually disappeared, and an elder Uugteen was there instead. We followed him right into…"

Ben was getting nervous now. "Into the Uugteen settlement where we persuaded them to join us."

"You persuaded a reclusive cloister of native Akivans to join the resistance." Leia did not sound convinced.

"Well… We had to prove ourselves first," Ben supplied.

"There was this trap, for Force Users. It only allowed a certain type of force energy to go through," Rey added.

"Light side or dark side?" One of the others asked.

Both Ben and Rey looked at each other nervously. "Neither… Or both." Rey said. Ben could feel his face blushing.

"Well, I look forward to hearing more about this later. I understand the Uugteen numbers rival our earlier estimates." Leia changed the subject, much to Ben's relief.

"Yes, it seems that they are impervious to life signs detection. They are asking to be given transport to the other First Order worlds. The ones who are still resisting Hux's call to surrender." said Dilly. He was low ranking in the resistance, but he took on a role of leadership in this last mission, and it seemed he had a knack for the role. "Also, Akiva, as well as seven other worlds are holding their elections next week. It seems, without the opposition, they were easy to arrange after all."

"Very good. Sounds like we are even closer to phase two, where governmental decisions will be made by an elected counsel. But first we need to get a local governing body set up on all worlds with elected members. The next bit of the First Order we need to stop is The Steadfast. It's a Resurgent-class battle cruiser under the command of a General Pryde. He's been flying supplies to the other remaining First Order worlds. Poe, I want you to figure out the tactics of going up against him. Evaluate the practicalities of using the Uugteen army, as well as the stormtrooper units which are now loyal to us."

"Yes, ma'am." said Poe.

"Finn, Ben. I want you two to work together on one more project. Design a way to undo the mental programming the First Order did to the Stormtroopers. We want them to be able to live normal lives after this, and membership in our military will be voluntary."

"Yes, ma'am." Finn said with an enthusiastic voice and a smile on his face. Ben couldn't help but feel excited too. The stormtrooper program was entirely Hux's creation, and it was always something he disapproved of, even before he left the First Order. His compassionate side, he supposed, the light that he was fighting back against then, it disapproved. Taking apart that program filled Ben with a peaceful feeling of right.

When everyone was leaving the room, Leia looked over at Ben. "Stay, please. I want to talk to you."

Ben felt nervous. Was this when she was going to ask more detailed questions about the Uugteen trap? "Mother, the trap was…" Ben began.

"Luke already told me about the trap." Leia said with a wink. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Leia reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. She handed it to Ben. "I wanted you to have this." Ben took the small box and opened it to reveal a ring. His mother's ring. Ben looked up in shock and his mother continued. "I didn't have to hear Luke's descriptions of what happened to know something's changed. You two have grown very close. I think it's time to give you this."

"But this is yours!" Ben stammered.

"Your father gave it to me, when he asked to be mine forever. It made me feel so special and loved. Now, I want you to have it. Go make that girl feel special." Leia said with a warm smile.

Ben smiled. He felt that feeling of contentment again. It was right. His father was important to Rey too, so a ring Han purchased, given by someone she loved, would be special for her.

"Thank you," Ben said with tears in his eyes. Leia reached over and hugged him.

Later that evening Ben returned to his quarters and was surprised when two Force Ghosts walked in.

"You're going to propose! This is great news." Anakin was smiling and excited.

"I agree. You and Rey will make each other very happy," Said the more solemn Luke.

"In a few days you'll be heading to Chandrilla for Resistance business and I think the location's perfect. Now, it took some time to plan, but I've worked it all out." Anakin waved his hands and images began to pop up on the table like a holo-projector was under it.

"Anakin, I think we should leave this part to the kid," Luke tried to put in.

"Oh, Luke. Stop being bantha fodder. Now Ben, To fly the banner, do you think we want an X-wing or a Star Commuter?"

"Actually, I was thinking of going simple. Just Rey and I on a walk through Junari Point," said Ben.

Anakin noded. "Ok, simple."

Ben, seeing his grandfather accept his plans, went to grab what he came to his room for, and then walked out.

"I told you so." Luke stepped closer to see what Anakin was doing.

Anakin stayed examining the holo like images he made appear on the table. "He wants simple. I can do simple. It just needs a few alterations. We'll go with just one Fathier pulled carriage, and limit the band to just one vocalist." Luke rolled his eyes. "Instead of crowds of strangers, we'll have just family and friends in the park center. And we're still gonna get it on camera, though we'll go without the live broadcast." Anakin continued to plan out loud, even though Luke had since walked away and vanished from the relm.

After Hux surrendered to Poe on the battlefield, he was transferred first to the missing Star Dreadnought the Resistance had stolen for Ren, and then to a prison on a planet somewhere. Hux wasn't expecting to be alive for long. He knew he'd likely be executed once they figured they had no more use for him.

Still, the prison was a bit more comfortable than the brig on the dreadnought had been. He had more space in his cell, and limited social contact with other prisoners.

One day he was in the social area playing a game with a couple other prisoners when there was a disturbance in another part of the prison. The guards transferred a few prisoners to his cell block from the other section. One was a Crolute, and he was brought in strapped to a table and confined to a cell right away. He was screaming constantly. Hux suspected they had him hooked up to a torture device, but he could see no such devices.

"What did he do?" Hux's voice shook as he asked his fellow prisoner.

"Don't know. He's got an InfernaWorm. He'll be screaming like that all night long. Usually they keep him in the isolation section, but it's been closed for repairs. Now they've been moving him around. It seems D-block went mad listening to him all day and night. Now it's our turn."

For once Hux was doubting his theories on a clean, easy execution. He doubted, whatever this guy did, that there was anyone Kylo Ren hated more than himself.

Ben served as the figurehead for the new quasi empire for several more months. During which, he and Finn began a program to reeducate stormtroopers. The stormtrooper quarters on several worlds were renovated to give them more room. Special family quarters were also added to add an incentive for volunteers to join. Amongst their first residents was a family of two former troopers, now known as Klive and Kelly, along with their adopted Besalisk son, affectionately named Kylo.

After the war, Finn and Rose married and began a University program, designed to continue to educate those troopers who chose to leave the army. Poe continued to serve with the Resistance high command as long as he was needed, then eventually transferred to the army where he commanded a troop of former stormtroopers and volunteer soldiers.

Four months later, the state of things had finally progressed to a point where Kylo's own position could be put up for election. Ben gladly signed the order, and gave the position over to the galaxy's first ever elected supreme leader, Dillon Degorn, also known as Dilly. The position didn't have many of it's former powers, but amongst its' powers it did grant the ability to veto decisions made by the counsel, and to force the counsel to vote on important issues.

Ben retired from his short lived political career eager to settle down on Chandrilla with his new wife. But before he left, there was somewhere he had to go first.

As Ben walks into the Falleen Prison, he's greeted by two familiar reptilian faces. "Yell, Hal," Ben greeted.

"Solo Ben," the two bowed to greet him in the Prison entrance way. "We heard you were coming this way, and we wanted to say thank you. You have done so much for our people. We are no longer slaving away in the factories and mines all day for enough to feed our families," said Hal.

"We've actually opened up our own business." Yell hands Ben a small card reading Sevőn-Charr Clothing and Textiles.

"Wow, congratulations," Ben says. "It hasn't all been my doing, but Falleen has done a lot for the new United Planets Republic, it's well deserved." said Ben. The new republic's name, often abbreviated UPR, had been debated for weeks by the counsel. Ben actually had to use his force vote power to get them to vote and move on when another major issue broke out in the Outer-rim. He liked the name. It beat calling it his own quasi-empire.

After saying goodbye to those two, Ben walked up to the office of the prison. He handed the on-duty officer his ID card, and the special papers he brought granting him the permissions necessary to visit with the Prisoner he intended to see.

Ben waited in the visitor area for the guards to summon him. When Hux walked in for a moment Ben was tempted to let the anger boil over again. But he had come here for a purpose, and that wasn't a part of it.

Hux sits down in the prisoners section of the room, behind a thick transparisteel wall. "Well, well, well. It's Kylo Ren himself. All the way here to see me."

"Ben."

"Hm?"

"It's Ben."

Hux shakes his head. "You may have reclaimed your former name, but I know you Ren. That boy is dead, and you are still a walking puppet. How's your Mommy doing?"

Ben grimaced. Then he remembered he couldn't let men like Hux control him anymore. "Mother's doing well. Was almost elected to my old position, but she turned it down. Decided to retire, now that the galaxy has peace, and democracy again."

"Democracy. We'll see how long that lasts." Hux spat at the screen.

"It's over Armitage. The First Order has been disassembled. It's members were either reabsorbed happily into the current system or imprisoned for life in places you'll never find them. You have nothing left, outside of this prison. Even your precious stormtrooper program has been ended. Finn and I, we've been undoing your brainwashing, and it's come to my attention that we've still got one more trooper left."

"Finn? You don't mean?"

"Formerly the trooper FN-2187, yes. I managed to secure a pardon for you during my last days in office. From here, you will go to Finn's facility in Coruscant, where you will be under his authority and domain."

"I'd rather die!" Hux shouts.

"You don't have that option." Ben says coolly. "I'm in charge of your transport, and I choose forgiveness. If it makes any difference, most of your fellow troopers had the same reaction their first day of reeducation. They turned out pretty well. I have the same hope for you."

Everyone, I hope you've enjoyed my story. It was a lot of fun to write. With this chapter this story is finished. I have started two other fanfiction stories, and if you liked this one, you may like one of them as well. Click my username to go to my profile to see them linked under there. My other stories are titled:

The Skywalker Tale: A Legacy Restored

And...

Return of the Survivors

This last one is new, I published it last Saturday. I was going to just stick with the one, but then I had a dream and I had to start it too. I have new chapters to both works in the process of being written right now, but I wasn't going to make you wait any longer for this.