Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

He could only think of her. Her missing presence. Her beautiful blonde hair and the way it glimmered in the sunlight. How soft it was when he touched it. Her dainty little hands that could pull the trigger of a blaster with such grace, it seemed like an art form. Her light blue eyes that looked almost like the kyber crystal he had used for his lightsaber. And her lips. So full. So blissful. Puckered red to perfection.

But Eliza left without saying goodbye. Leia said she had to go on a trade run, something along the line of dealing with some unwanted spice-runners in the Outer Rim territories. Yet Ben had a sickening feeling that it was his fault for her departure. He kissed her too soon. Way too soon. He had been admiring her from afar for weeks, and eventually confronted her. They started out as…well… “friends” you could say, but Ben went too fast. And now she had gone.

He looked out at the thick forest around him. Endor was a beautiful place, but at this moment he couldn’t even appreciate it. He was sitting at the spot, their spot, next to a tree that had been hallowed out because of a lighting storm. He had kissed her right there, inside the redwood giant.

“Are you ever going to stop moping?” a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I’m not…” Ben began, looking up at Poe. He tried to give an innocent facial expression, yet it probably looked only more heartbroken than before.

“You are. It’s about that Eliza girl, right?”

He nodded hesitantly.

“Man, she’s only one girl. And it was a stupid crush! Why does this mean so much to you?” Poe questioned. He took a seat next to Ben and gave him a playful shove. It barely moved his sulking body.

“She’s not just one girl,” Ben sighed. “And I think I’m the reason she left.”

“Nah, she barely knew you, that can’t be the reason.”
“I kissed her,” Ben blurted.

Poe looked at him with wide eyes, then broke the silence with his laughter.

“You’re joking,” he said after recovering from his outburst of laughter. Ben breathed in deeply and put his head in his hands. His fingers ran through his black hair anxiously. “Oh my gosh, you’re not joking.”

Poe put an arm around Ben, almost slowly as if Ben could explode at any moment.

“If she left you, she’s not worth it. You’re time, your sulking, not worth any of that. You know, she was always a bit slimy. I swear, I think she’s a spice-runner herself,” Poe tried to comfort him. He was epically failing.

“I should have waited! I was too impulsive!” Ben argued. “And she did mean so much to me!”

“Really?” Poe sighed. The girl had only been around for a few weeks. Nobody could gain that sort of connection within a few weeks. And he had only talked to her for the first time two days beforehand. Ben’s timing was always off.

“Yes, really!”

“What did you love about her?” he tested.

“She’s beautiful! Did you really not see her at all?…”
“No, Ben! Her heart, her personality. What did you love about her. Looks are just likes,” Poe urged.

“Well… I know she grew up on the planet Lothal…”

“That’s just a fact about her. Has nothing to do with her heart or personality. And that’s not an eligible reason to love her. Heck, I even knew that! You weren’t in love with her, neither was she with you.”

“Well, I knew the later part already,” Ben sighed. Or she would’ve stayed, he wanted to add. He didn’t and tried to accept that fact that, no, he didn’t love her. But this lonely feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn’t go away.

“Now, the whole reason I’m here wasn’t to talk about Miss Runaway Eliza, believe it or not,” Poe continued. “Leia sent me to bring you back to base camp. We have to leave now, reports of a few of Palpatine’s henchmen were spotted in one of the marketplaces in Atrisia. She predicts they’re going to try to make deals with local government officials, maybe scope out the area for battle plans and possibly kidnap some of the youth to recruit new soldiers and followers. Really it’s kinda unpredictable with the Palpatines.”

“We have been at war with them for centuries, what’s new,” Ben shrugged and got up.

“Your mother wants you on the front line, she thinks you can find a way to tag along and locate their hidden base,” Poe added.

“And I will do her will,” he responded sarcastically and kept walking.

“No, really Ben,” Poe grabbed his arm so they were facing each other. “We could end this. Once we know their location we can advance. We have the technology, the weapons. They’ll be no more and the universe will be safe from their oppression. Plus there’s nobody to continue Palpatine’s reign. He has no heir.”
Ben nodded. But that’s what everyone said. That’s what his mother thought when she was his age. But this war still had never ended. Generations had lived through it, not to mention the fact that Palpatine had found ways to live for hundreds of years. Ben still didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

“Plus, this might serve as an amazing distraction from the missing-love-of-your-life,” he added.

“I get it, she’s not that important,” Ben moaned, hoping Poe would stop talking about the topic.

“I’ll keep on nagging you about it until you believe it too.”
Poe once again put an arm around Ben’s shoulder and walked with him back towards the base camp. “Now we should hurry before Leia sends out the scouting team without us."

PALPATINE

“You requested me?”

“Ah, yes,” the old Sith Lord muttered slowly, as if he was still comprehending the idea. Even with his calm demeanor, Kira knew that Palpatine wasn’t to be questioned. “I have seen your training, your growth. I believe it is time.”

“To use me?” she spat back. Kira knew her grandfather’s tactics. He used people, never cared for anyone’s well being except his own.

“No, for you to serve me,” he corrected her. His tone didn’t change but his stare did. Kira could feel it burn into her skin. “You know you will someday inherit this throne. Continue our family’s legacy. When I found that finally my son had a Force-sensitive daughter, I knew you would be the one.”

Kira nodded. She was proud of that. She knew she could beat anyone (that she had fought so far) in a fight, even her father’s guards who had been trained since birth. And she too had been trained at an early age, grown with the Force. Grown up with her family’s ordeals. Her family’s wanted legacy, to rule the entire galaxy. And he grandfather had her believe that she would be the one to fulfill it.

“There’s conflict in the planet Atrisia, the government there is weak and in disorder,” he continued, a small wicked smile appeared on his lips, “which is why you’ll be sent to kill the main leaders.”

Of all missions an assassination was her first.

“Once the planet is in total disarray we will sent troops and put it under our control. Just adding one more planet to the many that serve our family’s name. You will not let me down, Kira?”

“Of course not Grandfather,” she responded, then bowed before him. Strands of her brown straight hair fell into her face. She reminded herself that she needed to braid some of it back before the mission so it wouldn’t get in the way.

“Good, you’ll leave with a few of my most skilled guardsmen. Be sure I don’t hear any reports of hesitance. An empress can’t be weak,” he finished. Then waved her off.

Kira stood, and walked out of the throne room door. Her deadly black dress whipped around her ankles from the movement. The guards were waiting, each holding a heavy duty blaster and a special spear: one that wouldn’t break at the touch of a lightsaber. She had a small blaster of her own attached to a holster near her waist. The holster also held her double-sided saber.

Without a word from the attentive guards, they entered a sleek black transport ship, polished to perfection. They wouldn’t stand out among the rest of the luxury ships that docked in the Atrisia landing pads. Hopefully they would go unnoticed until the act was done.

Kira sat in her seat and waited as the pilot to began the lift off procedures. And before she knew it they were traveling through light-speed and approaching their destination.

“Here,” one of the guardsmen, Ulkar, handed her a black cloak.

Kira looked up at him, questioning why he was giving this to her.

“So people won’t recognize you,” he stated.

“We will be taking over the entire planet soon enough. Discretion is the least of our worries,” she responded, with the same matter-of-fact like tone. She wanted to add in the fact that nobody even knew she existed. Her grandfather had made sure to keep her birth and entire life a secret. Nobody knew there was another Palpatine. Nobody would “recognize” her. But she didn’t say any of that.

“Encase things don’t go to plan,” he nearly scolded. Even though she was to be the next empress, the guards never treated her like it. She hated it, their underestimation of her abilities.

“Do you not believe that I’ll complete the mission?” she inquired.

“I believe that this is your first real mission and you have no clue what to expect,” he shot back. The rest of the guards sat around them, unfazed by the argument.

Kira sighed and took the cloak, pulling the hood over her head. Ulkar was Palpatine’s right hand. He would believe him over anything Kira had to say. If he reported any type of mistrust or disobedience from her, well Kira knew what would happen. It wouldn’t be pretty.

The ship eventually landed, and a few of the guards made their way out the door, some idling near the entrance of the ship (keeping lookout) while others followed her out the door and into the grand city.

Buildings, both big and small, were built along one large hillside. Each one seemed to be made with the same light grey rock bricks which were sturdy and pleasing to the eye. Unlike her grandfather, Kira liked soft and pale colors. Such contrast to her black robes.

At the top of the hill was the largest structure, decked with wondrous arches and domes. That was where the Chancellor lived: the “Capitol”. They would start the operation at midnight. The plan was to sneak through the garden entrance, and onto a balcony on the second level. From there the break in was simple. In, kill, out.

The sun had already disappeared over the landscape, littered with small hills and mountain ranges. Only half an hour before strike time, she had to get moving.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben made his way through the Atrisia streets, alone. Leia had them break apart to cover more ground, sending each scout with a dull flashlight, and a pocket blaster (nothing that would make them stand out, large blasters were too risky). Ben was personally armed with his own lightsaber, yet it didn’t make him feel any more confident at the task ahead of him. These were Palpatine’s men, highly skilled, ready to kill. Even with his Force sensitive abilities, they seemed to have the upper hand.

He was assigned to the Capitol building, pacing around the front entrance to catch anything suspicious. In all honesty, this last minute mission did get his mind off of Eliza. The city was breathtaking. And the fact that all his focus had to be on the Chancellor’s safety made it easier to not think of the blonde. He went through the steps of his plan incase he caught anything:
1) Chase
2) Blastdown/injure (if possible)
3) Take prisoners (again if possible)
4) Follow to base (if they can’t be caught)

Ben remembered exactly where his X-Wing was parked, south side of the landing pad. He told himself he was ready for whatever was going to come his way.

That’s when a slight rustle was heard from the garden entrance of the building. Some would assume it’s a random animal lurking in the bushes, but Ben knew better. Plus, he had sensed a presence.

Quietly, he rushed to the garden entrance, running on the balls of his feet. Luke had taught him the tactic, made for fast but silent running.

This invader was quick at his work, before Ben could even reach the garden gates, he saw a dark shadowy figure slip through the balcony window. How it became unlocked, he didn’t know.

But this person had a mission. With reason, he figured it was an assassination. Who else would want to sneak into the Capitol building at midnight? He had to be quick.

Using the Force, Ben leapt up onto the balcony and entered through the now open window. The figure was already gone, leaving no trace behind. The dark hallway was unfamiliar, a few portraits hung on the walls with fancy and valuable objects displayed on pedestals. No signs of theft, his suspicions of an assassination were only confirmed.

Which meant… the intruder was heading towards the Chancellor’s quarters. In a full on sprint, Ben darted down the hallway. Who cared about discretion, somebody’s life was on the line.

He almost passed the narrow corridor if it wasn’t for a red glow of a lightsaber. Red glow. A Sith.

Ben’s heart froze in his chest. A Sith. He let the realization wash over him. Another Force sensitive on the dark-side. Palpatine had a heir, they just didn’t know it!

He ran into the room and shot at the intruder, who blocked the blasts before it could hit him. The long black robes covered most of his body, a cloak blocking his face. No way to identify the killer.

Before Ben could even think, the figure had found its way out of another window he swore wasn’t open before, and jumped to the ground. Ben hurried to the window, then followed the same path, chasing the man in the black robes. His fingers reached for his lightsaber and her turned it on, while with the other hand, he used his blaster to try to injure the fugitive.

Without the protection of a lightsaber, which the Sith man had reattached to his holster, the blasts eventually hit him, causing him to tumble to the stone ground. Just as quickly as he had fell, he got back up, half limping, half running away. But now he was slower, and Ben could catch up.

The chase continued until the landing pads were nearly within sight. The figure was nimble, almost sneaky, zigging and zagging between tight alleyways, off of walls and scaling small buildings. Something that was challenging for Ben with his muscular build.

He eventually caught him though, pushing the figure down with the Force and pulling the hood of his head. Or who Ben thought was a he.

There, staring back up at him was a girl, about the same age as him. She held her now ignited red saber up to block his blue one. She was… she was a Sith. Her dress: a solid black like the night sky. Her hair: brown and a portion of it tied up in a few short braids, the rest flowing freely. Her face: strong but poised. Her eyes, however, they looked scared but determined and also, somehow, sad too. How could so many emotions be shown through a pair of hazel eyes. His arm paused in motion and he didn’t follow through his swing.

At that moment, with the Force, she pushed him away and ran off, still heading towards the landing pads. His job was to follow them, to find their base. Lucky enough for him, he wanted to follow her anyways, mission or no mission.

She had captivated him.

PALPATINE

No, no, no, no, no. NO! The single word was running through her head on loop as she returned to the transport. Of course some of the guards saw the Jedi. They had followed her to the Capital building. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t complete the mission.

But it was. It was all her fault. No, no, no, no! The words continued to scurry through her brain, now she was in her seat. The few guards who followed her looked at her with disapproval. They knew what she didn’t do.

No. NO. NO! It’s not like Kira had wanted to kill the Chancellor. That was the difference between her and the other guards. They loved to kill. The difference between her and her grandfather. He loved to make others suffer. No, she didn’t like the killing, but she killed so she wouldn’t get the punishment if she didn’t. Sure, Emperor Palpatine was her family, even by blood, but he didn’t care for her like family.

She hoped all her obedience in the simple bounty tasks she preformed for training would be enough. Her lightsaber dueling skills would be enough. Her effort in this incomplete mission would be enough. Enough for her to not be… she didn’t even want to complete the thought. She knew it wouldn’t be enough. Even if she had completed the mission, it probably still wouldn’t be enough. It was never enough for Palpatine.

And that Jedi. She knew who he was. A Skywalker. Palpatine had told her about him since her birth, how she had to preform above him. That she had to surpass his abilities. That someday, she would bring the end to his life.

He didn’t seem like the ill-natured scum her grandfather painted all Skywalkers to be. He had let her go. He had barely even hurt her.

He was weak then, she settled on the thought. But no, he wasn’t. She could sense his strength, as he could sense hers. He wasn’t weak. Then why did he let her go?

It was a confusing thought. Even the guards she dueled with as a kid didn’t treat her like that, with “compassion”. If she didn’t block their swings, pain was the punishment.

Speaking of punishment, the ship had left light-speed and was approaching the desolate Dromund Fels landscape. Nothing but trees surrounded the cleared out landing pad for miles, other than the one lasting structure Emperor Palpatine had found fitting as his “temple”. It was a decently tall and large building made out of stone bricks. It had a grand courtyard in the front of the entrance, decorated with statues of old Sith leaders and of course, those of the Emperor Palpatine.

Kira found it almost ironic that such a beautiful structure could be home to the most evil Force-users. And she shivered at the thought that she was one of them. Palpatine knew she had her mother’s heart in her. A conscience. A little voice in her head that told her that everything she did was evil and wrong. Palpatine had tried to rid her of this heart through training, punishment and torture. Not to mention his various attempts at brainwashing her mind. But they never worked.

As she walked towards the entrance of the building, she found Ulkar’s hand grip her arm tightly. His fingers easily wrapped around her bicep muscles.

“What are you…?”

“You failed. You will pay the price for it,” he interrupted. Not a trace of any emotion, not even anger, was in his tone.

“It’s not like I can run from him. I believe I can walk to the throne room on my own,” she tested. She knew she shouldn’t have. But somehow this stupid idea found its way into her head, and the words made it past her lips.

One fast slap across her face shut her up, and Ulkar continued to pull her towards the throne room. His grip only becoming tighter and tighter as they walked.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

“Approaching Dromund Fels now,” Ben said into the com.

He knew he should’ve turned off his communication systems once entering light-speed, yet he wanted his mother to know at least which planet the Palpatines were located at, just incase… he didn’t return.

Heck! He was entering the enemy’s territory, the chances of not getting caught were low. But he knew what he had to do.

“Be careful Ben, simple analyzation of the planet and their resources, then head back. Let D-0 do all the hard work. Stay near the perimeter. Do NOT infiltrate,” Leia warned.

“Yes, yes, I got it General,” Ben muttered while flicking some switches and starting his decent onto the planet.

“Ben, stay safe. I love you,” she added. Ben could just imagine her soft but still worried smile as she said it.

“I will,” he responded, then finally switched off the coms. He landed his X-Wing a few miles away from the landing pad, near an open plain. The planet was populated by forest and there only seemed to be one building in sight. He predicted it was a temple.

He found it odd as he neared the building. No significant troops, no heavy artillery, no star-destroyer-like ships. Only a few guards stood at the entrance, but barely any compared to what he predicted. Where was all this “power” the evil Palpatine was said to have?

Remembering the guards at the entrance, Ben went off towards the side of the temple, still staying near the perimeter.

“Go on D-0, do your thing,” Ben urged and the little droid rolled away, heading towards the courtyard. Ben on the other hand made his way to the back of the temple were another small outdoor area was located.

It seemed like a training yard, lines were gritted into the tightly packed dirt ground, rocks were piled to use as training dummies and targets were lined up against trees for blaster practice.

A shuffle was heard coming from the temple and heading towards him. Quickly, Ben ducked behind one of the stone walls and waited.

The shuffling stopped and the sound of a lightsaber being ignited filled the silence. Ben panicked. They know I’m here! he thought in his head. But to his surprise, there were no footsteps heading his way. Instead he heard the lightsaber swoosh this way and that, almost violently. The sound intensified, the swings growing stronger and stronger and fast and faster until the sound of a lightsaber melting rock could be heard from the training area.

Ben peeked around the wall, and there was that girl again. She wasn’t wearing a dress, but a pair of tight black pants and a matching shirt that fit more loosely on her slim figure. The shirt was shortsleeved, her shoulders would be exposed if not for the dark grey cloak she was wearing. The hood didn’t cover her head, instead it fell onto her back, leaving her face visible for him to see.

Yes, it was the same girl, but something was different about her, he just didn’t know what.

She turned off her saber and looked behind her back, checking the door she had emerged from. Without warning, she ran off and into the dense forest until she was out of sight. Maybe she would tell him something, so Ben followed.

The humid air of the early morning filled his nose as he ran after her. It had been a good ten minutes and he was still running at full speed to catch up with the girl. What if this was a trap? What if she had known he was there all along? But Ben felt an odd feeling towards her. Not hate. Not fear. Not even admiration. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but when he saw her eyes, he knew he couldn’t fight her. So he wouldn’t. Even if this was all a trap. He wouldn’t fight her.

Ben came to a stop as he saw her. She was sitting on the edge of a riverbank, her feet in the clear water. His foot stepped on a branch causing a crack, yet she didn’t turn around to look at him. Her back still face him, and she didn’t even acknowledge his presence.

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

“You know who I am,” she responded, still not looking at him. Her voice sounded constricted, like she was holding back sobs.

“No, I don’t,” he countered.

“You know enough. You know that we’re enemies. You know that I’m a Sith,” she shot back. “You should just kill me now, while you have the chance.”

There it was again, the memory of how her eyes looked at him. Those sad and scared eyes.

Ben didn’t respond but walked closer to her, until he was sitting only a few feet away from her along the edge of the river.

He looked at her. He told himself that he was trying to gain information on the enemy, but his heart told him something else. He wanted to see her.

She turned her face towards him slightly, feeling his gaze on her body, on her face. She knew what it felt like to be observed, but this was different. He looked at her a way nobody else had.

As Ben watched her, he noticed things. Things he hadn’t seen there before. Slashes across her arms, bruises along her forehead, two large and bleeding wounds along her side. She felt his stare on her injuries, and used her cloak to cover them, as if dismissing that they even existed.

“I didn’t give you those,” he finally spoke.

“I know,” she responded, refusing to elaborate.

The two of them sat in silence, until Ben got antsy and almost uncomfortable with it.

“What’s your name?” he finally asked. He could’ve asked any other question. Questions that would be useful if answered. Where’s your army? What weapons do you use? How many planets have you already gained control over? But no, he asked for her name.

“Kir…” she began, then stopped. “Rey.”

Her voice was light, almost fragile.

“Like the sun,” he nodded at the name, then gave his own. “I’m Ben.”

He swore he saw her smile, but then he wasn’t so sure. For a girl that was pledged as a Sith she seemed too soft, too… would “kind” fit the description? Well, she didn’t try to kill him, that was pretty kind of her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said after a while, her eyes were fixed on the stream. “If they find you…”
“I’ll be sure not to get caught,” he replied. “How did you get…”

“I need to go,” she interrupted him. “Before they look for me.”

“Look for you?”

But before Ben could even ask the whole question, she had already disappeared into the forest and was out of sight.

Rey. He smiled once again at the name.

PALPATINE

Kira ran back towards the temple. She didn’t know how long she was gone, but she didn’t care. She hated that lie. The lie she told him. They would look for her, yes, but not right now. They knew she was “training”. She just had to get away from that Jedi. To get away from Ben.

Silently, she scolded herself on how stupid and foolish she was. He saw her in her most vulnerable state, and she let him. He didn’t fear her, and she should’ve made it so that he did. Let him know that she wasn’t to be messed with. But instead she asked him to kill her if he wanted, she let him see her, she told him her name. Her real name. And she even smiled a bit. Smiled to the enemy! When was the last time she had smiled? Too long ago that she didn’t remember.

“He did a number on you,” a familiar voice spoke from behind her. By now she was on the training grounds, sitting on ta small boulder, her mind occupied by her thoughts.

Alastor looked down at her, his dirty-blonde hair fell into his face and he pushed it back. Kira just nodded, didn’t even engage in eye contact. She didn’t want to deal with her fellow Sith trainee at the moment.

“I never thought you would do it, you know, actually complete your first mission. When it comes down to it, you’ve always been the weaker one…”
“Alastor, don’t,” she gritted through her teeth.

“And somehow he always chooses you. Because you have ‘the Force’. I wouldn’t have failed him,” he continued anyways.

“Does it look like I want to do it? Any of it? No! No I don’t! But you know I can’t walk away, and you know why he always chooses me! I’d rather it be you,” Kira stood up to meet his gaze.

He just stifled a sarcastic laugh to her response, then muttered back a reply as he walked back into the temple.

“Yeah, giving into the lightside of the Force, as I thought.”

Kira took in a deep breath as he walked away. Black robes flowing in the wind. He had known her secret for a while, that she wanted no part in her family’s ordeals, ever since Palpatine had chosen her as his next heir instead of him. But for some reason Alastor never told anyone about her being drawn to the light, never told Ulkar or Palpatine. Kira like to think that maybe the reason was that he cared for her, but now she wasn’t so sure. There always was a tension between them, on who would come out on top. And he always held it against her the fact that she won.

But now she had a larger secret on her hands. She had to make sure nobody, not even Alastor, could figure out this one.

She wanted to return to the forest, her secret spot by the river. Now that Ben knew about it, it seemed less so. Not even Alastor had known about her river.

But she was afraid that he would still be there. She was afraid of the fact that half of her hoped he would be waiting at the river. Was that a bad thing? That was definitely a bad thing.

Instead, she headed back behind the temple where a secret staircase was hidden. The entrance to these stairs was tucked away behind a few hanging vines. The stairs themselves were covered with a thick layer of dark green moss, which make her walking silent as she climbed the steps.

To keep the staircase a secret, she didn’t dare to add any lanterns to any of the walls. But even in the pitch black, Kira continued up the staircase without any problem. She knew every turn, crack and step by heart. She had been scaling the flight of stairs since she was a child.

Eventually, Kira made it to the top of the staircase, where it led her to a flat portion of the roof. Ventured out onto the roof and sat down on one of the more slanted ledges. The cool dark rock felt since against her throbbing bruises and she closed her eyes as a slight wind flowed by.

She liked to think she could see the whole universe from up here. Most nights, with the amount of planets and stars she could see twinkling at her, she believed it. Some nights, she would try to count the stars, identify the constellations and different systems in this galaxy she called her home.

And she though about all the millions and billions and trillions of people, aliens and creatures that feared her last name. All the people that didn’t know that she existed. Now with Ben knowing about her, that might change. The Skywalkers wouldn’t waste a minute sending the memo out to all their allies.

But there was something oddly comforting about the fact that somebody else knew about her. That Ben knew about her. That maybe her whole existence wasn’t just about serving her grandfather. That maybe there was something more.

She smiled up at the sky. The stars were beginning to disappear as the sun rose over the horizon. Ben was somewhere in that galaxy. Maybe they would meet again.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

“So, nothing? Just the emperor and some guards inhabit the planet?” Poe questioned.

Ben and D-0 had given the troops the rundown on Dromund Fels. D-0 had confirmed that the whole temple barely held any artillery, a total of six ships (four of them being transports), and the whole temple just housed a few guards and Palpatine himself.

“Yes, but we predict that he must have an army on another planet. Or a different base. We have all seen first hand what his army has done, how he has taken control of entire planets and systems,” Ben explained.

“Wait, remind us the whole reason why Palpatine’s men were on Atrisia,” Finn asked. He had stayed back at the base and barely knew what was going on.

“I believe it was an assassination attempt. They wanted to kill the Chancellor,” he clarified.

“So the Emperor himself went to complete the assassination? He’s known not to trust his guards with those sorts of missions,” Finn continued.

Ben sucked in a breath. He should tell them, warn his family that there was another Palpatine, and heir to his Sith throne. But Rey… she didn’t seem like a Sith. She didn’t seem evil. It seemedd like she didn’t even want to kill the Chancellor. If everyone knew about her, what would happen to her? He would probably be sent to kill her. And Ben knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t do that.

“You’re taking a while to answer, is there something you don’t wish to tell us, nephew,” an older voice asked. It was Luke.

He gave Ben a half scolding, half knowing glance. Luke would know if he lied, he would sense it. So Ben now had to tell the truth.

“Palpatine has a heir. A Sith to inherit the throne,” Ben sighed.

The whole room went quiet. The admirals, generals and commanders looked to one another with questioning glances. Poe locked eyes with Finn, then flickered his gaze to Ben.

“How old is he? When will he come to power?” Admiral Ackbar asked. Ben could already tell that the alien’s mind was going into panic mode.

“Not a he, a she. And I don’t know. I didn’t get a good look at her.”

That was a lie, but he had managed to say it before Luke could even sense the apprehension. He had gotten a detailed look at her, he just didn’t want anyone else asking more questions about Rey. He owed her that for not killing him.

“Thank you Ben, this has been great help. You are all dismissed. A meeting will be set to discuss our next move tomorrow. For now, we’ll rest,” Leia explained and everyone filed out of the meeting room.

“Ben,” Luke called once they were outside. It was almost morning, and he wanted to get at least an hour of sleep before the sun came up.

“Yes, Master?” he asked and turned around to face his uncle.

“Why didn’t you mention the heir earlier? You seemed to want to keep the topic a secret,” he inquired.

Ben shrugged, “I thought we deserved some good news.”

“By keeping some of the most important information to yourself? What if we came across her in battle? We wouldn’t be prepared to fight another Force-sensitive!” Luke continued. “Speaking of which, we’ll start new training tactics tomorrow. You must be prepared, all Sith and Palpatines are ruthless and deadly. She’s most likely been trained all her life just to defeat you, and I won’t let that happen.”

“Yes, Master,” he nodded. Though he didn’t mean it. Luke was wrong, not all Palpatines were ruthless. Rey wasn’t ruthless, yet she most definitely was deadly, as was he.

PALPATINE

Kira trained for hours on end, her winning each duel against Alastor and even Ulkar, which only intensified Ulkar’s rage towards her.

“You see, my Kira,” Palpatine muttered, “if you fought the Jedi like you duel Alastor and Ulkar, you would’ve killed him and the Chancellor. Both threats would be long gone by now.”

“The Jedi was strong with the Force and greatly skilled,” she responded, out of breath and winded. Alastor took the opportunity to jab her with a spear, creating a fresh cut across her shoulder. She just ignored it and faced the Emperor.

“Well, he will not be as lucky next time, will he? I hope you learned your lesson from last time. You will not fail me again, will you?” he almost taunted.

“Of course not,” she responded. The memory of the “punishment” from only a few days before replayed in her head and she shuddered. But, she didn’t want to obey him. Obeying him meant killing Ben.

“Good, continue on then,” he said, and watched as the three of them continued to duel.

Alastor was putting up a good fight, probably to try to prove his worth, Kira thought. Maybe if Alastor gained her grandfather’s favor, she wouldn’t have to kill the Jedi. But what was worse. Her killing Ben or her watching Alastor kill Ben. She didn’t know quite yet.

She cursed her mind for roaming over that topic. Ben this. Ben that. She couldn’t get him out of her head. His soft smile, kind words, laughing eyes. Why did she feel giddy and almost happy thinking about him.

The jab of a spear to her right thigh pulled her out of her thoughts. Alastor had pushed her backwards and onto the dirt training grounds floor. He pointed the spear at her, it’s sharp point only inches away from her neck.

“Good Alastor, you will make a promising guard,” Palpatine muttered. “And Kira, you shouldn’t be that easily overtaken. Duel again.”

Again and again, they dueled. Kira let Alastor win enough to grab her grandfather’s eye, but won enough so she wouldn’t seem weak. It seemed to work enough that four hours later, he let her train on her own, without his watchful and piercing gaze over her.

She thanked him, and before Alastor could even speak, she had ran out of the training grounds and through the forest. She needed some time alone.

***

Her heart stopped at the sight. She thought maybe she was hallucinating, or that this was a foolish vision. But no, there he was, the Jedi, sitting along the riverbank.

“What… how?” she asked, barely getting the words out of her suddenly dry throat.

“I was sent here, again, to spy on you or something along those lines. Oh right, how my uncle explained it: learn your training tactics,” he turned to her. His eyes twinkled at her confused expression.

“And why weren’t you ‘learning my training tactics’,” she asked, still keeping her distance. But for some reason she didn’t want to. She wanted to sit next to him along the riverbank.

“Because I’ve made up my mind that I’m not going to fight you. So be it if I get killed,” he said almost jokingly, then then his voice became serious. And Rey felt her insides flutter. “No matter what my master tells me, I feel like I know you Rey. In a way I haven’t known anyone. You’re not evil. You’re not a Sith, or at least you don’t want to be. You’re…”
Suddenly, Rey could her some shuffling in the thicket behind her. It wasn’t an animal, but human feet walking towards her.

Her eyes went wide and she motioned for Ben to hide behind one of the taller bushes on the other side of the river. As if knowing her thoughts, he jumped across the stream and ducked behind the brush. Its thorny leaves and branches puncture his skin, yet he didn’t dare to make a sound.

“There you are.”

Rey turned to find Alastor staring at her.

“You know I like to train here alone, Alastor,” she explained, trying to get him to leave. She didn’t know how long Ben would last behind that bush. Only after she had motioned for him to duck behind it did she remember that it was poisonous, a few cuts to the skin could nearly kill you.

“Yeah, train here,” he said with a tinge of sarcasm. “Why were you pulling your swings, Kira?”

Oh, Kira, right. Her mind quickly made the mental switch back to her fake name. It felt so good to be called Rey, she like the name coming off of Ben’s lips. Now hearing Kira being spat off of Alastor’s made her wince.

“It was… I just,” by now Ben must’ve had multiple cuts from the bush. She had to get Alastor out of here. “I was tired. We had been training hours on end, the whole day. And my injuries from the punishment were getting to me, no thanks to you.”

“No you could’ve won every duel like usual why were you pulling your swings?!” he almost yelled while growing closer and closer to her.

“Why do you care? It made you look better, right? Made you look strong for Palpatine like you wanted! I don’t see the problem,” she stated. “Now, can you leave? I would like at least an hour to myself before more training with the Emperor.”
Alastor backed off after a moment.

“I’m not convinced. There’s something you’re hiding, Kira. Once I find out, you won’t be as lucky as before. I’m done keeping your secrets.”

And with that, Alastor had left and was out of sight. Rey took in a deep breath, hoping that she didn’t give away too much. Then, remembering Ben, she quickly jumped across the river and checked behind the bush. Ben sat there, scratches were marked along his exposed forearms and face.

“No, no, no,” she muttered. Her voice was as quiet as a whisper as she searched for the remedy. An ademium plant should be around here somewhere.

She finally found one. Its glossy green leaves adorned its tangled branches.

“Here, put this on your scratches. This planet could kill you!” she murmured while placing the leaves on his forehead.

“You… you lied,” he barely managed to get out the sentences.

Rey looked at him confused. When? About them looking for her, from their first meeting? If anything she told more truths to him than anybody else.

“He called you Kira.”

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben looked up at her concerned eyes as she rushed to find something. A remedy perhaps. The thorns that scrapped him didn’t only hurt, but caused him to become extremely lightheaded.

She gave him instructions, to put the leaves on his cuts, but he didn’t listen. That other voice, that boy, he called her something else. He called her Kira. Who was Kira? The thoughts ran through his head, but he couldn’t make out the words.

“You… you lied,” he finally managed to say. At first he didn’t think she heard him, because she continued to place the leaves on his skin, but eventually their eyes made contact and she gave him a confused look.

Honestly, that was probably too vague. Had he expected her to tell him the truth? They were enemies. But there was this sort of mutual respect. A secret kept between them: that they both didn’t want to kill the other. And he had trusted her.

“He called you Kira,” Ben added. His eyes suddenly closed, and all around him went black.

***

Ben gasped in a breath. His throat was wet, and a hand was cupping water into his mouth. Quickly, he sat up, and there she was. Rey or Kira, he honestly didn’t know anymore.

Now, he noticed that she had taken off her cloak and that she was wearing that black dress, only it was a tinge lighter. Like a dark grey. The short sleeves exposed her shoulders, which were lightly freckled and slightly scared.

“Your up. That’s a good sign,” she sighed. Her eyes met his, and he could easily see two emotions wrapped up in them. The first: concern. The second: guilt. She looked away and sat against one of the rocks, once again, placing her presently barefoot feet into the river. Just like when they had met.

“You lied to me,” he repeated.

She exhaled slowly, but didn’t turn to face him. Again, just like they had first met.

“I didn’t lie to you,” she said after a while.

Ben sat up, his head still throbbed, yet not as harshly. A wave of confusion washed over him along with a tinge of anger. Yes, you did, he wanted to yell back.

By the expression of her face (once she finally turned to him), he knew she had sensed his confusion.

“Everyone calls me Kira. My grandfather, the guards, Alastor…” she began.

“Then why did you tell me your name was Rey?” he asked, almost impatiently. He knew he shouldn’t be (she probably had a decent explanation), yet he couldn’t stop himself.

“Rey was my given name. The name my mother gave me, it’s the last remaining thing I have of her…”

Ben assumed her face would be full of sorrow: sad and teary eyed, but instead it was strong and proud. She told the story with honor, like her mother was an image of hope. And he very well assumed she was.

“Palpatine thinks she did it out of spite, name me after something so good and bright and hopeful…”

It was if a shadow had crossed over her face. Her eyes became serious, and he even noticed her muscles slightly tense at the mention of her grandfather. He felt bad for her, yes, but he didn’t want to show his pity. He assumed she wouldn’t want it anyways.

“…he changed my name to something darker, Kira sufficed,” she finished, letting out a soft breath.

Ben sat there a moment. All the anger about her “lie” had drained away and he cherished what she told him, like a precious gift.

“So ‘Rey’ is a secret?” he asked and tried to give a playful grin. He assumed that it probably came across as an immature smirk, but she didn’t react to it in that sort of way. Instead she thought over the idea. Her hazel eyes flickered between his dark brown ones and then to the ground. Ben even thought she blushed which made a fluttering feeling churn through his insides.

“Yeah… yeah I guess so,” she smiled back. This time he knew it was real, not just his imagination.

“Is there a difference between ‘Kira’ and ‘Rey’?”
With barely any hesitation, she answered, as if the response was something rehearsed or practiced.

“Kira is Palpatine’s treasure. Kira is what he wants me to be: some Sith that rules the galaxy. Kira is a mask. Rey on the other hand is who I’ve been my whole life, or who I like to think I’ve been my whole life. Rey is a girl who…"
Her voice trailed off into silence. The quiet rush of the stream filled it along with the chirps of random insects. Ben wanted to say something. He wanted to finish her sentence. Even though they had only met two days ago, he felt like he knew her. Knew her in a way he knew nobody else. Knew her like he knew Poe or his mother, but in a different way.

But maybe it was too soon. Like with Eliza. If he finished Rey’s sentence, he could scare her off, or just creep her out. Neither would be beneficial for him. But he just couldn’t manage to stay quiet.

Like Poe had said over and over, his timing was always off.

Maybe this time, it wouldn’t be…

PALPATINE

Rey let her feet soak in the river as the currents pulled them lightly down the stream. She had let her answer fade, which for some odd reason had Ben’s thoughts clouding up his mind, Rey could nearly sense it, through she didn’t make a point to talk about it.

Instead, she focused on the stream. How carefree the water moved around the rocks. How her hair had began to loosen out of its braids she had tied up for training and how the loose strands flowed with the slight wind. But a few words from Ben only seconds later took her out of this trance.

“A girl who will do what’s right, even when forced not to…” he began. She looked up to meet his eyes that were fixed on her face. His eyes wavered at the contact, but eventually decided to stay strong. His jaw relaxed and his demeanor stayed calm. “A girl who will care for a stranger…”

“You’re not a stranger anymore.”

The words had slipped through her lips, and only now did she notice what she had said. Not a stranger. It was a mistake and she new it. She knew it by the surprised and flushed expression he gave her. She swore he could probably hear her pounding heartbeat, even though they sat so far apart: her on the rocks, him still sitting up in the grass.

“No, then what am I?”

Of all things, why did he ask that?! What was he to her? She barely even knew herself. All she knew was the fact that he occupied her mind in a way that no stranger ever had. No, correction: he occupied her mind in a way that nobody ever had. That even the thought of him made her smile. That she felt at peace with him.

“I…” she stuttered, feeling helplessly stupid. Why hint at something if she had no explanation? “I… I don’t know.”

That’s all she could say. Rey could see his disappointment. His shoulders became more hunched. His eyes focused on random blades of grass. He exhaled slowly and shifted almost uncomfortably.

The silence that sat between them now was different than before. The insect’s chirps turned into taunts, the bird’s songs into laughs, the stream’s trickling into whispers. She couldn’t barely stand another second of it. He had to say something, anything!

As if answering her prayers, he spoke.

“You know, I came here to learn about my ‘enemy’,” he began. It caught her attention and her head snapped up. Once again, eye contact was shared and he took in another deep breath. “I came here to learn how to fight you, which I never wanted to do in the first place, ever since I saw your face…”

She tensed, not knowing where this was going.

“…but now, I’ve learned so much, not about Kira, but about Rey. I don’t regret a second of it.”

He paused and stood up, gathering up a backpack he had hid behind a tree trunk into his arms.

“I may not return to my master or to my mother with information on how to defeat your family. But I don’t care. I’m returning with knowledge of a not so stranger, that of course, I will keep secret.”

Her lips turned up into a smile at the ‘not so stranger’ part, realizing that he was okay with it. Okay with her still figuring out what they shared.

He nodded at her, causing his hair to fall into his face, only for his hands to push it back into place. A simple movement, yet somehow he made it seem so…

Ben was slipping away, almost disappearing into the forest. If he returned without any sort of information on anything, his master could become suspicious not to mention disappointed. Plus, did she really want to become an empress? To rule over the whole galaxy? Maybe the Skywalkers defeating them would be the best for the galaxy. Not for her, she would become their prisoner if she wasn’t killed on the spot. But the universe shouldn’t be controlled by any Palpatine.

“Lothal,” she said quickly before he was too far away. Her voice crisp and clear. She heard his footsteps stop.

“Lothal, Alsakan, Batonn, Cerea, and Giju hold some of the stronger bases, heavily armed and under Palpatine’s control. There’s so many more, more than he lets me know of,” she explained.

He turned around and walked back the way he came until he was within her sight. She noted that he seemed half confused and half relieved. But he knew why she was doing this, he wasn’t stupid.

“In duels I aim low, usually towards the feet, then take that advantage to swing near the hips, it almost always works,” Rey continued, not even hesitating at the fact she was giving away some of the most important war secrets in the galaxy. “And in two days time, he’s planing to invade Atrisia, no thanks to me.”

“So I’ll see you again?” he asked. His voice seemed almost hopeful. No, it’s not hopeful. Don’t be foolish, she told herself. Yet she just couldn’t shake the thought.

“If fighting against each other counts, then yes.”

“Who said we had to fight?”

With that he was gone and all she was left with was his words. Words that rang through her ears and made an imprint in her mind.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

“Towards the feet first, then near the hips?” Luke asked, a bit skeptical himself. “Did she just seem strong a dueling, or was there other strong abilities as well?”

“I only saw her duel,” he lied. Now he seemed to lie at ease around Luke, which left with a feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach. But he promised Rey to keep their meeting a secret.

“Towards the feet? A tactic I have never seen a Sith use before, not even a Jedi, really,” he said. His eyebrows were scrunched and his mind seemed to be deep in thought.

He was confident that she had told the truth, but a little, tiny part of him still questions if she was. The tactic surprised him as well, nobody really aims towards the feet and gets a good swing in.

“Assuming this is true, we should work on balance; staying light on your feet. I know a spot that would serve this purpose,” Luke motioned for Ben to follow him out of the base camp and into the woods.

They walked along a thin path, passed some specified training grounds and landing pads. Poe looked up from his conversation with Rose, a chipper engineer and pilot, and waved him over.

“Fine, only for a minute,” Luke shrugged, and waited at the base of the forest.

“…and I couldn’t believe it! I got more shots than Finn, totally gonna rub it in his face when he comes back from… oh hey Ben!” Rose stopped her chatting.

“Not like he would mind. Girls that outwit him are his type,” Ben shrugged, entering the conversation naturally.

“What?” Rose gave him a questioning glance.

“Ben!” Poe hissed.

“Sorry, forget what I said,” he added, but the secret was already out.

He had forgotten that Finn made him swear to keep his “crush” on Rose a secret, yet he was so obvious that Ben and Poe were shocked that Rose hadn’t found out themselves. Even C-3PO knew, and he had never been one to keep a thought in his metal head.

“You’re helpless with keeping secrets, even forget they exist,” Poe muttered and shook his head, though he was smiling too. Well not all secrets, Ben thought, but didn’t dare to say out loud.

“Um… I’m gonna go,” the engineer backed away, her cheeks red as cherries and a small smile tainted her lips.

“Yeah, Finn has some explaining to do!” Poe called after her, then turned to Ben once she was out of sight. “So, spying on the Sith princess, how did it go?”

“She’s not a prin…” Ben started and hoped he didn’t smile at the thought, then shook his head. “About that, I haven’t talked to my mother, but I found some valuable information.”

“What type of information?”

“Base related information.”
Poe’s lips turned into a smirk and he patted Ben’s back.

“Looks like we have a new top spy in our ranks. Where’s this base at?” he questioned.

“Multiple planets. I’ll give Leia the full run down, but I know they’re planning to take over Atrisia in two days,” he explained, relaying the information Rey had given him.

“We better get on it then,” Poe responded, his face serious, a complete change from his joking attitude that was present only seconds earlier. “I’ll alert Leia, you go on and train.”

“Yes sir commander!” Ben gave him a sarcastic salute than relaxed the tense feeling in the air. The feeling that gathered before battle. Like clouds gathering before a storm.

They then parted ways, and Ben headed back to where Master Luke was standing. Luke led the way through the brush, not even following a path, and made a sort of small talk as they continued.

“Leia will be proud of you, I know it once…”

“Do you really believe that all the Palpatines are evil?” Ben asked. After the words had left his mouth he wanted to take it back. He wanted to shove the question back into his mind, where it belonged, not out in the open, vulnerable where everyone could see.

Luke stopped to look at him, then sighed and continued walking. “I believe they have a strong allegiance to the Dark-side of the Force, and with that comes the capability to do evil things.”
“Articulated like a true master,” Ben muttered sarcastically. “You do believe they’re all horrible then.”

“As I said, I believe it’s in their nature to become one with the Dark-side…”

“But couldn’t we all have that ‘capability’? Anakin had once turned to the dark,” he stated.

“But because he was a Skywalker, he returned, he saw the goodness of the light and that couldn’t escape him.”
“Just because he was a Skywalker?”

Luke took in a deep breath. “Why are you even asking this? What did you really see on Dromund Fels?”

“I saw hesitance,” Ben could barely make out the sentence. He had screw up, he had let their secret slip. “And I wondered if a Palpatine could be turned.”

“I’ll accept that answer,” Luke shrugged, “but I have a feeling it’s a bit more personal than that.”

Ben tried to stomach the fear and guilt eroding at his soul. Luke could see right through him, he probably knew. But why wasn’t he prying more? Getting to the bottom of the story. Maybe he was okay with it? No, that’s even more stupid than any other thought you’ve ever considered!

His thoughts were a whirling mess, the worst head to use while training for a fight, a fight that he promised he wouldn’t take in part of.

“Now focus, we don’t have all day.”

PALPATINE

“Focus, Kira.”

His unwavering tone matched his watchful gaze. In the center of the dimly lit room, Kira sat upon a stone bench. The cool temperature radiating off of the bench almost calmed Kira. She knew what was ahead. Usually during her meditations she received visions. Visions that depicted the future, visions that showcased the past. No matter where they were from, they scared her. They showed her, in one way or another, what she would become.

“Knowing how to use the Force is a gift you have learned, now becoming one with the Dark-side will give you all the strength you need to become Empress. A little taste of that will suffice for now,” he continued. Rasps caught in his throat as he pronounced the syllables and Kira shivered at the sound.

Only a second later, she was transported into another world, another planet, one she couldn’t name. Rain poured down from the sky with no relent. Her hair was soaked, sticking to her head and neck; along with her clothes. It was an outfit she had never worn before: a pair of dark grey pants, with a black tunic and a firm brown belt that held it all together.

“Rey!”

That voice caused her to turn around, and only then did she recognize the landscape. They were on Atrisia.

“Rey!” he called again, his voice coming closer and closer until…

A shot rang out.

A blaster had went off, and there was Ben, lying on the ground.

“No!” she yelled, tears already falling on her cheeks. She ran to him and kneeled down onto the ground. He wouldn’t move and his body was cold and limp.

“No, no, no, no,” she whimpered into her hands.

And then she saw it. The blaster in her hand. She had shot him. She had killed him.

“No,” she repeated the word, then threw the blaster to the ground and out of her hand, like it was hot as lava. “NO!”

The Dark-side will take you. Devour you whole. The Dark-side will control you, until you are no more.

Whisper-like voices chanted the rhyme over and over. The horrid song filled her ears.

The Dark-side will take you. Devour you whole. The Dark-side will control you, until you are no more.

It was a warning. She needed to resist the dark, she needed to turn.

The Dark-side will take you. Devour you whole. The Dark-side will control you, until you are no more.

She shivered, she convulsed. Her whole body trembled and hurt and throbbed. She would’ve cried, yet all her tears were gone.

You’re becoming one with the Dark-side. You are a Dark Sith. The rule of the Palpatines will continue on until myth.

“No,” Kira squeaked out.

You will bring horror. Bring death to the galaxy. You’ll rule over all of them, without any sympathy.

“No!” her voice became slightly louder as she fought the chants.

You have no heart. No true compassion. You’re a Sith with no feelings. Can do nothing more than cause destruction.

“NO!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her eyes opened again, and she breathed in heavy breaths. She looked up at Palpatine, who stood before her. A look of disapproval was etched on his face. No, she shook her head trying to deny it. No, he didn’t just witness her vision. He couldn’t have! She would’ve sensed it! But his face told her otherwise. If he knew… he would kill her.

“Once again you fail me!” he yelled. Bolts of lighting exited through his hands and struck her down. The electricity flowed through her, sending her nerves into distress. He stopped eventually and stepped forward until he had a firm grip on her shoulder.

“You’re resisting the Dark-side,” he explained. “You must never resist the Dark-side.”

“I wasn’t resisting the Dark, I swear! It was the Light that was tempting me!” she tried to explain, hoping he would buy the lie.

“You. Resisted. The. DARK-SIDE!” his voice boomed once again and he flung her off the bench. “Tomorrow, when we invade Atrisia, we will rule over that planet. You will let the Dark-side guide you. And you will obey me Kira.”
Shakily, she used her arms to prop herself up to where she could see him from the ground.

“Yes, Master,” she replied obediently.

How did I ever believe him? When did I ever want to become a Sith? The questions flowed through her head. Why did I turn away from the light?

“Return to your quarters, and rest. Tomorrow, we conquer.”

Kira didn’t nod or even acknowledge his comment. Instead she got back onto her feet and, with her head feeling dizzy and out of sorts, left the dark room.

“What did you…?” Alastor asked right as she exited the hall. Of course he was waiting outside the door.

“Please… just help me to the living quarters…” she pleaded. She nearly fell into his arms.

“Another vision?” he asked, as if he knew. He didn’t have the Force. He didn’t have a clue of what that felt like.

All Kira could do was weakly nod, and allow him to guide her up the fleet of stairs.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Soon enough the “battle day” had arrived. The preparations were just wrapping up, and everyone was ready for the ambush Leia had carefully planned to save Atrisia from the Palpatine’s control. Well, nearly everyone. Ben still dreaded it.

“Good luck, and remember what I told you,” Luke explained before he boarded a elegant looking ship along with Leia and most of the important admirals and generals.

“Yes, Master,” Ben nodded. He was fueling up his X-Wing when Luke had approached him. Reminding him of the balance exercises as well as how to predict your opponent’s swings. But Ben had no intention of dueling with Rey, yet he still pretended to heed Luke’s warning.

“If the girl is like how you described, hesitant and unbalanced, it should be an easy fight,” he continued on.

“And if I gain the upper hand?” Ben tested.

“Killing a Palpatine would only anger them more, but putting a number on her wouldn’t hurt. Remind her who you are, don’t let her think you’re weak,” Luke explained.

Ben nearly cringed at the answer. Do a number on her. He would do anything but that.

“Luke!” Leia called his master over to the chic transport that looked more like a luxury ship. It was made to be disguised as an expensive cruiser, so when entering the wealthy planet they wouldn’t be noticed.

“May the Force be with you, Ben,” Luke sighed as he departed. A small smile appeared on his face as he said the farewell, but his eyes stayed serious. Ben watched him board the transport before returning to his work.

“Hey!” Poe nearly scared Ben out of his skin, which was incredibly hard with a Force-Sensitive.

“Poe! Dang it! I could’ve broken something!”

“Nah, you’re not that careless.”

Ben sighed and finished up the last bit of preparations on his small ship. Everything seemed to be good, but he just had to double check.

“You seem tense,” Poe observed, he then took the time to poke Ben with his finger. “A bit jumpy too.”

“We’re about to fight Palpatine’s troops. Who isn’t tense?” Ben responded.

“Hm…” was all Poe muttered back, then turned to leave to his own X-Wing. “Good luck Ben!”

Ben nodded in Poe’s direction as other ships began to lift off. Transport after transport rose into the air and into the planet’s atmosphere.

He jumped into his X-Wing and started his ascent. D-0 made exciting whistles from the rear of the ship.

“Don’t get too caught up in the mess, D,” Ben reminded the little droid as they entered lightspeed. The machine gave him a curt nod with his cone shaped head. The blues swirled around him as they traveled through Hyperspace, almost mirroring the feeling in his stomach.

“It’s okay, you’ll be okay. She’ll…”
“Who is the she?” D-0’s robotic voice asked, shutting Ben up.

“Um, nobody to worry about,” he responded.

“You sounded worried though.”

Ben didn’t respond to that, and instead flipped some switches to exit the light speed portal.

“Welcome back to Atrisia,” Ben muttered under his breath once the planet came into view.

The plan was for the transports to land in the public landing pads and for the X-Wings and main ground forces to land on a natural plateau that was settled right near the Capital Building. Ben veered towards the side of the mountainous hill, where the busy town was bustling with excitement, even in a downpour of rain.

“Starting descent, shields up and floodlights are on,” Ben reported and the rest of the fleet responded with confirmation.

The sky was dark, night had already descended onto the city. There was no sign of Palpatine’s troops anywhere in sight, at least so far, yet it was hard to see through the thick rain and fog.

“Landing sector identified,” D-0 reported, then continued his scans, “and heat signatures from a significant amount of bodies identified below.”
“It might be just from the city, you know?” Ben asked for clarification.

“The heat signatures are aligned in neat rows, and readings from blasters are present.”

“What types?”

“Unsure, though they are heavily armed.”

Great, Palpatine’s army had arrived before they could even get to their posts. But Ben predicted that they didn’t know they were coming, unless somehow Rey had…

No, she wouldn’t do that.

He steadied his course to the plateau and landed the ship smoothly. Him, Poe, Finn, Snap and Rose had gotten out of their ships and were gathering together to discuss their game plan. They were all soaked through from the downpour. All Ben honestly wanted to do was find Rey, make sure she was alright, and maybe even try to pull her away from the whole battle if they could.

Thinking about it, he found it almost selfish, to hide away with Rey as everyone else battled for their lives. Of course he wanted to prevent the Palpatine’s reign over these planets, but he knew he wouldn’t fight her, he couldn’t.

“Some of us should stay in the cockpit and be at instant assistance incase ground fire gets heavy, Poe and Snap, you’re our best pilots. Having you in the air at the ready will get us ahead of the game,” Finn explained. He had a knack for this: leading. Rose looked at him with admiration, which made Ben smile lightly.

“You,” Finn then pointed to Ben, “find the Sith. You’re the only one who would be able to deal with those sorts of threats, the rest of us would be dead in an instant.”

Ben nodded, and secretly thank Finn for not forcing anybody to tag along with him.
“And for the rest of us we should do a rundown over the Capital Building, asses any damage, and determine the state of the Chancellor, even warn him if possible,” he finished, then clapped his hands together sending everyone on their way.

Ben watched from afar, while gathering his lightsaber and blaster, as Rose pulled Finn to the side and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek. Ben couldn’t tell from the angle or the lighting, but he had a feeling that Finn was blushing like crazy. Then Finn kissed Rose back, on the lips, and Ben turned away.

They deserved that. He admired what they had, and half of him craved it. Would he get that sort of connection with someone? That sort of trust and love?

And when noticing the feeling in his heart, the urge for him to find Rey, he knew he already did.

PALPATINE

Rey looked up at the sky expectantly and Alastor gave her a look for it. She just ignored him and told him she though she saw a comet.

“Yeah, for sure with this rain,” he had responded, but didn’t pry any further.

Over the next day after her vision, Rey had recovered mostly. At least from the physical injuries. But the scene of her shooting Ben replayed in her head over and over, and it scared her.

She heard a slight zoom from overhead, and most would just assume it was the wind, but she knew better. A light smile formed on her lips and she walked away from the hidden transport ships carefully.

Stormtroopers had already arrived. Shiploads of them. They began to march from door to door: assessing the people, determining where their allegiance lied, and if you were on the wrong side of the fight… well…

Rey knew the truth: children were kidnapped, people were taken prisoner, entire homes would be looted and destroyed. She shivered at the though. The Skwyalkers would stop this, they would. But were the Skywalkers any better? Sure they believed in peace and their methods weren’t even nearly as horrific; but still, if you were on the wrong side, more likely than not, you were killed.

“Where’re you going?” Alastor’s voice tracked her footsteps.

“Patrolling the perimeter, Palpatine’s orders,” she lied. His orders was for her to infiltrate the Capitol Building and kill the Chancellor (the one task she couldn’t complete last time), yet she wouldn’t do neither.

Alastor nodded and let her be on her way.

***

“Rey,” a familiar voice eventually found her. She had begun to worry as more stormtroopers continued their door-to-door patrols, and soon enough, Skywalker troops had entered the mix and were fighting the unprepared stormtroopers. Her worry for Ben rose, and just hearing his voice was a sign of relief.

She paused. He was there, right across from her like in the vision. The rain drenching his hair, not that it looked bad wet. His face gleamed as thick droplets struck his skin. It was exactly like the vision.

Rey took her blaster out of it’s holster and, with her hands shaking, handed it to him. She couldn’t let herself hurt him. Never. Just the though made her stomach drop and her heart throb. He looked at her with utter confusion at the gesture.

“Take it,” she whispered desperately. “Please, take it!”

“Wh…why?” he stuttered and looked down at the weapon.

“I can’t trust myself with it,” she sighed, telling him the half truth. His eyebrow shot up, questioning her even more.

“I… I had a vision… of the future,” she began reluctantly. Dang, she couldn’t say no to those pretty eyes. She was practically at his backing call. “I… I killed you with it.”
The shock was practically seen through his entire face and she immediately felt guilty. He backed away from her a bit, the blaster in his hand.

“No, I didn’t want to… it… I don’t know what it was, but I’m not taking any chances. I can’t loose you.”

By then Rey had closed the distance he had created, and this time he didn’t move backwards, but stayed still. His hand softly gripped onto hers and Rey reveled in the feeling.

It was their first contact to the touch, other than her placing leaves onto his forehead and arms when he was dying, and she cherished it. The heat of his fingers immediately warmed her own, which had became numb from the time in the cold rain.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard approaching. Multiple sets from multiple directions, followed by sounds of blasters going off.

Rey gently tugged her hand away from his, then ignited her saber, its red glow illuminated her face.

Ben gave her a questioning glance, not knowing exactly what she was doing. She nodded her head towards the sound, hoping he would understand. They had no choice. They had to fight, at least in front of others. Promptly, he turned on his own lightsaber, emitting a blue light. An arrogant smirk flashed across his face.

“You ready, Rey?” he asked, his voice no louder than a whisper.

“The question is, are you?” she smiled back, then swung her saber towards him in an almost playful way. He blocked it, then pushed her away with it, only for her to swing it towards him again. This time she aimed towards his right arm, which he blocked and countered with a quick stab at her leg.

“What happened to aiming low?” he asked.

Nobody was near enough to hear, so Ben figured some sort of conversation would be appropriate.

“I wanted to keep you on your toes,” she shrugged, while dogging his next swing, this time towards her side.

They kept up this show of a duel, each swing being blocked in one way or another, until nobody seemed to be in sight.

“Come on,” Ben motioned for Rey to follow him once the blasts from the battle seemed to be farther off. Just from the distant screams and orders given out, it seemed like the Skwyalkers had the advantage.

“Are you sure?” Rey questioned. It’s not like she could go in and help the Skywalkers, but at least Ben could.

“Yes, they don’t need me. They brought me here to fight you,” he stated and waved her over once again. She gave in and followed.

They disappeared down a dark alleyway that led to some sort of secret tunnel system. A gigantic pipe, maybe two times larger than Ben, was present at the end of the corridor. Ben used his saber to light the way.

“Inside?” she asked, her voice almost light and airy. Her eyes laughing at him. Joy. He saw joy in them.

“Where else would we get away from this? Don’t worry, it leads somewhere,” Ben assured her.

Rey wondered how he knew this, knew that this secret passageway existed. The pipe was mostly dry, surprisingly, and they made quick work trekking along the cylinder walls and floors.

Honestly, Rey didn’t know what to expect once they got to the end of the tunnel. Another city? A base? But it was neither. There, in front of her, was a beautiful meadow. And running through the meadow, a stream. It was small, noting compared to her river on Dromund Fels, but she loved it just the same.

“How…?” she asked, her voice breathy. “How did you know about this place?”

“Came here as a kid a few times, when my mother visited for political reasons. Nobody else knows about it, meaning…”
“Nobody else will find us here,” Rey finished the sentence.

She roamed the meadow, the soft grass squished underneath her feet from the abundance of rain falling from the sky. The raindrops made steady ripples in the calm stream, almost adding a sort of chaos to it.

Rey didn’t see a moon in the sky, mostly due to the clouds, but if there was one, she knew it would reflect in the water’s clear mirror.

She looked back at Ben who watched her from afar. His gaze settling on her eyes, now brimming with tears.

Nobody had done something like this for her. Nobody had expressed that they cared. Nobody refused to fight her. Nobody showed her that there was more to life than fighting. Nobody looked for her heart. Nobody mattered more to her than him. And at that moment she knew. She knew who he was to her.

Without any warning, Rey walked up to Ben. She couldn’t stop it. She was drawn to him, like a magnet, growing closer and closer by the second. Before she could even think, her hands cupped his face, her toes extended onto their tips just so she could reach. And her lips, her lips found their way to his. Connecting like an electric spark.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Her movements took him by surprise. He watched as she roamed the meadow, taking everything in. But when she turned to him, her eyes were brimming with tears. Ben knew, though, from the kind smile she gave him, that they were tears of appreciation, of happiness.

Shocking how a simple meadow could bring that out. But Ben had a feeling it wasn’t just the scenery.

By then, he had ignored his surroundings. He ignored the rain pouring continuously over his body and soaking him cold. He ignored the wind whipping around his hair. He ignored the rustle of leaves as the trees that littered the glen swayed to with the gusts. He ignored the stream running with no care. His focus was only set on Rey.

And then she came closer, her eyes set on his. A knowing sort of eye contact, so certain, so clear. And before Ben could even react, her lips were on his. Her soft, soft, delicate lips that fit nearly perfectly against his own.

He bent down to meet her, and wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. He could practically feel her skin through the soaked robes that stuck to her figure, her body heat merging with his.

Once he broke the kiss, she gazed up at him expectantly. Her eyes round with wonder, it made his heart flutter.

She didn’t speak and neither did he. They both just basked in the moment. The rain fell around them, but Ben couldn’t give a care.

He felt her nimble hands wrap around his back until she had sunk into his chest. Her touch was almost intoxicating, and he never wanted her to let go.

He looked down at her and placed a kiss on her wet hair, half braided half handing loosely. While doing so, he saw a new set of tears spring to her eyes, she crumpled to the ground, her head in her hands.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly while kneeling down into the mushy ground. He didn’t give a care about the mud rubbing all over his tan pants.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, her eyes lifted to meet his. It was the obvious question looming in the air, and during the magic of the moment it had seemed to fade. But now it hit him like a punch to the gut. “I can’t go on without you! I don’t want to go back.”

“Then don’t. Return with me…”

He reached out to stroke her hand, hoping it would comfort her.

“Ben, you know I can’t do that.”

She squeeze his hand back but her eyes pleaded him not to make this harder than it already was.

“If you’ve turned to the light then it shouldn’t…”

“Of course I’ve turned to the light, but you know it’s not that simple. You know what they would do to me. I’m a Palpatine, my name is a sin, a bad omen. I can’t get rid of that no matter how hard I try!”

The look on her face tore his heart to shreds. She wanted nothing more than to be with him. But Ben knew that Rey was right. It was never really about the Light versus the Dark. It was always the Palpatines versus the Skywalkers, and nothing was going to change anytime soon.

“Then let’s make the most out of the time we have,” he responded instead, and pulled her into his lap. She curled up against his chest, and he wrapped his arm supportively around her back. Both of them shivered from the cold.

She nodded, and her sobs died down, replaced with calm breaths. Ben honestly wanted to believe what he was saying, yet a thick cloud of uncertainty loomed overhead. If he wasn’t careful, he could get caught in a downpour.

PALPATINE

Rey almost let herself fall asleep in his arms. Almost. A sickening feeling followed by a shot of pain woke her out of her daze. Ben felt her tense, then let her get up out of his arms.

“What’s…”

Before Ben could even finish his sentence, she responded.

“Somethings wrong.”

The feeling washed over her again, and for some reason it made her stomach drop. The Force was trying to tell her something.

“Do you know?”

“If I knew I would’ve told you by now,” she responded, sarcastically. But now wasn’t the time for sarcastic comments. “I have to go.”

“But…”

Ben followed her, his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her back into him, and she let out a heavy sigh.

“Ben, don’t make this harder than it already is.”
She knew he understood, and she too didn’t want to leave him, but what choice did they have.

“I don’t know what this feeling is, but I have to return to the battle. Something horrible has happened, I can feel it.”

The gears in her mind kept turning, kept trying to think of a scenario that would make sense.

“I’m coming with you then,” Ben stated.
“Do you not understand how stupid that would be? We would have to fight again. No, absolutely not. I’ve risked hurting you enough for one night,” Rey’s eyes flickered to the blaster Ben still held, then back to his face.

“I’ll follow you in the shadows, nobody will know,” he added.

“No.”
Her response was short and quick. She gave him a sad nod before turning to leave… then stopped.

“Wait, he needs to know I fought you. That I tried my hardest. He needs to know that I couldn’t have done anything more,” she turned around, took out her saber and turned it on.

“No!”

Ben grabbed the saber out of her reach.

“Now you’re the stupid one. Do you think I’m going to watch you hurt yourself?”

She shook her head.

“If I return without a scratch and you’re still alive, the punishment would be worse than a few slashes.”

Ben sucked in a breath. He had seen her condition when he had followed her to Dromund Fels after intercepting her assassination mission. She had a valid point. But he couldn’t watch her do that.

“Just,” Rey used the Force to pull the lightsaber back into her reach. Without an ounce of hesitation, she turned on the weapon and traced a light slash across her arm, another across her upper shoulder and finally one to her hip.

The blade hissed when it touched her skin, melting it, and she cried out in pain. No tears sprung to her eyes, yet Ben knew the burning must’ve been excruciating.

He looked at her in utter horror, not knowing what to do. He eventually made his way to her, trying to comfort her in any way as fresh blood dripped from the new wounds. I’ll kill Palpatine for this. For hurting her. He thought in his head, and it was as if she heard him.

“I’ll be fine. I’m strong.”

“I already knew that.”

“Hm,” Rey hummed and a smile made its way to her lips.

They both stood there for a moment, not moving at all. The throbbing seemed nonexistent, and Rey didn’t even notice how the rain had suddenly intensified it’s pour. No, her eyes were only on him.

Slowly. Excruciatingly slowly, Ben’s lips touched hers. It was hesitant, and she found it comical. After the first fiery and passionate kiss they shared, and her ending up curled in his arms, there was no need for hesitance.

Or maybe, she thought, maybe he was trying to savor it. The moment. Trying to make it last longer. Darn him!

She leaned into him, both her body and her mouth, as the rain continued to pour. But Rey eventually had to stop, no matter how much she loved the taste of his kiss, she knew the time had come. Plus the pit in her stomach had grown, and the blaring, tugging feeling was blocking out all the rest of her senses.

“Goodbye Ben,” she sucked in the breath, the sighed, turning to leave. She expected him to say something, but he didn’t. She didn’t know if she wanted him to or not.

Just don’t look back, don’t look back. She thought in her head. Rey knew by just looking at his heartbroken face one more time, she would rush back into his arms.

AH! A sharp pain shot through her side, and she didn’t know whether it was the slash she had given herself or the odd feeling from the Force.

Rey made an effort not to show it as she continued through the tunnel and back into the city. Back into the war.

You’re okay, she whispered to herself quietly, and shook off any uncertainty in her nerves. She was going to face whatever was out there. And she was going to conquer it.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Even though it was against her wishes, Ben followed Rey through the tunnel, passed the alleyways and into the city. It seemed deserted, which was particularly odd. But it also looked like a battlefield.

Mostly fallen stormtroopers laid on the ground, motionless. He tried not to look down at a child, probably only six or so, bleeding out and unconscious on the street. Several wounds from blasters marked his small body. A tear fell onto Ben’s cheek. The child was only a little boy, life had already been taken from him.

Ben had grown up with war around him. The legends of the Jedi before him dueling against the Palpatine’s was his bedtime story, but this made it all so, so real. And it never made the pain sting any less.

He looked up from the fallen child, and Rey was nowhere to be seen. He lost her. No, no, no!

Suddenly, he saw some lights, followed with hushed voices and the familiar sound of transport ships lifting off. Palpatine’s transport ships. They were nearby.

He followed the sound, making sure to stay in the shadows. He eventually saw her. But she was kneeling on the ground, as if defeated. Her body was crumpled, heaving and shivering.

That’s when Ben saw it, the limp body of an older teenage boy, maybe only a few years older than Rey, dead on the stone floor. His blonde hair soaked through, his eyes shut closed and his black robes, (though hard to see) were dripping in blood.

Ben had a hunch who this boy was… Alastor. The one who had called Rey Kira. Rey hadn’t talk much about him, actually she didn’t say anything about him, but just the way she was looming over his corpse, he knew that Alastor had meant something to her. Even if he was evil, and a Sith.

Rey didn’t deserve this, she already had enough pain as it was. He wanted to comfort her, be at her side, yet all he could do was watch from the shadows as her blood pooled with the boy’s.

“Hey!” a quiet whisper came from behind him, and Ben had his blaster in hand, aiming it at… Poe?

“What’re you doing here?” Ben hissed while lowering the blaster.

“I could say the same about you,” he responded, then looked out at the sight.

“Fought the princess pretty well huh? She seems beat,” Poe observed. “And you, not even a scratch. Luke will be proud.”

“Yeah,” Ben said slowly, his gaze returned to Rey, who had now stood up slowly and wiped any remaining tears off her face. She seemed to take a deep breath, regaining her composure, before walking towards the transports, leaving the body on the street.

“And… you missed your chance,” Poe muttered once Rey was out of sight.

“Chance? Chance to do what?”

“She was right there, didn’t even know you where here! That was an easy shot, like the one Finn made.”

“What shot did Finn make?” Ben asked, trying to dismiss Poe’s first suggestion of shooting Rey.

“That Sith lying there,” Poe explained, almost proudly, “all Finn. An amazing shot, saw it all the way from my cockpit. Sith boy didn’t even see it coming.”

A knot tightened in Ben’s stomach and he tried not to show his reaction. If it had been Rey out there… Finn, Poe, Rose, nobody would’ve hesitated.

“Plus Finn was only using a short range blaster! I don’t even know how it got a kill shot, you have even better ones, a…” Poe continued, and eyed Ben’s holster. Yet now it was carrying a new gun, Rey’s gun.

“Is that a Palpatine troop blaster?”

Poe’s glare stung as he tried to figure out where Ben had gotten it. Before Ben could even reach for it, the blaster was in Poe’s hand.

“High level, most of their guardsmen don’t have the tech stuff like this…”

Poe eventually connected the dots.

“It was that Sith girl’s blaster wasn’t it!”

Ben nodded, and he dreaded what was to come. Poe would find out, their secret would be uncovered. Everyone would know.

“Nice! Not a bad souvenir for your first battle against her, next time take her saber!”

Wait, Poe didn’t figure it out. Poe didn’t figure it out! Ben let out a quiet breath of relief before nodding at Poe. He honestly didn’t know how to respond to any of that.

“Come on, let’s get out of this planet,” Poe muttered.

“Did we save it?”

Ben still hadn’t known, he was too wrapped up with everything else to even think of it.

“For now, Palpatine’s troops retreated. And Leia is leaving some guardsmen here to keep lookout. Just incase.”

Another wave of relief washed over Ben. The Palpatine’s weren’t ruling over this planet… yet. And he hoped and prayed that Palpatine wouldn’t find out about Rey’s interference with his operation, or that the Emperor wouldn’t take out all his anger on her.

Please let her be safe! he begged silently, not exactly to someone. Maybe the Force perhaps.

PALPATINE

Rey couldn’t stop shaking, and she knew it wasn’t just from the cold. The ride on the transport ship was long and quiet, and she tried not to think of him. Tried not to see his dead body. If she envisioned it, she would just break down and cry again.

Instead, she began to unbraid her hair, which was already beginning to dry out. She hoped once the brown strands fell loosely, they would cover her face in a sort of curtain. She hated begin watched, hated how they knew she was weak and hurting. Ulkar eyed her wounds but didn’t press for details, not yet. At least he had the slightest decency to let her mourn Alastor.

Alastor. He was like a brother to her. Sure they fought and competed and he hurt her. Hurt her more than once, not just physically but emotionally too; but then again, who didn’t. At least he had been a bit more careful. And she hated to admit it, but she did care for him too. Maybe not love him, but caring was up there on the list.

Somebody had died that night, and it was all her fault. She was relieved that it wasn’t Ben, but it made it no better that Alastor was gone instead. She had left him! She had left Alastor in the battle whilst she was off with Ben. Off feeling happiness and joy!

The guilt swallowed her whole. She didn’t want to take over Atrisia, that was never her plan, but letting Alastor get killed wasn’t part of it either! Ugh! Her head hurt and she felt another wave of sobs wash over her, this time she made no effort to hide it.

No tears fell onto her cheeks, she had gotten that part over-with on the Atrisia streets; but the sobs shook her whole body, leaving her trembling.

Nobody comforted her, it’s not like she had expected it. She felt Ulkar’s eyes on her. Now she expected something else, Ulkar would make no effort to keep this sign of weakness a secret. If her predictions were correct, Palpatine would have her called to his throne room for questioning right once they returned. And she dreaded it, with all her heart.

There was only one thing that gave her a tinge of comfort, a glimmer of hope. She remembered Ben. She remembered his tight hold around her body, like he was trying to keep her safe, and close to him. She remembered his kiss, the taste of his lips. She remembered how his eyes shined with tenderness and could she say…. no, don’t get ahead of yourself. The L word would never be used for her, she knew that. And after today, she didn’t believe she deserved it anyways.

The whole ship came to a jerking stop, exiting out of lightspeed. No, that wasn’t right, the trip was too short. Dromund Fels was in an entire different system! Her eyes flicked to one of the window’s and that’s when she saw it: Lothal.

The transport made its way down to the planet. It was mostly green, and Rey knew it was known for its grasslands. A little tinge of comfort, maybe a forest was nearby. A forest she could call her own.

She watched as they zoomed by the main settlement and veered off towards an open plain. And soon enough, Rey saw the base her grandfather had spoke so highly of.

Armed bunker after armed bunker could be seen from the air as they made their descent. And no forest in sight. She felt her heart sink.

You’re stupid and weak. A little forest means nothing, she told herself, cursing her crave for some sort of nostalgia.

Once they reached the ground, she could see how crowded this camp really was. Stormtroopers marching in solid formations, pilots and engineers walking with purpose to different locations. And in the center of it all, a dome-like structure, almost looking like a black pearl over a sea of green.

She had to say it looked almost beautiful. No doubt that was where her grandfather was located. As if reading her mind, Ulkar made his way towards her.

“It is a shame we lost Alastor,” he stated, no emotion or remorse in his voice. Honestly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Ulkar did the act himself at the tone he was talking with.

She just made out a slight nod instead of replying.

“I know he meant something to you. You cried in the ship.”

Thanks for pointing out the obvious, she wanted to snap, but didn’t have the energy.

“You shouldn’t have. Those guards saw you in a moment of weakness and our empress will not be weak.”

She nodded again.

“Our empress will not be weak, correct Kira?”

The name now seemed foreign to her and she quickly made the mental switch. Her face turned serious, her head held a bit higher and her eyes as sharp as knives.

“No weakness,” she agreed, her tone firm. She had to fake it until she made it. “I assume Palpatine will request to see me?”

“Immediately, and I assume you took care of the Skywalker?”

We she had taken to caring for him. Rey caught the smile before it could taint her lips.

“I made him retreat if that’s what you mean?” she stated instead.

He nodded. That was the closest she was going to get to his approval.

“Very well.”

With that, he left into the busy rush of people, aliens and droids all with important tasks and missions to complete.

She made her way to the Emperor’s new throne room. It was a glistening room, polished and perfect. Floor to ceiling to shined black walls, almost reflecting her disappointment of a reflection. At least her robes were drying, but she looked beaten and she knew it.

Palptine nodded for the guards to return to their posts in the doorways as she bowed in front of him, like always.

“You failed me.”

She wasn’t afraid of those words, she knew they would be yelled at her, but she tensed at was coming next.

“You didn’t kill the Chancellor, you didn’t take over the city and by the looks of it, the Skywalker gave you a fight!” his eyes glared at her while his voice echoed off of the reflective walls.

“I didn’t back down, he retreated,” she tried the lie once more, hoping it would work on him.

“Good, that’s a start,” he sighed, a sarcastic smile formed on his face. Then suddenly his expression turned blank, “but it’s not enough!”

He struck her down with a bolt of lighting, then used the Force to throw her against one of the walls. The hit knocked the wind out of her, and slowly she managed to get up, breathing in short gasps.

“I have a new mission for you, and if you succeed, it will be the final step of your training and then you will become Empress,” he explained slowly.

Rey returned to her kneeling position once again. The words struck her harder than that wall had. Her? Empress? It was happening all too fast, all too soon! And by now she knew that she didn’t want it, not at all!

“You will go to Endor, where the Skywalkers have their hidden camp, and you will kill the man who shot Alastor. An eye for an eye, a life for a life,” the emperor began. Revenge was his hobby, he was just using her as a vessel for it. “But that is not all. You will kill the Jedi too. You will bomb their camp as well. You will end the Skywalkers for entirety and rule over the galaxy! You will go to Endor, and you will end this war.”

Rey shuddered, but made an effort to hide it, fearing another lightning bolt to course through her body. Instead she forced herself to speak those words. Those two, painfully obedient words.

“Yes Master.”

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. This was different, entirely different from Eliza. And now thinking about it, Poe was right, he had felt nothing towards Eliza. Which only made his feelings for Rey that much more powerful. And a realization followed. He loved her. He was in love with her. And he wanted to marry her.

But how? How would he do this without anybody finding out? He didn’t know.

He got up quickly, and grabbed his jacket then headed out to find his X-Wing. The dawn was nearing, he could already see the sun begin to rise. Everyone would be awake soon, he needed an excuse.

Immediately, Ben found his mother stooped over a hologram.

“Mother?” he asked, referring to her informally since nobody was around.

“Yes, Ben?” she turned around to face him. A tired expression was on her face, but she looked almost relieved.

“I’m going out to check on the outposts, might be out for a few hours,” he managed to get out the lie smoothly.

“Be back before noon, I’m going to start a debriefing for our next move,” she sighed.

“Next move?”

“We can’t let those bastards roam over the face of the galaxy any longer. We deserve to be free from their attempted rule.”

Ben nodded, then left the room, heading towards his X-Wing. D-0 following close behind.

“Sorry, D, you can’t come.”

“Why not?”

“I kinda want to be alone in my thoughts,” Ben admitted.

“I thought you were going to the outposts? That will take multiple hyperspace jumps to reach them all, which could lead to a mechanical issue if you’re not careful. You might need…”

“Alright, alright. Hurry up then.”

***

Ben didn’t have a plan, not really, but he wasn’t going to the outposts.

“You missed the system, sir,” D-0 stated, matter-of-factly.

“We’re not going there.”

“Should I alert General Leia about the change of course?”

“No, D-0, I need to do this.”

Ben pulled the ship out of light speed and saw Dromund Fels appear in front of him.

“Luke didn’t give you a spy mission,” D-0 explained, concerned.

“I know.”

He didn’t elaborate for the droid any further and made his way down to the planet. He landed where he had the other times, a few miles from the temple, and then tracked through the forest until he reached the river. Rey’s river.

But there was an eerie emptiness feeling around him. He could barely sense anything through the Force, unlikely to happen at a Sith temple.

After minutes of waiting at her spot, he decided to investigate a bit. It was risky, especially knowing that any of Palpatine’s guards wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him on the spot, but he still made his way to the training grounds.

There wasn’t a guard in sight, and immediately panic rose in his throat. Forget not getting caught, where was she?!

“Rey?” he asked in a regular voice. It was loud enough to send echoes throughout the hallways. Ben ducked his head inside the large building, empty.

“Rey!?” Ben yelled, louder this time. It was as if every person had disappeared! Items, furniture and symbolic artifacts were left behind, but no people.

“Rey?!”

Now he was just running aimlessly throughout the temple, through hallways, into rooms, up stairs. There was nobody to be found.

And then, he felt himself being drawn to something. A tug at his chest. The next thing he knew, Ben found himself in a small room. A bedroom. The quarters were small, a decently sized bed laid in the corner with neat books stacked along shelves and different types of weaponry on top of a mantel.

A set of double doors led to a closet, and he recognized the robes immediately. This was her quarters, her room. It didn’t seem like much, but just the way things were organized, just by the small details (like how the window was always slanted towards the moon, the blankets soft, her boots lined up against the wall) he knew it was her’s. He squinted as he noticed writing along the walls. Words were written, and were combined in such a way that they created gibberish.

“Why are we here?” the droid asked again, now entering the room.

“I needed to check something.”

“Checking up on the she?”

Ben’s mind went straight back to his slip up when they were approaching Atrisia. She’ll be okay, was what he was about to say before D-0 had interrupted him.

“Yeah, the she.”

He then returned his focus onto the writing, still trying to comprehend it.

“It’s written in cormeum code,” D-0 explained, looking at the words himself. “The pattern is nearly unrecognizable, and it’s incredibly rare. Its use died centuries ago, and is barely inscribed anymore.”

“Can you decode it?” Ben asked.

“I could, if you would like.”

“Yes, I would like that,” he sighed.

“Which phrase?”

“Start at the beginning.”

Ben later learned that this wall, full of tiny inscriptions, were poems. Some lashed out with anger, others told a narrative. One a simple rhyme couldn’t get out of his head, and it seemed like it couldn’t get out of her own either. It was rewritten multiple times, like she didn’t want to forget it. And he could tell by the lyrics that it was a lullaby.

The Force will guide you, the Light will grace your steps.

Close your eyes, sweet darling, forget all pain. All fear.

There’s suffering in the world, but that won’t touch you my dear.

My heart will be with you, as yours is with mine.

Together living in harmony for the rest of our time.

No, nothing will hurt you, no pain. No harm

Oh, nothing will hurt you, not now.

“It’s quite pretty, but..”

“Sad,” Ben finished. He then stood up and left the room. “Let’s go D-0, before Leia worries.”

He began to walk out of the room, the paused taking one last look. He needed to find her, but where was she? He didn’t know.

“D-0?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Don’t speak a word about this to Leia. Not about the girl or any of it. Can you do that for me?

“Yes, sir,” the droid nodded, and Ben sighed.

PALPATINE

Rey took in a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked at her new clothes, something she had found in one of the Lothal markets. A robe-like dress that flowed to her ankles, yet somehow was light, airy and moved well during her dueling practice with Ulkar. She loved the color of it the most, a light grey: the color of a foggy sky. There was also a cloak that she wore over the “gown”. It was long sleeved, flowed to nearly her toes (yet she never tripped on it) and had a sort of “scarf” attached that covered her mouth and nose. The cloak itself was dark forest green, made to match the Endor landscape was her excuse, but really, she just liked the color.

Finally, Rey laced up her boots, attached her holster underneath the cloak, around her hip, and set her saber in place. She looked at her reflection one last time. Her hair, it was loose and free, a slight wave in the light brown strands, and she like it.

Free, like she wanted to be.

“Kira, your ship is waiting,” Ulkar snatched her out of her trance. She brought the face scarf to her nose and walked out of her temporary room. Oh, how she would love to be back at Dromund Fels. Back with her view of the moon. Back with her poems. So, so many poems, all written along her wall. Now they were lost, other than the ones she kept in her memory.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she responded from inside the room. Ulkar’s shadow was still on the other side of the door, but she just ignored it. She needed this moment.

Quietly, under her breath, she whispered the comforting rhyme like a prayer.

The Force will guide you, the Light will grace your steps.

Close your eyes, sweet darling, forget all pain. All fear.

There’s suffering in the world, but that won’t touch you my dear.

My heart will be with you, as yours is with mine.

Together living in harmony for the rest of our time.

No, nothing will hurt you, no pain. No harm

Oh, nothing will hurt you, not now.

“Thank you, mother,” she finished quietly. A single tear escaped her eyelids, and Rey used the cloak to wipe it away.

It was one of the few things she remembered about her mother. The name she gave her (Rey), the color of her eyes (a unique hazel like her own), and this lullaby. Rey tried to envision it, yet the memory was so blurry, so out of reach. She just remembered the loving women holding her tight in the tiny room they shared. The sound of her sweet humming when she finished the lyrics, and Rey would always doze off to sleep peacefully. If she had only know… known what Palpatine would do the her. To both of them.

Another set of knocks brought Rey to her feet and she opened the door.

“Sorry, Ulkar, wanted to do routine checks on the blaster,” she lied.

Ulkar only nodded before leading the way through the halls. It was odd traveling through the new base. It was like a maze, full of corridors that zig zagged every which way.

Stormtroopers passed in their formations, and she made an effort to keep her head up and assertive, even though all she wanted to do was keep it down to the ground. She hated the sense of being watched, and even though their helmets didn’t show their eyes, she felt it. Those long stares. How she would become their discussion topic whilst on their night shift with nothing else to do but gossip.

“Palpatine wants to see Empress Kira before she leaves,” a messenger explained, addressing Ulkar more than Kira herself. If she was a year younger, she would’ve been offended, would’ve demanded the respect she deserved; but with herself not even wanting to be an empress anymore, having people not address her directly as such was a bit more tolerable. Ulkar gave a curt nod to the messenger, then led Rey to the new throne room. He waited outside of the door as she entered.

“You requested me?” she asked, then bowed before him. Hadn’t they been here before?

“Yes, before you go on your mission, I need you to see something,” he explained while outstretching a hand to her head. “I know of your draw to the light, how you’ve resisted the dark. I know that you don’t want to become empress, that you want to run.”

Rey looked up at him. Had he found out about…? No, he would’ve mentioned it. At least she could keep one thing a secret.

“Alastor told me most, but I sensed it in you anyways,” the Emperor continued.
Good, Alastor had told him. Alastor didn’t know about Ben so her feelings for him were still safe, at least so far.

“Then why have you continued to train me? Why are you trusting me with your legacy?” she asked instead.

“Foolish girl,” he laughed. “You think it’s a choice? I made it seem that way, yes, but it is no choice. You may turn to the light, yet once you turn twenty…”

A sly grin appeared on his face. It sent shivers down her spine.

“… you become one with the dark. A gift given through your family. Your father had it, yet he resisted. He ran away, leaving your pregnant mother with me…”

“He would never do that,” Rey snapped.

“Oh, yes he did. And that did nothing anyways. You can’t run from me. I found him, I killed him. And years after your birth, when your mother had finished nursing you, I killed her too,” he finished the story. Utter horror filled Rey’s chest and she wanted to cry. But no, she wouldn’t cry in front of Palpatine. “So, as I said. You don’t have a choice. In four days you turn twenty. You’ll take part in the ceremony and the Darkside will take over, my soul will pass into yours. Resist, leave, and I’ll have no choice but to kill you. Understood?”

Rey just managed to nod.

“And if you fail me today, Kira, you have failed all Palpatines. You will fail the entire galaxy. They will loose faith in you. So please, don’t embarrass yourself. End the Skywalkers,” he finished his little speech, then waved her off.

She left the throne room in a hurry. She needed to get out of there, away from him. All this new information. All these uncovered truths. It was all too much.

Never had she felt so trapped. Four days. Four days! That was all she had left. What had she expected? Really? When meeting Ben, when falling for him?

He was a Skywalker. She was a Palpatine. Her fate was written before she was born. They were star-crossed, destined for destruction. How had she made herself believe any differently?

Ulakr led her to the tarmac where a small odd looking ship was located.

“Flies like a Tie-Fighter, but has better cargo space and is disguised as a Skywalker transport,” he stated, and Rey nodded, not knowing if she could speak without her voice sounding choked.

“Succeed in this mission, he will be proud.”

She nearly scoffed at that. Palpatine would be anything but proud of her, ever. Instead she just gave a curt nod, got into the cockpit and lifted off. Thoughts swirled in her head as she made the jump to lightspeed.

What was her choice? Die? Or become the bringer of death?

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

“Do you think it’ll work?”

Poe stood in the doorway of Ben’s makeshift hut. All he wanted to do was finally get some rest. That whole day had been tiring, most of the afternoon was spent on research for where Rey might’ve disappeared to. There was still no trail he could follow, no trace of her existence.

“What?” Ben asked, while reorganizing in calligraphy set, and personal items. It was always part of his nightly routine.

“The debriefing, Leia’s plan. Do you think it will work?” Poe repeated once more while watching Ben move across the room.

“Honestly, I have no clue. Sending scouts to bomb every one of their known bases is risky. The chances of them returning from the raids are slim, plus there’s so many secret bases we don’t even know of yet. Getting rid of the Palpatine’s is going to take much more than just some explosives,” he responded with a shrug.

“I know, which is why I’m proposing this…”
Swiftly, Poe took a seat on a stool in the corner of the hut, and set it before Ben’s bed. Ben sat on the bed, facing Poe, exasperated. He was too tired for this.

“What good is the monster without its head? Its brain? None, right? If we find a way to kill the Palpatines, kill the princess and the emperor, everything else will turn to chaos. And that’s where we come in, our chance to provide peace and protection. Our chance to save the galaxy.”

“It’s pretty vague, you know killing Palpatine is incredibly challenging…”

“And if we held the princess as a prisoner of war? Do you think he would compromise?”

Hold Rey as prisoner? No, Ben wouldn’t even consider it. And even if they did that, would Palpatine even want her back? He didn’t know.

“No, you know he wouldn’t. Plus capturing a Sith is incredibly hard, dueling one is challenging enough,” he answered.

Poe sighed, then stood up.

“Fine, but we have to figure out a way to end this war, while we still have a chance.”

Ben nodded in agreement as Poe left. Then he blew out the oil lamp sitting on the main table, which held is calligraphy set, and slipped into bed.

He felt an odd calmness pass over him. One he hadn’t felt in a while, like he knew Rey was okay. It comforted him, and he began to doze off into a dreamless sleep, until…

He felt a different presence in the room. Inside is hut. Quicker than light, Ben was on his feet and his lightsaber was in is hand and ignited.

The presence, actually the person, moved out from the shadows and further into the room. Ben didn’t trust it, and stepped forward with his saber still pointed at the being.

Slowly, the person moved into view, its hands raised. It was wearing a sort of robe, or dress. Ben didn’t know which. It was strangely elegant and moved quietly with the wind drafting in from the open door.

Ben stepped closer, noticing a half-mask covering the mouth of the person, but just by looking at the eyes, did he realize who this was.

“Rey?” he whispered breathlessly. He turned his saber off and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. At first she stood stiffly in his arms, then, gradually, she melted into the hug. Her head laid softly against his upper chest, nearly reaching the crook of his neck.

“I thought I lost you. I couldn’t find you…” he muttered into her ear. His breath against her skin made her ear tingle.

Rey stepped back, and brought the face covering off of her nose and down to her chin. Anxiously, she looked at the doorway and then back to Ben. Something was off, he knew it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Not here,” she whispered back. He nodded and led her out of the hut and into the woods.

He marveled at how silent she was. Every step was taken with care and grace. She moved on the tips of her toes, quickly and quietly to keep up with his pace. And the dress she was wearing didn’t slow her down a beat.

They eventually reached a small clearing. A few fallen trees were present, covered in vines and tall grass.

Ben took a seat on one of the logs, and motioned her to follow. She did, and he could already feel her body heat radiating onto him. They sat there for a few moments, not talking, but it wasn’t an awkward sort of silence; more of a savoring of the moment that they were together again. Ben wanted to question her, ask her where she had gone, why she was here; but when he looked at her beautifully amazed face, at her gazing up at the open canopy revealing the stars and a full moon, he decided against it.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

He watched her lips turn into a slight smile, and her eyes flicker to make contact with his own.

“I wouldn’t wish for anything else. The night sky, the moon, both had been my comforts,” she said simply. “Sounds so childish, but…”
“But when looking up at the millions of twinkling lights, at the swirls and patterns they make, and looking up at the moon in all its glory… you can’t help but feel at peace,” he finished. He just noticed how her eyes twinkled, like the starts he had just described, and he felt the urge to sit closer to her, to wrap his arms around her shoulder and pull her in tight. But he resisted it, only for Rey to lean up against his arm. Before Ben could even think, he nuzzled his head into hers, their noses nearly touching. Her loose hair (fully down this time, he noticed) smelled like a mixture of crisp cedar and some sort of flowery scent, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He felt Rey lean into him further, and his whole body relaxed. It was as if all their worries had melted away. And together, they looked up at the stars scattered in the sky that were above their heads.

PALPATINE

She had to tell him. Eventually she had to. The secret was gnawing at her heart. Keeping anything from Ben had become indescribably challenging.

“Ben,” she whispered so quietly she hoped he wouldn’t hear.

“Yeah?” he hummed, and sat up straight to look at her.

Dang, she could get lost in those dark brown eyes. She wanted to stop herself right there. He look at peace, happy. Her secret would just ruin it.

“I… I never told you why I’m here. You asked, but I never told you,” she explained, her voice still hushed. They had no really reason to stay quiet, they were miles away from the base camp, yet still, she wanted to make sure nobody would hear her, other than Ben.

“No… if you don’t feel comfortable…”

“Ben, I have to tell you,” she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

“Shh, Rey,” his fingers lifted her chin, and she found herself, once again, only inches away from his face. His thumb traced over her lips, and she shivered at the contact. Then, without warning, he hastily brought his mouth to hers and quieted any remark she was going to say with a kiss. Her hands found the back of his neck, and her fingers sifted through his black wavy hair. She pulled his head forward into hers, only deepening the kiss. She felt his hands cradle her back and travel along her arms and neck. This one was different than the rest. A familiar feeling of desperation was there, yet the kiss seemed even more needy, like it was life dependent. Like they were trying to seal an unspoken promise.

Eventually, Ben broke the kiss, coming up for air and looking at her like she was the most amazing thing he had ever laid his eyes on. The simple action made her blush. It made her want to pull the half-mask over her cheeks to almost hide it.

“Rey,” he said, once again, breathless. “I want to marry you.”

The words took her aback. And her body language must’ve showed it. He suddenly became bashfully quiet, looking down at the ground rather than at her.

Marriage. She never had that thought come across her mind before. Not even when she was with Ben. Marriage was for commoners. Marriage was for normal people, people who could love. It wasn’t ever meant for a Jedi, let alone a Sith.

And then there was her secret. The ticking clock she still hadn’t told him. With a death sentence looming over her head, he wouldn’t want her! He wouldn’t want to marry a girl that would either be Empress Kira or a dead body in four days!

“Ben… I…” but she found that she wanted to marry him. She loved him. “Ben I… I would marry you. I love you…”
She could barely get the words out as she watch his face perk up and his eyes turn to hers. His face seemed to be full of joy, barely noticing her’s full of heartbreak.

“But I can’t.”

His face dropped, and he looked her up and down like she wasn’t serious.

“I don’t care what my family thinks. I know who you are Rey, we can escape this war. Run away together…”

“Ben! That’s not the problem, your family isn’t the problem!” she said a little louder, her voice was breaking and she tried to hold in the sobs that would soon follow her next few words. “It’s mine. It’s me. I’m… I’m the problem.”

“No, no, no,” he shushed her gently and cupped her face in his hands before she could turn away. “You are not the problem Rey.”

“I am… I… I learned yesterday,” she began, her breath hitched in her throat, “I learned about my fate, my destiny. I have no choice. In four days, when I turn twenty, I’ll take part in a ceremony that passes Emperor Palpatine’s spirit into my soul. I’ll become one with the dark side…”

Rey could barely watch Ben as she told the story. She couldn’t bare to watch his sad eyes become hopeless. She instead looked down and closed her eyes, trying to block out his expression.

“I’ll turn into a whole different person. There will be no Rey, only Kira, with a tinge of Emperor Palpatine in the mix…”

“Then run away with me, refuse this offer. We can still live with each other Rey. I can’t go on without you!” he pleaded, his grip became tighter and he brought his face closer to hers, forcing her to look at him.

“I can’t do that either. If I refuse, he’ll kill me,” now she was sobbing. Tears fell to her cheeks, streaked over his hands and fell onto her clothes That feeling of being trapped returned. “He’ll hunt me down, he’ll kill me, like he did to my father and to my mother! I have no choice!”

I have no choice. I have no choice. The words echoed in her head and she felt numb. The whole world seemed to pause around her. Ben’s words, Ben’s touch, the sky, all of it, it seemed to fade and she was left with those words. I have no choice. I have no choice.

“Rey….”

She was fading…

“Rey…”

Fading into darkness…

“Rey?”

She had no choice…

“Rey!”

***

She gasped as Ben shook her. He was kneeling over her body, and she found that she was on the ground. How did she get there?

“You passed out, are you alright?,” he asked, and helped her sit up. His hands held the back of her head, and she looked up at him with clouded eyes.

“I’m so sorry.”

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

A sickening feeling coursed through his stomach, not once had he ever seen her like this. Not even when she told him to kill her when he had the chance at the river.

She looked utterly hopeless, sitting up on the tall grass, her eyes red from crying and her face full of regret, shame and sadness. His blood boiled at the thought that she was ashamed, she had nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t her choice, none of this was her choice.

And when she croaked out those three words: I’m so sorry, he wanted to slap the thought out of her head. He wanted to yell: Don’t be sorry!

But instead of doing any of that, he gave her space, let her stand up on her own. She seemed to try to hide herself from him, her body language became closed off, like their first meeting on the river. Her back was turned to him as she looked off into nothing, trapped in her own thoughts, being tortured by her mind.

Ben didn’t want to show it, but it hurt him. That was an understatement, lots of things were hurting him. Just the idea of her being gone, dead, her body limp and lifeless made him lightheaded and dizzy. It made his heartbeat quicken in a way that wasn’t good or natural.

After a few more moments of her silence, he couldn’t stand it anymore. Her delicate figure was sitting still, posture straight as ever, looking like an angel in the moonlight. She had eventually taken her cloak off, showcasing the slim grey dress with a halter neckline, showcasing her shoulder and upper back.

“You know I won’t be able to just sit here with you looking this beautiful,” he voiced his thoughts. She didn’t move to face him, but Ben saw her lips turn into a slight smile. Rey nodded her head, almost unnoticeably, allowing him to come closer.

He sat next to her, his eyes focusing on her face. She seemed a bit more relaxed, yet there was still this tension he could feel through her thoughtful gaze directed at the dark woods.

“What is that mind of yours thinking?”

She sighed, and didn’t give him a direct answer.

“I’ve hurt you.”

Rey’s eyes bled into him, and now Ben tried to shake her gaze. But he knew she could see right through him.

“You wouldn’t ever hurt me Rey…”

“But I did… I just… I’m… I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. Her voice was raw with honesty, and he took her hand in his. Her fingers were a bit colder without the long sleeves of her cloak warming them, but he didn’t mind.

“Hey, hey, hey. Rey look at me,” he spoke in a calming voice, she looked up into his eyes like a sad puppy. “We’re going to get out of this, together. I will not let you die…”

She shook her head and broke the eye contact, looking away from him. She tried to pull her hands away from his, but he kept them in his strong grasp.

“…look at me Rey!” he nearly pleaded, his voice growing louder. “I will not let you die! And you won’t become the empress either, I know you don’t want that…”

Rey nodded, slowly, just letting Ben’s words wash over her.

“I’ll help you,” he whispered. His voice was so soft, so quiet that Rey barely even heard it.

“You can’t…”

“If we find a way to the Outer Rim, we can disappear.”
“And if he finds us?”

“Then he’ll have to get through me first.”

He explained this with confidence, and he truly meant it. But he also saw Rey’s eyes clouded with doubt and worry.
“You’ll die,” she breathed, her voice caught in her throat.

Ben shrugged off her remark and looked straight into her eyes, searching for her heart, her soul. He leaned in closer and closer until her breaths were easily felt against his face. He watched her stare at him, questioning his next move. How her eyes gazed into his, unless they flicked to his lips for less than a second. Ben was transfixed, barely able to make out an answer.

“As long as you’re by my side, it doesn’t matter.”

She looked at him intently and a little gasp escaped her mouth. Ben watched as she couldn’t help herself but smile, causing her lips to brush lightly against his.

He was stunned, and didn’t move. He barely remembered how to breath as she leaned in further and sealed their lips in a chaste kiss. It felt like time stopped, everything around them faded away. Ben’s heart pounded in his chest, with a newfound belonging, understanding and feeling of desperation in the mix. He felt Rey’s hands leave his and travel different courses along his body, yet it felt almost far away as well.

Ben couldn’t help himself, but picture a future. A future where kisses weren’t secret and sparse. Where he would be at her side at any moment in time. He wanted that, that feeling of certainty. A feeling of knowing, where this fragile little flame of love wouldn’t be snuffed out at any moment.

He let his thoughts race, ignoring the rest of the world but keeping his only attention on Rey. And that was his only fault. That was where he failed.

Because all of a sudden a blaster shot rang out, and the next thing he knew, Rey was holding onto her lower abdomen where a growing wound bled out, staining her grey dress.

Fear snatched Ben out of their perfect trance, and he looked over the fallen trees and into the woods. There was Poe, a smug, suprised and disapproving look on his face with a shotgun in hand.

Ben’s stomach dropped and he watched Poe lift his blaster once more. He knew where Poe was aiming. A kill shot.

“You missed your chance…” Poe’s voice echoed in his head.

“Get down!” Ben panicked and pressed Rey’s body against his, both of them sheltered behind a redwood’s trunk.

Another shot rang out, then another, and Ben heard Poe’s footsteps growing closer and closer. He reached for his lightsaber and turned it on.

“Ben… don’t…” Rey whispered, though she had no need, they were already found.

“Stay here, don’t injure yourself more. I have to take care of this.”

And with that, he ran into the oncoming fire, wielding nothing but a lightsaber, and his love for Rey. With that, he was unstoppable.

PALPATINE

Everything was perfect, and then everything was not. Rey had let her guard down, let her passion take over. Let her feelings take over. And the next thing she knew, there was a blaster wound in her side. This was the last straw, Rey believed she was cursed.

Ben’s eyes, that was what scared her the most. It scared her more than the shots ringing out in the silent forest round after round. She could deal with blaster fire, she could deal with this wound, but the look in his eyes of vengeance, fear and protectiveness; it was like a little battle was stirring in his brain. And she couldn’t control it.

Only after he had gone, lightsaber ignited in hand, did she look down at her injury. It wasn’t that large, or even that serious. Palpatine’s lighting strikes hurt more, but they healed rather quickly, this would take a while to nurse off.

The blood began to smear all over her dress, the one article of clothing she actually liked. But she had no time to complain about ruined dresses, that didn’t matter. What mattered was putting pressure on the wound and finding Ben. He told her to stay put, yet he should’ve known she wouldn’t listen.

Hastily, she grabbed her cloak and used a knife she had in one of the pockets to tear off the scarf-like mask. It created a long rectangular piece of cloth, in which she wrapped around her middle and compressed over the hole in her side. She put the rest of her cloak on, for camouflage purposes. Now Rey was especially glad she chose the forest green cloak.

Then, as quiet as a snow leopard, she made her way through the forest. The gunshots had died down long ago, yet she had no clue which direction the two men had went. And Rey hated to admit it, but she was lost.

In fear of that shooter still being around, she didn’t try to emit any sort of light, if anything she stayed in the shadows from the weak moonlight. She tried to retrace her steps, maybe try to return to their base camp, yet decided against it. If that shooter knew, whoever he or she was, they wouldn’t hesitate to let others know. It would turn into a chaotic hunt, and she was the prey.

But Rey had no doubt in her skills, she had been taught what to do in these sorts of situations, yet they all ended in killing somebody. That meant a high chance of killing somebody Ben loved. A high chance of killing a good person with intentions of bring peace. If she was part of the Skywalker’s army, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill her either.

Which is why there was only one option left, to hide. But not at the tree trunk, not in the meadow. It was too risky since the shooter already knew of those whereabouts. If Ben became restrained in some manner and people returned to hunt her down, it would do her no service. Instead, she continued through the Endor forest, until she came across a giant redwood, struck charred and hollowed out in the middle. She assumed it was struck by lightning. It made the perfect hide out.

Without a second to waste, Rey entered the tree and climbed into its trunk, steading herself into a nook with her arms and legs.

And now all she could do was wait. Wait for what? For who? To be found? Ben wouldn’t know how to find her. But he would eventually, she knew that. He always did.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben ran up to Poe, yet he fire still continued, though it wasn’t at him, but at Rey.

“Stop Poe!” Ben yelled over the shots.

“And why should I trust you?!” he snapped back. The shots stopped and he aimed his blaster at Ben instead.

Ben turned his lightsaber off and placed it back on his belt, then put his hands up, showing that he wasn’t a threat.

“You…. you… traitor!” Poe said through clenched teeth. His voice couldn’t have sounded more angry. He did lower his blaster, instead brought it closer to Ben’s head.

“Poe please…”

“No!” he interrupted. “NO! You listen here! How long have you betrayed us? How long have you been fraternizing with her? With the Sith?”
“Poe…”

“Answer the damn question!”

Ben sighed. He hated this. Poe was his friend, his closest ally. They were practically brothers. He couldn’t lie to him, not now, minus well get the truth out.

“Since… the first mission on Atrisia.”

Poe let an exasperated sigh and dug the nozzle of the gun into the side of his head.

“You know what? If you were my friend, my bother, I would kill you now. You jeopardized this entire war. You jeopardized our existence! For what? A kiss? Did you really miss Eliza that much, needed to get over her so you decide to kiss a Sith?”

Poe shook his head, trying not to believe that this was happening.

“Poe… she’s not… I didn’t kiss her to get over Eliza. I… I love her. I fell in love with her,” Ben said under his breath. After the words were out, he hoped that Poe didn’t hear it. He wanted to take it back, keep this one little piece of him to himself, this last secret.

“Take me to her,” Poe responded, his face fuming. “Don’t make this harder than it is Ben, take me to her.”

“No.”
Ben stood his ground, not moving an inch.

“Take. Me. To. Her.”

Poe’s tone and manor became all the more violent. He wanted her dead. Ben knew it. He wanted blood.

“No.”

“Fine,” Poe said, and lifted the gun from his head. “Then we’ll have to do it ourselves.”

Before Ben could even process the words, Poe had restrained him in thick handcuffs behind his back.

Finn, Rose, Snap and Zorii emerged from the brush. Each carrying a blaster, which he just prayed were set on stun. Her being a prisoner would be better than her being dead.

“Take him back to base,” Poe nodded to snap and Rose, “the rest of us, search for the girl. She was wearing a light colored dress, her hair was brown and she wasn’t much taller than Rose, that I could tell. Shoot to kill.”

“No!!!” Ben’s scream punctured the air, and all the feeling in his body became numb. Panic rose. He couldn’t let her die! He promised! He promised to protect her! “Please! Don’t! Please!”

His screams continued until Snap sunned him with his blaster. And Ben fell limply to the ground. Countless screams echoed in his head, but didn’t reach his lips. And he was dragged away, back to camp.

***

“What’s wrong? Snap, Rose? What happened to Ben?” Leia asked once she saw her son in handcuffs.

“He betrayed us,” Rose muttered. “Poe found him with Kira Palpatine, with no intentions to fight, harm or defeat her.”

“ ‘Fraternizing with the enemy,’ as Poe called it,” Snap added.

Leia gave a strict look to her son, and let the two drag him into a cell, restraining him.

“How long until the stun wears off?” she asked respectfully.

“A few minutes at most,” Rose shrugged. “There’s a manhunt in the woods for the Sith. Should we alert the admirals and put the base on lockdown?”

“Yes, and notify the ewok tribes in the east,” Leia agreed.

“And should we keep Poe’s shoot to kill order?”

Leia froze, not knowing what to do, then looked at her son. He couldn’t speak, but pleaded she would stop it. Pleaded that maybe she would understand.

“No, only stun. We’re not ruthless like them. We should at least keep our dignity,” Leia huffed out a response.

Ben felt a surge of relief wash over him. But what if they had already found her, killed her? What if she had stayed by the fallen redwood as he asked?

“But we have a shot to eliminating a Sith! The heir to the throne, we could win if we kill her!” Snap countered.

Leia shook her head, still eyeing her son.

“Locking up my son has already given us enough shame, taking a life won’t be needed, or necessary. Capture her, get information out of her, and then we’ll see to her fate,” she responded.

“She will likely not talk,” Rose thought out loud.

“We have tactics,” Leia shrugged. “She is our only source from the other side, she could very well give us the edge in the war. If she doesn’t talk, we’ll make her.”

That didn’t comfort Ben any better. Torture? They would use torture tactics on her. Hadn’t she already been through enough? Ben saw first hand what her grandfather did to her, she had been tortured her entire life.

The feeling in Ben’s limbs and face began to return again, and he wiggled his fingers impatiently. It felt like he was defrosting as spikes of slight pain tingled on his skin. Leia noticed.

“Please leave us, I would like to talk to my son.”

“Of course general,” Rose nodded, then led snap out of the room.

Once they were gone, Leia’s focus returned to Ben.

“Oh, my son.”

PALPATINE

Rey heard footsteps pass, two sets of them, and she stayed as still as she physically could. She barely even breathed.

“How do you know if she went this way? There were no tracks to follow,” a lady’s voice asked.

“No, I know she did. It’s the only logical reason. She probably wanted to find some cover away from the camp, I know a cave over here that would be perfect for it.”

This time a man spoke.

“Are you sure you weren’t imagining things Poe? Was this girl real?”

“You saw Ben’s reaction, we had to stun him for him to comply. You don’t know Zorii, but the look on his face when he emerged from that fallen tree trunk, it almost looked like he was going to kill me. That girl is very real.”

Ben… they stunned him. They… no, no, no! This was all her fault. Now he had betrayed his family, their trust. All because of her.

“The way he reacted, he was erratic.”

“He said he loved her, so there’s no surprise there. I would act the same if somebody was out to kill you.”

Kill. Rey’s predictions were correct. They would show her no mercy.

“Aww, Poe.”

Rey heard a light kiss, probably just a peck on the cheek by the sound of it. Love was allowed here. The thought comforted her yet made her jealous at the same time. She hadn’t been able to love her entire life until now, they were lucky for that.

“Let’s get refocused. I know where the cave is at…”

“Wait, Poe.”

The woman who Rey presumed was Zorii quieted her voice.

“Why would she go farther to find shelter when she could hide in a tree? A hollowed out tree at that.”

Rey’s eyes went wide. They would find her here if they had a light source. She wasn’t hidden well at all.

“Good point, cover me just incase of an attack.”

Rey took some quiet deep breaths, closed her eyes and reached out to the Force. She wouldn’t kill them, though it would be easy, she wouldn’t kill them.

Instead, she would defend herself and defend herself only, just using the Force. She quickly removed her lightsaber, blaster and knife from her holster. She didn’t want to make herself more of a threat.

“Please don’t fail me know,” she whispered so quiet that she could only hear. It was a prayer to the Force. Her life was trusted in it.

“Entering,” the man, Poe, said clearly. He walked into the tall redwood, a lantern in hand.

Without barely thinking, Rey jumped down from her perch and landed right in front of him. She shot at her quickly, not even aiming. A few blasts grazed her arm, another nearly hit her neck. She barely even reacted.

“She’s here!”

“Did you get her?”

“No, I’m trying Zorii!”

Poe realigned his aim, now it was a clear kill shot. It was now or never. Right as Poe pulled the trigger, Rey pulled her arms to her chest and an invisible Force shield surrounded her body. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even open her eyes. The shield kept her in that position, but blocked any blaster shots that would come to hit her.

Poe looked wide eyed at the sight. He looked at the laser his blaster had shot, frozen in midair, right in front of her chest. If it wasn’t stopped she would be dead.

“Poe?!” Zorii asked, still standing outside the tree. Her voice was panicked.

“It’s alright, I’m okay.”

“So?”

“So, she’s found a way to stop my blaster shot in midair.”

“Wha…”

Just then a voice spoke over the radio. All Rey could do was try to listen as she kept her focus. If she dropped her focus, she would drop the shield, therefore killing herself.

“Poe, Zorii, Finn, come it!” a girl’s voice spoke through the com.

“Zorii here with Poe, what’s up Rose?”

“Do not shoot to kill, just stun, Leia’s orders,” the voice explained.

A slight relief coursed through Rey, yet once she remember the blaster shot looming right in front of her chest, did she tense up. It would still kill her.

“Umm,” Zorii started, now looking at Rey who’s blocking the deadly shot. “We already shot to kill.”

There was silence for a moment before Rose spoke again.

“She’s dead?”

“No, she’s blocked it with some sort of Force trick. I don’t know what will happen if she stops, it might kill her.”

Again there was silence.

“I’m sending Luke over, where are you?”

“Hallowed out redwood tree, a bit far out southwest from camp.”

“Got it, over.”

Rey couldn’t help but imagine what would happen next. Who was this Luke? What would he do? Was Ben alright? If they didn’t want her dead, then why do they want her?

But she snapped out of her thoughts quickly. Instead she put all her focus on the shield, the one thing that was keeping her alive.

Please, don’t fail me now.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

“Oh, my son,” Leia took a step forward and entered the cell. It wasn’t bad, honestly. It was just a plain room with a bench and a bed, secured with metal bar doors.

His mother took a seat next to him and looked him over. His face must’ve said it all as she looked down at him. All he saw in her eyes were pity.

“Why are you here?”

Ben was a bit surprised with the question, especially since it held no trace of anger or hate. If anything the words seemed caring.

“I..I…” he had to get used to the feel of his mouth again. “Poe, he… he found me. In the forest, with…”

“The Sith?” Leia finished.

“But, she isn’t mother. She doesn’t have a choice,” Ben defended.

“As they always say, I know how it works, they took a pledge when they were old enough.”

Now there was a twinge of hate to her tone.

“Old enough, yes, but too young to think for themselves.”

Leia thought on the idea, then shook her head.

“I doubt that. She knows the choice she made. She’s a Palpatine. Palpatines just breed evil. In fact, she was probably playing you this entire time. Did you think about that Ben? She wanted you weak and vulnerable just to take you out.”

Ben fumed. How. Dare. She.

Rey wasn’t evil, or manipulative. She was good, kind, gentle, understanding and loving. She carried the strength of a warrior with the poise of a leopard. She was delicate as a flower yet as powerful as a waterfall. Nothing would stand in her way. All these things, these feelings. His mother wouldn’t understand. Understand how she had changed him for the better. Helped him see what was right from wrong, because of her strong conscience.

And she showed him love, a different kind of love compared to the admiration from his mother and his father. A different kind of love compared to Poe’s brotherly endearment.

“No, you’re wrong mother.”

That was all Ben could say.

She shook her head.

“You can’t let her get into your head, Ben,” her fingers brushed through his hair, and he tolerated it. Yet the last thing he wanted was her touch. “In the end we will kill her, you must know that. Letting a powerful Sith like her go isn’t wise, the admirals and I won’t have it. If we eliminate Palpatine’s line, his empire will fall. I’m just going to use her for information while we can.”

You’re no better than the Palpatines. Ben wanted to say, yet bit his lip instead and let Leia continue.

“I’ll let you go, out of this cell, as long as you stay away from her. You’ll regret it if you don’t. She’ll hurt you Ben. Her entire life goal is to kill you, end us all, and win the war. And she’ll go to any extent to do it. Do you understand?”

Ben nodded obediently. He didn’t want to lie or trick his mother, but he loved Rey. And he promised her he wouldn’t let her die. He won’t go back on that now.

Leia unlatched the cuffs from Ben’s wrist and opened the door.

“Thank you, my boy. Now we will bring peace to the galaxy.”

PALPATINE

One moment Rey was focusing on the Force to protect herself, the next an older man walks in and she becomes unconscious just with an outstretch of his hand.

***

When Rey opened her eyes, her surroundings were blurred. The bright light coming from nowhere and everywhere at once made her head throb.

Eventually, her eyes gained focus and she looked down at herself. She wasn’t dead. No, the pain in her shoulder was too harsh for her to be dead.

She found that her old wound had been wrapped with a proper bandage and a new one, in her shoulder, was compressed with a similar white cloth.

Then Rey looked up. A man was there. The same man that had shot her in the tree. He observed her every move, how her eyes looked around the room, how she tried to nurse her shoulder the best she could and find a more comfortable place to sit. He was mostly surprised by how unfazed she was, she didn’t even look scared.

Foolish. He thought, let’s see how long that strong act lasts.

Rey knew he was waiting for a response, a remark on her situation, but she didn’t give him the pleasure. She had her mind set to not show any pain, any emotion, nothing. That blank and slightly confident mask she wore practically her entire life would make do.

“Won’t talk?” he questioned first. Rey wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. “You will, eventually. That’s why Leia spared you. If it was up to me, you would already be dead.”

He paced in front of her cell, the clicking of his boots to the concrete floor gave her a headache. They had done something to her. Normally, after a blaster injury your head wouldn’t throb this much, your vision wouldn’t suddenly become blurry, you wouldn’t feel weak in your arms and legs, and you wouldn’t become dizzy every time you slightly moved.

“So torture is your answer?” she implied, still with that confident mask, yet her forehead pinched into a sharp headache and she had to restrain herself from bringing her hand to her head.

“Hmm, yes, I guess you could say that. We don’t take any pleasure in torturing people, yet you are the granddaughter of an evil emperor, so we’ll take our chances,” he pretended to muse over the idea.

“I suppose you will,” she nodded.

He was taken aback from her agreement with the statement, and barely showed it, yet Rey caught his confused expression.

“Do whatever you want, I’ve already told you all I know,” she added.

“What do you mean by that?” his glare burned into her, but she just shrugged.

“Everything Ben told you, from that spying mission, I told him that. I told him everything I knew. There’s nothing I can give you.”

Rey was calm as she said this, thinking every word through to aggravate him the least. No, she didn’t really care if he believed her, she doubted it, yet she didn’t want him to yell at her again, her head already hurt enough. So she took the least aggressive approach.

“Even if it’s true, and you have told Ben everything, there is still more you could give us. An end to the war. When we eliminate you there will be no heir to his throne. No leader leads to chaos. And chaos is good,” he stated, and to Rey’s relief he didn’t yell it.

She didn’t say anything in response. He had a point, one that made her stomach twist in knots.

“Fine,” he said after a moment of her silence. “You’re off the hook for today, but tomorrow something else is in store.”

Rey had no doubt about that. Once he had left the area and was out of earshot, she tried to stand up. She didn’t want to show him how weak she was, so she had stayed on the ground before.

While trying to stand, her legs wobbled. They felt like jelly, barely strong enough to hold her weight. She stumbled onto the given bench-like bed, and sat down. Her pulse pounded in her head and a slight ringing ran through her ears.

It was only until she brought her hands to her head (in hopes of relieving some sort of pain) did she notice the restraints around her wrists.

They didn’t attach to anything, just seemed like two oversized bracelets. Rey didn’t want to find out what they would do, so she got straight to work.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Leia took Ben to her private room on one of the larger transports. He had only stepped a foot into the door before Leia had hurried out of the room and locked the corridor shut.

“Mother!” he yelled. “Let me out!”

“I’m sorry Ben, I can’t!” she responded. Ben didn’t know if she really meant it. Her voice was only a muffled response through the thick metal door.

“Please! Don’t kill her! I’m begging you!” Ben tried again. “Please!”

There was no response and Ben paced the room, his hands tightly gripped onto his head. He needed to find a way out, he needed to get her out. Who knew what they had done to her already!

Frantically, Ben searched the room. If they really had wanted to stop him they should’ve kept him in that cell. He had already found some scrap metal, extra wiring and a screwdriver. It was enough for him to open this door.

He unlatched the protector of the keypad to reveal the complicated and extensive wiring. Lucky for Ben, his father had already taught him how to rewire a sliding door similar to this one (when Han had been around). I guess the skill was vital for smuggling, and now it was vital for Rey’s existence.

In a matter of minutes, Ben had the door open. Before searching to find Rey, though, he snuck to the artillery room. Leia had taken his saber and blaster from him, he assumed she would put it here, the most secure room on the entire base.

Just as quickly as before, Ben rewired the artillery door, forcing it open. And there it was, his saber. He snatched it, with no time to spare, and ran sneakily between huts, tents, storage containers and ships. Eventually he made it to the cells.

There were guards on either side of the entrance, which was an odd sight. The cells had never really been used before now, which called for extra security.

What could he do? He wouldn’t kill the guards, his mother would be horrified. Everyone would be horrified. He would even be horrified. No, he had to create a distraction.

A simple, throw a rock and let them follow the clank wouldn’t cut it. And even if he could create some sort of motion, they wouldn’t leave their posts, they would just call in new guards instead.

At least it was still dark out, he could maybe find a way to sneak into a different entrance? No. There was no other entrance.

Suddenly, something came to mind, a Jedi Mind Trick would suffice. Calm and collected, Ben walked up to the guards.

“Step back Solo!” one of the guards called. “We have direct orders from Leia, to notify her if you’re sig…”

“You will let me pass through without any trouble,” he said calmly with the wave of his hand.

Both guards looked at each other, as if they were looking for confirmation. What if it didn’t work? Ben thought.

But a moment later, the guards stepped away, letting him in through the door.

“You will leave your posts and return to your quarters,” Ben said again, the two guards then walked away with no other response. He had to be quick, retrieving Rey, before anybody would pass by and notice the missing guards.

The corridor was a confusing mess of tunnels and hallways. He still wondered why they had such an extensive and complex prisoner hold, they didn’t have any use for it until now. Most of the cells, secured with forcefield walls that were unreachable, were empty, all except for one near the endow the hallway.

Ben recognized her immediately, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Rey wasn’t dead, for one, and she also didn’t seem too badly injured. He took that back, though, when he came closer.

His breath caught as he noticed a few new blaster wounds were evident, two of them just grazing her body, one had made contact to her shoulder. The one that had hit her lower side was bandaged for the most part, yet blood still leaked through. Still, that wasn’t what scared him the most. What did was how weak she was. He watched her head lift slightly from its resting potion on the bench, her eyes bloodshot and clouded. Her eyelids only opened halfway and her eyebrows sagged. He watched her try to give a comforting smile, yet her mouth barely moved. And she was pale, so pale.

He finally realized what had happened to her. They were already killing her… slowly.

PALPATINE

She heard some footsteps returning. The last thing she wanted was Poe to return. Rey was too weak to argue with him, to weak to even give him the information she didn’t know.

He had already returned once from their old meeting, followed by a heavier weighted man. Poe called him Snap or something like that.

They had interrogated her, but she was thankful that they showed more mercy compared to her grandfather. They didn’t hit her or even touch her or anything like that, more so they just asked questions and if she didn’t respond they left her with a bottle of water. Now, feeling depleted, she was convinced that that wasn’t water.

She began to think maybe this was worse. Worse than any of Palpatine’s tortures. Not being able to defend herself, not being able to stand or barely think was worse than any lightning strike. This had lasting pain and misery. But this new “torture” wasn’t worse than the force visions. The vision of Ben, dead. That was worse.

Rey eventually turned her head around and her heart immediately lifted. Ben, he was here. She didn’t believe it at first. What if this was a horrible vision? What if it was somebody else? But she pushed all doubts away as his gaze watched over her.

She knew she probably looked ill, and she hated the fact that he had to see her that way. She turned back onto her side and tried to close her eyes as a new wave of exhaustion washed over her. And before she even knew it… she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben worked on the keypad for the cell door, yet he was getting nowhere. The wiring was strong and harder to clip. Eventually, he grew impatient, especially once he saw Rey lay back down on the bench and saw barely any movement from her body.

They had definitely poisoned her, one way or another. And unlike on Dromund Fels, when he hid in the poisonous bush, he had no clue how to cure her. It could’ve been a local poison, from one of the ewok tribes. Their “medicine” was well known around the galaxy. He wouldn’t be surprised if they knew a variety of poisons as well.

With the ignited lightsaber in hand, Ben sliced through the keypad, hoping the heat would dismantle it. And to his surprise, it did.

Rushing inside the cell, Ben darted over to Rey. Her eyes were closed. He placed his hand lightly over her forehead, then touched her cheeks. They were just slightly warm, not cold enough for her to be dead. Next he placed two fingers to the side of her neck, the other hand grasping her wrist. He tried to clam his shaking hands to feel for a pulse, any sign of life. Eventually, he felt the slow beat and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. It is was irregular, weak and slow. But still, there was a heartbeat. He then noticed different marks on her wrists, like they were bound with something, and his gaze eventually fell on the two head duty handcuffs that laid on the ground destroyed. He shook his head in dismay. They were going to shock her.

He needed to give her medical attention, yet he didn’t know where to get it. That would have to be taken care of later, for now he had to get her out of here.

Gently, Ben lifted Rey into his arms. She was lighter than he expected, her limbs loose and limp. He cupped the back of her neck with one arm and held to the underside of her legs with the other.

“We’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay,” he whispered, yet it was more to himself than to her.

As quickly as possibly, without waking her up, Ben rushed out of the prison hold and into the camp. It was almost early dawn, the sky was turning into a navy ombre and the moon was already more faint.

It was odd to think that it had been only hours since she had found him in his hut, when his heart was filled with joy and relief knowing that she was alright. Now, she was far from alright.

“Do you need help sir?”

Ben stiffened at the sound of D-0’s voice. What if the droid had led the troops to him? Ben didn’t respond but froze.

“You need to escape, right? To saver her. Do you need help?” the droid repeated. He looked from Ben to Rey who was in his arms and then over to a small passenger ship on the deserted landing pad.

“Yes,” Ben managed to say. “Can you give us access to a ship?”

“On it.”

D-0 zoomed off ahead and began to hot-wire the transport.

“We’ll get through this,” he whispered one last time while he bent his head to kiss her forehead.

PALPATINE

Rey’s vision was still foggy. She remembered Ben, she had saw him with her own eyes… but…

What if he wasn’t real?
What if the Force was showing her another vision?
What if she was hallucinating?

She tried to sit up, but her head felt too heavy, her arms and legs too weak. She lifted her hand, shakily, and pressed her fingers together (one of the actions she still could do).

“I c..can’t f..feel… my… fingertips…” she said weakly. Her voice sounded constricted and course. And her throat felt dry as sandpaper.

“She’s awake!” a robotic voice exclaimed. Rey turned her head to see a little droid, round, green and white with a cone shaped head. He rolled on one wheel, surprisingly easily. She hadn’t seen this droid before. Where was she? In a bed, yes she knew that, but where?

“She’s awake?”

Rey knew that voice. Ben. Her eyes tracked him as he moved across the room, wearing a different set of clothes: a light beige shirt, navy blue pants and a black jacket. She decided she hated the jacket and the color black. Black was darkness. She despised darkness.

Ben followed her gaze, “The jacket?”
“I…it’s bla..”

Before she could even complete the sentence, she fell into a coughing spell that shook her entire body. It made her tremble and shiver, and she felt the slight pain through her sore muscles.

“You need water,” he stated and walked into a different room. After watching him run into blaster fire she didn’t want to let him out of her sights again, yet she couldn’t get the words out to stop him. She needed to feel him, feel his touch, know that he is real.

“Here,” he sighed, returning a moment later, with a full canteen of water. When she took a sip, she realized it wasn’t water but a sort of tea. The liquid was warm and steaming, and it smelled like a mix of an herbal oil and tree root.
She didn’t reach out to take it and when he brought the bottle closer to her mouth she tried to back away. She need to know it was him, not somebody posing to be him to trick her into drinking a poison. He noticed.

“It’s an herbal remedy, all I could find in the med kit…”

“I…I need,” her sentence was interrupted by another string of coughs before she continued. “I need… t..to know…if.. I need to..k..know you… that..y..you’re real.”

A flash of surprise but then understanding flickered across his face and a soft smile graced his lips. But it was sad too.

She closed her eyes, suddenly needing some sort of rest, as she felt… nothing… she just sensed some sort of movement.

Her eyes opened again and she knew he saw a look of recognition at the fact he was holding her hand. She hadn’t felt it.

“Not…th..there… no.. f..feeling..there,” she sighed and let her eyes fall closed. She could barely keep them open for longer than a minute.

She waited, forcing herself not to fall back asleep, when she felt it. Felt him. His fingers tracing invisible marks along her arm and neck, while still avoiding all her injuries.

“We’re going to leave, far away where nobody can hurt us. You will live Rey. You will finally get to live.”

She felt his breath along her neck as he spoke into her ear. Leave. Just leave? It felt so peaceful, so hopeful. Yet almost wrong. He had a family. That’s what made her eyes jolt open.

“No,” she managed to get out without any trouble.

“No?” a confused look clouded his face.

“Ben.. they’re… they’re going to…”

The coughs took over her body once more and she let him slip the liquid into her mouth. It felt good against her tongue and the back of her throat, yet the relief was short lived.

“…they’re going to die,” she finished.

“Rey? What are you talking about. You’re the one dying. I’m not going to let you…”

“No, Ben. You’re people… the base..it..it’s… there’s bombs. Lots of…bombs… from Lothal,” she stumbled over her words, finding it hard to even finish a sentence, “…they’re going to die…you..you have to stay…they’re going to..I’m..I was… I was…”

I was supposed to kill them. She almost said, yet the words wouldn’t reach her lips.

“I’ll warn them, okay? I’ll have D-0 send a message, they’ll know what to do,” he explained.

Rey shook her head, her eyes just managed to focus on Ben’s.

“Why are you doing this, Ben?” she croaked. “I…I’m going to die…”

“Don’t you dare say that.”
“No… Ben. You’re family… they love you… they’ll take you back, ev…even after all you’ve done,” she gave him a hint of a smile, “go home.”

Rey closed her eyes, refusing to look at his. She needed him to realize the truth. The truth that she knew herself. That she wasn’t worth it. And when the time came, she would greet death knowing she had found the love of her life.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Hot tears pricked Ben’s eyes. She was not implying… She was not daring to say…

That she wasn’t worth it?!

But she was, and it nearly broke his heart that she thought differently. It was too much, all of this was too much. Her becoming their prisoner, her dying slowly, her urging him to return to the base. “Home”. It was far from his home now.

Ben didn’t want to return to Endor, not now, not ever. His family had hurt him in more ways than they knew. They had hurt the one thing he loved more than anything else in the entire galaxy. They were killing the fond reason for his existence. If she died, he didn’t know if he could live without her. If Rey died, he would too.

Even in the midst of this anger and hate, he had a call to make. No, he wouldn’t return to the base, it was unlikely that they would welcome him with open arms after the stunt he pulled anyways, but he would warn them.

“So we’re not going back?” D-0 asked.

“No,” Ben sighed and picked up the working radio attached to the navigation panel. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, while looking down at the green planet below him.

They were just situated about the atmosphere, and he had already prepared a jump to light speed incase any troops came chasing after him.

“Here goes nothing,” he inhaled slowly, then pressed the button. “Base camp, do you copy? Base camp, come in.”

There was silence before a response came through. And he immediately recognized Poe’s voice. He could hear the confusion in his tone.

“Ben? Where in the galaxy are you?! There’s a panic, the girl escaped somehow, do you know anywhere she might…” his voice trailed off and then realization set in. “You did not…”

“Poe, I have much needed information for Leia,” Ben countered. D-0 managed to give him a concerning look.

“Where are you?! Do you even know what crimes you have committed? War crimes! This is considered as treason, you know!”

“Poe!” Ben yelled through the radio. “Palpatine’s troops are planning to attack Endor, a bombing raid. I believe they’re coming from Lothal. You can start an attack on them before they even get there, you have the advantage. They have no more Force-Sensitive fighters, and you have the better weapons. You can win, Poe.”

Again, there was silence.

“I’ll report to Leia,” he replied curtly.

Ben was about to just end the conversation and get out of the system, yet he needed to add one last statement.

“I’m not coming back, Poe. And don’t you dare go out and look for me.”

More silence.

“Fine, don’t respond. But I need you to answer this next question, what did you do to her? I…I need to know what you did to her, if there’s any hope that she can be saved.”

“Why would I tell you?”

“Because you are my brother, my closest friend, and Poe I…” Ben’s voice began to break, and he couldn’t help the tears once again fall onto his cheeks. “I can’t…. she… why did you do this to her? She never harmed you! She had orders to kill us all and you know very well that she could’ve killed you multiple times, but she didn’t. She’s good.”

“She’s a Palpatine.”
Ben wanted to punch him. Through him against a wall. He hated Poe’s ignorance and prejudice. Why couldn’t he see? See who Rey really was?
“Please Poe,” Ben pleaded one last time, his voice was so quiet he thought maybe Poe didn’t hear him.

Once again the radio went silent. Ben held his head in his hands. He needed the answer, he needed the reply. After a few minutes he nearly gave up hope, until a new voice came through the radio.

“Ben?”

It was Leia.

“Mother,” he responded with not even a hint of affection in his voice. In fact it sounded almost accusing.

“Please don’t leave,” she started.

“I have to, mother, I love her. I love her with all my heart and I won’t ever stop… and you,” he paused taking in a deep breath of air, “you hurt her. And therefore you hurt me.”

Silence. Too much silence. He received more radio silence than conversation in the last fifteen minutes.

“Poe said you wanted to know… know what we…” her voice didn’t finish the sentence. Ben assumed it was out of shame. He didn’t interrupt just waited for her to tell him. Waited for her to face what she had done. “Nullum Vas, it was chemically made in Lothal, Eliza brought it from a lab around there. I don’t know a cure. I’m sorry.”

“It… it’s supposed to kill her I assume,” Ben responded with a hint of aggression.

Leia sighed, “Yes, in a day if the calculations are correct, possibly longer since she’s a Force Sensitive.”

“Thank you,” he stated, again without any emotion.

“I love you Ben.”

Ben closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to make of the statement and decided to not respond. He knew he might regret it later, but for now he wouldn’t deal with that. He needed to get to Lothal. If it was under different circumstances, Ben would’ve found it quite ironic that he was returning to Lothal, where Eliza was from and where the Palpatine’s base was “conveniently” located.
“Get ready D-0, this is going to be quite a trip.”

PALPATINE

Rey went in and out of consciousness as the minutes passed. Each time she opened her eyes she was alone, yet she could feel the ship moving.

Were they going back? Was Ben going to help in the fight? She hoped he would. No matter what he thought, they needed him.

The feeling of numbness had only gotten worse. Her arms no longer tingled or felt the sharp and icy pain that follow. No, now they were numb of all feeling. And in all honestly, pain would’ve been better. Pain would prove her body was still fighting. Fighting off whatever was killing her.

Her breaths had become more jagged and took so much effort. Every time she took an intake of air, her lungs ached. And with every exhale, she felt like her airways were constricting.

This was barely anything compared to the throbbing in her head, she could barely sit up. Every so often though, while her eyes were closed and her body was grasping onto any inkling of rest, she felt that hot liquid seep through her lips. Yet every single time, her body coughed it up.

Soon enough the amount of time she awoke, opened her eyes and was fed the tea lessened. And just as soon, she faded deep into her subconscious.

It was a scary place to say the least, even for Rey, who had endure much in her lifetime. Old visions began to resurface along with memories she had tried so hard to lock away.

She saw herself take a life. Saw her mother die. Saw Palpatine striking Alastor with lightning, and her younger self begging him to stop. He stroke her that day as well. Saw villages, settlements, bases, all destroyed into nothing. Saw every person she had killed. Some guilty, most innocent. Saw her fifteen year-old self taking the oath to become a Sith. Heard the crowd’s cheers and Palpatine’s praises of admiration. They were anything but.

She saw Ben. Saw his mother, his family, and his father. She didn’t know he had a father. She (once again) saw herself kill him. Kill him once, twice, three times, and a fourth. All differently. By blaster, by saber, by dagger and by force-choke. Each one hurt her. And in each one she cried, wept and sobbed. No, the self that killed Ben didn’t cry, but Rey did.

And the last vision… it stuck her in a way she didn’t even know possible. She was looking over Ben. Ben who was kneeling next to somebody. It was herself. Limp, pale, dead. She was laid across his lap, unfolded over a think blanket. Rey had seen herself in the form of death before, Palpatine commonly put the threat in her visions. “Look how weak. How lifeless. That will never be you” he used to say. That image of her lifeless body didn’t hurt her, yet the image of Ben’s distraught and anguished form did. Tears streamed down his face, his hands gripping her, still somehow gently, yet she knew that all he wants to do is shake her awake.

“No! NO!” he cried out. It started out as a scream that pierced the air like a sharp knife. Anyone within earshot would’ve been struck dead by the sound. “NO! Wake up! Wake UP!”

He continues on until he has no more tears left to shed. His head finds its way to her chest as he heaves out soundless sobs. She can feel the tears stream down her own face. How could she leave him like this? How could she just sit here and watch him suffer?

“Please,” he whimpered, his voice quieting to a near inaudible volume. “Please, please. No.”

With shaky hands he finds his lightsaber.

No. Rey thinks. No, he wouldn’t dare.

But he does.

He ignites it.

And Rey can’t watch as he…

He…

he…

he…

…

The next thing she knows, he’s dead. Dead next to her.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben returns to Rey’s side every few minutes. He leaves the cockpit with the ship still in lightspeed. How he wished he had a co-pilot. Every time he returns she asleep, and her eyes don’t open. A sick feeling courses through to the pit of his stomach. Her pulse is weaker, her face lost so much color. Her body shivered, and her breaths were inconstant.

He looked down at her. A look of sadness mixed with admiration filled his eyes. “Stay strong. Please Rey,” he whispered as he brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. It was so soft to the touch and he found himself stroking her brunette strands.

Beeps from the cock-pit brought him out of his trance, and he returned to pilot the ship. Lothal was in view, and he made their descent into the city.

An empty landing pad not surveilled by stormtroopers was challenging, yet not impossible. He found a confined plot of flat ground to land the small ship.

“Sir!” D-0’s voice sounded concerned.

Ben walked into the main area where he found Rey shaking slightly, and tears were escaping her closed eyes. What was happening?
He tried to pull her out of wherever she was, yet it was no use. She didn’t wake. She didn’t make a sound as the thin trails of water flowed down her cheeks. It scared him.

“What do we do?” D-0 asked.
Ben shook his head. His eyes not once leaving Rey as he stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears. “We find the person who brought the poison to my mother. I sense her, Eliza is here.”

Ben walked around the ship, packing up a bag of anything useful he could find. Then he came to the larger issue, Rey. How would he transport her? He eventually found a blanket and wrapped her in that. He covered her face with a muted tan colored shall (they had taken her cloak), and held her in a bridal carry. He knew people would become suspicious. Who would walk around with an unconscious body in their arms? So Ben knew he had to make quick work with finding Eliza. The less people he ran into the better.

***
“Please, is Eliza here?” Ben asked an elderly man who opened the door to a small hut. The man looked at him suspiciously, yet nodded anyways and let him into the room.

“A man is here to see you, Eli,” the man muttered. “I hope you didn’t cheat him as well.”

The hut was roomy, and surprisingly large. The room he stepped into housed a large table with wooden chairs set around it. A portion of the room seemed to be closed off, with a large rug covering the entire floor. It seemed empty without furniture, yet once he notice all the shelves on the walls filled the space decently.

“If I did, he’ll regret returning here. He knows he has no hope of gaining what he’s lost,” a woman’s voice speaks.

A moment later, through a curtained entrance, the blonde figure appeared in the doorway. An annoyed look on her face as she looked him over.
“Ben Solo?” she asked confused. Yet the annoyance didn’t leave her face, instead she gave him a once over, then took a double take at the young woman wrapped in his arms. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

“A poison you gave my mother,” he responds.

“Yes, the Nullum Vas. Made it myself,” she responded. It would’ve seemed prideful if there wasn’t the glare attached to it. “Does she want more? Because if so, I’ve ran out. And it’ll cost a hefty price.”

“No, I don’t want more. I need the cure. I need to cure her…” Ben’s voice faltered at the last sentence.

“Her?” Eliza raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Promptly, Ben lifted the shall that covered Rey’s face.

“Please, she’s dying. And I can’t let her die!”

Eliza nodded. “Follow me.”
She led him through multiple hallways and down a flight of stairs until they reached a small room that was lined with more shelves and a table in the center.

“Place her there, and uncover her,” she instructed as she searched the cabinets and shelves for something.

Ben did as told and set Rey gently onto the table. He unwrapped the shall and the blanket.

“No, please… don’t… please,” the faint sound came from her lips. Ben looked at her, hopeful, yet her eyes didn’t open.

“She’s in her subconscious. Stage 3 of the poison,” Eliza informed him as she began to combine liquids while paging through an old book.

“How many stages are there before death?” Ben asked.

“Three.”

PALPATINE

The clear image of Ben dead next to her began to fade. Everything began to fade. She began to fade.

Rey!

She looked aimlessly around her, searching for the voice. There was Ben, just his face in pure agony as he tried to reach her. Yet she was fading too quickly. And he was fading too.

No, please…don’t…please!

She was speaking yet her voice seemed far away. She needed him. Watching him die multiple times was far too much for her to handle, and she was so close to him yet so far. She needed him. Needed him to hug her close, to tell her that everything is going to be okay. Needed his kisses, his reassurances and his reminder that she was a good person. That she had redeemed all her mistakes. No she hadn’t. There were too many mistakes, too many faults. Yet he had somehow mended a great deal of her crumbling cracks.

She felt her heart slow, her thoughts became mudded and blurred. Memories merged into one another until she couldn’t comprehend what she was even seeing. Her head spun into darkness. And she suddenly had the feeling that she wouldn’t see another ounce of daylight again.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

“I don’t have a pulse!” Ben stated. His mind went into a panic and he tried to regain his composure. He failed miserably. “Eliza, do something!”

“I’m trying,” she shot back and returned with a syringe full of some sort of light blue liquid. Quickly, not wasting a second of time, she stuck the needles into the left side of Rey’s neck and pushed the liquid in.

“What will it do?” Ben asked, still flustered.

“It’ll destroy the chemical poison that was coursing through her system. But…”

“But what?”

“If she’s already gone…I,” she avoided looking into Ben’s eyes. She knew the look of devastation that would follow her statement. “If she’s already gone, I don’t think there’s anything I can do.”
Ben lowered his head and shook it slowly. He kept his hand on her wrist. Still no sign of a pulse. Yet, she wasn’t gone. Not yet. Through the Force he sensed it, she was still fighting.

Almost instinctively, Ben placed his hand over her heart. Then closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

“What are you…?” Eliza questioned as he continued.

Ben ignored her question and focused on Rey. Her mind was still running, her brain active. There was hope. He just needed her heart to start beating.

Ben inhaled deeply, then let out the breath. After a moment he felt a weak beat through her chest. Was she…?
He darted to grab her wrist and smiled at the result. There was a pulse, steady and strong.

“She’s a fighter,” Eliza remarked, looking at the sight from afar. A light smile plastered on her face.

“Yes,” Ben beamed. “Yes she is.”

PALPATINE

Rey’s eyes fluttered open and she squinted up at the bright surroundings. Where am I? she thought in her head. Was she dead? She had felt dead. Everything was dark, and now, it was blindingly white.

She heard voices, yet they were so distant that she couldn’t comprehend, as if she was hearing them from underwater. Suddenly a hand touched her arm and she felt a needle poke her shoulder. She couldn’t make out who it was, and that scared her.

Quickly, she backed up, trying to get off and away from anything or anyone near her. What if Palpatine had captured her? Or somebody else tried to poison her!
But she suddenly calmed when she felt a familiar touch on her chest, followed by a familiar voice.

“It’s okay, Rey,” Ben whispered. Or at least it sounded like a whisper. “Eliza has to take some tests, to make sure you’re healing well.”

“Ben…” Rey sat up. And she found that she wasn’t even dizzy. It surprised her. She looked into his eyes while her own adjusted to the light. His were glassy, and held tears that hadn’t fallen yet. Without warning, Ben wrapped his arms around her.

“I thought you were dead Rey… I… I’m so glad you’re alive,” he spoke quickly, his breaths tickling her ear. He broke the hug to look at her, as if this wasn’t real. His eyes showed pure joy, it made Rey’s heartbeat quicken and flutter.

“Ben you…” she began but was interrupted by his lips sealing hers in a long and deep kiss.

“Umm… I’ll leave you two be,” a blonde young woman stated. Rey nodded, still not knowing who that was. But that wasn’t her first concern. Ben was.

“You didn’t go back. You didn’t go home,” she spoke. An expression of worry mixed with guilt appeared on her face. She expected Ben to look away, yet he kept her gaze strong.

“You are my home,” he began while he reached up to caress her cheek. “I told them about the troops heading their way. They’ll be alright.”

“No they won’t. Every base Palpatine controls has merged into the one from Lothal. He’s bringing every force he has to end your base. Even with modified weapons they won’t stand a chance. He has too many people and too many followers,” she stated.

Ben didn’t and an eerie silence filled the room. Rey’s thoughts churned. Suddenly, she knew where she was. She felt the Emperor’s presence. She knew exactly what she had to do.

Rey sat up and climbed off of the table she had been sitting on. Her clothes were bloodied and the bandages were dirty. She reminded herself to get new clothes and rewrap her wounds once she got to the market.

“Rey, where’re you going?”

“To end Palpatine. We’re on Lothal. We have to take down the base,” she explained simply.

Ben sighed, but nodded. They couldn’t just run from this war.

“But first,” he smiled at her, “you need a lightsaber.”

“And a blaster would be good too,” she smirked, then walked out of the room with Ben following shortly behind.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

He, at first, didn’t think she was serious. She was finally free. He could tell. Just by her stance and posture as she roamed the crowded marketplace, searching for something useful (an odd looking fruit here and some sort of machinery tool there), he saw her bask in the idea of freedom. That nobody was watching her, pressuring her or manipulating her. And by the smile she gave him when he handed her a small pistol-like blaster only confirmed his observations.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked as she continued to sift through the different booths. They were walking around in broad daylight, and he found that risky. He didn’t want to spend another minute out in the public square. This was Lothal, controlled by Palpatine himself. The last thing he wanted was some stormtroopers giving them trouble, especially if they had kill orders out for both of them (since it was clear which choice Rey had made).

“The plan will be discussed once we get to the base so I can asses my options,” she whispered into his ear, before turning back to a merchant and purchasing a white-looking piece of cloth. They had no time for shopping, and Ben was becoming antsy.

“What are we doing here then?” he asked, his voice rising.

She gave him a muted smile, turned to thank the merchant, then refocused her gaze on Ben. “Purchasing the necessities, that’s what. Be patient, Skywalker,” she smirked and booped his nosed with her fingertip.

The shocked expression he must’ve given her made her giggle. And now he wanted to do it again, just to make her laugh. How could he stay mad at this woman?

“But seriously, Rey. Necessities? This looks like a piece of ribbon!” Ben held up a grey strand of fabric, that to his defense, did look exactly like a piece of ribbon. “And where did you get all this money anyways?”

“First off, that’s not just ‘ribbon’, but a vital part of my cover. And second, you could say I have my ways.”

“Cover? And did you steal from someone?” Ben questioned, trying to keep up with her quick pace as she continued to navigate around people.

“Yes, my cover, or ‘disguise’ as some others like to call it. Did you really think I would waltz into Palpatine’s base when I’m at risk of being soul transmitted into an Empress, or killed? You need a disguise,” she explained, stopping at yet another stand that sold gloves. She carefully chose a pair of white silk ones that fit her hand perfectly. Then, Rey handed over two small gold coins which the shopkeeper took gratefully. “And no Ben, I didn’t steal. You don’t think that bounty hunting for practically all my life has allotted to nothing, would you?”

She sent him another proud smile before running off into the crowd. He shook his head and laughed lightly before taking off after her again.

***

By sunset, they had retreated into an abandoned two story house on the edge of the city. A slight draft blew through the empty building sending a chill down Ben's spine. There was definitely something eerie about this place, and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Nobody’s going to find us here, don’t worry, Ben,” Rey said as she began to empty the contents of her canvas bag. Another purchase she had made earlier in the day.

“I just… this place doesn’t feel fully abandoned, you know?” he asked. Rey nodded, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly, before returning to her findings.

“Here,” she handed him a tan hooded cloak, similar to the ones he’s seen Jedis wear. He had a feeling that’s the reason she chose it specifically. “You’re not well known, barely anybody even knows what you look like, I on the other hand…”
Rey let her voice fade, and he eyed the bundle of clothes she bought for her ‘cover’. A pair of grey, legging-ish pants, a tight fitting (same colored) grey long sleeved top, two white sash-like pieces of fabric (which Ben had no clue of the purpose), long white gloves that reached to her elbows, a grey scarf-like hood that hung around her neck and down to her shoulder-blades, and finally, topped it off with a mask that hugged her neck to her forehand tightly (only revealing her eyes, a bit of her forehead and the bridge of her nose).

One moment, she had left into a different room, and the next she reappeared fully dressed in her knew outfit. Ben’s breath caught in his throat. It seemed like she had somehow made adjustments, the top and leggings seemed to merge into one article of clothing, along with the hood and mask, where were both hanging loosely around her neck (not in use).

“How do I look?” she asked, smiling to herself. He knew she knew she looked beautiful. And she probably knew that he thought it as well.

“Fit to win a war,” he took her into his arms, and only then did he notice how tight fitting the outfit was, practically a second skin.

“I need help with one last thing,” she whispered into his ear.

She crossed the room to where one last item was tucked away into the canvas bag. Rey revealed a pair of sharp silver scissors. He gave her a questioning look, but she just nodded.

“Your hair?” he asked, still not sure if he was on the right track.

“I need a change. Something to signify, really signify, that I’ve changed,” she sighed.

“And what better way to do that than chop off half of your hair,” he chuckled. Yet he was only half joking as he took the scissors from her and had her sit down in his lap.

Ben tried his best to cut her hair as straight as he could, watching the long brown strands fall onto her back, his arms and his thighs. He cut it to right above her shoulders, and she carefully tucked each remaining strand under neath the mask that only revealed her eyes. She then lifted the hood to over her head, yet the mask had already hidden most of her identity.

“And the ribbons?” he asked, handing her the long pieces of fabric.

She took them and tied the one short one around her upper arm, and the two longer sash-like piece of fabric criss-crossed around her chest and back.

“I’ve never seen that before, the sashes tied like that,” he remarked.

He could sense her smile under the mask, and then she explained. “I had a dream, many dreams actually. But one was of my mother, her story. She came from Jakku, a scavenging planet. Many of the girls that lived there, like her, wore these. It symbolized something, yet I don’t know what. I need a piece of her with me tonight.”

Ben smiled at her. And he suddenly wished he had the chance to meet Rey’s mother. She seemed like a remarkable lady, one that gave Rey the kind heart she had.

“We should go,” Rey said after a moment of silence. She laid the canvas bag to the side, discarding the scissors, while she stepped into her holster that fit fine over the leggings.

“I promised you a lightsaber,” Ben stated, and handed her one with a silver holster.

“Ben… you didn’t…” she took it like it was something holy, pure and fragile.

“You’ll make one of your own someday, like I did as a padawaan…”

“Yes, I’ve made one before,” she interjected.

Ben continued anyways.

“But for now, my grandfather’s will suffice.”

“How did you…?”

Ben walked closer to Rey and held her hands in his.

“Let’s just say, Eliza had been trading this ancient relic,” Ben confessed.

Rey just shook her head and looked back down at the weapon starstruck.

“How can I ever thank you, Ben?” she asked. Her voice somehow still breathy after traveling through the thin cloth that managed to always muffle her voice.

“Oh, Rey. How I want to kiss you right now,” Ben chuckled, eyeing the mask covering her mouth.

Instead she drew him into a hug, squeezing his wide frame. Ben relaxed into the embrace and breathed in where her hair would be (now replaced with her hood). It still smelled like her, though. He felt their hearts beat in sync through the fabric. Between his cloak and her sashes.

Yes, a kiss would’ve been nice, but a hug would suffice.

PALPATINE

Rey watched as Ben sucked it a breath, taking in Palpatine’s base. They were trying their best to hide in the tall grass, approaching the back entrance (which Rey knew was the least guarded entryway).

“It’s large,” Ben breathed and she could sense his worry.

“You should’ve seen the Death Star he supposedly built in his younger years. Was the size of a moon,” she responded.

“You saw it? I thought my Uncle Luke said he blew it up?”

“No, never saw it. But he made sure to give me a clear visual. Was a key aspect of a few visions I’ve had. He wanted me to build another one. Actually, three,” she admitted, then quickly leapt onto her feet and dashed a few more yards before stopping next to an abnormally large boulder. Even though it was dark, nearly midnight, she still was careful with each movement she made to not alert any guards.

“So, how are we going to destroy this thing?” Ben whispered, while catching up with her.

“You’re going to have to find the electrical panel, it powers everything, lights, shields, cameras and radio coms. Once you’ve disabled their power source, I can easily infiltrate the main reactor. There’s a weak spot, something that if hit with enough force could blow, creating a ripple effect and eventually destroying the entire base, but…”

“But what?”

“If I don’t find a way to hit it from a long range, I’ll go up with the explosion.”

Ben stood to face her. Her eyes were the only thing giving him a hint of what she was thinking. Yet he knew exactly what was going through her mind. She was going to do this, no matter what the risk. Palpatine needed to be destroyed.

“Then find a way to hit it from a distance. I know you’ll find a way,” he said instead.

Rey smiled at him through the mask, and he took the cue to lift his hood. They knew their time to separate paths was now, even if it would be for just a few hours.

“Rey, if I don’t see you again…”

“No Ben,” she interrupted. “I’ve survived much, much worse. I’ve already came back from the dead. I assure you that we’ll see each other again.”

With that, he gave her one last hug and kiss on the cheek (through the mask), before leaving towards the guarded entrance.
With perfect aim, Rey had shot down all three guards with ease, allowing Ben to easily slip through. And then he was gone.

Relief as well as anxiety flooded through her (a very odd combination). She was glad he was in the base, already starting the infiltrating process, yet she didn’t know if he was safe, or being caught. His dark cloak wasn’t a decent disguise and she knew it.

Rey was incredibly tempted to follow him inside, make sure he wasn’t caught into any trouble. But she knew she couldn’t. All she could do was wait until the power went out.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

Ben entered the metal sliding doors using one of the fallen trooper’s access cards, and only then did he notice how challenging this was going to be. One, he had no clue where the electrical panel was. And two, even wearing this dark cloak, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Sure he was fast, and he would say he’s sneaky, yet he didn’t have Rey’s nimble form and stealthy abilities to hide completely in the shadows. Plus, he still hadn’t mastered the ability to control other’s thoughts. A Jedi Mind Trick would come in handy right about now.

Instead, Ben chose to take the classic “disguise as your enemy” approach and changed into a general’s uniform he found handing in a nearby closet (he had no clue how he had even found it).

But still, this costume wasn’t close to fool proof. It was slightly too small and made it look to tight fitting instead of the natural fit it was had on the rest of the generals. Not to mention the fact that he was going to find an electrical panel. That was a job for a mechanic, not a general. Him seeking that out could give away his cover.

He tried his best to fit in with the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Stormtroopers patrolling in straight two by two formations, lieutenants discussion war plans and a small group of mechanics walking with heavy duty cases. Mechanics! Perfect.

Without drawing suspicion, Ben made his way over, following them in a natural pace before speaking up.

“Excuse me, I need a mechanic to show me to the electrical panel,” he said with what he thought was an authoritative tone. The look on the mechanics’ face said otherwise. They looked to each other briefly before turning back to Ben.
“There might be an issue. We couldn’t get a droid to carry the message, so…” his voice trailed off. He knew from their expressions that the generals usually didn’t talk like this, and he prayed that they wouldn’t take suspicion.

“I’ll take a look once we’ve finished routine maintenance on the transport engines,” one of them spoke.

“No, it’s an immediate issue. I must supervise to see it done. For the past weeks the mechanical crew have put this off. The lieutenants have grown impatient and so have I,” he responded. This time his voice seemed even more affirmative, almost on the edge of angry.

The mechanic who spoke before nodded to his coworkers and then responded to Ben. “I’m sorry for the trouble, sir. I’ll take you there right away.”

The man led him into a bunker that had a strange elevator inside. Once in the elevator they went down a few floors until they came upon an empty hallway leading to a pair of sturdy metal doors. The mechanic took his key card and opened the threshold. Inside were two brightly lit panels, home to flashing buttons, levers, switches and who-knows how many cables.

The mechanic check a screen near the doorway, looking from Ben to the panels to the screen and back to Ben, utterly confused.

“The logistics are perfectly normal, I don’t seem the problem,” he muttered.

“Are you saying the lieutenants have miscalculated their concern?” he questioned with a strict tone.

“No, it’s just that there’s nothing I can do,” he replied, worriedly.

“Can you restart the power? Shut it down?”

The mechanic looked at him again. His confusion turned to worry, his worry turned to doubt and his doubt turned into fear. He knew Ben wasn’t from Palpatine’s troops.

“No, restarting the power would leave us defenseless, so we couldn’t communicate with the troops on Endor,” he explained accusingly, “but you already knew that didn’t you?”
The man reached for his radio, but Ben had his blaster to his head before he could even touch it.

“Turn off the power now. I won’t hesitate.”

“No,” he replied through gritted teeth. Ben shot a blast to his shoulder to prove a point and the man cried out in pain.

“I won’t ask again.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll do it!”

With shaky hands and a bleeding arm, the mechanic turned off the power. The panels and the whole room went dark.

“They’re going to find you. I sent an SOS signal while you shot the blaster. They’ll just turn the power back on, pathetic Skywalker,” he spat.

Ben looked at the man’s smirk, a sign of overconfidence. All he wanted to do was wipe it right off.

“Sure, they’ll come for me. But I bet not many of these stormtroopers have fought a Jedi Knight,” Ben shrugged and took out his lightsaber. The mechanic’s once arrogant smile turned into a worrisome frown. “And, we’ll see how they’ll be able to fix the panel after this.”
Before the mechanic could even respond, Ben had ignited his lightsaber and was swinging it against the mechanical panels. It left melted metal streaks all over, and no hope of regaining power.

“Please don’t!” the man pleaded as Ben took a step towards him.

Ben rolled his eyes and sighed, turned off his lightsaber, then threw a powerful punch that met the mechanic’s forehead.

He fell backwards into the wall, limply and unconscious. Quickly, Ben took his access card from him and left the room with urgency. He had to warn Rey of the SOS signal. Their plan might have been uncovered if somebody’s smart enough. He had no doubt about that.

PALPATINE

Even before the lights went out, Rey had snuck into the base. Unlike at the temple on Dromund Fels, she barely knew the layout of this new terrain. For minutes, she had aimlessly snuck around in the shadows searching for a weapon to decimate the main reactor. It had to be something powerful, hard hitting, yet shot at a far range. Eventually, Rey found it: a heavy duty gun as long as her arm with the barrel as wide as her leg. It was perfect, though hard to hide.

She strung the large blaster over her back with the attached leather strap and continued on to find the reactor. Just then the lights went dark and it felt as if the whole base had paused. People looked around confused then made their ways to their respective posts. The once active radio sounds were silenced. All droids had turned absolutely useless. It was the closest thing to chaos in such an orderly environment.

Rey smiled to herself. Ben had done it. Not like she had doubted him. But there was something else. A feeling. She had to hurry, they weren’t in the clear. Somebody, at least one person, knew their intentions and why they were there. Time was of the essence.

As quickly as she could run, without drawing any attention, Rey zig-zagged in and out of buildings. Around alley-ways and through secluded areas. Eventually, she found a decently sized bunker, the size of her old bedroom, guarded by at least six stormtroopers. They wouldn’t guard this small room for no reason. It had to be important.

She had the temptation to run straight into the mess, head first, wielding a lightsaber like she was unstoppable, yet she didn’t do this. Instead, she found a clear perch, about 300 meters away (per-say), and laid silently, waiting to strike.

The long distance, yet powerful gun stayed slung over her back. Instead she took out her small pistol blaster and aimed. It wasn’t her preferred blaster, and she wasn’t the best at these shots anyways (that was more Ben’s forte), but she would try.

One blast. One trooper down. Two blasts. Two more troopers down. A third blast. A third trooper down. A set of three blasts. Each trooper was either dead or extremely injured. And nobody had seen the entire thing. Perfect.

Rey made her way to the door and slid it open with easy, navigating around the fallen bodies. Once she was inside, the bunker was pitch black darkness. A darkness that her eyes couldn’t even adjust to. She took out her lightsaber and let the light radiating off of it be used as a flashlight.

The room was larger than she had expected. She looked around, trying to seek out the weak spot of the structure, when she had almost fell into a deep, deep hole. A purposeful hole, built into the bunker. It took up most of the space, leaving only one prediction of what laid below. The weak spot.

But how would she get down there? Climb? Jump? What if this wasn’t even the reactor bunker? What if the display of troopers were an illusion. A trap? Rey didn’t know what to do, yet the sound of multiple footsteps approaching sped up her decision making.

Blindly, Rey used the heavy blaster to shoot shots into the dark abyss, hoping it would hit something. Nothing but a faint ping was heard. Rey looked down, worriedly, into the hole. Nothing. Not a flame. Not a spark. Nothing.

Panic rose as the doors were being slid open. She had to try again. For the second time, Rey shot heavy blasts into the pitch black hole. Not a trace of light reflected or was seen. No explosion. Not even a sound this time. Utter silence.

The footsteps entered the bunker. Thinking abnormally fast, Rey found that the floor grates were loose and easily moveable. She lifted one of the heavy metal racks up and slipped inside, not making a sound.

Voices flooded the room along with light reflecting off of light beams trapped in glass rods and cylinders.

“Not a life-form in sight. How should we know that somebody is trying to target the reactor, general?”

“One of our mechanics signaled an SOS. He was in the power room when he signaled. Somebody is targeting our base, using the absence of electrical power to destroy our camp. The Emperor won’t have it. Matters are worse enough, his heir has went missing. Didn’t fulfill the mission on Endor, and now we have no communication with our troops. A coincidence? Far from it,” a man’s voice replied to the female one that had spoken earlier.

“We cannot jump to conclusions. The Empress may be captured. Or dead. And the reactor is untouched. The Force-Shielding barrier the Emperor had set into place has stayed strong. And only a Force-user can disable it. There’s nothing for us to fear,” the woman explained.

The shield. That’s why the blasts never made contact. Now that Rey knew about the shield she could easily disable it. She was a Force-Sensitive.

“No, this is all too much evidence of what I’ve feared. The Emperor has sensed it too. His heir has turned, just like her father had. And I’m willing to bet that she’s up to this scheme as well. Revolutionaries seem to run in the family.”
“Since when were you such good friends with the Emperor?”

“I just am in close confines with Ulkar.”

“M-hm.”
There was a silence. Rey held her breath and stilled her body. No motion. No sound. She needed to be invisible.

“So, are we just going to sit here until the power returns?”

“No, this bunker is empty. As we’ve discussed. I’m sending more troops to guard the perimeter and we’ll be on stand by.”
“Stand-by on what? No radio communication, remember?”

“We’ll be within yelling distance. Ulkar that is. If it’s the girl or that puny jedi, Ulkar can handle them fine.”

Rey didn’t hear the response but knew the woman had given some form of agreement as they left the bunker. As they left her alone to complete her plan.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER

As Ben searched for the reactor building, he noticed something that drew is attention. A crowd. Well, maybe not a crowd per-say, but an unnatural amount of stormtroopers gathered around a small bunker, using their blaster scopes as flashlights.

That had to be it. But where was Rey? The door was closed, the swarm of troopers surrounding it as well as some higher ranking generals discussing matters. Ben decided his best option was to try and listen in on what they were discussing. Once he had even just the slightest bit of intel, could he decide what to do next.

“No, no lifeforms were in the reactor. As lieutenant Kirmel and I discussed, we feel that with Ulkar standing guard with the rest of the troops, it should be protected.”

“If it’s who Ulkar suspects, the Empress, well now traitor, we must be vigilant. She’s sneaky, crafty and has trained for situations like these since birth. If anyone could get past this many stormtroopers, it would be her.”
Ben didn’t know what to think. Rey was the strongest and fiercest person he had met, but could she take this many guards? And that Ulkar person? He doubted it.
Minutes passed and Ben continued to loose hope. There wasn’t a sign of her as he scaned the area. No hint of a white stealth suit nearby. In fact, other than the crowd, nobody else was nearby. It made him unsettled. What if she was found? What if she was caught before he could even shut down the electricity? What if…?
A loud boom interrupted his thoughts, and then a forcefield of energy exploded from inside the bunker, throwing him backwards into a wall.

He watched as stormtroopers stood up and recovered from the blast. They looked towards the bunker for a few seconds before ultimately deciding to retreat away from the area. And Ben noticed that most of the people within the 500 meter radius were running towards the larger buildings and away from the reactor. That could only mean one thing. Rey had done it. The reactor was going to blow.

But where was Rey? Ben waited. And waited. Waited for a full 30 seconds. That was too long. Way too long.

He ran towards the reactor, knowing it would explode within minutes, maybe seconds, but was stopped before he could even reach the door.

“Hello, Skywalker,” a smug voice filled his ears. Ben turned around to see who was speaking to him. It was tall yet rather ugly man that wore a battered up black robe. Was he this Ulkar person the generals were talking about? He didn’t have a lightsaber, but rather a sharp sword-like spear.

“The Emperor has waited so long for this day,” Ulkar added.

“So long for his regime to fall?”

“No, of course not. You think this little effort is enough to defeat the Emperor?” he chuckled to himself for a moment before returning to his taunting. “No, today is finally the day that the Skywalker will be killed.”

“And you think you can kill me?”

“Well it looks like I’ll have to since Kira didn’t get the job done.”

Ulkar took a step forward before he stopped in his tracks when he heard a response. Her response.

“Sadly for you, that won’t happen today.”

Both Ben and Ulkar looked behind them where Rey had emerged from the bunker. Her tight mask and hood were taken off, and her short hair blew in the slight wind.

“And you are wrong, Ulkar. I did get the job done. The reactor will decimate in approximately,” she looked at the bunker for a moment to drag the suspense, “45 seconds. Not nearly enough time to evacuate the entire base. We both know that the other outposts don’t hold this sort of power. And we both know that you’re outnumbered, not like you could kill Ben anyways. You never were good with that spear. I would stick to blasters.”

“So the Empress has returned?” he laughed once more. “You’re little threat doesn’t phase me. Neither do any of you. The Emperor will take back what’s rightfully his.”

“What, the galaxy? I’ll be sure to see that that doesn’t happen.”
“Oh no, little Kira,” Ulkar stepped forward, taunting Rey as he strutted towards her. “It’s you.”

Ben watched the look of horror flash across Rey’s face, but she didn’t back down.

“I won’t become Empress,” she shot back.

“Oh, we all know that. You’ve been…” Ulkar looked at Ben before turning his attention back onto Rey, “turned. And for that you will die, and he will watch.”
A swarm of stormtroopers tried to hold Ben back, but before they could even reach him, Rey snapped. With just an outstretch of her hand, she had Ulkar in her grasp, and she quickly stabbed him with her saber.

Ben didn’t know what to think. She never fought anyone like that. Never killed anyone like that. With hatred and anger. It wasn’t her.

The stormtroopers began to fire their blasters at them, and Ben tried to hold them off.

“Rey!” he called. Yet the words didn’t seem to reach her. She stood over the dead body, almost fuming.

“Rey, we have to leave!”

She still didn’t look up.

A blast hit her in the arm. She still didn’t look up.

“Rey, come on,” Ben pleaded and grabbed her uninjured arm, then dragged her away.

PALPATINE

She had killed Ulkar. The man who caused her so much misery. The man who gave her pain. The man who, sadly, shaped her into what she was beside Ben.

If he, along with her grandfather, hadn’t shown their incapability to care or love or even sympathize, she would’ve stayed on the Dark.

And now Ulkar was dead. And she was free.

She looked down at his body. He’s gone. He won’t ever do anything to you again. He can’t hurt you anymore. Her mind kept telling her, yet she still didn’t trust it.

She waited for him to get up. For him to dust himself off and try to killer her with that spear, yet it never happened.

And even with Ulkar dead, she cursed him. Hated him. All those bottled up feelings of pain, sadness and even abuse, came through that stroke. It scared her how she could end a life that easily with that sort of hatred.

She never wanted to do it again. Anger was the path to the Darkside, and she would never want to return to that.

A new pain, a physical pain was felt through her arm, but she ignored it. She just watched Ulkar lay dead, still waiting for him to do something. He never did.

Rey felt a hand pull at her arm, the one that didn’t feel any pain. It dragged her away, and she let it. Just by the touch of the fingers she knew it was Ben, and without looking at his face, she knew he was concerned.

Chapter Text

SKYWALKER
Ben jumped into one of the ships on the landing pad, and they took off right before the entire base was terminated in flames. They had done it, they had destroyed the base on Lothal. But what would they do about the others.

“I left a list in my cell,” Rey explained, but her expression was still dazed. “I used a sharp piece of metal lying on the ground to write it. Every planet that has a base, Palpatine told me before the mission, since I was supposed to become Empress the next day. Or die.”

“Well, you’re alive and it’s past morning. Plus we just destroyed your grandfather’s base, where he was located, so I assume that we have nothing to worry about,” Ben stated, while putting the ship into lightspeed.

“You’ve assumed wrong, Ben. He wasn’t there, I would’ve felt him. There’s only one place he would retreat,” she sighed.

“His temple,” he finished.

Rey nodded. “We have to go back. We have to eliminate him.”

“No, Rey. I would’ve said yes before, but you’re…” he let the sentence end at that, knowing she knew how it would end.

“I finally killed the man who had hurt me for so long, but I don’t feel any better, I don’t feel free. No, I feel guilt,” she stated. Her voice was no louder than a whisper, leaving the confession practically unheard. But Ben had heard it.

He crossed the ship and kneeled down to where she was sitting. Her eyes seemed glossy and distant, her face was frozen in a solemn expression. He missed her bright eyes and loving smile.

“He deserved that death. You know it. I know it. And you can’t dwell on it, Rey. After everything, that shouldn’t be a burden you have to carry. I’ll carry it for you.”

“How?”

Ben held out his hand expectantly. She looked to his face, then his hand, and back again.

“Give me your fear, and I’ll give you my strength,” he repeated once again.

She, almost cautiously, took his hand and he tightened his grip so their palms would be flush to one another. Then with his free hand (his left) he place it on her forehead.

Ben felt her tense at the touch as he had entered her mind, but he soothingly calmed her again.

“It’s alright. It’s me Rey,” he spoke slowly. It made him assume somebody else had done this before, yet not to help her, rather to hurt her.

She relaxed again, and soon enough he found the memory, and took away its pain. It was something his mother had done to him as a child with nightmares, and he assumed it was one of the ways she had protected him from the Darkside of the Force.

He replaced the pain with strength, and love, then removed his hand. Her eyes fluttered open and he notice how a trail of tears had made their way down her cheeks.

Ben wiped them away, then kissed her forehead.

“You’re going to be alright,” he assured her, while wrapping her into a hug.

“I know, because you’re here,” she sighed, and melted into his embrace.

“Are you ready?” he asked tentatively after a moment of just holding her.

“As I’ll ever be,” she responded.

A little beep founded from the cockpit and Ben got up. They were here. A short lightspeed trip and they were back at Dortmund Fels, where it had all began.

He watched her take in a slow breath as they began their decent onto the planet. He sensed her concern and fear through their connection, and took her hand.

“I won’t let you die Rey. I’ll be there the entire time,” he spoke, trying to comfort her.

“That’s not what I’m afraid of,” she met his eyes and the idea clicked in his brain. She wasn’t worried for herself, but for him. “Palpatine killed everyone close to me, my mother and father. But my mother was innocent on the matter. You’re innocent with this as well. He won’t hesitate to kill you, especially considering that you’re a Skywalker. If you’re dead, I don’t think I can go on.”

“You won’t loose me,” he responded, his gaze matched hers’ intensity.

Rey only nodded in response as the ship came to a stop. It was time for her to face him.

PALPATINE

He was there, sitting on his throne with a smug look on his face. She entered the throne room, as she had many times before, yet this time with Ben. Rey did feel stronger with him by her side, yet that fear of losing him hadn’t left her brain.

“So I didn’t have to send my men to search the ends of the galaxy for you. Instead you come straight to me. Accepting your fate then? Something your father never could do, leaving you here and all,” Palpatine taunted.

“I’m not here to become a Sith and I’m not here to die either. I’m here to end you. To end the Palpatines’ attempt at ruling this galaxy,” she replied. Her stance was strong and she had her lightsaber already within her reach.

Palpatine only chuckled at her response.

“You think you can end me? Like that little explosion you caused on the base in Lothal, hmm?” he asked, only to continue laughing. “I knew you would turn. I know you would destroy the base and come to look for me. I knew all of this. I may not be able to turn you to the dark, after this prince has turned your heart, but I can still use you.”

He began to draw her closer with the Force, and Rey found herself trapped. Her legs couldn’t move, her whole body couldn’t move.

“My body is a bit… old,” he started. “I know the Darkside of the Force better than anyone. And there is a way, with the help of my most loyal followers, for my spirit to control your body. Inherit it, yes. And it’ll be rid of yours forever.”

“No,” Ben yelled over the Emperor. He aimed his lightsaber at the man’s throat, who hadn’t noticed the Skywalker sneaking up on him. “You will release her!”

“Or what?” Palpatine smirked.

“Or this,” Ben stretched his hand in front of the old man’s face. And then pulled. It was an ancient technique Luke had taught him, yet he had never tried. A wave to extract power from another force being. Originally used by the grey Jedi.

Rey looked on in awe and slowly felt her body coming back into her control. She stood up and took out her lightsaber, holding it towards her grandfather.

“What are you… what are you doing to me?!” the Emperor watched in horror as dark lightning slowly extracted from his body and into the air. It went higher and higher, moving like it was stuck in thick mud, trudging its way towards the clouds.

Then Ben withdrew his hands and let the energy flow freely with a loud crack as it vanished into the heavens.

“I…I can’t feel.. my force energy its…”

“It’s depleted. And you have nowhere to run,” Ben finished.

“I have guards… I will…”
“You won’t regain that lost energy and power, it’s gone and so are you,” Rey stated.

“If you kill me know, that curse will still reign true. My spirit will enter into you. And you will become a Sith,” he continued, yet his face looked drained and for the first time in her entire life, Rey thought he looked weak.

“When I’m done you won’t have a spirit to pass onto me,” Rey reached out her hand, held up her saber and fought. Slash after slash, she went after him. The only protecting was the little bit of Force power he had left to push her back, yet once Rey had reached his throne, he was no match for her.

“I will not let your evil plague me. When I’ve killed you, you will be the last Palpatine to live,” she stated angrily.

“And what will become of you, young Palpatine?” he asked, a faint yet smug smile appeared on his face.

“I will create life. I’ll take care of it. I won’t destroy it,” she replied calmly.

“And you won’t try to rule it. Believe me, it’s in your blood, his too.”

“With you dead, the war is won. I don’t have to rule or serve anyone. There will be peace under the Skywalkers. Under those people who fought you.”
“The same people who tortured you?”

“They’re good. I would’ve done the same if I were them,” Rey sighed. “Goodbye grandfather."
With that, she stabbed him in her heart. The little bit of dark soul he had left emerged, nearly forcing it’s way into her before she stopped it. With a crush of her fist, the black lightning disintegrated into dust.

The idea, nearly prospect that she was free of the Darkside hadn’t processed fully in her brain. She turned to Ben who ran to her side and embraced her dearly.

“You did it,” he smiled into her neck.

“We both did,” she responded and back up a step so she could see his face. It was so pure and joyful, his smile was contagious and she found herself grinning.

“Where do we even go?” she asked after a moment.

“I know a place,” he replied and they walked out of the temple, hand in hand.

Chapter Text

A Few Weeks Later, on Naboo

When Ben saw her in that dress, that white dress that flowed over her form like silk, his throat tightened and his heart skipped a few beats. She looked like an angel. Beautiful, pure, bright, a ray of light. She smiled at him, a joyful smile as she joined him on the stone veranda that stood on the top of a hill overlooking the glimmering sea. Ben couldn’t have wanted it any other way.

When Rey saw Ben in a set of dark robes. She found it funny that he still looked like a Jedi, even though he had given the title up. He was as handsome as ever, yet Rey knew that from the beginning. His eyes twinkled at her, his hands eventually finding hers once she joined him on the stone veranda that stood on the top of a hill overlooking the glimmering sea. Rey couldn’t have wanted it any other way.

They exchanged vows, and the officiator wed them. Nobody was there, except D-0, and Rey felt sad at the prospect that Ben had missed his family. He had given them all up for her, a choice that if she had the sort of family, she didn’t know how she would’ve made it.

They stood in the sand, Rey still in her white dress and veil, and Ben still wearing his robes. The water lapped up against the sand continuously, giving a calming sound of harmonious peace.

“Do you miss your family?” she asked as they stood and watched the sun set. His arm was tucked over her shoulder and he leaned his head onto hers.

He peppered a kiss onto her temple before replying. “You are my family.”

“Your real family. Be honest with me Ben.”

“Yes, sometimes. But I know they’ve won. I would’ve felt it if they died. And if they wish to find me, they will. But if they don’t want me… then…”

Rey shook her head at the idea. It wasn’t enough to not let her feel a tinge of guilt on the reason of his family’s separation.

“Rey, I wouldn’t want it any other way. My life, with you… forever? It seemed like a dream.”

“It still does,” she breathed. Slowly, as if moving in slow motion, Rey’s lips found Ben’s and she pressed her’s onto his to create a passionate kiss.

Ben eventually broke it, coming up for air. He smiled into her lips as he spoke, “Is that enough proof that this is real?”

“Mmmm. No,” she smiled back and kissed him again.

“Then what about this?” Slyly as the water rose from settling wave, Ben pushed Rey into the water, wedding gown and all.

“Ben!” she shrieked, yet a smile adorned her face.

She force pulled him into the water with her and before they knew it, they were splashing in the waves, not caring that the water was making their hands blue from the cold.

“I love you so, so, much,” he sighed, pulling Rey in close. The feeling in her heart matched the light current pulling the tides in and out. Her heart leaped and she found herself kissing him again. How many times had they done that already, just that day? Ten times at least? Yet it was filled with that same passion and same feeling as the first… all that time ago near that river.

“And I love you,” Rey smiled back. Sealing his lips into another kiss as the waves crashed rather gently around them.

***

Ten Years Later

“What’s this?” a young girl asked, looking into a box she had found tucked away in a previously locked cabinet.

“What is what, LeLe?” Rey asked, turning her attention from the baby she nursed in her arms to the eight year old girl asking the question.

“This,” she took out the foreign object out of its box. The sight of the Jedi weapon made Rey’s breath catch.

“That was your father’s. Be careful with it, it’s dangerous,” Rey sighed, placed the now sleeping baby boy into his crib, and then joined her daughter who sat on the floor, observing the “dangerous” object.

“What is it?” she asked again.

“The weapon of the Jedi. Your father became a Master with the Force. I did too, in my own way,” Rey thought back onto the months of training they did together, finishing the Jedi path Ben had worked most of his life to achieve. They let the masters of the past teach them, they were Force ghosts that lived centuries ago.

“The Force?” the little girl asked. Now climbing into Rey’s lap.

“Yes, the Force. It brings together the light and the dark and binds all life. Some may think it’s a power, but it’s not. It’s a gift that is an extension of your soul, not a tool to use on others.”

“Can you show it to me, mommy?” she asked.

“Show what?” Ben’s voice came from the doorway of the small house they called home. The simple life. Ben and Rey preferred it that way.

“The Force!” the girl exclaimed, and left Rey’s arms to jump into her father’s.

Ben looked from Rey to his daughter and back again.

“I thought we said…”

“We know she has it. We have to tell her eventually, and train her as well,” Rey sighed. She knew this day would come.

“But it will be her choice,” Ben stated.

“Her choice,” Rey nodded.

“What choice?” the girl asked.

“It’s your choice, Leia. If you want to become a Jedi.”