Work Text
Arvala-7
Resistance Hideout
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
The sounds of running water escaped from a bathroom as Rey stood beneath the running water, attempting to wash at least a little bit of the stress and weight of being the Last Jedi away. Between her wet hair, two faint bumps could be seen on the back of her head. A knock was heard on the door. "Rey? You have a minute? General Organa wants to meet with you," A Resistance trooper asked. "I'll be right out," Rey replied. Rey walked into the temporary war room while brushing her hair with her fingers, finding Poe, Finn, Rose, Connix, and Leia were already there waiting for her. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She smiled slightly. "It's alright." Leia shook her head. "An old friend from the Rebellion's Intelligence Division reached out. He was one of our Fulcrum Agents and a former member of the Imperial Security Bureau. Alexsandr Kallus." "What did he say?" Rey asked. "Apparently he has details about an old Rebel stronghold devastated in an attack by Grand Admiral Thrawn two years before the Battle of Yavin," Poe explained. "He thinks there's data and technology there that can help us," Rose added. "Where are we going?" The Last Jedi inquired. "Atollon," Leia answered.
Atollon
In Orbit
The Millennium Falcon emerged from hyperspace, Rey at the controls with Chewbacca next to her. Poe, Finn, Rose, and BB-8 sat behind them, looking around at the debris. "Hell of a battle happened here," Poe said. "Rorwoorah," Chewbacca grunted. "I'll be careful." Rey smiled.
Atollon
Chopper Base
The Falcon landed on the surface of Atollon, the Resistance members disembarking. The wreckage of Imperial AT-ATs and Rebel ships alike laid around the devastated base. Rey looked around the planet, mystified by the energy that swirled in the air. "Come to me..." A deep voice spoke to Rey. "Rey?" Finn piped up. "Rey, are you okay?" "Yes, I just..." Rey shook her head. "I thought I heard something." "Poe, check this out! It's an A-Wing! It's functional!" Rose yelled. "Coming!" Poe replied. He and Finn walked towards Rose. Rey looked off into the distance. "Come..." The voice spoke again. The Last Jedi looked towards her friends, before turning back to the the direction the voice seemed like it was coming from. She sighed to herself before running towards the sound of the voice.
Atollon
Force Enclave
Rey walked into a clearing, looking around at the various krykna and dokma. The rocks of the clearing shifted and moved as a large creature emerged. Rey pulled her blaster from her hip slowly. "There is no need for a weapon," The creature spoke, evidently the source of the voice Rey heard. "Who are you?" Rey asked. "I would ask you the same," The creature replied. "And seeing as though you are in my home, I feel it is right you introduce yourself first." "Rey. I'm... A Jedi," Rey struggled with the world. "Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan, the Light and the Dark. I'm the one in the middle. The Bendu," The Bendu explained. "This I know for certain, but you do not." "We did just meet." Rey holstered her blaster. The Bendu chuckled. "Oh, I do not mean about me. I mean about you. You are not confident that you are indeed a Jedi." The Force Creature brought his head closer to Rey. "I... I suppose you're right," Rey sighed. "Of course I am. I sensed your imbalance when you landed. I have not seen a student of the Force here since Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight," The Bendu spoke fondly. "Imbalance?" The Last Jedi asked. "Yes. Imbalance. Your fear. The weight on your shoulders. You believe you aren't enough." "I don't think I'm ready to be the Last Jedi. I'm not a Skywalker, a Kenobi. I'm just... Rey. And I don't even know who that is." Rey nodded sadly. "Mmm, but that is who you must be. The Force did not choose a Skywalker or a Kenobi. It chose Rey. The Force does not make mistakes, Rey." The Bendu looked into Rey's eyes. He gestured to her bag. "What do you have in there?" Rey pulled out the two halves of the Skywalker lightsaber. "Why do you carry a broken weapon?" "Jedi are supposed to have lightsabers," Rey explained. The Force Creature chuckled again. "Perhaps in a battle. Your battle is on two fronts, so your weapon is split in two. You inner turmoil stops you from fighting this war you are caught in, but that same war stops you from confronting the conflict inside." The Bendu noted. "A Jedi is not their weapon, Rey. A Jedi is what is within. Who are you within?" "I don't know!" Rey yelled. "There lies your conflict." The Bendu smiled. "You're beginning to see what you have been blind to until now." "How can I find myself?" Rey asked. "I cannot answer that for you. That is something you must discover for yourself. However, I can set on a path. An answer you seek lies on a world with twin suns. It is where the story of that lightsaber and its creator began. It is where someone's only hope is said to lie. Perhaps there you can discover something for your own story." The Bendu said before vanishing. Rey touched the back of her head, sighed, and walked back the way she came.
Atollon
Chopper Base
"She just... vanished!" Poe threw his hands up. Leia groaned over the hologram. "Did you seriously lose a Jedi?" Leia chuckled. "Sorry to worry you all." Rey's voice cut in. Finn ran over to her and hugged her, followed by a punch to the shoulder from Rose. "You scared us, Rey! We thought someone might have followed us or you got eaten by the krykna!" Rose yelled. "I... I heard a voice. I met someone called the Bendu. He's strong with the Force. He told me to go a planet with twin suns where the story of this lightsaber began," Rey explained. "Tatooine," Leia spoke up. "You're looking for Tatooine." "He said it's where someone's only hope lies," Rey added. "Yes. Mine. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. And now that spark of hope is with you, Rey. Go. All of you. See whatever this... Bendu wants you to find. We'll try to get a group out there to scavenge the information you found," Leia ordered. "Can we afford to take a detour?" The Last Jedi asked. "Rey, in my experience, the Force is the only mission that matters," Poe cut in. "What he said." Leia smiled. "Go."
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Tatooine
Jundland Wastes
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
The Millennium Falcon and Poe's A-Wing touched down on the scorched sands of Tatooine, with a lone hut standing nearby. The ramp opened, with Rey, Finn, and Rose disembarking. BB-8 and Chewbacca waited at the top of the Falcon's ramp as the A-Wing's cockpit opened, with Poe jumping out. "Beewoobee?" BB-8 asked. "No, buddy. You don't have to come." Poe walked over and gave his droid a pat on his dome. "He doesn't want to?" Finn asked. "He doesn't like sand," Rey explained. "That makes two of us," Finn chuckled. "Three," Poe added. "Four," Rose piped up. "Raghrr." Chewbacca finished. Rey rolled her eyes with a smile. "Alright, Master Jedi." Poe gave Rey a playful nudge on the shoulder. "Where's the Force guiding you." "Inside that hut," Rey explained "I can hear a... A hum. Something calling me."
Space
First Order Territory
The Supremacy
Kylo Ren sat on his throne, finger tapping against the armrest. An attendant stood to his side, sparks flying up from their work station. Hux entered, tracking beacon in hand. "Supreme Leader, the hyperspace tracker you planted during your fight with the Jedi has finally begun functioning. It made a jump to Tatooine," Hux explained. "And where did the jump originate from?" Kylo asked. "A world called Arvala-7," Hux explained. "Shall I prepare a Star Destroyer?" "No." Kylo rose from his throne. "There is no need to waste resources on this meager Resistance." He reached out to the attendant, who handled him his newly repaired helmet. The cracks were now filled with a red-gold substance, giving the helmet a slightly more unnerving appearance. "Summon the Knights." The former Ben Solo put the helmet on, the faceplate clicking into place "I will handle this personally."
Tatooine
Ben Kenobi's Hut
Rey opened the box, the pull she felt growing even stronger. Inside sat the broken pieces of a silver lightsaber, as well as the two halves of a tarnished saberstaff. She closed her eyes, reaching out to sense which one the Force was guiding her to. She heard the hum of the Kyber crystals within the two halves of the saberstaff, taking them into her hands. The halves felt at home in her hands and she knew they would function, but something about them felt... Incomplete. Rey set the halves on the floor, pulling the broken lightsaber of the Skywalkers from her bag. Two broken blades, two legacies cut in half. But maybe she could fix them. Reaching out with the Force, Rey lifted the four halves of the two lightsabers into the air. The Skywalker lightsaber began to come apart as Rey pulled a small welding tool from the box as well. Finn, Poe, and Rose entered the hut, seeing Rey in the middle of her experience. "Is she?" Rose asked. "We just need to let her focus," Poe explained. The handle of the Skywalker lightsaber melded perfectly with the two halves of the saberstaff, as if they were destined to meet. The remaining silver metal formed a stronger casing for the connection point, which Rey welded shut. Rey reached out her hand, pulling the reforged weapon to her hand. "And what do you have?" Rey heard an angry voice, the hum of a lightsaber, the extinguishing of a campfire. "And Qi'ra? You and I will be working much more closely from now on." She felt rage. She knew this... Qi'ra was a liar. "You may call me... Old Master..." She felt the plot forming in the voice. "Look what has become of you. A rat in the desert." She felt the voice's joy at the suffering of another. "You mean... My apprentice?" The pain of a lightsaber burning her eyes. "You seek to protect someone you care about. I will let this slight pass in exchange for your undying fidelity." Anger. She could feel a throat in her hand. "He... Will... Avenge us..." Vindication. The burden of decades lifted. "Formerly Darth, now just Maul." Confidence. Pride. Rey opened her eyes, tightening her grip on the lightsaber. "It looks great, Rey!" Rose smiled. The Last Jedi smiled back. She activated the lightsaber, causing twin crimson blades to shoot out of it. Finn, Poe, and Rose stepped back in shock. "Red? What?" Poe asked. "You're not a Sith!" Rose added. "Rey, are you okay?" Finn inquired. "I'm..." Rey paused. She deactivated the blade. "It's just a colour. The Force guided me here. The Bendu said I would find hope for this conflict here. If this is our only hope, then it's the hope we'll take." "We'll take it, then." Poe shrugged. "Something's not right..." The voice of this... Maul spoke into Rey's ear. "Something's wrong." Rey parroted. "What's going on?" Finn asked. "The First Order has found Arvala-7..." Maul explained. "The Resistance is in trouble. We need to go," Rey explained frantically, running out of the room. Poe and Rose spun on their heels, following her. Finn took a look at the box of lightsaber parts and the broken Kyber crystal of the Skywalker lightsaber on the ground, grabbing both before leaving as well.
Space
The Millennium Falcon
Rey sat in the pilot's seat of the Falcon, her eyes flicking to her new lightsaber. "Chewie, could you take over?" She asked. "Rawarah." Chewbacca nodded. Rey got up, pulling her lightsaber to her hand with the Force and making her way to the bunks. She sat on one, focusing on the lightsaber. "You wish to know why you hear my voice," Maul spoke. "Yes," Rey answered. "You know why. You're simply afraid of the answer," Maul chuckled. "The Force called me to your lightsaber. It told me how to repair it. Why?" "The Force makes choices. None of us understand them. It led my brother to me, an action that eventually lead to his death. It lead me to Kenobi, who killed me. However, my death allowed Kenobi and the Rebellion to survive to end the Empire," Maul explained. "You were a Sith then?" Rey asked. "Long ago." Maul's voice filled with a tone that was impossible for Rey to place. Part of it sounded like anger, part of it sounded like fond remembrance. "Why your lightsaber? I'm just a scavenger from Jakku." The Last Jedi closed her eyes and pondered. "Oh, please. So humble. How very Jedi of you." Rey could swear she heard Maul roll his eyes. "You're a Jedi, Rey. Now you're the last. But you've always been more than a scavenger. And you're more like me than you think." "What the hell do you mean?" Rey demanded. However, Maul remained silent. She touched the back of her head, feeling the two bumps that called her skull home through her thick hair. "Rey?" Rose's voice cut in. "Who were you talking to?" "I..." The Last Jedi breathed in deeply. "I don't know." "Do you want to talk about it?" Rose asked. "Coming up on Arvala-7." Finn walked in. "We'll talk later, Rose." Rey smiled at the mechanic.
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Arvala-7
Resistance Hideout
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Kylo walked slowly along the dusty surface of Arvala-7, the sounds of battle swirling around him. He walked methodically towards a single target. His mother. "Protect the general!" One Resistance member ordered. Kylo threw her aside with the Force, walking mere feet away from Leia. "Ben." Leia's face became a look not of fear, but of sympathy and guilt. "Ben Solo is dead," Kylo growled. "No. He's still in there. Under this helmet, behind the mask hidden beneath it, my son is still in there," Leia replied. Kylo replied by simply pulling his lightsaber from his hip and igniting the blade. Leia looked at her son sadly. "Go ahead. Han is gone. Luke is gone. If Ben is gone too, who else do I have in this galaxy?" Kylo continued simply pointing his blade at his mother, unable to let go of the darkness yet unwilling to step back into the light. The roar of the Millennium Falcon's engines screamed out as the ship descended from the sky. The Falcon had barely reached the ground when the walkway opened and Rey rushed out. Kylo Ren turned away from Leia, walking towards the Last Jedi. "A new lightsaber. Maybe you are skilled as a Jedi," Kylo chuckled. Rey walked towards him, pulling her blade from her hip and igniting one of the crimson blades. "And now the darkness serves as your ally. I can teach you to wield it if you just... Let me." Rey held the blade in front of her, not yet igniting the second saber. The fingers of Kylo's offhand twitched in mild excitement. "I told you. I don't need you." Rey's voice was flat, a mix of annoyance and anger. "Fine," Kylo Ren sighed. He swung down at Rey, who blocked the blade. Kylo noticed the longer handle of her lightsaber made her far more comfortable with the blade. He also noticed the remains of the Skywalker lightsaber had been reduced to nothing more than a connection for the new weapon. "You've torn my lightsaber apart. Defiled it to make it longer." "It's my lightsaber." Rey's eyes narrowed. She broke the blade lock and ducked, swinging up at Kylo. The Supreme Leader stepped back from the blade, catching the strike with his crossguard. He then swung up at Rey's throat, but she twisted away, partially deflecting the strike. The tip of the former Ben Solo's blade grazed Rey's chin, giving her a small burn mark. Rey grunted in pain before going on the offensive with a series of jabs, forcing her opponent to backpedal. Kylo kicked forward, forcing Rey back for a moment that allowed him to regain his composure. He swung down at her, with his opponent blocking the strike. The Last Jedi and the Supreme Leader held their blades in a lock when Kylo shifted his grip slightly. Finn noticed that the crossguard of the former Ben Solo's blade was positioned right over Rey's heart. "Rey!" Finn yelled. His yell came a moment too late as Ren applied more force to his hilt, driving the small vent blade into Rey's chest. She dug the hilt of her lightsaber into her opponent's armpit, causing him to grunt in pain. "I'm sorry." Kylo hung his head a little. "I'm... Not..." Rey growled, igniting her second blade. With a flash of crimson, Kylo's saber arm was removed, causing him to stumble back as his violent red blade deactivated and fell from Rey's chest. The Knights of Ren rushed to their leader's aid as the Resistance opened fire. One of the Knights pulled two pieces of metal from their hips, combining them together to form a lightsaber. Powering it on, a blue blade shot out as they began to deflect the blaster bolts from the Resistance. A second Knight grabbed their master's lightsaber and followed the rest of the First Order strike team in a retreat. "Get Rey to medical. Now," Leia ordered. "Yes, ma'am." A medic nodded. Finn noted that her tone didn't seem optimistic. He gave a look at Poe, who tapped his chest in the same place Rey had been stabbed and mouthed two words to the former Stormtrooper. Her heart.
Jakku
Niima Outpost
5 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey looked around her, seeing the sands of Jakku. "No, come back!" Rey heard a younger version of herself yell. Instead of the hand of Unkar Plutt she usually saw in this dream, it was none other than Darth Vader. "What the hell? That... No." Rey's jaw dropped. "No, he was dead before I was born." "Quiet, girl," Vader ordered. Despite his mechanical voice and menacing appearance, his tone was less harsh than Unkar Plutt's was. "You're going to do the galaxy a great service, young one. Come now. Destiny awaits."
Coruscant
Senate Tower
33 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey then saw herself standing in a dark room. A man in a black robe stood at the end of the room next to a Dathomirian Zabrak. "My master, if I may inquire. Why my blood?" The Dathomirian Zabrak spoke, revealing the now familiar voice of Maul. "A contingency. In the event of... An untimely end," Maul's master explained. "I will not fail, Master." Maul shook his head. "Perhaps not. But I prefer being prepared for anything, my young apprentice." Maul's master waved off the Zabrak's concerns.
Coruscant
Imperial Palace
4 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey saw Maul's master, now with his face scarred and charred, standing with an alien with blue skin and hair and red eyes wearing an Admiral's uniform. "Admiral Thrawn, how is it that the Chiss handle hereditary anomalies?" Maul's master asked. Rey then realized it was the once Emperor Palpatine that she was seeing. "Genetic alterations, my Emperor," Thrawn explained. "Healthy cells are taken from donors and combined with the recipient to heal genetic damages." "Can that method create a new body entirely?" The Emperor inquired further. "Potentially. However, it would require biomedical technology beyond the capabilities of the Chiss," The Admiral continued.
Serenno
Castle Serenno
32 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey found herself in a castle, seeing the infamous Count Dooku before her. He knelt as the Emperor, once again looking like he did as Chancellor of the Republic, appeared in a hologram before him. "My master, the army ordered by Sifo-Dyas is now under our control." Dooku explained. "Good. And what is the status of my secondary project?" Palpatine asked. "The Kaminoans have begun searching for ways to slow your aging. They are not optimistic," Dooku explained.
Arvala-7
Resistance Hideout
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Leia, Finn, Poe, and Rose watched as the medics analyzed Rey. One medic touched Rey's stab wound, shining a light into it as his counterpart scanned the Jedi's vital signs. "How is she still alive?" The first medic whispered. "I don't know!" The other one grit her teeth. "What's the problem?" Leia asked. "Depends on your definition of a problem. Kylo Ren's lightsaber pierced her heart," The first medic explained. "That's a horrible way to die." Rose looked at her friend with sadness. "It is." Leia nodded. The two medics looked at each other. "That's just it." The second medic explained as she turned the screen to the figureheads of the Resistance. Rey's vitals were somewhat weaker than normal, but still stable. "She's not dead. She's not even dying." "How?" Poe asked. He looked at Leia. "Is that a thing Jedi can just do?" "Commander Dameron, it's not a Jedi matter. It's a biological one." The first medic handed Poe a datapad. "She survived a lightsaber going into her heart because she has two of them."
Mustafar
Darth Vader's Castle
5 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey then saw Darth Vader kneeling before the Emperor in a room of red and black stone. "What is the news from Kamino, Lord Vader?" "I have delivered my an acquisition from Jakku to the world. As I was about to depart from the world, a couple begged me to take their daughter from them for a meager amount of credits. I was going to refuse, but the Force called me to take her to Kamino," Vader explained. "Is she strong in the Force?" The Emperor's brow raised. "No. However, the Force around her moves in a way I have never seen before." Vadar shook his head. "Intriguing. What is her name?" The Emperor stroked his chin in curiosity. "Eldirsaid. Rey Eldirsaid." Rey stumbled back at hearing her name before the vision went dark.
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Space
First Order Territory
The Supremacy
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Hux stood on the bridge of the Supremacy. A Stormtrooper with golden plated armour entered. "You asked to see me, Grand General?" The Stormtrooper asked. "I did, Commander Pyre." Hux put his arms behind his back. "The Resistance must be punished for their crimes against both our Order and our leader. Contact the Star Forge. I want a task force of ships capable of orbital bombardment." "We'll be sending them to Arvala-7?" Pyre asked. "The Resistance will have left by the time we arrive and the world is mostly uninhabited other than some Jawas. No. I want to send a message to the Resistance, one that strikes them in the heart. Dispatch the task force to Jakku. "What will out goal be, Grand General?" "You will live up to your name, Commander. Torch the planet until every grain of sand is shattered glass! Allow those who try to flee their escape so they may tell the galaxy the consequences of the Resistance's actions!" Hux ordered. "Yes, Grand General." Pyre spun on his heel, leaving the bridge.
Mustafar
Darth Vader's Castle
2 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey stood in Darth Vader's castle once again, seeing Vader with a Kel Dor in black armour. "The Emperor's project on Kamino is nearing completion. The Emperor decrees she must be trained to an extent greater than the Inquisitors," Vader explained. "You fear she may be your replacement." The Kel Dor nodded. Vader nodded. "I do, Inquisitor. That is the way of the Sith. However, it is also the way of the Sith to sabotage his plan. When her body is ready, train her. You will have a year to teach her. When that time comes, you will journey to Jakku with her frozen in carbonite. The planet is a nexus of the Force and will disguise her in the event her carbon cell fails." "There was a broken carbon cell in my AT-AT..." Rey realized. "As another buffer, you will implant false memories in her mind. Once those tasks are complete, abandon her carbon cell on Jakku and fake your death on another world. When the Emperor falls, I will rise to his throne and you will be honoured beyond your greatest hopes," Vader ordered. "Why not simply kill her ourselves?" The Inquisitor asked. "The Emperor will sense it. He has a connection to her. However, if she is frozen and you are believed dead, he will believe his search will be fruitless, leaving her lost forever," Vader replied. "I understand. I will not fail you, Lord Vader." The Kel Dor bowed. "Good. You are the last Inquisitor, Third Sister. Prove to me why." Vader turned away, his cape swishing.
Jabiim
Cobalt Station
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey opened her eyes with a groan, seeing Finn, Poe, and Rose nearby. "Rey!" Finn yelled, hugging the Jedi. Rey groaned, hugging her friend back. "Easy, Finn. She's not totally healed yet." Poe smiled. "Force, you had us so worried, Rey!" Rose joined the hug. "I'm alright. Just sore." Rey smiled weakly. "That'll happen when you get stabbed in your heart." Poe chuckled into his caf. "My heart?" Rey looked at Poe with shock on her face. "How did I survive." "Because you only got stabbed in one of your hearts," Finn explained. Rey gave him a confused look. "The medics tested you. Turns out you're part Zabrak," Poe continued. "I..." Rey looked at him, still confused. She bowed her head, reaching up into her hair. She pulled the thick strands away, exposing the two bumps on her head. "That explains some things." Rose reached out, touching one of the bumps gently. Rey let go of her hair, looking back to her friends. "How long has it been?" "Two weeks. You spent the first in a bacta suit," Poe explained. "Where are we?" Rey inquired. "Cobalt Station on Jabiim. It's an Clone Wars-era Republic outpost." Poe sipped his caf. "Rey, there's something you should know," Rose piped up. "Is this the best time to tell her?" Finn piped up. "She deserves to know." The Mechanic replied. "What's going on? What happened?" The Last Jedi looked between the two. "It's Jakku." Rose gave Rey a sympathetic look. "The First Order attacked it three days ago. They used orbital bombardment and glassed the planet," Finn explained. "Galactic outreach organizations estimate that less than a third of the population escaped," Poe continued. "Force... No..." Rey put her head in her hands, breathing in deeply. "It's my fault. It's all my fault." Rey started to get up. "Whoa, whoa, no! Rey, stop!" Rose jumped, trying to stop Rey from getting up. "I had a vision during my dream. Kamino came up. I... I need to go there," Rey explained. "Rey, you're not ready to go into the field." Finn took Rey's hand in his. "What am I supposed to do then, Finn? Sit around and be useless?" Rey demanded. "Rey, the First Order has been sending out propaganda across the galaxy about how Kylo Ren killed you. If you show up alive, everything they've ever said is called into question. Systems will rally around us. Around you. You'll be a symbol about how the fire of rebellion keeps burning no matter what." Poe put both his hands on Rey's shoulders. "Okay." Rey nodded. She smiled. "That was a good speech." "Lay down, get some rest. You need it." Rose smiled. She and Poe left the room, leaving Finn and Rey alone. "You're staying?" The Last Jedi asked. Finn smiled sadly. "I can leave if you want. I just thought you might want some company." Finn shrugged, starting to get up. "I appreciate it. Stay. Please." Rey smiled, to which Finn sat back down. "Do you mind if I take a quick nap?" "Go right ahead." Finn smiled. Rey closed her eyes, hoping that she might be able to return to one of her visions.
Kamino
Timira City
3 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey felt the rain in her hair. If her business in the vision wasn't urgent, she would have taken a moment to enjoy the still remarkably new sensation. She heard the clashing of lightsabers nearby. She turned, seeing the Third Sister and the younger version of herself clashing saberstaffs as Purge Troopers watched nearby. Her younger self clashed her blades against the Third Sister's hands, slashing the Kel Dor's fists. "You pierced my defenses. Your training is... Successful." The Inquisitor deactivated her blades. "I've had an excellent teacher," The younger Rey replied, deactivating her saberstaff as well. "Tell me. How long has it been since we began your training?" The Third Sister asked. Rey tapped a comms device on her wrist, pulling up a calendar. "It's a been a year to this exact day!" The younger Rey's face lit up. The Third Sister brought her hand up to her chin. "Fascinating." The Third Sister chuckled beneath her breathing mask. She looked at the Purge Troopers. "Execute Order 43." "It will be done." The Purge Troopers said in unison, their voices those of Clone Troopers. The younger Rey looked around in shock as the Purge Troopers pointed their blasters at her. "Third Sister, what are you-" The younger Rey was cut off by a series of stun bolts from the Purge Troopers, causing her to drop her lightsaber. "Get her to the carbon freezing chamber." The Third Sister ordered.
Jabiim
Cobalt Station
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey opened her eyes, seeing Finn still by her bed. "Hey. Good nap?" Finn asked Rey with a smile. "It was." She smiled back. "Finn." Rey placed her hand on his knee. "I'm sorry." "It's fine, Rey. You were just angry." Finn touched Rey's shoulder."Not just about yelling. About this." Rey shook her head. In a fluid motion, she called her lightsaber from a nearby table and clubbed Finn in the face with the hilt, sending the former Stormtrooper to the ground in a crumpled heap. She got out of bed, looking down at herself. She saw she was wearing medical clothing not suited to a mission of any sort. Rey looked around, realizing that she was in a barracks room rather than a recovery room, likely due to how many soldiers were injured in the battle. She opened a weapons locker, pulling some armour out from within. The base was from the Clone Wars, meaning that most of the armour was designed for the clones. Fortunately, some of the clothing also belonged to the various non-clone Republic forces. Rey found a pair of tall boots and pants that fit her well enough in the first closest, grabbing a clone's belt and grey-black kama as well for added protection. In another nearby closet, she found some Jedi robes that were slightly too big, but the belt would keep them on. Finally, she grabbed a DC-17 blaster and slid it into a holster on the side of her belt, clipping her lightsaber to her right hip. Rey then left the room, giving one last look at Finn before closing the door behind her. "I need a ship. The Falcon will be too obvious. There's that A-Wing we grabbed from Atollon, but Poe probably has that locked down... Maybe there's a ship from the Clone Wars in the hanger I can borrow."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jabiim
Cobalt Station
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Leia stood at in the hanger of the Resistance base, looking at an empty landing pad. The A-Wing taken from Atollon landed, with Poe jumping out. "Nothing?" She asked. "She jumped to hyperspace. Her comms are closed." Poe shook his head. "Her transponder?" Leia turned to Connix and Rose. "She took a Delta-7X Aethersprite. No transponder," Rose explained. "I thought those things couldn't jump to hyperspace without a hyperspace ring." Poe piped up. "The Delta-7 and 7B couldn't. The 7X was an experimental stealth model designed by a pilot in Freedom Squadron named Warbird. It never made it into full production," Rose explained. "So we've got nothing." Leia sighed. "In probably related problems, has anyone seen BB-8?" Rose asked. "I thought he was with you, Connix," Poe gestured at the lieutenant. "He was. Then he told me Rose wanted help with some starship maintenance." Connix replied. "Okay. Rose, you should be able to track his drives. I'm going to go check in Finn. Apparently Rey hit him pretty hard." Poe made his way to the door.
Kamino
Timira City
Rey landed in Timira City, the same landing pad as the one in her vision. She opened the cockpit of her ship, hopping out into the rain. A Kaminoan approached her. "I'm afraid I must ask you to turn away." The Kaminoan folded his hands. "I have business here," Rey replied. "You will have to take it elsewhere." The Kaminoan shook his head. The Last Jedi sighed to herself. She needed answers to her vision and it looked like words weren't going to get her any. Apparently it was time to do something that was very un-Jedi. Rey pulled her lightsaber from her hip, igniting the crimson blade. The rain sizzled against the blade, the red glow reflecting in the Kaminoan's eyes. "Oh! My apologies, Madam. Your business is fine here. I will show you to a suite. Your droid may come along." "My droid?" Rey asked herself. She turned, seeing BB-8 behind her. "Beebee!" BB-8 beeped happily, rolling up to Rey. The droid bumped into her legs gently as Rey turned off her lightsaber and put it on her hip. "How did you get here without me noticing?" Rey gave the droid a pat on the head. "Bwooboopbee. Teepa bwee bwoo." BB-8 beeped. "You snuck aboard when I was doing flight checks? Clever little droid." Rey chuckled. "Madam? If you'd come along?" The Kaminoan piped up. Rey stood, following the alien inside with BB-8 loyally at her heels.
Space
First Order Territory
The Supremacy Kylo awoke on an operating table, with the Knight of Ren who had wielded the blue lightsaber on Arvala-7 standing guard. "Jarrus... What happened?" Kylo asked. "You stabbed the Jedi in the heart. She took off your arm as a desperate last strike." Jarrus explained. Kylo looked down at his right arm, seeing a prosthetic in its place. He lifted his new hand, trying to clench it into a fist. However, he struggled to get the fingers to move beyond a few jerky shifts. "It will take some time to get used to." "He's more like Vader now." A nearby Stormtrooper whispered to herself. "Mind your tongue about the Supreme Leader, Trooper." Jarrus hurled his deactivated lightsaber at the Stormtrooper, stopping it with the Force inches from her face. "If you'd like to keep it, that is." "It won't happen again, Jarrus Ren." The Stormtrooper let out a slight gulp. "Correct." Jarrus chuckled as the blue blade of his lightsaber activated, going through the Stormtrooper's head. Jarrus called his blade back to his hand before returning the hilt back to his hip. "How long until my arm is... Operational?" Kylo Ren asked. "Could be weeks. I believe you will manage it quickly though, sir," Jarrus replied. "Good. I intend to do what Vader couldn't." Kylo got up from the table. "And what would that be?" The Knight asked. "End a resistance before it becomes a rebellion." The Supreme Leader chuckled.
Kamino
Timira City
Rey and BB-8 followed the Kaminoan into a large suite that looked designed for luxury. The Kaminoan gestured for Rey to enter, which she did. "We are at your service and leisure, Madam. Anything you require will be our pleasure." The Kaminoan bowed. "Could you... Deliver a kit for my hair? I'd like to do a little work to it." Rey inquired. "Of course, Madam. It will be done. You'll find a change of clothes in the closet over there." The Kaminoan pointed at a door at the back of the room. He bowed again before leaving, giving Rey and BB-8 the run of the room. "Beewoo... Beep beep?" BB-8 piped up. "It is nice. I don't know why they're being so hospitable. Kaminoans aren't exactly known for it." Rey replied, getting a feel for the room. She set her lightsaber aside, going to the closet that had been pointed out to her. She opened the door, finding a massive collection of various outfits that looked like they would fit her perfectly. Too perfectly. "Bwoo?" BB-8 beeped. "It's odd, yes. But I'm rather eager to get out of this outfit. It's not exactly designed for me," Rey replied. She closed the door to the closet, with BB-8 remaining loyally nearby. "The past two weeks have been a series of eye opening moments. First I get called to the lightsaber of Darth Maul, then I discover I have two hearts and am part Zabrak, then I get a vision where I met Darth Vader and was trained by an Inquisitor on Kamino. Now I'm here on Kamino as an honoured guest where I find a room with clothing designed specifically to fit me. Absolutely nothing makes sense and I would like to find some answers." "Twoo Bwoe?" The droid asked. "No, don't call Poe. The Resistance needs everyone they can muster right now. I just... Had to take a brief detour to help me get my head about myself," Rey answered. The door to the closet opened, and Rey stepped out wearing black pants, a collared white shirt, and comfortable looking boots. "Bweewee!" BB-8 spun around the Last Jedi's feet, causing her to laugh. "I'm glad you think I'm pretty, Beebee." Rey smiled. A knock came on the door, which Rey walked over to. She found a different Kaminoan on the other side, this one holding a box. "As you requested, Madam." The Kaminoan handed the Last Jedi the box. "Will that be all?" "Yes, thank you." Rey nodded. The Kaminoan left, leaving the box with Rey. "Bwuz wha?" BB-8 inquired. "Just something for my hair. I don't have any ties and I want to... Get it out of my face. Do some exploring, Beebee." Rey explained with a smile before walking into the bathroom.
Jabiim
Cobalt Station Poe walked into his and Finn's bunk, finding Finn with a cold pack on his head. "Girl hits like a starship, doesn't she?" Poe chuckled. "Not the first time she's laid me out." Finn smiled. "Probably won't be the last either." Poe sat next to Finn. "I'm worried about her." Finn piped up. "So am I. I haven't known her as long as you, but this doesn't seem like her." Poe grasped Finn's shoulder. "We need everyone we've got right now. We can't let the First Order win. I won't let them take more kids so they can brainwash them." The former Stormtrooper looked at Poe with the spark of resistance in his eyes. "We're not going to let them win." Black Leader smiled. "As for allies... I have an idea." "What are you thinking?" Finn asked. "Ever been to Socorro?"
Kamino
Timira City
Rey set the box next to the sink, opening it. She took a pair of vibrocutters from the box, plugging them into the wall. She took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. She pulled a plastoid attachment from the box, attaching it to the blades. "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." "Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace." "It was foretold that you would be here. Our long awaited meeting has come at last." Rey switched on the vibrocutters, bringing them up to her forehead. She closed her eyes as she touched the device to her head. “Your rage has unbalanced you... That is not the Jedi way, is it?” "I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger." "You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger." Rey expected to hear a crunch as the vibrocutters stripped her hair down to half inch fuzz, but instead heard a bump on the door. The Last Jedi took the vibrocutters away from her head, switched them off, and opened the door. "Bwoo wuzz?" BB-8 asked. He titled his head, seeing the vibrocutters on the refresher. "I just..." Rey sighed, kneeling next to the droid. "I kept my hair how it was for years because I thought my family would come back for me. Now the Force... The Force is telling me everything I once knew was a lie." She looked to the vibrocutters. "So why not just... Let it go? Let go of the anger I feel for being lied to, for being left behind." "Bwoosh." BB-8 beeped. "Yes. A fresh start." Rey smiled.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kamino
Timira City
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
BB-8 sat loyally as the last locks of Rey's brown hair tumbled to the floor in front of him. He looked up at the Last Jedi, whose head was now covered in a pelt of half inch long fuzz. The bumps on the back of her head now showed much more clearly. "Whoobee bwee!" BB-8 chirped. "Well, I do have years of practice cutting my own hair." Rey took the towel she had wrapped around her neck off, running a hand across the top of her head. "This though. It's... Different." "Weepwoo beebee?" The droid inquired. "I haven't decided if it's good or bad. Just different." "Whip whoo boo!" BB-8 bumped into Rey's leg gently. "I'm glad you like it." The Last Jedi gave him a pat on his dome. She looked back into the mirror, rubbing her head again with an expression that was filled with mild indecision. The Jedi and the droid then heard a knock on the door to Rey's quarters. Rey walked over to the door, opening it for the waiting Kaminoan. If the alien had a reaction to Rey's new haircut, he didn't show it. "Madam, his Excellency requests your presence," The Kaminoan explained. "Your droid must remain here, however." "Sorry, Beebee." Rey smiled at the droid sympathetically. She summoned her lightsaber to her hand before following the Kaminoan away. BB-8 then rolled over to a window and deployed a comms dish.
Sorocco
Calrissian City
Poe, Finn, and Chewbacca walked up to a door to a large mansion, with Chewbacca being the one to knock. "Coming!" A Twi'lek's voice came from the other side. The door opened, revealing a Rutian Twi'lek. "Rargraw urrugah." Chewbacca smiled, holding his arms out. "Hello yourself, Chewie." The Twi'lek hugged him. "Is that a Wookie I hear, Kaasha?" The familiar voice of the one and only Lando Calrissian spoke as the famed smuggler, gambler, and cape enthusiast came around the corner. "Chewie, you big old walking carpet! It's good to see you!" Lando hugged the Wookie. "Where are our manners? Come in, you three!" Lando and Kaasha led the three heroes of the Resistance inside. "Have a seat, gentlemen." Kaasha gestured to the living room. "You must be Poe Dameron. I recognize a fellow dashing fellow any day, and yours is on Resistance posters everywhere." Lando pointed at Poe before pulling a bottle from the mantle. "That would be me." Poe smiled. "A drink, gentlemen?" Lando asked. "Why not? Chewie's flying." Poe shrugged. "I've never had alcohol before." Finn piped up. Lando's expression became rather interested. "We haven't met yet. Lando Bateen-Calrissian. It's a pleasure." Lando poured four glasses, handing a glass to Kaasha, Poe, and Finn. "Thank you. I'm Finn. I used to be a Stormtrooper before Poe helped me escape," Finn explained. "We really helped each other escape," Poe added. "Ah, Damerons always did know how to choose 'em." Lando laughed. "What?" "We're not-" "I'm not-" "He's..." Finn and Poe respectively stammered back and forth in rapid succession. Lando held up his hand with a grin on his face. "You're not here for a wedding, I know. So what brings you to my quiet corner of the galaxy?" Lando asked. "We need you help," Poe explained.
Jabiim
Cobalt Station Leia, Rose, Connix, C-3PO, and R2-D2 stood by a computer when Jessika Pava walked in. "Inferno Squad was off scope. We've got nothing so far." Jessica shook her hair down as she took her helmet off. "Snap and Karé are going to Corellia to pick up Snap's parents." "We must hope whoever Commander Dameron is looking for can offer us aid." C-3PO replied. The comms then blared, with BB-8's quick beeps coming through. "Slow down, buddy. Poe's away and he's the only one that can translate your motormouth." Connix cut the droid off with a chuckle. "Woop boo beep twee bwoo twoo too!" BB-8 explained. "Rey's on Kamino?" Leia asked. "How'd she get in there? The Kaminoans aren't known for being hospitable." Jessika piped up. "Bwee bee twoo bwoop bwee woop," The droid continued. "They let her in?" Rose asked. "Called her Madam?" 3PO added. "Where is Rey now, BB-8?" Leia inquired. "Wee wee bee boo woop woo." Beebee explained. "Meeting with 'His Excellency'? Oh, I don't like that at all." C-3PO shook his head. "Neither do I. Jessika, go extract them if you can," Leia ordered. "Permission to tag along?" Rose asked. "Granted. R2, you go as well." Leia gestured to the droid. Jessika, Rose, and R2-D2 then walked out of the room. "You can fly, right?" Jessika asked. Rose gave her a nervous look. "We'll take one of the old ARC-170's. They've got room for a co-pilot."
Kamino
Timira City
Rey arrived at a door deep within Timira City, with her Kaminoan guide stopping outside. "He waits for you within." He explained as he opened the door. Rey entered, with the door closing behind her. The Last Jedi walked through the facility, examining the various tubes around the room. Body parts of multiple species laid in containment cells around the room, with one large tube at the end. She reached out for the datapad nearby, tapping the screen. “Project Harvester has two goals. The first is to create Inquisitors. Vader knows of that goal. However, the second of those goals is one I never intend to tell him.” The voice of the old Emperor came from the datapad. “I am not immortal. I fear I never will be. Vader… I had hoped he would be a worthy successor, but he failed on Mustafar. His hatred gives him focus, but Vader is nowhere near as powerful as Anakin Skywalker was. I must have a worthy heir to my Empire. Over the years, I have had the Kaminoans tampering with creation. I have designed Project Cinder to annihilate the Empire and damage the economy of the galaxy in the event of my death. The foundation of a new Order and the use of the future Project Starkiller constructed within the planet Ilum will further destabilize the galaxy. The weakness built into that system will ensure that a future government after my Empire is crippled, followed by the loss of the new Order’s weapon. However, I must design the perfect heir. Unfortunately, all tests have thus far been… Disappointing. No subjects have survived. I have some hope for this next one. According to Vadar, the Force moves around her in a unique way. She is a young girl from Jakku.” Rey perked up at the former Emperor’s mention of her home. “Her parents are drunks, willing to sell anything for credits. Their daughter is no exception. She will not survive the experience, but that is required. I will rebuild her. With the pieces of my chosen donors, she will no longer be fully human, but rather something even greater. She will be… My perfect heir.” Rey stepped back from the console as her own face appeared on the screen. “No. No, I can’t be. No!” “But you are.” The same voice as the recording, yet sounding healthier and younger, came from behind her. Rey turned, seeing a red robed droid with a black domed head. A hologram then appeared on the dome of the droid: The face of Sheev Palpatine during his days as Chancellor of the Republic. “No, this… No. This is a recording.” Rey pointed at the droid, stepping back. “It is not. This is the power of the Dark Side. The Jedi can manifest anywhere with their ghosts, but Sith can haunt objects. None that history records considered haunting droids, however. They didn’t want separation from the Force we so cherish. However, much lesser power with the Force is a small price to pay for a piece of immortality.” The voice of Palpatine explained. “All of that could easily have been recorded to trigger if I said that it was a recording.” The Last Jedi shook her head. “Perhaps I could predict you’d ask that, but here is something I could not predict.” The droid stepped closer to Rey, tilting its head to look down at her. “Rey. The Last of the Jedi. The Hero of the Resistance. Friend to Finn, Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, Leia Organa, BB-8, Chewbacca, need I go on or are you satisfied that I am not a recording?” “Force…” Rey pulled her lightsaber from her hip, igniting it as she stepped back into a fighting stance. “Please… Hear me, Rey. Understand me.” Palpatine put his mechanical body’s hand out not as a gesture of self-defense, but of calming. “I don’t wish to hurt you.” “And why is that? Because I was an investment? Because it took time to tear me apart in a laboratory and then reassemble in a way which fit your whims?” Rey demanded, holding her blades at the ready. “No. Rey Eldirsaid was not born Force Sensitive. You were the daughter of two drunks who sold you to me for a pittance.” Palpatine folded his droid body’s hands in front of it. “Your mind was strong, but you lacked the midichlorians to connect properly to the Force. The blood in your veins is not yours. Part of it came from Darth Vader, part of it came from Darth Maul. However, most of it came from me. My midichlorians flow through you. In the way I see it… I am your father.” “No. No.” Rey’s hand shook. “You’re lying.” “Why would I lie? You’d just kill me. I’m entombed in a droid. It’s not exactly within my power to strike back,” Palpatine chuckled. His mobile tomb walked forward, touching the hilt of Rey’s lightsaber. Rey’s grip tightened, but she saw that the former Emperor made no move to take the weapon from her. She growled to herself before deciding to make a fateful decision. She shut off the blades.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kamino
Timira City
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey returned her deactivated lightsaber to her hip. "Thank you for trusting me." Palpatine's droid changed the hologram of his face to a small smile. "I don't," Rey replied. "I suppose that is to be expected." Palpatine folded his vessel's arms behind his back. "Why am I here? Why did you call me here?" Rey asked. "I did nothing. The Force called you here. You were destined to come to me," Palpatine explained. "You were destined to find out where you come from. To find out about the power you hold." "Power?" Rey asked. "Have you never questioned your strength in the Force? Your skill with a staff? Your abilities as a pilot? Your penchant for leadership? You were designed to be the perfect heir to my Empire. You hold that potential within you. You have for years." Palpatine explained. "I'm not interested." Rey shook her head before turning around. "Consider what this could do for the Resistance." Palpatine continued. Rey froze. "There were contingencies in place for my death. Contingencies my Empire was supposed to follow. However, a usurper stepped in. A usurper named Snoke." Rey turned around at the mention of the old Supreme Leader. "He was a Dark Side acolyte. My rival apprentice during my days with my master, Darth Plagueis." Palpatine's facial hologram turned into a look of annoyance. "He was replaced by me and thus sought revenge for almost a century. In the aftermath of the Battle of Jakku, my Empire shattered on my orders. They were supposed to meet with my hidden fleet in the Unknown Regions, but Snoke took them over. He killed Grand Admiral Sloane and replaced those loyal to me with people loyal to him. He stole Starkiller Base, he stole my Star Forge. I spent nearly one hundred years hunting for that Star Forge only for him to claim it for his First Order." "None of this explains how this helps the Resistance." Rey nostrils flared. "As I mentioned, those contingencies included a hidden fleet. They also included a loyal army locked in carbonite." Palpatine placed his hand on Rey's shoulder. Despite the hand being metal, the touch was gentle, fatherly. It was something Rey had wanted her whole life. "And how does that fleet help me?" Rey inquired. "You can control it. As my heir, there is an order in place that gives you control." The former Emperor's droid body gestured. "How will they know it's me?" The Jedi pondered. "When you were redesigned, you were designed in a specific way. We were able to predict your growth. How you would look." Palpatine smiled. "A beautiful face, a commanding voice, a skilled warrior." His tone was that of pride, but it was hard to tell if it was pride in Rey or pride in himself. "Your hair isn't quite the same as what I was expecting, but it's very nice." He touched Rey's face, and she almost involuntarily leaned into the gesture. "You are the greatest remnant of my legacy." "Where is this fleet?" The Last Jedi inquired. "The southern polar region of Byss, a world in the Deep Core of the galaxy," Palpatine began. "However, before you obtain it, you will need a skilled naval commander to aid you. The once highest ranking official in the Imperial Navy. The Chiss known as Thrawn." "How do I find him?" Rey asked. "That is complicated. He was stolen into hyperspace during the lead up to the Battle of Scarif by the Jedi Ezra Bridger. He vanished. However, I never sensed his death. The search must begin on Lothal. Hera Syndulla, a former Rebellion general, is the best lead you have," Palpatine explained. "I understand. How will I get there?" The Last Jedi nodded. "We." Palpatine's facial hologram became a kind smile. Rey raised an eyebrow. "You have just learned of your place in the galaxy. I am not going to let you be alone again, my dear daughter." Palpatine's droid gave Rey a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. "We will take my yacht. The Imperialis. Come, come. It's hidden beneath the landing pad." "I need to get my droid from my quarters." Rey turned to Palpatine. "Of course." The Emperor nodded.
Sorocco
Calrissian City
Lando chuckled. "My help? I'm retired, kid." Lando sipped his drink. "We know. We're sorry to bother you, but we wouldn't come to you if there was another option." Poe looked at Lando sympathetically. "Han's dead, isn't he?" Lando asked, a tear coming to his eye. "Kylo Ren killed him." Finn nodded sadly. "Akbar, Statura, Holdo, Luke Skywalker. They're all gone. Leia's the only senior member left," Poe explained. "What I would give for a Jedi right now. That... Rey, I think her name is? The news has been saying she's dead. That Ben... That Kylo Ren killed her." Lando crossed his arms. "She survived." Finn smiled. "Then the Jedi are pulling miracles. I'm in." Lando smiled back. "For Han." "For Han," Kaasha added.
Kamino
Timira City
The Resistance ARC-170 landed, with Jessika, Rose, and R2 getting out. They saw Rey's Aethersprite nearby. "Wonder where the Jedi for this Jedi starfighter is." Jessika joked to herself. "Excuse me!" A Kaminoan yelled to them. "We're here looking for a friend," Rose explained. "You'll have to look elsewhere," The Kaminoan ordered. "Leave now." "It's alright!" Rey's voice cut through the rain. Rose and Jessika looked at the Last Jedi, but she wasn't quite the Rey they remembered. Her hair was cropped short and she was clad in gunmetal coloured armour resembling that of the Republic's clones, but with the addition of dark red Jedi robes over her chest and a black cape. Following her were a red robed droid and BB-8. "They're with me." "If I wasn't gay already, I would be now." Jessika whispered to Rose. "Of course, Madam. I will leave you to your business." The Kaminoan bowed as Rey and her entourage approached the group. "Rey! You look-" Rose began. "Hot." Jessika cut in. "I was going to say different," Rose replied. "Did I stutter?" Jessika asked. "I will prepare the ship." The Sentinel Droid told Rey in a deep, mechanical voice. He walked over to the Aethersprite, taking off slowly and bringing it under the landing pad. "Thank you." Rey nodded. "I'm assuming BB-8 got worried?" "Beebeeate!" The droid beeped happily. "Yep. We're here to bring you back," Jessika explained. "We need to take a few detours first." The Last Jedi explained. "I discovered the location of an old Imperial fleet that I have the means to control." "Jedi methods?" Rose asked. "Of a sort." The Heir to the Empire nodded. "We need a commander for the navy, though. I have the identity of said commander. Thrawn, a former Imperial-" "Grand Admiral Thrawn?" Jessika cut Rey off. "You're familiar with him?" Rose asked. "He's a legend in naval combat! He wrecked Phoenix Squadron at Atollon, developed the TIE Defender, crushed an insurgency on Batonn. Admiral Akbar once said that if Thrawn was at Scarif, Yavin, or Endor, the Rebellion would have lost the war," Jessika explained. "And you can get him on our side? You can find him?" "I know who can. Hera Syndulla. She's on Lothal." Rey explained. The Imperialis then emerged from beneath the landing pad, with its ramp extending down. The Sentinel Droid stepped out. "You may park your ARC-170 in the hanger. We depart at your command, Madam." The droid looked at Jessika and then to Rey.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
First Order Territory
The Supremacy
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Hux and Commander Pyre entered a small supply room. Various pieces of debris laid scattered around, including various pieces of broken Stormtrooper armour and a droid that looked identical to the Sentinel that Palpatine's spirit inhabited. Neither noticed that the cracked dome of the droid was glowing slightly. "Take off your helmet, Pyre. We cannot have a channel that can be monitored," Hux ordered. Pyre obliged, revealing that the man beneath the golden armour was a Chiss. "Are you sure this area is safe? That damned Vizsla Ren is always listening," Pyre asked. "I am certain, Commander," Hux growled. "Hence your helmet being removed." "What are we meeting for in such secrecy?" Pyre asked. "The Supreme Leader. I'm sure you witnessed the results of the travesty on Arvala-7." Hux crossed his arms. "He killed the Jedi and lost an arm in return." Pyre raised an eyebrow. "There are rather reliable whispers that she survived. Which means the only one who lost that battle was Ren," Hux explained. "His leadership has thus been a series of defeats against a meager Resistance. Well, except when you commanded the battle. The Scorching of Jakku, for instance." "Indeed." Hux smiled. "Perhaps a change of leadership is in order." Pyre smiled back.
Space
The Imperialis
Palpatine stood in Rey's quarters on the Imperialis, looking down at the hologram in his palm. "Then we are in agreement about what we must do?" Hux asked. "Yes, General." The Commander nodded. "How can I be certain of your loyalty to this cause?" The General asked. "A Supreme Leader worthy of the title needs a second in command to help keep the Order in line." Pyre smiled. "A candidate would need to earn that role through skilled aid in deposing Kylo Ren and his lapdogs." Hux chuckled. "Fascinating," Palpatine said. "What was that?" Rey asked from behind. "Ah, my daughter. You snuck up on me. Well done. I was merely reconnecting this droid's systems to the ship." Palpatine turned off the holoprojector before turning to his chosen heir. "Smart." Rey nodded. "What brings you here to me?" Palpatine asked. "I was just... Curious where you were," Rey explained. "I appreciate the concern, my dear daughter." Palpatine shifted his facial hologram to a smile as he touched Rey's face. She leaned into the fatherly touch a little until he took his hand away. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I believe I should focus my spirit. Staying this connected to the world of the living has drained me a little."
Space
First Order Territory
The Supremacy Kylo walked into his meditation chamber on the Supremacy, lightsaber hilt in his mechanical hand. "I... Am not Vader," Kylo growled. He approached the charred remains of Darth Vader's helmet, igniting his blade. His new arm shook a little, but he simply snarled at the prosthetic. The Supreme Leader gripped his weapon in both hands to stabilize the weapon. He was about to swing at the helm of the old Sith when he heard a voice stop him. "Hold." The voice of Darth Vader spoke into Kylo's ear. Kylo deactivated his lightsaber and turned, seeing the red Force Ghost of Darth Vader. "How? Skywalker said that Sith could not become Force Ghosts." Kylo placed his hilt on his hip. "He lied." Vader spoke simply. "You have heard my voice for years." "I had believed that was Snoke." Kylo Ren narrowed his eyes. "That usurper impersonated me for his benefit on occasion, yes. However, that does not change the fact that you are a worthy heir to my legacy. He was not." Vader folded his arms. "Why have you only appeared before me now?" The former Ben Solo asked. "The Jedi known as Rey is going to Lothal in search of someone to destroy your Order," The Sith Lord explained. "Impossible. I killed her." "Apparently not." Vader growled. "She stands a chance to end your reign forever. Will you let her? Prove yourself even weaker than you are perceived?" "I am not weak! The galaxy knows that!" The Supreme Leader pointed at Vader. "Then how is it that a Jedi with next to no formal training took your arm? You are not weak? I am not certain of those words, nor of my own that you are worthy to style yourself after me and my legacy." Vader gestured to Kylo's nearby helmet. "I will finish what you started, Grandfather! I will wipe the Jedi from the galaxy, and once I am finished, none shall question me!" Kylo snarled. Vader chuckled. "Your troops do. Do you not remember that Stormtrooper who mocked you and your loss of an arm? Even your top military and naval commanders conspire against you. You must show them why this... Belief in your weakness is incorrect to restore my faith in you." Vader's spirit vanished. The Supreme Leader snarled before activating his comms. "Hux, summon the Army to the Star Forge's Gathering Deck! Randomly select twenty four Stormtrooper squadrons, and have each squad leader choose one member of their squad for... Inspection." "Yes, Supreme Leader," Hux replied. "Jarrus, do you copy?" The former Ben Solo continued. "I do, Supreme Leader." Jarrus replied. "Summon the Knights and meet me at the Star Forge," Kylo ordered, walking over to his helmet. He put it on, his voice modulating. "When we are done there, prepare my shuttle. We are going to Lothal."
Jabiim
Cobalt Station Leia laid in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Leia, hear me..." The voice of Luke Skywalker whispered into the room. "Leia..." Leia turned, seeing her brother's Force Ghost. "Luke?" Leia asked. "Hello, Leia." Luke smiled. "Luke!" Leia smiled back. "How are you..." "Obi-Wan opened a door for me. Normally you need training to manifest after death, but the Force makes exceptions. It made one for me like it made one for our father," Luke explained. "I'm glad you're here, but you wouldn't be without a purpose." Leia turned on a light. The ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared, looking younger than he had when he manifested on Dagobah and Endor. "Rey is in great danger. The Force will not tell us why, but we can sense it," Obi-Wan explained. Yoda's Force Ghost appeared. "In motion in strange ways, the Force is," Yoda added. "Younger now than it once did, Obi-Wan's spirit appears." Another ghost, one that Leia did not recognize, appeared alongside the ghost of Anakin Skywalker.
"Qui-Gon and I can't reach Rey. There's some sort of presence blocking us from her. The presence feels... Familiar, but I can't decipher why," Anakin added.
"The Force is also in motion around Ben Solo. I fear both are being manipulated into a clash where neither is truly the winner." Qui-Gon stroked his beard.
"The Prophecy of the Chosen One said that 'A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through them will ultimate balance in the Force be restored.'. The Jedi believed that Chosen One was me. The Father of Mortis and Lord Momin of the Sith both said that the Chosen One was me. However, it never said I would be the one to restore the Force. It simply said through me," Anakin continued.
"When I slayed Maul on Tatooine, he asked if I thought Luke was the Chosen One. I did indeed believe so." Obi-Wan noted. "I once said Anakin was supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them. Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness."
"The problem with prophecies, this is. Easy to interpret in a variety of ways, they are." Yoda chuckled.
"What if it's a question of legacy?" Leia asked.
"Anakin's legacy in the Force sits in darkness." Qui-Gon shook his head.
"His bloodline does. Rey carries his lightsaber, she now carries his quest," Leia explained.
"She stands surrounded by darkness." Kenobi stroked his beard.
"Maybe that's what we need." Luke considered. "I met a Force creature during my travels once. He said Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan. The light and the dark. He said he was the one in the middle. The Bendu."
"Bendu. The word the Whills use for Balance." Qui-Gon noted.
"Maybe we're not looking for Rey to be Jedi or Sith. Maybe we need her to be the Bendu. The balance." Leia cut in.
"We must trust the will of the Force." Obi-Wan crossed his arms.
"What can I do to help?" Leia asked.
"Get a message to those you sent after Rey. Tell her to open herself to the Force so we can reach her," Luke explained.
"I will." Leia stood up.
"And Leia," Luke added. Leia turned back to the group of Force Ghosts. "May the Force be with you."
Lothal
Lothal City
The Imperialis landed in the Lothal Spaceport, with Rey, Jessika, Rose, BB-8, and the Sentinel disembarking. "Keep the ship ready, Artoo." Rey ordered. "Beep beep." R2-D2 replied. A Chagrian walked up to the group. "Welcome to Lothal." The Chagrian smiled. "Thank you. We're looking for a Twi'lek named Hera Syndulla. Do you know where we can find her?" Jessika asked. "LothalNet comm tower E-272. Though I must warn you, she is a recluse. She doesn't take kindly to visitors," The Chagrian explained. "It's alright. We're on business from one of her friends." Jessika replied. "I'll summon a speeder for you, then." The Chagrian shrugged.
Space
First Order Territory
The Star Forge
Kylo, Jarrus, and the other Knights of Ren walked into the Gathering Deck of the Star Forge. The chosen twenty-four Stormtroopers stood in front of the rest of the army, with Hux and Commander Pyre in front of them. "Your Supreme Leader!" Hux yelled, his voice projected around the massive room. One of the Knights, a figure whose armour vaguely called to Mandalorian styled armour with the addition of Zabrak-esque horns, stepped forward. "I am Vizsla Ren, Knight of Honour!" Vizsla explained, pulling a hilt from her belt. She pointed the hilt at six Stormtroopers in succession. "You six. Collect your honour and step forward!" The Stormtroopers obeyed. "You have been chosen as an example for those who are dishonourable in their quest to obey their Supreme Leader!" Vizsla Ren activated her lightsaber, revealing that it was the fabled Dark Saber. With a sweeping slash, she sliced all six Stormtrooper's heads off. A second Knight stepped forward, the one who had wielded Kylo's lightsaber during the Battle of Arvala-7. This Knight's armour resembled that of Imperial Royal Guards, but coloured black and gunmetal grey and without the flowing robes, as well as the addition of the mask of a Jedi Temple Guard. "I am Imperator Ren, Knight of Loyalty!" Imperator explained, pulling the hilt of Temple Guard's lightsaber from his back. He motioned his fist at six more Stormtroopers. "Chosen six, your loyalty will be tested!" The Stormtroopers stepped up slowly. "You have been chosen as an example for those who are disloyal in their quest to obey their Supreme Leader!" Imperator Ren activated his lightsaber pike, revealing the glimmering yellow blades. He hurled it, cutting down four of the Stormtroopers before the weapon returned to his hand. He then held out his pike, pulling the last two onto the blades with the Force. A third Knight, whose armour resembled that of a black coloured Republic Clone Commando, with the addition of a section at the front of their helmet resembling the maw of a Trandoshan and large silver gauntlets. "I am T'Doshok Ren, Knight of Glory!" T'Doshok explained. She pointed her talon-tipped fingers at six more Stormtroopers. "Do the battles you six fight bring glory?" The Stormtroopers came forward. "You have been chosen as an example for those who do not seek glory for their Supreme Leader!" T'Doshok Ren extended her arms out, revealing indigo lightsaber gauntlets. She walked forward slowly, arms outstretched as she sliced through the chests of the Stormtroopers. Finally, Jarrus stepped forward. His armour looked like that of an Imperial Death Trooper, but with a helmet that called to mind both a Shoretrooper's helmet and a Twi'lek's lekku. "I am Jarrus Ren, Knight of Victory!" Jarrus explained, assembling his lightsaber. "Six soldiers, no victories!" The final soldiers looked at each other, knowing what fate awaited them. "You have been chosen as an example for those who fail to bring victory to their Supreme Leader!" Jarrus Ren hurled his hilt, activating the blade in order to impale the head of one Stormtrooper. He used the Force to drag the blade through the throats of the remaining five, slaying them all. "Let this demonstration show the price to be paid by those who fail to defeat the Resistance!" Hux yelled. Kylo nodded at Jarrus. "The demonstration is not over," Kylo Ren said simply. Hux began to gasp for air as Jarrus lifted him into the air with the Force. "Those troopers are an example to their fellow soldiers, but what of the officers who conspire against their Supreme Leader. Kylo paced in front of Hux, lightsaber hilt in hand. "There are those who would seek to replace me." He activated his lightsaber, looking Hux dead in the eyes. "They have yet to outlive their usefulness, however. I am willing to strike down replaceable soldiers, but it's so hard to find good generals, good commanders." Kylo looked at both Hux and Pyre. He activated his lightsaber. "I think you simply need... A new perspective." The Supreme Leader twirled his lightsaber, slashing it across Hux's face. The General would have screamed if he wasn't struggling for air, but he managed to reach up and cover the charred place where his right eye had been burned out by the lightsaber. "Now the demonstration is over." Jarrus released Hux, who looked up at the Supreme Leader. Said Supreme Leader simply turned away, walking out with his Knights in tow.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
First Order Territory
The Supremacy
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Jarrus walked into his quarters, closing the door behind him. He tossed his lightsaber onto a desk before reaching up to his helmet. The mask began to click before opening. He took off his helmet revealing the face of a Twi'lek-Human hybrid. His short hair was coloured green, and his tan skin had a slight tint of the same colour. "Jarrus..." A deep voice came from behind. Jarrus turned, seeing the ghostly sight of a large white Loth-wolf. "Oh, so you're back now. Can't leave me alone, Dume?" Jarrus rolled his eyes. "You are in darkness..." Dume growled. "And quite happy there." Jarrus crossed his arms. "You were a Jedi..." The Loth-wolf stepped a little closer to the Knight of Victory. "Once. Not anymore. The Jedi are dead. Luke Skywalker led them to hell." Jarrus clenched his fist. "Some remain..." Dume tilted his head. "Not for long." Jarrus picked up his lightsaber and hurled the hilt through Dume's ghost. The Loth-wolf hung his head before vanishing. The door to Jarrus' quarters opened as the Knight's lightsaber flew back to his hand. Kylo Ren walked in. "Jarrus." Kylo nodded. The Knight of Victory moved to put his helmet back on, but Kylo elected to remove his own instead. "Supreme Leader." Jarrus nodded back. "Are you adapting to the arm well?" "Yes. That is not why I'm here, though." Kylo shook his head. "What can I help you with?" Jarrus asked. "I don't know who in the Order I can trust besides you and the other Knights, Jacen," Kylo replied with a sigh. "Ben." Jacen's eyes filled with sympathy. "You have me by your side. I swear that for as long as I live I will fight for you." "Thank you. I wish you were enough, but..." Ben clenched his fist. "I'm not an army." Jacen smiled. "Yes." Ben sighed. "I may have an idea." Jarrus stroked his chin. "The Star Forge contains data on an ancient army of enhanced battle droids that served the Sith Lord known as Revan. The HK Series were said to be able to fight even some Jedi." "Where is this army?" Kylo asked. "Mustafar."
Lothal
LothalNet Comm Tower E-272
Rey, Jessika, and Rose stepped up to the door of the comm tower as Palpatine's vessel and BB-8 waited below. "Go away!" An annoyed Twi'lek's voice came from within. "My name is Jessika Pava. We're here on business from Leia Organa!" Jessika yelled. "Organa?" The Twi'lek replied. The door opened, revealing a green Twi'lek. "Hera Syndulla?" Rey asked. "That's me. Why are you here?" Hera growled. "A reliable source told us you know how to find someone." "Who?" Hera demanded. "A Chiss named Thrawn," Rey explained. Hera's eyes filled with rage. "The same Chiss named Thrawn that caused my Kanan's death? The same Chiss named Thrawn that cost my family Ezra Bridger? The same Chiss named Thrawn that Sabine and Ahsoka went search for and never returned from even though they said they found him? That Chiss named Thrawn?" Hera snarled. Rose and Jessika shot each other a panicked look. "Please. We need to find him for the galaxy's sake," Rey plead. "Do you? Well, far be it from me to keep something away from a bunch of people claiming it's for the galaxy's sake!" Hera threw her hands up. "General Syndulla..." Rose began. "General Syndulla died the day my son did." Hera shook her head. "Those butchers... I sent him to be trained by Luke Skywalker, but it was the greatest mistake I ever made. Kylo Ren killed him. Jacen..." Hera brought her mouth to her mouth and nose. "Csilla. You'll find him on Csilla." She pulled a holomap from a nearby table, giving it to Rey. "Thank you. We're sorry to have bothered you." Rey bowed her head respectfully. "Just go. Please." Hera closed the door. "Csilla." Rose said.
Jabiim
Cobalt Station
Leia stood in front of her computer, her arms crossed. "What's the matter, General?" Connix asked. "Jessika and Rose aren't responding to the message I sent about Rey," Leia explained. A Resistance soldier walked in. "Yes, Lieutenant Adnarim?" "Captains Wexley and Kun are back." Lieutenant Adnarim explained. Snap and Karé then entered, followed by Norra Wexley and Wedge Antilles. "Wedge, Norra! Good to see you both." Leia smiled, walking over to hug them both. "Good to see you too, Leia." Norra smiled back. "We only wish it was under better circumstances." Wedge sighed. "But the will of the Force and all that." "Who all are we getting?" Norra asked. "Not many have answered the call." Leia frowned. "Poe is getting Lando and Kaasha and now we have you." "First Order propaganda is saying that Rey is dead." Wedge's nose flared for a moment as he crossed his arms. "She's alive," Leia replied. "We need to make that public." Lando Calrissian's voice pierced the air. Leia, Connix, and the four pilots turned to the source of the voice, seeing Lando walking in with Kaasha, Finn, Poe, and Chewbacca. "Lando!" Leia smiled, walking over to him and Kaasha, pulling the two in. "I'm sorry to pull you out of retirement." "We're here for Han. It's what he would want." Lando smiled sadly. "What were you saying about making Rey's survival public?" Wedge asked. "Hearing a Jedi survived being stabbed in the heart is good publicity. Jedi miracles tend to inspire," Lando explained. "I'm not sure how publicity helps us." Norra raised an eyebrow. "I do." Poe piped up. "Good people will fight if we give them a symbol to follow. If we give them hope that the First Order can be beaten. My mother always told me that the war against the Empire wasn't won because the Rebellion had better ships or better pilots, but because people stood together against tyranny. We need to show people that we will stand against tyranny so they know that they don't stand alone." "That was a good speech, kid." Lando smiled. "It was." Leia smiled. She put her hand on Poe's shoulder. "General." "So, General Dameron. What's our first move?" Snap asked. "We need to assemble every Resistance cell we have. Let's make a statement." Poe ordered.
Space
The Imperialis
Rey laid on her bed her room when she heard a knock on her door. "Rey, can I come in?" Rose asked. "Yes." Rey replied, sitting up as she flicked the lights on with the Force. Rose walked in, an overly long shirt on. "Thanks for letting me borrow a shirt to sleep in, by the way. I hate being awake for hyperspace lag." Rose smiled. "You're welcome." Rey smiled back, shifting over in her large bed and patting the space next to her for Rose to sit next to her. The mechanic obliged, sitting down. "What do you want to talk about?" "I just wanted to see how you're doing." Rose shrugged, but Rey wasn't convinced. The Last Jedi narrowed her eyes at Rose, who gulped. "Alright, fine. I kind of... Would you let me... Can I rub your head?" Rose smiled sheepishly. Rey let out a single laugh with her mouth shut before tilting her head down for Rose. "Okay, this feels really neat." "I... Wanted to try something different." Rey laughed. "It's a good look for you." Rose grinned. Jessika then barged into the room. "Sorry to interrupt." Jessika looked at the two, the picture of Rose's hand on Rey's head a little odd out of context. "What am I interrupting?" "Her head's so fuzzy!" Rose grinned at Jessika. "Can I try?" Jessika asked. Rey shrugged, leading the pilot to walk over and rub Rey's head. "This is fun. I used to shave my nape like this, but making it look good took a lot of effort and I was a dumb kid who didn't want to take time to do it so now I just have my gorgeous tresses." Jessika flipped her hair, much to Rey's mild confusion. "What brings you here?" Rey asked. "Right, that. General Organa sent a message for you. She wants you to open your mind to the voices of the Force. I have no idea what that means." Jessika explained, still rubbing Rey's head. "We should probably let Fuzzball here get to it." "And I need a nap." Rose added. "Sleep tight, Rose." Jessika smiled. Rose got up and left, leaving Jessika alone with Rey. Jessika leaned in next to Rey's ear, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I don't trust that red droid. It's always watching." "What?" Rey asked. "You heard me." Jessika grinned, giving Rey a kiss on her cheek before getting up. "If you ever feel like taking me up on that offer, my door's open." The pilot then walked out of the room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jabiim
Cobalt Station
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Poe, Leia, Finn, Chewbacca, Lando, and Connix stood at the head of a hanger. Wedge, Norra, Snap, Karé, Bastian, Nien Nunb, and C'ai Threnalli stood below, with another group of seven with them. The group consisted of three human males, two human females, a male Kel Dor, and a male Rodian. "Alright. We're hitting a First Order supertanker fuel depot known as the Goliath. Ace Squadron here has experience with this kind of station, so we're trusting their help. They've taken a massive risk in leaving their people to join our attack, so let's make this count." Poe began his briefing. "We're doing this for everyone we've lost. Ushos Statura. Amilyn Holdo. Gial Ackbar. Luke Skywalker. We're all that's left. We're up against the wall, but during the days of the Rebellion Saw Gerrera said 'One fighter with a sharp stick and nothing left to lose can take the day'. We've got nothing left to lose. Now let's take the day." "Good speech, General." Finn smiled, rubbing Poe's shoulder with his hand. "Thanks." Poe smiled back. "Okay, lovebirds. The speech was good, but what's the plan?" Lando cut in. "Right, plan." Poe nodded. "The plan is two parts. First, I'll be leading an assault on the Goliath to keep their leadership distracted and their troops engaged. The second part of the plan comes courtesy of Finn and Connix. They'll be sneaking into the facility and putting a coaxium destabilizing agent into the fuel tanks. The next time they try to fuel a ship, the station, the ship, and everyone nearby goes up in flames." "Alright. Let's get to work." Wedge picked up his helmet.
Lothal
LothalNet Comm Tower E-272 Hera sat in her chair, eyeing a bottle of Savareen brandy. She moved to open the bottle before stopping in her tracks and deciding instead to rub her bottom eyelids and the bridge of her nose. A knock, or rather a pounding, came at the door. "Go away!" Hera yelled. The pounding started again. "I said go away!" Hera hurled her cup at the door, shattering it. She then heard a faint yet familiar sound outside as the thin black blade of the Darksaber cut through her door. The blade sliced right through the thick durasteel, creating a hole for Vizsla, Imperator, and T'Doshok Ren to walk through. "Told you I could get in," Vizsla Ren chuckled as she deactivated the Darksaber. "Honestly, Vizsla, I should have expected this is what you meant." Imperator crossed his arms. "The hell does that mean?" Vizsla elbowed Imperator in the side. "Business, you two." T'Doshok moved her head in a way that indicated she was rolling her eyes under her helmet. "Hera Syndulla. You're a tough Twi'lek to find." T'Doshok examined her talon-tipped lightsaber gauntlets. "Or you were. That is until the Resistance led us right to you." "They're not here." Hera snarled. "Oh, we know. The problem is that the tracker we have on them is being a little... Unreliable," Imperator explained. "And we also know that you know where they went." Vizsla jumped in. She held the Darksaber out, bringing the blade's tip right under Hera's chin. "Recognize this blade, General Syndulla? You should. It belonged to Sabine Wren, then Bo-Katan. You fought for her to have this blade. You fought for her to unite Mandalore. And now look at it. Stolen by the Empire during the Night of One Thousand Tears, and now it's in the hands of the First Order." The Knight of Honour brought her Mandalorian blade ever so slightly higher, singeing Syndulla's chin with it. "I got take this sword that the family you built made so many sacrifices for and gut you with it." "Come on, she's not going to talk." Imperator nudged Vizsla's shoulder. "Not to us. But she'll talk to Jarrus." Vizsla looked at Imperator, and then back to Hera. "One way or another."
Mustafar
Darth Vader's Castle
Kylo and Jarrus walked into Darth Vader's castle, looking around at the dark obsidian walls. Jarrus held a scanner in his hand as Kylo looked around. The Supreme Leader stopped, looking at a nearby table. On it, in a display case, sat the lightsaber of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kylo opened the case discreetly, pulling the lightsaber to himself while Jarrus was distracted by his hunt. The Supreme Leader slipped Kenobi's blade onto the back of his belt where it would be obscured by his cape. "Any signal?" Kylo asked, ready to focus on the mission again. "Dead ahead." Jarrus pointed at a wall. "That's a wall." Kylo made a slightly confused gesture with his hand. Jarrus gave a sideways nod as he pulled his lightsaber from his hip. He hurled the weapon at the wall, but the blade fizzled out upon impact. "It's lightsaber resistant." "Someone wanted to hide something." Jarrus nodded. He touched his hand to the wall, the black stone shuddering, then cracking, and then shattering into a door. "Shatterpoint's always good for making doors out of barriers, though." The two walked into the gap, seeing a deep chasm below them. The leader and second in command of the Knights of Ren jumped down into the hole, using the Force to steady their forty foot drop. The former Ben Solo and Jacen Syndulla activated their lightsabers, bathing the chamber they were within with blue and red-orange light. "There's a console." Kylo pointed dead ahead. Jarrus nodded, walking over to it. He tapped a few buttons, managing to turn on some actual lighting in the massive room. The yellowish glow of the lights revealed a droid army like the two had never seen before. "This is certainly something." Jarrus clicked his tongue. "And it's beyond my scope. Technology like this is Imperator's wheelhouse." "Good timing, then. I just got a message. They need you back for an interrogation. I'll have Imperator take over from us here while you run the interrogation and I ready some troops to mobilize on whatever information you gain." Kylo explained. "Did Vizsla say who I'm interrogating?" "She just said a Twi'lek." "Not much to go off of, but I'll manage some sort of miracle."
Space
Jedha System
The Imperialis
Rey sat in the pilot's chair of the Imperialis, meditating. Palpatine's vessel walked in, a lightsaber hilt in hand. "Hello, daughter. I've something to show you." Palpatine brought his droid body down to the floor. "This is the lightsaber of Kit Fisto. He was one of the Jedi Masters who attempted to kill me before the foundation of the Empire. I kept his blade because I felt it was far to exquisite to destroy." "It's beautiful." Rey took the blade in hand gently. "I want you to have it. It's a weapon designed for a warrior. I'm sure you can put it to good use." Palpatine gave Rey a kind squeeze on her shoulder before getting up, though his movement was less than graceful. "Apparently I am not quite used to this body yet." The old Emperor chuckled before walking out of the room. Rey watched the man who considered himself her father leave. So much for meditation. Her mind was racing now. Thoughts of those dead on Jakku. Were her parents some of them? The parents who sold her to Darth Vader all those years ago? Were they even still alive almost forty years later? Should she even care? They sold her for drinking money to the Emperor's enforcer. The Last Jedi decided to focus on her friends. Rose. Jessika. Chewie. Poe. Leia. Finn. "Rey." Rey heard Finn's voice. "Finn?" Rey asked. "Rey, can you hear me?" Finn asked. "I can! How did you reach me?" Rey asked, a smile coming to her face. "I... I don't know. Something inside told me to reach out to you so... I reached out," Finn explained. "We need help. The Resistance is going to attack a First Order refueling station called the Goliath. It's in the Selvaris System." "I'm right near a direct hyperspace route. I'm on my way," Rey said. "We're going where?" Rose asked as she walked in. "You're going to stay here. I'm taking BB-8 my starfighter to back Finn up," Rey explained. "Shouldn't Jessika and I come with you?" Rose asked. "No." Rey shook her head. "If anything goes wrong, I need you to take that Sentinel Droid to Csilla." "Right." Rose nodded. Rey started to walk out to the room. "Rey, wait." Rey turned back to Rose. "May the Force be with you." "And with you." Rey smiled.
Hyperspace
T'Doshok shot up in her chair. "Calm down, Jumpy. I'm trying to fly here." Vizsla chuckled. "Some rank amateur over with the Resistance just opened up a Telepathic Link without any shielding." Vizsla couldn't see T'Doshok's face, but she knew the Knight of Glory's face was plastered with a smug smile beneath her mask. "You have a location?" "The Goliath," T'Doshok explained. "I'm getting in a TIE at the next jump way-point. I'll warn Commander Steel he has incoming, but I have a feeling that Little Miss Jedi is going to make an appearance." "Hey, if the Supreme Leader couldn't defeat her, what makes you think that you can?" Vizsla put her hand up, her tone filled with caution. T'Doshok got up, evaluating her talons. "I don't have a debilitating crush on her."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
Supertanker Fuel Depot Goliath
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
A Stormtrooper Commander in shiny teal armour stood at attention when T'Doshok Ren walked into his command room.
"T'Doshok Ren. To what do we owe this honour?" The Commander bowed.
"Sources indicate a Resistance attack is incoming, Commander," T'Doshok explained.
"Commander Steel, a shuttle is requesting to land. Staff Sergeant's codes." A Stormtrooper came over the comms.
"Let them land, but be ready for Resistance fighters on board," Steel ordered.
"Smart. Perhaps I should check it out." T'Doshok Ren touched a talon to her mask's chin.
"Commander, we have multiple squadrons of Resistance fighters! The Millennium Falcon is their vanguard!" An officer came over the comms.
"Apparently my chat with that Staff Sergeant will have to wait," The Knight of Glory sighed.
"All hands, battle stations! Cycle the shields and ready the turbolasers!" Steel ordered into the comms.
Mustafar
Darth Vader's Castle
Imperator Ren walked into the droid containment facility, hands twitching eagerly.
"You know, it absolutely makes sense that there would be an army of Revan's here." He began talking to himself as he worked. "The castle was designed by for Vader by the spirit of Lord Momin over a Dark Side Nexus. And Momin worked with Revan. Helped him and Darth Tanis develop the Temple of Malachor." The computer beeped at him unhappily. "Ancient code is the worst. Sith coding worst of all." Imperator reached up, slipping his helmet off and thumping it down on the table. Beneath the mask was a bald red skinned alien with brow spikes, two spines on the side of his chin, and yellow eyes so bright that they almost looked to glow. "The Kissai did some great work. I wish there were more of us today. Guess I have to get breeding." Imperator rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. The computer whirred as he tapped in one last set of commands. The droids sprang to life, their eyes beginning to glow.
"HK Units at the ready." The army said in unison. "Activator has full operational control."
"Vizsla, this is Imperator. I've got control of our army and I need a pick up. Bring a Star Destroyer around." Imperator grinned.
Space
Supertanker Fuel Depot Goliath
A Stormtrooper Staff Sergeant and their aiding Squad Leader stepped off a shuttle, finding the hanger in chaos. Two Stormtroopers ran over to them.
"Staff Sergeant, Squad Leader. Your timing isn't great. We're under attack by those Resistance scum," One of the troopers explained.
"Understood. We'll head towards the fuel storage to secure the area." The Staff Sergeant, who was revealed to be Connix using a surprisingly good Imperial accent, nodded. She and Finn began to jog towards one of the side doors, but the main hanger door opened as Steel and a platoon of twenty-eight Stormtroopers entered.
"Stop those two! They're Resistance!" Steel yelled, pointing at Connix and her partner.
"Dammit." Finn's voice came from the Squad Leader's helmet.
"Duck and cover!" Connix yelled as she and Finn jumped behind a crate.
"This is Finn! Connix and I are pinned down in the hanger we landed in! Someone knew we were here!" Finn explained into his comms.
"Hold out as long as you can, Finn! We'll try to get some help!" Poe replied.
"Come on, Rey. We need you." Finn said to himself.
Space
The Star Forge
Hera laid tied to a table as Jarrus walked in. He froze at the door before looking at the two Stormtroopers guarding Hera.
"Leave," Jarrus ordered. The Stormtroopers obeyed, walking out of the room.
"Don't want to share your glory with troopers? It doesn't matter. I'm not talking. I'm not part of the Resistance, but I respect Leia Organa. I'm not giving you any information on them," Hera snarled. Jarrus remained silent, pacing back and forth slowly. Hera caught a good look at Jarrus' lightsaber. "That lightsaber! That lightsaber belonged to my Kanan! It's not yours to butcher and wage war with!" Jarrus laid his hand on the hilt. "And now you're going to kill me with it! The galaxy hates me! It takes the family I built, kills my love and my son, and now I'm going to be killed by that same love's stupid Jedi sword!"
"I can't do this." Jarrus shook his head.
"What, a Knight of Ren can't face the fact he's not deserving of a Jedi's weapon?" Hera taunted, enjoying what see assumed would be her last taste of justice. "Because it's true. You have no right to hold that weapon."
"I do." Jarrus shook his head.
"What makes you think that?" Hera's voice filled with venom. Jarrus reached up and touched his helmet. The browplate shifted up as his faceplace slid aside, allowing him to remove the mask of the Knight of Victory and drop it at his mother's feet.
"Because it was my father's." With a flick of his wrist, Jacen unlocked his mother's restraints and dropped to his knees.
"Jacen?" Hera asked, her voice hitching. Both of the Syndullas' eyes filled with tears as Hera knelt down next to Jacen, looking at a face she hadn't seen in over a decade. "I thought you were... I couldn't feel the link you made with me."
"I couldn't feel it either. Snoke and his Lord Ren, the leader before Kylo, he told me that the bond was snapped when there was a terrorist attack on Lothal. He showed me a news report saying that you had died. I looked and looked but there was no evidence of a Hera Syndulla on Lothal after that video. I assumed the worst."
"I changed my name to Hera Dume to avoid... Everything. I-" Hera wiped her son's tear away, and then one of her own. "I'm so sorry."
"I need to get you out of here." Jacen looked up at his mother. The two then heard the door to the room open, seeing Kylo Ren walk in.
"Jar... Jacen." Jacen's face lifted slightly when he heard his Supreme Leader refer to him with his name rather than his alias.
"I'm sorry. I need to save her. I know I promised you that I would always be loyal to you, but I promised my mother I would protect her." Jacen closed his eyes. "You can kill me for this. Just... Please. Let my mother-"
"Go." Kylo said.
"What?" Jacen's expression became grateful shock. Ben Solo took his mask off.
"To kill you for loving your mother would be hypocritical, so I'm not going to. Get her to a ship she can fly, authorize its launch, and then get back here," Ben ordered.
"Thank you." Jacen smiled.
Space
Supertanker Fuel Depot Goliath
Finn and Connix peeked over their cover for a moment to fire blasts at the oncoming Stormtroopers, but the legion was never-ending. For every Stormtrooper they felled, another three came into the hanger in hopes of claiming their heads.
"Well, if this is it, it's been an honour." Connix tilted her helmet up to look Finn in the eyes.
"We can't give up yet. I have this..." Finn lifted his helmet as well, but paused his words. "This feeling that something's about to go right."
"I think it just did." Connix pointed at a ship flying right at the hanger. Rey's Aethersprite flew into the hanger, the cockpit opening as the starfighter skidded to a stop. Rey leaped out of the ship and touched down gracefully, redirecting her momentum into a Force Push that knocked away the three Stormtroopers that were the closest to Finn and Connix. She ducked behind the same container that the former Stormtrooper and communications officer were currently taking cover behind.
"Rey!" Finn yelled with relief.
"Finn." Rey hugged her friend for a brief moment. "I felt your call. I got here as fast as I could."
"Where's your hair?" Connix asked. Rey reached up, touching the fuzz. "And where did you get the armour? You look good."
"Kamino. And thanks. I'll explain it all later." Rey smiled. She rose, beginning to walk slowly at the advancing column of Stormtroopers. Steel raised his fist, motioning for his Stormtroopers to hold fire for a moment. Rey pulled her saberstaff from her hip, twirling it into the familiar grip of Darth Maul.
"Open fire on the..." Steel's voice was filled with fear. "The Jedi."
"Left." Maul's voice rang in Rey's ears. Rey tilted her head to the left as a blaster bolt flew right past so close to her head that if her hair was still long, it would have singed off her sideburn. Rey swung her blade, slashing through a Stormtrooper with each side of her staff. "Block right." The Heir to the Empire saw two shots coming towards her right, which she deflected back into the Stormtroopers that fired them. "Embrace the adrenaline. Enact judgement. It is the only way to survive." Rey held out her hand towards Commander Steel. Finn and Connix watched, expecting Rey to push him away with a blast of kinetic energy. However, the blast that came from her hand was not a Force Push, but emerald-green Force Lightning. Steel's shiny teal armour glowed as he buckled under the ferocity of the strike, distracting the assembled Stormtroopers.
"BB-8, now!" Rey yelled. Her starfighter sprang to life as BB-8 began to fire the ship's blasters, cutting through the legion. The droid then popped out of the ship, rolling over to Rey, Finn, and Connix.
"Since when can you shoot lightning?" Connix asked.
"I've had an interesting past few days." The Last Jedi gave a tired shake of her head. "Poe filled me in on the plan. I'm going to get to the command deck to make this raid look like it's for intelligence. You two and BB-8 can handle the fuel."
"Right. Thanks, Rey." Finn nodded, tossing his helmet aside.
"Finn." Rey stopped him in his tracks. She pulled Kit Fisto's lightsaber from its spot on the small of her back and offered it to the former Stormtrooper. "You might need this."
"Thanks." Finn smiled, taking the hilt.
"Keep it to yourself. I don't have one for Poe." Rey smiled back.
"Let's get to work." Connix dropped her helmet on the ground. She, Finn, and BB-8 moved towards the door, leaving Rey alone.
"May the Force be with us," The Last Jedi said to herself.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
Supertanker Fuel Depot Goliath
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Finn, Connix, and BB-8 sprinted down the halls of the Goliath until they were faced with T'Doshok Ren in front of the door they needed to get into. "Well." Connix rolled her eyes. Finn ignited Kit Fisto's lightsaber, eliciting a chuckled from T'Doshok. "Aw, the traitor has a lightsaber now. Cute." T'Doshok evaluated her talons. Finn held his ground, not taking the bait that he knew the Knight of Ren was tossing at him. "Hmm. You're not stupid enough to rush me. That's boring." The Knight of Glory swung her arms out to her side, igniting her indigo lightsaber gauntlets. "Not to emulate a certain droid general, but I'd love to add that lightsaber of yours to my wall." T'Doshok Ren lunged at Finn, who blocked the strike. Finn broke the blade lock, swinging down at T'Doshok's head. She brought her left arm up to block before striking forward with her right, but Finn backpedaled to stop the swing. "Connix, go!" Finn ordered. "No, no." T'Doshok reached her right hand out, beginning to Force Choke the lieutenant while still dueling Finn with her left arm. Kaydel gasped for air as she clawed at her neck, with T'Doshok tightening her grip on the Force Choke. "F...inn... He...lp..." Kaydel struggled to speak. Finn broke the blade block he was engaged with and aimed for T'Doshok's arm, but the Knight of Glory kicked him away. "You're no Jedi," The Knight of Glory laughed, preparing to stab Connix in the gut. "No!" Finn reached his hand out. T'Doshok flew back, losing her grip on Connix's neck as she hit a railing and tumbled down to the level below. Kaydel fell to her knees, breathing in and out. "Bwoo beep bwoowee?" BB-8 bumped into her gently. Kaydel gave the droid a pat. "I'll recover." Connix's voice was somewhat hoarse. Finn offered Kaydel his hand, helping her to her feet. "Day of revelations. Poe's a General, Rey's bald, you can use the Force." "It's... Yeah." Finn nodded slowly. "We've got a job to do."
Space
The Star Forge
Hera and Jacen entered a hanger where a TIE resembling an Imperial TIE Striker, but with four wings arranged like those of an X-Wing. "TIE Executioner. It's fast, low profile, and flies like an X-Wing. It'll get you out of here," Jacen explained. "First Order TIEs have two seats. Who's flying?" Hera asked. She turned to look at her son, who had a sad look on his face. "You. You're flying. TIE Executioners had the gunner seat replaced with weapon storage." Jacen opened the cockpit of the Executioner. "I'm not leaving without you, Jacen! I just got you back!" Hera yelled. "Mom, I have stay." "There has to be another option!" "There isn't." Jacen shook his head. "I have to make things right." "Then find a ship with two seats. Come back with me. You won't be easily forgiven by the Resistance after everything, but... I need to know my son is okay." Hera's voice caught. "I will be." Jacen pulled his mother in for a hug. "I will be if you are. If I know what I'm doing saves you." Jacen held out his hand, offering his father's lightsaber to his mother. "He'd be proud of you. Kanan would be proud of you." Hera smiled, pushing the lightsaber away. "He'd be proud of me? After everything I've done, after everyone I've killed, after I turned the name Jarrus from that of a Jedi who died saving his family and Lothal into that of a butcher?" "He'd be proud you made a choice to change who you are." Hera smiled sadly before getting into the TIE Executioner.
Space
Supertanker Fuel Depot Goliath
Rey walked into the command deck of the Goliath, lightsaber at the ready. The Stormtroopers within readied their blasters, but Rey was ready for them, deflecting their bolts back into them. She approached the commanding officer slowly, reaching out her hand. She felt the Ashla and Bogun, the Light and the Dark. Each was pulling her towards itself. The Ashla, the Light, the Jedi, they demanded that she disable him with a single thought, a Force Push. The Bogun, the Dark, the Sith, they demanded she give into her rage and unleash a bolt of lightning to tear through the man's chest. Rey's resolve faltered for a moment, and the commander opened fire. Her senses kicked in quickly, and the sidestepped the bolt before clubbing the commander in the face with her lightsaber hilt. He fell to the ground, stunned by the attack. "Kill him. Kill him now." The voice of Palpatine, the voice of her self-proclaimed father, echoed in one ear. "You shouldn't. It's not the Jedi way." An unfamiliar yet still familial voice echoed in the other. Rey snarled at the voices, snarled at herself, snarled at the emotions within. What voice was right? Were either of the voices right? Was she a Sith like Palpatine and Maul? Was she a Jedi like Anakin or Luke Skywalker? Was she someone in the middle like the Bendu? "Sith power lies in its bloodline. You are my daughter, Rey Palpatine." Palpatine's voice was filled with pride. "A Jedi's strength comes from the Force. Let it guide you, Rey Eldirsaid." The other voice plead. "Shut up!" Rey yelled. She let loose a bolt of Force Lightning, the shining blue-purple of Sith power much unlike the emerald green bolts she had used to disable Steel. Her eyes became rage filled and yellow tinted, the Dark Side flowing through her. The blast of hatred and electricity hit the commander in the chest, causing him to convulse in pain. Rey cut off her attack when she realized what she was doing, the lightning stopping short of killing the man. Rey breathed deeply to herself, not wanting to think about what she had just done. Not wanting to address the rage she had felt in her veins when she unleashed the flagship attack of a Sith. Not wanting to consider how good it had felt when the lightning emerged from her hand. "Rey, what's your status?" Finn asked. "I'm- I- It's... I've arrived at the command centre. I'm getting the data as we speak," Rey stammered. She typed a few commands into the console, calling a code cylinder from the badly wounded commander's chest. The Heir to the Empire inserted the code cylinder into the computer, downloading battle plans and schematics onto a datacard. The computer beeped when it was finished, and she pulled the datacard out. "Finn, I'm done here. Meet me at the hanger." "Right," Finn replied.
Mustafar
Annexation-Class Star Destroyer Pariah
Imperator Ren strolled onto the bridge of the Pariah, twirling his lightsaber hilt absentmindedly. Vizsla Ren stood at the head of the bridge with her arms behind her back. "Droid army is 60% loaded. It's massive. The Resistance won't last long without some kind of miracle." Imperator's face was obscured by his mask, but his smug grin was almost audible. "Good." Vizsla nodded. Her response was curt and formal, indicating she had other thoughts. "Clear the bridge!" Imperator ordered. The personnel of the bridge filed out, leaving the two Knights of Ren behind. "There's something bothering you." Imperator stepped up behind her. "I told you to stay out of my head," Vizsla snarled. "I don't have to read your mind to sense something's wrong. I'd like to know if you're sensing something that could affect our victory," Imperator explained. He put one hand on Vizsla's hip, and the other on her shoulder, bringing his chest close to her back. "I sense a presence. Something or someone making plans and moving pieces into place." Vizsla came clean, leaning slightly into Imperator's touch. "Maybe it's just the Supreme Leader. Maybe it's just Leia Organa." "No, it's not either of them. It's someone... Different. Someone I can't read," Vizsla explained. "Force wielder, especially Jedi, become more difficult to understand as they learn. Perhaps it's just that annoying little scavenger learning who she is and nothing more." "You worry it's beyond even her." "Yes. Someone beyond her, and someone beyond every other Force wielder in the galaxy."
Space
Supertanker Fuel Depot Goliath
Rey ran through the hallways of the Goliath, datacard in hand. She met up with Finn, Connix, and BB-8, all four sprinting towards the hanger. "Leia, this is Connix! We really need a pick up!" "We'll bring the Tantive IV into the hanger. Be there," Leia ordered. The four Resistance heroes arrived in the hanger, with Rey jumping into her Aethersprite. She lifted off, providing covering blasts for Finn, Connix, and BB-8 as the Tantive IV landed. The docking ramp opened, with Leia ushering Finn, BB-8, and Connix into the ship. A Stormtrooper fired a rocket at Rey's wing, blasting the ship out of the air. "REY!" Finn yelled. The cockpit of the Aethersprite opened, with Rey jumping out and landing gracefully. She got up, running towards the Tantive IV, lightsaber behind her to deflect oncoming blaster bolts. "Where did her hair go?" Leia asked. "It's on Kamino, apparently," Connix explained. Rey arrived at the ramp, joining the four inside. The ramp retracted into the Tantive IV, which then lifted off and flew out of the hanger. Rey took a deep breath, looking around at her friends. "Before any of you ask, Jessika, Rose, and Artoo are alive." Rey explained. "Well, I'm glad you didn't lose them." Poe's voice cut through the air. He strolled over to the group, his flight suit still on. "You look like you stumbled into an aeriovis pen during shearing season, Rey." "It's a good look, Poe. She has the cheekbones for it." Leia nudged Poe's shoulder. "I didn't say it was bad. Evenly cut, looks good. You find a barber on Kamino?" Poe raised his hands in mock surrender. "Bwee wip wip bwerewee." BB-8 beeped quickly. "Oh, she did it herself?" Poe nodded slowly. "Well, a buzzcut is hard to mess up." "I'd like to see you do better." Rey smirked. "Well, for one, I'd take the sides a little shorter. Give you some dimension," Poe explained. "Mmm, that would look good on her." Finn agreed. "Neither of you are touching my hair." Rey held out a hand to halt the two men's ideas. "Not much left to touch." Connix piped up. Rey gave her a less than serious scowl. A Resistance soldier then came up to the group. "General Organa, there's a transmission for you," The soldier explained. "Oh, thank the Force." Leia sighed to herself. "Who's it from?" "Encrypted on an old Rebellion frequency. It's coming from a First Order TIE. It seems to be from Hera Syndulla."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
Jedha System
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Leia sat down in front of a transmitter on the Tantive IV. She typed a command code into the system, and the face of Hera Syndulla appeared. "Hera." Leia smiled. "Leia." Hera smiled back. "What happened to you?" Leia inquired. "After that Jedi girl, Rey, and her team visited me, the First Order came. They took me to be interrogated by Jarrus Ren," Hera explained. "I'm sorry." Leia bowed her head slightly. "Don't be. I wasn't hurt." Hera shook her head. "Jarrus Ren is Jacen. My son. He helped me to a ship. He stayed behind to accept whatever punishment came from his treachery." Hera paused. "Leia, your son let Jacen get me to safety. Told him to find him to find me a ship. Said that killing Jacen for wanting his mother back would be hypocritical." "Ben is still somewhere behind that mask." "If I could reach Jacen, you can reach Ben." Hera explained. "Hope is all I have." Leia nodded. "If you intend to return to Lothal, then may the Force be with you." "Not this time. Jacen gave me a chance to fight for what's right again. I'm taking it." "We're in the Jedha system. I'll see you soon." Rey, Finn, Poe, Connix, and BB-8 emerged from the Tantive IV's docking tube, which was connected to the Imperialis. They found Palpatine's vessel, Rose, Jessika, Lando, and the rest of the pilots waiting for them. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Jedi!" Lando grinned massively, eliciting cheers from the gathered Resistance. Rey and Finn gave each other a knowing look and a slight smile. "I have a plan. But I have something I need to tell you all first." Rey approached the centre of the group. "For years, I didn't know who I was. I didn't know who my family was. I thought I was nobody. But then on Kamino, I discovered the truth. I am far older than I thought I was. I was born Rey Eldirsaid. I was born almost forty years ago. I was entombed in carbonite on Jakku after my memories were wiped. Before the Empire fell. I was selected by the old Emperor to be a test subject for an experiment to create his heir. He mixed his blood with that of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul and used it to rebuild me. From a certain perspective, I am the daughter of Emperor Palpatine." A hush so quiet that Rey's breathing could be heard fell over the room. "On Kamino, I discovered what exactly that means. The Emperor hid a massive fleet and an army on the planet Byss. A fleet and an army that I can command." "Then we're going to Byss?" Snap asked. "Not yet." Rey shook her head. "I can control the army and the fleet, but I'm not a tactician. We've lost too many naval commanders to wage a successful war against the First Order by ourselves. Statura, Akbar, Holdo, we can't win without their tactics guiding us. We need someone who sees the bigger picture. Someone Akbar, Statura, and Holdo all considered a military genius." Rey paused. "Are you pausing for dramatic effect?" Poe asked. "I'm trying to figure out how to tell you." Rey breathed in. "Who are we looking to find, Rey?" Wedge asked. "Grand Admiral Thrawn." Leia sat on the ground of her quarters in the Tantive IV, breathing in deeply. "Ben." Leia said. "Ben. Hear me."
Space
The Star Forge
Kylo turned, seeing his mother before him. His face was obscured by his mask, and he clenched his lightsaber tightly. Kylo's shoulders drooped at the sight of his mother. "Take off that mask. You don't need it." Han's voice echoed in Kylo's ears. "What do you think you'll see if I do?" Kylo heard himself reply. "The face of my son," Han's echo replied. "There you are." Leia gave a small smile. "It's too late." Kylo shook his head. "No, it's not. If it was, you would have killed me on Arvala. You would have killed Jacen and Hera. Instead, you let us go." "I feel the pull. The tug of darkness and light. I hear whispers from Snoke, the Sith Emperor, and Vader in my ears. I see Vader standing before me, telling me to fulfill his legacy. To strike down the Last Jedi." "Vader's legacy was not that of a Sith. He died a Jedi, Ben. He died to save your uncle." "After what I did to Han, to you, to Rey, to Finn, to Poe Dameron, to the Resistance, to the galaxy, I... Do I deserve..." "Maybe not. Vader did horrible things as well. He was a monster. But he made a choice to step out of darkness and into light. His penance for his crimes was death to save his son, but your penance can be justice. Saving the galaxy from the mess you've created." "I fear I've done just as many dark deeds as Vader in only three months." "Anakin Skywalker's dark deeds consumed him for decades. Yours have not consumed you. You feel the conflict within you rising daily. The words of Snoke and Lord Ren, they twisted your mind, but they did not break your soul." Leia reached out to her son. "There's still good in you, Ben. I can feel it."
Kobrali
Mehen City
Vizsla and Imperator Ren strolled through a city, their droid army around them and lightsabers ignited. The screams and carnage around them were music to the Knights' ears, and the two stepped up to one particular Kobralian who knelt before them in terror. "Please! We pay our tribute to the First Order! Why are you attacking us?" The Kobralian begged. "Head Councillor Glyikon, don't try to lie to me. We know that your navigators provide intelligence to the Resistance on First Order movements." Vizsla lifted the serpentine alien up with the Force. "This city is named after a Jedi. It would only make sense that you would aid the Jedi." "A shame that said Jedi is dead, though." Imperator chuckled. "There... Are whispers... She survived..." Glyikon struggled against Vizsla's grip. "Whispers I look forward to silencing." Vizsla sliced the alien in half from bottom to top with the Dark Saber. She turned her head to Imperator. "Make an example of the city. Kill them all." "With pleasure." Imperator nodded.
Space
The Star Forge
Jacen walked into Kylo’s quarters, kneeling before the Supreme Leader. “Thank you, Kylo. Thank you.” Jacen looked up at Ben with tears in his eyes. “She's safe. I’m ready to die now.” “I promised you I wouldn’t kill you, Jacen. I’m not going to break that promise.” Ben offered his hand to Jacen. "I thought about it. I thought about betraying you, killing you, but I can't. Not when I feel the way I do about my own mother." Ben paused as Jacen accepted the hand up. "My mother reached out to me. Made me see what was true all along. I am not Darth Vader. I was never going to be. Snoke, Lord Ren, they were using me for their own gain. They made me kill my father to prove myself to them, but it only made my trust in the Dark shakier." "You know what the other Knights will do to us, to you, if they find out. Vizsla especially." Jacen crossed his arms. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Ben sighed.
Space
Jedha System Palpatine folded his vessel's arms behind its back, pondering for a moment. "I have Rey at my side. Ben Solo is a problem, however. I cannot manipulate him any further. He is not as foolish in his desire for a family as Rey is." Palpatine's projection frowned. "Perhaps I can sweep the chessboard clean with the Knights." Palpatine's projection grinned. "And if he and Jacen Syndulla survive, I can send them to Mortis for the dagger. Only one with the Chosen One's blood can obtain the dagger. I made Rey with that blood for that purpose, but Ben Solo will do nicely."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
Chiss Ascendancy
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
The Tantive-IV and Imperialis emerged from hyperspace, finding themselves intercepted by a warship and multiple starfighters. "Foreign cruisers, you are entering Chiss Space. I am Admiral Ar'alani, officer of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, servant of the Chiss Ascendancy. Identify yourselves." "We're here to find a Chiss. Grand Admiral Thrawn," Rey explained. "I did not ask for your purpose. I asked for your identity," Ar'alani replied. "My name is Rey. Rey..." Rey began. "Rey what?" Ar'alani pressed. Rey looked around, seeing Poe, Finn, Rose, Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando looking at her expectantly. Palpatine's vessel stood in the back, facial screen powered off. Rey closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made a choice. "Rey Palpatine." Rey scanned her friends' faces. Poe and Rose were both disguising their shock, Finn's eyes conveyed faint sadness, and Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca all gave each other a look that Rey couldn't quite place. It felt to her like a mix of pride and fear, but she couldn't read them. "A Palpatine seeking Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Then it is time." Ar'alani's words were cryptic and sent a faint chill down Rey's spine. "We will escort you to the surface, Empress Palpatine." Lando visibly flinched at the words Empress and Palpatine together, but Leia laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Palpatine's vessel made its way out of the room, with the Sith Lord confident that his pieces were moving into position.
Space
The Star Forge
“I promised you I wouldn’t kill you, Jacen. I’m not going to break that promise.” Ben offered his hand to Jacen. "I thought about it. I thought about betraying you, killing you, but I can't. Not when I feel the way I do about my own mother." Ben paused as Jacen accepted the hand up. "My mother reached out to me. Made me see what was true all along. I am not Darth Vader. I was never going to be. Snoke, Lord Ren, they were using me for their own gain. They made me kill my father to prove myself to them, but it only made my trust in the Dark shakier."
A woman's voice gave a groan as she woke up. She held out her hand, calling the helmet of Vizsla Ren to it. A faint glimpse of blonde hair could be seen as she slipped on the helm, the movement waking the sleeping Imperator. "Please tell me you didn't sleep with that thing on." Imperator groaned. "Force no, beskar is an awful pillow. I only slept with you with it on." Vizsla chuckled. "Mandalorians." A faintly grinning Imperator rolled his eyes. "This is the way." Vizsla's voice indicated she was grinning. She sat up, wrapping a blanket around herself. "We have important business to discuss." "Round two?" Imperator leaned up. "Mmm, sounds fun, but no." Vizsla ran a finger along Imperator's chest. "I had a vision before waking up. I think we have a traitor or two in our midst. Kylo and Jarrus, to be specific." "Interesting..." Imperator nodded slowly. Jacen paced as Ben tried to meditate on the floor of Ben's quarters. "I can't calm down, Ben. I can't. Vizsla is going to find out sooner or later that you let me save my mother and then didn't kill me for treason. You still have a chance to save yourself," Jacen pleaded. "I promised you I wouldn't kill you. I promised my mother that I wouldn't let my dark deeds consume me. Kylo Ren is no more. I am going to arrange a ceasefire," Ben explained. "Ben, don't say that out loud. Vizsla is always listening." Jacen snarled. “I really am the eyes and ears of the First Order, aren't I?” Vizsla Ren’s voice cut through the air. Ben and Jacen turned, seeing her and Imperator Ren, flanked by two HK droids. “I was worried I was going to have to spend time pulling an explanation of your treachery out of you, but you’ve just gone and admitted it. You really put a damper on my fun sometimes.” “Vizsla, please,” Ben asked. “Shut up, Solo.” Vizsla activated the Dark Saber. Imperator activated his lightpike as the HK droids drew vibroswords. Ben and Jacen looked at each other and nodded, igniting their lightsabers. The two former Knights stepped into a defensive pose as Vizsla and Imperator charged them, Ben blocking Vizsla’s blade as Jacen blocked Imperator’s. The two HK droids joined Imperator on the offensive, forcing Jacen into a backpedal. The once Kylo Ren laid into Vizsla with speed and ferocity in hopes that he could deal with her quickly and aid Jacen. Solo grabbed Vizsla’s wrist to buy himself a moment of time to throw his lightsaber at one of the HK droid’s arms, slicing it off and giving the former Knight of Victory another sword to work with. Jacen picked up the blade and switched his stance to a far more agile one, keeping the much slower Imperator at bay. Vizsla kneed Ben in the stomach with her spiked knee plate, causing Ben to grunt in pain and release her wrist. Ben merely decided to channel the adrenaline into his strikes, bringing his blade down with increased ferocity until he managed to slip past the Knight of Honour’s guard and slice a gash into the left side of her helmet’s face. A woman with blue eyes and light skin was behind the mask, with a twin tailed scorpion stylized like other Mandalorian signets tattooed beneath her eye. Imperator attempted to land a crushing blow on Jacen, but Syndulla spun beneath the strike and impaled the still intact HK droid. The other droid took the opportunity to pick up its fallen fellow’s blade and charge Jacen, slashing him across his shoulder. “Hersilia, I don’t want to kill you.” Ben pleaded. “Just let us leave.” “Then you’re weaker than I thought.” Hersilia rolled her eyes. “There’s no escape for traitors.” She slashed up at Ben’s chest, a blow that would have been fatal if he didn’t catch it with his crossguard. Ben knew he had to stop fighting fair if he and Jacen were to survive, twisting himself around and ramming the hilt of his lightsaber into Vizsla’s exposed eye. The Knight of Honour grunted in pain as her grip on the Dark Saber loosened, allowing Ben to grab it and point both lightsabers at Vizsla’s chin. “Vizsla!” Imperator yelled. He tapped a button on his wrist, and Ben’s cybernetic hand spasmed, dropping the Dark Saber. The Knight of Honour grabbed her weapon, forcing Solo’s lightsaber away as she kicked him in the shin. Ben looked at his hand, which refused to obey his commands. The limb reached up, grabbing his chin and jerking his head around. Imperator then directed the cybernetic hand to wrap itself around its owner’s neck, beginning to choke Ben. "How..." Ben struggled for air. “You forgot that I keep personal control over every cybernetic I build.” Imperator chuckled as Ben struggled for air. Vizsla strode over to Imperator and Jacen menacingly, calling the Dark Saber back to her hand for an execution. Jacen reached his hand out, opening his fist. Vizsla braced herself, expecting Jacen’s attack to be to save himself. Ben’s arm shuddered before shattering, the pieces falling away from his face. Imperator took advantage of Jacen’s distraction to drive his lightpike into Jacen’s back and out his gut. Syndulla roared in pain as Imperator kicked him to the ground near Solo. Vizsla and Imperator regrouped nearby, looking over Ben and Jacen’s battered bodies. “You should have… killed me, Ben. Saved yourself.” Jacen groaned. “That’s not who I want to be, Jacen. Not anymore.” Ben shifted to look at his partner. “That’s not who I want to be, Jacen.” Vizsla’s voice was full of disdain and mockery. She knelt down, forcing Ben to look into her exposed eye. “No, no. You don’t get to say that, Solo. Not after what you’ve done. You’re an accessory to all the war crimes Hux and his army committed on Hosnian Prime, D’Qar, Crait, and Jakku. You stood at the head of the Knights of Ren as we cut a swath of tyranny through the galaxy. You butchered your father on Starkiller Base and tried to kill your mother on the Raddus.” Hersilia pushed Ben’s head away in disgust. “At least you’ll die a Rebel. You won’t be missed, though.” Jacen reached out, grabbing Ben’s lightsaber. “What, are you going to try to throw it at us?” Imperator laughed. Jacen squeezed the hilt of the blade, channeling his energy into it. Vizsla’s eyes widened when she realized what he was doing. “Get down!” She yelled, shooting forward with the Force to tackle Imperator. Jacen tossed the hilt, which was now shaking with instability, at the Knights of Honour and Loyalty. The lightsaber of the now former Kylo Ren exploded in a flash of angry kyber, blowing everyone in the room away.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Space
The Star Forge
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Ben and Jacen stumbled into a small hanger where a TIE Silencer waited, the two struggling to support each other’s injured bodies. “Vocal override, Ben Solo.” Ben groaned at the TIE. The ship powered on, the entry hatch opening. “I’ll fly, you’ve only got one hand. Try and find some help.” Jacen grunted as he helped Ben into the ship. “Right.” Ben nodded. Jacen settled into the pilot’s chair as Ben flopped down behind him. Solo closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “Rey…”
Space
Chiss Ascendancy
The Imperialis
Rey turned, seeing Ben behind her. “Kylo.” Rey’s expression hardened before she realized what was going on. His mask was gone, his cybernetic was shattered, and his soul screamed out in pain. The Last Jedi’s eyes softened slightly, but she still remained reserved. “Ben.” “Ben?” Leia asked as she turned to Rey. “Rey, do you see Ben?” “I do. But he’s far away.” Rey nodded. She touched Leia’s shoulder, opening the Force Bond that she shared with Ben to heal the broken bridge between mother and son. “Mom.” Ben’s eyes filled with tears. "I took your advice. I made a choice." “I'm proud of you, Ben.” Leia smiled. “Mom, Jacen and I need help.” Ben’s voice filled with desperation. “I’m not asking for forgiveness, neither of us are. We just… The Knights are going to kill us because I spared Jacen after he helped Hera escape.” Leia tilted her head slightly. “We just need a place to be. A place to survive. A place to…” Solo reached out for his mother’s hand, but stopped himself before taking it. “To call home,” Ben’s voice cut suddenly as he gripped his side in pain. Rey reached out into the vision, touching Ben’s stomach. “He’s dying. There’s a stab wound in his gut. A poisoned blade.” Rey looked at Leia. General Organa closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. “What are you...” “The Force is strong in my family. My brother had it. My son has it. I have it too.” Leia reached out, touching Ben’s wound. “The Force is with me.” Ben felt his flesh knitting back together as the taint of Vizsla’s poison leaked from his body. “And I’m one with the Force.” Leia smiled up at her son before closing her eyes and collapsing into Rey’s arms. The General’s breathing was slow but peaceful, her body tired but her soul rejoicing at the return of her son to the Light. “Gives me your comms frequency. I’m going to transmit coordinates for a meeting place in the Unknown Regions,” Rey ordered. “Thank you, Rey.” Ben sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
Space
The Star Forge Imperator rose from the rubble of Kylo Ren's quarters, looking around for Vizsla. He saw her pinned beneath some debris and ran over to help her. "Vizsla, talk to me!" Imperator ordered. Vizsla's exposed eye opened as she groaned. "Quieter, Imperator. I feel like I just got hit by a Star Destroyer." Vizsla waved his concerns off with a grunt. "Good to know your sense of humor is intact." Imperator chuckled, calling for a lightsaber with the Force. The Dark Saber flew to his hand, and he ignited it. With a swift motion, he sliced through the debris pinning Vizsla down, allowing him to push it off of her. Deactivating the Dark Saber, he put it on the ground before bringing his hands up to Vizsla's helmet. "Don't," Vizsla ordered. "I need to see if there's damage," Imperator growled. "Don't touch my helmet." Vizsla's eye filled with rage as she tried to force Imperator's hands away. The large Kissai's strength proved to be too much for the wounded human, and he pulled her helmet away. A woman with blond hair that reached to just above her shoulders was revealed, with the same scorpion signet beneath her other eye. The Knight of Honour let her head tip back out of stress, giving Imperator a chance to look at her. Her left eye was bruised and she had a small cut above it. The back of her head was sticky with blood, but Imperator's body language did not convey too much fear. "You've got a black eye, a concussion, and a skull fracture that punctured outward into your skin." Imperator explained. "I'm fine." Vizsla growled. She rose to her feet unsteadily, calling the Dark Saber to her hand. "I'm Mandalorian. This Dark Saber is to be wielded only by the strongest of ours. Tarre Vizsla forged it, his clan stole it back, it was passed down the line until Pre Vizsla claimed it. He then lost it in a duel to Lord Maul, who used it to head an empire against the Empire. It was then taken by Sabine Wren and the Rebels of Phoenix Squadron. She passed it onto Bo-Katan Kryze, who united Mandalore under its banner until Moff Gideon of the Imperial Security Bureau took it during the Purge. Gideon held the blade at the head of the Imperial Remnant until Din Djarin removed his head. Then I put a blade in Djarin's gut and took the sword as my own." "Thanks for the history lesson. Now take a nap." Imperator took a needle from his belt and jabbed it into Vizsla's neck.
Space
Chiss Ascendancy
The Imperialis
Ben and Jacen landed the TIE Silencer in the hanger of the Imperialis, where the Falcon, Jessika’s ARC-170, and the TIE Executioner Hera had used already waited. Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, and Connix stood by as the TIE opened and Ben and Jacen got out. Connix stepped forward, wrapping Jacen’s arm around herself. “I’ll get him some medical help,” She explained before helping Syndulla away. Ben was left alone with the heroes of the Resistance, who eyed him with varying levels of disdain, anger, and defensiveness. Rose rushed forward, punching Ben in the face. She shook her fist in pain, but her face showed that she felt it was worth it. Poe laid a hand on Rose’s shoulder in a gesture of protection, but given the look in her eyes, it was Ben’s protection. “I deserve that.” Ben massaged his jaw. “You deserve a lot worse.” Rose snarled. “I’m not going to debate that.” Solo tilted his head to the side. “Where’s my mother?” “Medical. She’s alive, but in a coma,” Rey explained. She looked to Poe, Finn, and Rose. “Could we have the room?” “We’ll get a cold pack for Rose’s hand.” Poe nodded, ushering Rose and Finn away. Rey and Ben stood alone in the hanger, Rey’s suspicious demeanour creating a tension in the air. “Thank you again. For helping Jacen. For saving me.” Ben smiled. “Your hair is, uh…” He reached out to touch Rey’s head, but she ducked away from the motion. “Sorry. It’s nice. You’ve got…” “The cheekbones for it. Your mother said the same thing.” Rey allowed Ben to see a small smile. The tension eased slightly, but the silence was still awkward. "Rey, I..." Ben breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Jakku. I swear that if I had known what Hux was planning for it, I would have tried to stop him. I know that's not any comfort when two-thirds of the population died instantly and countless more died when Hux dispatched his death squads to round up survivors." Ben clenched his fist and slammed it against his Silencer's hull. "I should have expected he'd do something like that, but I still let him have power. Jakku is my faul-" "No." Rey cut him off. "Don't. Jakku's scorching was not your fault. It was all Hux. He is the butcher." "Am I any better? The people of Tehar, Pillio, Bayora, and Takodana would say I'm just as bad." "You're not. Hux may be a butcher, but you have soul." Rey paused. "You made a choice. You saved Jacen and yourself, you came here, you turned from darkness. You're better than Hux, Ben." "Sorry to interrupt, Rey!" Poe yelled as he came over. "We've got clearance to land on the surface. The Chiss have tugs guiding us down to a landing pad." "Let's find Thrawn." Rey nodded.
Space
The Star Forge Imperator Ren walked into a medical bay where Hux laid on a table. "I trust the eye is satisfactory, Grand General?" Imperator crossed his arms. "Grand General? I don't understand, I thought that the Supreme Leader had me stripped of my rank?" Hux inquired. "I'm fairly certain she didn't, Grand General." Imperator leaned over. Hux understood the message. "Would you please give the Supreme Leader my regards?" Hux requested. Imperator stood to his full height, crossing his arms behind his back. "Kylo Ren demanded power. You'll find Vizsla Ren demands loyalty. She also demands that loyalty be unquestionable and unshakable." Imperator began pacing slowly. "Ben Solo, Jacen Syndulla, FN-2187. These are just three in a list of traitors. For your sake, ensure you do not find your name on that list." "I understand, Imperator Ren. Thank you for giving me a second chance." Hux bowed his head. "Good." Imperator turned towards the door. "Just remember." Imperator tapped a button on his wrist, causing Hux's face to twitch and him to let out a grunt of pain as his eye flashed for a moment. "What is given can always be taken away."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Csilla
Csaplar
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, Lando, Ben, Chewbacca, BB-8, and Palpatine's vessel followed Ar'alani into a Chiss command room. Waiting for them was a tall Chiss in a white uniform. Flanking him were a Kel Dor, a Togruta, two Mandalorians, one with bright and colourful armour and the other with shimmering silver armour, a human with black hair, and a infant member of Yoda's species in the shimmering Mandalorian's arms. "Empress Palpatine. It is a pleasure. I am Mitth'raw'nuruodo, though Thrawn may be easier for you." The Chiss explained. "You're..." Poe pointed at the Togruta. "And you're..." His finger moved to the bright Mandalorian. "And you're..." His finger landed on the human. "Ah, you're familiar with them." Thrawn smiled. "Of course I am. Ahsoka Tano founded the Fulcrum Initiative, Sabine Wren is a legend, and Ezra Bridger? Ezra Bridger basically saved the Rebellion when he whisked you away to Force knows where," Poe rambled excitedly. "It appears we do not have a reputation he is familiar with, Din." The Kel Dor looked at the Mandalorian in shimmering armour. "We don't, Plo. A shame." Din smiled. "Din Djarin?" Ben asked. "That's me." Din nodded. Rey gave Ben a questioning look. "The last rightful Mand'alor." "This is Grogu, my son." Din motioned to the baby he held. "And I am Plo Koon, former member of the Jedi High Council." "Quite the roster." Lando looked around at the room. "As intended." Thrawn nodded. "Empress Palpatine, you are here for a reason. There are great dangers to this universe that were unleashed in the wake of the Empire's fall. The Sith Emperor sought to keep those dangers at bay with his Empire, but his imperial shield became a tyrannical regime. The Grysk are an ancient race of beings with a unique relationship with the galaxy. You have met one of their greatest warlords. Snoke. The Chiss and the Empire both sought to fight the Grysk, but we failed. Snoke obtained use of a Star Forge that the Sith Emperor had hunted for in the wake of the Emperor's death." Rey nodded slowly. "The First Order's command is now in the hands of a vindictive Mandalorian, a Kissai who seeks revenge for the war crimes the Jedi enacted on his people, a Zabrak who wishes to avenge her home of Dathomir, and a man who devastated worlds for a fleeting connection to his enemies. However, we have an option. The Eclipse Fleet lies dormant on Byss, along with an army of clones frozen in carbonite during the Clone Wars." "Someone say Clones?" A new voice cut in. The group turned, seeing two clones. One was bald and had a beard, with blue markings on his armour. The second had a cybernetic eye and grey mutton chops, with dark grey markings and wolf patterns on his armour." "Commander Rex and Wolffe?" Poe asked. "That's us." The bearded clone nodded. "He kind of looks like Kes Dameron, doesn't he, Rex?" The clone in grey nudged his fellow clone's shoulder. "Kes Dameron was my father," Poe explained. "As much as history intrigues me, we must move quickly to obtain the Eclipse Fleet and bring it and the army within under Empress Palpatine's command and create a tactical advantage over the First Order." Thrawn jumped back in. "Agreed. Snoke's leadership was hindered by Hux and I squabbling, while my leadership was complicated by my feelings for those in the Resistance. Vizsla Ren has no such love for anyone, nor any internal conflict she will not stamp out immediately," Ben explained. "Her First Order will be a well oiled and maintained war machine that she will bring crashing down upon the galaxy." "Ahsoka, Ben Solo, and myself will not be joining you yet." Plo Koon spoke up. "What?" Ahsoka asked. "The Force came to me in the image of the Jedi last night. They have instructed me to bring the grandson of Skywalker to Mortis, a location you have been and thus can help me locate. There is a dagger there said to be the key balancing agent between Ashla and Bogun, light and dark." "I don't remember much about Mortis. Only vague feelings and what Anakin told me about it." Ahsoka shook her head. "Feelings are enough. Come." Plo Koon motioned for Ahsoka and Ben to follow him. "May the Force be with us." Ahsoka nodded. She and Ben followed the Kel Dor out of the war room. "I have a bad feeling about this," Lando whispered to himself.
Space
The Star Forge Vizsla sat in a bed, helmet off and Dark Saber at her side. She scrolled through a holomap, looking around at various planets. "Hersilia Saxon." The voice of Darth Maul spoke. "How do you know my name?" Vizsla demanded. The form of Darth Maul appeared before her, though his visage was shattered and unnatural. "I know a great deal about you, Vizsla Ren." Maul explained. "The Force has shown me many things, including the future. The Resistance has dispatched agents to the ancient world of Mortis. There is a tracker in the ship they are using. You will require both Imperator and T'Doshok Ren to fight these agents." "I understand." Vizsla rose, picking up her helmet. "You wield the Dark Saber, a blade that once belonged to me. I can think of none worthier of my legacy than you, Supreme Leader." Maul nodded in approval before vanishing. Vizsla called the Dark Saber to her hand and activated her comms. "Imperator, T'Doshok, meet me at my shuttle. We've got a job to do after I have a chat with Grand General Hux."
Finalizer
Hux stood with his arms behind his back as Vizsla strode onto the bridge of the Finalizer. "Supreme Leader. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Hux inquired. "I have a task for you." Vizsla walked past him and stopped at the viewscreen. "Your work on Jakku was exemplary. I want you to target Corellia. It is a world important to the Resistance, as many of its high ranking members have ties to the world. Leia Organa, the traitorous Ben Solo, Wedge Antilles, the list goes on." "Corellia is a much different world than Jakku. It will not burn like Jakku did." "I don't want more glass, Hux. I want jungles turned ash. I want lakes boiled from turbolaser fire. I want cities to be nothing but rubble. We are going to spread fear as Wilhuff Tarkin once decreed the Empire should." "Of course, Supreme Leader." Hux paused. "There is just... A not insignificant portion of our Stormtrooper Corps was taken from Corellia." "No matter." Vizsla grabbed the Dark Saber and twirled it around in her hand. "Fear will keep our soldiers loyal, and the droid army of Darth Revan is more than enough to replace those who fall out of line." Vizsla tossed the Dark Saber at Hux, leaving the blade end hovering near his heart. "Any other questions?" "No, Supreme Leader." "Good." Vizsla called the hilt back to her hand before walking towards the exit of the bridge. "I have work to do on Mortis. See to it that your task is carried out."
The World Between Worlds
Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Qui-Gon Jinn sat together. Dume approached them, transforming into a human form. "Any luck, Kanan?" Anakin asked. "I still can't reach beyond the Netherworld. Plo Koon and Ahsoka are too cut off from the Force to reach, Ezra... Ezra's changed." Kanan shook his head. "My son... Darkness consumed him, but he's come back to the light and I still can't find him and tell him how proud I am." "What about Rey and Ben?" Luke asked. "Anakin couldn't even reach them, let alone me." Kanan sat down. "We know that Palpatine is doing this. There are no other suspects. The Knights of Ren lack the strength to block the Cosmic Force. The energies of Bogan and Ashla spread amongst those who use them. With only Palpatine and the three Knights holding domain over the Bogan, they are each far stronger than the Jedi we have." Qui-Gon crossed his arms. "Mortis." Yoda cut in. "Mortis. The world of the Ones." Kenobi stroked his beard. "The dagger." Anakin realized. "The dagger can open a bridge between the Cosmic and Living Force. With it, Palpatine can give himself a living body again. Dominate the Dark Side. He could reassert his control over his midichlorians within Rey and have her and her fleet under his control." "A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored." Qui-Gon recited the Prophecy of the Chosen One. "Through me. It doesn't have to be me. Ben, Leia, Rey, they have my blood in their veins. Together, they can restore balance." Anakin theorized. "Or maybe it's literal." Kanan's eyes widened. "If the dagger can bring back Palpatine, who's to say it can't bring back Anakin?" "Stronger for us to be able to do such a thing, the light must become." Yoda nodded. "Rey is struggling with the pull of darkness because of the talons Palpatine has latched into her." Luke frowned. "But her dark bloodline consistently chooses to turn to light. It's like I hoped. She's the spark of hope we need." "No." Anakin shook his head. "She's the ray of hope we need." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes slightly. "In the old tongues of the Jedi, the word Rey means Balance." "The Four Concepts of the Force taught by the Four Ancient Teachers. Ashla's Light, Bendu's Grey, Bogan's Dark, and Rey's Balance." Qui-Gon nodded. "The Force works in mysterious ways, and maybe it gave us the balance we need in our darkest hour by giving us a Jedi named Rey." Kanan ran his hand through his hair. "Then we hold out hope for Rey to shine through the darkness until we can aid her with light of our own." Luke bowed his head.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Csilla
Csaplar
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey sat on the floor of her quarters on Csilla, Maul's lightsaber in front of her. She heard a knock on the door. Rey reached out, opening the door with the Force. Ahsoka entered. "I thought you were going with Plo Koon and Ben." Rey raised an eyebrow. "Master Plo changed his mind after he and I meditated on the matter. He and Ben are moving to Mortis themselves. "Half of this blade cut Qui-Gon Jinn down on Naboo and slew Inquisitors on both Malachor and Dathomir. The other half maimed Qi'ra Ekralime and blinded Kanan Jarrus," Ahsoka explained, picking up the weapon. “It was sliced in half once again by Obi-Wan on the world where the Force decreed its balancing agent would be born.” She ignited the crimson saberstaff. “You have repaired it with Anakin's blade, but the blood of the Sith still flows through it." "You've lost me." Rey tilted her head slightly in confusion. “Red is not a colour lightsabers usually take. They occur when the Bogan flows through a crystal. It can be done naturally, without hateful intent, creating a red glow that shines as a beacon of passion and love. However, the Sith forge their blades with nothing but hate and dominance. The Bogan is not inherently evil. There can be no day without night, no light without shade." Ahsoka continued. "I think I understand. Whenever I activate that blade, I always feel some sort of… Backlash." "The strongest stars have hearts of kyber because kyber pulls the physical universe together. It lives, it feels… It bleeds." Ahsoka offered the blade to Rey. “But it can be healed.” Rey took the weapon in her hand. "How do I heal it?" Rey asked. "Thousands of years ago, Darth Varanus, the Unyielding Sword of the Sith Empire and the Jedi Battlemaster Yolpuur were the vanguards in an alliance between the Jedi and Sith against the eternal forces of Revan and Valkorian," Ahsoka explained. "I channeled their teachings when I purified my own lightsaber crystals." Ahsoka smiled fondly. "But you aren’t interested in the history, but rather the method. To heal the bled kyber within your lightsaber, you must face the hate that poured into it without breaking under the pressure or giving in to the rage it feels within." Ahsoka drew her lightsabers, revealing pure white blades. "Many Jedi made the mistake of trying to purge the darkness with pure light, but it was always too much for the crystal. The kyber can heal, but it can never again be a clean slate. It becomes white. It becomes balanced." "Time to face my fears." Rey breathed in deeply, picking up the lightsaber with the Force.
Naboo
32 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey opened her eyes, finding herself on Naboo. She saw Qui-Gon dueling Darth Maul as Obi-Wan stood trapped behind a shield. "Hatred! So much hatred! " Rey heard her own voice call from within Maul’s lightsaber. The hilt slammed into Qui-Gon’s face, stunning him. "Please! I don’t want to kill again! " Rey ran forward, putting herself between Qui-Gon and Maul’s killing blow.
Dathomir
9 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey found herself on Dathomir, seeing Maul with the Dark Saber in hand. Before them stood an Imperial Inquisitor holding Maul’s saberstaff to the throat of a woman with brown hair styled in a ponytail and bangs. "Qi’ra…" Maul began, his undying rage clear. "Maul, don’t trade yourself for me! " The woman demanded. "No, we just found love! It can’t end like this! " Rey’s voice shrieked from within the blade. Rey reached out, yanking on the saberstaff with the Force as she pulled the Dark Saber from Maul’s hand. The Inquisitor was imbalanced long enough for Rey to swing at his hand.
Malachor
3 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey looked around, seeing the Sith Temple on Malachor. The Dark Saber still sat in hand, the Beskar handle cold and the black kyber crystal humming within. She saw Ahsoka and a human male with a beard who she thought looked like Jacen standing with Maul. "Where’s Ezra? " The human male asked. "You mean…" Maul grinned. "My apprentice? " "Jealousy! Stop the jealousy! I don’t want to be a tool for jealousy! " The crystal cried out. Rey saw Maul swinging for Kanan’s eyes, but activated the Dark Saber to deflect the blow.
Jakku
Rey looked down at her hand, seeing the lightsaber she had forged on Tatooine. Before her stood Maul, the same saberstaff in his hand. Rey looked around, taking in her home on Jakku as it had been the night before she found BB-8. "Look what has become of you. A rat in the desert," Maul snarled. "Look what I have risen above," Rey replied. "I've come to kill you, but perhaps it's worse to leave you here, festering in your squalor," Maul chuckled. "You are no spark of hope for the galaxy. You are no Heir to the Empire. You are a scared little girl from Jakku who shaved her head when she found out that the parents she kept it for were long gone. As far as Jedi go, Rey Eldirsaid, you are even weaker than any I've encountered." "I shaved my head to let go of my past. I accepted my role as Palpatine's heir to save my friends. Perhaps I am not a Jedi up to your caliber, but I don't need your approval to be a Jedi." Rey's eyes narrowed. Maul smiled, disappearing.
Mustafar
Darth Vader's Castle
"And what of my approval?" Rey heard the voice of Darth Vader behind her. "My blood flows through your veins as much as it does Darth Maul's." She turned, seeing the Sith identity of Anakin Skywalker. She looked around, seeing that she was in his obsidian fortress on Mustafar. "Darth Vader's blood does not flow through me. Anakin Skywalker's does." Rey's grip on her lightsaber tightened. "From a certain perspective, Anakin Skywalker is my father. You are not Anakin Skywalker." "No. But I am your father. Your bloodline is darkness. That is the will of the Force." "I am a Jedi. Like Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, Ahsoka Tano, Yoda, and the thousands generations that came before." "Your aspirations are as delusional as those of Director Krennic. The thousand generations of Jedi are dead, Yoda fled to a swamp out of cowardice, Ahsoka Tano forsook the title of Jedi when she abandoned me, Plo Koon cut himself off from the Force to save himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi had nothing but hyperbolic half-truths and mindless devotion, Luke Skywalker was an unworthy son, and Anakin Skywalker was weak. I stand where they all fell." "As long as there is someone to hold a torch, the darkness will not win." Rey nearly ignited her lightsaber, but refused to give in. "Light?" Vader laughed. He stepped forward, grabbing Rey's face. "The first dawn of light in your universe brings pain. The light burns you. It will always burn you." Vader ignited his lightsaber, holding the red blade up in front of Rey's eyes. She saw her face, bathed in crimson, reflected in Darth Vader's eyes. "In the end, the shadow is all you have left. Because the shadow understands you, the shadow forgives you, the shadow gathers you unto itself—and within your furnace heart, you burn in your own flame." "Durasteel burns in its own heat too. It comes out stronger, but it doesn't come out broken. You will not break me," Rey declared. "So be it. Perhaps your father, my master, will have better luck convincing you of the error of your ways."
The Star Forge
35 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey felt Vader's grip vanish. She looked around, seeing a dark throne room. Upon a throne lounged a dark vision of herself. Her eyes were a glowing Sith yellow, she was dressed in black, and her shaved head and black clothing made her jawline look remarkably menacing. "There is an ancient proverb about the Dark Side of the Force," The voice of Sheev Palpatine explained. Rey turned, seeing him beside her. He was cloaked not in the visage of his droid vessel, but in the flesh and robes of the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. "The dark is generous. Its first gift is concealment: our true faces lie in the dark beneath our skins, our true hearts remain shadowed deeper still." Palpatine's face shifted from the kind face of Chancellor Palpatine to that of the Sith Emperor before changing back. "But the greatest concealment lies not in protecting our secret truths, but in hiding from the truths of others. The dark protects us from what we dare not know." Rey saw herself smile maliciously as Finn, Poe, Rose, Ben, and Jacen were dragged before her by Vizsla, Imperator, and T'Doshok Ren. "Your prisoners, Empress." Vizsla Ren bowed. "Excellent." Empress Palpatine grinned. "Its second gift is comforting illusion: the ease of gentle dreams in night’s embrace, the beauty that imagination brings to what would repel in the day’s harsh light. But the greatest of its comforts is the illusion that dark is temporary: that every night brings a new day. Because it’s the day that is temporary. Day is the illusion." "Rey..." Finn pleaded. The Dark Rey pouted sarcastically. "It's Empress Palpatine, traitor. I thought you of all people would remember that." "Its third gift is the light itself: as days are defined by the nights that divide them, as stars are defined by the infinite black through which they wheel, the dark embraces the light, and brings it forth from the center of its own self. With each victory of the light, it is the dark that wins." The Empress gazed down at the captive members of the Resistance, twirling her lightsaber hilt as she tenderly and sadistically caressed each of their faces. "Oh, which one of you should I kill first?" Empress Palpatine grinned. "Finn, the Stormtrooper with a heart beneath the armour. Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the galaxy. Rose Tico, the last hero of Hays Minor. Jacen Syndulla, the legacy of Caleb Dume and Hera Syndulla. And Ben Solo. The final member of the Skywalker bloodline." "The dark is generous, and it is patient. It is the dark that seeds cruelty into justice, that drips contempt into compassion, that poisons love with grains of doubt. The dark can be patient, because the slightest drop of rain will cause those seeds to sprout. The rain will come, and the seeds will sprout, for the dark is soil in which they grow, and it is the clouds above them, and it waits behind the star that gives them light. The dark's patience is infinite. Eventually, even stars burn out." Rey saw her dark counterpart ignite her red lightsaber, taking Finn's face in her hand to force him to look her in the eyes as she killed him. "Rey, please-" Finn was cut off by a red blade through the heart. "Please what? You didn't finish." Empress Palpatine shoved his body away. "The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins." "Rey! This isn't you!" Poe yelled. "Yes. It is." Empress Palpatine rolled her eyes, cleaving Dameron in half. "It always wins because it is everywhere." "Rey, don't do this!" Rose begged. Empress Palpatine deactivated her lightsaber and put the hilt to Rose's head, kneeling in front of her. "Tell your sister I said hello." Empress Palpatine grinned as she activated the blade. "It is in the wood that burns in your hearth, and in the kettle on the fire." "What would your parents say if they saw you now?" Jacen looked at the Empress defiantly, though his eyes were quickly taken from him with a slash of her blade. "My father tells me how proud he is of his heir every time I we talk." Empress Palpatine smirked as she twirled her saber again, removing Jacen's head. "It is under your chair and under your table and under the sheets on your bed." "Rey, you pulled me back from the dark once before. Let me do the same." Ben looked at Rey, a desperate plea in his eyes. "I rather like this, actually." Empress Palpatine giggled as she plunged her lightsaber through Ben's chest. "Walk in the midday sun, and the dark is with you, attached to the soles of your feet." Empress Palpatine deactivated her lightsaber and smirked at Ben's lifeless body. "The brightest light casts the darkest shadow." The Empress walked over to Rey, looking her in the eyes. "Look at me, Rey. I'm you. I'm what you can be if you let go of this foolish desire to be a good little Jedi and give in to what you're meant to be." Empress Palpatine grinned. "The galaxy fears me and obeys me. I have everything I want. Every whim is answered. If I want to bombard Korriban or Voss because I'm bored, the Eclipse Fleet and the Grand Imperial Army obey without question. If I see someone I want in my bedchambers, they come because they know the price of refusal." Empress Palpatine ran a hand along the top of her head with a smug grin. "Most come willingly, though. I'm the most powerful and most beautiful woman in the galaxy. Empress Rey Palpatine, the Sith Incarnate. Imagine that. A little scavenger girl from Jakku rises as the unquestionable ruler of the entire galaxy and beyond. With the power of the Force solely at my disposal and the knowledge of every Sith before me, I can live forever as Empress. You can live forever as Empress if you just let the darkness within you guide you to the person you're meant to be." "No." Rey shook her head. "I'm not you. You're not me." Rey squared her shoulders. Empress Palpatine snarled, igniting her red blade and swinging it at Rey. "I will not be a slave to the darkness. I will never stop fighting." Rey ignited her own saberstaff, a white blade shooting out.
Csilla
Csaplar
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey opened her eyes, feeling her lightsaber in her hands. "Did it work?" She asked. "Well, it didn't explode, so that's a good sign." Ahsoka smiled. Rey ignited her lightsaber, revealing the same white blade she had seen at the end of her vision. "And that's our proof. Good work, Rey." "Thank you." Rey stood, putting her lightsaber on her hip. "We need to get going. Byss and the Eclipse Fleet await." "Rey." Ahsoka touched her hand to the Heir to the Empire's shoulder. "What the crystal shows you is a possible future. It's up to you to decide which future comes to pass." "I understand. For now, we need to get everyone together. I want to end this war."
Mortis
Ben and Plo Koon stepped out of a Chiss shuttle and onto the surface of Mortis. Before them was a cavern that felt like it was singing to them. "I sense a presence." Plo Koon reached to his belt. "Go. The Knights of Ren are here. I will hold them off while you retrieve the Dagger from within." "Are you sure?" Ben asked. "Yes." Plo nodded. He held out a lightsaber hilt for Ben to take. Ben took the hilt, realizing it was that of his uncle's green lightsaber. "Where did you find this?" Ben asked. "When your uncle died, he appeared to me and told me to retrieve his blade from Ahch-To and take it with me back to Csilla. He said you would need it in the coming war," Plo Koon explained. Ben nodded before running down into the temple. Plo Koon took a deep breath, pulling his own lightsaber from his hip. Vizsla, Imperator, and T'Doshok stepped towards him. "Hersilia Saxon, the False Mand'alor." Vizsla Ren stiffened. "Âkrozjal, Korriban's last scion." Imperator Ren tightened his grip on his lightsaber. "Xegraka, exiled champion of Dathomir." T'Doshok Ren deployed her talons. "Three forsaken children of worlds the Jedi turned away from. I cannot help but think that my actions and those of my peers decades ago have lead to this moment where you seek to end my life." "You'd be correct, Plo Koon," Vizsla snarled. "The Jedi's treachery against the Chancellor allowed him to found an Empire and grind my home into the dirt and reduce my people to a remnant." "You saw the colour of the Kissai as a threat because of how many of us became Sith. You hunted down my people and carried out genocides until only small colonies remained." Imperator tightened his grip on his lightpike, the blades shooting out. "The actions of Maul and Talzin made you see Dathomir as a world of darkness. A world you could allow the Separatists to burn without any consequences or interference." T'Doshok ignited her lightsabers. "Come then." Plo Koon stepped into the opening stance of Shien. "Let your vengeance loose upon me. Just known it will not heal your wounds." "We don't want healing." Vizsla activated the Dark Saber. "We want justice."
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Mortis
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Plo Koon blocked a strike from Vizsla Ren before backpedaling away from a slash courtesy of T'Doshok Ren. Imperator Ren brought his blade down on the Kel Dor, but he deflected the blow before holding out his hand. Plo breathed in deeply, fully opening himself up to the Force for the first time since the Clone Wars. "There is no emotion, there is peace." Imperator flew back. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge." Plo Koon hit T'Doshok in the head with his elbow before letting loose a blast of Electric Judgement. "There is no passion, there is serenity." The Jedi Master called Imperator's blade to his hand, blocking an attack by Vizsla. "There is no chaos, there is harmony." He hurled Imperator's lightsaber back at him, scorching the Knight's chestplate. "There is no death, there is the Force." The Kel Dor grabbed Vizsla by the wrists and hurled her to the ground. The three Knights regrouped, looking upon the last Jedi Master. The Force swirled around Plo Koon like an old friend, and his stance was that of a mighty guardian. "Knights, as one." Vizsla ordered. Imperator and T'Doshok nodded, and the three ran at Plo Koon together.
Byss
The Emperor's Citadel
Rey, Thrawn, Finn, Poe, Palpatine's vessel, and BB-8 stepped out of a shuttle onto the purple fogged world of Byss. The ocean beneath them swirled and surged, and the imposing tower in front of them stood against the dark skies. "This is... This is something." Poe nodded slowly. "Perceptive." Thrawn chuckled. He and Rey took the lead, followed by Finn and Poe. Palpatine's vessel took up the rear, looking around at the world surrounding them. The group made it to the door, with Thrawn activating the scanner. "Command override, Grand Admiral Thrawn." "Insufficient clearance." The computer responded. "Hmm." Thrawn folded his arms behind his back. "Empress?" "Command override. Empress Rey Palpatine." Rey spoke into the scanner. "Clearance accepted." The door opened, and the group made their way in. The door closed, and the elevator began to descend. "What do you think we'll find here?" Finn asked. "Enough ships to win the war." Poe pointed out of the window. Beneath the waves of Byss laid a massive fleet of Imperial ships. Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, Interdictor Cruisers, Quasar Fire-class carriers, Raider-II corvettes, and countless other ships that Rey, Finn, and Poe could not identify. In the centre of the fleet was the crown jewel, a Super Star Destroyer even larger than the Executor, the Super Star Destroyer Darth Vader had used as his flagship after the destruction of the first Death Star. "The eponymous ship of the Eclipse Fleet, the Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse," Thrawn explained. "Imperial records said the Eclipse was the sister ship of the Executor," Poe commented. "One Eclipse was. The Eclipse that was meant as a decoy for this one. This Eclipse is a kilometer longer and carries 40,000 soldiers. The other ships carry contingents of their own, but they are all awakened from the Eclipse." Thrawn continued. The elevator reached the bottom, opening up into one of the Eclipse's hanger bays. "Let's wake the army up." Finn nodded.
Mortis
Ben descended into the temple of Mortis, hearing the voices of Jedi and Sith from throughout history as he moved. "The Force is strong in my family, my father has it, I have it, my sister has it." The voice of Luke Skywalker came from prelude to the Battle of Endor. "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts." The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn came from the Boonta Eve Classic. "The legacy of Revan and the legacy of Valkorian are nothing but chaos. The Bogan and the Sith that serve it need not be forces of such bedlam. They need only to be the light's balancing shadow." A voice with a Sith Imperial accent gave a rallying cry from the Battle of Kuat in the time of the Old Republic. "But now I know there is something stronger than fear. Far stronger. The Force." The voice of Kanan Jarrus came from his fight against the Grand Inquisitor aboard the Sovereign. "To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not. In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are." Yoda's voice came from the midst of the Clone Wars. "The Jedi teach us that we must protect without attachment. I believe instead that love is the greatest weapon a Jedi can wield." The voice of a woman with a caring and measured tone spoke from just before the Eternal Alliance's fight against Revan and Valkorian. "If you define yourself by the power to take life, the desire to dominate, to possess…then you have nothing." The voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi came from his final duel with Maul. "A Jedi is not their weapon. A Jedi is what is within. Who are you within?" The voice of the Bendu came from a conversation with Rey a mere month earlier. "We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end." The voice of the Daughter of Mortis came from all around Ben. He looked around, marveling at what he saw. He felt like he stood amongst the stars. The Force moved around him, light and dark in perfect harmony. "The Dagger is yours to claim, Blood of the Chosen One. It is not yours to use, however. The will of the Force decrees that it is her that will use it," The voice of the Father of Mortis explained. Ben saw a dagger appear in front of him. A brief flash of energy from somewhere beyond the galaxy pulsed next to the dagger, and a Jedi holocron appeared. Ben set his uncle's lightsaber down and picked the holocron up, opening it. Within was a single file, a message. He willed the holocron to play it, and the image of Darth Vader appeared. "The time has come. The Emperor is unfit to rule. His daughter stands before you. Execute Order 151," Vader ordered. Ben closed the holocron, not understanding what the message meant. Ben slipped the Dagger of Mortis and his uncle's lightsaber onto his belt, slipping the holocron into his jacket. His jacket. His father's jacket. Ben looked down at what he was wearing. Before leaving with Plo Koon, he had stopped by his mother's quarters on the Tantive-IV to see if he could find a change of clothes. He had put on a jacket that once belonged to his father, the one he had worn when he won the Millennium Falcon. It had felt wrong to put on the jacket of the father that he had murdered, but it was his way of carrying the Solo legacy with him. Anything was better than the robes of Kylo Ren. "We have another gift for you, Ben Solo. The gift of closure." The voice of the Son of Mortis rang in Ben's ears. "That jacket looks good on you, kid." The voice of a certain nerf-herder came from behind Ben. Ben turned, seeing the figure of his father. Han Solo, his signature smirk on his face, stood before Ben, looking just as he had on Starkiller Base. "Dad?" Ben asked. "Ben." Han smiled. "Are you... Are you here?" Ben asked, reaching out. "I'm as here as I can be, Ben." Han held out his arms, offering his son a hug. Ben accepted the gesture hesitantly. "I should have done this on Starkiller Base. But I put a lightsaber in you instead." Ben put his head on his father's shoulder. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't kill me. The Force has a will, Ben. I once said hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side. I couldn't have been more wrong. The Jedi and Sith, the Ashla and Bogun, the Light and the Dark. They're forces beyond anything, and they're needed by everyone. Light without darkness and darkness without light both destroy vision. You needed that to fall into an abyss to be able to see the guiding flame of the light." Han looked his son in the eyes. "You've come out afterwards not just as a stronger man, but a better one too." "I can't take all the credit. You, Mom, Uncle Luke, Jacen, Rey..." "We sparked the fire. You chose to follow the flame." "Thank you." Ben nodded. He turned to leave the Temple of Mortis. "Ben," Han spoke up again. "There's one more thing. One more gift the Force wants to give you." Ben faced his father, who held out his hand. Ben grunted as he looked down at his shoulder stump. He felt the skin pulse with energy and watched as a limb of shimmering silver took shape. Lacing the metal was blue light where veins would be on an organic limb. The Ashla, the light, once again showed itself in Ben's veins. "May the Force be with you." Plo Koon stepped back from the three Knights, who assaulted him with a combination of Vizsla's calculated strikes, Imperator's raw power, and T'Doshok's blinding agility. The old Jedi Master, with all his centuries of training, was finally beginning to feel his age against the crashing force of the Knights of Ren. Ben emerged from the temple to this sight, and he drew his uncle's lightsaber to aid Plo Koon. Ben rushed at the Knights, but Plo reached out, Force Pushing Ben towards the shuttle. "This is not your place, Ben. It is mine. Go. The Resistance needs you to live, just as it needs me to make my stand," Plo ordered. Ben nodded, entering the shuttle. Vizsla realized what was occurring, and ran towards the shuttle. Plo Koon reached his hand out again, firing a bolt of emerald green Electric Judgement at her. Vizsla roared in pain before turning towards the Jedi Master, Dark Saber pulsing. Plo Koon held out his blade in front of him. "I am one with the Force and the Force is with me." T'Doshok jumped at the Kel Dor, but he sidestepped the attack and drew his lightsaber through her arms, slicing off her hands just above her gauntlets. T'Doshok simply grunted, as the now writhing gauntlets were revealed to be cybernetics. Ben's shuttle lifted into the air, and both Vizsla and Imperator reached out to try to pull it from the sky. Plo Koon floated up into a lotus position, the sounds of sparks emanating from the air around him. Vizsla and Imperator broke their concentration, turning to the Jedi. They saw pulses of the same emerald electricity as his favourite Force Technique arcing from his body. "By the light of the Ashla, by the dark of the Bogan, by the unity of the Bendu, by the balance of the Rey, I am Plo Koon. Jedi." Plo Koon exploded with a massive wave of electrical energy, finally becoming one with the Force.
Byss
The Eclipse
Rey, Poe, Finn, Thrawn, BB-8, and Palpatine's vessel stepped on the bridge of the Eclipse. Palpatine's vessel put its hand to a panel, activating the ship's systems. "The time has come." Thrawn folded his arms behind his back. He gestured to the command console. "The army and the Eclipse Fleet is at your command, Empress Palpatine." "Not yet, Grand Admiral Thrawn." The vessel spoke, its voice modulated and appearing as though it pulled Thrawn's name from a databank. "The word must come from the Emperor to transfer command. This message will do as such." Palpatine's vessel stepped forward. "I am Emperor Sheev Palpatine. Until a time comes that I may rule again, my heir and daughter, Rey Palpatine, stands as your ruler, your Empress. Follow her commands, as they are my own." The doors to the command deck the opened, and a bridge crew of Clone Troopers in black, grey, and red armour walked in, kneeling before Rey. She stepped forward, taking in the sight. "An orphan girl from Jakku," Rey said to herself. "Now I'm an Empress with a fleet at my command." "Ready or not, Rey, you're the right choice for the job." Poe put his hand on her shoulder. "You took a day after you the Battle on Starkiller before you went hunting for Luke. I didn't even have time to meet you properly until after Crait." "You've been the Resistance's greatest hope for the past couple months." Finn stepped forward. "You got right back off a medical table after getting stabbed in one of your hearts and went looking for help for us on Kamino." "Bweebwee reewoo bwoop whee roop!" BB-8 chirped, spinning around Rey. "I've known you for less than two days, Empress Palpatine. However, I will gladly follow your orders for the sake of the galaxy." Thrawn bowed his head. Rey tipped her chin up and set her shoulders back slightly, a smile on her face. "Reewoo!" BB-8 beeped frantically. Rey stooped down next to the droid. "What is, Beebee?" Rey asked. BB-8 projected a news feed from Corellia, showing First Order Star Destroyers and cruisers in orbit, "Corellia." Poe narrowed his brow. "Han Solo, Wedge, a bunch of the Resistance are from there or have family there." "A bunch of the First Order's Stormtroopers come from there," Finn added. His eyes widened. "I have an idea." "Thrawn, can you put together a chunk of the Eclipse Fleet to save Corellia?" Rey asked. "As you command, Empress." Thrawn nodded, walking towards another console. Rey turned back to Poe and Finn. "What's your idea, Finn?" Poe asked. "I always felt weird about being a Stormtrooper, no matter the programming. I bet more Stormtroopers do too. If we can play with those seeds of doubt, give the Stormtroopers who come from Corellia something else to rally behind to avenge the deaths on their home, we can throw the First Order into chaos," Finn explained. "That's an excellent plan." Rey smiled. "The Resistance shows up to save the day with the Eclipse Fleet, the galaxy has hope again. We throw our enemies into chaos, and we can win this war," Finn continued. "Finn, you're a genius." Poe took Finn's face in his hands and planted a kiss on his lips, much to Finn's shocked pleasure, BB-8's amusement, and Rey's mild discomfort. Poe raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. People being affectionate always makes me... I don't know. I've never felt like that with anyone. I think Jessika was implying something to me the other day, but..." Rey shook her head. "Maybe you're just the aromantic type." Poe gave Rey an accepting smile. "Alright. Let's go win a war."
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Hyperspace
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Wedge, Snap, and Karé jumped into their X-Wings and Norra jumped into her Y-Wing as Jessika talked to Thrawn. "Lead the TIE Defender squadron? It would be my pleasure." Jessika beamed. "Excellent. Report your ship, Aegis Leader," Thrawn ordered. Jessika walked away as Poe and Finn approached the Chiss. "What's our status, Grand Admiral?" Poe asked. "Generals. Fighter, bomber, and interceptor wings are organizing. I've sent for additional aid from the Chiss," Thrawn explained. "Anything from Mortis?" Finn asked. "Ben Solo transmitted. He will rendezvous with our forces once we reach Corellia." Thrawn folded his arms behind his back. "After this battle, the balance of power will shift. Today, one way or another, this universe changes forever." Thrawn walked away. Poe and Finn turned to each other. "I should get to my ship." Poe spoke, but his words made it clear there was more he wanted to say. "Wait." Finn stopped him. "I want to thank you." "For what?" Poe smiled. Finn pulled Poe in for a kiss, with the act surprising Poe this time. "For helping me figure out what it means to be someone beyond a Stormtrooper. For showing me love," Finn explained. "You're welcome." Poe hugged Finn. "We've got a galaxy to save." Poe took in Finn's face. "What?" Finn asked. "My parents would have loved you." Poe smiled. "General Finn Dameron." Poe spun on his heel and ran to his new X-Wing, where BB-8 waited eagerly. "Huurh aarrraggh uuhw!" Chewbacca roared, inciting a laugh from Lando. "What does that mean?" Finn yelled. Lando and Chewbacca merely ignored his question, walking off to the Millennium Falcon. "Lando, what did he say?" Palpatine's vessel stood in the throne room of the Eclipse, looking at the throne that Rey sat upon. "When I first commissioned the Eclipse, I thought I would be the one to sit on that throne," Palpatine reminisced. "But when the years started catching up to me, I lost hope in a Palpatine ruling for much longer. Then Lord Vader found you on Jakku. You were not gifted in the Force, but Lord Vader and I both felt it moving around you in a way we had never felt before. We know you were destined for great things." Palpatine touched his vessel's hand to Rey's cheek. "It gives me great comfort that you, Rey, are my legacy." Rey narrowed her eyes at Palpatine. "And now Plo Koon and Ben Solo have gone to Mortis to collect the one thing in the galaxy that can kill me." "Why tell me that?" Rey asked, rising from the throne. "Why tell me exactly how to kill you?" "Simple." Palpatine's vessel shrugged, folding its arms behind its back. "I have worked for... Decades to create an heir worthy of my name, Rey. To create you. It is the way of the Sith to kill their master once they have grown tired of being in their shadow. As Darth Bane said, Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it," Palpatine continued. "In this form, the only power I embody is the power to hang on until my plans are complete. And just as Darth Varanus slew Darth Baras, just as I slew Darth Plagueis, you will strike me down and take your rightful place as the master. The one to embody power." "And what if I don't want to strike you down and take the place of the one to embody power?" Rey asked. "After all your struggles, your choice to embrace who you are, I doubt that very much. However, the chance for you as a Jedi to kill the last Sith is an option any Jedi would crave," Palpatine explained. Rey stepped closer to him, placing a hand on her lightsaber. "You're lying." Rey's brow narrowed. "I have never lied to you, Rey. I didn't lie about your bloodline, I didn't lie about the Eclipse Fleet, I didn't lie about Thrawn, I didn't lie about how I value you." Palpatine's facial simulation became a look of fatherly pride. "Visions from the Force have decreed that the Dagger of Mortis is the instrument of my undoing. You will be my undoing, Rey, and I am so very proud of that fact." Rey pondered for a moment, shook her head in annoyance, and moved towards the door. "What are you doing?" The door opened, and the two Clone Troopers guarding the throne room stood at attention. "Until I return, no one gets in or out," Rey ordered. "As you command, Empress." The troopers nodded. The door closed, leaving Palpatine alone in the throne room. He chuckled, walking over to the throne, sitting on it. "Lie, no. No. I would never dream of lying to her. It's for lesser men than I." Palpatine chuckled. "That Dagger will be my undoing someday. It must be, for that is what the Force wills. But long before it undoes me, it will restore me." Palpatine's vessel folded its hands. "Plo Koon, that remarkably useful fool."
Corellia
Warmonger-Class Star Destroyer Decimation
Commander Pyre stood on the bridge of a Star Destroyer at the head of a First Order strike fleet. "Commander, TIE Despoiler squadrons are reporting in. Shield generators have been heavily taxed and will not hold up to orbital bombardment," One of the officers reported. "Good. Commence the attack," Pyre ordered. "Sir, we're detecting a group of large ships emerging from hyperspace," Another officer said. "A convoy of bulk carriers, most likely. Ignore them." Pyre's annoyance was clear. "Sir, they're..." The first officer began.
In Orbit
The Eclipse dropped out of hyperspace, flanked by eight Star Destroyers, four Interdictor cruisers, twelve Raider-II corvettes, and the Resistance fleet. The Resistance's starfighters, bombers, and interceptors emerged from within the various capital ships, taking point. "All wings, report in," Poe ordered. "Red Leader, standing by," Wedge called in. "Gold Leader, standing by," Norra called in. "Black Leader, standing by," Snap called in. "Blue Leader, standing by," Karé called in. "Ace Leader, standing by," Kazuda called in. "Phoenix Leader, standing by," Hera called in. "Aegis Leader, standing by," Jessika called in. "Millennium Falcon, standing by." Lando rounded out the call ins. "Alright, people. Let's light the spark," Poe ordered with a wide grin.
Warmonger-Class Star Destroyer Decimation
"Sir, it's the Resistance!" The second officer yelled. "Launch all fighters and prepare weapons for intercept!" Pyre ordered.
In Orbit
"Aegis Squadron, with me! We're knocking out their cannons," Jessika ordered. Her TIE Defender, flanked by twenty-one others, headed towards one of the First Order Star Destroyers. "Red Squadron, we're on the TIE Despoilers. Lock S-foils into attack position," Wedge ordered. His squadron, consisting of both X-Wings and TIE Advanced v1s, raced forward. "Gold Squadron, focus your fire on hard targets. Engines and shield generators." Norra instructed. Her Y-Wing took point in front of a squadron of Y-Wings and TIE Bombers, heading towards the furthest Star Destroyer. "Blue Squadron, cover Gold Squadron's attack runs." Karé added. Her X-Wing, alongside A-Wings and TIE Strikers, moved into a support position around Gold Squadron. "Phoenix Squadron, cover any civilian vessels trying to escape the carnage. Millennium Falcon, we'd love your assistance." Hera relayed. Jacen's TIE Executioner and a collective of TIE Interceptors and B-Wings formed up on her, followed closely by the Falcon. "Black Squadron, Ace Squadron, you're with me. We're taking out enemy fighters." Poe concluded the selection of orders. Black Squadron, formed of a mix of X-Wings, ARC-170s, and Snap Wexley, took their positions behind Poe. Ace Squadron moved in front of him, forming a wall of fire support around the leader of the Resistance.
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
Rey walked onto the bridge of the Eclipse, where Thrawn, Finn, Ezra, and Ahsoka waited for her. All Clones not manning battle stations bowed before the Empress, who acknowledged them with a nod. "Rey, you okay?" Finn asked. "I'm not sure." Rey shook her head. "Something Palpatine said is giving me an off feeling." "Palpatine's alive?" Ahsoka pressed. "His spirit haunts the red droid. He said the Dagger of Mortis is the only way to kill him," Rey explained. "Why would he tell you that?" Finn asked. "Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it," Rey began. "He said that just as Varanus killed his master, just as Palpatine killed his own master, I will kill him and take my rightful place as the one to embody power." "He's lying, right?" Finn asked. "Emperor Palpatine is a great many things. Manipulative, stubborn, and elusive," Thrawn began. "Cruel, sadistic, and overconfident," Ezra added. "But he does not directly lie," Thrawn finished. "So the dagger will kill him." Rey accepted. "And it appears it must be you to do the deed, Empress. It appears you must complete the circle." Thrawn folded his arms behind his back. "I'll come with you. Just in case." Ahsoka put her hand on Rey's shoulder. "So will I." Finn nodded. "I owe him some pain," Ezra added. "Make it five." Ben added as he entered, dagger in hand. "Where's Master Plo?" Ahsoka asked, though her tone indicated she knew the answer. "He sacrificed himself so I could escape. I'm sorry." Ben shook his head. He handed the dagger to Rey, who examined it. "Let's go kill an Emperor." Ezra pulled his lightsaber hilt from his hip. Rey, Ahsoka, Ezra, and Finn moved to the door, with Ben hanging back for a moment. He pulled the holocron out of his jacket, handing it to Thrawn. "Hang onto that. I've got this... Feeling that we'll need it," He explained. Thrawn nodded, and the five Jedi set off for the throne room.
The World Between Worlds
Plo Koon shot up, seeing Anakin, Luke, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Kanan surrounding him. "My friends." Plo Koon's tone was joyful as he rose to his feet. "I have done as you instructed. Ben Solo has the Dagger of Mortis." The other Jedi looked at each other, their expressions those of grief. "What is it?" "We didn't give you a message, Master Plo. Palpatine's strength in the Force has been stopping us from reaching out of the Netherworld except for the one moment when his grip faltered and we were able to reach Leia. We tried to get her to have Rey open up to us, but Palpatine shut down every attempt we've made to communicate with the world of the living since." Anakin shook his head. "You didn't warn us it was Palpatine?" Plo Koon asked. "We didn't know yet. We're sorry." Anakin bowed his head in sorrow. "If you received a message, it was from Palpatine," Luke added. "The Dagger..." Plo began. "The Dagger of Mortis is the one thing that can restore him." Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "I've damned us." Plo Koon fell to his knees. "Trust in the Force, we must." Yoda placed a comforting hand on Plo's shoulder.
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Corellia
In Orbit
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Wedge sped between two TIE Despoilers, spinning around them to shoot them down from behind before rejoining Red Squadron. Snap rolled away from fire from a TIE Vanquisher, but was unable to shake him. "Guys, I've got a guy on my tail. A hand?" He asked. Poe dove down, firing a shot that clipped the wing of the Vanquisher. An ARC-170 then came up behind the TIE, blasting it. "Thanks, Poiy-Pul." "Anytime, Commander Wexley." The ARC-170's pilot, a female Kaleesh, replied. A pair of TIE Strikers flew above her, blasting a TIE Despoiler heading towards her. "What, no thanks for General Dameron?" Poe asked with mock indignation. Jacen flew past, opened his S-foils just enough to get a shot in on a TIE Despoiler, and then closed them again to jet away. "Finn's not flying." Jessika joked as she fired a proton torpedo at a turbolaser emplacement on a Warmonger-Class Star Destroyer. She spun out of the way as an X-Wing blew up in front of her, blasting the TIE Executioner responsible. "Synth'iia, form up on my wing. We're taking out the flagship's main gun." "Roger that, Commander Pava!" A female Twi'lek replied. She moved her Defender into position to serve as Jessika's wingman. Karé and Norra flew in tandem, heading towards the Decimation's engines. "Bombs away!" Norra dropped her payload, crippling the Star Destroyer's ability to move. Jacen and Hera took the opportunity to open fire on the capital ship's shield generators, creating a chink in the mighty ship's armour. With a shot of two proton torpedoes from Jessika and Synth'iia, the bombardment laser at the front of the ship was demolished. Wedge and Snap formed up, firing on the crack in the shield generator. With a violent explosion, the ship's shields went down. "Grand Admiral, the Decimation is flying dead. It's all yours." Poe grinned.
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
"Excellent. All batteries, open fire," Thrawn ordered. The Eclipse let loose a hail of turbolaser fire, tearing the Warmonger-Class vessel apart in a hailstorm of laser bolts. "Thrawn, First Order reinforcements are inbound." One of the deck officers, a man with brown hair and dark skin explained. "Noted, Eli," Thrawn replied. "I presume you heard that, General Dameron?"
In Orbit
"Yeah, I heard it." Poe sighed. "Lock and load, all wings. We've got more heat incoming." "We're behind you all the way, General." Lando smiled. "Huurh awwgghh!" Chewbacca roared. "For Han," Wedge agreed. "For Jakku," Norra added. "For Luke," Jessika continued. "For Mr. Bones." Snap smiled sadly. "In the war against the Galactic Empire, the Rebellion made up of our mothers, fathers, children, and heroes. They all fought against tyranny. They lit the spark. Today, we take up that torch and we keep it burning. For everyone we've lost and more." General Poe Dameron rallied his troops. "This is not just our war. This is a war for the people of Corellia, for the people of Mon Cala, for the people of Jakku, for the people of Hosnian Prime, for the people of the galaxy. We fight the First Order with all our might and with all the strength that the Force can give us! Whatever happens, however this ends, the flame of the Resistance cannot and will not be extinguished! We will tell our children, and their children, and every generation after us that this was our finest hour!" The First Order's reinforcements emerged from hyperspace, consisting of eight more Warmonger-Class Star Destroyers and six Maleficent-Class Star Destroyers. "One hell of a speech, kid." A familiar General's voice came through the comms. The Tantive-IV dropped out of hyperspace, followed by a fleet of Chiss warships and the ISD Chimaera. "Leia?" Poe's voice filled with joy. "I've still got a little more fight in me, Poe." Leia smiled. "All fighters, move to attack vectors!" Poe ordered. He shot forward like he had at D'Qar, but instead of a single hot shot pilot, he was a General taking charge and leading an army. "You heard the General!" Jessika ordered, following after Poe, Aegis Squadron rallying behind her. Wedge and Snap lead Red and Black Squadrons close behind, with the rest of the Resistance hot on their tails. Poe spun between a squadron of TIE Despoilers, opening fire on the Maleficent-Class Star Destroyer behind them. Jessika and Wedge blasted the lead Despoilers, allowing Snap and Karé to fly through the wreckage and follow up Poe's attack. Norra swooped down, a TIE Bomber at her side. "On my mark, Xo'harn," Norra ordered. "Roger that, Cap," The Bomber's pilot, a male Kel Dor, replied. The two swooped down, dropping their bombs across the hull of the Destroyer. A TIE Executioner shot out of the collapsing ship's hanger, opening fire on the two. A blast from its cannons hit Xo'harn's Bomber, blowing it into pieces. "I'm locked on target." The Executioner's pilot stated as he swooped behind Norra. Fortunately for her, a salvo from the Tantive-IV destroyed the fighter before it was able to open fire. Jacen closed his Executioner's S-foils, allowing him to pull off a rapid spin around a shot from a Warmonger-Class Destroyer's primary cannon before opening his wings again and letting loose a payload of missiles at the ship's bridge. "Nice shot, Jacen!" Hera yelled with motherly pride. "I learned from the best." Jacen smiled.
VCX-100 Light Freighter Ghost
"More flying, less talking!" Din yelled from his place at the Ghost's nose gun. "Excuse me? Who are you to give me flying lessons?" Hera yelled back. "I'm a Mand'alor, that's who!" Din replied. "So am I, Din! But I know not to try to tell Hera what to do!" Sabine yelled from the roof turret.
In Orbit
Karé rolled away from fire from a Maleficent-Class Star Destroyer, weaving between the turrets on the ship. A B-Wing followed closely behind, unleashing its arsenal on the turrets as Karé cleared a path. "Stay on my six, Geamla!" Karé ordered. "Commander Kun, we've got inco-" The female Nautolan pilot of the B-Wing was cut off when a TIE Vanquisher blasted it in the wing, sending it crashing into a cannon emplacement. Karé pulled up, bringing her S-foils in to give himself more speed. The Vanquisher stayed on her tail until a shot from Wedge destroyed it. "Thanks, Wedge!" Karé yelled. Snap and Poiy-Pul opened fire on a pair of TIE Despoilers, causing the two to crash land through the bridge of the Maleficent-Class that Karé and Geamla had been attacking. "Anything for my daughter-in-law!" Wedge smiled. Two A-Wings and three TIE Interceptors danced around a Warmonger-Class Star Destroyer, picking off fighters while two Two Defenders destroyed the capital ship's weapons. One of the A-Wings was blasted by a TIE Despoiler, sending it crashing into the Destroyer's dorsal hull. The Millennium Falcon twirled gracefully, smashing the Despoiler along the way while narrowly avoiding fire from the Warmonger-Class. YT-1300 Light Freighter Millennium Falcon "Lando, my friend! This is excellent flying!" The jovial voice of Hondo Ohnaka came from the Falcon's gun turret. "Keep shooting, Hondo!" Lando laughed. "Of course, of course, that is what you are paying handsome me handsomely for!" Hondo laughed.
In Orbit
Poe dodged and wove between a hailstorm of lasers, heading directly for the lead Maleficent-Class Star Destroyer. "Jessika, just like on Skako Minor!" Poe ordered. "Right!" Jessika took her position directly behind Poe. The two flew in tandem, almost scraping the ventral hull of the Destroyer. With a quick dip downward, the X-Wing and the TIE Defender flipped, flying upside down beneath the vessel. The two ships took a hairpin turn upward as they reached the end of the vessel, with Jessika dropping proton bombs on the engines. The two starfighters shot upwards as the bombs exploded, crippling the Destroyer. Jacen soared past, firing a missile at the ship's shield generator, creating an opening for the Chimaera and the Tantive-IV to blow its bridge apart. "The day's almost won, people! Only one more Destroyer!" Poe yelled. "All capital ships, open fire!" Thrawn's command came over the comms. The Eclipse, the Chimaera, the Tantive-IV, and every other Chiss warship and Resistance Star Destroyer began to pummel the final Warmonger with turbolaser fire. Poe, Wedge, Jessika, and Snap flew in a diamond shape, firing at the bridge of the ship. As the turbolasers overloaded the shields, the assault from the starfighters punctured the bridge, destroying it as the fury of the capital ships tore its hull into pieces. "We did it!" Jessika yelled. "We did." Poe smiled.
First Order Territory
The Star Forge
Vizsla Ren sat on her throne, Imperator and T'Doshok on either side. Hux walked in, kneeling before the Supreme Leader. "Supreme Leader, the Resistance engaged our forces over Corellia, as well as their assistance garrison," Hux explained. "And?" Vizsla asked. "The both fleets have been annihilated," Hux explained. "I-" His words were cut off by T'Doshok who reached out to Force Choke the Grand General. "How is that possible, Grand General? The Resistance has no navy that could stand up to even one of our Star Destroyers. "They... Had... Assistance..." Hux struggled for breath. "Commander... Pyre's..." "Let him go, T'Doshok. He's hard to understand." Vizsla sighed. T'Doshok obliged, dropping Hux. "Commander... Commander Pyre's report stated they had an Imperial Super Star Destroyer even larger than Darth Vader's. He did not transmit many details, unfortunately. His ship was destroyed with him and all other hands aboard." Hux massaged his throat. "How on Malachor did they..." Vizsla paused. "Oh." "What is it, Vizsla?" Imperator asked. "The Eclipse Fleet." Vizsla realized. "I had thought it was a myth when my mother told me about the rumors. But if the Resistance has it..." Vizsla looked at Imperator. "Imperator, push the Star Forge to full capacity. Capital ships, cruisers, fighters, droids, everything." "It will be done." Imperator nodded, walking out of the room. "You're dismissed, Grand General." Vizsla gripped the armrests on her throne tightly. Hux bowed, spun on his heel, and left. T'Doshok looked at Vizsla. "If the Resistance has the Eclipse Fleet... The First Order faces its darkest hour." "We thrive in darkness, Vizsla." T'Doshok crossed her arms. "Let's hope you're right, T'Doshok." Vizsla Ren nodded slowly.
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
Rey, Finn, Ben, Ahsoka, and Ezra walked into the throne room, where Palpatine's vessel awaited. "I see you have the Dagger of Mortis after all. Well done, Ben Solo. I only wish Plo Koon could have survived the Knights of Ren. I would have loved a chance to wish my old friend farewell. We are both relics of a bygone history, he and I." "How did you know that the Knights were on Mortis?" Ben demanded. "I sent them, my dear boy." Palpatine's vessel turned around. "I put a vision in Hersilia Saxon's mind, a vision she would trust. A vision of Darth Maul. I used her fears, her desires, and I pushed all the right buttons I needed to get her to do what I wanted. Just as I have done to all of you." An apparition of Darth Vader, the same one Ben had seen when he was about to destroy the Sith Lord's helmet, appeared. "I have been every voice," The voice of Vader spoke. His apparition vanished, replaced by the apparition of Maul that Palpatine had appeared to Vizsla Ren as. "You have ever heard," Maul's voice continued. Maul was replaced by the Bendu. "Every whisper in your ear," The Bendu continued. He was in turn replaced by Han Solo. "Pushing you onward as parts of my plan," Han added. Anakin Skywalker then took Han's place. "Planting seeds of darkness beyond all sight," Anakin finished. The Jedi took their lightsabers from their hips, not yet igniting the blades. "And now you're here." Palpatine's vessel projected a smile. "Here to watch my dear daughter end my suffering within this droid. Here to fulfill both Jedi prophecy and Sith tradition. A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored." Palpatine's vessel paced. "My master, Plagueis, he manipulated the Force and accidentally created the Chosen One. And now I have done something similar, manipulating the Chosen One's blood in order to create Rey. Her name, in the ancient Jedi texts, means Balance. In Sith texts, "Rey" means Sovereign. A strange coincidence, that is. I could hardly believe it when Vader brought me a girl named Rey." Palpatine's vessel stopped, looking directly at Rey. "But that is the will of the Force in action. Through Anakin Skywalker, through the Chosen One's blood, Ultimate Balance stands before us. And with her, the Force will be made pure. When she strikes me down, she will rise as the one to hold power. The woman who has the Blood of the Chosen One, the Blood of the Sith, and the Blood of Dathomir stands ready to take her place as Empress." Palpatine's vessel held out its arms. "Do it. Fulfill your destiny, Empress Rey Palpatine." Rey approached the Emperor, Dagger of Mortis in hand. "Destroy the Sith, bring balance to the Force, Rey..." Obi-Wan's voice echoed in Rey's ears. "Rise as the one to possess power, Empress..." Maul whispered doubt. "Destroy the Sith, bring balance to the Force, Rey..." Plo Koon spoke. "Rise as the one to possess power, Empress..." Darth Varanus' voice joined the legion. "Destroy the Sith, bring balance to the Force, Rey..." Luke's words rebounded within Rey's mind. "Rise as the one to possess power, Empress..." Snoke was added to the chorus. "Destroy the Sith, bring balance to the Force, Rey..." Anakin Skywalker chanted. "Rise as the one to possess power, Empress..." Darth Vader countered. "Enough!" Rey yelled as she plunged the Dagger of Mortis into the chest of Palpatine's vessel. The vessel shuddered, shook, and glowed as purple energy seeped out. The air appeared to crack, and then rend, and then it tore open into a pulse of energy that sent Rey flying back into a wall. Finn and Ben rushed to her side. The droid disappeared as the Dagger of Mortis fell to the ground. In the droid's place stood Emperor Sheev Palpatine, looking as he did before his fateful duel with Mace Windu. "At last, I am... Reborn!" Palpatine cackled. Ezra and Ahsoka activated their lightsabers, but Palpatine merely smiled. From within his robes came two lightsaber hilts, the same ones he had wielded during his duel with Maul and Savage Opress on Mandalore. "Ezra Bridger and Ahsoka Tano... How I have waited for the day when I exact my vengeance upon the two of you." "Get Rey out of here!" Ahsoka ordered. Ben and Finn picked the unconscious woman up, but Emperor Palpatine reached out, crushing the door to the room with the Force. He then twirled around, dragging his lightsabers against the floor as he swung them at Ahsoka and Ezra, who blocked the strikes. "We have to help them," Finn said. Ben nodded. "You two have other things to worry about." Rey's voice came from her body, but it wasn't her tone. Ben and Finn looked down as Rey's eyes shot open, revealing Sith yellow. The two jumped back just as Rey activated her lightsaber, narrowly avoiding being impaled. "You know, Ben, I know why you turned to the Dark Side. It's so... Thrilling." Rey giggled. Palpatine kicked Ezra in the chest, sending him flying back only to be caught by Ahsoka, who blocked a vicious swing from the Emperor. "I knew that it would release his spirit if I just channeled the darkness inside me. Now I get everything I ever wanted. I get a father, I get power, I get respect." Ezra jumped in the air and spun, bringing his lightsaber down on Palpatine, who blocked the strike before blasting Ahsoka away with a jolt of Force Lightning. "All it costs is being Dad's Little Empress until we get tired of each other. When that happens, I put the Dagger of Mortis in his back and take my place on my throne." "Rey, please-" Finn was cut off by a laugh from Rey, who gave him a mocking look. Ahsoka jumped, swinging down at Palpatine, who stepped out the way and slammed the Togruta into the ground. "Shut up, Finn. Ever since I've known you, you've been yelling my name. A little quiet before you die would be nice." Rey massaged her right temple. Ezra spun beneath a swing from Palpatine, aiming for the Emperor's leg, but the Sith blocked the strike and backhanded him in the jaw. "Rey, you pulled me back from the dark once before. Let me do the same." Ben asked. Ezra and Ahsoka got up, charging the Emperor together, but he unleashed Force Lightning at them both, forcing the two Jedi to guard against the electricity with their blades. "I rather like this, actually." Rey rolled her eyes. "And unlike you, I don't flip sides just because someone asks me to." Rey twisted her lightsaber into a combat ready stance. "Now lay down and die." Ben and Finn activated their lightsabers as Rey lunged forward.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Corellia
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Ben and Finn each blocked one of Rey's blades, who summoned a ball of Force Lightning to her hand. She fired it at Ahsoka, who jumped out of the way before blasting the approaching Emperor Palpatine back with a Force Push. Palpatine twirled in the air, kicking off a wall and charging at Ezra, who ducked out of the way. Ezra then produced a second lightsaber from within his jacket, igniting the blue blade. Rey deactivated her lightsaber to break the blade lock, rolling forward and swinging up at Ezra, who blocked an attack from each Palpatine with each of his lightsabers. Ahsoka ran at Palpatine, slicing forward in an x-shape. Palpatine took his blade away from Ezra, blocking the strike before opening his mouth and roaring, knocking Ahsoka down with the might of his Force Scream. He then spun around to swing at the distracted Ezra, but Finn and Ben rushed to the older Jedi's aide, blocking the Sith Lord. Ben swung at Palpatine's head while Finn when for his leg, but Palpatine deflected both attacks. Ahsoka got up, joining Ben and Finn. Palpatine released his right lightsaber, controlling it with the Force as he summoned a plume of dark fire to his hand, unleashing it on Ben, who struggled to hold it. Finn closed his eyes, focusing. "Breathe Finn. Breathe." The voice of Rey, the Rey that Finn knew, sounded in his ears. He reached out, joining Ben in holding back the attack. Together, the two Jedi dispersed the attack from Palpatine. Ezra swung his green lightsaber at Rey's face, but she blocked the attack with one of her blades before grabbing Ezra's other hand with her left. Ezra deactivated his blue lightsaber, and Rey realized that the blade had a second function. A stun bolt emerged from the blaster attached to the hilt, forcing Rey to break the blade lock as she fell to her knee. Ezra then turned, running at Palpatine. Together, he and Ben swung with all their might at the lightsaber still in the Sith Lord's hand, pushing down on it with such force that he dropped the blade. Ahsoka pushed the other weapon out of Palpatine's grasp before putting her twin blades to Palpatine's throat as Anakin Skywalker had done to Count Dooku decades before. "Get Rey," Ezra ordered, standing behind Palpatine. Finn and Ben nodded as they walked towards the Imperial Heiress. Rey shook her head, waving the last remnants of the stun bolt out of her system. Her eyes focused again, and she saw Ahsoka and her blades holding her father at their mercy. "Father!" Rey yelled. She hurled her saberstaff forward, held her hands out to her sides and blasted Poe and Ben away with a pulse of Force Lightning, and then ran forward, grabbing her lightsaber and twirling it into Ahsoka's forearms, cleaving her hands off. The Togruta screamed in pain as Rey kicked her away from Palpatine. Palpatine grabbed Ahsoka's lightsabers as they fell, twirling them around to impale Ezra. Ezra let out a pained gasp as the blades pierced his chest. Rey began to Force Choke Ahsoka, lifting her into the air as Palpatine approached. Both Ezra and Ahsoka's lightsabers floated about his hands, and they slowly began to fall into pieces as he moved. The shattered remains of the blades clattered to the floor as Palpatine summoned his own hilts back to him. "What are you looking to do to her, Rey?" Palpatine asked with a smirk. Ahsoka clawed at her throat with the stumps of her arms, trying to break free. "Say hello to Plo Koon for me, Ahsoka," Rey mocked. She twisted her hand, snapping Ahsoka's neck. The two Palpatines then turned their attention to Ben and Finn, who were attempting to crawl to their feet. Rey approached the two, kicking Ezra's head out of her way as she approached. "Rey..." Ben groaned. Rey picked up his chin. "I could kill you." Rey explained. "Easily. With a flick of my wrist, I can break your necks. With a gesture from my fingers, I can unleash lightning through your bodies. With a single touch, I can find every Shatterpoint in your body and break you apart from within." She dropped Ben's face to the ground, turning her attention to Finn, forcing him to look her in her eyes. Her cold, Sith eyes. "But I won't, and I'll tell you why. It's because you're not worth the effort. An ex-Stormtrooper and the son of a smuggler and the princess of a dead world. You're beneath an Empress' notice. You're beneath my notice." Rey giggled, lifting the two into the air with the Force and holding them in place. She took their lightsabers, affixing them to her belt opposite her own saberstaff. Rey touched each of their cheeks, much to their discomfort. "This... Isn't... You..." Finn struggled. "Oh, but it is!" Rey grinned. "It's everything I've always wanted to say. Like everyone I've ever known, you both tried to use me. I was your path off Jakku, Finn. You began to see me as something more, but at first, I was nothing but a ride off world." The Imperial Heiress chuckled. "And you, Ben? I shouldn't have to explain you, Ben." She gripped his face angrily, pulling it to look her in the eyes. "Rey... I want you to join me! We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy!" Rey began to quote Ben's words on the Supremacy. "No, no, you're still... holding on! Let go! You have no place in this story; you come from nothing!" Her voice raised, louder than Finn or Ben had ever heard her voice. The natural deep melody of her voice made her anger sound even hotter, her rage sound even more undying. "You're nothing... but not to me! Join me! Please!" Rey let go of Ben's face. "Never again. Now… Now you two get to suffer. You'll only be the first trophies I take from the galaxy. And do you know the worst part?" Rey strode over to the throne, pulling the two along with her. Sheev Palpatine looked on with pride as his daughter sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "The worst part is for you two is that you helped forge me into this. You helped bring about your own end, and the end of the Resistance. Finn, you dragged me into this conflict when you made me a target. And Ben, you've cut be, stabbed me, tried to manipulate me." Rey laughed, running her tongue along her top teeth as if tasting the irony. "And now look at me. I'm an Empress on my throne, with you both at my mercy. The irony is palpable, isn't it? Empress Rey Palpatine, the Sith Incarnate. You both helped create that. A little scavenger girl from Jakku will rise as the unquestionable ruler of the entire galaxy and beyond." Rey smirked. "The galaxy will fear me and obey me. I will have everything I want. Every whim I have will be answered. If I want to bombard Corellia or Mon Cala because I'm bored, the Eclipse Fleet and the Grand Imperial Army will obey without question. If I see someone I want in my bedchambers, they will come because they will know the price of refusal." Rey tapped her fingers on the armrest of the throne. "I may not feel romantic attachment, I may not want a partner in any truly intimate way, but an Empress does need her release once and a while. That release will never be with either of you, though." Rey laughed at the confused look in both of their eyes. "I know. Oh, of course I know! I know you both had, and to some extent still have, a thing for me, but neither of you ever had a chance of being with me. Even if I wasn't an Empress, even if I wasn't a Sith, even if I wasn't so far above you, I don't love anyone like that." Rey leaned forward, dropping her tone to a much quieter, much more sinister tone. "So don't go thinking for a moment about love redeeming me. "Rey..." Ben forced the word from his mouth. "It's Empress." Rey rolled her eyes. "Oh, and be quiet." With a wave of her hand, the two went limp. Rey looked up at her father, who stood with a massive smile on his face. "I am so very of you, my dear daughter." Palpatine walked over, arms outstretched. Rey stood up from the throne, embracing her father. The two broke away from the hug, and Rey reached out, calling the Dagger of Mortis to her hand. Palpatine smiled. "Good. I would hate for you to lose that." "Well, of course. I do still need to kill you. Eventually." Rey smiled, the smile genuine rather than the mocking ones she had given Ben and Finn. "It will be some time from now, I would hope." Palpatine chuckled. "After all, I lived almost thirty more years the last time I looked like this. That was with grievous injuries from Master Windu. With medical advancements, I imagine I could push my body past a century. That gives me another forty years or so." "Forty years. I'll be as old then as you are now." Rey chuckled. Her father shook his head. "Not quite. You're... Oh, what would the time be... Nineteen, I believe? No, no. Twenty. Your Life Day happened about a month after the Battle of Crait." "And I missed it." Rey sighed. "I feel as though there's a story there, but my memory is a little... Spotty. The times that I enjoyed myself the most, I cannot seem to remember them beyond knowing that I enjoyed them. It's strange." "No matter. We will sort out your memory someday. More importantly, we will have a celebration of you Life Day truly worthy of an Empress." Palpatine smiled, touching Rey's cheek with fatherly tenderness, a gesture Rey leaned into. "But that is not the point I wished to make. The Kaminoans, when they rebuilt you, they altered your aging. They said you would age normally until you reached twenty, and then your aging would slow immensely. Dathomirian Zabraks also have quite the lifespan, and that blood flows through you. With those combined factors, as well as the fact that your body is compatible with additional parts from incomplete clones of you on Kamino, means that you have the potential to live for centuries as you are." "With the power of the Force and the resources of Kamino solely at my disposal and the knowledge of every Sith before me, I can live forever as Empress." Rey realized. The two Palpatines smiled, and the elder Palpatine put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "The time has come for you to rule," He explained. "What is your first order of business, Empress?" Rey pondered for a moment. Her father stepped down from the throne and stood in front of it, looking at the dead bodies of Ezra and Ahsoka and the unconscious forms of Ben and Finn as Rey thought. "I have an idea or two." Rey grinned. "Guards!" Three Clone Troopers walked in, kneeling before the Sith Empress. “Yes, Empress?” The clones asked. “Summon the Grand Admiral. I'd like a word.” Empress Palpatine examined her fingernails. “Your will is your decree.” One of the clones nodded. He touched a button on his comms. Rey sat in silence, looking down at the Clone Troopers that knelt before her. This power truly was a rush. The Jedi were fools to cast it aside. After all, what is light without a shadow but blinding? She was balance. There had been a thousand generations of Jedi, and now she would oversee a thousand generations of her rule. Balance to the Force. Just like her name prophesied. The door to the throne room opened, and Grand Admiral Thrawn entered. His eyes widened upon seeing Sheev Palpatine, alive and in the flesh. He fell to his knee. "My Emperor." Thrawn bowed his head. "Grand Admiral Thrawn." Palpatine smiled fondly. "It is good to see your loyalty still stands." "I swore loyalty to your Empire and its legacy," Thrawn explained. "A Chiss does not break a vow of loyalty." "That pleases me greatly, Grand Admiral. However, I am no longer Emperor. I shall not be again unless something, Force forbid, happens to my daughter in my lifetime," Palpatine explained. "I am now this Empire's Emeritus. Rey Palpatine is your ruler, your Empress." "I understand, Emeritus." Thrawn rose. He walked over to Rey, kneeling before her. "What are your orders, Empress Palpatine?" "I have two. The first is that the captains of our vessels pull the Eclipse Fleet back from Corellia. Don't bother with recalling the starfighters. The Resistance will no longer be receiving our aid." Rey instructed. "It will be done, Empress." Thrawn nodded. "And the second is that we see to my formal coronation." Rey leaned back in her throne. "After all, the galaxy must know who rules them."
Corellia
In Orbit
The Resistance's starfighters moved towards the various capital ships they had deployed from, but said capital ships began to shift away from their rendezvous point. "What the hell is happening?" Jessika demanded. "Grand Admiral, this is General Dameron. What's going on?" Poe asked. He got radio silence in response. The Eclipse jumped into hyperspace, followed closely by its escorting flotilla. "Poe?" Leia asked. "I have no idea, Leia. But Finn, Rey, Ben, Ahsoka, and Ezra are on that ship." Poe's shoulders slumped. "Force help us." Wedge let out a fearful whisper.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Yavin 4
34 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Poe, Leia, Lando, Wedge, and Norra stood together, looking over battle plans. "Talk to me, Poe. What's eating at you?" Leia placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's been a week since Corellia. Tomorrow's the last day of the year. Any other time, we'd be getting ready for party, but... What's there to celebrate?" Poe shook his head. "Rey's a Sith, sitting on her father's throne. Ahsoka and Ezra are dead. Finn and Ben..." "They're alive, Poe." Leia assured the man. "We don't know that!" Poe raised his voice before sighing. "Sorry." "I understand, Poe. But I also know they're alive. I can feel them." Leia smiled sadly. "How do we know that feeling isn't Rey and Palpatine tricking you?" Wedge piped up. Leia gave him an annoyed look. Wedge raised his hands in his defense. "Hey, we don't really know what Sith can do." "Counterpoint, why would they trick us?" Norra asked. "I mean, hold the fact that we don't have any Jedi to stop them over us." "Jedi are remarkable sparks of hope," Lando piped up. "Resistance is built on hope. Take that hope away, all resistance dies off." "Hard to have hope when the person getting crowned Empress is your friend, and you don't know why she turned." Poe sighed.
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
Rey Palpatine opened her eyes with a happy sigh. She pushed aside the luscious duvet on her bed, swinging her legs out and planting her feet on the plush carpet. She ran her hand along the top of her head before stretching, trying to shake the last remnants of sleep out of her body. Rey held out her hand, summoning a mirror to herself to examine herself. "Maybe a trim. It's my big day, after all." Rey smiled. Rey emerged from her quarters, hair freshly trimmed down back to half an inch and a dark red gloss on her lips. She was dressed in the same armour and cape she had been wearing since Kamino, but she had replaced the red robes with a black one. Her saberstaff sat at her side, and the guards besides the door knelt before her. Rey sighed happily, walking down the corridor, the beskar of her boots clicking on the ground as she walked melodically. Clones along the way bowed as she walked past them, the Heir to the Empire to smiling at the power she held. A pair of Clones approached her, one holding a holocron and the other holding a plate of food. "Ah, good timing." Rey nodded. The Clones joined her path on either side of her. Rey took the holocron from the first Clone and a piece of jogan fruit from the other. She ate the fruit as she opened the holocron, playing the message within. A Sith Lord in dark robes and pitch black skin with a white skull-like mask appeared. "Who summons Nihilus?" The voice demanded. "I am Rey Palpatine, the Sith Empress," Rey explained. "A Sith Empress? Then we have found victory over the Jedi? The galaxy bends its knee to us?" Nihilus asked. The corner of Rey's mouth tipped upward smugly. "The galaxy will obey the Sith for a thousand generations. And I was the Last Jedi." Rey sat atop her throne, the holocron of Nihilus still in her hand. "It is indeed true that the only way to kill a Wound in the Force like your father or I is with the Dagger of Mortis. However, the Dagger must bring life before it can bring death. Additionally, the Dagger is not always a direct source of death. You may find that when you plunge the Dagger of Mortis into his back that he will not die. The Dagger is a key to killing a Wound, but it is not always the direct weapon," Nihilus explained. "Fascinating." The voice of Sheev Palpatine cut into the room. Rey closed the holocron, looking towards her father. "Emeritus." Rey nodded her head in a jokingly formal way. "Empress." Palpatine bowed dramatically. "Tonight. Tonight, everything comes to fruition. Meticulous designs created by Darth Bane a millennium ago, the tenacity of the Sith for centuries, and my own plans that stretch back since before the Clone Wars have all lead to this moment." "Isn't it wonderful?" Rey smiled as she rose from her throne. "I'm going to go taunt the Jedi with their failure." She tossed the holocron of Nihilus to her father as she walked toward the door of the throne room. "Enjoy yourself, dear." The Emeritus smiled. The Empress returned the smile, leaving the throne room. Palpatine pulled a second holocron from his cloak and opening it. A Muun with black armour and a rebreather appeared. "Sidious," The Muun said. "Plagueis," Sidious replied. "Not Master? I thought you had some respect for me, Sidious." Plagueis crossed his arms. "Oh, it was always grudging respect." Palpatine chuckled. "As my daughter goes to taunt the Jedi who held her back from greatness, I come to taunt you. I have succeeded where you failed. I have cheated death beyond haunting a holocron. I move, I breathe, I live again." Palpatine stepped up to Rey's throne, running his hand along the black stone. "Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to to create life. He became so powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic." "Mock me all you want, Sidious. The throne your daughter sits upon was built on my work, the work of Tenebrous before me, the work of Skotadi before him, and the works of Ramage, Faʻalata, Gaen, Gravid, Almudamir, Taui, Vectivus, Alguacil, Cognus, Zannah, and Bane before them," Plagueis snarled. "Without the Rule of Two, you would have been nothing more than a boy with delusions of grandeur!" "Bane's 'Great Plan', the Sith Imperative, they would be even less without my work. Without my tenacity. Without my willingness to do anything, even perish, to bring them to fruition." Sidious raised the holocron, lightning forming in his hand. "The Vision of Almudamir and the words of Nihilus state that I can only die at the end of the Dagger." Palpatine smiled as he saw the spirit of his master begin to panic. "You have no prophecy to protect you." The lightning in Palpatine's hand surged into the holocron, which began to shudder. "SIDIOUS, NO!" Plagueis screamed. His anguish was cut off when the lightning shattered the holocron. The shards fell to the ground, turning to dust as the touched the floor. Ben and Finn sat back to back in a cell, both of their eyes closed. "Up and at them, Jedi." Rey pounded on the side of the cell. Ben and Finn shot to their feet, looking the Sith Empress in the eye. "What do you want?" Ben asked. "Aw, can't a girl just come say hi to her trophies?" Rey pouted. She called a chair over to herself, sitting down in it with dark grace. "Rey, please-" Finn began. Rey shot a bolt of Force Lightning at the two. Despite the energy field between them and the attack, Finn and Ben both jumped back. Rey let out an amused huff. "Finn, Finn, Finn. It's Empress. How long is it going to take for you to remember that?" She smirked. "What did you come here to do? Taunt us?" Ben asked. "That's exactly it. It's my coronation today." Rey smirked. "You know, Leia and Poe are negotiating hard to get you two back. They've offered everything from surrender to themselves to save you both, but I haven't even confirmed that you're alive." Rey evaluated her fingernails. "Before you ask why, it's because I like watching two of the most confident people I've ever met squirm." Rey rose, walking towards the door. "I'll send someone by so you can watch my coronation."
The Star Forge
Vizsla, Imperator, and T'Doshok Ren sat with General Hux and three other First Order officers at a table. "Surrender is not on the table, Admiral Yularen." Vizsla snarled at a man in a fleet admiral's uniform. "We face a superior force, Supreme Leader. The Star Forge cannot keep up with the Eclipse Fleet." Admiral Yularen's voice was full of stress. "I have a proposal." Hux piped up. "An Empire is dependent on its Empress. Kill her, the Empire crumbles. She has no heir." "A sound proposal, Grand General Hux." Vizsla sat back in her chair. "Empire or not, she's still just the little scavenger girl from Jakku." Vizsla Ren rose. "Imperator, T'Doshok, with me. We have an Empress to assassinate." The three Knights of Ren left the room, leaving Hux behind with the three other agents. "You realize that's suicide for them, Hux?" A woman in an Intelligence Colonel's uniform stroked her chin. "Of course I do, Colonel Tarkin." Hux smiled, standing up. "What are you playing at, Hux?" Admiral Yularen asked. "Don't you think it's time the First Order was in the hands of someone who..." Hux drummed his fingers on the back of the Supreme Leader's seat at the table. "Someone who rules this Order as a military rather than ammunition for their cult?" "Are you planning yet another coup, Hux?" The third person, a woman in a Moff's uniform, rolled her eyes. "Not alone, Moff Sloane. Snoke, Kylo Ren, Vizsla Ren, they've all made the same mistake. They've had military advisers, but their inner circle was too focused on people like them to push the First Order beyond what their vision was." Hux ran his hand through his hair. "But with the four of us, the four branches of military service..." "We could rule properly." Colonel Tarkin smiled. "Precisely." Hux pointed at her. "Hanth Yularen, your great-uncle served in the Clone Wars and headed the Imperial Security Bureau. Regia Tarkin, your grandfather-in-law was the first Grand Moff and one of Palpatine's closest advisers. Andraa Sloane, your mother was chosen by Gallius Rax as the ruler of what would become the First Order. My father was the key to the First Order's military." Hux paced around the room. "What did they all and we all have in common? All of us have been overshadowed by someone with Jedi or Sith devilry. Wullf Yularen's achievements were eternally tied to Anakin Skywalker, Wilhuff Tarkin was overshadowed by Darth Vader, Rae Sloane was supplanted by Snoke, and Brendol Hux was slowly pushed aside in favour of Kylo Ren." Hux sighed in disgust. "Hanth, your navy chaffs under T'Doshok Ren's superstitions and traditions. Regia, First Order Intelligence is delayed and delayed by Vizsla Ren's visions and voices. Andraa, technological and political advancement is disrupted by Imperator Ren's projects and flights of fancy. And my military was time and again humiliated under the leadership of Snoke and the Knights. They seek to replace our Stormtroopers with ancient droids that once belonged to a Sith Lord. There is a reason the Republic, despite all its flaws, chose Clones that could think." Moff Sloane held up her hand. "I've heard enough. You have the support of the Bureau of Logistics," She said. "And that of the Navy." Admiral Yularen nodded. "And First Order Intelligence." Colonel Tarkin added. Hux smiled. "Excellent. We shall lead the First Order to a glorious future."
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
Rey sat on a throne in the largest hanger of the Eclipse. Palpatine stood behind her, conjuring Sith fire. Before her stood the commanders of her army and navy, Thrawn at the forefront. "Citizens of the civilized galaxy, on this day we mark a transition!" Palpatine's voice cut through the air. "The Galactic Republic, the Galactic Empire, the New Republic, the First Order. All were flawed governments. The Republic was marred by bureaucracy, trade disputes, and the Clone Wars. The Empire was marred by a ruler who would not be able to last on his throne for long. The New Republic was rushed and weakened by disloyalty. The First Order was built upon nothing but fanatics who were unfit to rule." The fires beneath Palpatine's hands sparked and glowed. "There has not been a truly stable government since the days of the old Sith Empire under the rule of Darth Clypeus. Now, Rey Palpatine takes that legacy, that throne." Sith spirits began to appear from the fire. "The Grand Sith Empire will bring about peace, freedom, justice, and security that has not been seen since my rule. Rise, Empress," A large Chiss Sith dressed in black and white armour, evidently Darth Clypeus, spoke. "The Sith have hungered for the day they bring order to the galaxy once again. Rise, Empress," Darth Nihilus spoke. "By bringing the entire galaxy under one law, one language, and the enlightened guidance of one individual, the corruption that has plagued the Republic for far too long will never again take root. Under Rey Palpatine's rule, our most cherished beliefs will be safeguarded. We will defend our ideals by force of arms. We will give no ground to our enemies and we will stand together against attacks from with or without. Let the enemies of the Grand Sith Empire take heed: Those who challenge Imperial resolve will be crushed." "You did what was necessary to achieve your goal. You showed the power and the strength of will to destroy those who stood in your way. You saw what you wanted and you took it, no matter what the cost. You are culmination of my Rule of Two. Rise, Empress," A Sith wearing ancient blue, grey, red, and gold armour, evidently Darth Bane, spoke. "My vision said the Dagger would be the means to a sovereign, to balance. You stand before me now as the one named Sovereign, as the one named Balance. You are the fulfillment of my vision, the Vision of Almudamir. Rise, Empress." A Nautolan Sith Lady wearing black robes and gold armour, evidently Darth Almudamir, spoke. "We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. We have taken on a task that will be difficult, but the people of the Grand Sith Empire are ready for the challenge. Because of her efforts, the galaxy will trade war for peace and anarchy for stability. Billions of beings now look forward to a secure future. The Grand Sith Empire will grow as more planets feel the call, from the Rim to the wilds of the Unknown Regions." "Serve the glorious Sith tradition. Grow in the darkness. Gain strength from it. You are my blood, the blood of Dathomir. You are a worthy heir to my blood, to my blade, to the Sith, and to this throne. Rise, Empress," Darth Maul spoke. "This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of the Jedi of old. It will soon see the end of the First Order and the Resistance. It now sees the woman who will lead the galaxy into tomorrow take her throne. Rise, Empress." Vader spoke. "This galaxy stands in chaos, but with her lightsaber and her Eclipse Fleet, the war between the First Order and the Resistance will come to a swift and decisive end!" Rey blinked, her eyes shifting back to their natural brown for a moment. She scowled, her eyes once again transforming into Sith yellow. "We have been tested, but we have emerged stronger. We moved forward as one people - the Imperial citizens of the Grand Sith Empire. We will prevail. Ten thousand years of peace begins today. Citizens of the civilized galaxy, I give you... Empress Rey Palpatine! Long she will reign!" Rey rose from her throne, standing tall as the army below her saluted. "People of the galaxy!" Rey's voice cut through the air. "The word 'hope' is often used in times of darkness. Today, I stand before you as hope incarnate. I am the heir to great bloodlines. Palpatine, Skywalker, Vader, Maul. I came from nothing, the daughter of two drunks who sold her away to a Sith Lord for a pauper's pittance. Now, through my strength of will, I stand before you as Empress Rey Palpatine! Do not let the lies of the Jedi and their allies deceive you. The Dark Side of the Force is not evil. No." Rey shook her head. "It is inevitable. It is that galaxy's natural state. It is thus natural that someone who rules the Dark will rule that galaxy." Rey held out her arms. "I stand before you as your Empress with one promise. I will lead the Grand Sith Empire and the galaxy it rules to glories beyond imagination!"
Yavin 4
35 Years After The Battle of Yavin
The Resistance stood by, watching the feed of the coronation cut. A hush fell across the room, and Jacen was the one to break it. "Someone else saw her eyes change, right?" He asked. "Bwee bee!" BB-8 beeped. "I saw it too." Hera nodded. "What about them?" Wedge asked. "When you jump fully and completely into the Dark Side, it changes you. It's said that eyes are the windows to the soul. Darkness taints that soul, and the eyes are windows to that corruption," Jacen explained. "It's not a speeder you can get on and off of over and over again. You can't fall that deep into darkness and then come back without one hell of a fight." "So what you're saying is that there's good left in her. Good that's fighting to get control again." Poe realized. "There was a poem written during the Old Republic about the nature of the Dark Side. It talks about how the dark is generous, patient, and always wins, but it goes on to talk about how its greatest weakness lies in its strength. It says that one candle is enough to hold it back, and that love is more than a candle. That love can ignite the stars.” "Rey may be aromantic, but she's maybe the most loving person I've met in a long time." Poe nodded. "Beebee whoo whoop bwee wee bwoo!" BB-8 chirped. "She got Finn and BB-8 off of Jakku even though it wasn't her fight." Poe gave his droid a pat on the head. "She didn't give up on the good still in Ben, even when I was starting to lose hope." Leia smiled. "As soon as she heard there was hope for the Resistance on Tatooine, she went there," Connix said. "She rushed to save Finn and the rest of the Resistance on the Goliath even though it delayed her mission to Csilla," Jessika added. "She took on the name Palpatine because there was a chance to help her friends. Her family," Rose concluded. "Hope." Lando piped up. "That's what makes the Jedi special. They're beacons of the stuff. Hope pushed Luke to reach out to his father. Hope pushed Anakin Skywalker back to the light. And now this?" Lando looked around. "As soon as we hear that there's a chance that's good still in Rey, we have hope again." "We need to take that spark of hope, and not let it die." Poe's voice began to fill with confidence and fight. "If there's still good left in Rey, and I hope to Force there is, we're going to fight to get her and Finn and Ben back. If there's not, if the fires of the dark have consumed her, then we're fighting for her. Sheev Palpatine took Rey from us. Either we're getting her back, or we're going to avenge her."
The World Between Worlds
Rey opened her eyes with a groan, eyes that shimmered a soft brown. She massaged her temples, trying to get her vision to focus. Above her, she saw nothing but stars. Suddenly, a familiar face came into view. “Hello, Rey.” Luke smiled sadly at her. He held out his hand. "I had hoped we'd meet again, but not like this."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The World Between Worlds
35 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey looked around, seeing Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Qui-Gon, Kanan, Plo Koon, Ahsoka, and Ezra. When she reached Ezra and Ahsoka, her face dropped. “No…” She shook her head. “I’m afraid so.” Ahsoka smiled sadly. “How am I… Where am I?” Rey asked. “The World Between Worlds. It’s a meeting place for those the Force has allowed to continue on after death, to serve as guides for future generations," Obi-Wan explained. "I'm dead." Rey realized. "I'm afraid so."Obi-Wan nodded. "It usually requires training, but the Force makes exceptions.” Anakin explained. “The door was opened for me as the Chosen One, and the door was opened for you because you were the balance between dark and light bloodlines.” “The door was opened for me because, like you, I am one of dark blood that chose to fight for good rather than evil.” The voice of Darth Varanus came from behind Rey. She and the Jedi turned, seeing a tall man who had pale skin, cybernetics on his cheeks, blonde hair, and eyes that seemed to change colour with the light. He was wearing ornate black and dark red armour with long shoulder pads and a flowing cape and had a beautifully crafted shimmering gunmetal and black lightsaber hilts on each him. Beside him stood a Miraluka with short black hair and a blue eye mask wearing a white robe over dark silver armour. At her hips sat twin bronze and blue lightsaber hilts. “The Force rewards those that choose to defend it no matter the cost, Rey. We are the only two Sith to truly choose the light. You chose it when you plunged the Dagger of Mortis into Palpatine not because you wished to kill the Sith or rise as Empress, but because of what his manipulations did to your friends, your family. I chose it when Yolpuur and I laid down our lives to stop Revan and Valkorion because it was what was needed, not to claim any power of our own.” “I’m not a Sith.” Rey shook her head. “You are.” Yolpuur smiled slightly. “And yet, you are not. You’re a special case, Rey. Jedi and Sith from across all of history have whispered in your ears. They've promised everything from power to vengeance to a place in prophecy, and yet you still choose the family you found and forged yourself.” “That is why you are here. You are the balance the Force has desperately needed since Anakin’s sacrifice.” Obi-Wan put his hand on Rey’s shoulder. His voice dipped somewhat. “Or you were.” “And you could be again, if you so choose.” Varanus crossed his arms. “Explain.” Plo Koon piped up. “The Bogan is a gateway to abilities the Ashla cannot comprehend, with inverse also being true,” Varanus paced. “While the Ashla is key to living on after death, the Bogan is key to continuing life as you know it. Palpatine clung to the natural world, Plagueis created Anakin, Nihilus drained a planet with his temple on Malachor, and Valkorion jumped from host to host to live for hundreds of years.” “During the vision you had as you brought balance to your lightsaber, Palpatine told you a poem, one that was written by Varanus and I. He didn’t tell you the last stanza,” Yolpuur added. “The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars.” “You may not feel love in a romantic sense, but the love you have for your friends is more than enough to ignite the stars.” Luke placed a hand on Rey’s shoulder. “How do I return to the world? I’m not leaving it in my fath... I'm not leaving it in Palpatine's hands.” Rey stood taller, holding her head up. “You accept both the darkness and the light,” Varanus began. “There can be no shadow without a sun, no stars without an abyss. To balance the Force, you must first balance yourself. The light is here, Rey. You are that light. Your body is possessed by every piece of darkness within you. Every thought of contempt, every ounce of hatred, every seed of fear. Meet that contempt with compassion, that hatred with love, and that fear with hope. You cannot drive those negative feelings out, for they are part of being alive." "Contempt can bring about a desire to conquer, but there must be contempt for evil, or else no good would exist. Hatred can inspire anger, but it can also spark a desire for justice. Fear may lead to distrust and suspicion, but fear can also motivate caution and moderation,” Qui-Gon added. “We are here by your side, Rey. A thousand generations of Jedi, a thousand generations of Sith, we have waited for the day someone could open the door to balance,” Yolpuur declared. "We've waited for you." Luke drew his blade, igniting it. He brought the sword down above Rey’s left shoulder. “With the hope of the Jedi,” Varanus pulled his lightsabers from his hip, igniting the twin crimson blades and bringing them to Rey’s right shoulder. “With the passion of the Sith,” Varanus continued. Anakin drew both the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker and the purified lightsaber of Darth Vader, igniting a flash of blue and white light. He crossed the blades over Rey’s head, bathing her in the glow of green, red, blue, and white kyber. “With the blessing of the Chosen One,” Anakin continued. “These are your final steps. Take them. Rise, Rey.” Obi-Wan ignited his blade. “The Force does not replace our eyes, it merely opens them to what we have been blind to. Rise, Rey.” Yolpuur ignited her lightsabers, so bright of a blue that they almost appeared white. “It is people like you, people who choose to fight, that give me confidence in the future. Rise, Rey.” Plo Koon ignited his blade. “With you, the Force will be. Listen to it, you must. Rise, Rey.” Yoda ignited his lightsaber. “The strength in your heart lies in your love, your hope, your compassion, your will to go on. Rise, Rey.” Kanan ignited his and his son’s lightsaber. “Feel, understand, and trust the will of the Force. Rise, Rey.” Qui-Gon ignited his blade. “You have survived countless ordeals, and now have one more chance to change fate. Rise, Rey.” Ezra ignited his lightsaber. “The Force has guided us for millennia. It now guides you. Rise, Rey.” Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers. “The Force is strong in my family because we are a family. Protect your family. Rise, Rey.” Luke pulled his lightsaber away. “Prove to the Jedi, to the Sith, to Palpatine, and to the galaxy that Ashla and Bogan, Light and Dark, can be balanced. Rise, Rey.” Varanus pulled his lightsabers away. “The Force surrounds you. It lifts you up. Open the door to balance as I once did. Rise, Rey.” Anakin pulled his lightsabers away. Rey’s eyes glowed yellow of the Sith and Maul, transformed into the shining blue of Anakin Skywalker, and then returned to their natural brown. The World Between Worlds shuddered, Rey vanished.
Jakku
Niima Outpost
5 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
Rey looked around her, seeing the sands of Jakku. She looked down at herself. She was wearing the clothes she had been wearing when she first left Jakku with Finn and BB-8 rather than the beskar armour and robes she had been wearing. She had always worn clothes of a very similar style until she donned the Jedi robes and Clone armour she found on Jabiim. A chat with Plo Koon revealed that the robes she had borrowed had been a spare set of his. His oversized robes were still incredibly similar to the style she had worn her whole life, though. The came Kamino. She shed her ill-fitting attire in favour of more formal clothing, clothing that Poe, Jessika, and Rose were the type to wear. Perhaps she had been emulating them when she picked out that white button up. Then came the attire of an Empress. Like her, it as a culmination. Armour forged of beskar taken from the Mandalorians during the Great Purge, robes that looked like a Jedi's but were coloured like a Sith's, and a black cape that hung behind her like a looming shadow. With all the changes Rey had been going through, it felt strange to be back in these clothes, no matter the fact that she had worn ones like them for over a decade of her life. "No, come back!" Rey heard the younger version of herself yell. She had relived this moment every night she had spent on Jakku. Back there, it had been Unkar Plutt telling her to be quiet. Here? Here she was experiencing the truth again. "Quiet, girl," Vader ordered. "You're going to do the galaxy a great service, young one. Come now. Destiny awaits." Every since she had found out the truth, she had heard Vader's voice in her nightmares as she watched her parents walk away. "I may try to distance myself from who I was and what I did as Vader, but... But I remember telling you to be quiet." Anakin Skywalker spoke from behind Rey. He put his hand on her shoulder. "I remember the fear I felt in you. The anger. The loneliness. I felt the same way when I had to leave my mother. And when I buried her." "What am I here to do?" Rey asked. "You know what you're here to do, Rey." Anakin pointed towards the retreating figures of Rey's parents. "You're twenty years old, Rey. You're here to confront the darkness that's kept you going since you were six." Rey breathed in deeply and ran after her parents. She pushed herself onward.
Faster, faster. I can catch them this time.
She caught up with the figures, running in front of them. The two faceless figures walked through her, with only the bottle of Savareen brandy in her mother's hand being tangible. Rey's hand brushed against it when she tried to grab her mother's, and it dropped to the ground. Rey knelt down, picking up the bottle. Rey looked back at her mother and father. Her mother, who inspired the triple buns she had worn for fourteen years. Her father, who put her hair up like that the morning they had left her on Jakku. The only thing she could touch from them was the bottle. The bottle. The same drink they sold her to Darth Vader to buy more of. "You have a right to be angry." Anakin spoke slowly and fatherly. "My parents, Palpatine, Han, Leia. Everyone I come to see as a parent either suffers or causes suffering." Rey sat down in the sand. She pulled the stopper off of the bottle, bringing it up to her lips. She took a long swig as she felt the sand beside her shift, Anakin sitting down next to her. Rey swallowed the brandy, her eyes watering both due to the strength of the drink and the fact that it was the only thing of her parents' that she could touch. "You said I was here to get closure." "No." Anakin shook his head. He reached over, taking the bottle from Rey. "I said you were here to confront your darkness." Anakin put an arm around Rey, pushing the stopper back into the bottle. "Where would you be if your parents hadn't sold you to Vader?" "I don't know." Rey shook her head. "Maybe I'd be forty and living a quiet life. A woman living her almost boring life with her droid, dreaming of adventures she'd never take because that's not who she is." "Maybe." Anakin pursed his lips and nodded. "Maybe not. Maybe you'd be on Nar Shaddaa, drunker than a barrel of monkey-lizards and trying to trade anything for a bottle of cheap brandy. Maybe you'd be on Tatooine, avoiding the bounty hunters coming after you for unpaid debts while your best friend floats in the bottom of your glass." "Okay, so I'd probably be a drunk like them. Must you rub it in?" Rey sighed. "Sorry. Still not great with people. That was always my wife's specialty. When I talked, only soldiers listened. But when Padmé talked, everyone listened." Anakin smiled sadly, remembering better times. "No matter where you life goes without Palpatine, you aren't alone. Where would the galaxy be without you?" "Maybe in a better place." Rey lifted up her hand, letting the sand run off of her fingers. "Would it?" The Chosen One asked. "The Force rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing, Rey. I didn't ask to be the Chosen One. Obi-Wan didn't choose for his master to die before he or I were ready for what that meant. Ahsoka didn't ask to be the Padawan of the future Darth Vader. Luke didn't ask to be the galaxy's new hope. Leia didn't ask for her planet's destruction to be the rallying cry for the Rebellion." Anakin paused. "If I hadn't become Vader, I wouldn't have had the chance to overthrow Palpatine at Endor. If Obi-Wan hadn't been pushed into becoming my master, we wouldn't have been together to save as many people as we did in the Clone Wars. If Ahsoka hadn't been my apprentice, she wouldn't have been able to free Mandalore from Maul and Death Watch or saved Kanan and Ezra on Malachor. If Luke hadn't brought hope to a hopeless galaxy, maybe the Imperial flag would still be flying. If Alderaan hadn't been destroyed, Leia wouldn't be the hero that she became or been able to found the Resistance." "If my parents hadn't sold to Vader, I wouldn't be here to stop Palpatine's plans." Rey rose, plucking the bottle from Anakin's hand. Anakin smiled proudly, the kind of fatherly smile he never had the chance to give to Luke and Leia. Rey closed her eyes, willing herself and Anakin to another place.
All-Terrain Armoured Transport Hellhound Two
22 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey opened her eyes, revealing they were within the AT-AT that she had called home for so long. Rey examined the bottle in her hand, hurling it at the wall she had kept a tally on. She looked over to the bed, seeing the sleeping form of her child self. Rey sat down next to herself, reaching over and placing her hand on her forehead. She could have sworn she once felt a presence like this. Maybe she had. Or maybe the Force had given her that feeling when she was six because one day, a twenty year old Rey would have a chance to say everything she wished someone had been able to say to her those long years ago. "You're going to go through a lot, Rey. You're going to learn so much about yourself. You're young, and that's your only true flaw now. Nothing you could have done or can do will change who you are. I'm not always happy, but I'm not alone anymore. Finn, Poe, Rose, Jessika, Leia, Chewbacca, Kaydel, Ben, Jacen, and so many more. You may never get that chance you always wanted to see the parents who left you here or be able to remember their faces, but that doesn't truly matter. You get the family you deserve. Poe and Jessika tease about how you don't fly as good as them, but they're absolutely willing to show you how to get better. Finn and Rose are the ones you feel you've truly grown up with because you're getting a chance to experience the lives you never had together. BB-8 is the nephew that sees you as his hero. Chewbacca knows so much more than anyone could ever imagine and is always there to listen. Kaydel's the voice of reason who tells you to slow down with all those new experiences because they're so new. Ben and Jacen are the ones who remind you that your hope isn't worthless. Leia." Leia. The Force moved around Rey's thoughts of Leia in ways she couldn't truly explain. Gratitude and joy came to mind first. The emotion that ate at Rey most was loss. She didn't know why, but had a vague feeling of loss thinking about Leia. "Leia's the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for. A quiet knock on your door to make sure you're alright and remembered to eat that day. A joke to cheer you up when you come into a meeting after a night of nightmares. Showing you ways to do your hair differently even though she knows you'll just put it up in three buns after your next shower solely out of habit." Rey paused, wiping a tear away. "That's who Leia is. It doesn't matter to her that it's not the last time you'll forget to eat, or the last time you'll wake up tired and upset because of a nightmare, or the last time that two hours of teaching you an intricate braid will be neglected in favour of convenience. What matters to Leia is the moment and what she can do for you in the moment. She won't give up on you, even if you give up on yourself." Rey smiled wistfully. "Leia's the mother we never had. Maybe you won't have her for long before everything goes to hell, but those months of relative peace are absolutely worth that hell. Leia, and the rest of the family you build, will make those months worth that hell." Rey placed the hand of her younger self in her own. Her skin aged in those fourteen years, aging beyond the simple growth from child to young adult. Scars and calluses marred her hands, the sands of both Jakku and time taking their toll on her body and soul. The hands that learned they could fight. Rey knew who and what had taught her hands that, but she also knew who had chosen to continue onward by herself. She knew who chose to survive. "You're a survivor, Rey. We're a survivor. The galaxy will push you down, but you don't need to stay down." Rey let go of her younger self's hand before standing up. "Rise, Rey."
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
35 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey opened her eyes with a start. She pushed aside the almost too heavy duvet on her bed, swinging her legs out and planting her feet on the almost too soft carpet. She ran her hand along the top of her head before shaking the last remnants of sleep out of her body. Rey held out her hand, summoning her lightsaber to her hand. She jumped towards her closet, pulling the door open. She looked around for a robe to wear. The wardrobe was dominated by Sith black, but at the back was the red robe she had grown accustomed to over the past month or so. She pulled it towards her hand, taking a moment to examine the girl in the mirror. The girl in the mirror wasn't an Empress. She wasn't a Jedi either. She barely even looked like the Rey that Rey was used to. Gone was the stressed and tired face of the Last Jedi who had the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. The girl in the mirror looked rested. She looked like any other girl with a buzzcut. It was a popular haircut on Jakku because it kept sweaty hair off of the neck and out of the face. Rey had thought about shaving her buns off a few years ago, but she could never bring herself to do it until that day on Kamino with BB-8 at her feet. Rey tugged off the oversized shirt she had been worn to sleep and slipped the robe on. Stepping into her beskar boots, the silver metal clicked shut as the boots formed a tight grip her legs. Rey was about to put on the accompanying armour and cape when she sensed three presences inside her suite. The Knights of Ren.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
35 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey breathed in deeply, stepping closer to the closet door. The three Knights of Ren stood on the other side, hellbent on her death. She closed her eyes, tightening her grip on her lightsaber. "Luke, Obi-Wan, I need your help," Rey whispered. The Force Ghosts of Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi both appeared before her. "What can we do?" Luke asked. Rey let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Luke, can you get Ben and Finn out of their cells? Obi-Wan, tell the Resistance we're here. Give them the clearance code 4P-R11-199-212. I'll buy a bit of time," Rey said. Luke and Obi-Wan both nodded before vanishing again. Rey pushed the door open, coming face to face with the Knights. "Morning, Empress." Vizsla chuckled. "Take a look at her eyes, Vizsla. She's not the Empress right now." T'Doshok paced like a caged animal. "We came to kill a Sith, but got ourselves a Jedi. Oh, well. You'll die all the same." Vizsla activated the Dark Saber. Imperator and T'Doshok ignited their weapons as well. Rey's saberstaff came on, the white blades casting a brilliant glow on her face. "Three against one hardly seems fair." Imperator Ren chuckled. "He's right." Darth Varanus' voice rang in Rey's ears. "Oh, like we care about a fair fight?" T'Doshok Ren replied. "If you'll have us, we will help you fight," Obi-Wan Kenobi added. "Shut up and kill her," Vizsla Ren ordered. "The Force is with you. As long it is, so are we," Anakin Skywalker finished. Rey closed her eyes, opening herself up to the wisdom of old. "Duck," Ahsoka Tano ordered. Imperator swung his lightpike at Rey's head, but she twirled downward and swung at his leg. T'Doshok blocked the attack, locking Rey's blade in place. "Light the spark," Plo Koon said. Rey unleashed a combined blast of Electric Judgement and Force Lightning into T'Doshok, knocking her back. Vizsla reached out, pulling T'Doshok back to the fight before swinging the Dark Saber at Rey's throat. "Step back." Qui-Gon spoke calmly. Rey pulled herself away, the tip of the Dark Saber passing just in front of the tip of her nose. "Lay down and die!" Imperator roared. He brought all of his might into a downward strike. Rey grunted against the strain of blocking the attack. "The dark is not evil, Rey. It's necessary." Anakin said. Imperator laid off his attack as Rey began to Force Choke him. Rey rose, pushing Imperator back into T'Doshok before leaping forward at Vizsla. With a series of quick strikes, the two engaged in a blade lock. "It wasn't Maul who came to you. It was Palpatine. You were as much his pawn as me." The Last Jedi tried to reason with the Supreme Leader. "I don't care what got me here. I just want to kill you." Vizsla snarled. Finn and Ben sat in their cell. Ben rose slowly, feeling a presence in the room. "Uncle?" Ben asked. Luke appeared before him. "I told you I'd see you around, kid." Luke smiled. He waved his hand, and the cell opened from the outside. Ben and Finn felt whatever was dampening their connection to the Force vanish. Finn was the first to hold out his hand, calling Kit Fisto's lightsaber to it. Ben hesitated, but his uncle's lightsaber sailed towards him. "Rey needs your help. Her death broke the seal Palpatine made on those beyond this galaxy. She's been on a quest, faced her inner darkness and brought balance to it. She's come back, and now the Knights are here to kill her again." "We won't let them." Finn shook his head. "Good." Luke nodded. "The Force user's of the Resistance represent the failings of the Jedi. Rey is a legacy of darkness, legacies the Jedi forsook out of spite. Jacen was manipulated by grief and freed by love, emotions the Jedi forsook out of fear. Finn, you've brought yourself power by your own determination, willpower the Jedi forsook out of arrogance. Ben, you had pride and power, pride and power that I forsook out of a desire to tame them." Luke breathed in deeply. "It's time you all show the galaxy what you can do. Light and Dark in a balance, Ashla and Bogun creating Rey. Rey can't do what her name means without you. Ben Solo, Finn Dameron, stand and fight." Luke vanished. "We need to get control of the fleet back from Palpatine. You can do that, right?" Finn asked. "Yeah. And you?" Ben raised his brow. "We have to take down the First Order. They've got a massive army, Stormtroopers and Revan's HK droids. I can cut the numbers down. I have to appeal to the Stormtroopers' humanity. If there's even a chance..." "We'll take it. We'll get Rey, get back to the Resistance, and take every chance until we run out."
Yavin 4
Poe, Lando, Leia, Rose, Jessika, Chewbacca, Jacen, Hera, and Din stood around a display table of the Star Forge. "We don't have the numbers for a concentrated attack, but we'll muster whatever we can," Rose explained. "I've put out a call to every Mandalorian I can. We'll have something, maybe. I don't know." Din crossed his arms. "Whatever is left of the New Republic is rallying." Jessika scratched her nose. "Chiss won't be any help without Thrawn on our side." Hera shook her head. "You're my only hope..." Leia's voice cut into the room. The group turned to her, but her lips were sealed. "Hope." Obi-Wan Kenobi said as he materialized before them. "It is the word of day, isn't it?" "Obi-Wan?" Leia asked, her face shifting into a relieved smile. "Indeed." Obi-Wan nodded. "Rey has broken Palpatine's dark hold over her. She intends to take back the Eclipse Fleet and end both the First Order's reign of terror and Palpatine's nascent Grand Sith Empire in one fell swoop. She will lead the way, but she will need your help." "Then the Resistance will fight beside her," Poe declared. "Good." Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Everything has led to this. Maul's duel with me and survival motivated Palpatine to include his biology in Rey, letting her survive her final duel against Kylo Ren and giving her the strength to break free from Palpatine's midichlorians. The machinations of Darth Vader have flung a candle of hope into the future. You must fan that candle's flames." Obi-Wan disappeared. "You heard the Jedi. Let's get to work." Lando twirled on his heel.
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
Rey jumped over a swing of Imperator's lightsaber, slashing at him with her saberstaff. Vizsla blocked the attack, pushing back on Rey's blade. Imperator joined her, with T'Doshok reaching behind Rey and wrapping her arms around Rey's neck. Rey dropped her lightsaber as T'Doshok choked her. "So much for the Empress," T'Doshok taunted. Twin green blades rushed into the room, deflecting Vizsla and Imperator's attempted strikes. The blades returned to Finn and Ben's hands, and the two ran forward. Finn reached out with the Force and grabbed Rey's lightsaber, hurling it towards her. She caught the blade, activating it against T'Doshok's head. Rey twirled her lightsaber into a combat grip as T'Doshok fell dead, with Imperator and Vizsla standing firm. "Now might be a good time to surrender." Finn smirked slightly. Imperator twirled around, slicing a hole in the floor that he and Vizsla fell through. Finn was about to jump after them when Rey stopped him. "We don't have time. We have to wrestle control of the fleet back. Now." Rey shook her head. "This might help." Ben held out the holocron he had taken from Mortis. Rey took it, opening it up. "The time has come. The Emperor is unfit to rule. His daughter stands before you. Execute Order 151," Vader ordered. "It should be enough." Rey smiled. She called the Dagger of Mortis to her hand. "That's going to work this time, right?" Ben asked. "Yes." "How do you know?" Finn asked. "I don't." Rey slid the Dagger into a scabbard on her hip. "But I hope."
The Star Forge
Armitage Hux stepped up to the Ruling Council's table and activated the holoprojector. "Attention First Order forces. This is Grand General Hux. No." Hux paused. "This is Supreme Leader Hux. No longer will the First Order be subservient pawns to wizards and their devilry. Never again. Today, we rise! This Star Forge will be the foundation of greater and greater things!" "We will not bend to insurgents, and we will not kneel before the Force! We will not give ourselves to these unnatural men and women!" A First Order technician uploaded the specifications for a new TIE ship into the Star Forge. It had a body like a TIE Advanced, wings that were a cross between a TIE Bomber and a TIE Interceptor, and a massive complement of weapons stored in pods connecting the wings to the bodies. "TIE Obliterator is in production." He turned to Moff Sloane. "It's time, then." Andraa Sloane smiled slightly.
The Star Forge
"No longer will we be a force weakened by leadership squabbles, but rather a unified force that will crash against our enemies and destroy them! Let us fight for our new order! It will be be a mighty order that will give youth a future and old age a security!" Admiral Yularen stood on the bridge of the Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer Steadfast, arms crossed. "Sir, the fleet is ready, and the Star Forge will provide reinforcements." A lieutenant spoke. "Good." Hanth Yularen nodded.
The Star Forge
"It is blood, our blood, which moves the wheels of history! It is strength, our strength, which decides the victories and defeats! Today, our blood and strength will be unleashed, unhindered by a dead religion!" Colonel Tarkin stood before the waiting Stormtroopers. "There will be no surrender today, and there will never be surrender again! There will be no prisoners, only trophies!" Regia Tarkin ordered, her face cold. The Stormtroopers looked at each other in ways that would hopefully go unnoticed. "We will win by any means and at any cost! The weak and all those who fight for them will die together! Every planet we conquer will be fuel for our new order! The First Order shall be that imperial order forever! First, Final, and Eternal! We have wept with defeat before, but now we will only weep when there are no more worlds to conquer! We will not allow this to end any other way than with the galaxy on its knees before us!" Supreme Leader Hux smiled, deactivating the communicator. "And before me."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
35 Years After The Battle of Yavin
Rey, Finn, and Ben walked into a hallway, but were met by clones. The soldiers raised their blasters to fire at the three Jedi, with Ben and Finn raising their lightsabers to defend themselves. Rey held up her hand, stepping forward. She held out the holocron, and the figure of Darth Vader appeared once more. "The time has come. The Emperor is unfit to rule. His daughter stands before you. Execute Order 151," Vader ordered. The clones froze in their tracks, straightening up. "Your Majesty!" The clones yelled together as they stood at attention to Rey. Finn and Ben smiled at her with pride in their eyes, the little scavenger girl from Jakku had stepped into her place in the universe as both Jedi and Empress. "Soldier, what exactly does Order 151 do?" Rey asked the nearest clone. "Frees us, Your Majesty. Disables the chips, gives us back who we are." The clone explained. "Gives us our names back. Thank you." "What's yours?" Rey asked. "Thire, sir. Commander Thire. Formally of the Coruscant Guard." Thire explained, removing his helmet. "We were designed to serve with the Jedi, not just some Sith's empire. We intend to do that again, if you'll have us." "Thank you, Commander." Rey nodded. "Order 151's only going to work on the clones around us." Ben sighed. "We need to find the highest officer," Finn explained. "That's how the Clone Contingency Orders, the inhibitor chips, everything, worked. You transmit to the Captain or Commander, and the order goes through every clone in the group they command." "Yeah, that's exactly it. As soon as I heard Order 151, it transmitted to my unit." Thire nodded. "You'll need the Marshal Commander. Palpatine picked him specifically for this." "There was only one Clone who ever served as Marshal Commander." Finn noted. "Yeah." Thire smiled. "I'll take you to him. He'll be on the bridge." "Thrawn, this is Ben. Order 151 is going live. We're heading to the bridge," Ben explained into his comms. The group of Jedi and clones then set off for the bridge. Vizsla and Imperator ran down a hallway. A squad of clones came around a corner and opened fire on the two, but the Knights began reflecting their blasts with relative ease. Twin red lightsabers then cut down the clones, and Vizsla and Imperator saw Palpatine before them. The two held their weapons at the ready, but Palpatine deactivated his. "I am not here to fight you, but rather to make you an offer." Palpatine held his hands out to the side. "And what do you have that you think we want?" Vizsla asked. "Proper training and a place in a new future." Palpatine offered. "Well, your current new future is disintegrating around you." Imperator quipped. Palpatine sighed, looking around at the hallways of the Eclipse. "This future is a stepping stone. I made a critical error in attempting to turn Rey to my side. Her attachments to her friends have been too deeply ingrained." Palpatine folded his arms behind his back. "However, the three of us could be a force to be reckoned with. My experience in the Dark Side of the Force, the Dark Saber's right to command the legions of Mandalore, and the droid army of Darth Revan." "And what do you want from us?" Vizsla asked. "Sith aren't known for altruism." "I need your skills to regain this galaxy. When it is all over, I intend to throw aside the Rule of Two. You will stand beside me as Sith, but only if you help me," Palpatine explained. "And if you're lying?" Imperator asked. "I am many things, Darth Imperator." Sidious bestowed a new title upon the former Knight of Ren. "A liar is not one of them." "Alright, Palpatine. As long as you're useful to us, we'll join you. Don't expect loyalty." Vizsla deactivated the Dark Saber. "Of course, Darth Vizsla." Sidious smiled. "But I must inform you of one more thing. Sheev Palpatine is dead. In his place, there is only Darth Sidious."
The Star Forge
Supreme Leader Hux, Admiral Yularen, Moff Sloane, and Colonel Tarkin stood together in the Star Forge's command room, glasses in hand. "A toast!" Tarkin declared. "To a new era for our Order!" "Indeed." Yularen agreed. He then turned to Hux. "Armitage, the fleet is prepared to move to hyperspace at your command, along with the Star Forge. We are prepared to stay mobile as we sweep across the galaxy." "Excellent." Hux smiled. "Andrea, what resources are we most in need of?" "Nothing at the moment. However, I estimate we will need to obtain more ingredients for rations in three to four months." Sloane pulled up an inventory list. "Though tibanna gas is something we should consider stockpiling sooner rather than later." "Then we will plan an attack on Kril'Dor so that we may acquire that stockpile." Hux nodded. He held up his glass. "Glory to the First Order!" "Glory to the First Order!" The rest of the First Order leadership declared.
Sovereign-Class Star Dreadnought Eclipse
Rey, Finn, Ben, Thire, and the rest of Thire's squad walked onto the bridge of the Eclipse. They found a commander in dark silver and orange armour the style of which had only been found on one clone in all of history, that being the commander of Obi-Wan Kenobi's 212th. "CC-4477, explain why the Jedi are still alive," The Marshal Commander demanded. "Something to show you, sir." Thire explained. Rey held out the holocron once more, willing the apparition of Vader to emerge once again. "The time has come. The Emperor is unfit to rule. His daughter stands before you. Execute Order 151," Vader ordered. The Marshal Commander paused, touching the side of his helmet. "Confirming transmission." He looked over to Rey, pulling off his helmet. Finn and Ben's eyes widened when they saw the man underneath. He had a tattooed dark grey line along the left side of his face and black hair in a standard regulation cut. "Your Majesty." "Commander Cody." Finn smiled. "I always wondered what happened to you." "Personally selected for this mission." Cody nodded. He turned back to Rey. "Orders, Your Majesty?" "Your Majesty, multiple ships are emerging from hyperspace." A clone piped up. Rey walked over to the window of the bridge, seeing the Resistance fleet coming into view. Thrawn walked onto the bridge. "As soon as the initial use of Order 151 went out, I transmitted our location to the Resistance," Thrawn explained. "Thank you." Rey nodded. "And thank you for getting the holocron to Ben safely." "Of course." Thrawn nodded. "Grand Admiral, take command of the Eclipse Fleet and tell the Resistance leadership to land in Hanger-NH73. Thire, get the other commanders together and prepare for what comes next. Cody, with us. We're going to the hanger," Rey ordered. Poe's X-Wing, Jessika's TIE Defender, the Millennium Falcon, the Ghost, and Jacen's TIE Executioner landed in Hanger-NH73. Poe, Jacen, Jessika, and BB-8 got out of the fighters while Lando, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Rose, Connix, and Hondo descended from the Falcon and Hera, Sabine, Din holding Grogu, Rex, and Wolffe emerged from the Ghost. "Well, we made it." Jessika quipped. The doors to the hanger opened, with the gathered clones standing to attention. Rey, Finn, Ben, and Cody entered, with Rex and Wolffe freezing at the sight of their old comrade. "Cody!" Rex yelled. "Rex?" Cody asked. The three clones sprinted over to each other. "You're alive. Both of you." "Yeah, despite some people's best efforts." Rex chuckled sadly. "Sorry we couldn't save you, brother. We couldn't find you, get the chip out." "Palpatine didn't want me found." Cody hugged Rex. "Sidious." Rey piped up. The group turned to her. "He's Sidious. Sheev Palpatine was always a mask. Darth Sidious is who he truly was." Rey touched her lightsaber. "If the Palpatine name lives on, it will live on through me. If there is to be an Empire, I will sit on the throne. No more Sith ruling the galaxy. No Jedi wants to rule, but I will do what I must." "We'll be right there beside you." Poe nodded. "No matter where the path leads us." "I've always thought Jedi were meant to be leaders." Rex put his hand on Rey's shoulder. "It's time we do it right." Anakin appeared before the group, followed by Luke, Obi-Wan, Plo, and Kanan. The ghosts nodded at their respective clone partners and living relatives. "The Jedi have made mistakes in the past. So did the Rebellion. This new government, this... Pax Imperia, it needs to be different. It needs to be founded on trust, true trust." "Will you guide me?" Rey asked. "As long as the Force allows it," Luke replied. Rey mouthed a word of thanks to him. "Connix?" Rey turned to the woman. "Could you ready a broadcast? All frequencies. I need to address the whole galaxy." "You've got it." Connix nodded before beginning to tamper with a holoprojector. She then held it up, blue light enveloping Rey. "Go ahead. The galaxy's listening." "People of the galaxy." Rey echoed her own words. "The word 'hope' is often used in times of darkness. I told you that I stood as hope incarnate, the daughter of Darth Sidious. While it is true I am his daughter, I am his heir, I am Rey Palpatine, I desire to be something more. I am Rey Palpatine, Jedi by choice and Empress by need. I intend to take up the throne designed for me, but I take it up in your name. I take it up in the name of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Bail, Breha, and Leia Organa, Padme Amidala, and every other hero of justice and light." Rey paused. "I will not ask you to take a knee, I will not ask you to bow. I ask only that you allow me to protect you. I stand before you as both Jedi and Empress with one promise. The Force will be with us, and I will serve the Force in your name." Connix deactivated the holoprojector, and the group stood in silence for a moment. "That was a good speech." Jessika gave a gesture of approval. Rey smiled. "What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Poe nudged Rey's shoulder, causing her to roll her eyes. "Poe, Finn, gather up what's left of the Resistance. We'll bring them into the fold here," Rey ordered. Poe gave her a mock salute before walking over to his X-Wing with Finn and BB-8. Rey then turned to Din and Sabine. "Are there any Mandalorians still loyal to you two?" "Not many." Din shook his head. "But we'll get whoever we can." "Thank you." Rey nodded. Din and Sabine left. Rey then activated her comms. "Thrawn, prepare the fleet. Thire should have the other commanders ready by now. We depart for our capital." "Where is this capital?" Thrawn asked. "Where it all began for me. Where I left behind. Where the First Order tried to kill the light in me." Rey closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "Jakku."
Jakku
Rey sat in an AT-AA, looking out at the scorched glass of Jakku. The charred wreckage of an AT-AT, her once home, remained where she left it. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see Jacen. "The others are helping coordinate deployment of resources. The Eclipse Fleet has the tools to make a habitable base, which is good. Docking to refuel and reload would be useful." Jacen sighed as he took a seat next to Rey. "So what's the plan? Where does the future go?" "I intend to rebuild the Jedi." Rey looked off into the glassed desert before her. "Not as it was under the Old Republic or under Luke, but in the form of something new. The Jedi of old fell to Sidious because they couldn't comprehend the dark. Luke's Jedi fell to Snoke's machinations because Luke feared Ben's inner darkness instead of helping him control it." "Master Luke always said that the Dark Side of the Force was the easy path. That it was too simple to give in to fear, to anger, to hate." Jacen twirled his lightsaber hilt absentmindedly. "Going down the path of darkness alone is easy." Rey's brows flicked up in agreement. "But there aren't two paths. Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and the Bogun, the Light and the Dark. The Bendu is the one in the middle. I seek to live up to my name. The Balance. There is no peace without justice, but there is no justice without someone who is angry enough about injustice to seek it out. The Jedi declared that there was no death, only the Force. The Sith declared that the Force would set them free. But they each neglected part of the Force. The Jedi sought light but feared the shadows it created, the Sith sought darkness but feared the brightness that gave it context." Rey flicked her hand forward, letting loose a pulse of lightning. "Force lightning is a manifestation of fear anger, yes. But the anger I used to call on it just now is a desire for justice for the people of Jakku." "So you want to train Jedi that can sling lightning?" Jacen asked. "I want to train Jedi that channel every piece of the Force. Not just half," Rey explained. Jacen rose, offering Rey a hand up. "Where do we start?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Star Wars Episode IX: The Spark of Hope
Daisy Ridley as Rey Eldirsaid Palpatine
John Boyega as Finn
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
Adam Driver as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca
Melissa Benoist as Hersilia Saxon/Vizsla Ren
Diego Boneta as Jacen Syndulla/Jarrus Ren
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico
Jessica Henwick as Jessika Pava
Billie Lourd as Kaydel Connix
Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn
Ray Park as The Body of Maul
Sam Witwer as The Voice of Maul
Domhnall Gleeson as Armitage Hux
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as The Body of Âkrozjal/Imperator Ren
Xander Mobus as The Voice of Âkrozjal/Imperator Ren
Caitlin Dechelle as The Body of Xegraka/T’Doshok Ren
Laura Bailey as The Voice of Xegraka/T’Doshok Ren
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla
Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus
Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger
Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin
James Arnold Taylor as Plo Koon
Eva Green as Ar'alani
Gemma Chan as Third Sister
Liam McIntyre as Commander Pyre
Carey Mulligan as Regia Tarkin
Dave Franco as Hanth Yularen
Hannah John-Kamen as Andrea Sloane
Greg Grunberg as Temmin Wexley
Tessa Thompson as Karé Kun
Denis Lawson as Wedge Antilles
Frances McDormand as Norra Wexley
Christopher Sean as Kazuda Xiono
Myrna Velasco as Torre Doza
Scott Lawrence as Jarek Yeager
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Freya Fenris
Stephen Stanton as Griff Halloran
Donald Faison as Hype Fazon
Dave Filoni as Bo Keevil
Jennifer Hale as Kaasha Bateen
Corey Burton as The Voice of Count Dooku
Luke Evans as Darth Varanus
Kari Wahlgren as Yolpurr
John Noble as Darth Plagueis
Hugo Weaving as Darth Nihilus
Mark Bazeley as Darth Clypeus
Mark Strong as Darth Bane
Xanthe Elbrick as Darth Almudamir
With Temura Morrison as The Clones
With Tom Baker as the Bendu
With Jim Cummings as Hondo Ohnaka
With Harrison Ford as Han Solo
With Billy Dee Williams as Lando Bateen-Calrissian
With Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
With Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
With Frank Oz as Yoda
With Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker
With Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
With James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
With Ian MacDiarmid as Sheev Palpatine
In Honour of Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa
The Star Wars Fanfiction Universe will return in
Star Wars Episode X: Balance of the Force