CHAPTER ONE

34 ABY

Ahch-To

Rey marched down the side of the hill, wondering why in the world she was still here. Luke Skywalker wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon, so why squander what little time she had waiting for him to change his mind? The texts were right there, and maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to tell her why she had suddenly developed a Force bond with none other than Kylo Ren. That sniveling coward was the complete opposite of a friend, or even acquaintance.

Storming into the core of the tree, Rey blindly grabbed a book and began to flip through it, struggling to decipher the ancient Aurebesh. The words and terms were so archaic, Rey began to wonder if it would even be worth skimming through the books, or if she would have to resort to looking at the pictures and guessing.

No sooner had she finished her thought than she saw it, Force Bonds. Eagerly reading the chapter, Rey's sense of excitement quickly switched to one of horror. The Force bonds described spoke of finding the other individual on opposite ends of the galaxy, of being able to get inside the others head, and a thousand other things she had no intention of doing with Kylo Ren. Slamming the book shut Rey caught her breath, trying to calm herself down.

If they can give you entire chapters on Force bonds, there's got to be a way of severing them, she thought to herself. But who will teach me? Sighing, Rey leaned against the tree trunk. Luke wouldn't even teach her how to use the Force, there was a snowballs chance in Corellian hell he would teach her how to manipulate a Force bond with the man who had destroyed the entire Jedi Order. She needed another Force user, but there were none left in the galaxy!

Exasperated, she hurled the book against the wall, causing one of the other tomes to hit the floor and fall open, pages flying everywhere.

"Now look what you've done," she grumbled to herself, crouching down to pick up the scattered pages. As she tried to tuck them back into place, a sentence caught her eye.

"Force ghosts are the soul and essence of a deceased Force-sensitive who denied the will of the Force upon death, yet are able to interact with the living, albeit not physically," she murmured, her eyes tracing the words several times to make sure she was reading it correctly. "The last known Jedi to master this skill wa-, damn it!" Rey exclaimed, the name made indecipherable by a scorch mark of some sort. Finally she found something somewhat instructive, and some of it she couldn't even read, just her luck!

You don't need a book if you know there's at least one Force ghost out there, she thought to herself. Scanning through the pages for any instruction on how to contact them, Rey finally found it a few pages back. Following the instructions to a tee, Rey positioned herself in the meditation position, making an extra effort to clear her mind of everything except the seven steps from the texts.

The cool night breeze rustled her tunic as she sat completely still, sensing every piece of life on the island, the planet, the galaxy. There was so much in the universe, it was nearly impossible to comprehend. Sensing the living, breathing Force, Rey began to channel her thoughts deeper, to the Cosmic Force that the book spoke of, the power that bound the energy of the Force together. In it she could sense a rhythm, a pattern, a beat.

"I'm here to learn," she whispered, her voice echoing off into the distance. In the Force she could feel the bonds that tied all the people of the galaxy together, some good, some bad, some stronger than others. Each was their own unique color and sensation, mapping out a persons life.

Suddenly, Rey felt a tug, and she felt her heart beat quicken. The Force was guiding her somewhere, to someone, but refused to reveal them. Following carefully, she tried to see ahead, looking for any hint of who it might be. The presence was bright, a Jedi for certain. Eager to see who it was that had gone before her, Rey began to push the Force bond forward, trying to make it move faster, when she felt it.

Rey froze, trying to sense where it was coming from. It was like the bond she had had with Han Solo for those few brief days, only far more intense, far more, familiar, than she thought she would be with anyone. Abandoning the thought of Force ghosts and bonds, Rey raced towards the source, trying to discover who it was. As she bounded towards it, she felt some resistance but pushed through. If she was right, if what she felt was true, one of her ancestors had been a Jedi. Already it grew closer and closer, although their identity remained as inscrutable as ever. The air around her grew warmer and warmer, and Rey barely had time to let out a yell as her vision went white.

Her head was pounding, and Rey blinked slowly as she let her eyes adjust to the sudden bright light. The roar of speeders caused her to cringe away, covering her ears. Her brown eyes finally focused, Rey could not help but look on in wonder at the sight in front of her.

Never in her entire life, on or off the holoscreen, had she seen such wealth and splendor. Buildings that were larger than anything she had ever seen sprawled for miles and climbed just as high. All the smooth surfaces glistened in the setting sun, and speeders raced by using technology that rivaled anything she had ever scavenged on Jakku.

She was so overwhelmed by the sight in front of her that she barely noticed she had stumbled into someone, knocking them both to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she said, climbing up to her feet and offering her hand to the stranger.

"No I apologize, I should be more mindful of where I'm going," the man chuckled, taking her offer. "Do you need help finding anything? You seem a little lost."

"I-," Rey began, smiling slightly at the irony of the mans words. "I have no idea where I am."

"Well if you're looking for the Senate Building or Jedi Temple they're a few blocks north. Forgive me, but you don't seem to be from the area."

"The Jedi Temple?" she echoed, having ignored everything he had said after that. Where in the galaxy was she?

"Yes, home to the Jedi High Council," the man explained. "Very tall, beautiful building, nearly impossible to miss. I promise you it's not difficult to find from here."

"Are the Jedi there all the time?" Rey asked.

"Why yes, it is home to the entire Order as well," the stranger said, his tone shifting from friendliness to slight wariness. "Is there anywhere else you're trying to go?"

"No, thank you. And again I'm sorry," she said, quickly turning away from the man. Just a few blocks away was the entire Jedi Order! She didn't know how or why this had happened, but this was where all the answers were. How to learn the ways of the Force, how to stop the galaxy from plunging into chaos!

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the man hadn't moved from his spot, his eyes following her racing figure. The man could feel the enthusiasm radiating off of her, and hopped on the first train to the Jedi Temple, hoping it would get there before she would.

20 BBY

Naboo

Halfway across the galaxy, Kylo Ren sat up in a meadow, his head pounding. Moments ago he had been undergoing a training session with Supreme Leader Snoke, and here he was, in what had to be one of the most beautiful places in the galaxy. Uncertain whether or not it was a trick, Kylo readied his lightsaber, ready for attack at any moment. Yet somehow he knew it would be unnecessary. Either he really had wound up teleported halfway across the galaxy, or this was the most elaborate Force vision he had been in. The visions had never been quite able to capture the sudden shifts in the breeze, or the crunch of the grass beneath his boots, or the way the sun rather uncomfortably warmed his black clothing. Satisfied there was no incoming attack, Kylo Ren sheathed his lightsaber. This time he reached out into the Force for answers, and was yet again surprised there was little to no conflict on the small world, when so much of the galaxy was embroiled in the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance, or what was left of the latter.

Smirking at the thought, Kylo began the hike up the hill, seeking the high ground so he could get a better read on the terrain. As he climbed he allowed himself to reach deeper into the populace, trying to decipher how the peaceful world was so unrecognizable to the second in command of the First Order. The people here seemed happy, although there was an undercurrent of dissatisfaction, no doubt a planet of Resistance sympathizers. But if he had never heard of the world, it was highly unlikely they were doing anything to assist them.

Suddenly the raw, powerful feeling of the Dark Side surged around him, and Kylo stretched further into the Force, ready to great his master and feel the rush of power that always came with reconnecting to the Dark Side. Lapping it up, the Force suddenly screamed out a warning, and Kylo threw his shields up, realizing too little too late that the source of dark energy had not been his masters, but someone else, someone much more sinister. Blocking his Force signature from any probing individuals, Ren racked his brain for anyone who would be capable of such an action. Certainly not Luke Skywalker, that man was deluded by the lies of the Jedi and would never be able to see past them. The only other individual powerful enough to do such a thing was the girl, and she was far too untrained to do such a thing, let alone have a master powerful enough to teacher.

The more he thought about it, the more intrigued Kylo Ren became. Already on this world his masters Force signature was very faint, but there, while this other Dark Side user's seemed to be all across the galaxy, able to detect him at a moments.

Curiosity overcoming him, Kylo Ren carefully let down a select few of his shields, attempting to open up some small, non-threatening form of communication with this mysterious Force-user. Whoever it was, it wasn't as if they weren't anything the First Order couldn't handle.

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