A/N: Thanks for reviewing! ZED147, I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you! I'll try :D

What you confuse for glory's fire is fire from the tongues of liars.

Chewbacca waited in the Falcon, watching Rey disappear into the barren landscape. Before too long, it began to rain. He hoped she was alright without fur to protect her from the elements. She would have other clothes, though. She always seemed to be prepared for things. It was nice working with her instead of Han or Leia or sometimes even Luke, who all tended to run into situations without much thought about how to get out of them. Rey could always get herself out of a bad situation.

Since he had nothing else to do, he got back to work on the Falcon, staying inside to avoid getting himself or any of the valuable components wet. There were still a few porgs on the ship and he took care not to disturb their nests.

Finally, he could see a shadowed figure was approaching through the open door. She must have put on her poncho. He sniffed but couldn't tell anything through the rain. When she got close enough, he asked her how it went.

"Better than expected," an unfamiliar voice replied and a woman he didn't know smiled up at him. She had Rey's poncho on and looked just like – like –

"I didn't think I'd ever see Solo's mangy Wookie again," she continued, reaching into her cloak.

The thought occurred to him that she had been much more pleasant as a youngling, but he didn't hesitate to take hold of her and toss her toward the nearest rocks. She caught herself somehow and, laughing, lunged at him. The Force must have been involved because he suddenly found himself on his back on the gangplank. He demanded to know where Rey was as he got to his feet.

"Rey is… indisposed. I'm sure she doesn't want to be interrupted. Did me a favor, though, getting out the front door so I could take this off her," she added, holding up a crystal casing that held a small plant, winking green in her gloved hand.

He threw himself at her and she dodged, opening the casing to touch the plant to him. It felt like he was dying – not of an injury, but that he was too old to function anymore. He sagged to his knees and she withdrew it before he collapsed entirely.

"Thank you, Wookie, for helping me test it. Come along, I may need you again." She roughly pulled him to his feet and he followed her onto the Falcon. Distantly, he was aware that he should not stay here, that he needed to go help – someone? But he was so very tired. He sat down in the copilot's seat and knew that girl was talking to him about something. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He closed his eyes.


The Supreme Leader of the First Order was meditating. He had not done so in a while, but seeing the Knights again made him remember his training a little more than he would have liked. So he was trying to settle himself before he had to see them again. They had trained together and had a sort of bond – nothing like the one with Rey, but enough of one that he would need to be on his guard. And that required mustering his mental faculties by meditating.

The Knights had been here before he had been informed. He had felt them arrive, felt their presence nearby. And he hadn't wanted to see them. The three Knights remaining were the most zealous for the Darkness, their cruelty borne from troubled childhoods. But Rey had experienced a worse upbringing and she was not cruel, he considered. Snoke had underestimated her, making no attempt to understand what drove her.

It was important that his Knights make the same mistake. Hux had called them here to deal with her. And they had done similar things at Snoke's bidding for years. They would be able to get to her in ways that Snoke had not considered. Much more effective methods than bridging her mind with his and expecting it to go any other way.

Relying on people was a weakness. Empathy was a weakness. Snoke had attempted to stamp these things out in his apprentice. But he had not succeeded. And it had been his downfall. The Knights would also see personal connection as weakness and he must keep them from guessing what really happened. That would be a challenge – they had known him for nearly half his life.

"Something killed them," a voice echoed through his mind suddenly and he stood up.

"Killed whom?" he asked, looking around. There was no answer. He closed his eyes and focused on the thread of the Force that connected him to Rey. It was difficult, as though there was some kind of interference. He could see – something. A cave wall, maybe. There were carvings on it that he could barely make out. And a vine that glowed a sickly hue.

"Don't touch it!" he cried, pushing the thought toward her as hard as he could. There was some kind of resistance, though whether it was from her or something else, he didn't know. Then, nothing.

"Rey?" Only silence. She was in trouble. They had been blurry, but he could read those carvings. They talked about a great and terrible weapon that stole the lifeforce of one's enemies. The Jedi had hidden away powerful artifacts during their time in control of the galaxy. Some of these had been found, many by himself and his Knights, but some were still where the Jedi had left them. Not because their locations were unknown, but because they were surrounded by traps designed to kill anyone who got close. Just another example of Jedi short-sightedness.

He felt for her again but there was only the faintest hint. Icey fear swept through him. He could not just wait here and hope one of her friends was close enough to help her. Without any further consideration, he stalked out of his quarters, determined to do something.


"Rey, look how you've grown," her mother crooned, taking her hair down and brushing it soothingly.

Rey settled into the long grass of the meadow and smiled up at her.

"She hasn't changed at all. Still our beautiful little girl," her father argued, teasing.

"We missed you so much, Rey," her mother continued unperturbed.

"Yes, we did," her father agreed.

"I missed you, too," she admitted. "I used to… to tell myself stories about today."

Her mother smiled broadly. "I hope it's living up to your expectations, my love."

She blinked, frowning slightly as she tried to remember what those might have been. "Oh, yes, of course."

A pleased murmur was her mother's answer as she went back to brushing out her hair.

There were flowers everywhere and it was so green. She listened to the sound of little birds singing somewhere nearby. It would be so easy to lay down and go to sleep, she thought. Her parents were here, they would protect her.

Would they? The thought came unexpectedly and her frowned deepened.

"You seem troubled, my dear. What is it?" her father asked.

"Where… where did you go?" The question was difficult to get out, like she didn't really want to know the answer.

"That's a long story," her mother told her gently. "It can wait until after you've slept."

"No… I want to know…"

Her mother's disposition changed slightly and Rey had the distinct thought that she could hear rain, incongruous with the pleasant scene.

"We were heroes," her father explained abruptly. "We were working for the Rebellion and we had to be called away. We were only on Jakku because of the battle there. Folks believe that the Empire fell that day, but it didn't. We went to gather intelligence."

"Then what happened?" she asked, feeling slightly troubled by his explanation.

"Obi Wan Kenobi and Han Solo called us in. We gave them our information, then we went with Luke Skywalker to destroy the Death Star," her mother told her.

"I thought… I thought the battle of Jakku was after that," Rey murmured distantly.

Her father laughed, a hearty sound that inexplicably sent a chill through her. "That wouldn't make any sense. We were piloting X-Wings on the attack that destroyed the Death Star. Luke Skywalker got the home shot, of course, but we saved him from many attacks."

"You did?"

"Yes, of course, sweetie. Then, for the second Death Star, your father went with Luke to turn Darth Vader to the light while I flew the Millennium Falcon to destroy the core," claimed her mother.

"I thought… I thought Lando Calrissian – " Rey tried to say, feeling so very tired.

"He was there, too, as my copilot," came the reassurance.

The Falcon needed a copilot. Of course. Everyone knew that.

"Why don't you lay down and we can tell you more about it," her mother offered, setting aside the brush.

Rey nodded and lay back, resting her head in her mother's lap like she always used to do.

Zyot Ren reported in as soon as she'd left the atmosphere. Iton, Qipo, and General Hux were all present to receive her message.

"I have been unable to discover the location of the Resistance base. The Wookie won't talk, though he is incapacitated. The Last Jedi is still on the planet."

General Hux snorted. "And what's to keep her from calling her friends for help? I fail to see what the point of all of this was."

Iton Ren put a hand on his shoulder and he fell silent immediately. "We told you about the weapon. The Jedi Order did not want it found, so the Resistance's precious hero has gotten herself into a trap. One from which she will not want to escape."

The holo of Zyot nodded. "She was incapacitated and taking the weapon from her was easy enough. She will soon be just another set of bones guarding the entrance."

Hux shuddered slightly.

"More importantly, we have readied the weapon. It is far more useful than your Starkiller Base because it does not destroy whole planets, only our enemies on the surface," Iton continued. "We will discredit the Jedi and make it clear she has turned traitor. With that blow to morale and our new weapon, no system will consider siding with anyone but us."

With a nod, Hux lowered his voice. "What about the Supreme Leader?"


"Looks like you can stop fretting, Finn. The Falcon's leaving Subterrel," Kaydel told him with a smile.

"Really?" Finn looked down at the data pad she was holding. There was a little blinking dot to represent the Falcon and it was leaving the planet. It vanished as the ship went into hyperspace, but he was relieved nonetheless. "She's on her way back," he told Rose.

"That's great, Finn," she replied and looked even more relieved than he was. He hadn't thought she was that close with Rey, but it was nice to see he hadn't been the only one concerned.

Poe stepped away from the group of officers he'd been talking to and clapped Finn on the back. "There, see. She'll be back just in time to help us bring the First Order down. She can tell you all about her adventure on the way."

Finn smiled and got back to work on planning the mission.


Ben Solo moved silently through the corridors of the base in a familiar path until he reached the landing bay. It was empty of personnel, which was a relief. He would go after Rey and figure out later how to return without raising too many questions from Hux or the Knights. That wasn't important right now. He reached the Silencer and set about getting it ready.

"Supreme Leader."

He froze and looked up to see General Hux and a squad of Stormtroopers heading toward him. "General," he replied, his mouth dry.

"I think you had better come with us. There is a message we wish to send that requires your approval."

The insolence Hux occasionally showed was back in full force and he seemed almost gleeful. It made his jaw clench. "I'm sure it is acceptable. I have to attend to other matters."

Hux looked at the ship, then back at him. "Sir, this really is quite important. I don't think we can wait until you return. From where ever you are going. It won't take long."

He hesitated, considering cutting Hux down and leaving. But he would be of no use if he couldn't return here as a trusted member of the First Order.

"Alright," he acquiesced and followed Hux to the nearest briefing room. To his surprise, Iton and Qipo were there.

"Master," they both said, nodding toward him. He returned the gesture.

"What is it you want me to see?" he asked sternly.

Iton pressed a button and a holo appeared, with Hux's voice over the images.

"This is General Hux of the First Order. We seek only to help the galaxy reach its full potential, but a small band of you continue to resist. I want you to know that what lies General Organa and her foolish band may have told you are just a reflection of her age and paranoia. We are not the Empire and we do not aspire to be.

"This galaxy needs a government to prosper. The Republic was weak and we are strong. There will be no victory for the Resistance. They have nothing. We have the resources to protect you from those who would take advantage of the circumstances. We will not allow opportunists to bleed our galaxy dry.

"The Resistance is nothing but the remnants of the last generation, clinging to a fight that no longer exists. We will return this galaxy to the prosperity it once had. Even the Last Jedi has joined our cause."

Generic images of their might and capabilities had been projected, but the blood froze in Ben's veins as the holo showed himself and Rey in the elevator on the Supremacy, standing close to each other. A vague thought that they'd angled it to hide her binders flickered through his mind. He felt like he was moving in slow motion as he looked up at Hux.

The man smiled broadly. "Well, what do you think of it, Ben?" he sneered.

By way of answer, he drew and ignited his lightsaber, backing toward the door.

"You don't want to explain yourself, Master?" Iton growled as she and Qipo prepared their own lightsabers.

He had to get out of here. Zyot wasn't present and that could only mean more bad news for Rey. Even if she wasn't actively in danger right now, a broadcast like that would make a lot of people very angry. Enough people would believe it. He had to get to her.

Luke had been the only person he'd fought who was trained in lightsaber techniques in a very long time. Since the night they had left the temple burning. Since everything had changed. But the training came back quickly and he moved fluidly to evade the attacks of his Knights, managing to nick Qipo's shoulder. He had been the best at Luke's school, and he was the best now. Hux fired his blaster at him when he got to the door, but he lifted his free hand to freeze both the blast and his attackers.

He ran out into the hallway, rushing toward the landing bay. Hux wouldn't be able to move for some time, but the Knights would be able to break through his block very quickly. The Silencer was fueled and he hastily unfastened the fuel line before hurrying toward the cockpit.

"Master, would you like to see what your girlfriend gave me?" a voice near his ear made him jump. He turned around and saw Zyot standing close. She pressed something to his cheek and he sank to the floor, only dimly aware of the other Knights joining her.

"Good work, Zyot. What shall we do with him?" He was pretty sure Iton was talking but she seemed so far away.

"I can think of a few things," was the cold reply and then everything went black.