"Really? So what was he like in person?" Rey leans forward in her seat to ask the Supreme Leader. Snoke has the best stories and he's always willing to share. "I've only seen his holonet pictures."
She is at breakfast with Snoke and Milo. Laid on the table before her is enough food for Rey to eat for a week, maybe two weeks. And breakfast is the least elaborate of the daily meals. Of course, everything in Snoke's life is lavish, she now knows. Rey's eyes find the elaborately embroidered robe Snoke lounges in as he peruses his datapad. Even Milo's plain uniform is unquestionably expensive with seams that look expertly hand tailored. Rey thinks back to Luke Skywalker in his dingy homespun Jedi robes and Leia Organa in her Resistance uniform. From a purely creature comfort perspective, it certainly seems wise to choose Team Sith.
"You should ask Milo here," Snoke answers as he looks up from his datapad. He's checking the stock exchange indices, as is his habit first thing in the morning. "Milo knew my son best. How long were you at the castle, my friend?"
"Almost twenty years, my lord," the old manservant answers. "Lord Vader was a good man, Princess. He was misunderstood by many."
"Indeed," Snoke agrees. "He was a principled man, but a realist. Lord Vader sincerely believed that his actions were for the best. I do not think my son would recognize himself in the history books now that the New Republic has succeeded in vilifying him. But then, history is the winner's side of the story." Snoke glances across at her as he shares a secret. "Rey, Lord Vader was funny. In all that has been written about my son, none of the biographers has ever focused on his dry wit. The man had a way with a phrase. But everyone was so afraid of him that no one recalls it."
"Was he really that scary?" Rey reaches to refill her cup. Caf is an acquired taste, she has learned, as are many of the new foods she has tasted. But like during her time with the Resistance, Rey is trying hard to fit in. That seems to be the best strategy under the circumstances. Rey is used to people like Unkar Plutt having power over her. But that was nothing like the authority which old Darth Plagueis wields. And so, these days Rey aims to please. Mostly.
"Scary? Probably yes to his underlings. But not to me." The old Sith muses a moment and his face is wistful. "Lord Vader lived a hard life. In many ways, my grandson is a victim of Lord Vader's life." The Muun sighs and looks perturbed. "But then again, Luke Skywalker has made regrettable choices of his own. When Kylo Ren came along, I was determined that he would not fall prey to the Jedi. I owed that to my son. If I could not save my grandson from the Jedi, then I would save my great-grandson at least." Snoke and Milo exchange glances which tells Rey that there is clearly more to this tale. "All parents want the best for their children, Rey. I am no different."
Snoke cocks his head at her now and demands, "Tell me again how you met my Apprentice." Snoke loves this story. He makes her recount it at least once a week. Who knew that the old Muun Sith would be such a sappy romantic? Rey dutifully retells the story and Snoke grins the whole time. "So in the darkness of the wrecked ship you suddenly appear as a lady of the Light. It is such a charming tale, Princess, so like my own first encounter with my Jedi girl. I met my fifth wife in the darkness of my temple. Even before she lit her sword, her mind was like a beacon in the gloom. It was love at first sight."
"Or love at first saber, as Shan used to tell it," Milo adds with a rare grin.
The two men share a laugh about old times and Rey feels compelled to remind them, "Kylo and I are not together." It comes out a bit sullen. Maybe a bit defensive.
"Yes, I recall your dramatic arrival here, Princess. No doubt, so does my Apprentice." The Sith now resumes his monologue. In the public of his audience chamber, the Supreme Leader is reserved and chilly in his demeanor. But in private, the man loves to talk. He's back to speaking of the Force. Where Darth Plagueis is concerned, all things relate back to the Force. "Dark and Light are usually in conflict, but not always. Opposites can attract as well as repel. But when they come together, there is a reason. Often, there is change and knowledge as well." Snoke reverts back to reminiscing now. "My Jedi wife taught me a great deal about the Force. She forever changed my understanding of the great mystery. She and I lived happily ever after until your great-grandfather murdered her."
"I'm sorry," Rey mumbles. For what else can she say? She's not responsible for that.
"Sidious knew he could not kill me, so he harmed those closest to me. Then, he weakened me so that I could not revive them."
"May the Force be with them," Milo speaks of the dead with reverence.
"Yesss," Snoke hisses out. "With them all. Shan, Caar and Lord Vader."
"I'm sorry," Rey apologizes again even though she doesn't even know who all these people are.
"It was a long time ago. And Lord Sidious had his reasons," Snoke allows.
"Power?" Rey guesses.
"Of course. But he had grievances. All Apprentices do. It was a mistake to try and separate Lord Sidious from his woman. I should have let him have that wretched tramp. She and Sheev deserved one another."
"Who was she?" Rey is curious about her great-grandmother, the secret bride to the Emperor.
"Cresta Cole was her name. By day, she danced with the Coruscant Ballet and by night she danced for money in the Coruscant strip clubs."
"She was a stripper?" That is a far more colorful background than Rey had imagined. Now, Rey is dying to know more about the secret Lady Sidious.
"Oh, yes. And on occasion, Cresta Cole was a prostitute. And a cheap one at that. Turning tricks is how she met Sheev. My Apprentice was a client."
"Oh." It takes a lot to shock Rey of Jakku and prostitution doesn't do it. She's seen women sell themselves for credits and once or twice she was desperate enough to consider it herself. Rey mostly feels compassion for women in those situations. Because when your best choice is selling sex, your choices are very limited indeed. Rey thinks a moment of the pair of Twi'lek women she had glimpsed in Snoke's bedchamber. And now she thinks it the height of hypocrisy for this randy old Muun to be condemning Lord Sidious for his choice of companion.
Snoke must sense her judgement, for he explains. "That woman was a most unsuitable wife for a Senator. She was a liability in the making. But in the end, Sheev kept her quiet. Cresta Cole became quite an entrepreneur and a powerful figure in the Underworld. She owned most of the whorehouses on Coruscant and quite a few clubs. She made billions of credits off vice."
The Muun shrugs. "I myself never saw the attraction. Sheev's girl was a skinny redhead with a mouth like a spacer. But when the Sith fall in love, we tend to fall hard, fall fast, and fall forever. We Sith are emotional beings. Ruled by our impulses and reckless with our hearts. And so when Sheev met his girl, he would not be parted from her. My son was the same way. Lord Vader fell for his queen when he was just ten years old. It took him years, but he won her in the end. Then lost her, of course. There has been much loss in our family, I fear."
Rey looks at old Milo and then over at the even older Snoke. Both men have extended their lives far in excess of normal expectancy with the help of Snoke's Dark Force. These men have seen a lot through the years and most of it sounds unbearably sad. "Are there any happy endings on the Dark Side?" she ventures.
"I hope so, Princess, I hope so," Snoke tells her softly.
What does that mean? "So not yet?" she asks.
"No, not yet."
"It's because you all keep trying to kill each other, isn't it?" she accuses.
"No," Snoke contends. "Mostly, it has been because of the Jedi. They are the villains in my family history and in yours, Renata. My plan to separate Lord Sidious and his woman backfired when she became pregnant. She was vulnerable when the Jedi found her and, of course, they pounced. In those days, the Jedi essentially stole Force-sensitive children from their parents. The old Jedi Order could be very deft in its persuasion. In the end, the girl was lost to Lord Sidious forever. Brainwashed into their cult. It is no wonder she turned to drugs."
"Drugs?" Rey echoes. This story keeps getting stranger.
"In her youth, your Jedi grandmother was a spice addict. Did Luke Skywalker not tell you that? Ironically, the addiction was what saved her life. Sheeva Cole was expelled from the Jedi Order a few years before Vader and Sidious began killing Jedi."
"No, no he didn't tell me that." Snoke's explanation of her family could not be more different than Luke's Skywalker's tale. The Sith remembers a stripper and an ex-Jedi druggie whereas Kylo's uncle had omitted the Palpatine connection and instead spoken of a brave Knight of the Old Republic who lived in hiding. But maybe this is just one more way in which the Skywalker clan sees things from differing perspectives, Rey thinks. The truth of the past seems to vary depending on your point of view, she realizes.
"Back then, the Jedi sent children to war like they were expendable clone troopers instead of the future of their cult. Little Padawans as young as twelve were handed lightsabers and told to kill droids. But along the way, they watched their Jedi Masters die and their clone troopers die and their Padawan friends die. Even the Sith know not to expose impressionable, unprepared children too soon to too much. In the long run, it cripples their psyche and discourages them. The Jedi wound up with a lot of dead children and a lot of troubled children. Rey, your grandmother was one of many who struggled with their experiences. She turned to drugs to cope. When her addiction became unmanageable, she was expelled for her weakness."
"In those days, being expelled meant your name was struck from the records of the Jedi Order. That stroke of fortune saved your grandmother's life when her father issued Order 66. Lord Sidious might have killed his own daughter except there were no records of her existence as a Jedi and so she was spared."
"Did the Emperor ever meet her?" Rey wonders aloud.
"Not to my knowledge. After the purge, she would have gone into hiding. My spies lost track of her after she left the Jedi," Snoke admits.
Milo speaks up now. "Lord Sidious looked for his daughter unsuccessfully for years. Both he and Lord Vader lost children to the Jedi. That was in part why Lord Sidious allowed Lord Vader to search for years for his own stolen son Luke Skywalker."
Milo's comment raises another story Rey wants to know. She had never had the nerve to ask when she had been with the Resistance and Kylo has never explained it. So she turns to Snoke now. "How did Luke Skywalker end up a Jedi and Leia Organa end up in the Rebellion? What happened that they were estranged from their parents?"
From the looks on both Milo's and Snoke's faces, this is a sore subject. But Snoke answers nonetheless. "Lord Vader was a malcontent as a Jedi for many reasons. Chief among them was his secret marriage. The Jedi Order forbade the union, of course. Likely, so would have the Royal House of Naboo." Snoke shakes his head sadly. "Lord Vader's wife was pregnant when the Jedi attempted to take over the Republic. When my son sided with the Sith and chose the Empire, his wife fell into the hands of the Jedi. Officially, Lady Vader died in childbirth along with her children."
"Died in childbirth?" Rey repeats. That outcome sounds positively archaic to her.
"You are right to be incredulous, Princess. By that time, modern medicine had given us General Grievous. The medics could keep the burn victim quadriplegic Lord Vader alive and well for years, but yet somehow his otherwise healthy wife died in childbirth. Not coincidentally, my son's wife died about the same time the Jedi stole her newborn children. The Jedi separated my grandchildren and gave them away for adoption. Kylo Ren's mother was raised a princess in the Royal House of Alderaan. His uncle was raised a farm worker on the desert world Tatooine. They were fed lies about their family, about the Jedi, and about their father's Empire. They were unknowing captives who became tools for the Jedi's revenge. Luke Skywalker was raised to kill his father. Leia Organa was raised a left-wing terrorist."
As Rey lets this information sink in, Milo asks her, "What is the Jedi like these days?"
"Yes, do tell," old Plagueis goads her. "It has been years now since my grandson and I had a chat." Again, he and Milo exchange glances and Rey is certain there is a backstory she is not privy to.
Rey thinks a moment. "He's very calm." Sort of unnervingly calm. "He always looks at me as if he knows what I'm thinking."
Snoke actually rolls his eyes and shakes his head dismissively. "No subtlety. How Jedi. Of course, Skywalker was Master Yoda's pupil and that little green rat was the height of obnoxiousness with his affected speech patterns and silly cane as a prop."
"Master Luke seems very resigned," Rey adds.
"Yes, no doubt the burden of being so pious weighs on him." The Muun Sith is enjoying his sarcasm. "So the Last Jedi is feeling the pressure of being the last of his kind?" Snoke scoffs at this concern. "The Sith have persisted for a millennium mostly in pairs of Master and Apprentice. And we are still around, still in the game. You don't see us lamenting."
"Master Luke is resigned about Kylo," Rey clarifies. "Sad for how things have turned out."
"Ah, yes, well misery loves company, especially when it is self-inflicted. My grandson lost his star student when my Apprentice saw through the lies of the Jedi. It takes courage to do that, Princess. Kylo Ren was brave to come home to the Sith. Perhaps my prodigal grandson will someday do the same. Luke Skywalker is welcome to come home. Always."
"Rey," Snoke looks pointedly at her now. "The cult of the Jedi teaches a life of denial, frustration and loneliness. Do not be tempted to believe their lies. Emotion is a strength, not a weakness. You should embrace your desires and seek what fulfills you. To do otherwise is to rush headlong into misery. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, the life of the Jedi is a poor choice."
"Luke Skywalker wanted me to kill Kylo like he was supposed to kill Vader," Rey whispers as understanding dawns.
"Yes, the Jedi hate the Sith. They are always recruiting hapless young people to do their dirty work." Snoke makes a face. "My family has been fighting over the Force for generations now as a result."
"The Force isn't worth killing anyone," Rey decides.
Snoke raises an eyebrow at this naiveté. "Pursuit of power has long been a justification for violence. And not just among the Jedi and the Sith."
Rey shakes her head. "The Force isn't worth dying over."
"Then what is?" Snoke challenges as he sits back in his chair to assess her. "What would a survivor like you consider to be worth dying over?"
Rey thinks a long moment. "Family is the only thing worth fighting for. Not the Force. Not politics."
Snoke regards her steadily for a moment. When the silence becomes awkward, Rey rushes to fill it. And she doubles down on her view. "If someone tried to kill my family, I would fight them. I might kill them. I might die for my family. If I had a family, that is . . . which I don't . . . not really . . . not anymore . . ." Her voice trails off and loses its vehemence.
"Lord Vader would agree with your sentiment," Snoke observes cryptically. "Much to my chagrin, Princess. Much to my great chagrin." Then Snoke turns back to Milo and the two men begin going over the Leader's schedule for the day.
Listening to all the activities planned makes Rey a bit glum. There is not much for her to do inside Snoke's bunker. She's going stir crazy. It's especially bad on the days when Hux is in his bacta tank and there is no one but Milo and the droids to hang out with. There is only so much primping, meditating and holonet surfing Rey can tolerate. "I'm bored," she complains when Milo and Snoke are finished.
"Practice the Force," Snoke admonishes.
"I'd rather practice with a sword." She's not giving up on a sword yet. Rey is a practical girl and she wants to learn practical skills. Meditation is fine but it won't save your life. Swinging a sword and hiding in the Force like a stealth Sith might, but so far her Master is reluctant to teach those things.
Today is no exception, Snoke shoots her a quelling look. "No swords, Rey."
"Then what?"
The Muun thinks a moment and turns to Milo. "Who is on my agenda for this afternoon?"
Milo spouts off a list of unfamiliar names from his tablet. Snoke considers and then turns back to her. "Daughter, you may receive guests with me today. Await me in my audience chamber this afternoon. Milo will instruct you."
The Supreme Leader now stands to leave but first he reaches for a muffin to take with him. It's blueberry and it's the last of its kind. Rey's eyes narrow as she follows his hand movement. Snoke hesitates and then picks up the muffin. He tosses it to her. "Say hello to General Hux for me," the Sith smirks. Then Snoke raises his hand and another muffin floats into his grip courtesy of the Force. He peers at it and grunts out, "Banana." Then the Sith, his datapad, and his unsatisfactory muffin sweep from the room.
Later that day, Rey begins the first of many afternoons she will spend as a silent observer to Snoke's affairs of state. "Watch and learn, Princess," Snoke admonishes. And she does. Rey stands a conspicuous but unannounced presence behind the Supreme Leader's throne as he conducts business. Rey never attends military or political briefings, but she attends most everything else. Whether it is delegations from newly conquered worlds appearing as supplicants or heads of state from First Order allies arriving to pay tribute, Rey looks on. She quietly attends a never ending list of ceremonies from treaty signings to military promotions. In her role as a mysterious, silent figure, Rey rapidly becomes the object of much speculation. This pleases coy old Darth Plagueis and tickles Rey to no end. For who would expect the Leader's aloof fancy princess to be the plain old scavenger Rey of Jakku?
It is the Sith's habit to ask Rey questions before he dismisses her from his audience chamber. 'Did you learn something?' is his usual inquiry. Rey's answers vary from 'That I don't like Bothans' to observations about Snoke's techniques for deftly diffusing conflicts. Sometimes the Sith's questions require Rey to use the Force to divine her answers. 'Who lied to me today?' is a favorite Snoke question, as is his frequent request to summarize a petitioner's mental and emotional state. It doesn't take long before Rey realizes that her Master is making her practice the Force while she observes his audiences. And that approach is very Darth Plagueis. Rey comes to realize that the devious old Sith loves to fashion neat solutions that resolve multiple problems. The Supreme Leader of the First Order always has multiple angles.