Three days later….

Major General Huxley folded his arms as he looked out the main bay window of the Star Destroyer Harbinger

"Sir," a voice sounded nearby and Huxley turned face the ensign now in front of him, drawing his arms behind his back.

"I have the security halos from the last two days, Sir, as requested," the young man said, standing at full attention as he stiffly handed over the grey cubic case in his hands.

Huxley received it, then nodded as the ensign saluted, then turned.

But the young man soon stopped and turned back on his heel to face Huxley, giving Huxley pause as he quirked an eyebrow in anticipation.

"Major General, if I may be so bold to ask," the young man said, now standing at attention before his commanding officer, "How is the Supreme Leader? We have not seen him for days. There are rumors that he is unwell."

Huxley's nostrils flared as he clutched the case of hallows slightly tighter, "The Supreme Leader is as well as he can be, Ensign. He is in seclusion, mourning the death of his apprentice. I am sure your concern is appreciated."

The ensign studied Huxley's face for a long moment as his superior officer looked around the bridge to the other soldiers in his command, seemingly waiting for another to speak up or question him.

The ensign could tell something was wrong—that Huxley was hiding something—but, though unsatisfied, was unwilling to press further. He knew Huxley's temper.

Instead, he just saluted once more with a stiff "Sir" and turned on his heel and marched away off the bridge.

Huxley's dark blue eyes watched after the ensign until the man was gone, then they flickered to the case in his hands.

Right now, he was the only one who knew that the Supreme Leader had disappeared without a trace.

And he planned to keep it that way until he could figure out—using the security halos—where his master could have possibly gone without telling him…

And why.

# # # # # #

Luke blinked slowly, looking around in awe as he found himself walking down the halls of his old Jedi Praxium on Yavin IV once more, the sunlight from skylights seemingly illuminating his path.

Luke smirked as he saw a reflection of his younger self in the row of windows then narrowed his eyes as his gaze moved from the window to his surroundings…

Suspiciously, the entire school was empty.

When he reached the end of the hall, he saw the door to one of the training rooms at the end slightly ajar.

As he approached, he tried to focus his powers in anticipation, unsure of what he would find.

When Luke finally pushed opened the door, his eyes widened when they fell upon Rey, six years-old, standing in the middle of the room alone.

As he crossed the threshold, she turned back to face him, sensing his presence.

"No," Rey whispered, her own eyes growing concerned as she stepped forward and raised her voice so that her father now heard her, "It's coming for me...You have to leave."

"What?!" Luke cried out, looking around with worried eyes as he rushed forward and fell to his knees in front of her, "What is coming for you, Rey?"

"Daddy, please. No. You have to leave—"

Luke shook his head as he took Rey's face into his hands, "No. Never. I would never leave you, Baby—"

"It can't find you here or it will take you, too—"

"Who, Rey?" Luke asked, searching her face, but Rey only looked past him, "Who? Tell me…"

Suddenly, Rey's brown eyes turned back and met his, but the voice coming out of her mouth sounded much older, "Wake up."

Luke narrowed his eyes, then immediately felt his vision go blurry as he felt himself pulled back into consciousness—older Rey's voice calling out to him, "Dad…wake up."

Luke sucked in a breath as he opened his eyes to see Rey standing over him where he had been sitting on the floor in the center of his quarters, meditating.

"Are you alright?" Rey asked, her eyes worried as she looked Luke over, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder, "You were talking and shaking in your trance—"

"I'm alright…" Luke whispered, his mind still processing his vision as he brought his hand to his forehead, pulling it back quickly when he felt how cold and clammy it was, then placed it reassuringly over Rey's hand on his shoulder

"I was going to see if you wanted to continue our training session from this morning," Rey said, studying him cautiously, "But, I think maybe you should rest, you look peaked—"

"I can rest when I'm dead," Luke replied stubbornly, cutting her off as he started to his feet and wobbled slightly as he tried to get his bearings and Rey frowned at him.

"But, Dad, I can feel that you're not well—"

"I'll be alright, sweetheart," Luke said, trying to reassure her as their eyes met, "I'll eat something and I'll meet you outside in an hour, alright?"

Rey gave a small, unsure smile then nodded and exited the room, giving him one last worried glance over her shoulder.

When she was gone, Luke let out a long breath and leaned against the side wall to keep himself from falling over.

Something was happening

He had had the same dream about Rey every night for the last few days…

And now, it even invaded his afternoon meditations.

But, what did it mean?"

The dream was always the same—he found himself wandering the halls of his former Jedi Praxeum, just as it looked fifteen years ago, but he and Rey were the only ones there. And when he found her, she was always alone in the training room and always waiting.

But, he never did see the 'it' Rey said was coming for her.

And Luke prayed in his heart that it stayed that way.

In dreams, in his meditations… and in reality.

# # # # # # #

Leia straightened as she stood on the base tarmac with Lord Noor and watched solemnly as the Resistance carrier ship landed, the ramp came down and a security detail led Sharik Conn, Hugan Ma, Evann Verlaine, and Starson Verona—the only other surviving Resistance council members besides Leia-down to the tarmac.

Since the New Order attack on D'Qar, they had been communicating via secure com link with Leia and the government of Acquin III from exile on the now free planet of Jelucan.

That was, until Sharik Conn, the elected speaker and council leader, suddenly decided that they had stayed in exile long enough and ordered their return to join the rest of the Resistance against Leia's advice.

"General," Sharik Conn nodded curtly, now standing in front of Leia

"Speaker Conn," Leia acknowledged, stepping forward, her eyes narrowing as she considered the underlying hostility she now saw in the man's face.

It was a bit shocking to her.

Conn had never regarded her with such malcontent before—indifference maybe, but there had always been respect between them.

Sharik Conn had known Leia's father, Bail Organa and had been an ally, if not always a friend, to Leia for the last twenty years.

But, truth be told, Leia was not looking forward to the council's return and she most likely hid it poorly.

That could account for the look on Conn's face...but something else-something through the Force-told Leia that it didn't.

However it wasn't any clearer than that. Maybe it was just an instinct.

Leia just stood there as Sharik Conn's snake eyes fell on her without remorse, fear or sympathy, lingering for a long moment as he took another step toward her then veered off and walked past her without another word.

Leia let out a long breath as she and Lord Noor turned and watched Conn lead the other council members stiffly to their waiting transport, security following close behind.

"You two have a lover's quarrel the rest of us don't know about?" Lord Noor quipped, with a small teasing smile, looking to Leia out of the corner of his eyes

"If we did, I'm the last to know about it…as usual..." Leia deadpanned, still watching Conn as he took his seat in the transport, looking out toward them from the window with dark eyes, before it ignited its thrusters, then took off.

"Hmmm…" Estos replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked up to the sky after the transport, "So let the games begin."

# # # # # #

"I thought I sensed the presence of a devilishly handsome man," Maz Kanata smirked as Poe Dameron came to her side at the top of one of the dunes on the far side of the base.

Poe scoffed a laugh as he looked down to her and took in her injuries—a bruised jaw and her left arm in a sling-from the attack on Acquin III

"What are you doing out of your quarters?" Poe asked, his tone concerned, "I thought the Medical team had you on bed rest—"

"Save it flyboy," Maz retorted, holding up a hand to silence him, "You should see the Stormtrooper that did this to me. I think If I'm strong enough to fight back against a man twice my size, I think I'm strong enough to be up and around for a few minutes."

Poe held up his hands in surrender, scoffing a laugh, but then his eyes narrowed, "So what are you doing up here, then?"

"What are you doing up here?" Maz retorted, looking out from the dune to Rey and Luke stick fighting below them

"I'm here for, Rey," Poe said, following her gaze down

"Me, too," Maz said, adjusting her goggles with her uninjured right hand as her green eyes narrowed on Rey

"I'm here to take her to mess for dinner," Poe replied, "What's your excuse?"

Maz just continued to silently study Rey.

"What is it that you're not telling me?" Poe asked, growing concerned

He had heard stories about Maz Kanata over the years and knew that when she was interested in someone, there was a reason.

And why else would she have found her way to Acquin III, wanting to help them?

"That girl," Maz said, nodding down to Rey as she readjusted her goggles back, "The first time I met her and I saw her eyes…I saw her parents in them. And, I wouldn't tell her that, but it worries me. Rey's Force affinity and powers, like her father's, are hereditary. But, two parents make a child, not just one. Her mother gave her something, as well. Something she doesn't yet know she possesses…and probably won't, until it is too late. What it is, even I cannot see, but it carries a dark weight with it. I can see that. It looks like a dark aura and it surrounds her...and it grows."

"Her mother gave her that?" Poe asked as he watched Rey Jedi jump over Luke and try to sweep his feet out from under him when she landed on the other side, but Luke used his reflexes and leaped up, turned, and rebuffed Rey across the chest with the broad of his stick. Rey fell back on the sand with a smile before flipping herself back up immediately as her father circled her with a proud glint in his eyes, "How do you know all this?"

"I sense it through the Force," Maz said, then nodded toward Rey and Luke, "And I've been keeping a close eye on her. I sense something is coming…"

"I don't understand," Poe said, shaking his head in confusion, trying to follow

"Neither do I," Maz replied, her eyes in a meditative trance, "But, all will be explained in time…Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber will see to that. I only see that which is laid in front of me. The future? That is what I cannot see."

"Is Rey in danger?" Poe asked, worried, looking from her and then down to Rey and Luke, where they had now tossed their sticks aside an moved on to hand to hand combat, Luke showing Rey how rebuff someone using the Force against them.

"No," Maz said, trying to placate Poe as she turned toward him and reached up to place a gentle hand on his arm, pausing a moment before delivering the caveat, in a lower voice, "As long as she can find a way to stop feeding the beast that she keeps chained up inside her. Because, if it grows strong and breaks free…she won't be Raiyah Skywalker, anymore."

Poe quirked an eyebrow and Maz gave him a knowing look before she released his arm and walked past him down the back slope of the dune toward the base.

"Oh, and don't tell Rey any of this!" she called over her shoulder, "No one should know what might lay in their future. It might put them off of their dinner."

# # # # # # #

Five Hours Later…

Luke had never before seen her face.

She had died before he was old enough to even form the memory.

But, there she was—her dark brown eyes tired and a sheen of sweat glistening over her face—looking at him with awe and love as her hand reached out weakly to him and stroked his cheek

It was his mother.

"Luke…" she whispered breathlessly as she touched his small, infant face, "Oh…Luke…"

And the moment their eyes connected, he was immediately besotted with memories.

The first time he ignited his father's light saber in Obi Wan's home…

"You cannot deny your destiny…" Obi Wan had told him

The first time he fought his father and the terrible agony of losing his hand…

"Now…be brave…and don't look back. Don't look back," a woman's voice whispered

Suddenly, Luke found himself, hooded in the rain and kneeling beside R2 as he placed his robotic hand on his friend's dome.

Then he saw his parents, younger, sitting on a sofa next to each other in the shadow of firelight, trying to fight their feelings for each other…

He saw himself dodge a blow from Mayla in his quarters the night she had come to assassinate him, twenty two years before, then, gaining the upper hand, pin her against the wall—his eyes meeting hers as the electricity hummed between them and he fought the urge to lean forward and kiss her…

He saw his father, a young man in his Jedi robes, kneel before Emperor Palpatine…

"Become my apprentice…"

Luke then saw himself before the Emperor, burdened with the same choice as he witnessed the destruction of his friends…

"Much anger I sense in him…" Yoda's voice said, "Like his father…"

And then Luke remembered that night on Yavin IV, when Leia and Chewie had found him among the sea of dead bodies in the Jedi Praxeum and how he had let his anger and grief manifest itself in his power as he tore their ship apart…

"Please, Luke," he heard his wife pleading, "Let the light back in…"

And he remembered the way Mayla's dark eyes used to meet his for just a fleeing second before she would lean in and kiss him…

Then holding her lifeless, slaughtered body in his arms that night on Yavin IV…

"If you can't be you," Rey's voice sounded, "Be the myth…"

He then saw Rey standing before him on the island, holding out his father's light saber to him…

"You were the chosen one!" he heard Obi Wan's voice, "It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!"

Then came forth the memory of Mayla handing him his newborn daughter

"Bring balance to the Force!..."

Then the memory of Luke falling to his knees when he saw the bodies of those children in the Jedi Praxeum garden

His face crumbling as he turned his back on six year-old, Rey on Jakku as he threw up the hood on his cloak and walked toward his ship to begin his exile.

"Not leave it in darkness!"

Suddenly, he found himself standing in the hallway on Bespin, again, face to face with his father.

Watching in awe as young Jedi Anakin Skywalker morphed into Darth Vader

"Everything is the will of the force. Realize that you are more, you should, that you were meant for more…" Master Yoda's voice echoed from their conversation on Yavin IV

But, instead of raising his light saber, Vader reached up and removed his helmet, revealing Luke's own face in place of his father's

"Like your offspring." Yoda finished

And Luke remembered the Sith yellow fading from Rey's eyes as she knelt beside him after they had destroyed the base on Acquin III

"If fall to the darkness, you do, then it is the will of the force," Yoda continued, "And accept it we must and so should you."

Luke's memories then flashed to the cave on Dagobah when he first saw his own face in his father's mask…

Then to the moment he struck down his father in their final duel and looked down to his own robotic hand after he cut off Vader's…

Then he remembered the vision he had seen of Rey walking across the aircraft hangar to join her brother, Anakin, dressed in Ben Solo's armor.

It was then, suddenly, that Luke found himself back in the dream he had experienced so many times before.

Only, this time, when he pushed open the training room door at the end of the lighted hallway inside his former Jedi Praxeum, he didn't find Rey alone.

In this vision, she was still a six year-old child, but this time she was kneeling on the floor facing Luke with a dark, cloaked figure standing over her with its light saber drawn to strike.

When Rey saw Luke her breath hitched, a signal that suddenly caused the figure above her to stay its hand and turn swiftly to face Luke.

Luke's eyes widened as he saw the face of nineteen year-old Rey beneath the hood, her eyes glowing Sith yellow as she stood with her light saber still posed over her six year-old self…

Luke's eyes suddenly opened and he gasped as he bolted upright in bed.

After a moment, he swallowed and looked around the darkened room, taking in his surroundings.

When he realized he was no longer dreaming, he sighed and lowered his face in to his hands.

Luke took in a steadying breath, and after a moment, lowered his face from his hands then he threw himself back and fell onto the pillow with a relieved sigh.

He then looked over to the window in his quarters. The moon was still at its highest point which told him it was just a little after midnight.

Luke swallowed as he looked back up to the ceiling and tried to close his eyes, but they immediately snapped open.

# # # # # #

Ten Minutes Later...

Luke opened the glass doors that led out onto the common veranda that all the rooms on the west side of the palace shared and walked out toward the rail, taking in the sight of a large bonfire on the back lawn of the palace and four young people sitting around it.

He smirked when he saw that Rey was one of them, sitting in the middle of a line of chairs that included Finn, Poe and Luke Noor.

"Just think…" Leia's voice sounded nearby, "Thirty years ago, that was us."

Luke closed his eyes in sadness and took in a breath before he turned to her and held out his arm toward her as she walked toward him in her nightdress.

She smirked as she moved under it, then felt Luke wrap his arm around her, pulling his sister close to him.

"I can't believe that we were ever that young …" Luke said as he watched Lord Noor's son offer Finn and Poe ominous looking homemade liquor in large jars

"I can't believe we were ever that carefree…" Leia replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice

"We weren't," Luke said, solemnly, "The Empire saw to that."

There was a long pause before Leia spoke

"Can't sleep?" Leia asked, looking over to Luke, watching him look out toward the teenagers near the bonfire to avoid her gaze

"I've felt your dreams through the Force the last few nights. I can't see much, but they feel pretty intense. Do you want to talk about it?"

Luke's eyes just stayed focused on his daughter as he watched Finn hand her his jar and she smelled it, then scoffed before she held her nose, much to everyone's amusement, and took a drink.

"They'll never stop coming for her…" Luke suddenly whispered, his eyes softening as he watched Luke, Poe and Finn bust up in laughter as Rey swallowed the liquor and made a disgusted face, sticking out her tongue.

"Who?" Leia asked curiously, looking over to her brother and trying to meet his gaze

"The Force, the Sith, Snoke—her destiny," Luke said softly, turning back to Leia, "I've been having the same dream for the last few days…since I took possession of our father's light saber again. I think it's a warning, Leia—the Force—it's trying to tell me something."

"Do you know what?" Leia prompted

"I think that Rey has been 'marked'…by the Sith…as one of them."

"No…" Leia whispered, taken aback, "The light inside of her…we've both seen it, Luke—"

"I know, Leia. But there are other forces at work. Years ago, when the Force took Anakin in my wife's womb, its intention was to bring balance to the Force and make my daughter the long awaited 'Chosen One'—the savior the Jedi long ago predicted. Her powers, combined with the light—the goodness—inside of her, were supposed to bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. But, what the Force didn't count on, was Anakin giving his twin his powers before he died—dark powers that were inherited from a Sith mother and a Jedi father..."

"Oh, Gods…" Leia said softly, closing her eyes

"I may be old enough and strong enough to walk the line between light and dark as Obi Wan and Yoda predict and as our father's light saber has shown me," Luke said, "But Rey isn't. She will fall to darkness, Leia . I can feel it and I've seen it. Something will happen to her—I don't know what, exactly—I haven't seen that far into the future— but I know in my heart something will happen to cause her to destroy that part of herself that is good and pure and full of light..."

"We can't let that happen, Luke," Leia said, opening her eyes with new resolve

"I agree," Luke replied, solemnly, "That is why I've decided to do something about it."

There was another moment of silence before Leia face crumbled, suddenly realizing what he meant.

He would do anything to protect, Rey. Even let himself fall into darkness to protect her from the same fate.

"No...Luke…you can't…" she whispered, her voice breaking and her eyes glistening

It pained him to see her cry, but Luke took in a deep breath before taking Leia's face in his hands, as he tried to keep his own from crumbling.

"I have to," he insisted, "If I can tip the scales and bring balance, the Force might release Rey from the path I've seen."

"Luke—" Leia protested

"You would have done it for Ben, am I right?" Luke suddenly interjected

A pained looked crossed Leia's face as she closed her eyes tight, then gave a relenting nod as she felt Luke's arms pull her to his chest and wrap tightly around her.

"What are you going to do?" Leia asked, after a moment, but almost afraid to know the answer

"If I told you, you wouldn't like it," Luke replied and Leia closed her eyes even tighter in pain, the words echoing Han's last ones to her

"Luke..." she chided softly as she opened her eyes and pulled back to face him

"I'm going to see someone...about a girl..." Luke smirked, meeting her gaze, then said more seriously, "It's better-safer--if you don't know my exact plan, Leia."

Leia, though unsatisfied, nodded again, "Do you need or want for anything? Is there something I can do to help? I want to help, Luke."

Luke shook his head, "I wish there was something you could do to help Leia...but this is something I have to face alone. But, as for what I want?"

Leia's eyes grew curious as she followed Luke's gaze back to the bonfire and to Rey, where she sat cross legged in a folding chair with a blanket wrapped around her as she listened to Poe and Finn, jars of contraband liquor in their hands, tell stories, waiving wildly with their arms as she smiled

"All I want..." Luke said, a small smile crossing his face as he took in his daughter's face, seeming to memorize it as she laughed out loud at one of Finn's re-enactments, "Is for that girl to be happy. And free."

Leia's eyes softened as she watched Luke watch his daughter with so much love and awe.

"She will be, Luke," Leia said, wiping under her eyes, "I promise. I'll look after her and keep her safe."

"Thanks," Luke replied softly, turning back to his sister, "I'm going to try and go back to sleep now."

Then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, letting his lips rest against her skin as he whispered, "Please conceal my departure as long as possible."

Then, without another word, Luke released his hold on her and Leia watched him turn and walk back through the glass doors into his room.

# # # # # #

The com link in Commander Erso's quarters blinked three times, flashing a blue light over his sleeping form in his bunk before beeping loudly.

"Ugh…seriously?" he grunted, covering his face with his pillow, but after a few seconds, and knowing that he couldn't ignore it, threw the pillow aside and quickly sat up, crawling to the end of his bed and switching the com on.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice tired

"Sir, I apologize-" his lieutenant replied immediately on the other end, knowing that he had woken his superior officer

"Well, you should...interrupting my beauty sleep..." Erso mumbled, rubbing his hand over his face, then said in a more stiff tone, "What is it, Marshall?"

"Sir," the lieutenant stumbled, "We-we, well, we just received a transmission from Jelucan, from their minister there, and..." the lieutenant said, then trailed off

Erso waited for a few seconds then prompted impatiently, "And?!"

"Sir..." the lieutenant replied, his voice sounded distressed, "I think you'd better get down here. We have a very serious problem."

# # # # # # #

Fifteen minutes later...

Commander Erso's boots and gear echoed loudly on the marble floor as he raced down the upper hallway of the palace, toward Lord Estos Noor's personal quarters.

At the end of the hall, he was met by two soldiers, who immediately raised their weapons at his fast approach before Captain Hammad, head of the Lord Noor's personal guard, stepped out from the side of the hallway and placed a hand on the commander's chest to slow him just outside the gilded double doors the men were guarding.

"Whoa. Stellan. What's going on?" he asked, signaling to his men to lower their weapons as he now cast worried eyes on Commander Erso, noticing the pale color of the young man's face and the sheen of sweat over it.

"I need to see Lord Estos. It's important." Commander Erso replied, catching his breath

Hammad considered this for a moment, then turned toward the door and knocked, before turning back to Erso and scoffed, "It's almost 2am. This better be good."

# # # # # # #

"I don't know about you, but I am just the teensiest bit drunk!" Poe Dameron slurred loudly and good-naturedly as he led Rey down the hall to her quarters

Rey laughed as she turned quickly and covered his mouth, insisting in a low voice, "Shh! Keep it down. My father and my aunt are down the hall, you git! And you can't possibly be the 'teensiest' bit drunk, when you drank an entire jar of contraband moonshine-"

Poe suddenly opened his mouth and chomped at Rey's hand, eliciting a shocked scoff out of her as she quickly removed it and examined it for bite marks.

It was then that Poe moved to grab her, but she dodged him, whirled around him and with Jedi reflexes grabbed him and pinned him up against the door to her quarters.

"Oh...I surrender...I surrender..." Poe smiled devilishly as he looked up to Rey above him, "On one condition, that is... a kiss."

Rey cocked her head and smirked, "I'm afraid you are in no position to render terms of surrender, Commander Dameron. You are quite inebriated, you know. You probably won't eve remember this kiss tomorrow."

"Of course I will..." Poe smiled, "I remember everything." Then he pouted, "Please?"

"Oh...bringing out the pouty face are we?" Rey said softly, leaning closer, "Well, in that case, I think I'll risk being knocked out by your moonshine breath."

"How brave of you," Poe laughed lightly as he closed his eyes and moved forward, capturing Rey's lips in a long kiss.

After a few moments when their lips parted, Rey opened her eyes and found Poe staring at her, seemingly memorizing every inch of her face.

When he didn't speak for a long moment, Rey smirked and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Searing your face into my memory," Poe said, his words sounding suddenly more sober as he brought his hand up to stroke her cheek, "For all those moments when you are not with me."

Rey closed her eyes at his touch, then smiled

"I love you," Poe leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Rey said, opening her eyes as she felt Poe release her and watched as he walked around her.

"Are you alright to make it back to your quarters?" Rey asked, quirking an eyebrow

"I'm fine," Poe waved her off as he started down the hall

"Poe!" Rey called softly

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around

"The barracks are that way," she said, pointing over her shoulder, trying to hold back a laugh

"Oh, I knew that..." Poe scoffed, with a smirk, immediately turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction, "I was just testing you."

"Oh...okay..." Rey nodded teasingly, then pretending to draw a bow and arrow, shot it right at Poe's chest

Poe jerked and pretended that he was shot and dazed, stumbling back with his hand pressed lovingly over his heart.

"Bye..." he whispered with a smile, removing the hand from his chest to give her a small wave, then turned to walk down the hall

Rey just shook her head again as she opened the door to her quarters.

# # # # # # #

"I asked you do recon work on Sharik Conn, discretely, on behalf of General Organa! Not send an extraction team after a seventy year old man!" Lord Estos Noor cried, pacing around his sitting room in his night robes

"Please, Sir, when you hear what we've found, it will be more clear for you why I sent the team after Speaker Conn-" Commander Erso insisted, holding out placating hands

"Well," Estos scoffed, picking up his glass of scotch from a nearby table, "I'm all ears Commander."

Commander Erso quickly removed a halo disc from his pocket and held it out in his hand in front of Lord Noor as Estos took a sip from his glass

"You did task me with doing Recon on Sharik Conn, so I reached out to my security contact on Jelucan. He's the head of Prime Minister Caine's personal guard and he and his men had been paid by General Organa to protect and serve the Resistance Council members in exile. I trust him and his discretion. So, I had him send a team to the Resistance council's former quarters on Jelucan. Twenty minutes ago, we received this halo, Sir, along with a personal message from Prime Minister Caine."

Estos straightened to full attention at the last words and lowered his glass and watched Erso ignite the halo.

Immediately a blue image appeared of six soldiers dressed in black reconnaissance gear moving from room to room, as the images changed with each new setting, through what looked like a large, lavish apartment. Finally, when the last image changed, three soldiers were seen clearly flanking out across the room. Then the camera panned to three more men circling around a figure lying on the floor in the corner of a smaller room off of a side hallway.

"Sir..." Commander Erso said, taking in a shaking breath, "They didn't find evidence against Sharik Conn...they found Sharik Conn. They said he's been dead at least four days, Sir."

Estos dropped his tumbler in shock and it shattered on the marble floor.

"Oh...my Gods," he whispered, then his eyes met Commander Erso's in horror, "Then who is in my house?!"

# # # # # # #

Rey wrapped the towel carefully around her wet hair as she gathered up her dirty clothes from the floor, then opened the door to her bathroom, turning off the light and padding barefoot into her main chamber room in a white linen shirt and pants.

When she rounded the corner, she immediately stopped, her eyes widening in shock as she beheld an old man with a slight build, salt and pepper hair, dressed in a dark blue uniform sitting on the end of her bed, seemingly waiting for her.

"Hello," he smiled, his hands folded quietly in his lap

The gesture seemed harmless, patient even, but also, somehow, menacing at the same time.

"Who are you?" Rey whispered, her voice trembling as she clutched the clothes to her chest, seemingly to protect herself

"The other council members call me, Sharik Conn," the man answered with out a beat, then gave a sly smile, "But this body is just borrowed. Elsewhere, I am known by a different name...'Supreme Leader'."

"Snoke..." Rey whispered in realization, dropping the clothes immediately and summoning her light saber to her hand with the Force.