A/N: Hi everyone. First, thank you for the reviews and the fav/follows !
This one is a little shorter, but don't worry the third chapter will be much longer !
I hope you'll enjoy it, again, thank you for reading !
Chapter 2
Rey gazed at the archipelago of islands on Ahch-To as the ship began its descent to the beach. Turning it off, she made no move to come out of it. She closed her eyes, thinking back to the first time she had landed on this island, more than a year ago.
Chewie had let her pass first, realizing that she was unable to contain herself as they approached their destination. She remembers climbing the stone steps, her heart pounding in a way that had nothing to do with the tough path. Feeling called by a presence, she ascended until she reached stacked stone houses, then continued to the top of one of the mountain peaks. Her excitement was such that she didn't immediately notice the lush vegetation on the planet. Then she saw him.
Luke Skywalker, the legendary Jedi Master, stood on the cliff, facing the sea.
She sighed, shaking her head, she kept giving up on her memories today. For the first time since she had leaving Ren, she began to think of her friends. The feeling of guilt squeezed her throat, almost suffocating her. She hastened to re-activate the radio to send them a message and tell them that she was fine.
When she activated the control, a light came on, meaning that a message had been received. She played it without thinking. The holographic silhouette of a First Order soldier appeared.
"Supreme Leader, the Knights of Ren have just left the Steadfast. We spotted your ship moving away from the outer rim before losing your signal. Do you need assistance ? General Pry… "
Rey suddenly turned off the radio.
Fear added to her guilt as she remained completely still for a few moments, barely daring to breathe, as if her enemies could hear her if she made too much noise.
She climbed out of the ship and took several steps back, her head turned to the sky, expecting to see destroyers at any moment. She stumbled over a piece of driftwood and fell on her back in the damp sand. Her anger rose, snuffing out her fear. When would the First Order stop ruining her life?
Not thinking any longer, she got up and headed for the ship. Pulling out her saber and igniting it, she cut pieces into the structure to gain access to the fuel reserve. Plunging her blade towards the liquid, a deflagration gushes out. She stepped back and looked at her work.
Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.
Shouting in rage, she threw away the piece of wood that had made her fall. She picked up more, and kept throwing them into the blaze, which was growing as it consumed Ren's ship.
Her anger passed as quickly as it came, leaving her exhausted and demoralized. She was letting herself be completely guided by her emotions, she couldn't think anymore. Yet a revelation struck her.
Luke had been, and would remain the Last Jedi. She was just an impostor. With no training, no guide, no control.
For a few moments she believed she had a tremendous power, a Force that would allow her to accomplish great things, which would make a difference. A reason for all that she had endured.
How arrogant she had been.
Now she knew where that power came from, she was just the descendant of one of the most dangerous man in the history of the galaxy.
She had failed, she did not deserve the title of Jedi, nor the saber of the Skywalkers. Taking it in her hands, she looked at it one last time, before throwing it into the fire with a cry of rage.
The saber was going to disappear in the flames, before a luminous hand appeared and caught it in flight.
/
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Ben had just completed his fifth trip to the TIE with the parts he would use to repair the Falcon. He was far from a good mechanic, never needing to fix anything since he was with Snoke, but he had seen his father and Chewbacca patch up the ship enough in his childhood to know exactly what to look for.
He quickly realized that the pilot, Dameron, had made his job easier. For the first time in a while he began to hope, was luck going to smile at him ?
He ends up sitting for a few minutes on the floor to catch his breath.
Ren's thick tunic weighed heavily on him and he took it off, almost tearing it apart to free himself from the shackle. He did the same for his gloves. Finding himself in a light shirt he was finally able to breathe freely.
He put his hand on the torn fabric, the skin was soft underneath. Rey would never stop surprising him.
She had successfully mastered energy transfer, gaining healing power, a power that was definitely not part of the dark side of the Force.
For him she was the representation of what balance should be. Huge rage and incredible power, which she was using wisely. At the thought of the young woman, he felt his heart tighten. He got up and continued to patch up the Falcon.
After doing what he thought were the last repairs, he headed for the cockpit with apprehension.
There, as he gazed at the seats of the pilot and co-pilot, many memories began to dance in his eyes, memories of familiar voices echoing painfully in his ears. He couldn't do that, he couldn't sit in his father's place.
Han had never let him, always placing him on his lap when he was a kid, then behind him or on the seat to his right when Chewbacca was not present.
But never had he flew the Millennium Falcon.
Plunging his clenched hands into his pockets, he felt the little dice again. He swiveled the seat and pulled it back just enough so his big legs weren't squeezed in front of the controls. Then he hung the dice next to his father's before turning on the ship's engines.
I'm coming Rey, he thought.
/
/
A tense and agitated atmosphere was reigning on the rebel base. The moon Ajan Kloss was mainly covered with lush jungles. They made the atmosphere suffocating due to the permanent humidity, depositing a thin film of sweat on the faces, sweat which was now mixed with the tears of the soldiers mourning the loss of their General.
Poe and Finn, who now shared the command, paced, distributing orders here and there to the resistance soldiers to prepare for the fight against the First Order, their last fight.
Maz, who watched this agitation by Leia's body side, twisted her hands with apprehension. It wasn't her habit of manifesting emotions other than fun or annoyance but the fight that was taking shape and the loss of one of her most precious friends, had weakened her in a way that she wouldn't have believed possible.
Nearly a thousand years old, you might think she could bear loss and grief more easily, and yet it was getting worse.
Turning her head, she saw someone who looked as bad as she did. She got up and joined him calmly, without any attention for the rebels who were running in all directions and the sounds of the ships taking off.
She approached the Wookie and put a hand on his elbow - the only part of his body she could reach, even though he was seated.
They looked at each other silently, fully understanding how the other was feeling. Humans were so fragile, they died out so quickly, leaving wounds in their aging hearts.
"I thought you were assigned a mission", Maz started.
Chewbacca replied with a slight growl.
"Come on Chewie, that doesn't look like you."
Another annoyed growl and he freed himself from his friend's touch.
"A Wookie who no longer has the strength? Han would laugh if he could hear you."
This time he got up and roared at her, some of the resistance fighters around them turned with a worried look. Maz did not let herself be impressed and did not even back away.
"Han knew what he was doing when he let Kylo Ren kill him. Leia knew what she was doing too. The ones you loved, that we loved Chewie, aren't really gone you know that. They didn't die in vain.
Hmm actually, they will be if you do not move your furry paws from this rock to go carry out your mission !"
The Wookie seemed to hesitate then gave a little cry.
"Of course he wouldn't blame you for leaving the Falcon ! There are far more important things than a ship, Chewie !"
"The Falcon was not Han's last legacy", said Lando Calrissian, approaching.
/
/
With the last ships ready and leaving the base, Poe climbed into his X-Wing and typed the command to retrieve the signal they had received from Rey. He really hoped his friend knew what she was doing.
Leading the convoy, he sent a message to the whole Resistance, then broadcast the signal so that all their ships receive it. The coordinates were entered, and soon in the sky, there were just trails indicating passages in light speed.
/
/
Ben had just joined the Mid Rim, looking for a planet to supply the Falcon before embarking on the long journey to Exegol. Without the Sith Orienter he found himself forced to travel by memory and he hoped that his sense of direction would not betray him. He had, after all, made the trip only once.
Landing on Takodana, he was negotiating very poorly the price of fuel with a few smugglers, when a signal on his comlink surprised him. The device was indicating an incoming message on the Falcon.
Leaving his credits on the table he rushed to the ship, and watched with apprehension as the radio lights came on.
Thinking about what he could give as an explanation for being in possession of this ship, he immediately relaxed when he saw that it was just an automatically broadcast message.
Again the pilot Dameron seemed to save him despite himself.
The message was brief, a call to combat, asking all ships receiving this signal to follow it to a planet called Exegol, where a battle against the First Order and the former Emperor would take place.
Very quickly, the relief that Ben was feeling, dissipated.
Rey was guiding them to Exegol.
He had to hurry, every minute passed brought her closer to danger. She didn't know where she was headed. The idea of her, alone in the huge and sinister Sith's temple, worried him terribly.
He returned to the cantina, and addressed the smugglers who had started to dip into the fortune he had left, promising them more.
His former position as Supreme Leader finally served him well. Ren's tunic was full of credits, and after convincing the rest of the runners to refuel his ship, without even needing to use the Force — money was generally enough on such individuals — he climbed aboard the Falcon again, and began the journey to Exegol.