Chapter 15: We Are One And The Same
Rey sat upon her perch in Exegol, allowing the whispers in her mind to flow as easily as breathing.
Revenge.
Your enemies will be destroyed.
You will have your vengeance.
The first step in bringing order to the galaxy would be to eliminate the First Order, which would require all the Knights of Ren and the removal of the leader of the First Order.
Another matter plagued her mind. The loss of Ben Solo.
It was a painful truth she had to accept. There was no saving him. It tore her soul apart to think about, but he had tried to kill her on Kef Bir. What remained of the boy under the mask was gone. This inherent connection she once tried to sever was pulling at her light and making her spirit scream in agony.
When would the pain stop? Would it ever stop?
She took the holocron out of her bag and with hardly any effort, pulled upon the dark side crackling in the air. The holocron opened up before her and the projection of Darth Sidious appeared.
"Young Sith, you seek guidance," Sidious spoke to her.
"I'm being torn apart." The words were mindless off her lips, a reality she was far too accepting of. "How do I end this pain?"
"Kill the remaining tethers to the light and you shall solidify your place in the dark side."
Her tethers… There was plenty she had. Her companions in the Resistance. The small comfort Leia Organa, Rose Tico, and Finn offered in her time of disappointment and depression.
Her thoughts, however, went straight to the most immediate tether, the remains of Kylo Ren's soul.
The souls of the Sith whispered in her ear.
Kill Kylo Ren.
Kill Kylo Ren.
Kill him.
"Kill what tears your soul apart and you shall achieve power and wisdom and freedom with abilities that suppress any Jedi!" Sidious declared.
Rey nodded, closing the holocron and cradling it with her hands.
Vicrul Ren approached; a smug, sinister smirk on his lips. "So the Last Jedi rejects the light."
Rey looked up into the man's golden eyes. He had to be the same age as Kylo, give or take a year or two.
"I am not the Last Jedi. The Jedi are dead," she stated, her tone short.
"The Jedi ways still cling to you like flies on a corpse. The only way to shed the remains is to submit yourself and resurrect the Sith… With the death of Kylo Ren."
Vicrul gestured to a throne in the distance. "And you, the death bringer of the Jedi, will begin the Sith anew."
Now she understood why Kylo Ren offered his hand.
The power a throne tempted was beyond what she thought it could be.
Ben awoke to the morning with a knock on his door. The dream—or nightmare—lingered in his mind. He pulled his half-torn shirt on and his boots and opened the door. His mother greeted him.
"Ben, good morning," Leia said. "I'm surprised to see you up and about."
Truth was, he was downright exhausted, but he had work to do. His injury was healing quickly and wasn't too deep of a cut, to begin with. "I'm fine Mom."
"Sure you are, which is why I wanted to talk," Leia said. He gestured her into his spacious quarters. She took a seat at a table, Ben sitting across from her. "I don't sense anymore conflict within you."
Ah, his mother was ever perceptive. "I haven't been conflicted in a while," Ben stated, leaning forward with his hands folded and elbows supported on the table.
"Hm, this is different. This time it feels like…" Leia held back her amusement. "Like you're more accepting of this fact."
"I suppose I am," Ben said, not sure what exactly his mother was getting at but he let it slide. Yesterday was an ordeal on his mental state and the nightmare he had didn't help. "We're not here to talk about me. We need a plan."
"In two ways, yes. The remaining leaders and troops on this ship are willing to follow your command if you'll accept."
Now that was surprising but not surprising at the same time. His leadership as Supreme Leader was as he saw fit, not what Hux or Snoke wanted. He never ever wanted another Starkiller. What was shocking was the positive reception. The mere fact Mitaka, even after Hux chased Ben out of the order, continued his work when he expected nothing was astonishing. Ben's own actions over the course of the last few months were inspiring the stormtroopers to rebel. They had taken this ship so easily because of this.
"I will aid in the assault against Hux and whatever remains of the traitors called the Knights of Ren," he declared with not a single ounce of zealous anger. His voice was low, contemplative in tone. "I am not sure what will happen once the First Order is over."
What came next was not something Ben had much room to think about. Living to see past the next few days was the larger concern. Living to see the Resistance prevail and Hux's head on a spike was the priority.
And then there was living to see Rey's smile, just once.
But after all that, he wasn't sure. A still silence befell mother and son, Leia watching Ben contemplate his own statement.
Leia broke the silence. "We will need a new government."
"A government of what exactly? The failings of the New Republic resurrected the First Order. Sympathizers of the Empire rose up and created," Ben gestured to everything around them with a half-wave of his hand. "All this."
"I agree, we cannot have something like the New Republic again," Leia said, surprising Ben once again. "But the Empire had its own failings as well. The same failings that destroyed Alderaan and the Hosnian System. The same failings that created the Rebellion and the Resistance."
Ben brushed back his hair, letting out a sigh. "I remember how infuriating it was just listening to the meetings you were in. They were all… Incompetent and irritating with protocol and bureaucracy." His posture stiffened, a hint of anger flaring in his dark eyes. "And you… You hid the truth from everyone, including me, about your legacy and they all turned against you like traitorous rats."
Leia blinked, unfazed by the righteous hurt Ben carried with that revelation. "I regret every day that I didn't tell you sooner. Maybe I could have prevented…"
"I know, Mom. It wouldn't really make a difference in the first place, not with Snoke in my head." Ben leaned on his hand, his anger washing away as quick as it came. "We will need to form something. I will not deny the benefits of a representative chosen by the people but…"
Somehow his mother was so understanding. "A benevolent ruler has his benefits."
"How outlandish of a statement, Mom," Ben said, a quip of humor in his voice. "We all know an empire isn't sustainable forever."
Leia shook her head, reaching for Ben's hand. "But you are a good leader, Ben. Unless the reports I've heard and the stormtroopers are lying?"
He wasn't even sure if he was a good leader himself. To have this all stated as facts unnerved him. "They might have some poor judgment…"
Leia rolled her eyes, a slight sigh of annoyance—the same annoyance she only had with Han—escaping her mouth. "Ben Organa-Solo, you killed Snoke out of love for Rey. Your first act after Crait was to hide where you found us. To send your own troops to impoverished systems to root out gang activity. Niima outpost is currently under occupation while trying to implement a new system to care for the scavengers in the desert. The stormtrooper recruitment program and the clone army research were halted. You went to us because you wanted to help."
"I only originally wanted to help because of Rey," Ben replied, not bothering to hide the truth to his intentions. "I'm selfish. I needed the Resistance's aid to help me get to her."
"And is that such a crime? To be motivated by love? You really are your father's son," Leia said with much exasperation. "Yet you could have lied to us and leave us all to die to Hux's machinations."
She had a point. "I don't want more people to die."
Leia looked at him with a glint in her eye, a sense of smugness in her posture. "Ben, you are gifted with a great capacity for love. That is your greatest weapon in this war."
With that, Leia stood up and brushed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We can talk more about what comes afterward. We can and we will win this war."
He nodded. "Yes. We will."
She left him alone to his thoughts again.
Ben relaxed back in his chair, the side of his knuckles brushing against his lips.
Love was a weapon.
And Ben wondered if she meant something else. That love was the greatest weapon he had in saving Rey from the dark side.
He got up and began his work, pulling on a fresh set of simple clothes and put on his usual Supreme Leader attire. Clipping the cape on, he glanced at the legacy lightsaber he was to carry around.
Ben's first stop on his way to the bridge was to request a custom back sheath from the armory.
Armitage Hux strode through the halls of the Executioner, two Knights of Ren walking behind him. Kuruk Ren watched as Trudgen Ren struggled with his newly implemented robotic limb.
"The weapon shall be done within four days," Hux said with his usual air of strict authority. "We are making our way to the Resistance Base as we speak. What of Kylo Ren?"
Kuruk spoke. "Nothing on him sir. He has completely vanished."
Trudgen added. "The Last Jedi was on the Finalizer."
Hux flattened his lips into a thin line. "Perhaps she would know where Ren is?"
"She didn't seem to have any idea," Kuruk said. "Regardless, Ap'lek Ren is also missing."
"Hmph, she was mouthy anyways. No matter. Hail the Finalizer and ask if they still have the Jedi girl onboard."
Kuruk and Trudgen looked at each other and made a turn down a hall, leaving Hux to his thoughts.
He marched to the window overlooking the massive circular cannon being constructed. To keep this a secret so long from the invasive capabilities of Kylo Ren was an achievement in and of itself. The under-handed maneuvers of the Knights of Ren certainly counted, but it was Hux carrying out the orders that enabled success. He inspected the cannon with a certain awe and pride. The Resistance shall be finished. Hux will fashion a new mega-class dreadnought and rule the galaxy as his father believed it should have been ruled. The Empire was on the right track, but a new order, the First Order, would see the work to completion.
However, there was one minor obstacle standing in his way. Kylo Ren was one issue, but the whispers of distrust and faith in the leadership flew around the dreadnought like a virus. To squish such distrust wouldn't be an overnight ordeal. Hux had to plan this with care by instilling a fear into the soldiers using the might and awe of his own accomplishments. He knew from day one that he was not as imposing or able to strike fear into people's minds like Ren did, even without the mask.
Hux smirked to himself. He was more cunning than Kylo Ren would ever be. He managed to hide this grand master plan underneath his nose.
Ah, the sweet scent of impending victory.
Arriving on the bridge, Ben was immediately greeted by the sight of Rose and Kaydel looking over a screen in between several other communications officers. He was mildly surprised at the other sight of a man in a blue cape and stood with a swagger he only saw in his own father.
Lando Calrissian turned around and Ben saw with clarity his uncle for the first time in years.
"Ah Ben!" Lando walked over and hugged him without hesitation. Pulling back, he inspected Ben. "Good to see you are okay. Last time I saw you, you were half-drowned."
Ben swallowed. Another person from his past he was unsure how to react to, considering this was Han Solo's other best friend. "Hi, Uncle Lando. You heard the Resistance calls?"
"Of course. Leia may have mentioned you were a part of the group now and I had to come to see my favorite nephew."
Ben rolled his eyes. "I'm your only nephew."
Lando patted his shoulder. "Exactly. No competition."
"Solo!" Rose called from the other side of the bridge. "You might want to look at this."
Ben made long strides over to Rose and Kaydel. "What is it?"
Kaydel pulled up a message on the system. "A message from Armitage Hux asking about the Last Jedi and demanding she be brought aboard the Executioner."
Ben leaned down, trying to stifle his irritation at Hux's demand for Rey. If Rey was on this ship he would be damned to ever hand her over to a slimy traitorous leech like Hux. He read the message in perfect galactic basic, clear as day. "She's not here. Where was this message sent from?"
"The remains of the Hosnian System sir," Kaydel answered. "How do we respond?"
Ben wanted to call the shots with the plan already forming in his mind, but he needed to be sure of what exactly he was doing first with the rest of the leadership. "Hold off on responding for now."
Lando nodded. "Your mother is calling a meeting in ten minutes."
"Sir," another communications officer spoke. "A ship is approaching not belonging to the Resistance. The person on board is claiming to be Maz Kanata."
Just the person Ben needed to speak to after the meeting. "Allow the ship to dock."
Rose stepped away to let Kaydel continue her work. "Well then, we got a meeting to get to."
Indeed. Ben, Lando, and Rose all left the bridge and to a large gathering room down the hallway. A black table with holographic maps and displays were surrounded by familiar faces from both the Resistance and the First Order.
Ben breathed in and out as he took his place at the head of the table, reserved by Leia's side. Mitaka stood at attention behind him with a datapad to take notes. The Resistance leadership along with squad captains and the head general of the Finalizer—a woman with curled hair he recognized as Exa—stood at attention. He looked to his mother for a moment then looked at the holo display of the dreadnought Executioner.
"Let us begin," Leia spoke. "The reinforcements from other systems are two days away. We will need to coordinate with their leadership on what we decide here."
"We received a message from Hux," Ben stated. "Demanding we hand over the Last Jedi. I propose we agree to it, proceed as normal. He does not suspect we have taken over this ship and if we are to invade that dreadnought and get his weapon offline we cannot compromise ourselves."
"What would we even say though?" General Exa asked. "Hux will be expecting a shuttle with a prisoner we do not have."
"The Knights of Ren and Hux understand how powerful Rey is. To put her on a shuttle where easily she can take it over would be foolish of a move. No, we tell Hux that we are doing the transfer in person."
"And that," Poe spoke up. "Is when we make our stand."
"Precisely." Ben glanced at Finn as he continued to speak. "And we will need the stormtroopers on our side. They are the key to victory. A full out rebellion within will leave Hux with only the Knights of Ren as his standing."
Finn nodded. "I've been coordinating with the troops on this ship. They're willing to follow Solo—I mean Ren into this battle along with the Resistance."
Ben brushed his hair back with his gloved hand. Of course they were making things complicated. "Lieutenant Mitaka, send the order that Kylo Ren authorizes Captain Finn—FN-2187 to lead the stormtroopers as he sees fit."
"It would be wise to make use of Finn's status as a defector," Leia said. "An act of bravery like that will spark into something more if Jannah and her squadron are any indicator."
Poe smiled in enthusiasm. "Yes! If we can broadcast a message to the stormtroopers on that dreadnought, convert them to our cause, it will make it easier for Rose to get to that cannon and shut it down."
Exa spoke up. "What about the Knights of Ren? They are loyal now to Hux. They are the largest threat in our way even with the army."
Ben leaned forward, placing his palms flat on the glossy table. With a dark and sharp-edged tone, Kylo Ren answered the query. "I will personally deal with those traitors."
Finn's eyes darted to Leia for one moment then back to Ben. "All of them?"
Ben could feel the unease of his statement from Leia, but he disregarded it. "Yes, Finn. I know them all. Every weakness, every strength, every little slight they have does not elude me. I can deal with them."
The betrayal he had at his own Knights nagged at his mind, making him remember back to when he killed Ren himself. The irony was not lost on Ben.
Ap'lek Ren was only the beginning. He willed her into compliance, which, no doubt she would flee first chance she got as a repercussion. The others… He was sure he would either cut down without another thought or spare them if they willingly came forth on their knees begging for forgiveness. Ben was fair in that regard. But when the time came he wouldn't hesitate.
He didn't hesitate before in the throne room. He was not about to hesitate at the end of it all.
"What can you tell us about the Knights in case?" Leia said, clearing her throat to ease the tension brought upon the group by Ben's desire for revenge.
"There are at least three of them on that dreadnought if my instinct is correct. There might be two more, but I highly doubt it. One of the knights has a new prosthetic on his right leg, he will be still adjusting."
Finn spoke up. "What about Hux? What will we do with him?"
"Capture if necessary, I want nothing left to chance if he has any other operations out there," Ben answered. "But if we're forced to…"
Oh how he really wanted to slice his lightsaber through that leech's head instead, but tactic-wise Ben knew that Hux was more useful alive than dead. It was annoying to him that his revenge wouldn't be complete with Hux's fall as he was the one who convinced his own Knights of Ren to betray him.
"Right, got it, try to capture not kill," Poe said. "We'll need to hack into the systems to get Finn tapped into the intercom. I can lead the fleet to distract them from the outside. They cannot fight on several fronts at once."
Exa chimed in. "Getting into the system will be easier if we are still incognito to Hux."
"I can get Finn to the intercom easily," Ben said. "With some persuasion."
"How will you even get on board without getting caught?" Finn said. "They don't know my face as well as yours."
Rose put a finger on her lips, inspecting Ben's very tall and imposing form. "A legion of stormtroopers to stand behind, yes? You can treat it like an escort."
That would work. It would give Finn defenses at the very least when the Knights of Ren came knocking.
"One issue," Leia said. "Even with a stormtrooper rebellion not all will convert. There will still be issues in the way of getting to the cannon."
Rose put a finger on her lips. "Hmm, Solo, you said that the placement for the fail-safe was on top of the cannon right?"
Ben nodded. "Yes."
"I have a plan, but I will need you and Finn to execute it. If we mess with the core functions of the ship it will be a lot harder for them to stop a rag-tag team trying to dismantle their cannon, right?"
"Like, power off their air supply?" Exa said. "Or the lights?"
"No," Ben said, a glint of amusement in his eye. It would work to their advantage, to his advantage. "Turn off the gravitational pull."
Exe frowned. Ben felt a surge of pride from Leia.
Poe was slack-jawed. "You're kidding right? We aren't trained to handle zero-gravity scenarios, Tico, Solo."
Ben twitched his fingers, the datapad in Mitaka's hands floating up into the air. "Then we train. We have time to do so."
"This is insane…" Poe said, closing his eyes. "General Organa?"
Leia seemed content with the suggestion. "Insane, yes. But it can be to our advantage more than our disadvantage if we prepare beforehand as Ben recommends."
Mitaka reached up and grabbed the datapad back in his grip in panic.
Exa exhaled. "I will help with the zero-gravity training. My soldiers are willing and able to follow Captain Finn and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. But I still have my doubts about this plan if the training falls through."
Ben nodded. "Understood General Exa. It's not exactly an orthodox plan."
Then again neither was the one he plotted while in the elevator of the Supremacy based on a vision he saw from touching Rey's hand across the galaxy.
With the meeting concluded, Ben made a swift exit and made his way back to his quarters, bumping into Maz Kanata on the way.
"Ah Ben Solo!" Maz greeted. "I'm afraid I am the barrier of some bad news."
"Yes?" Ben walked with her to the elevator.
"Your Knight of Ren fled Ajan Kloss."
He wasn't surprised. "I'm not surprised. Dealing with her is no longer my highest priority, not after what happened on…"
The memory of Rey's last words to him still shook his heart.
Ben Solo is dead.
"Leia told me about Kef Bir. You alright?"
"I am fine," Ben said, really wanting to get out of that elevator before this awkward affection continued. "Do you have the Jedi texts? The one with the dyad being mentioned?"
"I do." Maz reached into her bag and placed a worn book into Ben's hands. "You think that something in there will help Rey?"
"It's all the options I have left to go off of."
Maz closed her eyes, breathing in and out, just like the meditation techniques Ben learned under the teachings of Luke Skywalker.
He stepped out of the elevator. "Thank you, Maz."
Maz nodded, a faint smile on her lips. "May the force be with you."
How long had it been since he heard that phrase? His uncle never said it, but his mother did, right before he was sent off to train under Luke. Almost twenty years.
Ben walked back to his quarters, both dreading and curious at what this text was going to say about his and Rey's bond. Their precious dyad that linked them and their destinies together in the force. Sitting down at his desk, Ben breathed in and out before opening the pages. As he read the words before him, a raw form of older galactic basic that he recognized from the few precious tomes Luke Skywalker kept in the Jedi temple—now lost to fire and darkness—the fluttering feeling in his heart grew more and more.
Dyad. Two that are one. An attempt of the force seeking pure balance. Light and dark meeting in the middle in harmony.
This anomaly in two force users, usually one aligned with the darker side, and one aligned with the lighter side, must attempt to reconcile to restore true balance. It is so rare it was only observed once before in living Jedi history.
The strongest force users, pure equals in light and dark, both meeting in the center is unprecedented.
He read more and more about the effects noted. Being able to see each other across the galaxy, the ability to be in tune with each other's thoughts and feelings and emotions on a deeper level. How even just a brief touch can trigger something so potent and powerful in the force the sensations can overwhelm both users.
But one passage stood above the rest.
Because two are one, their lives are intertwined so tightly that their own life force can be given to one another to heal even the most grievous of wounds. To what extent this ability has is unclear. Other force-sensitives are able to practice this ability but not at the strength of a dyad.
Ben's eyes flickered over the passage one more time. There was something oddly comforting and disconcerting about the healing aspect. He could heal Rey freely, but at the same time, he knew that she could and would be hurt in the first place. He didn't want her to ever be touched again. The horror of Snoke's torture and her screams haunted him in his dream when he slept earlier this morning. Ben wished he could have done something, anything in that moment to make it stop. So much pain in her wails. The bond allowed him to feel what she felt, and that made it even worse to endure than when Snoke personally tortured him.
Eyes drifting over the aged paper, a symbol startled Ben, causing him to nearly flinch back in his seat.
His eyes darted towards Rey. A guard stabbed the blade at her arm, missing its mark but not entirely. She let out a yelp of pain, the weapon slicing the skin of her arm. The cut was deep enough to draw blood but not enough to make Rey back down.
Pure raw rage at her being remotely hurt brought Kylo back into focus, the three guards surrounding him about to feel his unrelenting wrath.
The symbol printed in somewhat faded ink on the page matched the one on Rey's arm. She had covered it up with a strip of leather in the following months as if she was ashamed of it.
The mark of a dyad working in harmony may appear on one or both halves.
Ben sat back. It was nice to have some concrete evidence of this connection. He remembered how the force was singing around them when they battled the Praetorian Guards together. It surged between them in a beautiful song. It felt right for one moment. Ben felt alright until the battle was over and he opened his mouth.
Who knew, that Ben Solo, Prince of Alderaan, Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, would be destined to be the other half of Rey, desert scavenger with no parents, no title, no anything. The only title she was given was the Last Jedi. The title felt wrong for her as if she was meant for something more than just the Jedi ways. In all of his learning, Ben took one look at Rey's mind once and knew she was far from being fit to be a Jedi.
Thus Kylo Ren made his proposal to her to reject the old ways the way he did.
Hope grew in his chest. A pleasant warmth spread across his skin despite the lingering sting of his burn remaining. Even though he struggled still with reconciling the loving image he had of compassionate, fiery Rey with the current dark sider whose faith was shattered, the mere fact that their connection was something intended to bring them together made him elated.
A dyad. A dyad. Two that are one.
The pages of the book describing this intimate connection were vague and few. It only contained what he had already gathered from their force-bond sessions. Once this all ended, he intended to add more.
A knock at his door snapped Ben out of his thoughts. He slammed the book closed and shoved it aside and out of sight. He strode over to the door and opened it to see R2-D2 in front of him; Luke's old droid which accompanied Leia and Threepio all the time frequently.
"Artoo?" Ben spoke, puzzled as to why the droid was there, at his door of all places. "Why are you here?"
Artoo beeped back.
"A message? From who?" Ben asked. He stepped back into his room and sat down on his bed. The door closed behind Artoo. The droid began to play a holo. It was a crystal clear image, no doubt a result of an upgrade in recording systems.
"Is this working?" Rey's soft, unmistakable voice spoke. Ben's eyes widened as he drunk in the image of Rey, normal Rey—his Rey—dressed in her grey robes with her hair loosened and her fiery compassionate eyes looking squarely into the recording device. "I hope no one will hear this."
"Rey…" he spoke her name with awe. For the moment, the image of the dark sider he clashed with on Kef Bir was removed from his mind.
"I wonder if you'll ever see this, Ben. But I wanted to keep this in case. I don't know why, but I do. I couldn't take your hand because I couldn't follow you. I didn't understand. You look at me as if you're disappointed in me, and I suppose, you have a right to be. But I am disappointed in you too."
He deserved that. He could feel her disappointment in their bond for all those months.
"I cannot watch as you continue self-destructive actions against yourself. It hurts Ben. It really does. Your mother has hope for you but… I don't know how long I can hold on. I miss you. I want to take your hand."
She was crying in the recording. "But maybe you are right. The Jedi need to end. Their teachings offer me nothing. If everything was different, I would have liked you as my teacher."
Ben couldn't handle hearing her practically pour her broken heart out, but he clung to every word she said. He wished he could reach into this recording and wipe away her tears with his thumb.
"If you see this, then things will be different already. I want us to explore this connection we have, together. But…" She hesitated. "I want you to love yourself, Ben. Oh, someone is coming."
The recording ended, leaving Ben with a hard lump in his throat. He pushed her into severing their connection for even just one week and it crushed his soul.
Rey… He had no idea how to interpret her message. Her words. I wanted to take your hand. Ben's hand.
He wasn't sure if he would ever truly forgive himself for all the deeds he had done, but he could continue with his work as needed.
"Artoo, I need you to deliver a message to Rey should she not be with me…"
A/N: Haaaaaa long af chapter and hello yes the title is a reference to the song "Demons" by Starset.
Next chapter is the climax (well one half of the climax haha)
mastercheif1229: Glad you like my fic! Thank you! Hope this longer chapter will tide you over. :D
