Fragments in itallics are used to dive into specific characters' heads throughout the narrative.

Chapter 17: "Walking in Circles and Wearing Mantles"

Some time later, Rey puts down the book.

This whole thing is too heavy to take in on one read. So much discussion about abstract ideas and interpretations. There's value to that, sure, but… I just don't know what to do with all that knowledge. Clearly, a lot of that old philosophy has changed over time. This does not sound like the Jedi luke described. This must be much older. I need historical perspective. If only the Empire hadn't gotten rid of a lot of recorded history regarding the Jedi…

Why am I really reading this? What am I hoping or expecting to get out of it? My goal is to save the galaxy. This isn't what Luke would do, is it? How would reading this aid in him taking down the First Order? I mean, I guess I remember hearing that Jedi could talk to dead Jedi, but I don't think I… I'm not good enough, yet, I don't think. I must be better. Keep Luke in mind. Do as he would do.

Rey lies back, resting upon her backpack. She puts her arms behind her head, and looks up at the stars. Now, there is only the beautiful sight of a breathing galaxy and the revitalizing sound of flowing water. Deeper thoughts settle in. She thinks of Ben Solo, and how helpless and desperate he looked the last time she saw him, in the Star Destroyer. Those beautiful, broken eyes in constant pain. All he had left was the First Order, and now he was seemingly losing that, as well. Perhaps this time, with no delusions of power or expectations haunting him, he would turn. This could be how they won. Rey thus got back in a seated position, and closed her eyes to focus.

Come on, Ben. I know there's light in you. Please turn.

Rey reached out with her soul, as far as she could…

Nothing. Not even Ben consciously resisting it. He was just nowhere to be found.

Ben?

There's no response. The last time she saw him, the First Order had turned on him, and he was weak and alone, and now it was like he was gone. He was dead. It didn't matter whether he chose to turn or not, he had been robbed of the opportunity to turn. He had died. Rage fills Rey's heart. There's some guilt there, as well, and confusion. She stands up, with tears of pain and anger rolling down her cheeks, grabs Leia's lightsaber, and runs off doubtlessly.

Galaxies away, the Knights of Ren's shuttle lands inside a Star Destroyer. General Hux and a hundred Stormtroopers await. The ramp extends, and the eight Knights walk out, then getting in position, leaving a pathway open while standing in groups of four opposite each other. A scarred old man in what seems like old Jedi robes walks out. Hux looks like he was expecting someone to come out, but like the person who walked out isn't what he was expecting.

"General Armitage Hux, I presume," the mysterious man says.

"You're not…" Hux begins to say, "You're not what I was expecting…"

"It's unfortunate that I am not as big as Snoke, I know," the man says as he paces around Hux, contemplating the inside of the hangar, "But I assure you, I'm also not as blinded by power as he is. He was a fool, but the cycle must keep going".

"Wh- What cycle is this?" Hux asks, anxiously.

"Let's talk elsewhere," the man tells Hux, and then turns to the Knights, "Stay here, my Knights. Rest briefly".

Rey finds a Stormtrooper base near the urban region, where a dozen troopers guard the gates. The lights inside are on; some of them must still be awake. She looks down from a hill.

This has all been a mistake, why even give second chances? His soul died as rotten as it was. This was pointless! There's no purpose in trying to find another way!

Rey ignites Leia's green lightsaber, enraged. She stands atop the hill for a few moments.

There's too many of them for me to take on right now… We'll engage tomorrow as a group, then… Yeah… I'll go back…

Rey turns the lightsaber off and walks back to her friends. On the way, all the can do is contemplate her failure. If she couldn't save Ben, how could she save the galaxy? Eventually, she arrives. Rose is mysteriously missing. Rey looks around, confused.

"You're back!" Rose says as she arrives behind Rey, "I was hoping you'd return".

"Yeah…" Rey responds, nodding, cryptically.

"What's going on?" Rose asks.

Rey can't look at Rose in the eyes. Her mind and her heart are in complete chaos. Her eyes suddenly get wet. Her lips flinch.

"Let's sit down," Rose says, as she holds Rey's shoulder and the two sit down beside each other near the fireplace. Everyone else is asleep.

"This is all wrong…" Rey finally says, her voice breaking, "It won't work…"

"Why do you feel that way?" Rose asks.

"Ben Solo died… I can't find him… I can't feel him…" Rey almost whispers, "I thought he could be saved, but… he didn't get that chance… it's all pointless. Why give people a chance? I…".

"Rey, I understand why you feel like you failed," Rose says, "I really do, but I think even you know that the lesson to get from this isn't "This isn't worth trying" or something akin to that. It's just a little blurry at the moment to see it clearly". Rey slows down her breathing and relaxes. Rose hugs her shoulders, wrapping her up on a blanket.

"I don't know how to do this…" Rey finally says, "I have to be the new Luke and I just can't…".

"What do you mean?" Rose asks.

"Everyone expects me to save the galaxy…" Rey says, "To be the new Luke, and I… I can't…".

"Rey, I can't say I understand the pressure on you… you are the last Jedi," Rose tells her, "But you're not alone, first of all. And secondly," Rose points to herself and everyone sleeping, "I think at least we don't think you should be the new Luke… He did what he could and most of it was good, but he messed up a lot anyway. You don't have to be him. Plus, clearly, he missed some things. Did his best… but we know better and we can do better now. You can do better".

"How?" Rey asks, "I failed at saving one person!".

"Were he still alive, do you believe he could save himself?" Rose asks. Rey herself has struggled with this question basically every day since their first connections in Ahch-To. It's funny, though; now that the question is asked out loud, the answer comes to her in less than two seconds.

"Yes," she responds, confidently, "Absolutely. I refuse to believe he was beyond saving".

"Can you think of anyone who is beyond saving?" Rose asks, as she pulls out two cups from a backpack and begins to prepare a beverage. Rey stops to think about everyone she's ever met.

Jakku sure was full of violence… some truly awful things… then again, maybe they turned that way because everyone else was violent. You can't do much when the whole galaxy tells you that acting in some way is correct, right? Well, what about the First Order? Stormtroopers? If they killed Ben, it… but Finn… those people are raised to be that way, to follow orders… they're victims as well. Finn could change. They can change too. Snoke? Totally blinded by power… perhaps he… no… take his power away and he won't have much options. I have no idea who he is, but… I don't even know, I just… I refuse to believe he doesn't have a human side…

My parents? I guess…

What they did was not good, but I don't believe they were bad. Irresponsible. Careless. Uneducated? Perhaps not taught or raised properly themselves?

"I don't believe I've ever known anyone beyond saving," Rey says, now much more relaxed, "Just people who would be much different if we lived in a different galaxy… I seriously do not believe anyone is too far gone".

"That's very brave," Rose says, smiling proudly, as she heats up the cups over the fireplace, "And sensitive".

"Ben was robbed of an opportunity to change…" Rey contemplates.

"Then we fight to help people change!" Rose encourages, "We fight so that people can change! So that they can't be robbed of deciding their own fate".

"Is that what Luke would have done?" Rey asks Rose.

"I don't know, maybe!" Rose cheers, "But Rey, it's fine. It's a different time. It's your time. It's our time. You're Rey, not Luke Skywalker. You don't have to wear anyone's mantle or name. Your footprints don't have to fit within anyone else's…".

"And how do I carve that footstep?" Rey asks, "A few days ago, I was just a lonely scavenger who hoped to be told where to go based on… you know, my parents… And now I know I have to be my own person, but… look at me, this person that I am right now is not at all who I know myself to be".

"Well, I guess… you take a look at your own past…" Rose says, "Like, a hard, critical look at what you've done well, what you've done badly… and then decide where you want to be, and, you know… you take your steps towards that… and the footstep will make itself". Rey smiles. It's been a long night. She's still wondering who she's going to be, but at least she knows now how to do it.

"Thanks, Rose," she says.

"Sure," Rose responds, handing Rey a cup and keeping the other, "No problem".

"So instead of just taking down the First Order, we have to change the galaxy… and that's how we save it" Rey says, turning to Rose with an anxious gaze.

"I guess so…" Rose replies, "It's a gigantic task, but… I guess it's our task". Rose and Rey drink up from the cups at the same time. Meanwhile, galaxies away, a meeting takes place on General Hux's personal quarters, filled with relics, collectibles, and novelty items. Hux and the mysterious man are the only ones present. The former sits down beside a table while the latter paces around the area, seeing everything in Hux's collection.

"The First Order will persist," the man says, "Perhaps it will change its name, or, in crazy circumstances, its look and its branding, but it will go on forever. This is a historically proven matter of fact".

"Because of our strength," Hux says, attempting to guess.

"Because of the cycle. The machine," the man explains, "Everybody keeps making the same decisions. Those of us on this side keep appealing to the interests of the few in power. And those on the other side, those against us, they keep making the same mistakes, and accidentally creating their own foes or helping them. Kylo Ren was like this… but he was growing unstable. No matter. In no time, the cycle will pay off and give us a new heir to the dark side".

"The Knights promised you would be a new Snoke," Hux says, somewhat afraid, "To keep our lines in check, as they fear your power. And yet, you say I will have all the power? Is this correct?"

"I have no interest in the kind of power you desire," the man says, "It's inconsequential. It moves from one individual to another based on arbitrary factors. It means nothing to me. So I will be Snoke for everyone else, howling orders and carving the path of the First Order, simply because there needs to be a powerful Force user atop this side, but you will be the true Snoke, the true Supreme Leader. You will be the one to decide the orders I howl and the path I carve. I'm just taking the place I know is mine, in this story. Is this a fair deal for you?".

"How can I trust you?" Hux asks, doubtfully.

"Well, you have to" he says, menacingly, "They won't listen to you. They don't fear you, just like they didn't fear Kylo Ren. They will fear me".

"What should they call you?" Hux asks.

"I don't concern myself with those questions," the man says, "My name is Ducan. No haunting Sith lord name, I don't think. Supreme Leader Ducan doesn't quite intimidate…"

"I understand why you don't bother with this," Hux says, "But if they don't totally fear you, what's the point? There are millions of soldiers," he continues; his voice and body language gradually get more aggressive, "I don't care how powerful you are, if they want to fight us or leave us, they will, if they're not scared of you!"

The man retains his calm but listens to Hux.

"Only a hundred or so of them have seen me," Ducan says, "Most only know that there's a new Supreme Leader coming to power… correct?"

"Yes," Hux responds, "Why?"

"I must take my place in this… no matter what it takes," he says as he looks at his hands and clenches his fists, "My name means nothing if it doesn't serve the cycle… Let them know me as the descendant of someone whose name they respect". Hux raises his eyebrows, attempting to comprehend what Ducan says, unable to predict where he's going, "Announce me as Supreme Leader Sidious. They've heard that name and it's the role I'm taking", he concludes as he closes his eyes.

"Are you his relative?" Hux asks, still baffled.

"As far as the First Order is concerned… yes. I will do what I must to continue this cycle," Ducan says. Then, he opens his palms again, and lightning flows through his fingers. Hux sees this. Ducan then shoots lightning at his own face, screaming in pain as he does so.

"What are yo-!" Hux yells, almost falling off his chair. The lightning intensifies. Ducan's body shakes and smokes. Finally, it stops, and his face looks almost grey, and full of scars and burnt off skin. He takes a few moments to breath, and then smiles, feeling his purpose fulfilled.

"Well, Hux…" Ducan says, "You have your new Supreme Leader… This is who I am now… Ducan Palpatine… that was his real last name, and now it's mine as well… Supreme Leader Sidious…". Hux is still shocked by what he just saw, but he nods in agreement.