Chapter 19 – Enemies
Ania cried for about a minute longer when she finally pushed herself away from his chest. Wiping her eyes, she sniffled loudly as she sat back upright in her chair. It was then when she looked straight ahead and saw her mother staring back at her. Visibly startled, Ania practically jumped in her chair and made a strangled squealing sound.
Amused, Ben stifled a laugh while Leia smirked good-naturedly. "Is that how you greet me?" she asked as she took a step into the kitchen and set her briefcase down on the table.
"I… I'm sorry," Ania apologized quickly. "I didn't know you were here."
"Clearly not," Leia quipped as she sat down opposite them. "What are you looking at there?"
Ania swallowed nervously as she looked down at the still-active holobook. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I shouldn't have –"
"It's quite alright," Leia interrupted, raising her hand to stop her. Smiling thinly at her flustered daughter, Leia reached out and pulled the holobook closer to her. "I haven't seen that picture in a long time," she commented as she watched the image of her and Han rotate slowly in front of her. Her smile turned wistful as she looked up from the picture and toward them both. "My past should not be a mystery to either of you," she said, although Ben could tell she was primarily speaking to him. "You don't need to apologize for wanting to know more."
"Sorry," Ania mumbled. "I mean, okay," she amended hastily when Leia gave her a pointed look.
Leia contemplated her daughter for a moment longer before looking down to deactivate the holobook. Picking it up off the table, she stood back up and beckoned them to follow her. "Come," she said, concise as always. "It's time to resume your training."
Ania glanced at him as they followed their mother's suit and got to their feet. "Don't you want to tell her what happened?" she asked him in a hushed voice.
"Tell me what?" Leia asked, her back to them as she walked away.
Ben bit his lower lip as he looked back at Ania. "Come on," he murmured. "Let's follow her." Pushing their chairs in, Ben and Ania walked around the kitchen table and made their way after their mother. She had crossed through the living room and had walked down the hallway which led to her bedroom. Instead of entering the bedroom, however, she took a turn down a smaller hall which led to a room Ben had never been permitted into.
"What's in there?" Ben asked, excitement building within him as Leia turned the old-fashioned metal door handle. He had asked her on several occasions what was in this room, but she had never so much as given him a hint. All he knew was that she used to retreat into this room whenever her episodes got bad.
Leia glanced behind her to look at him. "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, Ben," she said as she opened the heavy door with a deafening creak. Ben and Ania followed her into the room and he frowned the moment he entered.
"There's nothing here!" he exclaimed, head swiveling about as he confirmed that the room was completely devoid of furnishings. That being said, it was an impressive room. It was perfectly circular with a high domed ceiling. A curved window ran along the entire perimeter except for where it was interrupted by the door behind him. He assumed that on a bright day the whole room would be awash with light, but since it was nighttime, the room was quite dark. That darkness was amplified further still when the door sealed itself shut behind him with an ominous boom.
Ben blinked a few times as he adjusted to the semidarkness. "Is there a light somewhere?" he asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"The only light you need in this room comes from yourself," his mother told him vaguely. "Take a seat," she instructed, preventing Ben from asking her to expound upon this statement. Frowning, Ben glanced at Ania and shrugged. The two sat down cross-legged next to each other as their mother did the same a few feet away. "Now," she said once they were all settled on the floor. "What did you want to tell me?"
"Oh," Ben said, having momentarily forgotten about his horrible day. "That."
"That," Leia repeated, raising her eyebrows curiously. "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good."
"Well, it's not," Ben said moodily. He hesitated, glancing down at his knees as he felt too ashamed to look his mother in the eyes. "The CIH turned against me this morning," he mumbled.
"Turned against you? What does that mean?" his mother asked.
"I tried to push through a movement calling for increased military spending in response to the recent terrorist strikes in the Mid Rim, but the pacifists rejected it," he said.
"And?" Leia asked, knowing that there was more to the story.
Ben faltered, too humiliated to confess what had happened. "They called for a vote of no confidence," Ania said for him. "They're holding the vote tomorrow."
Leia tilted her head back and took a deep breath. "Who is responsible for this?" she asked, her tone laced with steel.
"Chamylle," Ben said at once, prompting Leia to snarl and look away sharply.
"I've always hated that woman," she growled. "How she and Mothma were ever colleagues is beyond me." She bit her tongue and looked back at him. "I'm sorry to hear that, Ben," she said, her voice sounding more contained this time. "But perhaps this room can provide you some relief."
"The room? How?"
"This, my children, is my meditation chamber," she said grandly, flourishing her hand as she gazed up toward the domed ceiling. "In this room, you will learn how to let go of your emotions and find tranquility in the Force."
Ben and Ania shared a quizzical look, each of them somewhat perplexed by this grandiloquent statement. "Um… why?" Ben asked finally.
Leia looked back at him sharply and quirked an eyebrow. "Why what?" she asked. "Meditate?"
Ben squirmed a bit under her scrutiny. "I guess," he mumbled. "I mean… how is meditation going to help us with say, defeating the Sith?"
Leia smiled at him before abruptly standing up. "A lightsaber may be your most crucial weapon, but the Force is your most vital ally," she began to lecture as she paced around them like she had the night before on the Falcon. "Only through the fusion of both the physical and metaphysical aspects of your training will you become a true Jedi Knight." Ben tapped his fingers against his knee in anticipation as his mother made a complete revolution around them both. "Ania, you are far more advanced than your brother in the physical dimension," she said, nodding toward her earnest daughter. "Ben, on the other hand, you are much more attuned to the metaphysical aspect of the Force even if you aren't aware of it yet," she concluded, turning to face him.
"I don't understand," Ben said. "How can I be attuned to something without even knowing what it is?"
In spite of the dark lighting, Ben could see his mother's eyes glint at this question. "A very poignant question, Ben," she complimented him as she resumed pacing. "How can we make sense of the incomprehensible? Because at its core, that is what the Force is."
"Incomprehensible?" Ben asked.
"Precisely," Leia said from behind him. "The Force defies logic. It is not a concept which can be defined through numbers or explained by science. For it is the fundamental tension which is responsible for the sustenance of the universe itself. Seeking absolute knowledge of the Force is an exercise in hubris and vanity."
"Not for your father, though," Ben pointed out, recalling Leia's earlier comments about him.
"Quite right, Ben," Leia said as she stopped in front of them once more. "The ghost of Anakin Skywalker is, in a way, the human representation of the Force itself. He retained his identity, however. Therefore he is at the same time both your grandfather and the embodiment of the Force."
"Okay," Ben said slowly as he tried to wrap his head around this massive information.
"For the rest of us, however, the Force is not something we can ever fully understand," she concluded. "For a true Jedi, however, this matters not. Whereas the Sith seeks to obtain knowledge of the Force in order to enhance her own powers, the Jedi has no such nefarious ambitions. A true Jedi Knight understands their place in the Force and allows the Force to unveil its mysteries as it may."
"I… I guess I still don't understand," Ben confessed.
"And nor should you," Leia reassured him. "The purpose of this lesson is not to get you to understand, but rather to get you to appreciate that some things don't have to be understood." Smiling wryly at his bemused expression, Leia got down to the ground once more and sat cross-legged directly in front of him. Scooting forward, she placed her hands atop his on his knees. "I want you to close your eyes," she told him softly. "Close your eyes and allow your surroundings to disappear."
Feeling slightly uncomfortable with her proximity, Ben complied with her instruction nevertheless. Exhaling out his mouth, Ben closed his eyes and allowed himself to let go. His mother's soft touch on his hands kept him grounded, yet every other sensation – whether it be the slight chill of the air on his neck or the cool of the metal floor beneath him – seemed to drift away. There must be something about this room which enabled him to obtain such an absolute state of tranquility without hardly even having to concentrate.
"Good," his mother's voice said, the word emanating from all around him rather than from directly in front of him where he knew her to be. "You feel calm. At ease." Ben nodded. "Now identify what is the source of that calm."
"The source?" Ben asked. His mother didn't respond, causing Ben to frown. What did she mean by that? It could be frustrating how vague she was at times…
"Ben, concentrate."
Ben nodded, purging the distracting thoughts from his mind. Taking another deep breath, Ben let himself relax for a few more moments as he further ingratiated himself in the calm sensation.
"There's a sort of… buzzing," he said finally, his voice distant and detached as if he hadn't even spoken at all.
"Good," his mother said again. "What else?"
Another breath.
"It's an energy," he said with greater confidence. "A… tension."
"And you? What are you?"
The question made no sense, but Ben knew how to answer it regardless. "I'm one with it," he said, smiling faintly. He felt a gentle warmth percolating throughout his entire body; contentment intermingled with the calm as he achieved something which he didn't even know how to define.
Transcendence, perhaps.
"I want you to reach out now, Ben," his mother's soothing voice said. "Reach out into that energy and tell me what you find."
Ben did as she asked despite not knowing how. He now knew what she meant about not being able to understand the incomprehensible. Ben couldn't explain what he was doing or how he knew how to do it, but that didn't matter in the slightest. He was simply acting.
"I feel something… familiar," he said finally.
"Familiar how?" Leia asked.
"I… I don't know," he said haltingly. "It just… is."
"What else can you tell me?"
Ben frowned, scrunching up his forehead as he concentrated harder. None of the words he tried to come up with adequately explained what it was he was experiencing. The tendrils of energy which surrounded him seemed to bend around a point in space… although it wasn't really in space. It was as if it was on a separate plane. Regardless of its orientation, Ben could tell that it was bright. And so he said that.
"It's bright."
"Bright how?"
Frustrated, Ben clenched his jaw as he tried to come up with the right adjectives. "It's warm," he said finally. "But not hot. It's just kind of… pleasant."
"A pleasant warmth?"
"Yeah," Ben said, nodding his head. "It… it's beautiful in a way." Leia said nothing, prompting him to elucidate this statement. "It's calling me, I think," he said. "It wants my…"
"Your what?" Leia asked.
"My help," Ben said, suddenly sure of this. "It needs my help."
"Why does it need help?"
"I… I don't know," Ben stammered. "It's just beckoning me."
"Very good, Ben. You may retreat."
"Wait, there's something else."
"Something else?"
"Something… colder."
The energy around him seemed to shiver as the warmth he had once been relishing vanished in a flash. His mother's voice suddenly sounded much more distant, as if she were calling to him from miles away.
"Ben, retreat," she commanded him.
"It's calling me too," Ben said, the hair on his arms sticking up as he was pulled closer toward the source of the cold. "It needs me."
"Ben, don't –"
"I have to help it!"
"No you don't. Retreat."
Ben ignored his mother's demand and persevered further. The cold sensation was no longer unpleasant to him. On the contrary, it was inviting. He could disregard the bitter chill as an overwhelming sense of responsibility pushed him onward. For whatever reason, he felt obliged to help it…
Ben.
"Ben, stop."
Ben!
"I'm ordering you –"
His mother's voice was drowned out abruptly by a loud clanging sound.
"What was that?"
Ben swiveled his head toward this new voice. He no longer felt cold – instead he felt extremely hot. His face was dripping with perspiration and he was suddenly panting, gulping in huge breaths of shockingly dry air. He felt as if he was burning up.
"Yeah, I don't know about this, Maz," the same voice said skeptically. "You do realize where we are, right?"
"Would you shut up, Solo?" a female voice said. "We are in the right place."
Ben's eyes widened as he ceased backing away. Solo? As in… Han Solo, his father?
The distinctive roar of a Wookiee all but confirmed his suspicions. "Chewie, I'm with you," he heard his father's voice say. It was louder now, and Ben could tell that he was getting closer.
Dad! he wanted to yell. I'm over here! But Ben remained stationary, unable to move as he remained hidden. What was happening? Where was he?
"Maz, this is an abandoned Imperial Star Destroyer," his father's voice said. "There's nobody here!"
"Then who is that?"
Ben looked up sharply to see a curious alien staring directly at him. She was extremely short and had a round, orange head with a set of comedically large lenses over her eyes. Ben's interest in this stranger quickly evaporated, however, when the figure of his father emerged from behind the alien. When their eyes met, Han's widened and his eyebrows went shooting up his forehead.
"Stay away from me!" he heard himself yell in a voice that sounded nothing like his own. He was engulfed in terror as he scrambled away. But why? This was his father!
"Wait! Come back!"
He was running despite wanting nothing but to stop. He couldn't stop himself from fleeing, however. It was as if he had no control over his limbs.
"Stop! We don't want to hurt you!"
Liar! They were slave traders! They were going to take him away!
He came to an abrupt stop when he realized he was cornered. How he knew this, Ben had no idea since he couldn't see any of his surroundings. He turned around slowly and bent his knees, determined to at least put up a fight.
His father emerged from around a corner and held up his hands. "Look," he said. "I'm not armed."
"Then what's that?" he asked, pointing to the blaster in his holster.
Han looked down. "Oh," he said. "Forgot about that." Slowly, he reached down with his left hand toward the holster, causing Ben to stiffen with fear. "It's alright," Han said as he unclipped the holster and dropped the blaster to the ground. "Here," he said, kicking the weapon over toward him. "You have it."
Ben watched as the blaster skidded over toward him and came to a stop at his feet. He didn't reach down and grab it, however. His fear had begun to enervate as a budding curiosity lowered his inhibitions.
"What's your name?" Han asked him.
Ben found himself smiling faintly. "I'm Rey," he said.
For a fraction of a second, a barely perceptible flash of disappointment crossed Han's eyes. Lowering his hands, he clasped them in front of his chest. "Hello, Rey," he said gently. "My name is Han."
The moment he said this, the scene abruptly changed. The oppressive heat disappeared and suddenly Ben was struck head on by a brisk gust of wind. Holding a hand up to his eyes, he crouched down behind something which provided him some relief from the gale.
Blinking a few times as he adjusted to the new scene, Ben saw a large person with his back to him. "What's going on?" he asked this person.
"I… I'm not sure," the person said without turning toward him. "He's talking to someone?"
"Who?" he asked urgently.
"I don't know."
"What are they saying?"
A long silence ensued as Ben grew increasingly frustrated with his companion. What was going on? He had to know!
"Ben, what are they talking about?" he asked more forcefully this time. Ben? As in…
The person turned around and Ben inhaled sharply when he saw himself looking back at him. "A5 can you make sense of this?" his doppelgänger asked.
Ben's eyes widened as he realized where he was. No, he didn't want to be back here. He knew what was about to happen. No, no, no…
The other version of Ben turned around once more. Biting his tongue, Ben stood up against his better judgment to get a better view. There he was – his father – standing several meters away talking to someone whom he couldn't see. He knew who it was, of course, but he also didn't. Wait… what?
Ben was contemplating this bizarre realization when it happened. The moment of the lightsaber tearing through his father's chest was just as terrible the second time around. An initial wave of shock quickly transmuted into unmitigated rage as Ben found himself leaping to his feet. That's when he saw her, active lightsaber still in hand as she wrenched it out of his father's chest. Ben stared back at Ania with the utmost hatred, his whole body trembling with fury. He had never experienced rage as absolute as this. It consumed him, causing his blood to curdle and his vision to turn red.
What do you feel?
"I hate her! I hate her so much!"
Good.
"I want her to suffer!"
And she will.
"Who is she?"
She is our enemy. She must be destroyed.
"I will destroy her! I won't fail you, Grandfather."
Yes, child. The heir of Vitrius will pay. We shall get our revenge!
A grating cackle barraged against his eardrums as Ben felt himself falling backward. He was engulfed in darkness as he descended further and further…
"Ben!"
His eyes flew open as he inhaled sharply. Looming over him was the very woman whom he sought to destroy.
"You," he said viciously.
Ania's brow furrowed in confusion at the virulence in his tone. Blinking once, Ben felt his anger recede as he reoriented himself. He was lying on his back in the meditation chamber, his teeth chattering violently as his whole body was drenched with bitterly cold sweat.
"Ben, are you alright?"
This was his sister. She was concerned for him. He didn't hate her. How could he?
"I… I'm alright," he said disingenuously as he struggled into a seated position.
"Here," Ania said as she took off her leather jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders which were quaking as he continued to shiver. "You scared us, Ben."
"What… what happened?" he asked, looking up toward his mother who was standing above them. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest as she peered down at him with an inscrutable expression.
"Why don't you tell us?" she asked him.
Bemused, Ben glanced at Ania. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking back up at his mother as he brushed his damp hair out of his face.
Leia contemplated him for a moment longer before kneeling down in front of him. "Tell me what you saw, Ben," she demanded. "It was her, wasn't it?"
"Her?" Ben repeated. "I don't know what you're –"
"Don't lie to me, Ben," Leia interrupted sharply. "I need to know what you saw."
Ben gulped nervously as he considered his options. He didn't want to tell his mother what he had seen because he knew what she would say. She would tell him that Rey was a lost cause and that he had to shut her out. But she wasn't! Ben knew that she wasn't. She was just… misguided.
"I will see it for myself if you do not tell me," Leia said, her voice low as she leaned closer toward him. Ben's shied away in fear as he stared back at his mother's darkening eyes. In that moment, he suddenly saw his mother in a new, ominous light. This was not Leia Skywalker before him, but Darth Vitrius. She was terrifying.
"Okay," he said, the tremors wracking his body no longer a result of the shivering which had long since abated. Perhaps sensing his extreme discomfort, Leia pulled away from him and stood back upright. Ben exhaled in relief as she turned her back to him.
"The bond you share with that girl is synonymous to the one you share with Ania," she said as she gazed out the window toward the city skyline. "Why is that, Ben?"
Once again, Ben glanced over at Ania who was watching him with a concerned expression. "You know why," Ben said, clenching his jaw as he returned his attention to his mother. "She's my sister. Both of them are."
"She is not your sister," Leia growled as she turned back around toward him. Ben's determined expression faltered when he saw the look in her eyes.
"I disagree," he managed to say, yet the high pitch of his voice negated the intended defiance.
"What did you see?" she asked him once again. "What was it that this sister of yours was doing?"
Ben pursed his lips as he looked away from his mother's fiery gaze. "She was… remembering," he said slowly.
"Remembering what?"
"The night her father was murdered," he said, regaining his courage as he turned back toward Leia.
His mother narrowed her eyes and took a step toward them, her shadow encompassing Ania and himself. "What else?" she asked.
"She told Sidious that she wants to get revenge," Ben said, his voice heavy with dread. "She wants to kill Ania."
He could practically see the anger flare up within her as Leia's eyes narrowed contemptuously. "Do you see now?" she asked him. "That girl is not your sister. She is your enemy."
Ben faltered at this as he recalled the terrible voice – Sidious, he presumed – telling Rey a similar thing. She is our enemy, he had said in reference to Ania. She must be destroyed. Leia may have despised the man, but it was clear to him that she had been influenced by her former master Sidious.
"Do you understand, Ben?" Leia asked with an edge to her voice.
Ben clenched his jaw and nodded. "Yes, Mother," he said coldly. Despite his ostensible acquiescence, however, Ben knew better than to concur with his mother's sentiments. He was only telling her what she wanted to hear to placate her. Leia was not right to call Rey his enemy, just as Sidious was not right to tell Rey that Ania was her enemy.
Neither of them were each other's enemy. The only enemy that mattered was Sidious. If they were to defeat him, they would all have to come together.
And if they failed to do that, all would be lost.
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading up to this point. This marks the end of the first segment of this story. Chapter 20 will pick up three years later.
