Meanwhile on the jungle moon of Ajan Kloss, Rey, the last hope of the Jedi, was meditating. She was trying to connect with the Jedi from the past, to possibly aid her in the fight against the First Order.

"Be with me. Be with me. Be with me." She whispered, until she opened her eyes. "They're not with me. Ugh." She groaned before floating back to the ground and walking toward Leia, who held Anakin's saber in her hands.

Leia, for the past year had been training Rey in the ways of the Jedi, considering Luke was gone, Leia was technically the senior member of the Jedi Order, despite never having finished her training. Next to her was Kira Marek, who was also training to be a Jedi as well. Considering that Rey was training to be a Jedi it made sense for Kira to do the same as they needed more of the Jedi back with Caden being with the First Order. It was still sad for Rey, knowing that the love of her life was now the enemy, and now under a new name, Lord Kadus. Everyone who knew Rey, knew that she was haunted by it, and would sometimes need a moment to herself, to mourn her love.

"Rey." Leia said. "Be patient."

"I'm starting to think it's not possible. To hear the voices of the Jedi who came before." Rey said.

"Nothing's impossible." Leia argued.

"Nothing's impossible" Rey repeated the words, filling her with some hope. "I'm gonna run the training course." Rey said.

"Ready to not beat my time?" Kira asked. Rey scoffed at that.

"I've been ready." Rey said. Kira smiled at that.

They began their training course which involved some sparring as well as deflecting blasts from training droids while wearing the helmets that shielded their faces, making them trust in the Force and not their eyes. And it seemed to be going well for both of them. Both Rey and Kira were vastly gifted in the Force and their skills with a lightsaber had improved as well. both Rey and Kira were equally matched when it came to the blade, but when it was with the Force, Rey was a tad bit stronger than Kira was. Rey and Kira were about to finish the course when suddenly Rey tripped over the training droid. Kira knew something was off.


On the command ship of the First Order, Kadus was in his personal chambers. He looked to a container and opened it, revealing the burnt mask of Darth Vader. It was smoking, though it was not hot and Kadus touched it, reaching out to the dark side.


This is what made Rey stumble. She started swinging wildly at the training droid and it hit her multiple times. Kira knew there was something wrong.

"Rey!" She shouted trying to get her attention. But it wasn't working. Rey was still going after it, ignoring all the trees she was cutting down. "Rey! Stop!" She shouted again but to no avail. Rey eventually picked up a tree branch and pinned the droid against a tree, grabbing her lightsaber which was flying toward her. That's when both she and Kadus had multiple visions. Of Rey's parents, of Luke, of Han, of Kylo.

"No!"

"Join me."

"Join me."

"Caden!"

"Ben, no!"

"You killed him!"

"Ben!"

"I have failed you!"

Kadus walked away from the helmet while Rey was scared of what she was seeing.

"Rey?" Kira asked.

"I'm sorry." Rey replied.

"I know." Kira replied. And then they heard a beeping noise. It was BB-8 stuck under a tree that Rey had cut down.

"BB-8, I'm so sorry." Rey said as she and Kira lifted the tree off of the poor droid. They eventually found their way back to the base of the Resistance. "I didn't finish the training course, got distracted." Rey explained to Leia. "I'm just not feeling myself. I'm not feeling myself. I know it looks…" Rey trailed off. "It looks like I'm making excuses."

"Don't tell me what things look like, tell me what they are." Leia said in that firm but motherly voice.

"I think I'm just tired, that's all." Rey responded.

"General." Connix said from behind them. "Falcon still hasn't arrived. Commander's asking for guidance." Rey then pulled out Anakin's lightsaber from her belt.

"I will earn your brother's saber. One day." She said offering it to Leia, who took it. BB-8 then beeped out a response. "No." Rey chuckled. "You can't do it for me." She said.

"Never underestimate a droid." Leia told her, before walking away.

"Yes, Master." Rey said. Later, she found herself reading some of the Jedi texts she got from Ach-To, when Kira came up to her.

"You gonna be alright?" She asked.

"Yes, just a little distracted." Rey said brushing it off.

"You know, that might work on Leia, but not on me." Kira said firmly. Rey had a guilty look on her face.

"It's Caden. It's been a year since Crait. I miss him." Rey said softly.

"We all do." Kira replied.

"How do you deal with it? He was your friend, your best friend." Rey asked.

"I grew up with him, saw him as a brother, but that's not him. This Lord Kadus we've been hearing about, that's not Caden. Just like how Kylo Ren isn't Ben Solo. It's just another person. I believe there is still good in him." Kira said.

"I do too. But I have a feeling, that I might have to kill him." Rey said her voice shaking.

"No." Kira said firmly. "Never. We will find a way to bring him back. I swear to you, Caden Skywalker will return." Kira said.

"Rey! Kira!" A Resistance officer called out. "The Falcon's back!" Rey and Kira made their way to where the Falcon landed and it was in shambles.

"It's on fire! Whole thing is on fire!" Poe exclaimed before he noticed them. "Hey!"

"There's a spy?" Rey asked.

"Could have used your help earlier!" Poe said.

"How bad is it?" Rey asked.

"Really bad, actually, really bad." Poe answered. Rey looked at the Falcon in shock.

"Han's ship?" She asked.

"What'd you do to the droid?" Poe asked.

"What'd you do to the Falcon?" Rey asked back.

"The Falcon's a lot better than he is." Poe answered. Kira rolled her eyes at the scene and went over to Finn.

"Hey." She said hugging him.

"Hey, you." Finn said before giving her a quick peck on the lips. She then hit him on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?" He asked.

"Why is the ship like this?" Kira asked.

"We had a little trouble." Finn tried to explain.

"A little? This is not a little!" Kira shouted.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry for worrying you." Finn apologized.

"I wasn't worried." Kira defended.

"It seems like you are." Finn said.

"Alright fine I was worried!" Kira replied.

"I thought you weren't though?" Finn teased.

"Shut up! I'm a woman and I have a right to be inconsistent!" Kira bit back.

"Finn!" Rey called out. "You made it back." She said hugging Finn.

"Yeah, barely." Finn replied.

"So, bad mood?" Rey asked.

"Me?" Finn asked.

"Him?" Rey asked pointing to Poe.

"Always." Finn responded.

"There's never a time where he isn't in a bad mood. If there is, I haven't seen it." Kira responded.

"Do we have a spy?" Rey asked to which Chewie in the back let out a growl. "You lightspeed skipped?" She asked Poe.

"Yeah, well it got us back didn't it?" Poe responded.

"Poe, the compressor's down!" Rey exclaimed.

"Oh, I know, I was there! Every time!" Poe said.

"You can't lightspeed skip the Falcon!" Rey shouted back.

"Actually it turns out you can!" Poe shouted.

"Alright guys, we just landed." Finn said trying to defuse the situation.

"Could we please not have this now?" Kira asked as well.

"What happened?" Rey asked.

"Bad news actually." Poe said.

"So no spy?" Rey asked.

"No. Spy." Poe said.

"Did we make contact with a spy or not?" Rey asked.

"There's a mole in the First Order and they sent us a message." Finn replied.

"You dropped a tree on him?" Poe asked to Rey about BB-8.

"You burned out both sub alternators?" Rey asked back.

"You know what? Maybe you should have been out there with us!" Poe accused.

"You know I want to be out there with you but—" Rey started.

"Yeah, but you're not! You're both here, training for what?" Poe asked both Kira and Rey. "You both are the best fighters we have. We need you. Out there, not here." Poe said before walking away.

"It's true." Finn said to both of them. There was a bit of guilt for them not being able to go out and fighting, but they were actually training to become Jedi.

"What's the message?" Rey asked. At night, everyone gathered around to hear what was the message.

"We've decoded the intel from the First Order Spy. And it confirms the worst." Poe said before shaking his head. "Somehow, Palpatine returned." This made the whole Resistance gasp in shock. The old Sith Lord had been dead for years, and somehow, he's returned?

"Do we believe this?" Kira asked.

"It cannot be! The emperor is dead!" Aftab, son of Ackbar said.

"Dark science, cloning. Secrets only the Sith knew." Beaumont Kin, a Resistance trooper said.

"He's been planning his revenge. His followers have been building something for years." Poe explained. "The largest fleet the galaxy's ever known. He calls it the Final Order. In 16 hours, attacks on all free worlds begin. The Emperor and his fleet have been hiding in the unknown regions, on a world called Exegol."

"Exegol does not appear on any star chart." Threepio explained. "But legend describes it as the hidden world of the Sith." He said. Rey immediately got up and began to look through the Jedi texts for what to find.

"So, Palpatine's been out there all this time. Snoke was just a pawn in his game. He's been pulling the strings." Poe said.

"Always, in the shadows from the very beginning." Leia said.

"If we want to stop him. We must find him. Must find Exegol." Maz Kanata said.

"General." Rey said. "Can I speak with you?" She asked Leia leading her to somewhere more private. "I know how to get to Exegol."

"Tell me." Leia said.

"Luke searched for it. For a long time, he nearly found it. There are ciphers here I can't read. But to get there, he said you'd need one of these. A Sith Wayfinder." Rey explained showing Leia the images of a triangular object. "They're compasses that lead to Exegol. To stop what we both know is coming, I need to finish what Luke started. Find Exegol, find the Emperor." Rey said.

"No." Leia responded. But Rey had already made up her mind.

"I don't want to go without your blessing but I will." Rey said. "I will, it's what you would do." She said. Leia knew she couldn't convince Rey otherwise and decided to let her go. Rey had managed to fix the Falcon in a couple of hours before being approached by Poe, Finn and Kira.

"Got her up and running?" Poe asked.

"You were right before. I'm gonna pick up Luke's search for Exegol. I'm gonna start where his trail went cold, the Forbidden Desert of Pasaana." Rey said.

"Yeah, I know. We're going with you." Poe said patting her on the arm. Rey was afraid for a moment, she didn't want any of them in danger.

"I need to go alone." She said to Finn and Kira.

"Yeah, alone with friends." Finn said as if it was nothing.

"It's too dangerous." Rey said to both of them.

"When has that stopped us?" Kira asked.

"We go together." Finn said with determination. Chewie let out a growl of confirmation. BB-8 beeped a response as well.

"I wholeheartedly agree." Threepio said. Rey chuckled at them, knowing she couldn't convince them to not go with her. As everyone was getting ready Kira approached an old friend.

"DJ, last chance." Kira said to her old partner.

"General asked me to s-s-study the old specs of Star Destroyers. I might know a few f-f-friends to help. That way we can stop the fleet if you find it." DJ said.

"If?" Kira asked.

"When." DJ chuckled. Kira went to move when DJ stopped her. "Are you gonna tell big F over there about…" He trailed off. Kira knew what he meant.

"After. He's got a lot on his mind right now, he doesn't need to worry about that." Kira said.

Rey, meanwhile, was having a moment to herself, thinking about the one person she knew she would have to face one day. She knew inevitably that Caden would be on Exegol, or perhaps even searching for her. She tried to make peace with it, but a part of her couldn't. She couldn't face the man she loves more than anything in the galaxy. But, perhaps Leia and Kira were right, that there was still good in him. Rey was then approached by Leia.

"There's so much I want to tell you." Rey said.

"Tell me when you get back." Leia said before handing her Anakin's saber, showing she had earned it. Rey then embraced Leia, not knowing it would be the last time she would see her. "Rey, never be afraid of who you are."


Meanwhile on the command ship of the First Order, Lord Kadus was in a training room with his pupils, the Knights of Ren, minus Tyron of course. They weren't exactly Force users, not yet anyway, but they had skills with many weapons. Axes, swords, clubs, they were all skilled in them. They had been a terrifying legend among the First Order troops, some calling them ghouls, but Kadus never saw them like that. He was in the middle of teaching them how to fight better.

"You need to keep your guard up." He said to one of them. "Otherwise, you are worthless to me." He turned to another. "And you, if you cannot wield that weapon, you are of no use to me." The doors opened and the Knights immediately kneeled to the cloaked figure entering the room. It was Kylo Ren, who now had his helmet back, fixed on Exegol, though now there were some red streaks across it. Kadus bowed his head to his cousin.

"Supreme Leader." He greeted.

"Lord Kadus." Kylo said in his mechanical voice. "I see the Knights are training well."

"They have much to learn." Kadus replied.

"Indeed. But now we have some information. I need you with me, I'm calling a meeting. But first, a gift, from the Emperor himself." Kylo said gesturing to two stormtroopers who carried a box with a helmet inside, it almost looked like Vader's helmet, but this was vastly different. Kadus looked amazed and shocked. "I know what you'll say. You are not ready. But I believe you are. Take your place as Vader's heir. As my right hand." Kadus looked at the helmet and put it on. "Well, Lord Kadus?"

"Call me, Darth Kadus." Kadus replied in a deep mechanical voice. The two of them led Tyron and the Knights of Ren to the meeting where several generals and admirals were gathered, among them General Pryde and Hux. Kylo dropped the head of an alien on the table.

"We have a spy in our ranks." Kylo said. "Who just sent a message to the Resistance. Whoever this traitor is, won't stop us. With what Lord Kadus, Tyron and I have seen on Exegol, the First Order, is about to become a true Empire." Kylo explained. "I sense unease about our appearance General Hux." Kylo said to Hux, who shook his head.

"About the mask? No sir, well done." Hux replied.

"I like it." An officer said.

"Forgive me sir," An admiral said. "But these allies on Exegol, they sound like a cult. Conjurers and soothsayers."

"They've conjured legions of Star Destroyers." Pryde said from his seat. "The Sith fleet will increase our resources ten-thousandfold. Such range and power will correct the error of Starkiller Base." Pryde said looking at Hux with contempt.

"Don't be so confident in a fleets abilities. We may have this power, but it is all because of the power of the Dark Side of the Force." Kadus said.

"Ah, yes, Lord Kadus, who used to be Caden Skywalker, the son of the last Jedi, Luke Skywalker, and now, you presume to be an expert on the Sith?" Admiral Quinn said. Kylo was about to do something and defend his cousin but Kadus shook his head. "This fleet, what is it a gift, what is he asking for in return? What does—" He started to say before he felt fingers around his throat, slowly gripping him.

"Do not presume to speak that name in my presence again. And you will remember your place, admiral. Or should I show you the true nature of the Dark Side?" Kadus replied.

"Enough." Kylo said. "Kadus, release him." He ordered.

"As you wish." Kadus said releasing the admiral from his grip, to which the man desperately gasped for air.

"Prepare to crush any worlds that defy us. Lord Kadus and the Knights of Ren will go hunting for the scavenger."


So, I bought Rise of Skywalker on digital, because why not? I hope you all liked it. We got some insight into Rey's mind and Caden's or, well Kadus. This is a link for the helmet Caden wears, artwork/aEJYL it's the second one on the third row. And the rest of his outfit is like Darth Caedus.

Now, to a more serious issue. We are undergoing a bit of a crisis right now, the whole world is going crazy and my advice for the storm we are going through is to stay calm, collected and in prayer. And above all else, keep yourselves clean. I'm being calm in this situation right now, as it hasn't affected me, and I firmly believe that it won't. That's why I write my stories, for others who are going through tough times or who want to be entertained, and honestly, it's a good time to be a writer now. You are all in my thoughts and prayers and I wish you all well, in this time of crisis.

Reviews:

avengersendgame426: Thanks, yeah, it bugged me a little they never delved into how he survived and just had throwaway lines. 1. Yes, Kira will be conflicted as well, and 2. As you read, she is training along with Rey.

ABEBOABDU: Caden has a mask similar to Vader's, hope you like it.

Mr Guest: It surprised Sidious that he knew so much about the Dark Side and the stories told. And yeah, Caden is a bit more like Vader rather than Kylo. We'll see what happens.

PrinceTanix: We'll see about that.