The Dark Heir
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY, DISNEY AND LUCASFILM OWN ALL CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT. I DO NOT MAKE MONEY FROM THIS, THIS IS PURELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.
Description: SPOILERS FOR TROS! An AU for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. Rey is a scavenger from nowhere when she is found by an agent of The Final Order. She is taken to a planet called Exegol. There she will learn the truth of her lineage and ascend to take her grandfather's place. With The Final Order backing her, she will not be stopped. GREATERGOOD!LUKE DARK!REY, REYLO!
Pairing: Rey Palpatine/Kylo Ren
Rating: Rated Mature. Contains Language, Violence, Descriptions of Sexual and Intimate Actions, Mentions of Rape and other content not suited for some of those under the age of eighteen.
Previous chapter:
—Luke Skywalker POV—
Luke finally breaks the silence, "It appears that the Emperor's granddaughter has made her first move."
Leia slowly lowers herself onto a metal crate as she is hit with a realization. "That means-"
She is cut off by Mara, "That every Destroyer in her fleet has planet-killing weapons. Of course, they do. This is how she plans to finish it. I guarantee you that it was the Emperor who had this fleet built." She says.
Han interrupts, saying the one thing they were all thinking but didn't want to say, "We're fucked."
Chapter 7(A New Plan is Hatched)
A quick warning, some people have been reviewing wanting Kylo and Rey's relationship to progress more quickly. I apologize but I need to make something clear, this IS Reylo, but it is a slow burn Reylo story. The pairing will happen eventually but not for a little while yet.
—Rey Palpatine POV—
As Rey watches, Kylo and Kayla are escorted off the Star Destroyer by Sith Troopers. "Escort them to quarters near mine. Give the other five Knights quarters closer to the barracks until I can speak with them." She orders. The Sith Trooper in the lead nods and tells Kylo and Kayla to follow him.
Rey watches until they are out of sight before turning and making her way towards her quarters. She walks through the hallway, officers and troopers stopping to lower themselves to a knee in respect. Rey could sense the fear that commonly accompanied the gesture of respect and it made her smile under her hood.
When she reaches the door to her room she doesn't bother using the biometric scanner. Instead, she gestures with her right hand and uses the Force to open the door. She walks through the door and into her bedroom. She carefully pulls off her cloak and places it on a hanger near the door. Then she strips off her remaining clothes and grabs clothes to change into to put on after her shower. She makes her way into the bathroom and turns on the refresher. Instantly, steam rises from the water.
Rey carefully walks under the steaming water, gritting her teeth to stop from screaming at the temperature of the water. She allows the water to wash off her dusty and dirty skin, sand covering parts of her body. "I am so glad Jakku is gone." She thinks to herself.
The water continues to run down her body as more thoughts pass through her head. When her body is finally clean, Rey walks out of the refresher and grabs a towel to dry her body. She carefully dries her body, being sure to not leave any part of her wet. She hangs up the towel and grabs the black silk outfit she had chosen to put on for bed. She slips into it and makes her way to her bed. She climbs in and pulls the thin black sheets over her body.
She sighs as she lowers her head onto the pillow and closes her eyes. The second her eyes close, she is hit with a vision.
Rey walks over the sandy dunes of Jakku, mouth parched from her limited water supply. She arrives at Niima Outpost and makes her way to Unkar Plutt's stand. She sells her days work and walks back to her walker. When she arrives, she sees Kayla Ren's father standing in front of her AT-AT home. Before Rey can see what happens, her vision changes and she is standing on a planet that has more green than Rey has seen on her entire life. Around her, small, furry creatures meander about, but what draws Rey's attention is the metal base sitting near a massive tree. Her vision self walks towards the base and into the metal corridors. Rey's eyes widen as she notices Resistance fighters walking through the corridors. She continues walking until she arrives at what appears to be the command center. Sitting around a Holo-display are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa-Solo, and Mara Jade. And on the Holo-display is an image of Exegol and the surrounding system.
Rey wakes from her vision gasping for air. She jumps out of bed and walks to the Holo-display in her room. She pushes a few buttons and the image of a green planet pops up. She swipes her hand over the image and a new planet appears. She does this until she comes to a planet called Endor. It is very green but the natural image of the planet is disrupted by the massive metal pieces of the Death Star littering the Northern part of Endor. What draws her attention is that the metal wreckage from the Death Star matches that of the Resistance base she saw in her vision.
Rey presses a button to turn off the Holo-display and walks over to her wardrobe. She grabs a new Sith robe and pulls it on. After making sure her entire outfit is ready, she walks out the door of her quarters, summoning her lightsaber to her hand as she exits.
Rey clips the blade to her belt and continues on her way through the ship. She made her way through her command ship and towards the command deck. On the way, she passes by hundreds of Sith Troopers and Officers and when she reaches the bridge, the people present on the ship all stand at attention. "What can we help you with, milady?" General Pryde asks, disdain still clear in his voice.
Rey walks to the Holo-display in the center of the room before turning to look at him. "I know where the Resistance is." She says.
Pryde's eyes widen before an impressed smirk adorns his face, "Okay, milady. Where should we set a course for?"
Rey shakes her head. "I have a different plan in mind, General. I am going to try and take out the Resistance and the Republic from the inside. We have enough power to conquer the galaxy in a matter of days. If we rely entirely on our strength to keep our subjects in line, there will always be those who would rise against us. I am going to destroy all symbolism of hope for the Resistance, but before that, I am going to pretend to be their spark of hope."
She turns to make her way out of the bridge before turning back, "General Pryde, I know you dislike me, but if you continue to perceive yourself as better than me, I will be forced to execute you. You are a good general and I do not wish for that to be necessary. Control your dislike for me or I will control it for you." She says coldly. "I am going to talk to Kylo and Kayla Ren before I leave. I plan on bringing Kayla Ren with me. Make sure Kylo has everything he could need but do not allow him to leave this ship unless my grandfather or I say otherwise."
Pryde nods his head in acknowledgment, but Rey can sense that he still doesn't have any desire to follow her. Rey turns and walks back out of the bridge and makes her way to the quarters of Kylo and Kayla Ren.
When she arrives, she decides to not just barge into Kayla's room and instead knocks on the metal door. A few moments later, the door is opened by Kayla who looks at Rey questioningly. "Milady." She says, "Why are you here?"
Rey smiles, "May I come in?" She asks.
Kayla nods and gestures for Rey to follow her into the room. She leads Rey to a table in the corner of the lounge portion of her quarters and the two women sit, Rey pulling off her hood. "I am here because I am going on a mission and I would like for you to accompany me," Rey informs Kayla.
Kayla instantly nods. "Of course, milady. I live to do your bidding." She says.
Rey sighs, "Don't be so certain. The mission we are going to undergo is one of stealth and infiltration. The main reason I am talking to you instead of just ordering you to come with me is that I want you to realize that your opinions matter to me. Also, this mission will be much more personal for me than for you." Rey says.
Kayla frowns."Personal? How so?" She asks.
Rey looks her in the eyes. "Because it is going to involve us infiltrating the Resistance and thus, coming into close contact with your mother, father, uncle, and aunt."
Kayla's eyes widen before she sighs. Eyes downcast, Kayla says, "I will do it, but one thing confuses me. Both my mother and father will sense who I am, and I am sure my father will sense who you are. How are we going to infiltrate them if we would get found out the second we enter their system?" The former Knight of Ren asks.
Rey smirks. "Now that is where you will need to accompany me to the surface of this planet. There is a Sith ritual that hides the Force signature and presence of those who use it. There is one drawback, though. It requires a blood sacrifice to successfully work. Unfortunately, the sacrifice must be Force-sensitive. I have to ask. Is there a Knight of Ren you dislike enough to be willing to allow their use in the sacrifice?" Rey asks, red eyes looking into Kayla's eyes inquisitively.
Kayla's eyes darken. "Yes. His name is Kier Ren. He has always been the Knight to push the rest of us around. He is brutal. To a degree where Kylo has had to talk with him. A SITH had to tell Kier to be less brutal."
Rey's eyes narrow, "What has he done that lead to Kylo talking to him?" She asks.
Kayla looks into Rey's glowing red eyes and says, "He sees his deeds as those that will allow The First Order to fully control the galaxy, but they aren't. They are those of a murderer, madman, and rapist."
When Rey hears the man is a rapist, her decision is already made. A cloud of dark energy surrounds the Sith Empress and Kayla has to take a step back. "It's settled then. Kier Ren will be our sacrifice. Meet me in hanger one in an hour. I need to talk to Kylo and get Kier." She orders.
Kayla nods, "Yes, milady. I will be there."
Rey moves to exit the room but Kayla stops her with a question, "Why do you want me to accompany you? I know for a fact that you could easily do this mission on your own. Why have me slow you down?"
Rey hesitates before responding, "I am not going to explain my reasons to you. You do not need a reason from me to follow my orders." Rey sees hurt in Kayla's eyes and quickly adds, "I do not yet trust you, Kayla. Once I do, I will be more comfortable telling you my reasons."
At that, Kayla nods. Rey exits the room and walks to the door across the hallway. Once again, she knocks. A minute later, Kylo opens the door. He looks surprised to see her but gestures for her to enter all the same.
He leads her to a table that is a replica of the one in Kayla's room. "Not that I mind, milady, but why are you here?" He asks.
She looks at him for a moment before saying, "I am leaving for a mission and Kayla is accompanying me. I wanted to inform you." She says.
Kylo nods, "Well, thank you for informing me, milady. May I ask why Kayla is accompanying you and I am not?" He asks.
Rey nods, "You may. The reason you are not coming is that we are going to infiltrate the Resistance and unfortunately, you would be instantly recognized. Kayla and I are going to use a Sith ritual to mask our Force signatures, but our appearances will remain mostly the same. We will obviously have to make minor changes such as my eyes. Kayla will need to slightly vary her facial features, but she was much younger than you were when she was last observed and she has changed much more."
Kylo nods, "I understand." He says.
Rey looks at him before saying, "We will be taking Kier down to the surface of the planet." She says.
Kylo's eyes widen and he raises his eyebrow curiously, "Why?" He asks.
Rey looks him in the eyes and says, "We are going to kill him and use his blood to complete the Sith ritual. I talked to Kayla and she is the one who suggested Kier."
Kylo's looks at her indifferently. "Okay. He is too brutal. Even for my own taste. I wouldn't have kept him as a Knight, but Snoke insisted."
Rey looks at him for a moment before nodding. "I must say, I expected you to be more against the idea." She says before turning to walk out of his quarters.
Kylo asks, "May I come with you to his cell? I wish to see his reaction to what you have planned for him."
Rey nods, "Of course." She walks out the door with Kylo close behind her. She feels the Force being used and turns to see Kylo's saber fly into his hand. He clips it onto his belt before following her out the door. Both Rey and Kylo pull their hoods over their faces and Kylo puts his mask on.
Rey leads Kylo through the corridors of the Ultimus until they reach the holding cells of the Knights of Ren. Rey turns to Kylo, "Lead me to Kier." She orders.
Kylo nods and walks briskly in front of her and towards the cell. He walks up to the doors of cell three and gestures towards it. " He is in here." He says.
Rey nods and gestures with her hand to open the cell door. The doors can only be opened using the Force by someone with Palpatine blood. Rey moves forward, ordering, "Wait here until I call you, Kylo." She walks in and is greeted with the sight of Kier lying on his side staring at the wall of his cell. Rey sneers at the man, remembering what Kayla said about him. She pulls off her hood and raises her left hand, sending a brief burst of Force Lightning at him.
Kier instantly shoots up from his spot on the floor and glares at her. When he sees her, his glare turns into a cold smirk. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Kier says, walking towards her, "You are a pretty little bitch, aren't you?" He says.
Rey just gestures upwards with her right hand and Kier slams into the ceiling of his cell. Kier falls to the ground but instantly sits up, "Ah, so you have powers. How cute. You're a cold little bitch too, huh?" He says, unaffected by his collision with the metal ceiling. "I will fix that. Take off your clothes and bend over and I will think about letting you live." Kier sneers.
Rey just looks at him, not moving. "Kylo, enter." She calls.
A moment later, Kylo Ren walks into the cell. Kier's eyes widen. "Kylo, Kier here says if I bend over and remove my clothes, he will think about letting me live. Should I do as he says?" Rey asks.
Kylo looks at Kier in horror before closing his hand into a fist. "You fool." Kylo hisses at Kier. "Do you have any idea how powerful the woman you are talking to is? Do you have any idea who she is related to?" Kier begins to gasp as his air supply is cut off.
Once Kylo drops him, Kier turns to look at her once more before looking back at Kylo. "No, I don't. Now free me and send your new bitch away. I will take her later." He says.
Rey sees Kylo's eyes get even wider, but before he can say anything, Rey says, "Dear Kier. You seem to have misinterpreted this situation. You see?" She says, gesturing with her right hand downwards.
Kylo recognizes the motion and drops to a knee, bending his head in a gesture of respect. Kier looks at his master in shock before his shock turns to fury. "So, Ben Solo has won the fight. Snoke ordered me to kill you if you ever betrayed him so that is what I will do. Then I will take this girl and pound into her into she bleeds. Then and only then will I allow her to go."
Kier takes a step towards Kylo and Rey looks at him in shock. Before she can stop herself, she bursts into laughter, causing both Kylo and Kier to look at her in shock. "How stupid can one person be? Do you not understand the situation, Kier Ren? I am here for a reason and that reason isn't to listen to your empty threats. I don't have time for this." Her demeanor changes suddenly from her previous laughter and she raises both of her hands to point at Kier.
Kier smirks, "Oh no…What are you going to do to me? Point at me?" The Knight asks sarcastically.
His next words are cut off by a cry of agony as red lightning impacts his body from Rey's hands.
Rey begins to laugh cruelly as she listens to Kier scream in agony. Only once Kier's eyes roll up in his head and he falls unconscious does Rey stop her merciless attack. Kier's formerly unblemished skin is now wrinkled in much the same way as Rey's grandfather's is. Rey turns and walks out of the cell, calling for some Sith Troopers to come get the knight. Two troopers walk into the cell and pick up the unconscious Knight, "Take him to my Fury-class ship in hanger one. Lock him in a cell on board." Rey orders them.
They both nod and carry the Knight out of the cell. Rey turns to face Kylo, her cape billowing at her sudden movement. "I do not yet know when I return but I trust you are intelligent to not try and undermine my authority while I am away. I have given orders for you to be allowed to roam this ship as you please but you are not to exit it unless either I or my grandfather say otherwise." She says.
Kylo nods, "Yes milady." He says.
Rey nods and makes her way briskly from the cell. As she passes Kylo, her ungloved right-hand brushes against Kylo's gloved left hand. A spark travels through her body. Rey brushes the feeling aside, though an underlying sense of confusion remains. "Why did my body react like that to brushing against him?" She asks herself as she walks towards her hanger.
When she reaches the hanger, she sees Kayla standing near the Fury-class shuttle, admiring the ship. Rey walks towards her and asks, "Have the Sith Troopers carrying Kier arrived yet?"
Kayla nods her head. "Yes. The troopers placed him into a holding cell on this ship and are awaiting your orders." She says, gesturing at the Fury-class ship.
Rey nods and walks up the ramp onto the ship. "Excellent. Follow me." She says.
Kayla walks behind Rey and onto the Fury-class shuttle. Rey makes her way to the bridge of the ship while Kayla stops to sneer at Kier in the holding cell.
Rey guides the ship off the ground and towards the Sith Citadel on Exegol. Once the ship lands, Rey walks towards the exit of the ship with Kayla close behind her. The two Sith Troopers following close behind with a still unconscious Kier Ren between them.
Rey leads Kayla towards the Citadel before turning to the Sith Troopers. "You are dismissed. Return to the ship." She orders.
The troopers walk away and Rey gestures with her right hand. Kier's body floats off the ground and Rey continues her walk to the Citadel, Kayla and Kier both following, though one not following by choice.
Rey leads Kayla to the metal lift with Kier floating along next to her. Rey makes a left after exiting the lift, heading away from the Throne Room. She comes to a door made of red stone and gently places her palm against the door. The door creaks and opens slowly, dust raining down from the ceiling as it slides open.
Rey turns to Kayla, "This is the ritual room. Follow me so we can complete this ritual." She orders.
Rey walks into the center of the room and guides the body of Kier into a circle in the center of the room outlined in red. She points at a circle on one side of the center circle and says, "Sit in that circle and close your eyes. Picture the minor changes you feel will be necessary to hide your identity from your blood relatives. Once you have finished that, tell me."
Rey closes her eyes and does the same, picturing herself with green eyes rather than her traditional red eyes. She keeps the image in her head and looks at Kayla who is deep in thought. A few moments later, Kayla opens her eyes and nods at Rey. "I am ready."
Rey nods and begins to chant in Ancient Sith, "Elgtimas tave kraujas sulig sis aukotis, nu draw ant tave tsis midwan kia kastru nuyak appearance ir edoui iv nuyak accomplice. Change our features kia partija edoui kash our dvasi. Odacon tave qy signature iv abid nu ir nuyak accomplice sulig edoui kuris tariam reiksme mus."
After her final word, Kier's eyes shoot open as he screams in terror and agony. From all limbs and parts of his body, blood pours onto the stone. Kier's screams stop finally as his blood loss was too much for his body to handle. He is dead.
Meanwhile, Rey and Kayla's bodies float up into the air as red sparks float around them. Black shadows rush up from the ground and engulf the faces of Rey and Kayla. When the shadows recede, Rey's eyes are now green rather than red. Rey turns to look at Kayla and smiles.
Kayla's formerly black hair is now a dark blonde in color and her formerly brown eyes are now a light purple.
The body of Kier Ren still lies in the center of the room but Rey quickly gestures with her hand and the floor beneath his body falls away, dropping it into shadows.
Rey stands up with Kayla following. Rey grins at Kayla. "Now our mission can begin. Now we can infiltrate the biggest pest to my ascension." She says, a cold, merciless look on her face, causing Kayla to shiver.
—Supreme Leader Snoke POV—
As Snoke sits on his throne, he begins to worry. Kylo Ren has not been responding to any form of communication. He wonders if perhaps Kylo lost his eternal battle to Ben Solo. "No." He thinks to himself. "I would have sensed if he fully turned back to the light."
Suddenly, General Hux walks into the room, face tinged with fear. "Pardon the interruption, Supreme Leader. We have received footage that I feel you need to see."
Snoke nods his ascent and Hux places a Holo-projector on the floor of the throne room. An image of a sandy planet appears and Snoke watches in rapt attention as a Star Destroyer exits hyperspace and fires a beam of energy at the planet. A few seconds later, the planet explodes outwards. Snoke's eyes widen in shock at the ridiculous power the single Star Destroyer possessed. "Who could control that ship? Who could have the power, money, or capabilities to command and construct a ship like that? Are there more of them? Is that who captured the Knights of Ren? Is that the girl Kylo Ren told him about? And last but not least, is that where Kylo Ren is?" All these questions run through Snoke's head but none of them have answers.
Snoke dismisses Hux and tries to have a Force vision. His concentration is interrupted by a tremor in the Force as Kier Ren dies. Snoke's eyes widen. "Who could have killed the brutal Kier Ren?" He asks himself.
A/N.
I really love writing this story. I have so many ideas to use that I have trouble keeping track of what would fit best with the timeline as I have written it so far. With Covid-19 going around and school being off, I should have another update up quicker than this one took.
Translations in English:
Elgtimas tave kraujas sulig sis aukotis, nu draw ant tave tsis midwan kia kastru nuyak appearance ir edoui iv nuyak accomplice. Change our features kia partija edoui kash our dvasi. Odacon tave qy signature iv abid nu ir nuyak accomplice sulig edoui kuris tariam reiksme mus. (Using the blood from this sacrifice, I draw on the Sith power to alter my appearance and those of my accomplice. Change our features to match those in our mind. Hide the Force signature of both I and my accomplice from those who would sense us.)
Appearances of Main Characters as I picture them:
Daisy Ridley as Rey Palpatine.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.
Emilia Clarke as Kayla Ren.
Ian Mcdiarmid as Sheev Palpatine.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.
Carrie Fisher(RIP) as Leia Organa.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo.
Sophie Turner as Mara Jade.
Next chapter:
Rey Palpatine and Kayla Ren arrive on Endor and begin their infiltration of the Resistance.
Word Count: 4,493
