CHAPTER IX
Over the next few days, Rey learned all of Kur's story.
At least she thought it was days. It was hard to tell how time elapsed while inside the Golden Sphere. The two would communicate as they levitated in Kessel's atmosphere, watching the winds blow on the wastelands beneath them, the hours stretching by as the three suns crawled across the sky. Being inside the Golden Sphere was like being in some otherworldly portal.
She soon learned: Kur had discovered how to upload his consciousness into a planet. He had come to Kessel, a lifeless planet years ago, to first try this out, and started the process through constant meditation. Now that he had succeeded with a pre-existing planet, he was using his strength to create an entirely new planet from scratch. This was Kessel's twin, currently being cultivated on the other side of the galaxy.
"But-this power-" Rey said, shocked, "Is this part of the darkside-"
"It's neither the light nor darkside," Kur explained, "It's simply the Force itself."
"But no one's ever done it before. Luke didn't know of this. All the stories he told me about Yoda or Master Kenobi-"
"The Force is affected by all of us; there are moments of division, moments of peace. Sometimes, after many millennia, it will suddenly take an enormous leap in ability."
Rey had to marvel at this. Kur was now the first to discover this new power, and it had taken him years to do it. Imagine what a whole army of Jedi knights could do. Or any Force-users for that matter.
Here she was, fighting these Resistance battles against the Sith, when they could be creating entire galaxies together. And of course, considering she was the Empress Palpatine, it could be her very own galaxy to reign over. This did make her smile.
At night, they slept. Kur would bring the Golden Sphere down to the planet surface, then levitate in his sleep. Rey would often struggle to fall asleep, knowing she would begin levitating as soon as she dozed off. On this night, she had a new idea. It was time to finally pay an old acquaintance a visit.
She called to the darkside.
Kylo Ren was commanding a squad of Sith Imperialists through the old Death Star. They all saluted him as they turned the hallways, showing him the same reverence that they would have had for the great Darth Vader. But as they turned, suddenly the Death Star gave away to nothingness, and there stood Rey.
"You?" he said, then realized, "Get out of my dreams!"
"Hello, Ben," she said, "I haven't entered your dreams in a long time. And I wouldn't do it now if I didn't have something to say."
"Your friend Finn is being tortured right now, aboard this very Star Destroyer, only four rooms away! Do you feel no shame in that?"
"I do. Do you feel no shame in torturing any man only four rooms away from where you comfortably sleep in your bed?"
"The world showed no compassion to me. Why should I be merciful."
"Listen, Ben. I've come to parlay."
Rey waved her hand and two chairs materialized. She was starting to learn to manipulate the dream world.
"I don't trust you," he said, but she continued.
"I believe we can help each other out. If you release Finn, as well as any of my other friends you have captured, I will offer you something in return. It's hard to describe what it is exactly, but just think of it as information that changes everything. A wildcard factor."
"What I want is you, not some wildcard."
"Look, Ben, are we really going to do this the rest of our lives? Just spend all of eternity chasing the other, appearing in one another's dreams, until one of us kills the other? We can work together, and I've learned something new about the Force, something not related to the Sith."
"Funny words coming from someone using the darkside right now."
Rey blushed at this last statement. It was true; entering another Force-user's dreams was an ability only possible through the darkside, something he had unknowingly taught her, and a temptation she still felt.
"Enough talk," Rey said, "Let's meet tomorrow morning in the Waking World. If you send your tie-fighter down with just you and Finn to the exact spot where your attack took place the other day, I will meet you there with a surprise of my own. No weapons, no attacks, no tricks. Just a simple parlay."
"Considering I have your friend captured, it seems to me that I'm the one with a little more leverage here. So here's my amendment to your terms: you and 'your surprise' show up at that spot, and we'll keep an eye on you. If all goes well, I may join you, and Finn may or may not get to come along for the ride."
"What makes you think I would walk into an ambush?"
"This-" he said with a smirk, and showed her a vision of Finn being brutally tortured while tied down in a tray table. It wasn't just the image that hit Rey but the visceral reaction. In dreams, emotions hit you stronger than visuals ever could. While Rey knew that was she was being shown was probably a grotesque exaggeration of Finn's real fate, the emotions were still no less challenging to bear. She grew physically sick at the imagery.
"ALRIGHT!" she screamed, "Alright, I'll meet you tomorrow, Ben! On your terms And hopefully, you'll listen to me, and we'll start working together for a new galaxy."
"I don't know about that, but I'll respect your resolve. Goodnight."
And Rey vanished from his dream.
Rey awoke with a joly, feeling dizzy and sick. Kur still levitated above her.
Rey turned onto the floor and crawled outside of the Golden Sphere, passing through its breeze-like barriers. Once outside and breathing the Kessel breeze, she vomited out onto the sand. She had never felt as sick and disturbed as she had by the experience of that dream.
