When Jeyna wakes up, it feels like she has slept for an eternity. She has no idea how long they've been unconscious, their bodies twisted together. She attempts to extricate herself from his limbs carefully, untucking his heavy arm from around her waist and shifting gradually out from under his weight. At some point he'd ended up half on top of her, and she tries to resettle him gently to not disturb his wounds.
Once she's free, she lets herself look at his face. His dark hair is laying, messy, across his features. He is so uncannily handsome, she has to resist the urge to reach out and stroke his cheek.
He startles her when he speaks suddenly, despite his eyes staying closed. "Are you trying to watch me sleep?" he asks.
"No," Jeyna lies immediately.
His lips quirk slightly, amusement showing on his features as he slowly opens his eyes to hers. "You're a terrible liar," he teases.
She rolls her eyes, moving to rise from the bunk. Ben shifts, grabbing her hips as she attempts to climb over him and pulling her down to straddle his body. It unsteadies her, and she flails for balance.
"Be careful!" she complains, catching her weight at the last minute so her hands don't fall onto his injuries. "You're still hurt, you know."
"I'm almost healed," he corrects her, putting pressure on her hips to anchor her down onto him. His thumbs stroke her hip bones through her clothing.
She glances down at his shirt skeptically. Is it possible for him to already be close to recovery? Did the force allow for that rapid of healing? He'd healed her arm on Kashyyyk, but that wound had been nowhere near as severe as his.
His eyes lock onto hers as he reassures, "I'll be fine." Ben raises a hand to twirl her hair around his finger lazily, gaze still searching hers. She bites her lip nervously as she feels the heat return between them, a quiet tension between their bodies. She searches for a diversion, a way to distract herself from the poorly timed desire that always seems to surge at his proximity.
"I feel it too," he says. His voice is low, rough with desire, his eyes unwavering. His intensity quickens her heart rate, and she has to drop her attention from his face.
"I can't think when you look at me like that," Jeyna admits with frustration.
"Then don't think," he suggests.
She fights back a smile, relaxing as he strokes her sides with his fingertips in gentle motions. "I don't even know what planet we are on."
"I don't either," he concedes. She grabs his hands, interlocking her fingers with his to pause his touches.
"Shouldn't we find that out? And we need to figure out what that device was near the star map," she reminds him. "I didn't tell Luke about it."
She returns her eyes to his, watching as the lust clears from his gaze as he registers what she said. "I forgot about that," Ben admits.
She nods slowly, releasing his grip to climb off of him. "It looks like a small holocron. But it didn't open when I touched it, like the others," she admits.
He pushes himself up into a sitting position, asking, "Can I see it? Where is it?"
Jeyna retrieves it from her abandoned clothes on the floor, bringing it to him. She holds it out in her palm tentatively, and he moves to take it. But when his hand comes within a centimeter of the dark, glassy surface, he hesitates.
"I can feel it in the force," Ben observes in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"It has energy to it, but not like something mechanical," he clarifies. "It feels… alive."
Jeyna's eyes widen at the statement, staring down at the innocuous object resting on her palm. The smoky substance filling it is moving quicker the longer Ben's hand hovers above it. She watches as it swirls faster and faster, building into a chaotic mess within the small confines of the device.
She opens her mouth to ask what they should do with it, uncertainty making her hesitant. But he drops his fingers down before she can speak, making contact with it.
A current of energy locks the muscles of her hand and arm in place, even as she tries to pull back from it. Her head is filled with a rushing noise like wind, pressure building behind her forehead. She raises her fearful eyes to Ben, and sees he looks just as startled as she is.
There are voices in the wind, she realizes. She cries out at the onslaught on her eardrums as they chant, in a language she has never heard before. The web of energy is there, thrumming with its life force, everything connected and alive. She feels the ancient language tying itself into the web, a strange power within the force that is beyond her grasp to understand.
She screams as the web is snapped, critical points blinking out of existence. The dream flares up in her memory, connecting with the ritual as it fills her mind, making sense of the experience for her. The small holocron contains the ritual of Nathema.
The chanting finally dies down, the words whispering and eventually fading to a wind, and then a static, and then silence. Her hand trembles uncontrollably as, at long last, she regains control of her muscles. She flinches, dropping the device at the same time Ben also releases it.
Jeyna's sobbing, tears already drenching her face at the intensity of the dark power that just flowed through her. Her head is pounding, and she feels sick to her stomach. Ben pulls her to him, his arms wrapping around her, attempting to comfort her.
They are both silent for a long time, his hand rubbing small circles on her back. She focuses on slowing her breathing, attempting to find calm. Once she feels steadier, she pulls her face from his chest. "We should destroy it," she whispers.
He frowns down at her. "I agree…"
She sees the reluctance in his eyes. "What is it?" she pushes.
Ben looks away before admitting, "I can feel them. The person in my head." He swallows hard, the Adam's apple of his throat bobbing with the nervous action. "I can sense them now. They want me to bring it to them."
Chills shoot down her spine as dread settles into her heart.
Not Much Later
"Are you sure we shouldn't bring Luke?" Jeyna asks, flinching as she mentions his uncle. The disgruntled look he gives her in return is enough of an answer.
He settles in the pilot's seat. "I don't want his help. I'll finish this on my own," he insists. "You should stay here, where you'll be safe. He can look after you until I return."
She sits, buckling up and ignoring the same argument he's been repeating. His attempts at persuading her to stay out of harm's way have been useless. "I'm going with you," she insists stubbornly. "Isn't he going to come after us? We're stealing his ship."
"It isn't his ship. It's my fathers," Ben reminds her. "I don't even know why Luke has it."
Jeyna frowns, wondering that herself. Is it possible his father had let Luke borrow it, hoping it would assist him in recovering his son? "Well, then, are we sure we want to steal your father's ship?"
His hands move on the control panel, and she hears the engines start up. "Yes. We're very sure about that," he confirms. She grips the armrests as he lifts off suddenly, the ship lurching energetically from the hillside. He pilots it roughly, gaining altitude as quickly as possible.
She soon spots why. Down on the island, she can make out the sight of another ship. She recognizes it vaguely, as it looks like an older model of the Resistance pilot, Poe's ship. A dilapidated X-wing. Jeyna quickly loses sight of it as they climb too high, but Ben confirms what she was wondering.
"Luke's going to try to chase us. I can lose him, though," he says. She grits her teeth as he throws the ship into full throttle, entering space a moment later. Another moment, and they are in hyperspace.
Exiting Hyperspace
They drop out of hyperspace near a planet that looks ghostly and pale, somewhere in the unknown regions. It orbits a weak star, the light from it barely illuminating any of the world's surface. There looks to be a ghostly halo surrounding it, giving it the appearance of a smoky orb.
"This is where you feel it?" she asks Ben, frowning reluctantly when he nods in response. She can feel the darkness of the place, reminding her of Freedon Nadd's tomb. An energy is lingering, and as he pilots them closer, it builds.
"This planet is entirely within the dark side," he says needlessly.
Jeyna licks her lips, pulse racing with fear. "I can feel that," she admits.
He glances at her, his eyes appearing apologetic. "I shouldn't have brought you…"
"We're in this together," she argues, even as her stomach lurches when they drop through the atmosphere.
He doesn't answer, his face both sad and determined. They land minutes later, descending between two huge cliff faces to settle in the bottom of a gorge. Nervous energy settles between them, both reluctant to speak as they make their way to the main hold. The door opens to the planet, and Jeyna stops herself from physically recoiling.
The landscape before her is rocky and foreboding, illuminated in flashes of blue. Ben departs first, and she notices his pace is slower, more unsure of himself than normal. She follows, fighting her fear with the sheer determination to be by his side when he confronts whoever or whatever has been messing with his mind.
They make their way along the gorge, impossibly high cliff faces rising on either side of them. When she looks up, she can see blue streaks of lightning colliding with the ground high above them. She stumbles on a rock, refocusing her eyes on the terrain. The dark side energy wears on her nerves, pulling on her, ravenous. She does her best to block it out.
It isn't long before their path narrows, the rock faces drawing close together. They pass through an opening, rounding a large boulder, and she nearly runs into Ben as he comes to a sudden stop. Looking around, Jeyna realizes they've entered a huge space. It almost resembles a stadium, ringed in staggered sections of stands that are empty. The entire area is surrounded by the rock face, arching up overhead into a dome that is cracked open to show peeks of blue lightning flashing on the sky.
She sees as Ben pulls his lightsaber out, even as he doesn't ignite it. He moves forward cautiously, and she follows, her eyes landing on the structure in the center of the space. It is a cruel looking tower of stone spikes, stabbing upwards in a radial pattern. They are huge, towering up overhead.
Jeyna feels a wave of revulsion as she focuses on the center of the structure. There is a seat carved into the middle of the spikes.
There, sitting on the bizarre throne, is a twisted version of a man. He is propped up by a series of cables and supports, his body looking wasted away beneath the all black robes. But it is his face that disturbs Jeyna the most. His skin is gray, hanging loose in rumples beneath his eyes. His flesh looks like it is rotting, barely clinging to the bones of his face beneath that sickly yellow gaze. He looks like an animated corpse as he raises bony hands to greet them. It doesn't take much guessing on Jeyna's part to assume this is a dark side force user. Likely what she's staring at is a Sith.
"Ah. Finally, you come to me. My young apprentice," he says, and she is surprised that his voice is strong. She'd expected it to be as weak and decayed as his body appears.
"It's you," Ben says, tone showing his contempt. "You're the voice from my head."
"I've been every voice inside your head," he confirms. "When you stared at the mask of Vader, did you really think it was your grandfather speaking to you? No. It was me, all along. Since you were in your mother's womb."
Jeyna flinches at the thought of this ghoulish creature tormenting Ben since his creation, her stomach lurching with disgust. She looks to Ben's face, and sees it is set with anger. His hand is clenching tightly to his lightsaber at his side, his eyes poisonous with hatred.
"Yes, even Snoke," the Sith confirms, apparently reading Ben's thoughts. "He was merely a puppet. It has always been you and I, Kylo. Since the beginning. We are master and apprentice."
"I am not your apprentice," Ben hisses. "I choose my own path."
"And yet look where your path has taken you," the other man answers with delight. "Right to me. And you've brought me something, haven't you? The ritual of Nathema?"
Jeyna feels the small holocron grow hot in her pocket, vibrating with energy. She gives Ben an alarmed glance, and sees panic fill his eyes as he looks back at her.
The Sith's face crumples in a sick imitation of a smile. "Yes. The ritual will allow me to gain power by stripping the force from worlds. And with the Infinite Engine, I'll be able to raise entire systems for slaughter. I will become unstoppable."
Ben doesn't answer him, turning his eyes from Jeyna to glare at the Sith Lord. His lightsaber ignites, the red beam crackling the air.
The wasted man on the throne laughs, voice full of mirth. "Ah. That is what you want, isn't it? To strike me down, full of hatred?"
Ben takes a step forward, raising his weapon. His stance becomes aggressive. Jeyna startles as he pushes her backwards with the force, her feet sliding across the floor until he lets her come to a stop much farther from the throne.
"Yes! You hate me, I feel it, raging in you. I've haunted your dreams since you were a little boy. I plagued you with fear, I stalked your every moment with darkness. You can end it. Take your revenge! Kill me!" he screams, yellow eyes suddenly flaring with a supernatural glow beneath the black hood.
Ben prowls forward at the same time Jeyna's intuition surges, understanding that he's playing into some sort of trap. "Ben, don't!" she screams. "This is what he wants!"
He pauses at the same time as a voice calls from behind them. She recognizes the gruff tone of its owner. "She's right, Ben."
She turns, relief filling her at the sight of Luke. He strides forward, towards the center of the room, his gaze focused on the dessicated husk on the throne.
"Any Sith struck down in hatred by their apprentice doesn't truly die. That's what you learned from your Master, isn't it, Sidious?" Luke asks the Sith. The malevolent yellow eyes glare back at Skywalker, narrowing. "How many Sith are locked into that body with you? Hundreds? Thousands?"
Luke comes to a stop as a furious energy fills the cavernous space. Jeyna can sense her hair rising, nerves flinching in her skin, as the ominous feeling builds. She turns her gaze from the Sith, Sidious. She gasps in terror as she realizes the stadium around them, which had been empty only moments ago, is now filled.
The stands are packed full of what look like apparitions, shadowy figures filling the entire space. She realizes they are ghosts, the flashing blue electricity illuminating the fact that they are not corporeal. They've appeared in response to Luke's question, and she doesn't dare to guess at a total number.
"His body isn't strong enough to contain them for much longer, Ben. It's why he needs you. This has been his plan for you, all along," Luke says. "You're powerful enough to survive the transfer."
Jeyna understands with terrifying clarity. Ben's meant to be their final host, his natural power reinforced by the energy stolen through the ritual of Nathema. The Sith that could take possession of him would find immortality, using the ritual and engine in an endless cycle.
She's relieved to see the red beam of his lightsaber droop, as reason apparently wins out over his rage. But it is a brief relief, before Sidious screams in a fury.
She is flung backwards by the force of the lightning storm he unleashes, even as he doesn't target her. The blast of electricity strikes Ben and Luke, both raising their lightsabers at the last second to attempt to deflect it. Jeyna feels like the heat in the air is burning her skin, even at this distance. She winces at the brightness as she can't tear her gaze away from the awful sight.
Both Ben and Luke are being pushed backwards, the lightning surging towards them in waves from Sidious' fingertips as he cackles and shouts. She can feel the force pounding from Ben through their connection, as he uses it to shield himself from damage.
A burst of energy surges from Luke, forcing the electrical storm back towards the Sith Lord. He screams as it reaches him, and the nauseating smell of burnt flesh reaches Jeyna's nose almost immediately. The lightning falters, and Luke pounces forward. A moment later, however, the Sith Lord jerks his hand, pulling Luke forward roughly.
She jerks at the sharp impact of the Jedi's body with one of the spiked pillars surrounding the throne, his form falling onto the floor with a thud.
Sidious turns his attention on Ben, and Jeyna can feel the conflict arise between them in the force. Ben is making ground, advancing on him steadily, lightsaber lit. His strength in the force is overwhelming the Sith Lord, she can feel it pushing past the wall of dark energy Sidious sends out. She watches fearfully, unsure what Ben intends to do. If what Luke said is true, he can't kill him.
It doesn't seem to matter. When Ben has gained too much ground, within striking distance of the throne, Sidious snarls.
Jeyna screams as she is ripped from the ground, pain surging throughout her body in screaming waves. The agony rips along her spine, jerking her body into a curved contortion. It blinds her, her vision going bright white as breathless gasps leave her. She can't find air to fill her lungs, every fiber of her body tortured. Her mind detects the sound of Ben screaming as if it is distant, coming to her from some far place.
It ends as soon as it began, and she is left to collapse into a pile on the hard ground. Jeyna tries to push herself up, but her sense of balance is careening wildly. Her vision swirls back into focus, and she sees it when Sidious hits Ben with a terrifying blast of energy, sending him flying backwards from the throne. Sobs wrack her desperate gasps for air, her body still echoing with agony.
Her pain has distracted Ben, apparently giving the Sith Lord the upper hand. He strikes out again, with a surge of electricity, and Ben loses his grip on the lightsaber in favor of throwing his hands up. He barely manages to shield himself from the lightning, gathering enough of the force to block it.
The lightsaber tumbles to a stop between them, and Jeyna watches in horror as Sidious rises. The mechanical gears he is attached to shift and grind, the cables pulling taut as he is lifted like a demonic puppet.
"I tried to tell you, she makes you weak!" he screams, disgust filling his voice. "But we'll kill her, just as soon as we finish this!"
Ben roars with rage in response, the sound animalistic. She can feel their force energies battling, but his is too chaotic. He's lost focus, his worry for her flooding their bond.
He's lifted suddenly from the ground, levitating as his body twists and his shouts turned pained. She screams at the sight, feeling his suffering through the link. She desperately searches for Luke, trying to focus through the phantom of Ben's pain to find a way to help. Skywalker's body is gone, no longer laying by the spike where he'd fallen.
Where is he? Another scream comes from Ben, pain flashing through her awareness, and panic makes her heart explode with every thump inside her chest. She has to do something. She can't stand witnessing his torture. Her eyes fall to the lightsaber, her hand flying to her pocket. The holocron. Could she distract the Sith Lord long enough to give Ben a chance?
She scrambles forward, snatching the weapon from the ground. She fumbles for the switch at the same time she pulls the small device from her pocket. The red beam of light energy bursts from the handle, heating her face.
Sidious' wicked yellow eyes turn their focus from Ben to her, as she sees a dark figure creep up behind him. She recognizes the shape of Luke, his green lightsaber ignited as he sneaks towards the Sith. Sidious appears too distracted to notice the Jedi drawing closer.
"NO!" he screams, letting go of his force hold on Ben. She sees Ben crash to the ground, as she stabs his lightsaber down into the holocron.
Luke drives the green point of his lightsaber through the Sith Lord's chest, as the energy from the holocron travels up the unstable red beam, hitting the lightsaber handle and fracturing the metal there. Jeyna's eyes widen in fear as the kyber crystal explodes, simultaneous with the holocron's destruction. The blast of energy throws her backwards, her head colliding with something hard as her body burns like it has been scorched everywhere. The pain is intense, but fleeting. It gives way to darkness.
