A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry this chapter is a bit late in coming... I was stuck on a future chapter again and then I was out of town for a bit without a chance to sit down and really try to hash it out. But, better late than never, as the old expression goes. Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed this story- again, you amazing people keep me writing. Thanks also to FenrisInside and Leona2016, both of whom have helped me immensely with this chapter and those before (and those after). Y'all rock!

Thanks again to everyone and hope you all are staying healthy and safe. Take care of yourselves until next time!

RedPandaJoy: *bows* your wish is my command;)

Ben let out his breath in a rush that was lost in the high whine of the TIE's engines as the ship disappeared up the tunnel. She would be safe. Her weariness had grown apparent in the hours since they'd found Temiri, though it had still surprised him when she'd openly admitted it and offered to take the boy to Corann's transport. He'd known, then, how deep her exhaustion truly ran.

Now that he was in the safety of Canto Bight's spaceport, the adrenaline that had been coursing through him for hours beginning to drain away, his own body began to ache with fatigue. Jai noticed him stumble and took a step forward, reaching to steady him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Ben said, brushing him off. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"We should all find a spot to stretch out and get some rest for a couple of hours," Sim said around a yawn. "Reinforcements came in an hour or two ago, so my platoon is trying to get some sleep before we go out again. The only reason I'm still standing here is because I was waiting to see if you lot turned up."

"If we turned up?" Tal said, with a wry smile. "Is that all the faith you have in your commanding officer?"

Sim cracked a grin and shrugged.

"There are bunks in a room back there," she said, pointing to the far side of the hangar. "If you can find one, it's yours. Or curl up somewhere else, if you like."

Ben nodded gratefully, staggering toward the room Sim had indicated, already half asleep. Jai stuck to him, the knight's eyes as bleary as his own. How was it that war could thrill them one moment and drain them the next? Eighteen hours since the battle began. Longer since he'd slept. Had it been a full day? He couldn't remember.

He collapsed on the cot without even bothering to remove his filth-encrusted boots. They hung off the end anyway- what difference did it make? He didn't even register the thin blanket against his cheek before his eyes flickered shut and he was claimed by the world of his dreams.

...

Ben walked in darkness, blind to his surroundings. He stretched out an arm, startling when his palm met cold stone.

"Where am I?" he asked.

His voice rang as if a great space had opened around him. Lightning split the sky, filtering down through crevices cut in the rock above and illuminating the cavern in an eerie blue-green light. Something about the place seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it.

A soft chuckle sent the hair on his neck upright and he spun, reaching for the saber at his belt.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

The familiar voice laughed again. Ben's fingers went tight around the hilt of his weapon.

"The bane of your grandfather, perhaps," said the voice. "Or his salvation. It depends on how you look at things."

Ben backed against the wall, saber brandished in front of him.

"What do you want?"

"What I always have. You could aid me- you could rise and become a new Vader."

Ben shook his head.

"No."

"No?" repeated the voice, amusement dancing in its undertones. "You used to crave his strength."

"What do you know of my desires?" Ben growled, his anger fighting to overcome the terror that clawed at him.

"More than you know," replied the voice. "My boy, you can hide nothing from me. I know of the scavenger and of the bond between you."

"You won't have her," Ben shot back, dread making his skin crawl. "I won't let you."

"But I already do," said the voice, chuckling again. "I have you, don't I, son of darkness. If I have you, then I can reach her."

Ben's heart stuttered in his chest, fear freezing his blood.

"What do you want with her?"

"She is of me. I seek only to reclaim what is mine."

"Kylo. Wake up."

Ben jerked awake to find Jai staring down at him.

His heart pounded against his ribs and his breaths came in sharp gasps. A constricting terror wrapped itself around his throat, drawing tight. Disoriented, he flung out an arm to steady himself on the side of the cot. Ghosts played before his eyes, half images shimmering in the low light. He saw the shadowy figure of Rey kneeling, hands clamped over her mouth, eyes squeezed shut as sobs wracked her thin shoulders. He reached out for her, but before his fingers brushed against her tunic, her eyes snapped open and met his. They went wide in surprise and fear and then, abruptly, she was gone. There was a deep emptiness to the air around him and in his mind that told him she'd cut herself off again.

He hated it but couldn't deny that he was relieved. The voice in his dreams was too near- the low chuckle and the arrogance of the claim that it would find Rey and reclaim her. Ben blinked his gritty eyes and tried to sort through the jumble of his thoughts. Was the dream another warning from the Force? If it was, who or what was it warning against? Snoke? But it hadn't sounded like Snoke. Not exactly.

Ben felt Jai's hand on his shoulder and glanced up at the knight's worried expression.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just a nightmare," Ben said, working his jaw as he tried to acclimate to the sensation of being alone in his own head again; both Rey's presence and the strange voice now silenced. "What's going on?"

"We're getting ready to move out. Tal got a report that the Resistance is trying to evacuate the planet. From what he told me there's a large group of them heading for the far side of the city. Sounds like they have a few temporary bases set up and several transports there. That's where the x-wings have been coming from, but we haven't been able to get close. That'll be our job. Everything else is up to the TIEs."

Ben nodded, slinging his legs over the side of the cot. The barracks had become a hive of activity around him, troopers tugging on helmets and checking blasters. He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a long breath.

"How long did I sleep?"

"An hour, maybe less. Tal just got the message."

Ben nodded, still groggy, and groped at his side for his saber before he found it, still clipped to his belt. His muscles cried out in protest as he got to his feet, bringing him fully into waking. He'd forgotten just how old war made him feel. He ignored it, and the stiffness and aching eased away gradually, each step coming a little easier as he followed Jai out the door and back into battle.

...

Ben ducked to one side as a plasma bolt blew chips of stone back at him as it took a chunk out of the building behind him. He swore through his teeth, blinking away dust and shards of clay. He deflected another bolt into the ground and strode forward, one arm raised before him. A shining streak of plasma froze before him in the air, crackling and hissing like his saber. Jai surged ahead, running for the wall behind which the Resistance had barricaded themselves. The knight flung something high over the structure, then quickly ran back toward Ben. An explosion rocked the earth a few seconds later and there were shouts and cries of pain from the enemy.

Blaster fire rained around them and several TIEs screamed by overhead, firing down on the Resistance ships beyond the wall. The reinforcements had made all the difference. They'd managed to oust the Resistance from their positions, gaining footholds in the city until they'd backed the rebels into a corner. Albeit a corner with an escape route, but that was what the TIEs were for.

Behind them, Tal was organizing a line of stormtroopers for a rush at the wall. Ben glanced at Jai and motioned to the barrier.

"You ready?"

"Whenever they are," Jai said, jerking his chin over his shoulder toward the troops.

As they spoke, Tal finished his instructions and made a run for them, dodging blaster fire as he did.

"Now!" the Captain shouted.

Ben nodded and flung out an arm toward the wall as he wrenched at the Force. At his side, Jai did the same. With a sound like small thunder, it blew backwards in pieces, dust rising as the masonry crumbled to the ground. Tal shouted an order and the troopers began to pour fire into the breach.

Ben vaulted the rubble, his saber lit and Jai at his back. The knight's teeth were bared in a fierce snarl; an expression Ben hadn't seen for a long time. Not since their days as younglings, training under Snoke's scheming eyes. The grimace drew other memories up from the depths of his mind. Unwanted memories he'd locked there so many years ago: memories of screams and the crimson light of his saber flickering across the destruction he'd wrought-

The hiss of a blaster bolt next to his ear brought him fully back to the present. He threw himself sideways, out of the line of fire, before righting himself and rushing headlong into the battle. The Resistance forces were backing towards the ships, blasters raised and firing so that he had to weave to avoid death. The rising scream of the engines of the ships pierced his ears and he slid to a halt; hands instinctively thrust out before him. He couldn't let them escape.

One of the ship's engines sputtered and died with a high shriek and another's imploded as Ben twisted on the Force around him. Lightning branched from his fingertips to flash across the surface of a third ship, arching out toward the ground and killing several of the Resistance unlucky enough to be in its path. Sparks flew from the electronics, destroying any hope the ship had of taking off.

It was worth the pain. If it meant that his younglings were safe for one day more, it was worth it-

With a gasp, the lightning vanished, leaving behind air that smelled sharp and burned the inside of Ben's nose. He fell to one knee, the pain overtaking him. The noise of battle still went on around him, but it seemed vague and somehow far away. He was separated from it as though he were seeing it all through a veil.

And suddenly, he felt her. She wasn't visible, but her presence had returned; the familiar and comforting pressure in his mind. He breathed again, coming back to himself. Fire licked the metal skins of the transport vessels, tarnishing the shining silver and sending clouds of thick black smoke billowing over the ground. The remaining Resistance forces staggered about, coughing and blind in the thick air. Several stormtroopers rushed past him, quickly subduing them.

Ben got to his feet again, staring about at the destruction. Jai was in the thick of it, as he always was, helping the troopers bind the hands of the captives and barking commands as they ran into and out of the transports, searching for hidden enemies. Ben flexed his fingers, twitching them towards the saber he'd dropped as the lightning built around him. He clipped it to his belt and strode toward the kneeling prisoners. They cowered away from him, cringing as his shadow fell across them. He didn't look at them. He couldn't. He saw his mother in them. The same spark of hope that they could be free. Wasn't it the same ember that glowed in his own chest?

"Take them back to the Finalizer," he said. "I'll perform the interrogations myself."

"But there's more than twenty-" began Tal.

"Just do it, trooper," Ben shouted, his temper finally flaring with a sudden bone deep weariness.

Tal flinched, but dipped his head in acknowledgment before he signaled his troops to drag the captives to their feet. Ben was watching them filing away through the debris, trying to find the rage that would silence his misgivings, when he felt Rey again. Closer this time.

"Kylo!" Jai barked, just as a creeping feeling of dread seized Ben and tugged him away from the bond.

Rey's presence faded inside his head and he spun, saber drawn, just in time to see a dark shadow disappearing behind a pile of rubble. Something about it sent a cold shiver down his spine. There was a danger here that he couldn't name.

Somewhere out in the darkness, something snarled and there was a snapping noise and a yelp. Ben tracked the sound, taking a better grip on his saber. Jai edged closer to him, his weapon flaring to life as he took up a position at Ben's back.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," Jai said. "But I can guess, and I don't like it."

They stood still, peering through the smoke. Silence reigned, the noise of the troopers having drawn away. Tal was gone. The space around them was empty. There was another low growl and Ben saw reflected light glittering in several pairs of eyes. Slowly, dark sinuous bodies crept out of the shadows, the strange creatures winding nearer. Long tails lashed their bodies, and sharp teeth glinted, exposed in an eerie grin.

"It's those animals I was telling you about," Jai muttered. "The ones that the Resistance kept at the fathier track."

Ben glanced to his right, only to see more of the beasts creeping forward.

There was something about the creatures, something more than the simple signature in the Force that all living things possessed. It was different. Uncanny. Almost human. Ben thought he knew now what the boy from the sewers meant when he'd spoken of monsters.

Ben drew on the Force, readying himself to strike, and the growls of the animals pitched lower. Their heads swung toward him and they crouched, ready to spring. Ben felt the collective malice of those gleaming red eyes as an almost physical blow. He backed up a step, bumping Jai's shoulders.

"I see what you meant when you said you'd hate to meet one of these without a weapon."

Jai didn't have a chance to reply before a few of the gathering animals lunged forward from the pack, their tails striking out before them. Ben swung, severing the appendages with a quick backhanded stroke before he managed to stab one between the forelegs. The creature yelped and went limp, falling to the ground. The rest fell back, snarling and snapping at one another.

Ben brandished his saber at them, ready for another attack. They circled, teeth bared and coarse brown fur bristling along their backbones. He caught the next animal as it leapt, slicing it into two pieces. Behind him, Jai grunted as he killed another. The animals began to grow wary, their long ears laid flat against their heads, and their lips pulling back tighter over bared teeth. Their tails whipped through the air above them, coiling and twisting like snakes as they stalked just out of reach.

Without waiting for the next lunge, Jai thrust out a hand. Ben felt a ripple run through the Force as the circling creatures were thrown backwards into the piles of rubble. A few got to their feet again. Most did not. Ben reached for the Force, the familiar burning pain of the lightning traveling down his arms toward his fingers. The remaining animals cringed away, growling, before turning and running off into the night. The blue sparks died in Ben's hand and the deep shadows closed in once again.

Jai let out a low whistle and stepped forward to nudge one of the bodies with his foot. Ben focused on keeping himself standing upright. The adrenaline was draining away again, leaving him feeling shaky and unstable on his feet.

"I'm taking one of these things to Decha," Jai said. "I want to know what they are."

Ben looked around at the dead animals lying at their feet and nodded.

"Let me know what you find out. Anything we can discover about them could help us."

Jai bent closer to examine the animal's paws before lifting the limp body and slinging it over one of his shoulders as he turned to Ben.

"This is where I leave you, old friend. Comm if you need me. We're all on standby."

"I have Rey."

"And she's strong, but she's as tired as you are. Don't wait until it's too late to ask for help. You've always been that way, Kylo. Don't make the same mistake again."

"What do you know of my mistakes?" Ben snapped, his irritation getting the better of him.

Something like anger flickered through Jai's expression.

"I know it because it's the same mistake I made," he said, his voice low and full of his pain. "You aren't the only one Snoke took captive, Kylo. Remember that."

The knight turned and walked away into the darkness, leaving Ben alone to regret his words.

...

The transport rocked and shuddered as it left Cantonica's atmosphere, and Ben was glad when the ship's movement smoothed in the stillness of space. Jai had gone long before it took off. He'd seen the knight's TIE screaming over the city on its way to Corann and Decha's ship. Around him, Tal and his soldiers spoke in quiet voices, their exhaustion subduing the exuberance of victory. It had been a battle hard-won, and fewer were returning than had fought.

Ben closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall behind him. Sleep called to him, but something held him back. The bond had opened again, and Rey's fear and confusion had come crashing through into his mind. Her nervous energy puzzled him. He could tell she wasn't in danger, but something had her on edge, and no matter how hard he tried she wouldn't let him in to see what was bothering her.

The floor beneath him canted as the pilot guided the ship through the mag-con field and into the hangar. The ramp lowered and Ben disembarked among a crowd of troopers with Tal at his side. As soon as he was free of the ship's confines, Tal removed his helmet, pulling in a deep breath. Ben smiled at the relief on the man's face.

"Good to breathe free?" he asked.

"More than you know," Tal said, then winced when he realized what he'd said.

"It's alright," said Ben, chuckling. "I know what you mean."

His laughter died as the bond tugged at him and he caught sight of a dark figure with the corner of his eyes. He turned to see Rey weaving her way through the crowd toward him. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and she held herself stiffly, arms crossed tight over her stomach. She looked utterly lost, the entirety of her being betraying the exhaustion that seemed to have only grown since he'd last seen her.

She stopped a few feet from him, fingers twisting the cloth band at her wrist. When he took a step toward her, she backed up, fear streaking across her face. The movement unsettled him. What had happened to her? In the space of a few hours she'd grown afraid of him again, as she had been at the very beginning. Carefully, he extended his hand to her. She didn't take it, but she didn't retreat either.

"What's wrong, Rey?" he asked, opening his mind to her to allow her thoughts in.

But Rey held the door closed against him. He could sense nothing but the hazy swirl of emotion that hid her thoughts from him better than any fog.

"Not here," she whispered, her face paling as she shook her head, her eyes going to Tal.

Ben glanced around him. More transports were arriving, releasing hundreds of stormtroopers into the hangar to swarm around them. He realized, belatedly, that they were standing in the middle of a crowd. For a reason he could not name, it made him uneasy. Something inside was screaming for him to move- to get out from under the thousands of eyes.

"Alright," he said, the restless anxiety only growing as he began to guide Rey away.

The sense of alarm increased even as they moved, and Ben found himself scanning the hangar bay, angling his body just slightly to shield Rey's exposed back. She seemed to be feeling the same apprehension, moving like a hunted animal, arms shielding herself. He was just about to ask her what she was sensing when she went rigid. A cold terror rushed through him in the same moment.

Something was wrong.

It was the last warning Ben had before his world dissolved into madness and pain.