The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise

by Mnkjango

It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. Rated T for violence, heavily AU. A partial rewrite of the Sequel Trilogy, beginning about halfway through The Last Jedi (but with changes that take place beforehand), in which I attempt to fix most of the problems I had with the Sequels. If you liked the Sequels, you don't need to read this. Full list of changes inside. No romance.

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this took so long guys, really. School got in the way, along with a lack of motivation to write, but I am back to finish this story!

Well guys, I hate to break it to you, but this is the second to last chapter, and the last one with conflict. The battle between Jedi and Sith is decided in this chapter once and for all… though who wins you'll have to read for yourself. The next chapter will deal with the aftermath and putting things to rest. So read on to find out the fate of the galaxy….

Finn couldn't help but feel despair as he and the rest of the Resistance fought for their lives. It had been bad enough when they'd had to deal with the Stormtroopers and the Knights of Ren. Then some of the transports had landed in the courtyard next to their own, and they'd found out what was in them: battle droids. Lots and lots of battle droids. They were terrible shots and easy to down, but it didn't matter - they weren't meant to be effective individually. Plagueis was going for sheer, overwhelming numbers, enough to devastate the entire planet. And it was working. Finn could see several buildings had been attacked and were on fire. Many of their men had been shot down already, and Finn tried not to look at their bodies as he fired at the enemies surrounding them.

"We need to get back to the transports!" Finn yelled. They were still on the bridge, Sith Order troops on one side, droids on the other, and the Knights of Ren wreaking havoc somewhere within their ranks. "Get to the fleet!" Rose looked over to him. "Why?" she said. "We're just as outnumbered there as we are here!" Her voice was filled with despair, and Finn couldn't help but feel that she had a point. Still… "As long as we're alive, we still have a chance!" He yelled. "Just keep pushing!"

So they fought on, hoping for a miracle.

/

The battle was going extremely poorly, Leia noticed. She wasn't particularly surprised; they were outnumbered by about several hundred ships. The fighting was slowly descending into the atmosphere of the planet, the black of space partially faded into the blue of the Coruscant sky. At this point, she felt resigned to the idea of defeat, and probably her death. Still, she felt a jolt of fear when one technician announced that several fighters were heading towards the Tantive IV. And they weren't theirs.

"Vulture droids!" The technician said. "Five of them, closing in on our position! Any fighters in the area, we need assistance!" But there weren't any fighters in the area, and any that tried to get close were blown out of the sky. "Evacuate the ship," Leia yelled, cutting through the noise of the bridge. Lieutenant Connix, standing nearby, nodded, and gave the order. Alarms blared, and people rushed to the escape pods. The situation was just as bad on the ground, but hopefully they'd live to fight another day… if there was another day. She sighed sadly, a sigh betraying decades of sadness. "General Organa, we must go!" C-3PO called from the door. She realized they were the last two in the bridge. She nodded and followed the protocol droid out the door to the bridge.

In the halls, resistance members rushed in one direction, towards the escape pods. Leia, at the rear of the crowd, moved as quickly as she could, but at her age that wasn't saying much. She noticed C-3PO was getting ahead of her and allowed herself a small smile as she realized he was faster than her. She remembered the time in Echo Base where he'd barely kept up with her and Han in the halls. Now here she was, lagging behind him. How times change. She was broken from her thoughts when the entire ship rocked violently. She was slammed against the wall by the force of the impact and gripped it to keep from falling over. The vulture droids had hit the ship. She paled, but the shields seemed to hold, as a moment later the ship stabilized. Threepio turned to look at Leia. "Mistress Leia!" he called in distress, realizing how far behind him she was. He began moving back towards her to help her up-

And the ship shook again, even more violently. A muffled explosion was heard, then another. Suddenly the hallway between the two of them collapsed. Threepio cried out in distress, but the debris thankfully missed him. Leia pushed herself off the wall to see the hallway was impassable. She paled again. Through the debris, she could see Threepio trying to get the attention of a couple of the soldiers at the back of the evacuating crowd. A couple of them stopped and headed back over to them. "Threepio," she said, stopping him, "there's no point." as she said it, a sense of calm seemed to wash over her. She knew her words were true. "But Mistress Leia, you must get off the ship!" Threepio protested. "Perhaps if you found an alternate route-" Leia shook her head sadly. "There isn't time." She knew she was right - the muffled explosion from the last round of fire was the shield generator giving out. The next volley that came would be the last. "But-" Threepio began. Leia cut him off. "Go," she said gently. "Tell Lieutenant Connix goodbye for me. And if you see Ben, tell him I love him." A sad smile appeared on her face. "And may the Force be with you."

Threepio was silent for a moment before replying. "It… it was an honor, Mistress Leia," he said, sadness in his voice. Then he turned and hurried off to the escape pods. The two soldiers that had come over to help were silent, but they gave Leia a sorrowful salute before departing as well. Leia watched him until he was out of her sight. Then she turned and headed back to the bridge. As she entered it, she looked around at the empty seats. With a small jolt of sadness, she realized this was the first time she'd ever seen them empty. She knew they'd been empty before, just recently, too, but seeing the ship like this made her feel a sense of finality. She sat down in one of the empty chairs and leaned on her cane with a sigh.

She turned to the hologram of the ship, and watched as the pods dropped away, one by one. "May the Force be with you," she said again, almost a whisper, as the last one vanished, leaving her alone on the ship. Slowly, the red arrows representing the vulture droids drew closer. Still, the sense of calm she'd felt before remained, and her sad smile reappeared. She wasn't afraid of the end, because she knew it wasn't really the end; not entirely. She closed her eyes, her expression serene. And with her last breath, she spoke one word.

"Ben…"

Then the world was on fire, and then it was nothing.

/

Ren felt like he'd been punched in the gut suddenly. He doubled over in his seat in the transport speeder, but the trooper driving either didn't notice or didn't care. He quickly straightened back up. He looked over to the backseat, where the still unconscious Rey laid. Her face looked troubled, and he wondered if she'd felt Leia's death, even in her sleep. He turned back to look forward, at the rapidly emptying sky lanes and the Imperial Palace slowly approaching in the distance.

Ren didn't understand why it had hit him so hard. Or why he'd heard her voice say his name. He didn't have any connection to his mother any more. She'd given him to the Jedi, and look where that had gotten him. No, she'd been dead to him for a while. Now she was just dead to the rest of the world, too. Good. It's what she deserved. So why did his chest hurt so much?

And why, underneath his helmet, was a tear trailing down his cheek?

/

They were in the middle of a training session when her master suddenly stood up, his expression turning serious. Rey looked up at him in concern. "Master?" she asked. "What is it?" He looked down at her. "I sense something through the Force," he said. "It feels like…" he trailed off. For a moment, he was still. Then, suddenly, he got down on one knee and placed his hand on Rey's shoulder. "Rey," he said, "You're old enough now that I trust you. Can you handle being on your own for a couple days? I have to go somewhere, and I have to take Bee with me, this time." Rey thought about that a moment. At the age of nine, the longest she'd ever been by herself had been for a couple hours, maybe. Now her master was asking her to be by herself for days.

But he'd also said it was because she was a big girl. Her master trusted her. She wouldn't betray that trust. She nodded. "Yup," she said. "I can do that." He smiled at her. "Good." He stood up and gestured to Bee. "Come on, bud," he said, and headed for the door. Before he stepped through it, he stopped and turned to look at her again. "May the Force be with you," he said with a smile. Then he was gone, his droid in tow, and Rey was alone.

A day passed. Then two. Then five. Rey grew increasingly concerned as each day passed, but tried to stay hopeful. Her master ran into some trouble, she'd tell herself, but he'd get out of it. He always did. One week turned into two. The food supply got smaller. Rey would spend hours staring at the desert outside the door. She'd wait, hoping to see her master's speeder appear on the horizon, but it never did.

On the last day of the third week, she broke. She ran outside, running until she reached the edge of the property, marked by a ring of moisture vaporators. She fell to her knees in the sand, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at the sky. "COME BACK!" she screamed at it. Her voice echoed throughout the desert, but no one heard her. She screamed until her throat was raw, but still no one heard her. She didn't know or care how long she sat there, but eventually the sun set, and still she sat there, now silent, tears still on her face.

Three days later, a child wandered into Niima outpost, a staff in her hand, a bag of various metal items over her shoulder, and a stony face. She asked around until she found someone who took scrap for food. She sold everything that had been in her master's hut. She never knew what happened to him, but she never thought about it. Maybe, she thought, one day he might come back, and everything could go back to normal.

So Rey left her master's hut, but stayed on Jakku, waiting for a man that never came.

/

Rey's eyes flew open, and she sat up with a jolt. For a moment, she was confused as to where she was. She looked around. She was in the back seat of a speeder, which was parked on the ground outside a massive structure with five spires on top. Sitting in the front passenger seat was Ben, and the sight of him brought back the memory of their duel. He was in the process of getting out. The driver was watching silently, his face hidden beneath his white helmet. Ben turned to her to see she was up. "You're awake," he observed. "Come with me." Hesitantly, Rey got out of the speeder. It wasn't like she had a choice.

The moment she was out of the speeder, it drove away, and Rey was left alone with Ben at the base of the stairs leading to the structure. "What is this place?" she asked, curious despite her sense of dread. "Once, it was the Jedi Temple," Ben replied. "Now it's a palace." He began moving up the stairs, and Rey followed, looking at the building with a new sense of wonder along with an increased sense of dread. This place had once been the home of the Jedi Order, where those who followed the Code lived and trained. Ben's grandfather had lived here until his turn to the Dark Side. Now, Plagueis was sitting somewhere in there, probably on a throne, watching the Republic die with a smile on his face. And she was going to see him.

Still, as they entered the building, her sense of wonder came back a bit. She looked around at the vast, empty halls, trying to imagine what they had been like half a century ago, when they were full of Jedi. Had Anakin Skywalker walked down this hall? Had Master Yoda, or Obi-Wan Kenobi, the two Jedi who'd trained Luke? Had her master been down this corridor? That last thought was too painful, especially with the memory she'd just experienced in her mind. A part of her admitted that she'd hoped she might find him somewhere out here, or at least find out what happened to him, but she hadn't, and she wasn't sure what to think of that. She kept following Ben and tried not to cry.

Eventually, they arrived at an elevator. From how long they'd been walking, Rey thought it must go up to the central spire. She supposed it made sense Plagueis would be up there; who wouldn't want a throne with a view? She allowed herself to feel slightly bitter, and stepped into the elevator with Ben. The doors closed, and it began moving upward. With a jolt, she realized this was almost identical to the situation she'd been in months earlier, on the Supremacy. Once again, she was in an elevator, a prisoner, with Ben, going to see his master on a throne. And she still didn't know what to do. Luke had said she'd know when the time came; she was pretty sure that if any time was the time, it was right now.

She turned to look at Ben, hoping maybe looking at him would somehow inspire her, when she noticed that he was holding her saberstaff in his hands. She didn't know how she hadn't noticed while they'd been walking, but then again she'd been lost in thought. As she watched, he held it up and looked at it, then slowly twirled it. "Your ingenuity in making this is admirable," he said softly. "It's not perfect, but it's adequate. It's well-balanced." He twirled it once more. Well-balanced. The words seem to resonate with her for a reason she couldn't quite place. She turned away from him and tried to think why.

Well-balanced. I need to defeat Plagueis. The Light Side can't do it. There's a way to, but it's something… the Jedi wouldn't consider. It's not the Dark Side… at least… what did Luke say? Not fully? Not full Dark Side, something the Jedi wouldn't like…

… Balance.

It was like a million lightbulbs had gone off inside her head. Suddenly she knew what to do. It made sense. So much sense, in fact, that she felt like an idiot for not thinking of it when Luke had spoken to her on Isoltre. She turned back to Ben. "Ben," she said. "Ben, I know how to defeat Plagueis." He looked up from the staff in his hands and met her gaze beneath his mask. He said nothing, so Rey kept going. "Plagueis is a master of the Dark Side, so using the Dark won't work on him, but the Light Side alone isn't enough to beat him either." Ren kept gazing at her. "What's your point?" he said. She felt like she was about to explode as she kept talking.

"It's balance, Ben. Real balance. Both sides of the Force at once. Don't you see? The Jedi and Sith are both wrong. It's never been about Light versus Dark, it's about balance versus imbalance. As long as you only use one side, the Force will never be balanced, and the galaxy will never be at peace. But if you use both sides equally… Plagueis would never think it would be possible, none of the Sith would, so he doesn't have a counter. His immortality is dependent on the imbalance in the Force. If you use balance… you can kill him."

/

Ren stared at her silently as her words sank it. It seemed impossible, ridiculous, but… at the same time, it made perfect sense. Why hadn't she said this sooner? "So do it," he said. "Use both sides. Kill Plagueis." He let his hatred for his master show in his voice. Rey shook her head. "No, Ben," she said, "I can't. It has to be you." The world seemed to fall away, and Ren felt like ice water had been thrown at his face. "I…" he said, trailing off. He wanted to say no; he wanted to say he couldn't either, how could he? But he thought of the words Vader's Force ghost had said to him on Dantooine: The path of the Sith is not yours to take. The path of the Jedi is not yours, either. If he used both sides, he would be on neither path. He never would have thought of it, but it made sense. But... "Why me?" he asked. "Because you're the only one strong enough," Rey said. "You're the grandson of the Chosen One. It has to be you."

She grabbed his grandfather's lightsaber, still tied to the end of her staff which he held. "You once said you wanted to finish what your grandfather started." Ren didn't ask how she knew that; the connection they'd once shared had been remarkably strong. "So finish it," she continued. "Finish what Anakin started. Bring balance to the Force. It's your destiny." The words sunk in, cutting Ren to his core. This was the choice. This was the decision he needed to make. The fate of the galaxy, the fate of the Force itself, rested on his shoulders. And he didn't know what to do. He knew what he should do, but the choice seemed impossible.

He tightened his grip on the staff handle, trying to stop his hands from shaking. He looked at Rey's eyes. They were so full of light, of hope. They seemed to steady him, help him to think clearly. "I'm being torn apart," he said eventually, his voice broken. "I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it." Rey smiled at him, and the smile was so genuine that he couldn't help but feel more confident at it. "I know you do," she said softly. "You always have. You just needed help to see it." They looked at each other for a bit longer.

Then Ben Solo let go of the staff, leaving Rey holding it herself. She adjusted her grip. Hands still shaking, Ren reached up, lowered his hood, and removed his helmet. There were tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he said shakily. Rey's smile widened. "You're welcome," she said back. Together, they looked up at the ceiling of the elevator, where, past it, and rapidly growing closer, was Plagueis, and the final battle.

/

Poe soared through the battle, now fully in the atmosphere of Coruscant. He had lost hope the moment the Tantive IV was gone. He'd heard over the comms; Leia hadn't gotten off. She was gone. Their leader was gone, and with it any last hope they'd had of some miracle saving them. Poe looked around in despair as his squadmates, his friends, were shot down, their lives gone in flashes of fire, their screams cut off as they were engulfed and crashed into skyscrapers far below.

"I'm… I'm sorry, everyone," Poe said over the comms, despair filling his voice. He looked down. BB-8 whistled sadly. "I'm sorry. It's over. There's just… there's just too many of them." For a while, he thought that was it. He would sit like this until someone got a lucky shot on him, and he too plummeted to the ground below in a ball of flame. Then a voice cut through his stupor, shocking him to his core. "But there are more of us, Poe," it said. "There are more of us."

Poe looked up again, his eyes widening in shock. He steered his X-wing around a capital ship and froze. In the sky above them, appearing out of hyperspace, were more ships than Poe had ever seen in his life. They filled the entire sky, and more kept coming. Poe looked around the massive assembly of ships until he spotted one whose shape was intimately familiar to him. Over the comm, Poe heard Chewie roar triumphantly in the cockpit of the Falcon, followed by the voice from before laughing. Poe knew that voice. "General Calrissian?!" Poe exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Commander Dameron," Lando Calrissian replied, "I'm here to kick some Sith ass. So are you and your squad gonna help out, or do me and my friends get to do all the work?" Poe sat back in his seat, still absolutely shocked. Then his face broke into the widest smile he'd ever had. "We're all with you, General! Now let's show these Sith why they messed with the wrong people!" He replied, feeling absolutely euphoric. Over the comm, he heard the disbelieving cheers of his squadmates. All the ships were here now - there were almost sixty thousand of them. Freighters, starfighters, blockade runners - all piloted by people. Citizens from across the galaxy who'd held on hope for the Republic, and had answered the call to help when it had come. The Sith had thought they'd extinguished hope from the Galaxy, but here was the proof, assembled before them, that it wasn't. Far from it, actually. Hope was more alive than ever before, and now it was time to use it.

Together with the assembled ships and his squad, he turned around to face the now far outnumbered Sith fleet, and with a cry of defiance, he flew towards them, back into the fight.

/

Everyone on both sides of the battle stopped fighting to watch in shock as sixty thousand ships appeared and attacked the Sith fleet. The droids probably would have kept fighting, but most of them were destroyed. The battlefield fell into complete silence as they watched the suddenly changed battle above. Finn looked down and around at the others on the battlefield. As he looked at the shocked Stormtroopers, an idea formed in his mind. Pushing through the crowd of Resistance soldiers, he stepped in front of them, standing at the center of the bridge, right in front of the wall of troopers. "HEY!" he yelled, and the Stormtroopers all turned to look at him.

For a moment, there was more silence, as Finn prepared himself for what he was about to do. Then he started speaking. "You all know me," he said. "Probably. I think. FN-2187. Finn. The traitor. You know why I left the First Order?" He looked around at them. "Because I had a choice. I could follow orders… I could kill innocent people… or I could leave, and help them instead. I made my choice. And now you guys need to make yours." He pointed up. "You see that? We're winning up there. And down here? You're being replaced." He gestured to the broken droids on the ground, and a few Stormtroopers glanced nervously at the Sith troopers in their ranks, who looked uncertain. "The Sith Order doesn't care about you. They kidnapped you from your families and forced you to be soldiers. They brainwashed you. They made you think you didn't have a choice. But you do." He felt confident now, and he could feel the eyes of the Resistance soldiers behind him on his back. "If you turn around… if you help us win this… you can still do the right thing. You can still help people." He let that sink in a moment. "Or… you can keep fighting for the Sith, and end up in prison for life. Your choice."

There was another bout of silence following the end of his speech, only broken by the distant explosions overhead. Then, from behind the Stormtroopers, came the sound of metal footsteps. A large contingent of droids was approaching. Slowly, the Stomtroopers turned to look at the droids, then back at Finn. He braced himself as they stared at him. Then, as one, they turned to look at the droids again, raised their blasters, and fired.

The reaction was instantaneous. The droids began firing back. The Sith Troopers began attacking their white-armored former comrades but were quickly overwhelmed and crushed by their numbers. The Resistance soldiers surged forward to help the Stormtroopers with renewed determination. Somewhere behind them, the Mandalorians resumed dueling with the Knights of Ren. Finn saw Rose look over at him and give him a big smile, and he smiled back. Then he ran forward with the rest of them, and together, they fought the droids, hope slowly returning to them.

/

Plagueis had his eyes closed, his mouth set in a frown. The battle was turning against him, and he was most displeased. Perhaps the galaxy had not understood they were under his rule now. No matter; he always had another plan. His train of thought was interrupted, however, when the door to the throne room opened.

/

"PLAGUEIS!" Ben yelled as the throne room door closed behind him. Plagueis opened his eyes and observed silently as he and Rey walked to the center of the room and stopped. Ben held up his mask, then threw it to the floor at the foot of the throne. Plagueis looked at it for a moment before shifting his glare to Ben. "So," he said after a moment, his voice calm but annoyed. "Once again, an apprentice betrays me." Ben returned his former master's glare. Plagueis sighed. "Disappointing," he said, "but not surprising. I suppose you both plan to fight me?"

"The Sith will never rule the galaxy again," Rey said behind him. She stepped forward and ignited her saberstaff. Still glaring at Plagueis, Ben drew and ignited his own saber. Plagueis laughed, and stood up. "Do you really believe you can stop me?" he jeered, slowly walking down the steps of the throne. "Two children? You are more foolish than I ever thought." Ben's glare intensified. "You're the fool," Ben said. "We know how to kill you." He got into a ready position. "You'll never leave this room." Plaguies' smile turned into a frown. "So," he said, "the grandson of the Chosen One seeks to fulfill the prophecy for himself." Slowly, Plagueis reached into his robe and pulled out his own saber. "Do you really believe you are powerful enough to bring balance to the Force?" Ben didn't respond. Plaguies laughed again. "Then come, boy," he said, igniting his saber and holding it in front of him. "Come fulfill your destiny."

With a roar of rage, Ben lunged at Plagueis, Rey behind him. Behind him, he could feel the Praetorian Guards watching, but clearly they didn't dare interfere with their master's duel as it began. Ben swiped at Plagueis, but the Sith blocked it, then blocked Rey's swipe as well. He swiped at them himself, and they both dodged backwards. They exchanged more blows, each swiping at Plagueis from different angles, but he somehow managed to block three blades with his one. Meeting Ben in a saber lock, he unleashed a torrent of Force lightning at Rey, who barely managed to deflect it, the energy instead hitting and killing one the Praetorian Guards. Plagueis stopped, broke his lock with Ben, and lunged at Rey, but she dodged, then swiped at his back. He blocked effortlessly, then countered, but Ben cut off his strike with a parry.

As they fought, Plagueis laughed again, the noise echoing off the walls of the chamber as the duel for the fate of the galaxy intensified.

/

Armitage Hux was furious. He stood on the bridge of the Finalizer, watching as his forces were impossibly being defeated. This was unbelievable. He was the commander of the most powerful fleet in the galaxy. How was this hodge podge collection of civilian ships beating them? "All fighters engage the enemy!" Hux barked. "They are, general," a technician replied. He growled. Then suddenly, the bridge shook as the ship was hit with proton torpedoes. "Where's our fighter defense?" He roared. "They're all gone, sir!" the same technician said. "They've all been shot down. We're calling more over to- INCOMING!" Hux turned to see a fighter fire proton torpedoes right at the Finalizer's bridge. His eyes widened in terror. He turned and ran for the door, but it was too late.

The torpedoes hit the bridge, and the entire room was destroyed, along with everyone inside.

/

Poe whooped at the sight of the Finalizer's bridge going up in flames, leaving the ship dead in the water, slowly descending to the city below. That's payback for Tuanul, he thought fiercely. Then his attention was caught by other matters as a TIE Fighter began chasing after him. Trying to lose it, Poe angled his fighter down towards the city below. He flew between and around the tops of skyscrapers, but the fighter followed. "Hey, I need some help over here!" he yelled into the comm as he soared out of a chasm between two buildings.

Suddenly, the fighter chasing him exploded, the debris falling into the yawning chasm below them. An old T65B X-wing flew by him. "Thanks for the assist!" Poe called to the pilot over the comms. "Any time, Commander," the voice of Wedge Antilles replied. Poe did a double take, but before he could say anything - or ask for an autograph - a vulture droid swooped by, chasing an A-wing, and Poe took after it, shooting it down in seconds. As he looked around for another target, a crackly voice came over his comm. "Poe! That- fzzt - you?"

"Finn?" Poe called. "Yeah, I'm here. Where are you?" Finn's voice came back, less staticy this time. "You just swooped by underneath us." Poe looked back at the chasm he'd flown through to see a massive firefight happening on a bridge over it. There was a lot of white, but it looked like… "Are the Stormtroopers fighting with you?" he asked in disbelief. "Yeah," Finn said. "Listen, we're still outnumbered down here. The old ships brought a lot of droids with them, and if we don't do something soon we're not gonna last long down here." Poe thought for a moment. "They're B1s, right? Don't those normally have a control ship keeping them online?" There was silence save for blaster fire on the other end for a moment. "Maybe?" Finn said eventually. "Galactic history wasn't exactly a priority in Stormtrooper training."

"Don't worry, buddy, I got a plan!" Poe called back. "Just hang on!" He switched comm channels. "General Calrissian, do you read?" Lando's voice replied. "I sure do," he said. "What do you need?" Poe paused a moment to dodge some laser fire before replying. "Our ground forces need an assist," he called back. "They're outnumbered ten to one by droids. But I seem to remember that these guys need a control ship. Think you can have R2 find the signal? He fought in the Clone Wars, he should know what to look for." There was a pause for a moment before Lando replied. "He's already on it," he said, amusement in his voice. "He says it's coming from the Super Star Destroyer."

Poe looked around, spotting the ship in question quickly due to its size. He flipped his comm to all channels. "Alright everyone, listen up!" he said. "We gotta take out that Super Star Destroyer or our ground forces aren't gonna make it! So everyone target it!" He flew towards the ship, and around him he could see countless other fighters do the same. Together they flew towards the ship. Poe flew above it, looking down. He wasn't familiar with the ship class outside of stories. "Anyone know any weak spots?" he called. "Target the main engine!" a female voice called. "Hit it with enough firepower and it'll send the whole ship up in flames!" A VCX-100 freighter swooped by, heading for the engine in question, and Poe figured the speaker was piloting it. He nodded, though the person speaking couldn't see it. "Everyone hear that? Hit that engine!" He swooped towards it, a thousand fighters in tow.

/

Boba Fett had been in a lot of fights, but this one might have been one of the biggest. Not that it really mattered how big it was; the fact was he was here, and he'd fight until either he was dead, or the other side was. As time dragged on, the latter was looking more and more likely.

He dodged a strike from a Sith Trooper's baton, firing at their back with his EE-3. They fell with a thud, and he turned, scanning for more targets. His attention was drawn to a Mandalorian fighting one of those Knights of Ren. He rushed forward to help, but before he could the Knight took advantage of an opening and bisected the warrior. Fett stopped and watched as the body fell to the ground. The Knight turned to him. Slowly, Fett put away his blaster and drew the Darksaber. He ignited it, holding it in front of him. The Knight simply stared at him beneath his mask. Then, from the crowd, another Knight appeared next to the first. Behind him, Fett could hear three more. He knew immediately that they were the last ones. The others were likely killed by his fellow Mandalorians, and he allowed himself to feel a small bit of pride at that. He looked around at the Knights, standing in a circle with him in the middle.

"You're going to regret this," he told them. "I'm not called the best for nothing." There was no response. Fett allowed himself a small sigh. Then he lunged at them, swiping at one and meeting the steel of their vibroblade. Immediately he broke away to block a swipe from a second, dodged a third, and fired a laser blast from his gauntlet at a fourth. Each tried swiping at him, and each one was blocked. He had to admit they were good; they were coordinating with each other so that each one helped close gaps in another's defense, and each one swiped at a point they thought was vulnerable. But Fett was better. He might have had only one blade to their five, but he had decades more experience than they did.

And he was a Mandalorian.

And as the fight unfolded, the Knights of Ren began to understand the full meaning behind that status.

One of the Knights, growing careless, swung their axe at his head, and Boba ducked under it, swiping his saber at their torso. They let out a scream that was cut short as they were bisected by the Darksaber, in the same way they themselves had killed his fellow warrior. Fett turned to look at the other four, who seemed to have frozen in shock at the death of their comrade. As their body hit the ground, however, the others snapped out of it, immediately lunging at Fett again. He dodged one of them, using a short burst from his jetpack to get above and behind them and then kick downward, connecting with their back and sending them sprawling to the ground.

As Fett landed, he was immediately set upon by another Knight, who swung their vibroaxe at his jetpack, trying to remove his aerial advantage from the fight. They were fast, and the axe connected with the power core, causing a shower of sparks to fly out of it. Decades ago, this would have been followed by the pack malfunctioning and causing him to fly into the air with no control, as Boba had learned the hard way. Since then, however, he'd made some modifications. Instead of short circuiting the jetpack controls and causing uncontrolled ignition, the pack sensed the impact and channeled all its remaining power into the cause of the damage. The Knight of Ren screamed in pain as a massive amount of electricity surged through his body before dropping to the ground, his entire nervous system fried. Fett shrugged off the now useless jetpack and tossed it at another Knight, who stumbled backwards from the impact. Before they could react, Fett fired at one of the pack's fuel tanks.

The Knight was engulfed in an explosion, and Fett turned to the Knight he'd kicked before, who was on their feet again and in a combat ready stance. Fett leapt at them, swinging three times in rapid succession before getting caught in a blade lock. As he pushed into the lock, he drew a short metal pole from his back, which subsequently extended into a metal baton. He swung it at the Knight's face, causing them to yell in pain and stumble back, breaking the lock. Fett lunged while they were off balance, impaling them in the chest. He removed the blade from the Knight and swung around as they collapsed to see the last remaining Knight of Ren leaping at him. Fett blocked, but the Knight simply swung again, then again, the ferocity of his attacks catching Boba off guard. Finally, Fett dodged backwards at the next strike, putting distance between him and the Knight, and the Knight's strike hit empty air, causing him to overbalance. He regained his balance just in time for Boba to hit him directly in the chest with a laser blast from his gauntlet. The Knight flew backwards off the bridge, screaming as they fell into the chasm below.

Fett stood there quietly a moment, gazing at the dead Knights of Ren, before collapsing the baton and deactivating the Darksaber, putting both away. As he pulled out his EE-3 again, two of his Mandalorians ran up to him. One of them, seeing he had lost his jetpack, offered him her own, and he accepted it with a nod. Then, together with his warriors, he rushed back into the battle.

/

Ben was beginning to grow desperate as the battle wore on. No matter how hard they pressed, no matter how ferocious their attacks, Plagueis seemed to block every strike with little effort. As they fought, Ben tried to find balance, but it was hard not to give in fully to his rage, especially when the source of his suffering was right in front of him. Besides, he wasn't even sure what he was looking for, or if he even could find balance.

Ben swung at Plagueis' face, putting as much force as he could into the strike. Plagueis, laughing still, blocked him once again, then unleashed a wave of Force energy, sending both Ben and Rey skidding several feet away from him. Plagueis spread his arms wide in a theatrical gesture, his grin widening. "Do you see now, boy?" he called, putting emphasis on the word "boy". "Do you see that it is pointless to resist? You should not have betrayed me."

Plagueis' words sent another spike of anger through Ben's chest. "I never should have joined you," he spat back, glaring at Plagueis. "Ever since I did I've been nothing but your pawn." At this, Plagueis only laughed harder. "My dear boy, you were my pawn long before you ever became my apprentice." Ben growled at those words. "No," he replied, his anger only growing. "I listened to your poisonous words like a fool, but I was never yours. My decisions were my own. I never would have come to you if the Jedi hadn't betrayed me." Plagueis' grin would have been terrifying if Ben wasn't so angry. "Oh, you poor, foolish child. Have you never realized?" The heat of anger was diluted by fear as Plagueis continued. "Did you never wonder why your uncle, who believed in compassion and redemption above all else, attempted to kill you at the first sign of darkness within you?" Plagueis laughed once more, and when he spoke again his words ground Ben's thoughts to a halt. "It was me, boy," Plagueis said, his voice filled with wicked glee. "I influenced Skywalker's mind from across the galaxy. I placed the thought to kill you in his head. He was more powerful than I gave him credit for, and the thought was only in his head for a moment before he resisted me - but it was enough."

Ben was completely numb. Nothing existed anymore except for him and Plagueis. But Plagueis wasn't done. "When you fled to me, I saw the doubt in you," he continued, his glee rising. "When you awoke that night, it was I who spoke to you, as a Force projection in your grandfather's image. And the next day, you pledged yourself to my teachings." Plagueis spread his arms wide. "So you see, boy?" he finished. "You have always been my pawn, Ben Solo. You were mine from the very beginning." Dimly, Ben registered that this was the first time Plagueis had ever addressed him by name, but he was barely paying attention anymore. The one thing he'd known for certain in his life - that the Jedi had betrayed him, that his family had betrayed him - was a lie. He had never been betrayed by anyone. Luke had been just as much a victim as he was. It was Plagueis who was responsible. It was always Plagueis.

Ben's rage returned, and he couldn't tell if his vision had gone red or if it was just the light of explosions from the sky outside shining down on them. With a primal cry of rage, he lunged at Plagueis, blade extended, seeking to cut down the being that had manipulated him, that had used him, that had ruined him. He barely heard Rey yell out "BEN!" as he swung his blade, slicing cleany through Plagueis' midsection -

- And immediately realized the severity of his mistake as Plagueis' laughter did not pause. He'd played right into his former master's hands: in his rage, he'd forgotten all about balance and had lunged out of sheer anger… and now he was completely open to any strike Plagueis would make. He tried to bring his blade up into a defensive position, but the Sith Lord was already swinging his own blade, aiming to stab him through the chest.

Ben heard Rey yell out, "NO!" seconds before he felt a tug on his body and went sailing backwards into a pillar a few feet away. He crashed to the ground in a heap, his lightsaber deactivating as it landed next to him. He heard the clash of blades and looked up to see Rey had taken his place in front of Plagueis. She swung one blade at Plagueis, then another, but he blocked both. Then, suddenly, as she swung again. He swung too, not at her blades, but at the center of the staff. With a loud hiss and a crack, Rey's staff was sliced in two. Rey stumbled back, caught off guard by the strike - and Ben watched, helpless, as Plagueis took the opportunity to strike. He stumbled to his feet, but it was too late - with a loud noise of heated plasma, Plagueis' blade impaled Rey directly through her chest. She gave a loud gasp of pain, then went flying back as Plagueis pushed her off his blade with the Force. And Plagueis was still laughing that damned laugh of his, the laugh of someone powerful who knew he had already won. "NO!" Ben screamed, echoing Rey's own cry seconds earlier. He reignited his blade and was right in front of Plagueis in seconds. He struck once, then twice, but both blows were blocked easily. He swung a third time, and Plagueis blocked again, holding him in a saber lock.

Ben glared at Plagueis. He would kill this man, he would make him suffer. His thoughts were bright with rage, but they were cut off as Plagueis spoke again. "If you had remained my apprentice, you might have ruled by my side," he growled, his glee mixed with his own anger now. "But now, for your betrayal, you will die!" Ben's anger flared again. "I'll kill you!" he growled back. Plagueis laughed once more. "You?" he said, his disbelief and mockery evident in his tone. "Not even the most skilled Sith or Jedi could kill me! And you, boy, are neither!"

Plagueis' words seemed to cut through Ben's anger, and suddenly everything seemed to fall away. Voices, memories, came to him, unbidden but not unwanted.

You cannot deny the truth that is your family.

The path of the Sith is not yours to take. The path of the Jedi is not yours either.

It's balance, Ben, Real balance. Both sides of the Force at once. Don't you see?

The Force is strong in you, Ben Solo. Now use it. All of it.

That last voice was one he'd never heard before, but yet it still sounded familiar to him. He closed his eyes, focusing.

I need to find balance.

Balance…

Something seemed to awaken within Ben as he focused, a well of energy he didn't know he had. Suddenly, his anger became mixed with something else. It was still there but in between were pieces of calm, a swirl of rage and determination that cleared his mind and ran throughout his body. It was unlike anything else he'd ever felt from the Force.

This was balance. This was the Force as it was meant to be used.

And suddenly Ben knew what he had to do.

He opened his eyes again, his expression neutral but his eyes fiery with anger, as the world came back into existence. Plagueis was still sneering at him, but Ben's anger did not increase or change. "You're right," Ben said loudly, cutting off Plagueis' latest bout of laughter. "I'm not a Jedi or a Sith." He reached out into the room around him and felt what he was looking for. He met Plagueis' gaze, and for a moment, he saw something he'd never seen before: a look of uncertainty flashed across his former master's face. Ben allowed himself a feeling of satisfaction as he spoke once more.

"I'm the Chosen One."

With a snapping of cloth as it separated from the staff it was tied to, the Skywalker lightsaber flew into Ben's empty hand, and in one swift motion, he ignited it and thrust it directly into Plagueis' abdomen. Plagueis gasped in surprise and pain as the lightsaber speared him through, and his grip on his own saber loosened as he looked down. Ben took advantage of this and separated his own saber from the saber lock, thrusting it into Plagueis' abdomen as well. Cracks of light from the two sabers, white and blinding, seemed to spread across Plagueis' body. Plagueis looked back up at Ben, his mouth wide in shock and pain, his eyes full of surprise and disbelief.

And with a cry of rage and triumph, Ben pulled the sabers away from each other in a reverse scissor motion. With the noise of an explosion and a blinding flash of light, a shockwave of pure Force energy rippled violently across the room, as Darth Plagueis, the last Lord of the Sith in the galaxy, exploded into a million pieces. As the shockwave hit the Praetorian guards still standing around the room, they too disintegrated. Ben stood there for a moment as the shockwave faded, saber in each hand and arms outstretched, before he collapsed to his knees, deactivating both sabers and breathing heavily.

Suddenly, he heard a pained gasp from behind him and remembered Rey. With a jolt, he got back to his feet and ran over to her prone form, clipping the sabers to his belt as he went. He stopped and kneeled down by her side, putting one arm underneath her shoulders. Rey looked up at him, her eyes full of joy and triumph. "Rey," Ben said, his voice shaky as he met her eyes. "I did it. I beat him." Rey smiled weakly up at him. "I knew you would," she replied hoarsely. She gave a shaky laugh, and Ben gave her a small smile, but it quickly faded as her laugh turned into a pained cough. "Rey," he said again, "We need to go. We can-" Rey cut him off with a shake of her head. "No, Ben," she breathed. "It's too late for me." Ben shook his head as well, trying to keep tears out of his eyes. "Please," he said. "You're all I have left." He cradled the sister he never had as she met his gaze, her expression calm and unafraid. "This is how it has to be, Ben," she told him, her voice almost a whisper. "The last Sith is dead, and now… now the last Jedi needs to die too. It's the only way to bring balance." Ben wasn't bothering to keep his tears in now. "Please…" he said again, his voice breaking.

Rey looked up into Ben's eyes one last time. Her smile never wavered. "You won't be alone," she whispered to him, remembering what her master had told her long ago. "You'll always have the Force. And I'll always be with you through it."

And then Rey's eyes glazed over, and she went limp in Ben's arms.

And Ben, now alone, let his tears flow freely, as he wept the loss of the woman who'd saved him.

/

Poe carefully weaved his way around another volley of blaster fire directed his way as he fired his own volley at another enemy fighter, blowing it out of the air. He gave a cry of triumph, and circled back around to see the rest of the battlefield. The First Order had caught on to what they were trying to do rather quickly, and now all their remaining fighters were engaged with Poe's forces, keeping them away from the Super Star Destroyer's main engine as best they could. They far outnumbered the TIEs, but they also had the SSD's turrets to deal with, so progress was slow. Now, however, Poe saw that the number of TIEs had thinned significantly, and he decided it was now or never. "Everyone," he called over the comms, "I'm making a run on the engine. Cover me if you can. We'll need a lot of firepower to damage it, so get ready!" As Poe turned his fighter towards the engine, he heard a reply. "We got your back, Commander," Lando called over the comms. Behind him, the Falcon flew into formation with his fighter, along with a T65b X-Wing - Wedge Antilles. Poe grinned from ear to ear and sped forward. Behind the three of them, dozens of other fighters followed.

It seemed like every TIE fighter still in the air turned right towards them and began firing, but between the thousands of fighters providing him cover and his own dodging, Poe was untouchable. In seconds, he was within range of the massive main engine, and with his grin still in place he fired his torpedoes. Behind him, the Falcon and Wedge did the same, and a moment later dozens of other missiles launched from other fighters nearby. About two or three hundred missiles slammed directly into the engine, and with a massive explosion, the engine shut off. This was followed by the noise of a hundred smaller explosions as the fuel line from the engine blew all the way to the reactor core. Either the destroyer had been designed without accounting for such a large amount of firepower to be directed into one spot, or the scrappers hadn't repaired it very well, but either way the result was the same - slowly, the entire ship went up in flames as explosions rocked it. With a massive groaning noise, the Super Star Destroyer's nose tipped downward and it began to fall to earth.

Poe cheered along with thousands of others over the comms as the Destroyer made landfall with a massive groan of metal and an even bigger rumble that shook the earth, causing several nearby buildings to collapse. Thankfully, they were all empty from the evacuation. "Artoo, is the signal gone?" Poe called over the comms when the cheering had died down a bit. There was an affirmative beep over the comm from the Falcon, which was followed by more cheering. "Nice work, everyone," Poe called, "our ground forces are safe. Now let's deal with the rest of these ships!"

And as one, the fleet of ships turned towards the remaining First Order forces, and sped toward them, blasters ready.

/

Back on the ground, the cheering was echoed by stormtroopers, Mandalorians and Resistance soldiers alike as they recovered from the massive earthquake and watched as all the droids who hadn't been destroyed collapsed, their control ship dead. Finn stood, blaster in hand and a smile on his face, as he watched the soldiers celebrate. He saw Rose Tico break from the crowd and run over to him, wrapping him in a hug. He returned his blaster to its holster and hugged her back. They broke apart after a moment, smiling at each other. "We did it," she said. Finn nodded. "We did it," he echoed back. Behind him he heard a jingling of spurs, and turned to see Boba Fett standing a few feet away, hands clasped in front of him. "Thank you for your help," he said gratefully. "We wouldn't have won without you and your warriors." Fett nodded. "Just repaying a debt," he replied. "Besides, the Sith never paid well anyway." With that, he turned back to his warriors and helped them as they set about gathering the fallen soldiers. As he watched them, he noticed the body of one of the Knights of Ren, and suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Rey," he said, suddenly panicked, turning to Rose. "We need to find her." Rose's eyes went wide as she too remembered. "Where could she be?" she asked. Before Finn could respond, the whine of a familiar engine was heard overhead, and the Millenium Falcon soared down to be level with the bridge. As they watched, the boarding ramp lowered onto the bridge, and Lando Calrissian appeared on it. "Get on, you two," he called to Finn and Rose. "R2-D2 says he's picking up Rey's commlink over at the old Jedi Temple. That's where Plagueis' shuttle was last seen." Finn and Rose shared a look of concern before climbing on to the boarding ramp. Once they were up, the ramp closed, and then the Falcon rose into the air and turned, heading towards the Jedi Temple.

/

Ben had stopped crying but hadn't yet moved when the shockwave hit the Temple. He looked up, startled, as the tower shook around him. The shockwave faded after a moment, but Ben began to hear rumbling again, and with a sinking feeling he realized the shockwave had damaged the tower, if not the entire Temple; it was collapsing. He looked down at the body of Rey in his hands. He wouldn't leave her here. With a small grunt of effort, he stood up, cradling her in his arms, and walked towards the elevator. At the doors leading out of the throne room, he turned back one last time to see his helmet sitting on the floor by the food of the throne. He stared at it for a few moments. "Kylo Ren dies with you," he finally declared, and without another word he turned and left the throne room.

/

Ben saw the Falcon land at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Temple as he began to descend them. Behind him, the rumbling noise had only gotten louder, and he turned for a moment to see one of the corner towers collapse, falling into the city below with a crash. He turned and kept walking, wanting to put as much distance between him and the Temple as he could before it collapsed. As he got further down the stairs, he saw people that he assumed had been on the Falcon running up towards him. He recognized Lando and Chewbacca, but not the other two. They all froze as he got close, and he stopped on a small landing a few steps above them. Without a word, he set Rey's body down at his feet.

That seemed to break whatever spell had frozen them, because they started moving again, the man he didn't recognize in the lead. "Rey!" he yelled, running over and collapsing next to her body, cradling it like Ben had just a few moments earlier. He looked like he was trying not to cry, and failing. The girl he didn't know stood next to him, unsure of what to do. Chewbacca let out a sorrowful wail on the other side of the man. To the side of them all, Lando looked down at Rey's body with a look of sorrow, before turning his gaze to Ben. He met the gaze evenly, and he saw Lando's eyes were full of understanding. "It's good to see you again, Ben," he said softly after a moment, and the fact that Lando, the closest thing to family he had left, greeted him like he'd never left, and they just hadn't seen each other in a few months, gave Ben so much appreciation for the man that he almost started crying again.

But he didn't, and instead turned as he heard a massive groaning noise. Lando turned too, and together they watched silently as the rest of the towers on top of the Jedi Temple collapsed, followed by the main body of the Temple itself, with a resounding crash. Finally, after a few moments, the rubble settled with a sense of finality. The Jedi Temple, which had stood for thousands of years, was gone. And with it, the Jedi and Sith Orders were no more.

For the first time in a long time, balance had returned to the Force.

A/N: Who won in the ages-long war of Jedi vs. Sith? Balance. Next chapter is the last, but I think you'll like how things end….