Author's note:

Available also on AO3.

Last time, it was suggested on AO3 that this chapter could be called "Palpy's Massage" so here you go, I guess :D Get relaxed and enjoy some ASMR massage brought by Sheev Palpatine himself as he delivers the message about the imminent doom of the Galaxy.

Disclaimer:

No, I don't own Star Wars. No, I don't make any profit out of it. Yes, I had to watch some Fortnite event (I'm a gamer and still feel insulted by the need to watch an e-sport event in order to understand what was supposed to be in the movie) to find out what the Palpatine's message even contained and I still created my own version. So that's about it.

Episode IX: Victory of the Dyad

Chapter 5 – Palpatine's Message

PREVIOUSLY

As the pain slowly faded away, she turned on her back sprawled across the sheets staring on the ceiling while she tried to accustom to the familiar void inside her chest. One thing was for certain – she wasn't about to give up in the endeavour to crack the mystery up. Now when she knew that it involved her in one way or the other, she was determined to learn the truth regardless the cost.

Such a task proved to be very time-consuming, hard and required a lot of patience. Her progress, if she could call her findings like that, was minimal and slow. But it was something. It was fresh and new and next to the classic mundane tasks on the base, assistance with the ships repairs, her training and mediation, it almost became her hobby of sorts and she couldn't wait to be alone again.

Her responsible approach consisted of writing down the description of the vision and the whole Force bond encounter with Ben. At first, she had made a list of points and subsequently expanded them into a study paper. Then, she reread the whole thing all over again, trying to find a secret hints between the lines that could provide her with the answers on her curious questions.

But the more she sought for them, the more she drew unrealistic, fantastical conclusions. Her memories faded and she couldn't replay them as clearly as she could a few days after the encounter. The fact that she couldn't talk to anyone about it because she could barely just causally chat about her visions and Force bond meetings with other people on the base wasn't helping either. She had no one to discuss her theories with and even Leia was out of the question because she didn't want to make her worried.

Testing the Force bond didn't even cross her mind because she knew that it wouldn't work and since he didn't intend to either confirm her guesses or disprove them, it didn't matter anyway. All she knew was that he was alive and safe because she would surely feel if he died or was near death. So she left it at that and rather focused her mental abilities on the task at hand.

She needed a new impulse, something that would enliven her imagination to give it a new direction. The cape seemed to be the only choice but she hesitated to touch it in fear of another vision. She couldn't be sure if he broke the walls he had built to come save her again if the experience would be too powerful for her to handle like the last time. But as the time passed and she struggled to progress further because she simply couldn't remember, she knew she had no other choice.

But neither touching, nor grasping, yelling or throwing the cape across the room induced the vision she so desperately wished to dissect and she had to return to her notes and available holo texts. She came to a couple of conclusions but they were vague and unconfirmed. There was nothing more she could do but once again wait for something to happen to increase her chances.

While it could seem as months or even years, it had actually taken two weeks since the vision had occurred for such an event to come. This time, she was worn out because a couple of Resistance members had asked her to give them lessons in staff combat and she had agreed with pleasure. She hadn't expected to spend so much energy during the training but it had happened nevertheless.

It was a relief, then, when she finally reached her quarters, looking forward to the good old hot shower followed by a few hours of reading before going to sleep. The first part of the ideal evening had passed without any interruption but as she squeezed into her night attire, she could hear commotion in the corridors, indistinct shouts of excitement and people gathering outside the base for unknown reason.

She immediately and hastily changed into her Jedi robes and darted out of her room to find out what was happening. Judging by the charge in the air, she could tell that someone had returned to the base after being away for a while. Her heart skipped a beat because Finn and Rose instantly appeared on her mind. She wished that the arriving party would be the one they were in.

But as she rounded the corner, she rammed into a dark-haired man in a pilot uniform. "Rey!" The pilot exclaimed with a wide smile before she could murmur any apology for being so inattentive.

"Poe!" She shouted happily in return and her face lit up. It was so pleasant to see a familiar face.

Then they both stilled, uncertain what to do next. To be frank, both had wished to come across someone else than each other. Before Poe had left with the squadron, a stupid quarrel between them about BB-8 had occurred and left a bitter aftertaste in their mouths. However, they still considered one another a friend and so they warmly hugged each other in the end. Their egos could clash some other time.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned him curiously because she could already sense the dense atmosphere on the base. "I thought you aren't to return at least for another week."

Poe Dameron grimaced, his expression turning serious. Whatever had made him to interrupt the training was apparently of a grave importance. "Come. You should definitely see this too." He said and they went together to the main meeting room.

It was already full of people, though not everyone on the base was present. Some workers rotated in shifts so they were asleep and had to learn the news after they woke up. However, the top leadership of the Resistance already expectantly eyed Poe when he came in, the curious murmur increasing since no one but the returning squadron had any idea why this meeting was taking place.

Poe assumed the position around the holotable next to General Organa with Rey by his side as the two women exchanged a look of worry. Naturally, they feared that the First Order had launched an attack they would have to answer to. Considering that they weren't sure where Ben was and what was his current affiliation to the First Order, a potential counterattack was a risky move that could cost the life of the person they both were emotionally attached to.

Rey finally started to understand the excruciating inner conflict the General had dealt with every single time the Resistance was forced to respond to the attack of the First Order. Every single time, it could have been her son on one of these ships but every single time she had let the duty to win over her, knowing that she could have signed her baby boy's death warrant, sacrificing her personal interests for the greater good.

Poe pulled out a holodisc and demonstratively held it in his hand as he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "This is a recording of a message that was broadcasted in the region we conducted the pilot training. As far as we are aware, all available devices in the area transmitted it." He announced and approached the holotable, sticking the holodisc inside it to play the recording.

The air in the room had become denser. Half of the present people expected the sleek General Hux, half of them the menacing Kylo Ren. None was prepared for the mysterious figure dressed in the black robes. Younger Resistance members furrowed their eyebrows in confusion, watching the projection with the odd feeling that they should know this person but rather wished they didn't.

The older members then stared at the blue tinted figure, petrified by terror because it seemed that their worst nightmares had just become real. The palpable paralysis affected each person in the room, even Leia turned unhealthily pale. She gaped at the hologram as if she had just seen a ghost and her hands started to tremble. This was far worse than any of the First Order's vile plans.

The piercing shock also gripped Rey, drowning her in freezing cold water. Blindly, she grabbed Poe's arm and clutched at him for her dear life. She recognized the person instantly – while she knew nothing of his name, she could certainly tell that it was the same figure she had seen in her vision. The one that had put the cape around her shoulders and told her to fulfil her destiny.

And the same voice she had heard in her vision had just bounced off of the walls of the meeting room on the Resistance base. "I have waited a long time for this moment. At last the work of generations is complete and the plan of many years shall bear the fruit. The great error is corrected. All players are now in place." The figure spread his arms in an appreciative gesture to his audience, speaking in a celebratory, yet vicious tone.

"It is time to initiate the end moves. The day of victory is at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith. Nothing will stop our return and once more, the Sith will rule the Galaxy! Each day, we grow closer and closer to victory..." The speech concluded with a sinister laughter that signed nothing but a sickening pleasure of its speaker.

With that, the hologram disappeared, leaving those who had heard the message in stunned silence as the atmosphere of fear and panic crept slowly among them. Whether their understanding had a personal or just incidental basis, everyone was aware of the gravity of the spoken words. As if they wanted to get rid of the bitter aftertaste in their mouths, simultaneous and spontaneous murmur cut through the dense air.

"I thought that Sith were dealt with a long time ago. But then again..."

"Isn't the Emperor dead? He is dead, isn't he?"

"...never thought that I would see the face of Emperor Palpatine ever again..."

"I... I can't believe it... Darth Sidious, that's just not possible."

Thanks to that, Rey finally managed to uncover the face of the looming threat that had emerged a couple of weeks ago, breaking into her vision to show her what it really meant to be consumed by the Dark side. And the revelation was horrifying. Sith. Emperor Palpatine. Darth Sidious. She had heard and read stories and legends about the mentioned man and felt relieved that she had never met him.

He was the Dark Lord of the Sith and the Emperor of the Galactic Empire whose machinations and schemes irrevocably shaped the fate of the Galaxy, making him one of the most powerful beings in the whole history. Playing on both sides of the wars and conflicts, he orchestrated Clone Wars, planetary crises and the extinction of the Jedi Order, strengthening his power and influence.

He lured Anakin Skywalker into his trap, transforming him into Darth Vader. Through the Rule of Two, a Sith philosophy that only two Sith lords could exist at any given time, they ruled the Galaxy relatively unchallenged for years until the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Their tenacity to liberate themselves from the evil grasp of the Empire eventually caused the downfall of both Sith Lords when Vader had renounced the Dark side and sacrificed himself in order to save his son, Luke Skywalker, sealing the destruction of the Sith Order.

Yet Palpatine's name and mainly his deeds still instigated rightful fear in the hearts of many people, even decades after his death. Rey hadn't lived under his rule but a lot of Resistance members were also former members of the Rebel Alliance, concentrated around the legendary leader named Bail Organa, Leia's adoptive father. She couldn't even fathom the horror these people had just experienced.

While the First Order was a respectful enemy led by Dark side Force users and former officers of the Galactic Empire or their offspring, it couldn't be labelled as a Sith organization. Albeit adapting some of the Sith concepts, their ideology was inspired by the Empire itself, preferring the military approach to enforce the order in the Galaxy than aspiring to revive a Sith Empire.

Moreover, Snoke wasn't a Sith and neither was Kylo Ren – neither of them were officially initiated, let alone self-proclaimed as such. Both Supreme leaders shared the vision of an order, trying to avoid the flaws they saw in the concept of the Sith Empire. Both strived for something better and acceptable, something that would provide them with enough power and control leading to peace that would last, not to wage endless and fruitless wars. However, they had to fight one to achieve their goals because their concept of the future, and especially its application, wasn't in agreement with everyone.

Either way, if Sith sought to gain their power back then it constituted a problem for the First Order. Their ideologies were similar in their naked basis and doubtlessly, the Sith would try to take over the First Order as an established organization that could provide them with necessary resources, eventually consuming them, gaining the upper hand in the ongoing conflict against the Resistance.

She didn't wonder now that Ben had described it as a threat to everyone, including the First Order and the Resistance. Beyond any reasonable doubt, she was sure that this – the Sith's return with or without Palpatine – was the threat causing the disturbance in the Force. She wouldn't even wonder if the some of the older Rebel fighters were determined to forget about the First Order altogether and focus on this threat instead as it posed a greater danger in their eyes. They had lived through the Imperial era and didn't wish for its return.

After processing her initial thoughts, she released Poe's arm because she could feel the firm ground beneath her feet again. He smiled at her and nudged her, a playful friendly gesture to elevate the mood for which she was grateful. But her eyes were instantly drawn to Leia, just like anyone else's in the room as more and more Resistance members sought desperately the support in their leader.

But the General didn't seem to see or hear any of them as she kept staring at the holotable in front of her with eyes wide open, her hands balled into fists. When she finally pulled herself together, aware of the pleading looks coming her way, it took a couple of forceful gulps to clear her throat so she could speak up. "Silence!" She yelled to interrupt the rising fuss and instigate order in the room.

Her strong voice indeed worked potently and people stopped chattering. Once the quiet was ensured, Leia turned to Poe with concern deeply etched into her face. "You said that all available devices in the area broadcasted the message. Do you know where the signal came from?" She asked him, her tone hopeful despite all the odds. Even though their technology was less advanced than the First Order's one, it still kept its high performance.

To her dislike, Poe regretfully shook his head. "We tried to track it but couldn't find its source. I'm sorry, General." He apologized sadly, wishing that he could have done more to pinpoint the original location of the signal.

Many people started to mumble again, expressing their displeasure and resuming sharing their theories with everyone who was willing to listen. "I'm quite sure it's just a manipulation orchestrated by the First Order." One of the younger members uttered loudly to make himself heard over the rest of chatting people. "They're playing with us to distract us so they could launch their devastating attack and end this once and for all."

Poe could only roll his eyes and shake his head in resignation even more vehemently as he watched some of the Resistance fighters agree with the young man. "I wouldn't underestimate the message because the thing is that I wouldn't bet on our buddies from the First Order, either." He remarked with a telling gesture of his hands to make people rethink carefully their opinions before they jumped to conclusions.

"What do you mean?" Rey asked him after she had exchanged another look with Leia.

Albeit presenting a great threat, the message could be a game changing factor in the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order and both women knew that very well. If the Sith plotted their return and had in plan to take over the First Order, then the latter could be seeking aid soon enough. Even though Ben had claimed that the First Order and the Resistance would have never become allies, not even to defeat such a strong and terrifying opponent, Rey hoped otherwise and Leia did as well.

"Well...," Poe began with a scratch of his head, trying to detect if he liked being in the centre of the attention or not, "a few days after we started our training, a couple of First Order ships appeared out of nowhere."

He could see that some of the leadership members scornfully frowned and so he hurried to expand his explanation before he would get scolded for not reporting the potentially dangerous situation. "They hovered above the nearby planet but outside of our set perimeter. I think they didn't have any idea that we were there or they simply didn't care because they didn't pay any attention to us." He said and his fellow pilots supported his claim with several nods of agreement.

"They didn't attack us and we purposefully stayed out of the line of fire so as to avoid any engagement since we were ordered... not to engage." He bit his tongue to lessen the anger in his voice because he didn't like the order at all. But his previous excesses didn't give him much space to be too brash with the Resistance leadership, let alone Leia.

The General rolled her eyes but with a mild smile on her lips. Typical Poe Dameron and his obsession with heroic acts. She knew that he never intended or desired to be a hero; he simply wanted to be useful and live up to the legacy of his parents. His passion for their cause was incredible and she had to admit that the Resistance had owed him more than once for saving their lives.

However, he was too impulsive, too hot-headed and that wasn't always desired. He sought to weaken their enemy at all costs and on any occasion. Good tactics but terrible strategy. While he could celebrate his short-lived victory in a battle, Leia had to work with her long-term plan that involved all the lives and technology that could have been lost during a tactical attack, later missing in the strategic one.

Poe cleared his throat nervously because he felt Leia's intent gaze on him. "Either way... As we tried to find out the source of the signal, we intercepted their communication." He fell silent, still shaken from listening to the scared agitation through the communication channels. It was probably for the first time he had ever felt at least a bit sorry for any of the First Order members.

"They were stunned just as we are now. I can't even describe the panic in their voices." He said pensively and looked around to make everyone in the room understand the gravity of their reaction. "Not even General Hux knows what the hell is going on."

The statement didn't go by without a moment of silence pregnant with seriousness. If the Sith truly planned their return, no matter if Palpatine was alive or not, it could cause a civil war within the First Order. It had risen from the ashes of the Empire and many Imperial officers served under the iron hands of the former Supreme leader Snoke, the current leader Kylo Ren and their second-in-command General Hux.

But Ren and Hux were youngsters and simple conspiracy of the former Imperialists could cast them into oblivion as they could overthrow them and pledge the First Order into Siths' hands once again. Doubtlessly it was a desire of many but obviously not Snoke's, otherwise he wouldn't put in the leadership such young officers as Armitage Hux who didn't hide his contempt for the Force users.

It was an unpredictable variable in the conflict's equation. The result could be manifold and for the Resistance, with incalculable consequences. The strategy had to be adapted and new tactics had to be implemented. A third party had walked into the raging conflict, threatening to consume one of them and obliterate the other to establish the unchallenged rule of the Sith.

Leia approached the pilot next to her and squeezed his shoulder gently. "You did a good job, Poe. Thank you for not delaying your return to deliver us the warning." She appreciated his prompt decision-making and choosing to retreat instead of engaging the panicking enemy. "Thanks to that, we have certain advantage because I have no doubt that the message will be broadcasted across the whole Galaxy."

Poe nodded at her in humble pride, glad that he had done something right according to the General for once. "Stay with your squadron on the base," Leia continued, throwing a sideway glance on Rey, "I may have some new orders for you soon."

Afterwards, she joined the small group of other Resistance leaders who eyed her expectantly. "May I ask you for a moment to reflect before we start drawing any conclusions? I think we all need it so it would sink in." She asked them and none protested against her suggestion, wishing her strong nerves as they left the room to let her muse in peace.

With that, the meeting room gradually emptied as people were leaving to carry on in their duties while lively discussing what they had just witnessed. Some of them ran to wake up those who were sleeping to crack them the hot news. Poe moved to leave, too, turning around to see if Rey followed him. But she shook her head dismissively, nodding apologetically in Leia's direction.

She stayed because she sensed she should. The woman needed a compassionate soul near her at the moment and for now, Rey was the closest thing to a family. Poe smiled at her and crossed his fingers to express his support, letting the door slide close behind him. In the meantime, the General sat down heavily on one of the chairs in the room, still staring at the holotable as if she couldn't believe her own eyes.

Rey sat beside her silently, watching the storm of emotions on the haggard face with deep wrinkles. The General look older than she truly was, tired even but no one could blame her since she kept fighting and fighting for decades. But her eyes still radiated the steel determination that she wouldn't be put down, no matter what she had to face. She was still the beacon of hope for everyone.

All those Force bond transitions with Ben had taught Rey a lot about compassion and comfort and so she didn't hesitate to take Leia's hand and squeeze it gently to provide the warmth and support of another person. Her second hand landed on the older female's back, just between her shoulder blades to increase the feeling of safety. She could still call herself a novice in consoling business but it seemed that she had some special powers when it came to Organa/Solo genes.

A single tear rolled down Leia's cheek after she released a long, ragged sigh she could have been holding within her chest for far too long. Then she looked at Rey who was observing her with such a sweet concern that she couldn't help but smile. Youth was often so refreshing to look at, reminding her that her mission was no longer about her but about all these young people that wanted nothing but live in peace and freedom.

"Go on, ask." She invited the girl who had grown into a lovely and confident woman right in front of her eyes, even when she wasn't looking. She was the veteran who lived under the Galactic Empire and helped to bring it down on its knees and let it burn in the ashes. No wonder Rey was brimming over with questions.

However, the younger woman hesitated. Leia's well-being was her priority and if she wasn't ready for the conversation, Rey completely respected that. She remained in the meeting room to console a friend in need, not to sniff around for answers. But the former Princess patted her hand with a smile and raised her eyebrow knowingly to show that she had no problems with her curiosity.

"Do you believe that he is really back?" Rey eventually asked.

It was naturally something to ponder with caution and respect. The message could have meant that Darth Sidious indeed was alive and ready to unleash his revenge. It also could have been a simple ploy to divert the attention from someone or something else. Unsurprisingly, some people would outright refuse to accept that the Emperor was alive while some would call for immediate action against him to smother any chance of increasing his power.

"I don't want to believe it but I also know that it's not impossible." Leia confessed cautiously, clasping her wrinkled hands in front of her. She didn't know what was better – face a familiar enemy she couldn't defeat without technologically and mentally advanced support or to struggle against the unknown. "If there is anyone I'd ever bet on cheating his death or returning from the dead, it's the Emperor. He was powerful and cunning enough to achieve the impossible."

Rey detected the certain level of respect in the General's voice and she didn't hold it against her. One had to learn to hold their enemies in esteem if they didn't want to completely underrate their power and abilities. It didn't mean, however, that she in any way or form approved of her enemies' tactics and strategies or their view on the world and its future.

There was one question inside the head of the young Jedi, prodding and howling, desired to be asked but Rey wasn't ready to word it aloud. At least not yet. "I heard so many stories about the old days of the Rebel Alliance and the Empire." She said instead, keeping the focus on the possible resurrection of the evil incarnate as some would definitely call him. "I can't even imagine what it must mean to you and to the others who fought in that war. To see the face and hear the voice of the man whoe orchestrated it all..."

She fell silent, suddenly in the loss of words as none seemed good enough to express her sympathies. The Force vibrated with the feelings of terror and fear, rooted deep inside the people on the base but when she looked at Leia, she couldn't see any of them, not even sadness. Instead, the General looked back at her with fondness in her eyes, lost completely in her memories.

Yes, those times were full of dread and horror, worries and hardships, suffering and pain but... One lived as if there was no tomorrow but fought for it with all their might. Despite all the oppression, they were free. Brave and reckless. Even stupid at times. Hazards and risks, perils and dangers were their daily portion of entertainment. Their spirit was strong and unbending. She always chose to cherish the positive and not to be constantly tormented by the negative.

"We were young and passionate. We yearned for freedom. And there were more like us." She murmured with a distant look, still reminiscing about the past. "The more they tried to put us down, the more our resilience grew. We simply had hope, risked everything for it and we won. And I'm sure that if the need arises, we will find the hope once again."

Her stare suddenly lost the hazy veil and bore into Rey. Albeit the look in her eyes was affectionate and almost pleading, it made the young woman feel a little uncomfortable because she could feel the insistent undertone between the lines of Leia's last sentence, forming a prayer to the Galaxy's last Jedi. It was a prayer of the Resistance leader and a mother. For it wasn't only about becoming the paragon of hope for everyone but also about willingly being the essential part in her son's redemption because his mother had no power over him anymore as it seemed.

Rey could sense it and while it made her nervous, she couldn't object the obvious reasoning behind it. If the Sith plotted their return one way or the other, the Force was about to play an ultimate part here because they were powerful Dark side users. First Order was more of a technology-based enemy whose leader was a Force sensitive but rather sought to establish a new order than to dwell on the unsuccessful models from the history. It was no secret, after all, that even the young blood within its ranks considered Force sensitivity as a relic of the past and technology was the way forward in their opinion, especially if they were to conquer the known universe.

"How do we fight him?" She asked with determination, suppressing the thread of fear weaving its way through her body, infecting the weakened fibres. Being pragmatic always worked.

A gloomy expression settled in Leia's face, wrinkling her gentle features. "I can prepare the Resistance for the battle against the Galactic Empire because he will surely try to restore what he had once built. I can try to negotiate a truce and cooperation with the First Order to marshal the forces against him." She listed her strong abilities of strategic politics and artful diplomacy she could implement if the threat proved to be true.

"But I am untrained – or definitely less trained – in the ways of the Force than you. And indisputably less powerful." She remarked without a hint of regret. Her Force sensitivity had always come second – her marriage, her motherhood, her other relationships, her career and her duties had always been first in her priority ladder. "I have never fought him in person because he was never interested in me. So there isn't much I can tell you when it comes to some combat strategy."

She didn't try to conceal that a very strong power, a Force power, was needed in order to defeat an enemy like Palpatine. It wasn't fair to burden Rey with it but she was the only known untainted source of the Light that possessed enough strength to be potentially effective in the battle against the Dark forces. However, she would understand if Rey refused to have such a destiny imposed upon her. She could only hope that she wouldn't.

"In this case, Luke would be more helpful than me." She added in the afterthought, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips as she recalled the image of her twin brother in the back of her mind.

Rey made a mental note to discover whether there was any chance to connect with Luke and talk to him. He had become one with the Force but there was a possibility he had persisted in their plane of existence and could manifest himself in order to communicate. The process of becoming a Force ghost or Force spirit – as she was never really sure how to call the mass of the pure Force energy – was still a mystery to her but it could never hurt to try.

"Do you think it's the threat Ben was talking about?" She asked the General, still not ready to dive deeper into the subject but she deemed it inevitable.

Leia's stomach churned at the thought, her maternal instincts reaching out to her son who kept being deaf and blind to her attempts to reconnect. "I am certain of it. And I..." She confirmed and paused at once to strengthen her voice and get rid of the unpleasant quiver in the tone she spoke up with. "Rey, even Luke couldn't defeat the Emperor. It was Vader's act of selflessness that saved Luke's life and ended Palpatine's. If Ben is somewhere out there, trying to face him alone..."

Her voice cracked and she wasn't able to describe how scared she was for the life of her son. This was something entirely different than the usual issues of the battle between the Resistance and the First Order she had to deal with. This was her son standing against one of the most powerful, cunning and evil man she had ever heard about. Alone. All by himself. Equipped only with an unstable cross guard lightsaber and the knowledge of both sides of the Force that could never match the knowledge of his opponent.

Rey reached for her hand to squeeze it sympathetically because she was scared, too. Her reasons and motivations were different than of a mother but the feelings she had for Ben were equally strong. She didn't have much time and space to analyze the revelation and study the whole picture to connect it with the things she had already known but she knew for sure one thing – she had to help Ben because there was no way she was about to leave him to do this alone. No matter what kind of danger it posed to her.

"Do you know where he is? Can you sense him?" Leia roused her from her thoughts with a determined look on her face. She was a worried, protective mother and even if it could mean that she would be helping to an enemy, she was ready to dispatch an aid to her son to help him in his endeavour.

Rey shook her head regretfully, her cheeks and ears turning red with embarrassment because she hadn't mentioned to a living soul what had transpired in her quarters the other day. "No. He... closed the bond a couple of weeks ago." She explained, trying not to think about the dark void deep inside her. "I just know that he's alive."

The General nodded and her eyes searchingly pierced through Rey as if she was looking for all the little details the young Jedi hid from her. "So that means that you two have control over it? That you can close it and open at will?" She inquired curiously, amazed by their power. Their bond was stronger than the one she had with her brother that had been weakened only because Luke had severed his ties to the Force. If they could control it... Their united power would be unimaginable.

But the Jedi shrugged helplessly. "We've learnt how to close it off but opening is... isn't by our own choice. It's random and unexpected, usually triggered by something else but not by us on purpose." She clarified and watched the hope in Leia's face to dissipate, hating it and vowing to reverse it. "I may try to contact him, though."

The older woman nodded thankfully and patted her hand, falling into a silence she used to sort out her thoughts before she would meet the other Resistance leaders to reach an agreement on their strategy. She was ready to cast aside any animosity against the First Order and negotiate with them to join them in the offensive attack against the common enemy but she wasn't ready to reveal her son's role for now. She had to lead these meetings with utmost caution and prudence.

Rey would have left her but seeing musing Leia had opened the floodgate inside her head and she had started to reflect on the situation, as well, inserting the information she already knew to shed some light into the darkness of the unknown. Using her last conversation with Ben as the central point of origin from which she could draw conclusions in a myriad of threads that would eventually create a interwoven and understandable summarization, she bit her bottom lip and got down to it.

Some things were finally clearer to her, some unfortunately weren't. At last she knew what the threat was, or who was in the centre of it, and wholeheartedly agreed with what Ben had said – the Emperor was a threat to both the Resistance and the First order – a threat to everyone. She also understood that 'threat to you and me' specifically meant her and Ben as two Force sensitive individuals amidst the rising conflict, not as two random people who were part of feuding factions.

It was one of the reasons why she didn't doubt that Palpatine was indeed back and the message wasn't a ruse to divert the Resistance's attention to something else. He was the connecting element between the threat and her dark vision because after seeing his hologram and hearing his distorted voice, she was absolutely sure that he was the dark cloaked figure from her foolish fantasy.

He was also the connecting element to Ben's mission and, just like Leia, Rey believed that Ben was trying to do the good thing and stop Palpatine at all costs. Sure, there were certain ulterior motives like that his own power was threatened, not to mention his position within the First Order. But there was another implication, one she had deduced from his secretiveness and he didn't deny it despite being aware of her train of thoughts.

What means the Emperor would use to turn her to the Dark side and for what reason, she still didn't know. But she knew that Ben was trying to save her from such fate, refusing to share with her the important details because it could lead to what he didn't want. Again – how that would be possible, she had no idea but Ben seemed to know more than he was letting on.

She didn't suspect him anymore from awakening something evil and if he had, then it was purely accidental. Such a powerful being as the Emperor Palpatine had certainly planned his return in advance before Ben was even born. But how come that he seemed to be the only one possessing the knowledge about the Sith threat? Poe had mentioned that the First Order had no clue what the hell was going on, equally terrified with the message from beyond.

Suddenly, she recalled Ben's 'worst' during their Force bond connections and the dreadful culmination after the disturbance in the Force. He had to know back then, that was why he had been feeling so awfully. Maybe it hadn't been evident from the start but as his nightmares or the voices in his head crystallized, he had deduced the right conclusion. The Emperor had chosen to divulge his return only to Ben but why? And why Ben hadn't shared the information with the First Order officials and rather decided to act on his own?

'And it's coming because of me.'

"I still don't understand one thing." She spoke up to see if Leia could clarify something to her. "Ben feels responsible for the Emperor's return and is apparently the only person who knew about it long before anyone else. I didn't think much of it at first but I have seen him multiple times through the Force bond being plagued by something or someone."

The General pricked her ears and lifted her curious gaze to her, hungry for more information about her son because this was one of the rare moments when Rey had unveiled the mystery of the Force bond connection with her baby boy. The fact that she had seen his suffering didn't pacify her, though. But it was something she could hardly do something about, especially if her son didn't let her.

"Does it mean that Palpatine communicated with him and revealed himself to him? And why? What does he want with him?" Rey mused aloud, asking no one in particular but still hoping for an answer from Leia. "I mean, if the Emperor wants to swallow the First Order to have a proper army, he can just do it. I doubt that he needs Ben's permission."

In the next moment, she realized she had just answered one of her previous questions so she fell silent. Ben had no intention to become a mere subordinate of a powerful superior again and give up his position of a Supreme leader of the First Order. However, its ranks were occupied by numerous former Imperial officers who could have plotted against him as soon as they had found out about the return of their erstwhile Emperor, ready to serve the military power on the silver platter to the Sith Lord.

Leia couldn't do anything to stop the cold shiver of her body that seemed to paralyze most of her nerve ends. She desperately didn't want to believe to what she was about to say but she had to face the painful truth, not to act as if it didn't exist. Vader's legacy kept on living through her, albeit contributing to his downfall, and her son who had chosen the way of the Dark side was paying for it.

"He wants an apprentice." She replied with a trembling voice as the fear seeded deep within her. When she imagined the horror of the potential of future, she felt physically sick. "Once an apprentice himself, Darth Sidious adhered to the Rule of Two, mentoring at least three others as a Master. And he wanted Luke to be another."

Sometimes it was too overwhelming to get an answer on the asked question and this was one of those moments for Rey. She remained silent, staring blankly in front of her with a hollow expression on her face. Numerous thoughts and incentives travelled through her head and she tried to catch them with her consciousness to analyze them, promising to return to the other ones once she was finished with the one she was pondering at the moment.

So that was Ben's dreaded fate. An apprentice to Darth Sidious, just like his grandfather once was, just like his uncle would have been if he hadn't resisted the pull of the Dark side. Why the Emperor had chosen Ben to bear such a role, she could understand but in no way she could imagine how the Sith Lord intended to convince Ben to willingly accept such an offer.

He had to know something about him so he had to be aware that killing Snoke was an act driven by the desire to be free of manipulation and inferiority. That Ben didn't aspire to follow the steps of the Sith but actually wanted to let it all die – both the Sith and the Jedi. That he wished to be free of the burden on his shoulders and stop being just a set of expectations due to his family's legacy.

Unless... Unless the Emperor had an alluring offering to make, something so enticing that Ben would yield because he couldn't have it under the current circumstances. More power? Undoubtedly, yes, but she felt there was more under the surface. What could Ben want even more than to multiply and strengthen his power? After several seconds of contemplation, Rey's ears started to burn.

Her.

She felt completely embarrassed for such an arrogant thought but she couldn't deny that it made sense. Palpatine was the central figure of her dark vision that also included her and Kylo as a couple. And, as she now realized, they were a Sith Lord and his apprentice, constituting the new Rule of Two and the future Sith leadership under the watchful eye of the Emperor himself.

Maybe her vision wasn't an accident caused by her foolish daydreaming about what she would look like if she turned dark. Maybe it was a purposeful demonstration induced by Darth Sidious to prove Ben his point. And that was why Ben insisted on keeping Rey as far as possible, refusing to share more details because he didn't wish for the vision come true and losing the First Order and his freedom in the process.

But... isn't that what he wants? To be together with her? Isn't that what she wants, as well? Can they have it only if they are both dark or is there another, better chance? She shook her head vehemently because her thoughts were slipping into a different direction than she had intended. Her feelings for Ben, as well as Ben's feelings for her, where a matter for another time and place, not for now and here.

She needed to focus on the pressing issue that needed to be handled. Ben's whereabouts, his wellbeing, to offer her help and pass on the proposal for negotiation talks between the Resistance and the First Order as suggested by his mother. After all, he was the only person who could confirm or disprove her theories so trying to contact him wasn't about to be a waste of time.

The End of Chapter 5

Thanks anyone who stops by and read – I really appreciate that!

If you want, you can go check out my other Reylo stories in the meantime – two one-shots called Meditation and Loosened. I also signed up for Reylo FanFiction Anthology so I will focus mainly on that story now but I will try updating regularly this story as well. Next chapter Breaking Through the Bond will be up as soon as the writing schedule allows it! Thank you for the patience :)