A/N: Before we begin, I would like to provide a list, for clarity, of all the changes I have made to the lore of the Sequel Trilogy to both support the story I want to tell here and to make the story make more sense to begin with and be less terrible.

I'm taking an idea from Literature Devil, a Youtuber, and replacing Rey's missing parents with a Jedi master who left her for an undisclosed reason before she had been fully trained, which explains her fighting skills, technical knowledge, and base skill with the Force, but also explains why she still is not fully trained and needs Luke to train her. As for the identity of the master… you'll see.

Another idea I'm taking from LD's video: Rey lost the fight with Kylo on Starkiller Base. Since they were separated by a conveniently placed fissure anyway, it doesn't change much, it just makes Kylo seem more competent.

The Resistance ships are not remaining out of range of the First Order cruisers because they are smaller and lighter (in space). They are faster and have more powerful engines, but since they have low fuel, they can't go too fast or risk using it up, so they strafe the edge of the destroyers' attack range while trying to come up with a plan.

Holdo did not withhold her plan from Poe because that was stupid and she had literally no reason to do so. But they still sent Finn, Rose and BB-8 onto Snoke's destroyer (we're skipping Casinoland and the animal rights subplot) in order to jam the destroyers' sensors, allowing the escape pods to make it to Crait without being targeted. Consequently, they're still captured and brought to Phasma to be executed, minus the hacker dude because they never picked him up (they get caught because BB-9e spotted them, like in the movie).

Kylo never destroyed his helmet. I get it was supposed to be symbolic, but it was also unnecessary and just another frustrating 'fuck you' from Rian Johnson to the audience.

Palpatine is dead. Not coming back. That was stupid. You can probably guess based on the title who will be the main antagonist in his stead.

I would also like to point out that if you liked the Sequels, this story is not for you. I respect your opinion, but this is a fic for those who did not like them and wanted to see something they thought was better.

Alright, I think that's it. Now, we can get to the story. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Rey hadn't been in many awkward situations in her life, but she was fairly certain that if she had to list potential situations from most to least awkward, she would place 'stuck in an elevator with someone who'd tried to kill you several times' fairly high up on that list.

She turned to glance at Ben again, trying to see if she could tell what he was thinking or feeling. But his helmet completely covered his face, hiding any emotion he might have been experiencing. She saw his head turn slightly in her direction, and she quickly glanced away, staring at the small holes in the elevator that allowed her glimpses of the lights embedded into the elevator shaft as they passed them. The silence was oppressing, and Rey almost felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You don't have to do this, Ben," she finally said, unable to stand the silence any longer. "Please." She turned to look at him at the same time he turned to look at her, and she could tell their eyes were locking even through his visor. There was a moment of silence. "Yes," he finally said, his voice sounding slightly echoey through his helmet's vocoder, "I do." He turned away again, and the silence was back as quickly as it had left. Rey felt despair settle in her stomach. There had to be some way out of this, right?

Before she could pursue that thought any further, the elevator ground to a halt, and the doors opened. The first thing she noticed was that the room beyond had quite a bit of red in it, a crimson the color of blood.

The second thing she noticed was the massive throne immediately opposite the elevator, and the man on it. He wore an orange robe, which sharply contrasted with his gray skin. His face was heavily scarred, and his eyes locked onto hers and seemed to tear through her straight to her soul. An involuntary shiver ran though her body. She knew instantly that this was the Supreme Leader she had heard Ben speak of, and not just because he was sitting on a throne. Even with her limited training, she could feel the cold aura of the Dark Side rolling off him in waves. She jumped slightly when she suddenly felt Ben grab her arm and march her out of the elevator and into the room, the doors shutting behind her. Now that she was actually in the room, she could see the roof was transparent, giving her a view of the massive fleet of Star Destroyers above them keeping pace with the ship.

Ben stopped her a few feet before the throne and pushed her to her knees, then let go of her arm and stepped back a bit. Rey stared at the floor, shivering slightly as she felt Snoke's gaze on her, studying her. "So," he said finally, "this is the girl that has caused so much trouble." Silence. Rey maintained her gaze on the floor. She wouldn't give Snoke the satisfaction of seeing the fear in her eyes.

"Bring me her lightsaber," he continued, speaking to Ben. Silently, she heard him walk over to his master and hand him Luke's saber before moving back to stand next to her crouching form.

Kylo Ren watched as his master examined the saber with mild interest(His grandfather's lightsaber, a small part of his mind whispered with a mix of intrigue and trepidation). "So… this is the lightsaber that once belonged to the Chosen One," Snoke said to no one in particular. "Tell me… how did a scavenger such as yourself come into possession of such a relic?" He placed the saber on the arm of his throne and turned to the girl kneeling before him. Kylo tried to ignore his pang of sympathy for her; it wasn't that long ago that he had knelt there in fear, bracing himself for his master's wrath at his failure to stop the destruction of Starkiller Base. Rey remained silent, and Snoke appeared to be agitated by this. "Look at me, girl." He felt it as his master reached out with the Force and pushed Rey's head up to look at him. "I have many questions for you," Snoke continued, leaning back in his chair with a grin. "And you will answer them for me."

Kylo saw as Rey masked her fear with a look of defiance, and he begrudged her a small amount of respect for the attempt. "I won't tell you anything," she said. His master's grin only widened. "Then I will take the answers from you." He raised his hand, and Rey suddenly rose up into the air, her body turning until she was staring up at the ceiling. A look of pain crossed her face, and Kylo was reminded of his interrogation of her on Starkiller Base, how he had pried at her mind only to find her pushing back with what little training she had, catching him off guard long enough for her to enter his mind and pull a single thought to the surface.

It wouldn't be like that with Snoke. Even if she had had training equal to Kylo's, her defenses would crumble before the sheer raw power his master possessed. He would know; he had been punished for failure many times this way, for wounds to the mind were more powerful and lasted longer than any physical pain. So he knew, with aching clarity, exactly what she felt now, her mind beaten again and again by wave after wave of Force. Only this time, his master was doing more than attacking a mind. He was pulling at it, forcefully ripping thoughts and memories from it so he could observe them himself.

Kylo's hands clenched into fists by his side as Rey continued to scream, her cries of pain accompanied by Snoke's laughter.

/

Vice Admiral Holdo gazed out the window of the bridge at the fleet of First Order ships pursuing them, concern creasing her features. Behind her, Poe Dameron gripped the holotable so hard his knuckles were white, and his face had a similar expression. When he spoke, though, his voice was steady. "Admiral, we just need to give them a little more time," he said. "I have faith in them." Holdo turned to respond, but before she could say anything, someone else did.

"We're out of time, Captain," Leia said from her seat nearby. Poe turned to the recently reawakened general with an expression of desperation on his face. "General, we can't give up on them." Leia gave a weary sigh. "As much as I want to believe in Finn, we can't afford to wait for them any longer. We have to assume they've failed, or we would have heard from them by now." She looked up and met eyes with Poe and Holdo. "We have to launch the transports now, and hope they're too small to register on the fleet's sensors."

"But-" Poe began, but stopped when he realized she was right. He gave a sigh. Leia turned to Holdo. "Give the order to evacuate." Holdo nodded and turned to a nearby console. Pressing a button, she spoke into the ship's intercom. "This is Admiral Holdo. All personnel, please evacuate to the transport ships immediately."

Instantly, everyone on the bridge began hurriedly packing up their stations and heading for the doors. Holdo turned once more to the window, staring at the Supremacy in the center of the fleet, as if she could see Finn and Rose from hundreds of kilometers away. Where are you? She thought, concerned.

/

"I think it's safe to say we're in trouble," Finn whispered to Rose as they were marched down the hall, their hands bound behind their backs. "Yeah, no kidding," Rose replied. She sounded like she was trying not to cry, and Finn decided to try and calm her down. "Hey," he said, "We'll get out of this." Rose turned to look at him. "How?" she asked. Finn wanted to say that BB-8, who he'd noticed had avoided capture, would help them, but if he said anything, one of the stormtroopers escorting them would probably hear and send a search party after the droid. Not to mention he didn't know what BB-8 could do to help anyway.

So instead he said, "We'll figure something out." He gave her a reassuring smile, but she didn't seem convinced and turned away. Finn's smile dropped as he looked forward again. C'mon, little buddy, he thought, figure something out.

In a maintenance vent running alongside the hallway, BB-8 kept pace with the group as quietly as possible. His processor raced as he tried to think of a rescue plan. He didn't have any weapons, at least none that were effective against stormtroopers. Even if he did, rolling in and trying to take on a whole squad of troops was not the best course of action, to put it lightly. He could find an access port and try to close the blast doors around them, but he didn't know what he'd do from there that wouldn't hurt Finn and Rose as well as the troopers.

His thoughts were halted as they arrived at a sealed set of doors. The lead trooper opened them, and BB-8, peering through the vent between him and the main hall, could only see a transparent forcefield that revealed only space beyond. A hangar.

The group walked inside, and the doors shut behind them. Turning from the vent, BB-8 saw an exit to the vent and rolled cautiously forward. Extending his scomp link, he opened the hatch to see that it was thankfully surrounded by supply crates on all but one side. He rolled eagerly out, the hatch shutting behind him. He peered around the crate carefully and froze.

The hangar was absolutely filled with stormtroopers. He couldn't even see Finn and Rose anymore. Why in the galaxy were there so many troopers here? A sarcastic thought about his friends' popularity popped into his head, but he pushed it out. This wasn't a time for jokes. He needed to find a way to take on a whole hangar of troopers, but first he needed a way to see Finn and Rose without being spotted.

Looking around, he noticed, high above, a catwalk that ran the length of the hangar, and led to a vehicle platform. It was mostly empty, but there were few vehicles docked…

An idea popped into his head. Slowly, his sensor dish emerged from his domed head, and he began scanning for a way up to the catwalk….

/

Kylo could practically feel it as Rey was dropped with a dull thud onto the floor, and he couldn't help it when he winced slightly. Shaking, Rey rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself to her knees, glaring up at Snoke, who was still grinning.

"So… Skywalker found the first Jedi Temple after all…" Snoke rumbled. "On Ach-To…." Rey's expression changed to one of panic. "We will deal with him in due time. But first…" Snoke turned his gaze to Kylo, and despite years of being under that gaze, he still couldn't help the slight shiver that ran down his spine. "Apprentice," Snoke said, "You have failed, time and again, to deal with this girl, and you have allowed her to find Skywalker. You will now correct your mistake. Draw your lightsaber."

Ren, already knowing what he was being asked to do, took his saber from his belt and ignited it, the blade crackling to life before the crossguard followed suit a moment later. "You will kill the girl," Snoke finished. "This is your final test. Strike her down, remove all weakness, and you will have at last completed your training." Ren stepped in between the throne and Rey and turned to look at her. She looked up at him pleadingly. "Ben, please, don't," she said, sounding a bit desperate. "We have a bond… there must be a reason…"

"Foolish girl," Snoke leered, "It was I who forged the bond between you two, so that I might lure you here and discover Skywalker's location." Rey's expression changed from despair to surprise, and Kylo couldn't help but feel the same. His master hadn't told him that, but maybe that would have interfered with the plan. After all, if he had known, she might have been able to tell she was walking into a trap. "Now that I know where he is," Snoke continued, "I have no further use for you."

Internally, Kylo began to feel uncertain. "Supreme leader," he said carefully, turning to his master, "perhaps it would be better to turn her to our cause. She is strong in the Force… she could be a valuable ally." Snoke sat back in his throne, seeming to think about it for a moment, though Kylo knew it was only for show. "I have no use for a second apprentice," he said after a moment. "You will kill her, and you will do it now." Kylo turned back to Rey, who was once again pleading silently. He knew he should not hesitate in striking her down, but something in her gaze froze him, preventing him from moving his arm. This is ridiculous, he thought with frustration. He barely knew this girl, and she'd caused him nothing but trouble, besides. He should have had no problem killing her where she kneeled, and yet… maybe it was their bond that stayed his hand, keeping him from raising his blade, but whatever the reason, he couldn't bring himself to kill her.

"Apprentice," Snoke said from behind him, and though his voice seemed calm, Kylo could hear the annoyance beneath the words, "If you do not have the strength to kill a simple girl, then you do not deserve to be my apprentice." Now anger flashed through his mind. Anger at Snoke, who had spent years lying to him and manipulating him, punishing him with agony for every small infraction, every simple mistake. An idea, forged in the fiery embers of his rage, appeared and took hold within his mind. He knew what he needed to do. Silently, carefully, he reached out with the Force, moving as slowly as he could to keep his master from noticing, hoping he was too focused on watching him.

"He won't do it," Kylo heard Rey say, and he saw her look past him at Snoke, that defiant look present in her eyes once more, despite her obvious shaking. He heard his master laugh. "Fool," he said, "I see inside his mind. I know what he will do. I see it… he takes his blade, readies it… and strikes, his true enemy!"
Now. He constricted his grip with the Force, and behind him he heard the saber ignite, followed by a surprised gasp from Snoke. He turned, with a sort of wary excitement, to see his master speared through his midsection by his uncle's lightsaber. Pulling on it with the Force, it flew from the arm of the throne, and Snoke's torso tumbled off his legs onto the floor. The saber flew past his outstretched hand, but he hadn't intended to take it himself. Behind him, he heard Rey catch the saber and stand up. He turned to look at her, and a silent conversation occurred between them. There was only one way out of here, and they had to fight together to get to it. They turned their backs to each other, facing separate halves of the throne room, as the Praetorian Guards advanced on them angrily…

And froze as he heard, impossibly, Snoke laughing.

Kylo turned back to the throne to see Snoke lift himself with the Force off the ground, and back onto his lower half, and watched, with growing horror, as the two halves seemed to reconnect to each other. Behind him, he heard Rey gasp, clearly feeling equally horrified. In moments, the wound the lightsaber had inflicted was gone completely, with no sign it had ever been there. Even the robe was unscathed, somehow. The whole time, Snoke had been laughing. Now he spoke.

"Foolish boy," he said gleefully. "Did you think I was so blind that I could not see what you intended?" Kylo stared at him. "Impossible," he breathed. Snoke laughed again. "You are not the first apprentice to kill me, boy." Kylo continued staring, the words trying and failing to register. Snoke had never had another apprentice… had he?

He watched as Snoke gestured to the guards, who had been slowly advancing on Rey and Kylo, and they returned to their positions around the edges of the room. "Tell me something, children," his master said, clearly enjoying every second of terror from the pair before him. His words held the weight of a great revelation, and though Kylo wasn't sure what it was, he knew it was something terrible.

"Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"