Author's Note:

Hello there!

Excuse the lengthy note, but there are a few things that need to be covered. This story is a rewrite of my other story, Falling Into Light (which is still posted on AO3 for anyone who wishes to read it). I have improved as a writer since I published FIL, and wanted to do that story justice by rewriting it because I loved the overall concept of it, but I just didn't execute it very well, imo. FIL can be considered to be a first draft, if you will. That being said, A Light in the Dark will not follow the plot of FIL (a lot will be changed). There were a number of things that I disliked about the original that I want to either do better, or disregard completely.

- I have updated the tags below since initially posting this story here. Please take the time to read them. They are the same tags that I have over on AO3.

- There is no update schedule for this story. I recommend following if you don't want to miss updates.

- I am open to constructive criticism/critique, as long as it's actual critique rather than straight up bashing. Please. I am a gentle soul, I swear.

- I do not reply to comments here on FFN (how do I even do that?) and I've turned off Private Messaging. Apologies, but I have to protect myself from spam and/or trolls.

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Title: A Light in the Dark

Summary: After arriving on Ahch-To in search of Luke Skywalker, Rey finds herself thrown into the past during the time of the Galactic Empire, with the heroes and villains that she had heard stories about in the Jakku desert.

Pairing: Rey/Anakin Skywalker l Darth Vader

Rating: Mature

Characters: Rey, Anakin Skywalker l Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Mon Mothma, Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 l Rex, CC-2224 l Cody, CC-3636 l Wolffe, TK-9091, CT-6116 l Kix, Bail Organa, Breha Organa, Sheev Palpatine l Darth Sidious.

Tags: Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Star Wars: Original Trilogy Era, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, POV Third Person Limited, POV Multiple, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Force Training, Inhibitor Chips, Darth Vader Redemption, Older Man/Younger Woman, Slow Burn, Creepy Sheev Palpatine, Cross-Posted on AO3, Please Do Not Copy to Another Site.

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Chapter One

Rey awoke with a start. A grunt erupted out of her throat as she sat up quickly. The Force was screaming at her that something was terribly wrong. Dangerous.

Blinking a few times, she tried to determine exactly where she was, but couldn't see anything; she was in absolute darkness. She took a moment to try to get her bearings, while she mentally worked through what she remembered.

She had found Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To, old and grey, and far from the legend that she had heard stories about growing up on Jakku. Luke had refused to teach her and had declined to come back with her and Chewie to the Resistance. He had shut himself off from the Force.

She remembered finding a little stone hut to sleep in for the night, and was planning to try to convince him once more in the morning that the Resistance needed him. That she needed him.

Rey sniffed. Her head was throbbing behind her eyes while her heart thumped painfully in her chest. Her vision, however, was slowly adjusting to the darkness. She began to distinguish vague shapes all around her, and realised that she was no longer in the little hut.

Tentatively reaching a hand out in front of herself, Rey pushed up onto her feet. Her fingertips brushed over a cool, smooth surface, and soon she found the distinct outline of a door handle. Pulling the handle towards herself until she heard a soft click, she cautiously pushed the door open.

Squinting as bright light met her eyes, Rey stepped out of the little room she had been in and out into a hallway. She slowly rotated on the spot and took in her new environment.

Her throat tightened with fear the moment she realised that she was currently standing in the middle of an empty hallway of an Imperial Era Star Destroyer, much like the ones that she had scavenged on Jakku. Except this one had access to a power source at the very least, if the bright lights were any indication. The implication as to what that meant settled uncomfortably in her mind.

This particular Destroyer hadn't been scavenged.

Rey closed her eyes and focused intently on her surroundings. She could feel the subtle—almost non-existent—vibrations in the walls and floors of the vessel indicative of Hyperspace travel. Her eyes shot open as dread pooled in her stomach. Not only was the starship from the Imperial Era, but it was in perfect working order as well.

Perhaps the First Order had old Imperial starships at their disposal. Had they somehow tracked her to Ahch-To? Where was Luke? Chewie?

She spun around and peered at the room she had just exited only to find a storage closet, of all things, staring back at her. Why hadn't the First Order locked her away in the prisoner cells on the lower levels?

Rey frowned, knowing that she was missing something important. Her pounding headache wasn't helping with her seemingly sluggish mind. She couldn't remember anything after closing her eyes for some much-needed sleep following her first unsuccessful day on Ahch-To.

Turning away from the storage closet, she scrutinised a pair of jet-black doors at the far end of the hallway. Dangerous.

Deciding to get as far away from the ominous-looking doors as quickly as possible, Rey began to take a few steps in the opposite direction. She knew that she needed to find a way to escape this Destroyer, which meant the first thing she had to do was find a vessel capable of Hyperspace travel. Once she got off of this starship she needed to determine exactly where in the galaxy she was. And then, somehow find a way to get word back to Leia and the Resistance about what she'd learned of the First Order and their apparent use of Imperial Era starships. Only when she had accomplished those necessary tasks would she return to Ahch-To, to Luke and Chewie, and force the Jedi to help her and the Resistance.

She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, regardless of how prickly Luke got.

Rey peered down at herself as she cautiously made her way down the empty hallway, and took in what she was wearing. She was relieved to see that she had on what she went to sleep with. Her clothes, her boots—she patted her hip—the lightsaber.

She snorted at the ridiculousness of sleeping with the lightsaber, but for some unknown reason she couldn't get to sleep without it. She'd been terrified of the heavy rain pelting against her little hut, and the thunder and lightning only added to her fear. The torrent of rain hadn't been anything that she experienced before on Jakku.

No. Jakku had other things in the night to be terrified about.

Suddenly an inky darkness began coiling around her, probing her with curiosity, before recoiling sharply and disappearing completely.

Rey gasped at the uncomfortable, yet somewhat familiar sensation, realising that she must've somehow found herself on a Star Destroyer with Kylo Ren. Now he was going to find and likely torture her as payback for how she had defeated him on Starkiller Base.

She let out a quiet sob as she peeked around a junction in the hallway and spotted a pair of turbolifts only fifty feet away.

She took off towards the lifts, running at a full sprint to reach them before Kylo Ren got any closer to her.

One of the lift doors slowly opened, the light bleeding out into the hallway. The darkness blasted against Rey.

She lurched back, losing her footing, and fell hard onto her behind.

A black boot stepped out of the lift, just as the sound of mechanical breathing filled her ears.

Rey gaped in shock as the monster stepped entirely out of the turbolift.

This was not Kylo Ren.

No.

This was Darth Vader.

"Kriff," Rey hissed as she reached for the lightsaber still strapped to her hip. She unclipped it from her belt, noting as Darth Vader's gaze seemed to follow the movement of her hands. She forced herself onto her feet and ignited the weapon before readying herself in what she hoped was a fighting stance; unwilling to go down without a fight, no matter how short that fight would be.

The Sith Lord seemed to be focused entirely on the glowing blue blade. But, before she could react, he reached a hand out and curled his fingers, causing the lightsaber to fly out of her grasp and into his own before he shut it off and clipped it next to another on his belt.

Darth Vader placed his hands on his hips and stared her down. "Who are you?" his vocoder rang out deep and strong.

Rey just shook her head, blinking away the tears beginning to form upon realising that she was going to die today at the hands of a long dead monster. After surviving the harsh conditions of the Jakku desert alone and waiting for her parents to return, she would be dying with no one by her side.

The Sith Lord stepped closer, crowding her. "Do not tempt your fate, Jedi. I will find out one way or another."

"I am not a Jedi," Rey insisted, her voice shaking with emotion. She peered up at him and tried to swallow her fear. "My name is Rey. I'm from a planet located in the Western Reaches of the Inner Rim, called Jakku. Jakku was the location of the final battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, before the Empire was finally defeated." She stubbornly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm just a scavenger of crashed Imperial Star Destroyers. I'm not a Jedi, I swear. I didn't even know that I was Force-sensitive until a few weeks ago."

Darth Vader's helmet tilted slightly to the side as he appeared to consider her words. "The Galactic Empire has not been defeated."

Rey's stomach dropped to her feet. What in the kriffing hell was going on?

"I believe I now understand the disturbance in the Force that surrounds you, Rey of Jakku." Vader paused, the cold black eyes of his mask were watching her closely. "You are from the future."

Rey scoffed, shaking her still-aching head in disbelief and stubbornly ignoring the insistence in the Force that he was telling the truth. "If you believe that, then you need to back off with the Spice that you've obviously been smoking. It might do you some good, even get you off of that respirator of yours." She crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "There's no such thing as time travel."

To say she was shocked when she felt a short pulse of amusement crash into her was an understatement. She'd been expecting a lightsaber blade through her chest instead.

Vader waved off her quip before jabbing his finger at her. "I suppose that you believe you are an expert on what the Force can and cannot do. Your lack of shielding would say otherwise."

"I don't know anything about what the Force can do." Rey pressed her lips tightly together as her headache abruptly disappeared and her mind began to clear. She remembered what Leia had told her about the past, insisting that the Force was saying that it was vital that Rey knew all that she could. It all made sense now; it was to prepare her for this. She raised a brow at the Sith Lord standing before her and dropped the first metaphorical proton torpedo. "Your son refused to train me. Your grandson, on the other hand, had offered to teach me the ways of the Force, but I responded by slicing his face open with your old lightsaber…Anakin."

She winced as an overwhelming wave of astonishment pulsed uncomfortably against her mind.

"What did you say?" Darth Vader questioned. He held up a hand to prevent Rey from answering, and seemed to quickly tuck his surprise away. "No. Not here." He grabbed her arm and began marching away from the turbolifts and towards the ominous-looking doors that she had run from earlier.

Rey was barely able to keep up with his long strides without losing her footing. "Where am I? What are you going to do to me?" she asked once they reached the junction in the hallway.

The Sith Lord ignored her question as he sharply turned to the right to continue down the hallway. Once they reached the jet-black doors, he waved the hand that wasn't clutching her arm. The doors opened as he moved his grip to her shoulder. "Inside."

Rey hesitated, resulting in Vader pushing her roughly into the large room.

The doors snapped shut behind the pair of them, no doubt locking her in.

"Stay precisely where you are." Vader pointed to her as he made his way further into the room.

Doing as she was told, Rey took in the dimly lit room and realised that they were in his private quarters. There was a spherical life support pod off to the side of the main quarters, prepped and ready to go. Two medical droids were situated beside it, shut off for the time being if Rey understood the lack of acknowledgement from the droids correctly. Her gaze darted over to the other side of the darkened quarters, spotting a wall panel that had a slightly different sheen to the panelling beside it. It seemed odd, for lack of a better word, but she didn't understand why it had piqued her interest.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Rey turned her attention to the far end of the room, which had a holo-table with a small projector in its centre and seating for two.

Vader came to a stop on the opposite side of the holo-table, facing Rey, and waved his hand once more. The holo-table flickered on.

An older man who was dressed in an Imperial uniform and standing stiff and straight, suddenly appeared on the projector. "My Lord." He bowed his head slightly, waiting for the Sith Lord to address him.

"I insist that I am not to be bothered for the remainder of the day, Captain, unless it is of vital importance." Vader's respirator cycled once. "Are my orders clear?"

The man seemed to straighten even further. He gave the Sith Lord a curt nod of his head. "Yes, Lord Vader. "

Vader shut the holo-table off without replying and returned his attention to Rey.

"Who was that?" Rey asked, trying to gain as much information as she could.

Vader ignored the question as he made his way around the table, and remained silent until he stood only a few steps away from her. "You mentioned a son earlier," he prompted quietly. "And a grandson."

Rey dropped her gaze to the floor. General Organa had given her a rough outline of the major events during the rule of the Galactic Empire until it was eventually defeated. She had told Rey about her biological family, insisting that it was vital that she knew. Leia had told her over bitter caf, that the Force was insisting that she tell her as much as she could before Rey was to leave for Ahch-To.

Rey had learned that Darth Vader's real name was Anakin Skywalker, the father of both Leia and Luke. General Organa had informed her that their birth mother was a woman by the name of Padmé Amidala, a former Queen and Senator of Naboo. Rey knew that Darth Vader didn't actually know about the existence of Luke until shortly after the first Death Star was destroyed. She also knew that the Sith Lord had no idea that Leia was his daughter until some time after he had tortured her on the Death Star for her role in obtaining the schematics to the battle station.

Currently, the Force seemed to be murmuring in Rey's ear, insisting that she needed to train with the Sith Lord. It was telling her that she could trust him with her life. And, as terrifying as that thought was, Rey knew that she had no other option. She was now living during a time when Emperor Palpatine, the mastermind behind it all, ruled the Known Galaxy. She knew that she was out of her depth and in grave danger.

Exhaling deeply, Rey brought her gaze up from the floor and narrowed her eyes at Vader. "If I'm going to tell you about your family, you first must promise me that you'll train me in the Force." She held up a finger. "The light side only," she quickly clarified before he could get a word in. "The Force is insisting that I need to train with you. You mentioned something about shields earlier, I have a feeling that I am going to be needing those sooner rather than later."

She waited in silence as the Sith Lord's respirator cycled a half dozen times.

"I will agree to train you in the light side of the Force," Vader eventually conceded. He crossed his arms across his chest, hiding most of his blinking life-support panel from view. "Now tell me about my son."

"How long has it been since the Galactic Empire came to be?" Rey questioned quietly. "Before I left for an assignment, my General informed me of a number of things that occurred during the Emperor's reign. She said that the Force was insisting that she did so. I need to know when I am so that I know what I can and cannot tell you."

Vader shuffled his feet. "It has been almost nineteen standard years since the Republic was reformed into the Galactic Empire."

Rey slowly nodded, the timing fit perfectly with all that Leia had told her. "First things first, you should know that Padmé Amidala was pregnant with twins." She had to pause as another wave of surprise pulsed hard against her mind. It was quickly followed by grief and guilt before Vader was able to tuck his emotions away. "A boy and a girl, both of whom are Force-sensitive." She took a deep breath in before continuing. "The girl, or woman I suppose by now, is the General of the Resistance during my time. The Resistance is basically what you would call the Rebels today."

"A terrorist group, in other words." Vader's annoyance was apparent even with the distortion of his vocoder.

Ignoring the jibe, Rey continued to explain. "In my time, the Resistance was fighting against the First Order." She gave the black mask a tight smile that she knew didn't reach her eyes. "The First Order is somewhat similar to the Galactic Empire in that there's a Dark Force user who is its leader. The leader also has an apprentice, who is the First Order's enforcer if you will. The apprentice is my General's son. Your grandson."

There was the barest hint of shame that seemed to waft gently around the room.

"I honestly hadn't really been a part of the Resistance at all," Rey said after a moment of uneasy silence. "It only happened because a BB-series astromech droid belonging to one of the Resistance pilots got into a spot of trouble on Jakku and I happened to be nearby. The droid had the missing piece of an incomplete map of a section of the Unknown Regions. A map that led to your son, who had shut himself off from the Force after his nephew fell to the dark side, and the Jedi Order was once again eliminated." She frowned. "The First Order was after your son, and was actively searching Jakku for the droid. I ended up stealing a ship to get off of the planet with the droid and one other person who claimed that they were with the Resistance. Shortly thereafter I got into contact with your daughter."

She had purposely skipped over a significant portion of what had happened only weeks earlier, but she knew that her focus needed to be on Luke and Leia. "My first assignment was to find your son and convince him to train me in the Force. I was supposed to convince him to return to his sister and help the Resistance."

"Did you find him?" Vader questioned her.

Rey nodded. "I did." She cleared her throat. "He had found the first Jedi Temple, but had cut himself off from the Force, and…well…everyone." She hesitated. "I think he'd just given up and was waiting to die." She sniffed. "I've seen the same sort of thing happen to scavengers on Jakku. They just…quit."

"I see." There was a soft hum of understanding wafting around the room.

Once again, Rey cleared her throat. "I pestered him the moment I arrived at the Jedi Temple, but no matter what I said he just continued to tell me to 'go away' and to 'leave him alone'." She wrapped her arms self-consciously around herself. "My first night there it started to rain heavily, and because Jakku is a desert planet, I was terrified of it and of the thunder and lightning." She shrugged. "I've never experienced something like that before, that much water I mean. I'm used to the X'us'R'iia, which are what sandstorms are called back home. Those can last for days and days."

Rey shuddered, recalling an exceptionally unpleasant memory of such a storm where she had been forced to take refuge in a Star Destroyer that she'd been scavenging for almost a week. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and refocused her attention on the Sith Lord in front of her. "I hunkered down in one of the stone huts at the Jedi Temple to try to get some sleep and to wait out the storm. And then the next thing I knew, I was in the storage closet just down the hallway. I really don't understand why."

She could only watch as Darth Vader began to pace around the room. "The Force works in mysterious ways. It must have had a reason to send you back in time to me," he said before coming to a stop directly in front of her. "From the very moment that you appeared on my Destroyer, the Force has been insisting that I cannot kill you. The Force has been telling me that I must protect you."

"Then help me build those shields that you've mentioned," Rey insisted quietly. "I assume that they'll protect me from the Emperor. I've a feeling that if Palpatine realises where I come from he won't be as pleasant as you have been. Correct?"

The Sith Lord stood stock still for a second or two before he turned abruptly and marched towards the odd wall panel that Rey had noticed earlier. He pressed the panel with both of his hands, causing it to sink a few inches deeper into the wall, where it then slid behind a neighbouring panel. There, hidden behind where the panel used to be, was a narrow, grey door.

Blinking in surprise, Rey wondered what this particular Sith Lord was hiding from everyone.

Vader waved the door open before gesturing for Rey to follow him inside the hidden room. Soft lighting illuminated the room once he stepped through the doorway. "We must hurry. The Emperor will have felt a disturbance in the Force the moment you arrived."

Rey gasped as she followed Vader into the room. "What is this place?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. The room had a fountain at its centre surrounded by four small benches. The floor, instead of the dark metal alloy found everywhere else on the Destroyer, was covered with green vegetation and a winding stone pathway. She could even spot a handful of pillows littered throughout, their bright colours peeking out from the long grasses.

"This is a meditation chamber," Vader informed her as he slowly lowered down onto one of the benches surrounding the fountain. He raised his right hand and used the Force to direct a second bench around in front of where he was seated with just enough distance between the two for someone to carefully walk through. "My life support pod that you noticed earlier also acts as a meditation chamber, and it is what I use to meditate while on the Devastator. The Force has been incessant for years that I needed another meditation chamber here in my personal quarters and to keep it hidden away." He paused, allowing his respirator to cycle a few times. "It has taken me nearly three years to complete without anyone noticing. Not even Sidious is aware of its existence." He pointed to the empty bench. "You must sit down, Rey. I will assist you in building your shields."

Rey did as she was told and sat down on the indicated bench directly in front of the Sith Lord. At Vader's reminder of the Emperor, she felt her fear begin to grow. She took a deep breath in, held it for a couple of seconds, and then exhaled slowly.

"Normally, the Force-sensitive being will enter into a meditative state the first time they construct their mental shields. It helps one organise and clear their mind more effectively," Vader told her. "However, we do not have the time to do such a thing. Not with the Emperor likely already searching for the reason for such a disturbance in the Force. Your unshielded strength in the Force is like a beacon, leading him directly to us. It is only through luck that we are currently travelling through Hyperspace, otherwise the Emperor would have found you by now."

"My strength in the Force?" Rey failed to hide her disbelief at such a claim. She hadn't even known that she was Force-sensitive for most of her life. Surely, she wasn't that strong in the Force. She would've noticed otherwise.

The Sith Lord's helmet tilted slightly to the side, as if he were contemplating whether or not to respond to her disbelief. "That is correct," he said after a moment. "It is a pity that you have chosen only to be trained in the light side of the Force. Otherwise I would have offered to take you on as my apprentice. With your strength paired with mine, we could have eliminated the Emperor."

Rey narrowed her eyes at his offer. It made her uncomfortable just how enticing it sounded even knowing what she did about the collapse of the Empire. She shook her head. "You killed the Emperor on the second Death Star in order to protect your son, Luke, after he brought you back to the light." She took a deep breath in as Vader's curiosity wafted throughout the meditation chamber. "You saved his life by taking the brunt of the Emperor's Force lightning, sacrificing yourself instead."

Vader's respirator cycled twice before he responded. "I see." His helmet tilted to the opposite side as he regarded her some more. "Mental shields," he said after a moment. "The quickest way for you to construct a shield strong enough to hide your complete presence without any training is to allow another Force-sensitive to build it for you."

Oh, she did not like the sound of that. Rey frowned. "How exactly?"

"By allowing me to slip under the shallow surface of your mind. Once in there, I can construct a mental shield around all of your thoughts and emotions. Doing so will hide your presence from the Emperor," the Sith Lord told her. "It becomes easier to keep a mental shield in place once you take the time to organise your thoughts. Organised thoughts lead to better concentration and dampened emotions. Dampened emotion leads to stronger shields." He paused. "You will need the strongest mental shields that you can muster if you have any chance to protect yourself from the Emperor."

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Rey pondered the offer. "When you say 'slip' into my mind, does that mean you'll know what I'm thinking?" She peered worriedly into the eye pieces of Darth Vader's mask. "You'll see what I'm thinking about, correct?" That was what had happened when she'd slipped into Kylo Ren's mind during his interrogation of her on Starkiller Base.

"Yes, that is correct."

"But, I have so much that I need to hide," Rey voiced her concern. "I don't trust you not to go searching for something once you're in there."

Vader held up his hand, as if to placate her. "If you focus on a memory that you have of a building that is safe and one that you are exceptionally familiar with, that is all that I will see." He paused, allowing his respirator to cycle. "I will not force my way into your mind any further than that single memory. I recommend focusing on where you lived. I will admit to being unfamiliar with the planet that you are from, Rey. However, I assume that you had a home on Jakku."

Rey nodded, thinking of the tipped over AT-AT walker that she had made into a home outside of Niima Outpost. "I did, and I made certain that it was safe from intruders."

"Good," Vader told her as he reached his hands out and placed them on both sides of her head at her temple. "You will need to focus on a memory that takes place within that dwelling. I recommend focusing on as much detail within the building as you can. Once you do that, it will feel like you are there once again." His respirator cycled. "The more relaxed you are, the less painful my intrusion will be. The choice is entirely up to you." He paused once again. "Inform me when you have a clear memory, and I will join you in it as soon as possible to construct your mental shields."

Exhaling deeply as she closed her eyes, Rey thought back to one of the last evenings that she had spent in her home after devoting the majority of the day scavenging the bowels of the Star Dreadnought, the Ravager.

She could feel the hot sun on her back as she stepped through the hatch of the Hellhound Two, and rolled her eyes as she tossed her survival ration onto the kitchen counter. A single quarter portion for an entire day's worth of work in scavenging. Well, at least I got fresh water included this time, she thought as she dropped her full canteen on the counter with a muffled thunk.

Rey peered sadly at the little doll that was sitting on the counter and took the time to straighten out its pilot uniform, before grabbing the engraver next to it. She really didn't want to think about how long ago she'd made the doll. A lifetime ago, at the very least.

She turned away from the kitchen and took a moment to stare at the wall of tally marks.

"Okay, I'm ready," she murmured quietly before making her way over to the wall to mark yet another day gone by. She felt the moment Vader had joined her memory, and was grateful that it hadn't hurt at all. She could feel him watching her and taking in his surroundings as she carried on with her daily routine, making a point of ignoring his presence as she scratched yet another mark into the thick durasteel wall.

"You reside inside a decommissioned AT-AT?" Vader questioned quietly as she returned to her kitchen to get started on her meal.

Rey tore open the ration portion and added the powdered bread to a metal dish before she gave him a curt nod of her head. "I do," she said as she added a bit of water from her canteen to the dish before stirring it with her finger to activate the catalyst. She turned around to face Vader and leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Not only does this walker have an almost indestructible lock on the hatch over there," she pointed to the open auxiliary hatch that was letting in the bright sunlight, "but I've also set up a perimeter using the terrain sensors from the feet to warn me of any intruders." She reached behind herself to grab her canteen and took a long drink. "My home is probably one of the safest places on Jakku, Lord Vader. I do hope that it's good enough for you to build my mental shields."

The Sith Lord's helmet tilted to the side as he peered curiously at her. "It is suitable," he conceded after a moment. "I had expected your dwelling to be constructed out of pourstone or something similar. Durasteel is a much stronger material."

"That's a good thing, right?" Rey questioned as her home suddenly seemed to stretch out lengthwise as far as the eye could see the moment Vader went to work building her shield.

Vader was unnervingly silent as he began reinforcing the stretched out walls with thick durasteel plates that he welded together, creating a solid and continuous shield directly inside her mind. Only the auxiliary hatch was left uncovered.

It wasn't until she could begin to feel the Sith Lord's sinister emotions overwhelm the tight quarters that Rey realised she'd made a grave error in judgement.

Before she could react, Vader pulled the hatch closed and activated the locking mechanism. The Hellhound Two shrank back to its original size, now with a second layer of durasteel over every surface. It had a claustrophobic feel to it that only added to her anxiety.

"How am I supposed to get out of here, Anakin?" Rey questioned quietly, ending the tense silence between them. She knew deep in her soul that she wouldn't be able to deactivate the lock. The Sith Lord had complete control over her mind's defences.

Slowly, Vader turned around to face her. "That name holds no meaning for me."

Rey felt her stomach plummet through the floor. "Lord Vader, then." She tried to swallow, but found that her mouth was parched. "Will you share with me how I'm supposed to leave this place?"

Vader stepped towards her while slowly shaking his head. "I have questions." The sound of his respirator reverberated inside the Hellhound Two. "Your answers will determine whether you will stay locked in your Imperial walker for the remainder of your life. No other Force user will know of your existence once I am through with you."

Rey felt her breath leave her lungs as he pushed her against a wall, the back of her head thumped the hard surface behind her. She struggled until a firm hand grabbed her jaw and tilted her head back, forcing her to meet his gaze. She scowled at the Sith Lord. "Go to hell."

"I built my fortress there," Vader bitterly responded to her insult. "Perhaps I will take you to Mustafar and train you in the dark side against your will."

Rey refused to respond to his goading. She couldn't let him win.

"How long have you worked for the Emperor?" Vader began his interrogation.

It was as if she had been doused in an ice-cold bath and then lost partial control of her body. Rey felt her mouth open to respond to Vader's question. "I don't work for the Emperor."

"No?" Vader paused. "Perhaps you refer to him by another title." His hand squeezed her jaw. "Do you work under Darth Sidious?"

"No," Rey responded emotionlessly.

"Do you work for Sheev Palpatine?"

"I do not work for Sheev Palpatine." Rey blinked, and waited for the next question.

Vader loosened his grip on her jaw ever-so-slightly before continuing the interrogation. "Do you work for the organisation known as the Rebel Alliance?"

"No." This time Rey was able to briefly shake her head in denial.

The Sith Lord's helmet tilted to the side as he pondered his next question. "You mentioned that you had sliced my grandson's face open with Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. What is my grandson's name?"

"Kylo Ren." The name was out of her mouth before she could even react.

The helmet tilted to the other side. "What was Kylo Ren's name at birth?"

Rey whimpered as she attempted to fight off her reply, and felt as pressure began to build up in her head. It felt like her brain was about to squirt out of her nose and eye sockets. "Ben Solo," she hissed after a few minutes of struggle.

The pressure lessened substantially, causing her to sigh in relief.

"That pressure you felt is what will happen if you refuse to answer one of my questions," Lord Vader informed her. "The longer that you refuse to answer, the greater the pressure becomes until your brain is severely damaged."

"How are you doing this?" Rey could practically feel the Sith Lord's smile at her question.

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural," Lord Vader responded with poorly hidden amusement. "I considered asking if you wished to be trained in the dark side of the Force. However, I do not believe you are ready to hear your answer. Perhaps I will wait until you are."

"E chu ta."

Vader shook his head in mock displeasure. "So much anger. You will make an acceptable Sith one day." His respirator cycled. "Shall we continue, Rey? Are you prepared to answer more of my questions?"

"I'll answer whatever you want, as long as you don't ask me anything relating to your daughter," Rey stubbornly offered, refusing to be the one who broke Leia's cover. She was currently a member of the Senate for Force's sake.

"Why not?"

She was lucky for such a vague question from Vader. "Because I kindly asked you not to."

Vader's helmet tilted to the side, obviously considering her request. "Perhaps it is because she is with the Rebellion."

Rey refused to respond. He hadn't asked her a question after all.

"Very well," the Sith Lord conceded. "I accept your proposition on the condition that you will answer any further questions I have in regards to you." He waited for her nod of consent before continuing his interrogation. "Tell me, Rey, who is your employer?"

Try as she might, Rey couldn't stop her reply. "Unkar Plutt."

She felt a soft wave of confusion wash over her. "Who is Unkar Plutt?"

"Unkar Plutt is a junk boss with a stronghold on Jakku," Rey found herself responding. "He hoards weapons, gears and all kinds of scraps from Imperial and Rebel ships that are littered across the desert. He gets the parts from scavengers by giving them survival rations as payment."

"How long have you worked for Plutt?"

"Since I was five years old," she answered. Her throat ached from holding in a sob as the memory of that day suddenly became clear in her mind. "My parents sold me to Plutt, and I was forced to watch as their ship left me behind." She felt a cascade of tears begin to race down her cheeks. "My father promised that he'd come back for me." Her lip wobbled. "I've been waiting ever since."

Rey was vaguely aware of Vader removing his hold on her jaw as she bawled uncontrollably. There was a sharp tug of her hands, followed by a bright light shining in her eyes.

She was now back in the meditation chamber.

Curling up on the bench, Rey hid her face behind her hands, continuing to cry and finally grieve the loss of her parents.

...


...

Lord Vader made his way out of his private quarters and towards the Devastator's communications centre after having just received word from the command bridge that the Emperor wished to speak with him.

Of course, he already knew what the topic of conversation would be about, but he was still feeling apprehensive. He had an untrained Force-sensitive with newly constructed mental shields hidden away on his Destroyer, after all; one who had travelled back in time with news of the Empire's defeat. She was an undeniable asset to have on their side. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to hand the girl over to his Master. Not after learning all that he had.

His children were alive; they had survived Mustafar. The place where he believed he had lost everything. He even had a grandson, or at least would have one eventually. It was stupefying to learn of such a thing. He could admit—if only to himself—that he was at a loss for what to do.

It felt like he was trapped on a starship with a severely damaged stabiliser, caught in the gravity pull of the nearest sun. He needed to fix the starship, but the only way for him to do that was to somehow find more time.

Time was what he needed more of right now. More time to determine exactly what he was supposed to do. More time to think and to plan and to prepare with the help of the girl. The girl he would protect from his Master, just as he'd promised.

He had been certain that she had been some sort of test from Sidious; a trick of the dark side to test his will. His interrogation during her shield construction, however, proved otherwise. The girl was a survivor of the universe much like he was, and he would help her because of it. He would help her like no one helped him.

In order to do that, he needed to learn more about the girl who had made an AT-AT walker into her home. He wanted to train her, if only to see just how powerful she truly was; he hadn't been lying when he informed her of her unexplored potential in the Force. If he had to train her in only the light side of the Force to see that potential, so be it. He would do it.

Having come to a decision just outside the communications centre, Lord Vader took a few seconds to tuck his thoughts safely behind his mental shields before stepping into the room.

He purposefully made his way towards the middle of the room and slowly lowered to one knee. "What is thy bidding, my Master?" He tilted his head up just as the holo-projector came to life.

"There has been a great disturbance in the Force," Sidious declared.

"I have felt it." It would've been foolish to claim otherwise.

"We have a new enemy. A light that threatens to overthrow our sovereignty." Sidious paused. "I have no doubt that this adversary is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker."

"How is that possible?" He wondered just how long his Master had kept this knowledge of his child from him. And which of his children was he speaking of?

"Search your feelings, Lord Vader. You will know it to be true." Sidious seemed to be waiting for a particular reaction from Vader. Once he saw it, he continued to speak. "The boy, Luke Skywalker, would be an asset for the Empire to have. Find him and bring him to me."

Kriff. Vader bowed his head. "Yes, my Master."

...


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