"Young lady, you are exceedingly fortunate that the Master didn't murder you. Back in the old days, you would have met the Force."
This lecture comes from Lord Plagueis' disapproving servant Vanee in a tone of cringe inducing disdain. After that, Vanee says very few words to her during the entire three-day trip to Coruscant. Rey is deposited at the Republic's original—and now newly restored—capital world. She is left with a credit card with a hefty balance, a replacement blue lightsaber taken from Lord Vader's collection, and a stern admonishment to 'do the work of the Force and stop being so foolish.'
For his part, old Darth Plagueis was similarly cool in his send-off. He refused her requests for training and for access to his trove of Jedi artifacts. He told her to think deeply on her experiences, admonishing her to confront her fears and to make her own opinions. Daughter, you will always find safe haven here with me should you need it, the old Sith Master informed her. But despite those words, he bade her 'May the Force be with you' and instructed Vanee to remove her from his sight immediately.
As she walked away, Rey heard the surly Milo character mutter, "Good riddance."
Darth Plagueis didn't correct him.
And that's how Rey now finds herself back with the Resistance—recently officially subsumed into the Republic. Poe Dameron is running the show as he sets up an interim galactic government that is a mix of Resistance leaders and surviving New Republic Senators, judges, and other officials who were off-world when the Starkiller struck. The goal is to provide temporary stability until free and fair elections can be held to establish a democratically elected Senate. And since stability requires security, Poe's equal counterpart is Finn, who now commands the Republic military.
The galaxy at large is still very much in disarray. That's not an insurmountable problem for the prosperous, well-governed, and self-sufficient Core worlds. It is, however, a huge issue for the Mid Rim and Outer Rim systems. For as usual, during any crisis the poorest suffer the most. All the uncertainty is a huge drag on the intergalactic economy, most especially for the trade and investment sectors that keep the peripheral worlds afloat. Uncertainty devalues local currencies and throws financial markets into wild swings. It promotes speculation and rumor. The only solution is to establish a legitimate government as soon as possible and start making concrete plans for the future.
It's a big task given the galaxy's thousands of systems are comprised of many different species and cultures. Luckily, there is an easy template at hand in the form of the New Republic constitution. Basically, Poe wants to restore things back to the way they were before. He will make no concessions to the complaints of the First Order loyalists.
Wars have consequences, Poe declares before the cameras. We won. We make the decisions now. And Rey has to concede that there is not much public outcry in support of redressing the First Order's longstanding political and economic complaints. No one feels they need to compromise to the marauding enemy who tried to burn down the New Republic rather than reform it from within. Hearts are still very hardened by the loss of Hosnia. No one wants to give an inch.
On Coruscant, things are moving fast. But while there's a lot going on around her, Rey's own job as Jedi liaison to the Senate can't begin until the official announcement of the interim Chancellor. That means there isn't much for her to do yet. Busy Poe meets with her for thirty minutes when she first arrives. He encourages her to hang around and get to know the key players emerging within the new government. Politics is about personal relationships, Poe quotes Leia Organa to Rey. So go meet everyone and learn all you can, he urges.
That assignment has Rey sitting as an observer in an endless number of meetings. She is introduced as the Jedi hero of Crait and Exogol and the Force student of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. Then Rey takes her seat and keeps her mouth shut. She watches others debate and make decisions. Truthfully, she doesn't have much to add to the proceedings. But she is learning a lot. Plus, all the information overload helps to keep her mind off second-guessing her decision about Ben Solo.
Rey very much wants to contribute. But life as a self-taught Rim scavenger has not prepared her to work at the epicenter of galactic policymaking. This aspect of being a Jedi seems far more daunting in some ways than swinging a lightsaber. But Rey remembers Ben describing how the Clone Wars led the Jedi Order astray and contributed to their downfall. So she is trying to find her place in the post-war Republic, reminding herself that there is more to the Force than fighting. But what does it mean to be apolitical when you advise a politician and an elected legislative body? How do you go about reestablishing the longstanding but defunct Republic state religion? She'll have to figure that out.
Once a week, there is a regularly scheduled public presentation on progress towards convening a new Senate. Typically, it is followed by a military briefing. These are public events broadcast live on the holonet. Rey doesn't participate. She's a silent observer in the crowded audience.
This morning's Senate briefing is an exhaustive overview of the proposed election procedures and timeline. It's the nuts and bolts of democracy, but Rey finds it all dreadfully dull. She endures the two-hour long presentation and Q&A session, thinking it's what General Leia would want her to do. Finally, the briefing concludes and people begin to file out. That's when Rey catches sight of a familiar face coming into the room while others depart.
"Finn!"
The former stormtrooper FN2187 is handsome in his Republic general's uniform with his trademark Resistance jacket on top. It's Poe's jacket that has become an inside joke between the two young leaders who have been fast friends since their improbable meeting on a First Order star destroyer.
"Finn!" She waves. Does he see her? He does. His eyes light up.
"Rey!" Finn makes his way over to envelope her in his arms. "Give me a hug, Jedi Master," he laughs as he squeezes tight.
The hug feels good. She needed it. But as she pulls back, Rey chides, "Don't call me that—I'm not even a real Jedi yet."
He grins. Finn has an irrepressible grin that matches his infectious laugh. Everything about Finn is charismatic, something Rey admires but can't seem to replicate herself. She'll always be an introvert thanks to Jakku.
"What do you mean not a real Jedi?" Finn teases her. "Haven't you finished your homework yet? Where are Skywalker's books?"
That comment hits a raw nerve, but Rey doesn't let on. "I'm working on it."
"I'd say that taking on Darth Sidious counts for extra credit," Finn decides. "So I'm calling you a Jedi and promoting you to Master. Get used to it, scavenger."
"You're getting good at giving orders," Rey laughs at his good-natured insistence. Finn has long been her biggest fan and an unflagging source of support. His positive, can-do attitude is the encouragement she needs right now.
"Hey, I've come a long way from working sanitation on the Starkiller Base," he brags. Finn being Finn, his bravado is never obnoxious. If anything, it's fun and often self-effacing.
He looks her over and wonders aloud, "Does this mean you are here to stay?"
She nods. "I got back over two weeks ago. Poe put me to work with the Senate."
"Good," he approves. "You know," Finn slides warm brown eyes that match his skin over to her, "I was worried about you. Everyone was."
She knows. She was gone far too long and gave a paltry explanation. No one asked any questions, but she knew they had them. "I needed some time."
He shoots her a look. "I sent a lot of messages that got one sentence replies."
"I'm sorry. I needed some time." Finn, Poe, and the others will never know just how close she came to disappearing into anonymity with their enemy.
Her friend's face softens. Finn backs down. "I understand. Look, I wasn't there, so I don't really know what you went through. But I can tell it was hard . . . very hard. And I know it took great courage."
She says nothing. At this point, the less said about Exogol the better. Finn and everyone else believe it to be a great victory, but with first Darth Sidious and now Kylo Ren still on the loose, Rey worries Exogol didn't solve anything.
Finn leans close now to whisper playfully, "Don't tell anyone, but we're all very proud of you, Master Rey."
That's her cue to match his happy, lighthearted mood. But she can't muster even a smile. She's feeling too guilty and torn. And now, suddenly a random tear leaks out.
She brushes it away fast, but her friend notices. "Okay, this is getting heavy. I'm digging up bad memories. My fault, Rey. What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you're back. I missed you. We all did. We need you. You're our Jedi."
She nods, flashes a weak smile, and changes the topic immediately. "Are you here for the briefing?"
"Yes. Will you be attending?"
"Of course. I heard the news about Wobani. What happened?"
Finn's happy mood deflates. He is instantly solemn and troubled. "It was an ambush. Our guys never even had a chance. The First Order disabled and disintegrated every single ship." He sighs as he reports the bleak news, "They made the effort to ensure every last one of our people died."
"No quarter?"
"No quarter," he confirms grimly. "There are no survivors that we know of."
"I guess they are very desperate here at the end . . .."
"I suppose . . . " Finn frowns. "It's the First Order. They've always been ruthless. But this was especially systematic . . . it was excessive even for them. Whoever their commander was, he wanted more than just to win. It's like he was out for revenge."
Rey thinks she knows who their commander may have been. But she keeps that knowledge to herself. "How many?"
"Close to four hundred. There were five capital ships plus the escort fighters lost. Most of the dead were non-combatants," he reports. "Technical and support personnel. Medics."
That's a lot of losses for what was supposed to be a rendezvous point for a routine supply convoy movement and not an actual planned attack. Rey murmurs with respect, "May the Force be with them."
"Yes. They died heroes," Finn adds.
"Is there more bad news?" she worries.
"No. Wobani is an outlier. The rest of the news from the battlefront is good."
"But isn't Wobani the most recent news?" Rey worries that ambush is a sign of things to come.
Finn assures her, "The overall picture remains very positive. We're making continued progress."
"So the end is near?"
"I hope so." For a moment, Finn's young face looks old. He confesses, "I can't wait for it to be over. Rey, I'm tired of killing people. Especially when I know that a lot of the people I'm fighting don't know any better. They have been brainwashed by the First Order. They are victims, not enemies. They don't have a choice," he laments.
"I know you were hoping there would be a revolt from within." After Exogol, Finn had argued hard for the Resistance to attempt to provoke a revolution amid the stormtroopers. But the rest of the Resistance commanders favored an aggressive approach to taking out the remains of the First Order. They argued time is of the essence, pointing to the example of the lingering Imperial remnants that persisted for years after the Battle of Endor. The point was persuasive, and Finn had backed down. But Rey knows he feels very guilty about the fate of his former stormtrooper colleagues. Finn and Jannah had hoped to liberate them. Instead, they are tasked with killing them.
"This war is won in every way that matters," Finn tells her. "That's the message of my briefing. All that's left is to make martyrs of their diehards."
"Do we have to do that?" Rey winces.
"After Wobani, probably so. You know how war goes—it's an eye for an eye. We have to respond in kind or risk looking weak."
"Mercy is not weakness," Rey objects.
"I know that," Finn agrees. "But everyone fears what will happen if any of their leadership remains. Exiling the Imperial elite to the Rim thirty years ago was how we got the First Order. So, letting today's fascist stragglers go free has everyone worried for what it may become someday in the future."
Rey nods. She understands. It's reasonable to seek to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. That's what everyone wants to do—even Kylo Ren, she knows.
Finn now leans in close to speak under his breath, "We sent the First Order draft terms of surrender yesterday morning."
"We did?" No one told her that. But then again, she hasn't exactly been deeply involved lately. Plus, she and Poe have a relationship that is often more testy than friendly. She's not in his inner circle.
Finn nods. "We're announcing it at the afternoon briefing and releasing the documents to the media."
"To put pressure on them to respond?" she guesses.
"Yes. Rey, I insisted on this. I want to at least give them a chance to give up with honor. We will negotiate—we'll let them save face on a few things if they play along. A surrender will stop the killing and end the war sooner."
"And if they refuse?"
"Then we end it the way we are doing now—a slow march through all of their remaining systems to eradicate their leadership and demilitarize their governments."
"It's harsh."
"I know." Finn's face says it all—as aggrieved as he is personally by the First Order, he is a reluctant warrior in the mission to destroy much of want counts for civilization in the Outer Rim. Still, he reminds her, "No one feels that we can risk leaving many of those extremists around after what happened last time. Wobani makes that especially clear."
Rey frowns. "So . . . now we're the ones giving no quarter?"
Finn recoils from her implicit comparison. "We're not them," he corrects her sharply. "Look, I don't like this strategy any more than you do, but let's not equate what we're doing with their actions. And you know that I take prisoners whenever possible-"
"Sorry." She feels a little sheepish at the strong reaction she provoked. "That came out wrong. Have they responded yet?"
"To the surrender terms? I'm not expecting them to accept."
"I was afraid you would say that." If Ben is back in charge, then there's no way the First Order will surrender, Rey thinks to herself. But maybe there was never going to be a peaceful solution to this conflict no matter who is in charge.
"Left alone, I don't think they will even acknowledge our offer. That's why we're making it public—to force them to at least pretend to consider it. Who knows? Maybe we have killed enough of them by now that they will accept." Finn's words are blunt and harsh, but Rey knows that is the truth of the situation. "At least this way, I can in good conscience go forward. We gave them a way out."
"It's so harsh," she worries again.
Finn reminds her, "Don't forget that these are military personnel and military targets that we are hunting. This isn't the same as killing billions of civilians on Hosnia."
He's right. "I know . . . but I don't like to have to do it . . . "
"None of us do." And now, Finn's voice drops even lower as he looks around to be certain they aren't overheard. "Your concerns about Emperor Palpatine . . . well, they are part of what's behind the drive to destroy the First Order completely. We feel we need to make a big effort to cripple his power base so he can never return."
"Poe talked to me about that."
"Told you to keep your mouth shut?"
"Yes." It had not been a good conversation. She felt attacked as the messenger of bad news Poe didn't want to acknowledge. It was made worse by the fact that he clearly doesn't believe her.
"If what you suspect is true and it becomes public, it will scare people and could potentially undermine our new government," Finn makes Poe's point again now. "Rumors about Palpatine could really hurt us."
"I know." Just like if anyone knew Kylo Ren is still alive, it could hurt the Republic. It strikes at the core of their claims that the war is over and the Republic is the winner who will take charge for the future.
"We're not hiding anything so much as trying to strengthen ourselves as his opposition if he really is out there," Finn keeps explaining.
She gets it. "I understand." Rey knows that the Republic leadership is deeply skeptical of her story. And since she has no proof to offer—other than that their supposedly dead enemy Kylo Ren agrees with her—Rey has let the point go. She's not sure it would change anything about Finn and Poe's plans anyway. The fight against Darth Sidious will fall to her and Ben alone, she fears.
"Excuse me, General, but can I get a moment?" A woman appears to interrupt. She's a member of Poe's staff looking for Finn.
Rey gracefully takes the cue to exit. "I'll let you two talk."
"Find me after my briefing?" Finn requests. "I want to hear more about your Senate job."
Rey smiles. "Sure."
Two hours later, Rey takes a seat between Rose Tico and some of Finn's officers to wait for the military briefing to start. Behind them, the room is full of members of the press and Republic staffers. There is an air of anticipation as camera bots zoom in and out to establish the best angles to record the proceedings. Clearly, the announcement that General Finn himself will lead the briefing along with Poe Dameron has stoked excitement. In the past, the two men have appeared personally to announce only very significant milestones. Rey overhears several people seated around her speculate about what their joint appearance means today. She herself now knows it's to announce the peace overture to the First Order.
"Thank you for coming today," Finn takes the podium to welcome the room as things get underway. Poe stands flanking him along with the veterans Commander Larma D'arcy and General Caluan Ematt, who lend some grey-haired experience and time-tested seniority to the presentation.
Finn continues smoothly, "Thank you also to those citizens watching us on the holonet. I will begin today with our current assessment of the ongoing conflict. Then Poe Dameron will announce news on the latest developments in our search for a resolution. At the conclusion of those remarks, Poe and I will jointly take questions."
Finn barely finishes speaking these introductory sentences before soft beeps, chimes, buzzes, and chirps begin to sound. It's a roomful of comlinks and datapads receiving breaking news alerts simultaneously. Now, no one is looking at Finn. They all consult their devices. Instantly, a murmur begins rippling through the crowd.
Beside Rey, Rose swears softly under her breath. "I don't believe it . . . "
"What?" Rey is alarmed. Whatever has happened is important, for she feels it in the Force. All around her, the audience's strong reactions buffet her mind. Most are dismayed, like Rose. Others are angry.
Someone approaches Finn on the podium to slip a datapad in front of him. Finn watches for a few long seconds before his mouth sets in a tight line. "Put it on the big screen," he orders to an assistant. "Start at the beginning. Play the whole message."
"But Sir—"
"On the big screen, Lieutenant."
"Yes, Sir."
"Rose, what is it?" Rey hisses to her friend who is hunched close over her datapad. Rey herself has never gotten in the habit of carrying a device. Those who know her well know it's a legacy of Jakku.
Rose answers sounding perplexed, "It's a message from the First Order . . . from Kylo Ren . . . or some guy who looks like Kylo Ren . . . "
Rey tries to act surprised. Her heart starts pounding.
"He's supposed to be dead," the young officer seated next to her growls as Finn's scheduled briefing is immediately put on hold so everyone can process in real time a message from their enemy. "Is that really him?" The officer holds up his tablet.
"That's him," Rose confirms. "All of us at Crait saw him without the helmet."
"Are you sure? This could be some desperate last-ditch approach for unity—you know, some trick? Maybe that's a changling?" the officer speculates.
"That's Ren," Rose is firm.
Rey says nothing.
The screen beside the speaker's podium now begins playing the message. It's Kylo Ren without his mask speaking directly to the camera. He is shown standing before the red and black standard of the First Order. He wears the princely black cape and marching garments his secret grandmother brought him from Coruscant. His arms are crossed and his stance is confident. He's back to wearing gloves and his grandfather's sword hangs from his waist. Even his hair is combed for the occasion, a rare occurrence, Rey knows.
Rey does her best to keep a poker face as around her people are agape.
He begins: I am Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order. The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
In the large, crowded briefing room where Rey sits, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone collectively holds their breath as they watch.
What follows is a short statement from the missing and presumed dead leader of the First Order that is very true to the man himself. It's an equal mix of peevish and aggrieved menace and lofty, ambitious rhetoric. Like the former Ben Solo turned Kylo Ren, the speech is one part pain and one part purpose.
Today, yet again, the New Republic will lie to the galaxy. Their representatives will tell you that the First Order is beaten and that the war is over. They will tease the imminent collapse of our cause. They will promise you peace and prosperity. They will herald the return of the glory days of the failed state that was the Old Republic. Every word of what they will say is wrong.
He pauses for emphasis and Rey squirms in her seat. It's silly, but it feels like he is looking right at her.
The First Order is alive and well. The war is just beginning. Soon, the Empire will be reborn. I will bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to the galaxy. There will be order so that all may prosper. In the meantime, I ask all good citizens to be patient. Better days lie ahead.
And now, as if to preempt any naysayers who might argue that he could be anyone posing in the uniform, Kylo Ren casually opens his palm and calls a small datafile from off camera into his grasp with the Force. It's a silent confirmation that yeah, he's the real deal. This is no actor set up to play a part. He tosses the datafile slightly and it hangs magically suspended in the air.
He now purrs in a tone reminiscent of Darth Plagueis to Rey's ears: Yesterday, the Republic had the gall to send me terms of surrender. Kylo Ren clenches his gloved fist and the floating datafile disintegrates into pieces that fall to the floor. It's not subtle. I reject all terms of surrender. I will never give in. I have traveled too far and seen too much to ignore the despair in the galaxy.
As far back as the Separatists' Confederacy, good citizens have recognized the failure of the Republic and taken action. Emperor Palpatine, Lord Sidious knew this to be true when he formed the Empire. My grandfather Lord Vader knew it to be true when he fought the Rebellion. And I know it to be true today as I lead the First Order. The Republic is a mistake we must stop repeating. Good citizens, it is time to let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. It's the only way the galaxy will become what it is meant to be.
That's it. The message concludes and the emblem of the First Order is displayed along with a helpful, handy holonet link to access for more propaganda.
As far as First Order speeches go, this one is true to form. It is brief, angry, and unapologetic. The speech is delivered with a seething intensity that somehow manages to threaten danger from lightyears away. It's as if Kylo Ren himself might leap out of the screen, light his sword, and finish you off himself. Rey and everyone surrounding her at the Republic's makeshift headquarters are taken aback. Several look frightened.
For a long moment the room is quiet. Everyone turns to stare at one another, their faces a range of expressions from alarmed, to skeptical, to furious. The most common reaction is disbelief. No one has expected this. No one except her, that is.
The moment quickly passes and now the room is chaos. People stand to their feet. Everyone starts talking at once. Some are shouting. Rey hears snatches of exchanges from around her.
" . . . I guess that explains no quarter at Wobani. Kylo Ren is run rampant with his diehard crazies who will do anything . . . "
"I like him better with the helmet."
"Who cares what he looks like—he's alive and that's what matters. This is a game changer."
"I'm just saying, he's kind of goofy looking. He doesn't look anything like the Princess."
"Not goofy—creepy. Creepy like a serial killer with the Force . . . that guy is intense."
"I thought he was dead."
"Like we thought the old Emperor was dead? These Dark Side guys are hard to kill. Who's coming back to life next? I have had it with these zombie Siths."
"Is he a Sith? He's not Darth Ren . . . or is he?"
"Does it matter? He's not a Jedi."
No doubt by design, Kylo Ren's big reveal thoroughly preempts Finn's press briefing. The Republic's carefully choreographed messaging, with its intentional word choices and fully vetted facts and figures, is now made moot. Because nothing Finn and Poe were planning to say addresses this development.
The two men confer briefly at the front of the room and then together they head directly for her. Poe looks stressed and ready to erupt, but he has the presence of mind not to do so before the media. "Rey, can we have a word?" he barks. Poe gets curt when he is stressed, as the entire Resistance knows.
"Sure." Rey swallows hard, for she knew this moment was coming.
"Everybody," Poe looks around at his swarm of staffers, "in the conference room next to my office. Now!"
As soon as they are behind closed doors and away from watchful eyes, Poe vents. "What the Hell just happened?"
"You saw what we all saw," Finn keeps his cool.
"I'm not sure what I saw. I mean, what was that? How did Ren get to be the underdog?" Poe fumes. "How is he possibly on the side of freedom and justice? And how did we not know that he's still alive?"
Poe now advances on her, blame in his eyes. "You told us Ren was dead."
"I thought he was dead."
"Yeah? Well, did you notice? He's alive!"
"Easy, Poe," Finn talks him down. Finn's the type who gets quiet and cool in a crisis whereas Poe emotes nonstop when stressed. In his cockpit days, he was known to chatter on and on throughout an entire battle until one distracted wingman famously told him to 'shut the fuck up before I blast you myself.'
But just now, all eyes are on her. Rey sticks to her story. "I can't explain it." The truth is so preposterous and incriminating that she immediately discards it as an option.
"You tell us Ren is dead and Palpatine is alive and yet Ren's the one who shows up on the holonet? Which is it Rey—who died at Exogol?" Poe demands.
"Neither of them, I guess . . ." she answers. Rey can't help but notice that Finn is looking at her strangely. Like he's uncertain if he believes her. And since he's Force sensitive, Rey worries that Finn is on to her. Falsehoods sing out in the Force. Rey now does her best to make as many affirmatively true statements as possible.
One of the staffers speaks up. "It could have been faked from old recordings—"
Rey dismisses this notion. "It's not fake. That's him. That's how he talks. That's what he believes. He's fed me that line about letting the past die before."
Another staffer points out, "He referred to the surrender terms we sent—he couldn't have faked that before he died months ago."
Poe is agitated and looking for answers. "Rey, tell me how to explain this to the galaxy? Because I need an explanation. A good one and quick!"
"I can't explain it. I saw him die. He disappeared into the Force right before my eyes. It was just like L-Leia did," Rey recalls, getting a little choked up at the memory of her late mentor. "He even left behind his clothes like she did . . ."
"Yeah, I remember you telling me that," Finn recalls. "But could you have been confused? Rey, you were wounded."
"He died," she is emphatic.
"So this is like the thing Luke did? When he was a ghost? Like at Crait?" Poe theorizes as he begins to pace.
"You mean a projection? I don't know. I don't think so." Actually, Rey knows otherwise, but she's trying to hedge. "I saw him die. I was there," she maintains, sticking to her story. "I can't explain this message."
She feels a frisson of dread in her mind at the repeated half-truth before witnesses. She did see Ben die, but she also saw him resurrected by Darth Plagueis. She saw him storm off in the Millennium Falcon to rejoin the First Order. It was always only a matter of time before he resurfaced. Her passive lie of omission just became a lie of commission. She has now affirmatively misled the Republic about her involvement with its enemy.
Why is she doing this? This is the probably the best moment to take Finn and Poe aside to come clean and admit the whole truth of what transpired on Zakuul. But she can't do it. Why? Rey can't explain, but beyond the completely unbelievable nature of the truth, divulging it feels strangely disloyal. Part of her is somehow committed to Ben still . . . or at least committed to his vision of balance. He trusted her and she trusted him . . . enough to go to bed together once.
"You saw the old Emperor die too, but yet you claim he's alive. Maybe Ren could resurrect himself as well?" another staffer posits.
"Is he that powerful?" Finn looks to her.
She's the authority on all things Force for the Republic now that General Leia is gone. It's yet another reason why Rey hates abusing her friends' trust. But she doesn't think they can accept the whole truth. After all, if they can't accept that Darth Sidious is alive, there is no way that they will ever understand why she trained with Ben and nearly left the Republic for an alliance with him. And so, Rey gives a non-answer, "I don't know . . . Things are different on the Dark Side. Who knows how the resurrection thing works? Palpatine survived the Death Star when Vader died," she points out.
"Well, if Ren didn't die before, he's going to die now. This is a problem we can solve," Poe declares. He looks to his lead General. "Finn, we need to find him and take him out before he can rally his troops. The First Order is still very weak even if they've got their leader back."
"I agree."
"Take Rey with you. If you can't destroy his base or his ship, maybe she can put a sword through him."
Finn grins, "She got him once before on the Starkiller," he reminds everyone proudly. "Watch that speech again and look for the scar. It's courtesy of Rey of Jakku."
Inside, Rey quakes at the assignment. She sputters, "But I'm supposed to meet with the new Chancellor next week . . . "
"That can wait. I'll send your regrets. Don't worry. She'll understand that our Jedi needs to protect the Republic. Rey, go bring Ren to justice. Go end the war," Poe exhorts. "And someone please get it on tape this time—I want something I can release to the holonet as proof of death."
Again, all eyes are on her. Rey just nods—what else can she do? No one here will understand that she doesn't want to kill the former Ben Solo. The reasons are many and they are complicated. They are also as logical as they are guided by personal emotions. She needs Ben as a teacher and as a colleague to take on Darth Sidious. But she also wants him as a friend and maybe as a lover. Even before their relationship bloomed, she mourned the man she was bonded to in the Force for life. It's hard to explain, but she is deeply attached to Ben in strange and enduring ways, even if it wasn't enough to accept the future he offered her. But given a different set of circumstances, she might be living with him now in exile. Instead, she's just been tasked with killing him.
Poe is still smarting about being upstaged. "This was some stunt he pulled . . . what is he thinking?"
"We pricked his pride with those surrender terms," Finn speculates. "But it did flush him out." He shrugs. "Maybe Ren was hurt and not killed? Maybe that explains where he's been?"
"That speech was ridiculous," Poe vents further. "Imagine anyone falling for that Neo-Imperialist crap again . . ."
"There were plenty of dog whistles there for his supporters," Finn comments. "His language was classic First Order manifesto stuff."
"Yes, and a third of the galaxy just cheered," Rey softly volunteers.
It earns her a glare. "Yeah—the stupid third!" Poe jeers.
"He gives them hope. He's their leader," she quietly persists.
"Everyone hated him," Poe disagrees. "All of our Intel showed that. Now, we know they tolerated him because Palpatine was using him all along."
"He's all they have left," Rey points out. "He stands between them and defeat. They're going to learn to love him."
"Not if I can help it," Finn chimes in. "His return to leadership will be short. His reign is about to end." Finn might have qualms about hunting down the First Order officer corps, but he has no such scruples with Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren's a guy everyone loves to hate. Especially Finn who has an artificial spine thanks to the man.
"Play it again," Poe requests. "Let's see it again."
Someone scrambles to sync their device to project to the conference room screen. Then everyone watches as Kylo Ren's surprise message plays a second time.
Rey gets lost for a minute in his image, thinking of the man she secretly knows and not today's bitter, blustering public figure. Her eyes wander to Ben's mouth as he speaks. It conjures thoughts of those lips on her lips, on her throat, and on her breasts. The memory of that forbidden, confusing, amazing night of pleasure gives Rey an involuntary shiver she hopes no one catches. Resolutely, she blinks and resets her attention. She can't let her mind wander those directions. She made her decision. He made his decision as well.
She's standing amid a very hostile audience for Kylo Ren. But while everyone around her bristles at his words and demeanor, Rey tries to view the message without a partisan pro-Republic bias. If she were one of the billions of downtrodden First Order sympathizers living in the Rim, would she trust her future to this man? Or would she be convinced to give the Republic another chance? Might she just be tired of war? Or would she be embittered and dug into her disgruntlement? There is such a disconnect between the two sides of the galaxy, Rey knows. For what the Republic worlds—especially the Core—see as a war of aggression, the First Order powerbase on the Rim considers to be a revolt. Those perspectives are revealing of deeper problems. For the colonial-minded Core systems are an exclusive club who think they are the galaxy and everyone else is to be tolerated under the guise of diversity that mostly comes across as condescension. Whereas the resentful Rim worlds see themselves as upstarts constantly elbowing for a seat at the table that is rightfully theirs.
But here's the thing-none of this is new. Ben is right when he refers back to the Confederacy, Rey judges. The First Order is the current champion of the Rimmers' cause, but there have been others. For decades now, the outlying systems have sought to be heard. Over time, they've grown increasingly indignant about it. It has led them to accept violence as the solution. It's what led to the Starkiller Base obliterating Hosnia. Thinking back on this morning's dull briefing on the Senate elections, Rey starts to wonder if the solution to the war isn't destroying the First Order remnants, instead it's empowering them in the Senate. But is that too risky if the consummate Senate powerbroker Sheev Palpatine aka Darth Sidious is in the background? And wouldn't that be a non-starter anyway for Finn and Poe?
Watching as the message concludes, Rey privately thinks today's stunt is a huge win for Ben. Like the naughty child who craves attention—and who will act out to receive even negative attention—the First Order yet again postures to demand its way. It makes the former Ben Solo—who Rey is convinced was a very naughty child at some point—their perfect champion. He's got the chip-on-his-shoulder, irrepressibly independent swagger that defines the Rim ethos. With his grandfather Darth Vader, he has plenty of Imperial bona fides. Plus, he's young and oddly charismatic with his 'let's burn it all down' nihilist exhortation that is perfectly attuned to his aggrieved loyalists. One thing is for certain, Kylo Ren without the mask comes across as very authentic. Watching him today, Rey can't believe she ever thought Ben was Snoke's victim to be liberated. Luke was right when he warned that things wouldn't go the way she expected. That scene in Snoke's throne room makes a lot more sense now that she knows Ben to be something of an opportunist true believer. He might have achieved everything he wanted that day had Snoke not turned out to be Palpatine's puppet.
Around her, everyone is still processing the meaning of Kylo Ren's message. "He managed to preempt our announcement of the surrender offer," Poe observes sourly. "His return is the lead story on every newsfeed, I'll bet. This must be feeding his enormous ego."
"He also just told everyone who he really is," Finn remarks. "Some of us knew he was a Skywalker, but that wasn't common knowledge."
"The press is already speculating that he's Luke Skywalker's son," someone speaks up. "Because Leia's son is—"
"Officially dead," Poe finishes for him, "Killed at Skywalker's temple years ago." Poe sighs heavily. Leia Organa was his longtime mentor and Poe was something of a replacement son to her. Rey felt Leia's loss keenly, but for Poe it was much worse. Rey watches as the young Resistance hero runs a hand down his face and softly laments, "She'd hate this . . . for so many reasons, she would hate this . . . She gave her life to try to prevent this."
"She couldn't prevent this," Rey blurts out the truth. "Luke Skywalker couldn't prevent this either." All eyes turn to her. Rey feels her face redden as she awkwardly explains, "This is the will of the Force at work."
"What does that mean?" Poe complains.
"If Ren lives, then it's for a reason." She's not making her point well, so Rey tries again. "Think about it-Luke and Leia died, but he lives." The Force didn't have to let Darth Plagueis bring Ben back. Ben Solo—Kylo Ren—lives only because the Force wills it. That means he must have a purpose. And since he's a Skywalker, that purpose according to Jedi prophecy is balance.
Truthfully, Rey is thoroughly convinced by Plagueis and Ben that balance is the only lasting solution to the galaxy's conflicts. The problem is that they disagree about the means to go about finding balance. But the passionate, disruptor Ben Solo is integral to the ultimate goal, and he has the most knowledge and training to accomplish it, having been first a Jedi and then a Sith. Rey knows that she absolutely must not kill him. Whatever the resolution between her and Ben will be, it can't be his death at her hands. If she has to rescue him from the First Order's last stand and whisk him away to exile in defiance of the Republic, she will. Ben's too important to die—as the Force has already demonstrated.
But at her side, Finn now boasts, "Ren won't live for long."
Grumpy Poe approves, "Good. Don't delay. I don't want this guy starting his own holonet channel leaving us daily updates. This was enough."
"Rey and I are on it," Finn responds.
She dutifully nods when Poe glances to her. It's another deception she is instantly ashamed of.
"Hey-at least Ren didn't appear with zombie Palpatine beside him. I guess there's that upside," some tone-deaf staffer tries to lighten the mood.
"It's the only upside," Poe grumbles humorlessly. He nods over at her and Finn. "General, Jedi, I'm counting on you to kill him for us."
Hours later, the dust has settled and she and Finn are alone together aboard a shuttle en route back to the Republic fleet. Finn rather casually—too casually-asks her, "Why does Kylo Ren have your lightsaber?"
Rey gulps. She was hoping no one would notice that. But it didn't get past Finn, who once swung the sword himself.
She answers with yet another half-truth. "I buried that sword in the sand on Tattooine, along with General Leia's sword. All the Skywalkers were dead at that point . . . or so I thought. In my mind, it was time to bury the past . . . to honor the legacy of that family and move forward." She leaves out the part about calling herself a Skywalker to a passing stranger. About accepting the mantle of privilege and pain that is the birthright of the Force's demigod progeny.
"So Ren dug it up?" Finn surmises.
"Who knows?" she hedges.
"How would he know where to look for it?"
"I buried it at his grandfather's family's homestead. But maybe—"
"Maybe the Force told him?" Finn guesses.
She just shrugs, unwilling to deepen her web of lies with speculation she knows to be false.
"So where did your sword come from?" Finn gestures to the weapon hanging at her waist.
"This? Well, that saber staff I made just wasn't very practical. I went back to a more traditional design. There were instructions in Luke's books," she offers up a mostly true explanation.
"I've never heard of burying lightsabers. Is that a tradition?"
She attempts to change the topic. "When all this is over and we start your training, we'll have to find a crystal for your sword."
Finn nods but warns, "We're a long way from that."
"Just say when," Rey offers.
"So . . . you buried the two swords to bury the past?" Finn is still thinking about Tattooine.
"Does that seem weird?" Rey is defensive. "Because there wasn't anything left of Luke and Leia themselves to bury. They disappeared into the Force."
"It's not weird . . . it's just . . ."
"What?"
"That's what Ren said in his message. To bury the past."
She corrects, "He said to let the past die."
"Is there a difference?" Finn asks.
She doesn't really have an answer.
He continues, "Well, whether we bury the past or kill the past or the past dies, Ren needs to go."
"I know," she answers softly. It's yet another lie. "Finn," she looks to her friend, her heart pounding as she sinks deeper into deception. "Ren is mine to kill. I don't want to do this with an airstrike or an ambush. I want to do it myself."