Kylo wipes at his eyes as he shuts off the engines of his newly landed TIE. He's exhausted from the pace of the last week, and it's getting to him.

It's not just the three days of intense peace negotiations. Since Rey's arrest, he has spent many hours conducting tiring mental interrogations, picking through the thoughts and memories of his senior people to assess their loyalty. A distressing number of them have Final Order sympathies and far too many are actual Sith Eternal acolytes. Luckily, the interrogations yielded many names of junior subordinates in on the plot.

The junior people were summarily rounded up and interrogated by conventional means. That task proved to be easy. The Sith Eternal brethren are a proudly loyal cult. They do not deny their association. They announce it and accept their martyrdom easily, for such is their firm belief in the ultimate supremacy of Darkness. Quite a few actually believe that they will be resurrected one day when once more the Sith rule the galaxy. It's laughable that anyone would be so gullible. Sheev Palpatine won't be resurrecting anyone but himself, Kylo knows. If he needs more acolytes, he'll probably just clone some. And, honestly, Kylo himself is starting to see the appeal of a clone army with inhibitor chips. Because what he has learned these past few days has definitely fueled his paranoia. His bloody purge of the Sith Eternal has confirmed what he has long suspected: that he is far more popular with the rank and file and the common folk of his Empire than he is with his officers.

But all in all, Kylo feels good about his progress. In seventy-two standard hours, he has uncovered and executed hundreds. They were scattered about his entire organization at all levels. If there are any remaining Final Order embeds who survive in his ranks, they have such deep cover that they are unknown to their fellow conspirators. He judges that rather low risk.

Is this a strategic Dark power play? Some Sith-on-Sith revenge for Rey's arrest? Or has he struck a blow for balance? Is this a valiant stand against the minions of evil and opponents of peace secreted among his people? Honestly, it's a little of both—he is plenty ticked off, but even before Rey's arrest he had decided that the Final Order has to go. All the religious orthodoxies of the past must die—be they the Jedi, the Sith, or small-time sects like the Church of the Force. And that, Kylo has decided, justifies his own small version of Order 66 against the Sith Eternal.

Now that he has achieved some breathing room, he can turn his attention to Rey. He has no idea what's going on with her because the bond still hasn't opened. He tells himself that must mean Rey is fine and doesn't need his help. And maybe it also means that the Force wants him to focus on rooting out Darth Sidious' influence. But he's deeply worried and flummoxed for how to free her. And so, he has arrived to beseech the advice of the one man who might be able to help: Darth Plagueis the Wise.

Rey is Plagueis' daughter-in-the-Force, after all. And there is no person in all the galaxy better motivated to thwart a plot by Darth Sidious than the awful Muun.

Kylo finds his decrepit host lounging on his veranda, like last time. Plagueis looks well rested and content, which makes his weary self feel especially testy about this audience. Just look at him-the guy acts like he doesn't have a care in the world. And why shouldn't he? The Muun has no responsibilities other than curating his art collection and critiquing things from the sidelines.

"All hail, Darth Ren the Peacemaker." He is greeted with Plagueis' usual mocking drawl.

Kylo bristles reflexively at the ridicule. "Are you going to tell me that peace is a lie?" he gripes.

"No, no, we've been over that before. I'm going to tell you that I have been expecting you." The Muun now gives him a peeved look and grumbles like the grumpy old man he is. "Took you long enough to get here."

"I've been busy." Slaughtering Final Order supporters. He saw to it personally, for there will be no one to stop him this time.

"Well, you're here now. Sit down, sit down. I dislike being loomed over. That's my role," complains the giant, imposing Muun.

Kylo assesses his welcome as he seats himself. "You look happy to see me," he concludes. That's a good sign.

"I am exceedingly happy now that I am sprung from exile to roam your New Empire at will. That was our arrangement, you will recall."

"I remember."

The longtime recluse grins. With his ruined face, it's a truly bizarre sight. Many might believe happiness to be incompatible with Darkness, but it's not. Life on the Dark Side is more than rage and sorrow. If anything, the emotional range of men like him and Plagueis far outreaches the traditional calm zen of the repressed Jedi. He himself embraces the highs and lows of life and everything in between. Plagueis apparently is the same. The Munn looks very animated as he proclaims, "I'm finally on the loose! Vanee has been packing ever since news of your ceasefire broke."

Kylo groans, mostly because he feels he should. "I regret that deal already."

"You haven't begun to regret it," the Muun fairly titters. It's annoying. But this is how he and Plagueis relate to one another. Because when two Sith meet, it's sort of obligatory to exchange one-liners and throw shade at one another. You can't possibly act happy to see the other guy, or risk losing face. Macho posturing is as much a part of the trappings of Darkness as red swords, sarcasm, and black robes, after all.

Here comes some more: "Have you come back for a victory lap?" Plagueis wonders aloud. "Or do you need more money?"

Time to get down to business. Kylo doesn't even both denying that he has come for help. He meets the old Master's eyes steadily. "I need more than your credits now." It kills him to admit it, too. Plagueis is the last guy he wants to be beholden to.

"Oh? What is this? Come to beg assistance again?"

"Rey's been arrested."

"By who?"

"The Republic. Who else?"

"When?"

"The day we announced the ceasefire."

"What is the charge?"

"Treason."

"What do they know?"

"They think she's a Palpatine. It is the cover story I gave to my side."

"She's not a Palpatine."

"That's only part of the problem. They also think she's my wife."

The Muun shrugs and harrumphs. "It's about time you made it official. You two have been making all sorts of disturbances in the Force." He wags a spindly finger and admonishes, "Call me old fashioned, but I don't approve of that sort of thing without a commitment."

Sex is the last thing Kylo came to discuss. And it's irrelevant to the current situation. He refocuses the Muun. "Rey and I are not married legally. There's no evidence for the Republic to tie her to me in that way."

Plagueis snorts. "You're a dyad. That's more than legally married. That's forever married as cosmic soulmates. Has she told them that?"

"Who knows?" He certainly hopes not.

"But they know she's your spy?"

"Yes. We were betrayed." He learned of the plot from picking the brain of a Sith Eternal loyalist who was far too highly placed for comfort.

The Muun's eyes narrow accusingly on him now. "You were careless."

"I have taken care of things."

"Rather belatedly."

Kylo scowls, squirms, and complains—well, more like whines-"Can we skip the finger pointing and solve the problem?"

"What is the problem? Surely, Rey can break herself out of prison. My daughter is not to be underestimated," Plagueis brags.

Yes, he knows. But that's not the situation. "Supposedly, she's cooperating. She thinks honesty is the best approach."

"She would." Plagueis rolls his eyes and sighs. "That girl of mine is terribly headstrong," he complains, sounding only mildly upset about it. "What has she told them?"

"I'm not sure of the details. The Republic is keeping it very quiet. My informant is only reporting rumors. But I fear it's enough of a confession to find her guilty."

Again, the Muun lays on the sarcasm. "Yet another Jedi is deemed an enemy of the state. Been there, done that, haven't we?"

He now pins Kylo with his yellow eyes. Plagueis may have dropped the Darth title, but he clearly hasn't quit Darkness. He fairly stinks of the Shadow Force. And now, as the Muun eyes him, Kylo gets a momentary glimpse of the ruthless Clone Wars mastermind Plagueis once was. This guy might be a longtime exile, but he is formidable still. Those gleaming yellow Sith eyes reveal him to be an apex predator of the Force, a man capable of anything to achieve his goals. Which, naturally, is why Kylo is here today seeking his help.

This is the moment for Plagueis to croak 'wipe them out . . . all of them . . .' to order a no-holds-barred, no-quarter mission to rescue his wayward Jedi-loving daughter. It would be just like an arrogant Sith Master to reflexively resort to violence. But he doesn't. Instead, the Muun looks to him and asks, "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

"I can't rescue her myself. That will break the peace."

"Yes, I suppose you are right," his host muses. Then he slants a reproachful glance Kylo's way. "But tell me you're not going to let my daughter, your Force wife, rot in a Republic jail cell?"

"I've got an idea."

"I'm listening," the Muun invites.

Kylo takes a deep breath and begins. "You teach me to project in the Force. I rescue Rey anonymously as someone else."

"As who?"

"Does it matter? Make it Luke Skywalker," he throws out facetiously.

"Now that would be fun," his host smirks. "Then, you could die at the end rather dramatically."

Nothing about this is fun. Kylo sneers, "You're taking this all rather well." Plagueis hardly seems concerned, while he himself is terribly upset. He has a bad, bad feeling about where this is heading. That's why he's here today.

"She's in a Republic jail," Plagueis points out, "not one of yours. Their prisoners get rights and legal representation, not torture and solitary confinement. They are feeding her and probably giving her entertainment. It's likely something close to her first true vacation."

Vacation? "She's charged with treason!" Kylo hisses. "And by those murderers, traitors, and thieves she calls friends!"

Even though he has a pretty low opinion of her Republic buddies, Kylo hates to think how difficult this arrest must be for Rey. She has such a hard time getting close to people. To be exposed breaking trust with her friends was always a known risk, but that still won't make it easy. And while Rey is a tough girl who can handle herself, she is far more vulnerable than she lets on. Rey's emotional grit is borne more from necessity than choice. It's hardly something to be proud of or to be encouraged, in Kylo's mind.

But the Muun is unimpressed. He waves away concern. "The Force will protect her. Rey lived through Jakku. She will live through this."

"But—"

"Trust in the Force, Lord Ren."

Plagueis settles back lounging in his chair as he contemplates the predicament. "This is Sheev making trouble for you both. He's jealous of what you have accomplished together . . . and likely fearful of her. My daughter held her own against him." Again, the Muun's voice holds a note of pride for his willful, mostly estranged daughter in the Force. Kylo will never understand how Plagueis can be something of a doting daddy for a Jedi-loving girl who mostly despises him. It's kind of ridiculous to think of this leftover Sith as an indulgent papa, but that's the guise he takes time and again.

"I have rooted his people out," Kylo volunteers. "The Final Order is over."

Plagueis shakes his head. "My boy, you will never do that. Darkness is eternal."

"Maybe so, but the Sith are not eternal."

"Are they not?" Plagueis challenges softly. "They have a pretty strong track record of surviving all these thousands of years. I know you want the past to die, but that's a difficult assignment where the Sith are concerned."

"How did Sidious survive the Death Star?" Kylo now wonders aloud.

"The same way he survived Exogol—an essence transfer. It's an old trick that is the closest he has come to immortality. He, unlike myself, can still be killed."

Kylo leans forward in his chair. "Tell me more." This is the sort of knowledge the Muun is good for. No one knows the lore of the Force and the history behind official history like this guy does.

Plagueis doesn't disappoint. He begins, "Years ago when I sent Sheev to Dathomir to kill little Maul, he ran across the boy's mama."

"Mother Talzin."

"Yes. The Witches of Dathomir were an ancient coven with knowledge of the Force developed independently of other religious traditions. They had no concept of Dark and Light, and placed no limits on their power. That was why I feared Maul could indeed be the Chosen One like Talzin bragged. I thought that the Witches' teaching might be an easier path to balance than the Jedi tradition that had long been prophesized."

"Go on," Kylo prompts.

"The Witches revered life as the source of the Force. They honored women as the primary source of new life and they adored sex and children. Sheev showed up and didn't know what to think. Mother Talzin worked him over, took him to bed, and thoroughly intimidated my Apprentice. He had never contemplated that a woman might be his equal . . . let alone his better."

"So Talzin taught him the essence transfer trick?" Kylo guesses.

"Yes. She used it herself, with her spirit lingering after physical death without corporeal form. She would appear to Maul, using him as a conduit. It's a version of what Sheev did to animate his Snoke puppet. It's also how he cheats death at the last second."

"He transfers his consciousness out of his body?"

"Precisely. He skips from clone to clone, or from host to host. He absorbs their Force energy and deposits himself."

"Dark possession . . . That's a good trick."

"I suppose some would think so . . . " Plagueis damns his upstart Apprentice with faint praise. "There were Sith of old who mastered the skill. They severed themselves from their bodily form and took up residence haunting relics and holochrons. Silly things like that. It wasn't true immortality," he sniffs. "Not like I have achieved. Popping in and out of the spirit realm is rudimentary compared to what I have accomplished." Disapproving old Plagueis now declares, "You'll never find me becoming some Dark genii in a bottle waiting to be unleashed by some unsuspecting Jedi."

Enough with the bragging. Kylo points out the important part: "But Mother Talzin is dead."

"Yes. Dead in the sense that she cannot reanimate a living form any longer."

"Her spirit survives?"

The Muun nods. "I sense her lurking now and then, I believe. No one as powerful as Mother Talzin is ever truly gone." He shrugs and allows, "This is nothing new. The Jedi had their own version of essence transfer. Some Lightsiders could live for a time in the spirit realm."

"Force ghosts?"

"Yes. The Dark Side takes it a step farther than merely ephemeral existence after death. We manifest ourselves in bodies or in objects, Darkness being possessive and all that . . . "

Kylo nods along, intrigued. "Is it possible to learn this power?"

Plagueis all but purrs, "Looking to become my Apprentice after all?"

"Hell, no!" Did he say that emphatically enough? Because he means it. He will serve no one but the Force. He answers only to history at this point.

Plagueis lets the point slide as he begins lecturing. "Essence transfer is not a beginner's skill. Projection is the start of the training. You must master the ability to easily project yourself beyond your body before you can complete an essence transfer in the heat of battle."

That sounds dangerous. "How did Talzin die?" he wants to know.

"Grievous got her with a sword before she could transfer. Talzin held her attackers off so Maul could escape. She died saving her boy. The effort weakened her at the critical moment."

"A sacrifice? That was very Jedi of her," Kylo observes.

"Nonsense. Talzin did not think in terms of Dark and Light. That was an old witch living up to her role as Mother of the Coven. Sheev likely knew it, too. It's why he engineered the choice between her life and her son's life. Sheev knew the choice Talzin would make."

Whatever. "So do we need to destroy Sidious' clones to get him?" Because there is no way he will manipulate Sheev Palpatine into sacrificing his life for anyone.

"That's one strategy," the Muun muses. "Give him no place to escape to. Make him stand and fight. Lord Ren, to transfer your essence expends enormous power. Weaken Sheev enough, and he will be trapped in his current state, whether or not there are clones to jump into."

"Okay . . . " That might be doable with Rey's help.

"You will see the outflux of energy it takes to complete an essence transfer. Do not mistake that for Lord Sidious' demise. He might look like he has imploded, but do not be fooled."

"That's why Luke thought he died on the Death Star . . . "

"Yes, it is also why he appeared to die on Exogol. Do not be fooled. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," Plagueis pats dismissively at his ruined cheek. "The soul is pure Force, and when it is ripped from the body not by natural causes, you will see consequences."

Kylo now complains, "Why does the Force allow him to persist? Why hasn't it put an end to him by now? How many Death Stars will it take?"

Plagueis has no satisfactory answer. "My boy, the Force works in mysterious ways. My old Apprentice clearly has a role to play still as the antagonist of balance."

"Alright. Whatever. We're wasting time. I need to help Rey. How does this projection thing work?" He needs a crash course in Force ghosting lest he commit suicide like his uncle.

Plagueis looks positively coy at the question. "Looking to learn my secrets?"

Irritated, Kylo snaps back, "I'm looking to rescue your daughter. This must be done with stealth. If I send a strike team, I might as well go myself. It will be considered an act of war."

"You're planning to rescue her but make it look like she's escaped?"

"Obviously." The Muun is never slow on the uptake. "Come on, start teaching me, you old fossil," he cajoles, feeling annoyed and impatient. "Be something more than my banker."

Old Plagueis sniffs and takes offense. "It is not customary to begin training by insulting your Sith Master."

Oh, come on. There's no cause to be prissy about this. Not when dangerous Darth Sidious is making moves at long last. Kylo points out, "You're not a Sith any longer and neither am I."

"Indeed. But I am still a Master."

"Not my Master."

The Muun raises an eyebrow, but says nothing.

A long moment of silence now falls. Each man appraises the other's resolve.

"Giving you credits is one thing," old Plagueis reasons softly. "Teaching you secrets of the Force is something different entirely. I am stingy with my magic. My knowledge is far more precious than my bank account."

"Your daughter is precious as well," Kylo negotiates.

"The Force will protect her," the Muun piously intones.

"Maybe, maybe not." Kylo is willing to trust the Force in many things, but not in this. And besides, the Force helps those who help themselves. There's no need to be passive about Rey's arrest.

"It is a small thing," Plagueis wheedles, "a mere token gesture. Pay me my due. Honor your elder. Pledge your allegiance." Then, he gestures to the floor.

To the floor.

"Kneel and take your place, Lord Ren."

The Muun is completely serious, Kylo perceives. He realizes now that likely from the very first moment he revealed Rey's arrest, Plagueis knew he had him cornered. Because this wily Sith is always looking for an opening to gain the upper hand. Plagueis might dismiss the loyal submission he seeks as a mere ritual, but the fact that the guy wants it so badly is very telling.

He's never trusted old formerly-Darth Plagueis. Kylo has long been suspicious of his motives where him and Rey are concerned. Their dyad is too powerful—and its untapped potential too tempting—for a Darksider like Plagueis not to seek to use it for his own advantage. So while Plagueis says all the right things about balance, and even puts his credits where his mouth is, Kylo can't help but think that he's playing the long game. But for what? For revenge on Darth Sidious? For a chance to lead an Empire he long ago plotted but lost to his Apprentice? For the pure power that he and Rey represent? For a chance to restore and reinvigorate his ruined body like Sidious tried on Exogol? Maybe it's all of those things. But clearly, Plagueis wants to get back in the game after decades of hiatus.

The Muun must be in his head, sifting his thoughts because he volunteers, "I will not micromanage you. I have no desire to be Supreme Leader. You have my blessing to rule the Rim as you see fit. I care only for the Force. I wish to influence the future of the Force. How it is understood and taught . . . what it means for future generations, especially for this family."

Kylo stares back at the man who resurrected him . . . the man who accidentally created the Skywalker family when he tried to conjure the ultimate Dark Apprentice but instead begot the Jedi Chosen One. He claims Rey as his creation as well, and Kylo believes him. So does Rey. Plagueis has enormous power and knowledge to pass on to an Apprentice, if he is willing to share it freely, that is. Plagueis truly is the last Master left to learn from, and that matters. It has Kylo considering . . .

The Muun looks exactly like the Master Snoke he knew for years, even though Darth Sidious' puppet is nothing like the actual Sith Master he cruelly ridiculed. If Darth Plagueis were his true Master Snoke, things would have gone very differently, Kylo thinks. But that thought still doesn't have him anxious to sign up to be the Muun's protege at this point. He's had a Jedi Master and a Sith Master, but he's his own man now. He refuses to be controlled.

"I have lived several lifetimes at this point, and I wish to pass on what I have learned. Immortality is boring without a purpose," Plagueis confesses with somewhat shocking humility. "I want more than merely revenge on Lord Sidious."

Yes, but it's a guy like this wanting more that has Kylo concerned. Plagueis won't be content tucked away here on the edge of the Unknown Regions for long.

"Together with Rey, you and I can usher in a new era in the Force. Balance will not be easy. Son, you will need help."

That's probably right, but still . . .

"You wonder why the Force lets Sheev live? Ask yourself why I am still around. It's because I have a role yet to play as a protagonist for balance. Search your feelings . . . you will know it to be true."

Kylo doesn't answer, mostly because he doesn't know what to say. He's better at trust than Rey is, but that's not saying much. Because as a Dark Apprentice he has been schooled in deceit and betrayal, so he knows better than to get too comfortable, especially with a guy like Plagueis. And well, trust will always be hard for him after what happened at the Temple. You don't wake to find your beloved uncle Jedi Master attempting to execute you and not have some lingering trust issues for practically everyone.

"I wanted this long ago for your grandfather and your uncle. Together, we three were to rule the galaxy. You know what happened—your uncle refused. When our family divided, the galaxy divided, your grandfather died, and Sheev lived to fight another day. Lord Ren, the Skywalkers are strongest together . . . as a family," Plagueis softly intones. "Don't repeat your uncle's mistake. Do not refuse me."

He's probably right, but there is huge downside risk involved. Dare he do this?

Does he really have a choice?

Fuck! Kylo is suddenly feeling like he's Mother Talzin choosing between herself and her beloved son. Because like Sidious knew Talzin would choose Maul, Plagueis probably knows he will choose Rey and that means accepting the Apprentice yoke. After all, he's already killed himself reviving Rey on Exogol. He's pretty much shown his cards to everyone who matters by now.

Then what is he waiting for? He's always been impulsive, but never more so than where Rey is concerned. "Oh, very well."

Kylo stands and then takes a knee. It's the ritual posture of submission that has been repeated generation after generation in the long line of Sith before him. Frankly, it's one more aspect of Darkness that Kylo would be glad to omit. Let the past die, especially all this humiliating pageantry of obedience. Only the gargantuan egos of the Dark Lords of the Sith could perpetuate this ceremony of homage. Yet here he is, doing it anyway. He's begrudging and already second guessing himself. But still . . . here goes.

He's doing this for Rey. For who she is for him and who she will be for the galaxy. Because if the dyad means anything, it means that he and Rey are each other's champions. He will stand for Rey, whatever it takes. And she for him—he's certain of it. So if the price is subservience to Plagueis, so be it. Force be with me, he prays silently as he commits perhaps the worst mistake of his life. He takes comfort that even if this is the wrong decision, he's doing it for the right reasons.

"Long have I waited for this moment," Plagueis rumbles with clear pleasure as he climbs to his feet.

"I'll bet you have," Kylo snaps back, thoroughly irritated to find himself manipulated into this position.

"You mistake me, Lord Ren. I missed my chance to rear Anakin. He was found first by the Jedi only to languish barely trained as Sheev's whipping boy. Then your mother and uncle eluded me. They thought I was the enemy. My boy, you were my last hope to set things right. But alas, you were sent to your uncle to be brainwashed a Jedi before Sheev trapped you neatly. Rey became my fallback consolation prize, but even she too was lost in the desert."

"Get to the point." This is getting uncomfortably sappy.

"I have never been given the chance to rear any of my progeny."

"I'm over thirty," he gripes. He's way past rearing. And, really, this streak of sentimentalism is unbecoming in a man of Plagueis' aegis.

"You are a man grown, but just beginning to come into your own. You have much to learn. I will delight in teaching you. You will be my most worthy Apprentice."

"Is this good enough? Are we done?" He wants to get up. He's hoping Plagueis won't insist on the whole Dark rite of pledging himself to his training. Because Kylo thinks he might just choke on those words.

The Muun chuckles at his consternation. "Humility doesn't sit well with any in our family. Dark or Light, the Chosen Ones are a prideful, stubborn bunch. As committed to ourselves, at times, as we are to the galaxy at large."

"I'm getting up now," he growls.

"You haven't said the magic words," the Muun smugly points out.

"Please?" Kylo sighs, feeling his ears redden.

"Please, Master," Plagueis smirks down at him.

Kylo shoots him a cold look. "You know this means I'm now obliged to try to kill you at some point." Calling yourself Master pretty much puts a target on your back in the 'kill and replace' tradition of the Dark Side.

But Plagueis is too pleased to care. He gushes, "All families fight."

"Not like our family does," Kylo quips. Because when the demigod Skywalkers brawl, someone is likely to lose a hand or a head or project themselves into oblivion in the Force.

He's about to get up when they are interrupted.

"Master! Master! There's breaking news!" It's fussy old Vanee rushing in with a datapad in hand, looking agitated.

"Oh!" The old retainer spies him on the floor in supplication with Plagueis standing majestically overhead. Vanee gapes, gulps, and makes to retreat, cowering as he goes.

"I-It can wait," the red-faced servant manages. He's averting his eyes like he has intruded on something very private.

The reaction prompts embarrassed Kylo to leap to his feet. "What is it?"

"It can wait," Vanee mumbles, waving him off.

"Old friend, what is it?" Plagueis commands gravely.

This time, Vanee listens. It leaves no doubt where Kylo fits in the pecking order. The longtime servant dutifully approaches to report. Bowing low, he announces, "My Lord, Rey has been arrested."

"Yes, we know."

"This just appeared on all the major newsfeeds. Watch the entire video."

Vanee now offers over a datapad with the blaring headline 'Ceasefire broken! Jedi arrested for treason escapes with help from the First Order.' The short-on-details, long-on-speculation article recounts the secret arrest of Rey on charges of conspiring with the enemy. A strike team of stormtroopers arrived hours ago to Coruscant to bust her out of a heavily guarded detention facility.

In stunned silence, Kylo watches the accompanying video showing a violent jailbreak in broad daylight. Stormtroopers shoot everything in sight as they protect Rey in their midst. As a First Order military transport speeder swoops down to collect the fleeing fugitive and her enemy fighters, Rey turns to face down her pursuers. She lights a lightsaber and begins to parry incoming fire as others scramble aboard to safety.

That's not Rey's sword. That sword is red.

Kylo swears softly. He immediately looks to Plagueis to rasp, "Tell me this is your doing."

The Muun meets his eyes. "I was about to say the very same thing to you."

Fuck.

FUCK!

Kylo exhales a long, hard sigh as he remembers the last conversation he had with Rey across the bond. He had promised to come for her even as she protested. Miserable, he now laments aloud, "She thinks those are my men . . . that I came for her like I said I would. . ."

The Muun at his side is furious at what they have learned. He re-watches the video, his yellow eyes fairly glittering with hate. They are the telltale mark of a man who has drank too deeply for far too long from the font of Darkness. It's why he will never balance the Force. "Only Darth Sidious could be so bold. My daughter has not been rescued, she has been kidnapped."

"Yes," Kylo confirms grimly. But that is all First Order equipment in the video. Unhappily, Plagueis is right that the Final Order has not been eradicated.

"Sheev loves these sorts of ruses. He once pretended to get himself kidnapped by Grievous to rid himself of Dooku."

Kylo's eyes involuntarily find the 'Ceasefire broken!' headline on the datapad. His lips twist as he realizes, "He did it in a very public way to discredit Rey and to do maximum damage to the peace process."

"Uhmmmm, yes," Plagueis concurs ominously. "Very likely, he has succeeded. Now, matters are worse . . . much worse."

"Still think the Force will protect Rey?"

"He doesn't want her dead. He wants her alive," Plagueis observes.

He's right. "Sidious still wants to use her . . . " Kylo speculates. "She's a hostage and a potential host for him to possess."

"Let's hope that's all she is."

"What do you mean?" Kylo demands in dismay.

"I mean that Sheev has never had a novel idea in his head. This is the man who gave us a third Death Star. He repeats his moves over and over again."

"Meaning?"

Plagueis doesn't elaborate. "Apprentice," he decides, "it is time to complete your training. But first, you need to do some quick diplomacy. Go avert the war Sheev just restarted."