He needs to avert a war, and he doesn't have much time. Already there are reports of the Republic fleet massing. For weeks during the peace negotiations, the enemy's ships were spread thin in a defensive posture in anticipation of his threatened invasion. But now, it appears that the Republic is reconsidering its options in the wake of perceived First Order aggression.
Unwilling to waste any time that will delay him turning his attention to rescuing Rey, Kylo decides to make his diplomacy direct and personal. He sneaks into Coruscant and breaks into Poe Dameron's bachelor pad apartment. He's half expecting random panties strewn across the floor given the guy's ladies' man reputation. But either the Intel reports are exaggerated, Dameron is less charming than he appears, or the guy just keeps a clean house, because Kylo discovers no items of castoff lingerie as he snoops around while he waits.
The place is small but slick. Just enough attention has been put into decorating it. Too much effort and a guy looks like he's trying too hard . . . or effete. But trust it to Dameron to strike the right balance. He's the kind of guy who probably does most things with easy aplomb. Yep, looking around, Kylo decides that General Poseidon Dameron is the kind of guy he hates. He's handsome, charismatic, and confident, with skills to back up his bravado. It doesn't help matters that Dameron was his mother's de facto replacement son. Leia Organa lavished attention, mentoring, and responsibility upon him. Dameron was clearly the hero son his mother wanted to inherit her legacy, not the gawky, violent, conflicted one she got.
Yeah . . . he really hates Poe Dameron. A lot.
But here comes his foe-he-hopes-to-make-an-ally arriving home late. Luckily, Dameron is alone. There's no awkward moment as Kylo ruins the guy's latest one-night stand and has to mind wipe some random girl he brought home.
As planned, Kylo surprises him. He crosses his arms and drawls, "Look, it's the best pilot in the Resistance."
It is very gratifying to watch Dameron startle and jump.
"YOU!"
His mother's pet automatically reaches for a blaster. Dameron wears it low on his hip like the gunslinging Han Solo. It's one more thing to hate about the guy as far as Kylo is concerned.
"Miss me?" he smirks, coolly staring down the barrel of the gun. The blaster aimed squarely at his heart is in an unwavering grip with the safety off and the trigger finger ready.
"No." Dameron answers without hesitation.
Kylo stands his ground and resists the urge to reach for his sword. Instead, he nods to the weapon and complains, "Are we doing this again? You know what I am capable of." Dameron shot at him once before on Jakku and Kylo froze the blaster bolt with the Force. This time, his attacker is at much closer range, so it would be a challenge for his reflexes. But Kylo feels confident he's got this.
He tells Dameron, "That didn't work last time. Ask yourself whether you really want to take the shot."
His mother's favorite meets his gaze steadily. "You have no idea how much I want to take this shot."
Well, fuck. This guy knows how to trash talk. Kylo forgot about that. So to save face, he sneers back, "I can see why she liked you. She had a thing for cocky pricks who liked guns."
The 'she' doesn't have to be explained. Poe Dameron is privately and publicly his princess mother's biggest fan.
Dameron keeps the blaster aimed. "Why are you here? You got your girlfriend. Go back to the Rim."
Kylo starts in on his pitch now, leading as always with fear. "I'm here to warn you. You're in great danger."
"Obviously! Kylo Ren is in my kitchen," Dameron snorts. "Finn said that ceasefire was a lie but I didn't expect you to invade my apartment first." The guy actually looks a bit disappointed as he sighs, "I guess I fell for your lies . . ."
"The peace we made wasn't a lie." It was real and sincere.
Dameron is clearly unconvinced. "Could you have been any more blatant when you busted Rey out? You made us all look like fools! The ceasefire wasn't even a week old!"
"Those weren't my men. I don't have Rey."
"She flew off in a First Order gunship with a squad of stormtroopers," Dameron fumes.
"Those weren't my men."
"Yeah? Then whose were they?"
"Sheev Palpatine's." Kylo keeps talking, pointedly ignoring the danger of the blaster aimed at his chest. "Rey wasn't rescued, she was kidnapped. You are in great danger. So is your precious Republic," he warns again.
"Spare me the speech about your strawman enemy Sheev Palpatine," Dameron hisses back. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice—"
"He's alive. He'll be coming for you."
The Republic hero scowls. "Did you convince Rey that old Darth Sidious is still alive, or did she convince you? Who's gaslighting who in your . . . your . . . " He searches for the right word before he settles on, "relationship?" Rey's friend spits the word out with a potent mix of disdain and disillusionment.
Kylo takes a step forward. Still, he ignores the gun. "Did you really think that Exogol would kill him? Palpatine survived getting chucked down a Death Star reactor shaft."
"Did you see what was left of Exogol? No one could have survived that."
"I did," Kylo brags. Well, sort of . . . with some help from Plagueis. "Rey did, too." Thanks to him and his Force healing. Kylo leans in on his scare tactics now. "Palpatine is an existential threat."
"Certainly to you. What do I care if you get deposed?"
"Did my mother teach you nothing?" Kylo retorts softly. Threats are always best delivered quietly, he has learned. For fear is an insidious thing that worms its way into your mind even when you try to resist it. So, for maximum effect, Kylo half-whispers now. "Palpatine won't stop at the Rim. He is an existential threat. That is something we can both agree upon."
"That's the only thing we agree upon."
"No, it's not. We agree on Rey."
The face Dameron makes tells Kylo that he's hit a raw nerve.
"She betrayed us! "
"For peace."
"She betrayed us! She helped you split the Republic in two!"
Time to pile on the guilt. Kylo reminds him, "She's your friend."
"I can't afford friends like that." Dameron glances down and away. Again, confusion radiates from his mind in the Force.
Kylo takes that as his cue to continue. "You have no idea how hard it was for her to help me . . . she hated what she had to do for peace." The statement is completely sincere. Does Dameron understand that?
He might. The guy shifts his weight and now abruptly lowers the gun. Talk of Rey has him rattled. Dameron is far more shaken by Rey's betrayal than he wants to let on. The Force tells Kylo he is also far less certain of his condemnation of her actions than he pretends. And that makes sense. Dameron himself is known to be something of a 'take matters into his own hands' kind of guy. He does what he thinks is right. Like Rey had done. That maverick zeal is something Dameron can respect.
The Republic general now re-holsters his weapon but growls, "Say what you came to say and get out."
"You're going to be the next Chancellor."
"The election is two weeks away."
"The polls look good for you . . . for now."
"Is there a threat somewhere in that statement?"
Kylo ignores the question. "You're a big improvement over the current choice. That woman is intolerable."
His comment prompts a nasty smile from Dameron. "She really hates you. We all do."
"She's on her way out. The only issue is who will replace her. It could be you, but then again, it might not."
"Spit it out, Ren. Say what you came to say."
He already did, but his audience didn't want to hear it. So Kylo is going to have to get Dameron's attention with alternative means. No problem. He's prepared. He wasn't Snoke's Apprentice for years without learning a few dirty tricks.
Kylo can't keep the smugness from his voice as he reveals, "You don't know it, but I'm your largest campaign contributor."
"What?" Clearly, Dameron wasn't expecting that news.
Kylo reaches into his pocket for a datafile that he casually tosses to his host. "Here's the details. It's been done through dummy shell entities and fictitious names, but it's all traceable back to the First Order if you look hard enough."
"I'm not for sale."
"I know that. You know that. But do the voters know that?" Kylo posits coyly. "What will they think if they learn the awful truth that you were bought by the First Order?"
"They'll know it's a smear."
"Will they?" Kylo wonders aloud. He flashes a sly grin. "Feel your Chancellorship slipping away yet?
Dameron turns over the datafile in his hand, considering it. "What's this leverage for?"
"You are my favorite Senate candidate. I mean that, Dameron. You're a man I think I can work with."
"Work with for what?"
"I want peace."
"Through blackmail?"
Kylo gestures to the datafile Dameron holds like it's a hot coal that's burning his hand. "Those campaign contributions were intended to be an incentive to get you to see things my way. And also, a convenient means to get rid of you, if necessary," he blithely explains. Then, he gets back to his earlier message that is the thrust of his visit: "I want peace. I think you want peace as well."
Dameron says nothing. He just glares with righteous indignation.
Kylo pretends not to notice. "Tamp down the rhetoric from your side about us breaking the ceasefire. Call off the aggressive stance your military is taking on our border. Let the dust settle from Rey's kidnapping. Don't let Sheev Palpatine manipulate you into restarting the war. He's using you, like he's using Rey. Don't be his tool."
The hotshot Resistance pilot shoots him a look. "What is it with you and Rey? What is this hold you have over her? Is it because you saved her life once? How'd you get her to do your bidding?"
"You don't know her like I know her."
"Yeah, we're all learning that," Dameron grouses. He starts lashing out next. "Leia warned her about you! She worried a lot about Rey's future. She tried to help her . . . to train her."
"My mother already had a star pupil. You!" Kylo sneers. "You're the one she trained." He's bitter about it, too. Bitter, but not jealous. He could never be jealous of a guy like Dameron.
The soon-to-be Senator from Coruscant and the likely next Republic Chancellor is confused. "Leia didn't train me. I don't have the Force."
"You don't need the Force to matter," Kylo jeers. "Isn't that the point of your democracy? That everyone matters?"
Damn, how he hates that this good-looking, heroic asshole took his place in his mother's heart. She publicly declared her son Ben Solo dead in the destruction at the Jedi Temple, conveniently distancing herself from any political fallout. Leia Organa became a sympathetic grieving mother rather than the neglectful, work-obsessed figure who delegated his care first to a slew of nannies and then to her brother. There is lots of blame to go around for what happened that night at the Temple, but Kylo lays the fault foremost on his mother who sent him away in the first place.
But she's dead now and nothing will change that. The only thing left to do is to let the past die. And for that, the sole remaining Sith Lord Darth Sidious needs to meet the Force from whence he came.
Kylo urges, "Don't take the bait from Palpatine. Don't restart the war over his stunt with Rey."
"How do I explain what happened with Rey?"
It's a reasonable question that Kylo has thought plenty about. "Call it a one-off. An isolated incident that will not repeat. You entered into the ceasefire knowing your Jedi was a traitor. Now, she's back where she belongs. Pretend it's a problem solved, and not a loss."
Dameron squints at him incredulously but Kylo keeps spinning his argument, "This peace is bigger than the actions of a rogue Jedi."
"Do you manufacture all that First Order fake news yourself?" Dameron marvels. His sarcasm grates. But before Kylo can think of a suitable rebuttal, Dameron again wants to talk about the underlying personal relationship between him and Rey. He asks, "So what is this Force bond thing exactly?"
Well, fuck. "She told you about that?" Kylo gulps. That's unfortunate.
"She told Finn. Then she broke Finn's heart when she told him that she loves you."
"She said that?" Well, maybe Rey's candor wasn't so unfortunate after all. Kylo can't quite suppress the goofy smile that tugs at his lips at the news. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Rey announced that she loves Kylo Ren to her friends.
Clearly, the news had not gone over well. "Is it true?" Dameron demands.
"Yes." But he's shocked that Rey said it, let alone said it to that particular audience.
"She said she betrayed us for peace, not for you."
"That's right." Rey helped him not to please him, but to achieve their shared goals.
"But you and Rey . . . ?" Dameron clearly can't begin to wrap his head around the idea of him and Rey as a couple.
Kylo can't resist bragging a little. "The Force brought us together." They are fated love, drawn to one another by an historic dyad that is evidence of their special importance to the galaxy and to one another. Not the war, not the opposing sides of the Force, and not Darth Sidious will come between them, Kylo silently vows.
"Together . . . " Dameron squints at him in repulsed fascination. "Like together together?"
"Yes. I consider us married by the Force," Kylo announces, lifting his chin a little. Because if Rey can tell her friends that she loves him, then he can deliver the news that they are forever committed. Take that, you Republic haters. He refuses to let Dameron's luridly incredulous attitude bother him. Because he is worthy of love, plenty worthy in fact. Maybe his disappointing mother could never see that . . . but Rey did. And he will protect and defend Rey forever for her leap of faith to believe in him.
"Ooo-kay." Dameron blinks and swallows. "So you . . . er . . . busted your secret wife out of Republic custody, is that it?"
He shrugs, letting the edge to Dameron's tone roll off his back. He won't be baited by this guy. "Explain it however you like. Just don't restart the war. Keep the peace for the good of everyone."
Dameron eyes him thoughtfully but still won't commit. He starts firing off questions. "Where is Palpatine? Where is Rey?"
"I don't know yet."
"I thought you two speak in the Force."
"We do. But we only see what the Force wants us to see. We can't control the bond."
"Huh." Dameron considers this news. "But you are going to help her?" he wants to confirm.
And what the fuck kind of question is that? Irritated, Kylo growls, "I'll get her back."
"You do that." Looking aside, Dameron grumbles, "Rey was wrong to do what she did. She lied to us and she plotted against us. But I can see now that she had conflicting loyalties to you and to us."
"Her loyalty is to peace. She wants peace."
"Yeah? Well, she dissolved our unity to get it."
"The ceasefire merely codified the status quo. There hasn't been unity between the Core and the Rim in generations."
The Republic general doesn't have a good rebuttal for that point. But now, Dameron reverts back to discussing him and Rey. With a cold glare, he snipes, "She deserves better than you."
Again, Kylo swallows his reflexive anger and plays it cool. He refuses to let this guy make him feel insecure. Not about Rey, not about his mother, not about anything. So, he shrugs, "Maybe so. But I'm who the Force chose for her."
"Don't blame the Force! This is your fault!" Dameron accuses. "You did all this!"
"You like to think that, don't you? You're wrong," Kylo informs him flatly. And now, he finally gives into anger, losing his temper to suddenly rage, "I'm not you! I'm not a free agent! My life is not wholly mine to live!" He's a Skywalker Chosen One, and that means he is not the master of his destiny. Dameron gets under his skin and that has him oversharing. It's probably a mistake, but Kylo goes with it anyway. "It's the same for Rey! Our fates are intertwined and a great deal is already decided for us. But not for you . . . you have choices." He resents Poe Dameron deeply for the choices he gets.
"And you want me to choose peace? Is that it?"
"Yes."
"And if I refuse, you will make public this campaign finance scandal you claim to have manufactured?"
"That's right."
Dameron now starts to appreciate the public ramifications of his personal predicament. "That will do further damage to the people's confidence in their leaders . . . First, Rey is shown to have conspired with you. Next, I will be exposed to have a First Order taint as well."
Kylo nods coolly. He planned this trap well. "It would be best for the Republic if the campaign information never came out. There is more than just your career at stake."
For the first time, Dameron looks truly troubled and uncertain. "I'll think about it," he hedges.
That's not good enough. Kylo wants a deal, not prevarication. He snarls, "Think about this—if even one of your ships strays into the Rim or if I deem your military posture to be threatening, the very first thing I will do is release that campaign contribution information to the holonet. Next, I will respond to your provocation with force."
Dameron cocks his head. "Let me get this straight—you're threatening me with war in order to get me to stick to the ceasefire peace?"
Kylo smirks. "You're not as slow as I thought."
"You did this before! You threatened us with invasion to get us to agree to peace." Dameron glowers at him indignantly. "Fear is how you Dark Side guys operate, right?"
"It works."
"But you're afraid of Sheev Palpatine . . . "
"You should be too. He is an existential threat to the Republic. Luke knew it, my mother knew it, Rey knows it, and so do you. Palpatine needs to die for good."
"If he's alive—if—," Dameron emphasizes the condition, "what makes you think the Republic can beat him this time?"
"We can beat him together," Kylo corrects him. "The First Order and the Republic combined."
"We? We?!"
"We." He nods at wary Dameron who apparently has not seen the obvious strategic play emerging. Probably because he's a small-minded politico type who's focused on his consultant-approved, election-themed sound bites. Or maybe it's just because Dameron can be cajoled into making peace with the First Order, but he won't deign to ally himself with those he views as morally inferior. Well, tough shit. Because beating Darth Sidious will require a concerted effort. You can't be picky about your teammates when you're versus Sheev Palpatine.
Miffed Kylo schools Dameron on some Dark Side strategy. "Haven't you heard? The enemy of your enemy is your friend."
"Or maybe," the former Resistance pilot snaps back, "he's just another enemy."
"I have help," Kylo volunteers. "We're going to need help."
"What kind of help?"
"Your Republic and my Empire are not the only ones who want to see Sheev Palpatine dead."
"What kind of help?" Dameron demands again.
"Force help. Rey may be an orphan scavenger from Jakku, but she's very well connected."
"Yeah? She's supposedly a Palpatine."
"She's not a Palpatine. She's a Skywalker."
Dameron blinks. "You lost me there."
Kylo explains, "Rey's father is my great-grandfather."
Dameron thinks a moment, then recoils. "This is really getting weird."
"It's not a blood relation. Rey is a Skywalker—a child of the Force. And no one hates Sheev Palpatine like Rey's Force daddy."
"Yeah?" Dameron crosses his arms and complains, "Who is this wizard and where has he been all this time?"
"His name is Darth Plagueis the Wise and he's been in exile."
"Darth? Did you say Darth?" Dameron raises a hand to his temple and sighs, "Of course, you said Darth . . . You Sith always travel in pairs . . ."
"Plagueis is the real deal, and he's just what we need. Time to man up, Chancellor. Things are going to get ugly and we need all the help we can get."
Dameron shakes his head no. "I don't need that kind of help. I'm not going to war with some phantom Sheev Palpatine so you and some Sith no one ever heard of can take over once he's dead."
"You don't listen well, do you?" annoyed Kylo jeers. "I want peace! I split the galaxy in two to get peace! I don't want your precious Republic—you can have it and run it as Chancellor. But that will only happen if we join forces to take out Darth Sidious."
"If Sidious still exists, he's primarily a threat to your Empire, not the Republic."
"You tell yourself that," Kylo goads with ugly glee, "the next time someone mentions Hosnia."
That crack apparently hits home. Frowning Dameron now reveals something else Rey must have shared: "Was Snoke really Darth Sidious all along?"
"He was," Kylo confirms. "Do not underestimate Palpatine. He's every bit as ruthless as you've been told." And actually, Kylo still feels sheepish about how duped he himself had been on that point.
That uncomfortable feeling has Kylo reverting to issuing brusque orders. "Have the Republic fleet stand down for now, and you'll win your Senate seat and get your Chancellorship. I'll be in touch when I next need you."
"Don't bother. I'm not yours to command."
"I own you, Dameron!" Kylo hisses. "If you refuse to cooperate, I will get you thrown out of office like I did your predecessor and then I will find a way to buy your replacement. There is too much at stake here for your petty grievances."
"The war was not a petty grievance!" outraged Dameron howls.
Angry, Kylo pushes past the guy. He's said what he came to say and planted the seed for an alliance he hopes will save everyone in the end. But if he remains here bickering with Dameron any longer, he might just pull his sword. Killing the guy is very tempting, but it is also counterproductive. Things are bad enough as is.
Confused Dameron whirls to watch him stalk away. "Where are you going?"
Kylo doesn't break stride as he heads for the door. "To save Rey and to save the galaxy," he vows. He'll do it with or without the Republic's help. "Wait for my orders!" he growls as he lets himself out.
Has he succeeded in convincing Dameron? He can't tell. But the guy is one of the Republic's more reasonable leaders, and that has to count for something. Maybe once Dameron thinks about things, he will come around. Feeling hopeful but far from certain, Kylo sneaks back to his civilian ship and takes off for the Rim.
The moment he touches down back at his flagship, it's clear that something is wrong. A pair of flunkey officers rushes up to meet him. They look scared.
"Sir—Sir, there is this—this—"
"What?"
"Light your sword, Sir!"
He looks blankly at the frightened men. "Is there a rancor? What is the problem?" This is a warship full of troops. Why is he needed to personally handle some perceived threat? Whatever it is, it isn't serious. The Force isn't alerting him to any danger.
"You're here? Good." Up rushes stern old Colonel Crassus next to report. "There is an interloper on the bridge."
The way his understated aide-de-camp says the word 'interloper' makes Kylo's hair stand on end. Suddenly, his mind fills with all sorts of unwelcome possibilities.
"Fuck!" he swears under his breath and his sword jumps into his hand courtesy of the Force. Has Darth Sidious made a bold move by presenting himself? Is he here already to claim back the First Order? Why isn't the Force alerting him?
Kylo pushes past the trio and heads fast for the bridge elevators. He's not going down without a fight. He girds his resolve and summons his power in preparation for the coming showdown he wasn't expecting quite so soon.
Sure enough, the bridge elevator doors open to reveal a stately figure standing at the prow of the command center facing out into deep space. But it's not Darth Sidious. It's a seven-foot tall mangled Muun. And now, things sort of make sense. Because Plagueis looks like Supreme Leader Snoke with cleaner teeth and shorter fingernails. No wonder his befuddled crew ceded him the bridge. They probably thought he belonged there. And, if dead Sidious can come back, why can't dead Snoke? All of these Force resurrection stunts must be confusing as Hell to the laypeople of the galaxy.
Plagueis turns at his sudden arrival. And damn, if the guy doesn't have gravitas to spare. Standing there in his jarringly incongruous grey and cream robes that brush the floor, Plagueis looks like a formidable leader. For though his current dress might not be classic Shadow Force styling, his demeanor simply oozes Darkness. He may have dropped the 'Darth' but he hasn't shed the spooky Sith persona.
Snoke-who-isn't-Snoke greets him with a twisted smile and a regal wave of a bony clawlike hand. "Ah, my boy, there you are. How did it go? Will it be war?"
Kylo scowls at this casualness. There's nothing inconsequential about the stakes of the current conflict or, for that matter, about Darth Plagueis the Wise commanding his bridge. When he agreed the Muun was free to roam his Empire, he didn't have his flagship in mind.
Kylo barks back, "Who let you in?"
"I let myself in. This is my First Order, after all." Creepy, disfigured old Plagueis has the gall to wink at him now. It's bizarre how much fun he appears to be having pretending to be the puppet who pretended to be himself.
Meanwhile, Kylo stands there, wondering how to play this moment. The whole bridge is watching their interaction. What he does next matters to establish the chain of command.
Plagueis knows it, too. His deep rumbling baritone now fills Kylo's head, but not his ears. Play along. Everyone here thinks I'm the old boss resurrected by you to be your counselor.
By me? Kylo answers back in the Force. It's not the bond with Rey, so it requires effort. Me? Resurrected by me?
Naturally. I had to lead them to believe that you're every bit the sorcerer that Darth Sidious is.
Oh.
"Well, what will it be? War or peace?" Snoke demands out loud, looking equally pleased by either outcome. Although that too could be an act, Kylo decides.
"It will be peace for now . . . I hope."
"Excellent. All according to your plan," Plagueis preens smugly for their rapt onlookers.
Plagueis stops speaking aloud now and addresses Kylo's mind again. Now, kneel like a good Apprentice so I can pat you on the head.
This again? Kylo balks.
It's what they all expect.
Oh, very well. Kylo takes a knee in the time-honored posture of obeisance. You're enjoying this little performance, aren't you?
Immensely.
"The circle is now complete," old Plagueis intones loudly for all on the bridge to hear. "Once you were but the learner, Kylo Ren. But now, you are the Master. I live again thanks to the Force and to your skill. Come, and let us discuss matters, Supreme Leader."
Plagueis sweeps over to offer him a hand up. It's the sort of cooperation that Darth Sidious' version of Snoke would never show to an Apprentice. But Kylo takes the offered grip and rises to his feet. He and Plagueis linger there a few seconds, both forearms clasped in a classic brothers-in-arms pose of solidarity before they part.
It's all designed to assure everyone watching that this Snoke is legitimate and on their side. But as he and Plagueis exit the bridge together ostensibly as junior and senior Supreme Leader, Kylo can't help but mutter under his breath. "Go back to Zakuul."
"You need my help," Plagueis softly chides.
"You're just confusing everyone. You're supposed to be dead."
"Is that a problem? Everyone else in this fight has supposedly died at least once already. I was feeling a little left out," the Muun pouts.
"Go back to Zakuul."
"That was not our deal," Plagueis reminds him as they step into the empty conference room right off the bridge. "Besides, we are strongest together as a family."
Kylo closes the door with the Force and now they are alone. That means he can speak in his usual clipped tones as he accuses once more, "You're confusing everyone."
"I am helping you," Plagueis calmly disagrees. "You need to hold the First Order together, especially your hardliners with sympathies for Sidious. My reappearance will appease them."
"Except you're Darth Sidious to them," Kylo points out.
"Only to some of them. You purged the Final Order from your ranks, did you not? Shouldn't that mean most everyone who knew that my buffoon clone was Sidious is now dead?"
The Muun has a point there. Kylo frowns. "Well, maybe."
"Praise be to the Force for here I am returned," the grandiose Dark Master grins mischievously. "Your extremist followers no longer have the easy choice between you and their old Emperor. Now, they get to choose between Starkiller Snoke and Sheev. That's a tougher decision for who to back."
"I suppose . . . " Kylo is unconvinced. This all sounds like a pretext to him. Old Plagueis just wants back in the action, he thinks.
"Unity is crucial," the Muun declares. "Unity both in our family and for our cause. Now then, has the bond opened yet?"
Kylo sighs. "No."
"Take that as a good sign," Plagueis encourages.
Kylo complains, "There's nothing good about this situation." He slants some side eye over at the Muun now. "Who are you supposed to be in that getup? Because you're giving me weird Luke Skywalker vibes." That grey and cream outfit just screams sanctimonious Jedi monk.
"I'm Snoke. Supreme Leader Snoke."
Kylo fixes Plagueis with a hard look. "I'm the Supreme Leader now."
"Right then," the Muun immediately backpedals. "Consider me the Supreme Leader Emeritus. I'm the elder statesmen of the First Order, back from the dead and mostly retired."
"This is confusing as Hell," Kylo grumbles yet again.
"There is no need to feel threatened," Plagueis tells him gently.
"Who's threatened? I'm not threatened," Kylo bristles. But because he is threatened—very threatened—he lashes out. "I think I preferred your golden dress."
"When I catch Sheev he is going to suffer for that golden dress," Plagueis harrumphs.
"I don't know . . . " Kylo now reconsiders, warming to his hater's glee. "His may have been the better choice. I'm going to tell Rey that you stole her look. You look like a damned Jedi." It's creeping him out, actually. Plagueis masquerading as Darth Jedi the Wise is wrong on so many levels.
The Muun responds with a sniff, "There's no cause to insult me, Appren—"
"Do not call me that here."
"As you wish, Padawan."
Kylo glares.
"What?" Plagueis is coyly unrepentant at his use of the hated word. "If I'm a Jedi, then you're a—"
"Shut up!"
Kylo abruptly whirls. He senses the bond opening . . . he thinks.
"My boy—"
"Shut up!" Kylo immediately throws a forestalling hand up. He concentrates hard, hoping the Force will open his special connection with Rey at long last.
"Rey . . . " He whispers her name aloud. "Rey . . ." It's something of a prayer. He needs to see her. He's been worried sick about her. "Blast it, Rey, where are you?"
He can sense her, but can't see her. All he sees is opaque black space where the other side of his empty conference room should be. The bond is open, but where is she?
"Rey?" He peers into the inky void. Squinting to see better.
"B-Ben . . ."
That's her voice in his ears and in his mind. Finally, he perceives her form as she slowly turns. Evidently, the black hooded cloak Rey wears camouflaged her in her dim environment when viewed from behind.
"Rey!" His heart floods with relief.
Her reaction is far more subdued. "Ben." She doesn't look happy to see him. She bites at her lip and her eyes keep darting towards the right at someone or something he can't see.
Rey is dressed very formally in a heavy brocade crimson gown that peeks out from beneath the black cloak. She is armed—which strikes him as odd for a captive. An unfamiliar lightsaber hilt hangs at her waist.
He keeps looking and he doesn't like what he sees. Rey appears pale and tired. Her puffy eyes have purple shadows. It could be from crying or from lack of sleep. He can't tell. But taking in her appearance, he can't help but be reminded of how Rey described the Dark version of herself she saw in the vision on Endor. Could this be the true moment that peek behind the curtain of the cosmic Force revealed? Whatever its meaning in the scheme of events, Kylo hates how diminished Rey is in this moment. The bond broadcasts strongly how discouraged she feels. How tentative. How worried.
"Where are you? Are you safe?"
With a furtive glance aside to the right, she answers, "Kessel. I'm in a black hole somewhere in Kessel." She whispers as if she fears to be overheard.
"In a black hole . . . That's not possible."
"It is," listening Plagueis volunteers as he joins his side. For apparently, like Luke Skywalker, Plagueis is strong enough in the Force to witness the open bond for himself. But whereas Uncle Luke had seen him and Rey touch hands and exploded in anger, Plagueis has a face filled with wonder. The Muun looks to be in awe of what he witnesses.
Kylo wants to waste no time. He needs more details for how to find Rey. "Kessel. You're in Kessel. Tell me more."
"She's in the Maw . . . " Plagueis answers softly.
"In the Maw?" Kylo shoots the Muun a look. He's Han Solo's son and he grew up on exaggerated retellings of the Kessel Run. He knows that the Maw is a cluster of black holes. It's the most dangerous place in charted space. Once you get sucked into the Maw, you are never seen again. The extreme gravitational pull of the concentration of black holes means that nothing—not even light—can escape the Maw. Very likely, anything drawn into that deadly vortex is collapsed under the tremendous g-forces. It's certain death for any human.
He frowns over at Plagueis. "That's not possible. She'd be dead."
"All things are possible in the Force," the Muun answers in a way that Kylo finds thoroughly unnerving.
"Ben . . . Ben," Rey sputters, recalling his attention. "I'm . . . I'm . . . "
"Yes?"
With a quick glance again to the right, Rey gasps the word, "Pregnant."
Did he hear that right?
Rey's in his mind through the bond, so she nods and repeats, "I'm pregnant."
Holy shit! "You're what?" he yelps back. "You gotta be kidding me!"
"I'm not." Rey's emotions—fear, dread, dismay, and rising panic—spill over into his mind. His girl is simply overwhelmed by the implications of her news. Her eyes drop to the floor as she confesses miserably, "I didn't believe it at first either."
"Oh." This latest development is unanticipated. And unwelcome. "Are you sure?" he asks hopefully. "Could it be a mistake?"
She shakes her head. "I'm sure."
She's sure.
"Fuck!" he rages, giving vent to his instant reaction. Things just got a lot more complicated.
Rey mistakenly thinks he's angry with her. "I don't know how this happened . . . "
"I do," glib Plagueis volunteers dryly.
Kylo ignores him. "Are you alright?" he worries anew. It's a stupid question, really. She's pregnant, apparently trending Dark again, and stuck in a black hole. Could this get any worse?
It can. Because on Rey's side of the bond up walks none other than Sheev Palpatine. He's not his ghoulish Imperial self who died over Endor. Instead, he's the young Senator version from the waning days of the Old Republic. He's got bright red hair, ruddy cheeks, and a wiry, lean build. He appears nothing like the skeletal zombie Kylo discovered hooked to life support on Exogol. But in either presentation, the man is unmistakable. Darth Sidious' smug, sneery expression apparently never aged. It's very recognizable.
This is the man who enslaved his grandfather, who plotted for his uncle's corruption, and who trapped he himself as his unwitting Apprentice. And now, worst of all, Darth Sidious has his beloved Rey in his clutches. Kylo watches in horror as his family's archenemy comes to stand far too close to his girl.
Old Plagueis is watching as well. "Sheev, you're looking pretty," he mocks his former pupil.
"I see that you are not," Darth Sidious retorts. "Look how old you have become. And how foolish. You look like a Jedi. Are you all the Jedi now?" he laughs.
Plagueis sighs and grumbles under his breath, "Everyone's a fashion critic." But not to be outdone, the Muun starts trash talking his upstart Apprentice. "I have become more powerful than you can possibly imagine . . . "
Whatever. Enough with the boasting. Kylo has one concern now, and it's his pregnant Force wife. "Rey, are you alright?"
She says nothing. The bond tells Kylo she's too afraid. But it's not for herself. Strangely, it's for him.
Darth Sidious speaks for her. "My daughter is perfectly fine, Apprentice."
"She's not your daughter!" Kylo hisses.
Just as Plagueis objects, "He's my Apprentice."
Darth Sidious shrugs and answers his old Master. "Not for long." Then, he raises both hands like he's going to shoot lightning.
The next thing Kylo knows, he's on the floor writhing in ultimate pain. It feels like he is being eviscerated. Unfortunately, it's a familiar sensation from Exogol. Darth Sidious is attempting to drain the energy of the dyad. Apparently, he's powerful enough to reach clear across the galaxy to do it through the bond.
Rey is unharmed, Kylo somehow senses. Sidious is merely draining him, but Rey still feels it all through their special connection. Through eyes slitted from pain, he sees his girl sway. She looks like at any minute she will slump to the floor in total collapse. That's how badly this agony hurts secondhand.
"STOP! You're killing him!" That's the Muun's furious command. Never once has Kylo heard Lord Plagueis raise his voice. The man thunders now, like some displeased god from on high.
His former student is unimpressed. Gleefully he taunts, "Make me!" like some mischievous scamp.
Plagueis does something—Kylo is barely conscious so he can't tell what exactly—and the pain stops. It is not a moment too soon. Kylo feels basically dead at this point. Slowly, he becomes aware that he's lying face down on the conference room floor drooling and sweating.
He hears Sheev Palpatine gloat. "Your powers are weak, old man. I let you win."
"Killing him risks killing her, and you know it," Plagueis bites back.
"I have everything I have ever needed," Darth Sidious sounds masterfully content. "This is just as I have foreseen."
"Careful, Sheev," the Muun rumbles ominously. "Overconfidence has long been your weakness." Plagueis sounds especially grim now as he warns, "I know where you hide."
"It doesn't matter. You dare not show that ruined face of yours around here."
Kylo now succeeds in lifting his head so he can see more than just everyone's boots. But as soon as everything comes into focus, the bond closes. The danger is over. Darth Sidious is gone. And with him, so is Rey.
Kylo summons the herculean effort to roll over on his back. He's not sure he can manage to get to his feet. He needs to rest a bit first.
As he stares at then ceiling, Plagueis appears in his face up close. Snoke-who-isn't-Snoke has sunk to his knees in a puddle of fabric to hover over him. "Are you alright? Look at me." Spindly Muun fingers cup his cheeks. They are surprisingly warm and soft.
Kylo blinks up at the misshapen face that surveys him with deep concern. At this nearness, Plagueis is absolutely repulsive to look at, and yet Kylo is drawn to him anyway. The Muun might be a monster, but he is his savior yet again today. Looks can be deceiving. His uncle's long-ago guidance comes to mind in a bizarrely timed reverie.
"Tell he didn't kill you."
Kylo croaks out weak reassurance, "I'll live . . . I think."
The big Muun grunts as he strokes hair back from his forehead in a fatherly gesture. "Are you sure? Sheev was draining your life force. Consuming your soul."
"Is that all?" Kylo groans. He now attempts to sit up. He rubs at his still blurry vision and mumbles, "It's hard to kill a Skywalker."
"Yes, but it's been known to happen," the Dark Master sighs.
"You'd only bring me back."
"True."
Kylo has made it to his knees now. He's encouraged by his progress. "It's hard to kill a Skywalker," he reiterates between panting breaths as he climbs to his feet and falls into the nearest chair.
"That's the spirit," the Muun approves. "It's even harder to resurrect a Skywalker, I'll have you know."
"Teach me that trick one day?"
"When you're ready, I'll teach you that and more."
"Good. I guess that's two I owe you," Kylo looks up to issue an obligatory thanks. "I'm glad you're on my side."
"We are strongest together," Plagueis intones his earlier sentiment. Then again, he expresses concern. "My boy, are you certain that you are alright?"
No. But pain is power in the macho world of the Sith and the formerly-Sith, so Kylo answers, "Yes."
"Good."
The Muun proceeds to nail him with Force lightning. Yet again, Kylo lands on his face.
What the fuck? "Owwwww! What was that for?"
"For getting my daughter pregnant."
"We're married!" Kylo sputters from the floor.
"You idiot! I'm not worried about appearances, I'm worried about Sheev! How could you be so stupid?" the Muun rants. "Couldn't you keep it in your pants? Sheev just got his hands on another of my progeny! Because he who controls the Chosen One, controls the Force! It's everything Sheev has dreamed about for decades—I told you, he has no new ideas!"
This is an issue for which Plagueis quickly gets very worked up. He bellows, "I watched him demoralize and punish Lord Vader and then he humiliated and enslaved you! Why? Because of your bloodline! I will not sacrifice any more of our family to the megalomania of Sheev Palpatine!" the wrecked Muun fumes.
Aren't they getting ahead of themselves? Aching Kylo groans, "That kid's not even born."
"Sheev's got some young clone body now, so he can afford to play the long game," Plagueis complains. He makes a face and laments, "Poor Rey."
Yeah . . . poor Rey. "You said you know where they are—let's go get her." Time to go rescue the Force damsel in distress. They can kill Sheev Palpatine and save the galaxy while they're at it. And then, he can be the hero even his dead mother can be proud of.
Plagueis shoots that idea down. "Alas, we cannot."
"Why not?"
"Because if you want to enter the Maw safely, you must be invited."
"What's that supposed to mean? By who?" Kylo demands. Who lives in a black hole?
"She Who Must Not Be Named."
He blinks. "Say what?"
Plagueis the Wise looks almost sheepish as he explains, "Those who know her call her Lady Abeloth."
The name doesn't ring a bell. "Who is that?"
Plagueis looks downright uncomfortable as he drops a bombshell revelation. "Lady Abeloth is the goddess imprisoned in the Maw before recorded history. She is Rey's mother."
Rey's mother. Kylo's eyes narrow. He calls bullshit on the Muun. "You said Rey is a child of the Force, created by you! But now, you're saying you got busy in a black hole with some goddess?"
Again, the Muun looks sheepish. "It is somewhat more complicated than that."
Kylo props himself up on an elbow as he decides to remain on the floor for now. He glares up at the family patriarch whose past he admittedly knows very little about and prompts, "I'm listening. Start talking."