The flight to Kessel is long. Dameron wastes time watching the newsfeeds and flirting anonymously with women on holonet dating sites while Kylo gets a crash course in advanced Force techniques from the best Dark sorcerer in a thousand generations. It's both engrossing and alarming tutelage. For the unspoken subtext to this Dark Side data dump is first, that the Muun fully expects to die and second, that he believes Kylo will need all of his hoarded tricks to survive to bring balance.
Darth Plagueis the Wise saves the best for last. They're almost to Kessel when the Muun gets around to spilling the secret of a Sith resurrection. It's the alchemy that Anakin Skywalker went to the Dark Side to learn. It's the answer that Darth Sidious has been chasing for decades. But Kylo gets it imparted without ceremony in the final five minutes before they exit hyperspace.
"Got it?" Plagueis looks to him for confirmation.
"Yes, I think so." Kylo nods slowly.
"What you improvised on Exogol is a rudimentary form of the technique . . . a very dangerous one to which you succumbed. My boy, never again attempt to drain your own Force to heal another. Things can get out of hand fast."
Yes, he knows. But he'd do it again in a heartbeat. Rey is worth it. Kylo has no regrets for Exogol. But the formal resurrection skill Plagueis has revealed almost sounds too easy by comparison, to be honest. Kylo frowns, "Is there more? Or is that it?"
"That's a lot," the old Master harrumphs. He tips his head back thoughtfully as he teaches, "Use this ability sparingly. Death is the way of things. The energy of the Force creates us and then, at a certain point, our energy must return to the Force. To subvert that cycle is an affront to nature and a perversion of life."
"And yet, you've done it a few times," Kylo points out.
"Indeed. But I have resisted the temptation to revive more souls than I care to admit."
"My grandfather?" he guesses.
"Among others, yes." The tall Muun sits forward now to counsel, "The act of resurrection requires enormous power, and it will deplete you. It helps if you have a body to work with. It requires even more power to bring back a lost soul without a body to reanimate."
"You mean, like me?" Kylo offers.
"Yes. To pluck a dead Skywalker from the netherworld of the Force cost me dearly but," the Muun slides hooded eyes his way and smiles teasingly, "on occasion, you have proved to be worth it."
All this talk of death and resurrection has Kylo spooked. He forces himself to spit out the words, "So, if I need to resurrect Rey . . ."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Plagueis grunts. "I give you this knowledge so that you can steward it for the future, not because I anticipate you will need it."
"Okay." Kylo pretends to accept that explanation.
Yawning Dameron now appears from his encampment in the cockpit to announce, "We're almost to reversion. You're up, Darth Grandpa. Time for you to make nice to your lady friend."
Plagueis makes a brief face that is a mix of ruefulness and terror at the task.
Kylo exchanges looks with the Chancellor. Then, they both peer questioningly at Plagueis.
"You got this?" Dameron worries aloud. "Tell me you got this, old man. Because I'm not jumping to hyperspace into a black hole unless you tell me you can sweet talk your ex into protecting us."
"Not to worry. She will give us safe passage," the Muun assures.
"Yeah? What makes you think that?" the Chancellor challenges.
Plagueis replies with simple Sith strategy. "Because she's either on the side of balance and supports our aims, or she is on the side of Darkness and this is a trap we will use to our advantage. Either way, she lets us in safely."
"You sure about that?" Dameron presses. "Let's say your goddess is against us. Why wouldn't she want to trick us into killing ourselves? Wouldn't that be the easiest way to be rid of us? Why take the risk that we will defeat Sidious?"
Kylo supplies the answer: "That's not how these Dark showdowns go. There is always a confrontation."
Plagueis concurs. "Power at this level is personal. You fire a Death Star unannounced at anonymous inconsequential victims, but you invite Luke Skywalker into your throne room and goad him to take back his lightsaber."
"Oh. Is it some warrior creed?" Dameron supposes, trying hard to understand.
Plagueis chuckles at his layman's ignorance. "No. It's the Sith bias for conflict combined with the gargantuan ego of Sheev Palpatine. Overconfidence is his weakness. He won't pass up the chance for a reckoning. He's no coward."
The Chancellor accepts this explanation. "Alright then. Hit up your goddess and get us safe passage. You uh need some tried and true lines?" he offers. "Because I'm good with women. Tell her she's beautiful. That always works and it can't be misunderstood. And no negging. Girls are on to that strategy and it only works with the emo chicks."
Kylo rolls his eyes. "Are you kidding me?" This guy thinks he can charm Mother Abeloth? Of course, he does. Dameron probably expects all women's panties to hit the floor when he walks in.
"Hey," the Republic Chancellor contends, "I'm smooth and I know the game. Here's another tip—don't act like him," Dameron points his way before observing icily, "I will never understand what Rey sees in you."
"She loves my big lightsaber," Kylo shoots back. Because he can be an obnoxious asshole just like Dameron when he wants.
"Do not," Dameron retorts, "tell me any more about that subject."
Plagueis is bemused. He declines the Chancellor's offer of a romantic assist. "Thank you, but I think I know how to appeal to her."
Dameron shrugs. "Suit yourself. I'll be in the cockpit. Find me when it's safe to jump."
When he leaves, Kylo eyes Plagueis. "How does this work?"
"I will meditate and find her in the Force. She knows we're coming."
"So . . . are you going to flirt with her a little?" Kylo smirks. "Should I give you some privacy?"
The Muun shoots him a quelling look. "I'm going to tell her how much I look forward to reuniting with her and with our daughter. Then, I am going to request her assistance to facilitate a meeting. That is," Plagueis points out, "what she says she wants."
Plagueis now closes his eyes and summons the Force. Kylo feels the pressure in his chest and in his ears that comes from proximity to great power. The Muun has amazing aegis in the Force. Kylo eyes him with respect as he waits.
Five minutes later, Plagueis opens his eyes and his giant body relaxes.
"Well?"
"Tell Dameron to make the jump."
"You're sure?"
"I am sure. She will protect us all the way to Sheev's flagship. After that, we're on our own."
Satisfied, Kylo heads for the Falcon's cockpit to deliver the good news. He lingers over Dameron's shoulder to watch him punch the jump. Never before has the transition to hyperspace felt so dramatic. Kylo even says a brief prayer as Dameron reaches to pull the lever. But Lady Abeloth—whatever her motives may be—does indeed give them safe passage. Instead of getting smashed to nanoparticles, the Falcon lurches and groans to lightspeed like usual. Relieved Kylo now adds 'entering a black hole' to his long list of exploits.
This is happening. This is really happening. Kylo is simultaneously elated and grim. He's in the Maw attempting to defeat his family's archnemesis and to rescue his pregnant Force wife. He assesses their odds of success at low, but he's doing it anyway. He's not afraid to die—he's done it once already. And if there are two tasks worth dying for, it's killing Darth Sidious and saving Rey.
The route through the Maw is circuitous and long, but in due time Kylo finds himself gaping at the sight of the new Final Order fleet. It's even bigger than he feared. Then, his jaw drops even lower as he perceives the mythical Star Forge factory that is the fleet's source.
"It's real . . ." he breathes out.
Behind him, listening Plagueis grunts. "I told you so."
It's not hard to locate Darth Sidious' flagship. It's an even bigger, more ostentatious version of his alter ego Supreme Leader Snoke's ride, the Supremacy. It's also the only completed vehicle docked at the Star Forge.
Maybe the goddess is true to her word and Lord Sidious is magically kept unaware of their approach. Or maybe this is all pretend because it's a trap and the Final Order is fully cognizant that the rundown freighter which sneaks up from behind is carrying the enemy. But either way, no one fires on them. The Falcon slips aboard the flagship without so much as a radio hail from the giant ship's communications desk.
It's all a little too easy, and that makes Kylo fret harder.
The plan is the same plan as all along: Plagueis will confront Lord Sidious while he goes in search of Rey. When he finds her, he's supposed to leave immediately on the Falcon. Plagueis will remain behind to fend for himself.
This is happening. This is really happening. Standing by the Falcon's exit waiting for touchdown, Kylo feels his power surging. Anticipation of combat has his adrenaline pumping. Right now, he feels like he could take on the whole Final Order himself.
He's armed for the task and ready to kill. Kylo checks his saber out of habit and then shifts his hand farther down his hip to pat at the cracked and fraying blaster holster he found in a closet. It must have been his father's from back in the day. But whatever. It still works. He's using it to carry one of Rey's blasters which also looks suspiciously like his father's, but who cares? Kylo wants to be ready for anything. Han Solo always said a lightsaber was no match for a good blaster by your side. He was wrong, but blasters do have their uses.
Kylo feels the Falcon sink and sigh as its landing gears make contact with the hangar bay floor. They have arrived. The goddess' cloaking magic has expired. Anyone with eyes can now see that interlopers are present. It's game on for the fight for the galaxy.
Standing at his side, Plagueis gives him a head nod and a curt pep talk. "Stick to the plan. Remember my training. The Force will be with you always."
Kylo returns the nod. It's goodbye and they both know it. "I'll make you proud," Kylo blurts out before adding a soft, "Master." He feels his face flame at the honorific. It's less due to the posture of subservience the title connotes than it is due to the sheepish but strong affection he feels for Plagueis. Kylo has called three men 'Master' in his lifetime. The first he loved and grew to hate, the second he hated from the outset and hates even more now, and the third he never wanted to like until he grew to love him quite unexpectedly.
He's an emotional guy. As his feelings rise up, he channels them into power out of long habit. The churning fear, the increasing dread, the overwhelming anger, the anticipation of loss . . . he buries them deep and focuses them into Darkness. He will vent his feelings on his enemies, and there will be Hell to pay.
Poe Dameron strolls up to interrupt his rising intensity. "Ready?" The guy is as loose as he is wound up. It's annoying.
Kylo immediately reverts to his posture of command. "Stay with the ship. Keep her running. She never starts well cold."
Dameron nods. "It's set to idle."
"You idle here too."
"Nope."
"That's an order!" Kylo hisses back. "You wanted to be the pilot? The pilot stays with the ship."
"Nope. I'm going with you. No use in waiting here to get boarded."
"I thought you said you were good with a gun," Kylo snaps. "Fight back."
"I am good with a gun. That's why you need me."
"You here to die?" Kylo jeers. "You take a lot of risks."
"This risk can't be avoided," Dameron informs him. "And I'm going with you, not him," he gestures to Plagueis. "It's not like I'm marching into the throne room to take on Darth Sidious. I'm backup to rescue Rey."
The Hell he is. "You're staying with the ship! That way, when we fail you have a chance of getting out of here alive." This is a de facto suicide mission, or has Dameron forgotten?
The Chancellor looks him in the eye and counters, "Ren, I'm here for the same reasons you are. My fate will be the same as yours. We're in this together-you and I, your Empire and my Republic. Look, the ramp's down. We're wasting time. Let's go!"
Fuming Kylo glances aside just in time to see the back of Plagueis' long robe disappear out the Falcon's main hatch. The Muun is off to do his business, leaving their perpetually bickering duo behind.
"Oh, alright," Kylo relents. But he glares at Dameron. "Don't slow me down."
"Copy that. Let's move." The Chancellor brushes past him heading down the ramp . . . and stops. "Uh oh."
Kylo pulls up short behind him, easily seeing over his shoulder. He groans. "We've got company."
Plagueis has glided down the ramp only to be met by stormtroopers. A LOT of stormtroopers. Someone commands, 'Halt!' and rifles are raised and aimed. Plagueis stops and waits patiently as even more troopers come running from all angles to join the fray.
"Hands up! Are you listening? Hands up or we'll shoot!"
"Hope the old man can do your freezing blaster shots trick," Dameron worries aloud, "because this looks bad."
"I said, hands up!" the lead trooper snarls again. "We don't set for stun!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Dameron sighs.
His concern is unmerited. No one fires off a shot. Plagueis calmly lifts both hands and shoots Force lightning—strange red Force lightning—that splits in all directions like an ever-expanding web of energy. It immediately fells all of Darth Sidious' bumbling defenders.
Dameron gapes. "Did you see that? Did you see that?"
"Yeah." Kylo saw what happened. He doesn't understand it either. But there's no time to waste. He lights his sword and starts descending the ramp. "Come on. Now's our chance—go!"
"What else can Grandpa do?" speechless Dameron wonders as he lingers momentarily.
"I dunno. I've never seen him in action," Kylo admits. He's outside the Falcon now and can survey the impressive carnage. Plagueis has not tarried to inspect his handiwork. The Muun continues on his way across the hangar bay, drawing plenty of attention as he shoots his lethal red lightning at anyone he sees.
Watching Dameron says what Kylo is thinking: "He's just what we need for a diversion. Lead the way- I'll cover you."
They set off together at a run for the nearest elevators. Kylo knows his way to the detention center of the Supremacy. Is this Final Order capital ship similarly designed? It is. He should have guessed. Darth Sidious doesn't like change.
He and Dameron work quickly as a team. Kylo deflects incoming shots while his stowaway sidekick lays down cover fire and nails a fair number of attackers. Poe Dameron is true to his word—he's a good shot. He also seems completely comfortable with a deadly lightsaber sweeping near him, which Kylo guesses comes from fighting alongside Rey. He's still not happy that Dameron is here, but he has to concede that the Chancellor is useful to have around.
As they make steady progress to their destination, it dawns on Kylo that he doesn't sense Rey. Their dyad bond has been broken for some time, but the absence of any trace of her Force presence worries him. The last time they were in close proximity and he couldn't sense her was on Exogol when Rey died.
The detention center turns out to be sparsely defended, much like the rest of the flagship. Did Darth Sidious lose too many of his supporters at Exogol? Could that explain the light staffing? This is a Jedi captive, so shouldn't Rey merit extra sentries? This almost feels too easy, Kylo thinks again, as he strikes down the regulation stormtroopers but lets the two officers on duty live.
"Make it quick," Dameron grumbles as he moves into position at the doorway, peeking out. "They know we're here."
"Where is the prisoner?" Kylo brandishes his glowing saber before the pair of quaking officers.
The man on the right answers first. "There are no prisoners."
Kylo refuses to be stymied. He swings and takes the man's head off. Turning to the remaining man, he snarls, "Where is the Jedi girl? Where is the prisoner?"
"There are no prisoners. There have never been any prisoners," the officer replies shakily. "The Jedi g-girl is dead."
"Dead?" Kylo chokes.
"Dead?" Dameron echoes, his head whipping around to react.
Eyeing Kylo's buzzing blue sword that threatens ever closer, the man stammers, "That's the r-rumor. She used to be with the Emperor a lot or walking the hallways. She liked to walk . . . we all s-saw her walking . . ." The man rambles nervously as he trembles.
Kylo refocuses him. "Why do you think she's dead?" he demands in a hoarse, horrified voice.
"People s-saw her s-steal a s-ship. She jumped to l-lightspeed right out of the hangar bay."
"Can you do that?" Skeptical Dameron looks to him.
"Yes," Kylo affirms. Unfortunately, that move sounds exactly like Rey. "So, she left already?" he prompts, bringing his weapon even closer.
"She's dead!" the man insists even as his eyes grow wider.
"How do you know? Did you shoot her down?" Dameron demands from the doorway.
"She jumped to lightspeed in a black hole. She's dead!" the man again asserts. He's found his courage now, and his tentativeness is gone.
"We jumped to lightspeed in the Maw. We're still here. And you're still here," Kylo points out.
"The Emperor protects us with the Force," the detention officer proudly proclaims.
"He didn't protect us," Kylo snorts.
"Sure, he did. He wants you to come. This is a trap! And you fell right into it!" the man crows. "Good luck getting back to the First Order!" The disdainful officer's eyes dart over to the very recognizable man guarding the doorway. "How convenient that you brought along the Republic Chancellor as well."
Upset Kylo has heard enough. He swings and yet another Final Order loyalist loses his head. "Boring conversation anyway," he grumbles as he steps past the body.
He's rattled, very rattled by his fear for Rey. He can feel his heart pounding and it's not from the rush of combat. It's from an impending sense of hopelessness that threatens to overwhelm him. But Kylo remembers his training—all of his training. He controls his fear and quells his rising panic with an emotional control that would make his Jedi uncle proud. Then, he buries his feelings deep and channels them into power in the tradition of the Sith just like Darth Sidious taught him.
Still hovering in the doorway, Dameron worries, "What do we do now?"
All he has to vouch for Rey's fate is the word of a doomed Final Order officer who had every incentive to lie. Time to determine the truth, Kylo decides. He replies, "Head for the bridge," as he brushes past Dameron.
"So much for the diversion," the Chancellor complains as he hustles to keep up.
"The diversion doesn't matter if there's no one to rescue."
"Does that mean you think that guy was telling the truth?"
"He thought he was telling the truth," Kylo answers grimly. "The bridge crew will know what happened."
"What makes you think that?"
"Hyperspace tracking. Let's hope they had time to lock on and track Rey's ship before it jumped. They'll know if she got through or was killed."
They pause a second now for Dameron to snipe at two unsuspecting officers who exit a door into the hallway they're in. And that's when Kylo orders to Dameron, "Get back to the ship and take off. There's nothing more you can do here."
"Shut up. Ren, I'm in," the Chancellor insists. "I'm all in." For once, his volunteerism is welcome news. Force bless this courageous asshole because he's up for storming the Final Order command center, like he's always up for everything. No wonder his mother loved this guy, Kylo thinks. Poseidon Dameron is every bit as reckless as Han Solo and equally as heroic as Luke Skywalker.
Kylo's feeling reckless now, too. Losing Rey is his ultimate fear. And if it's true, he has nothing left to lose. He decides that when he gets a definitive answer about Rey, he's heading to the throne room to be the assist Plagueis doesn't want.
"Which way to the bridge?" Dameron asks as they reach a crossroads in the ship's corridors.
"This way." Kylo makes a left and then two rights. Along the way, they encounter more personnel. Kylo makes short work of them with his sword. One trooper gets off a shot that grazes Dameron's arm very slightly, but the wound is superficial.
"I hope she's okay," the panting Chancellor frets as they duck into the bridge elevators, neatly taking out the two uniformed officers they surprise inside.
"Me too," Kylo bemoans. "I knew Sidious wouldn't kill her, but I didn't figure she would kill herself . . . " The thought had never crossed his mind. It's so out of character for Rey.
Dameron tries to reassure them both. "I'm sure she's okay. Don't forget that she's hard to kill."
"I'm counting on that," Kylo whispers, "like I'm counting on the Force." Recalling himself to the task at hand, Kylo now starts barking orders. "Look sharp. As soon as these doors open, take out the bridge security on the left. I'll handle the guys on the right. There will be four troopers on each side."
"Roger that."
"I'll get the captain. You shoot everyone you see while I get answers out of him. Every officer on the bridge wears a sidearm, so treat every person as a threat."
"Got it. How many are inside?"
"Probably around thirty. They will raise the alarm the minute we breach the bridge. We need to get in and out of there fast or we'll get trapped."
Dameron nods but concedes, "Trapped is the point, right? We're either trapped on the bridge or trapped on the ship and there's that ginormous fleet lying in wait outside . . ."
"I'm only worried I'll die before I make it into that throne room," Kylo confesses in a low voice. His Darkness is rising and threatening to explode. He wants to unleash it on Darth Sidious, even if it's an act of suicide. Lord Vader died attempting to kill his hated Master, after all. Kylo is fine to follow that example.
But when the bridge elevator doors part, the sentry troopers inside are already casualties on the ground. For a few seconds, all Kylo can see is that strange red Force lightning crackling and flashing with blinding intensity as it roams the room in search of victims.
Plagueis has arrived before them, it seems. And if he's here, then Darth Sidious is present.
Sure enough, when the red lightning dissipates and Kylo's vision clears, he spies the rejuvenated Sheev Palpatine standing tall on the bridge catwalk at the prow of his mighty flagship. Plagueis faces Sidious, his back turned to him and Dameron.
"We meet again at last," Darth Sidious purrs. He only has eyes for his old Master. "My powers have doubled since we last met."
"That won't be enough." Plagueis's deep baritone sounds especially ominous. He speaks slowly for emphasis. "You can't win, Sheev."
"I won last time, didn't I?"
These are two heavyweights of the Force meeting in the flesh after years of taunting one another in meditation. It is a grudge match over sixty years in the making. The very air Kylo breathes is charged with anticipation. The fickle Force feels jumpy and frenetic. For who knows who it will favor? It buffets Kylo's mind with a screaming sense of urgency that makes his hair stand on end and the fingers gripping his sword hilt twitch. Still, this bridge setting feels all wrong. This isn't the sepulchral Sith hideout on Exogol with its potent Dark Side atmospherics. This isn't a dimly lit throne room festooned with draperies and guards. This is a brightly lit, slickly technological warship command center. It seems almost too commonplace for this epic showdown.
It's only himself, Sidious, Plagueis, and Poe Dameron present, the Force tells Kylo. That torrent of red lightning has killed the crew. Most are slumped lifeless over computer panels, still sitting at their posts. No one is left alive to confirm Rey's fate. Looking around, Kylo surmises that there will be no interruptions for this much aggrieved confrontation.
"You can't win. I told you that back when the face you're wearing matched your true age." Plagueis now declares, "The Force is with me." It's equal part taunt and threat. "You can't win."
Darth Sidious is unimpressed. He gestures behind the Muun to where Kylo stands with Dameron. "Ah look, my prodigal Apprentice returns. Goooooood," Lord Sidious gushes with theatrical relish. Even though he's not wearing a sparkly gold bathrobe any longer, he's still over-the-top. "We're all here now. And look, he brought a friend. Chancellor, we would be honored if you would join us. Really, you're making this too easy for me," Sidious chuckles smugly.
His back still turned to Kylo, Plagueis quietly commands, "Apprentice, get back to the ship. Take the Chancellor and flee."
At Kylo's side, Poe Dameron has another idea. He flips up his weapon to open fire at Darth Sidious.
"No, wait!" Kylo instinctively freezes Dameron with the Force before he can pump off the shot. The guy has a quick draw that would rival Han Solo, but Kylo stops him in time. Glaring at Dameron, he hisses, "Don't you ever learn? You can't shoot a Force user!" How many times have they done this same thing now? Kylo releases the trigger-happy Chancellor as he mutters sternly, "Don't piss him off unnecessarily. And don't interfere!" There's no role for a layman in this fight except as roadkill.
For his part, Darth Sidious ignores the exchange although Kylo knows he's fully cognizant of it. Sheev Palpatine resumes addressing his old Master. His words drip with dismissive contempt. "You're irrelevant. You haven't mattered in over fifty years. Crawl back into exile, old man."
Plagueis has a rejoinder, naturally. "I have been present all along, biding my time. Don't forget that it was I who organized and funded the Rebellion that deposed you the first time. I watched over the Jedi who watched over Luke Skywalker in the desert. Always, watching and waiting. Sheev, I have the ultimate advantage—time is on my side. No matter how many clones you make, you will never outlive me. I play the long game." The Muun, of course, is taking full advantage of Sidious' mistaken belief that he is immortal.
"I knew you would approach Vader." Smarmy Darth Sidious starts needling Plagueis. "You don't know how much I enjoyed tormenting your son. Such a sad excuse for a Sith he was. He was consumed by guilt. His rage focused inward, not outward like it should. Vader was weak! He would never have supplanted me. I was the better man!"
"And yet, you feared Lord Vader all the same. The undisputed ruler of the galaxy, the first Sith Emperor in five thousand years . . . and still you trembled in fear of the quadriplegic burn victim Apprentice you treated so badly and taught so little. That was foolish of you. For my son ultimately hated you more than he loved life."
"He was weak! He died weak for Luke Skywalker! But I survived!"
"Lord Vader was weak in body, but not in spirit. And his Force eclipsed anything this galaxy has ever known. He was the Chosen One," Plagueis says in a knowing voice.
The point strikes a nerve. Darth Sidious all but stamps his foot as he hotly insists, "He was not! He died without balancing the Force! I prevailed in time. His children's New Republic fell to ME! His grandson knelt before ME and called ME Master! I own that bloodline! The Skywalkers do my bidding!"
"Not any longer," Kylo growls from behind Plagueis.
It prompts the Muun to re-issue his prior instructions. "Apprentice, get back to the ship."
Kylo shakes his head. "This time, we'll do it together."
"Get back to the ship. That's an order. He is mine. We had a deal. Do not interfere."
Kylo brushes off the command. "I'll wait while you finish him."
Beside Kylo, stalwart Dameron lifts his chin and announces, "I'll wait too."
Darth Sidious is contemptuous of their bravado. "Let them stay. It matters not whether I kill them now or kill them later." Shaking his head at his old Master, Sidious chides, "You still think a Skywalker will give you back the Dark throne?"
"I don't seek to rule you, Sheev. I seek to balance the Force. Long ago, your regime slaughtered Jedi for me. That only leaves you left as the sole remaining Sith to vanquish. Soon, the purge will be complete and all the old orthodoxies will fade into history. The stage will be set for a new beginning."
Darth Sidious scoffs at this prediction. "You think you will be the last one standing to declare yourself the victor? Because finally, at long last, you will have accomplished your Force apocalypse?" Darth Sidious rolls his eyes.
"Time is on my side. The Force is with me."
"Maybe so, but Mother Abeloth is with me," Sheev Palpatine gloats.
"You fool!" Plagueis sneers. "You are but the latest on a long list of Sith she has drawn in to use for her own aims!"
"Maybe so, but she hates you and that makes us allies."
"It makes you a fool," Plagueis repeats. The Muun's tone is scathing as he observes, "Overconfidence has long been your weakness."
"Your faith in the Skywalkers is yours," his upstart student retorts, promising, "It will be your undoing." Sheev Palpatine's expression is intense as he now starts to whine. "I served you for years with utmost loyalty, never questioning your decisions, always ready to implement your orders. I might have remained content to be in your shadow had you not forsaken me. Why wasn't I good enough? I was good enough!"
"Of course, you were good enough," Plagueis sighs in a voice that indicates that this is a much-rehearsed complaint. "There was more than enough work for three Sith at the time. You need never have feared being ousted."
Beside Kylo, Dameron mutters under his breath. "You gotta be kidding me. Does Darth Sidious just need a pat on the head?"
"That would make this easy," Kylo mutters.
Darth Sidious wants to argue the point anew. He hisses to Plagueis, "The Rule of Two exists for precisely this reason! Because you are either the Apprentice or the Master. There is no room for a triumvirate—Darkness will not tolerate a third interloper!"
"Darkness tolerated thousands of Dark Lords during the Sith Empire. Taking a second Apprentice was hardly unprecedented," the Muun sighs. "It was your ego that could not tolerate a rival. Careful, Sheev, your insecurity is showing."
"You were just using me to create the Empire so you could hand it over to your favorite son!" Sidious fumes. "You loved him best!" The comment reveals more hurt than anger. It occurs to watching Kylo now that the conflict between Plagueis and Sidious is not unlike the conflict between himself and General Finn: there are clear ideological differences, but the underlying motivations are intensely personal. Darth Sidious feels wronged and he is bitter and vengeful. Kylo suspects that nothing Plagueis could ever say will sway him.
Sheev Palpatine is ranting now. "You set out to create the ultimate Dark Apprentice to replace me and you expect me to accept it?! Worse still, through your bumbling you think you manage to beget the Jedi Chosen One in the process? Your hubris and your betrayal put the grand plan we spent years enacting into jeopardy! All because you wanted a child, and not the Star Forge-"
"The Forge is an illusory quest."
"It is real! It is mine now!"
"You only think it is yours. In reality, you belong to it. Mark my words, that infinite source of power will consume you in time. What Mother Abeloth gives, Mother Abeloth can take away—"
"Nothing will stop me this time!"
"I am stopping you."
"With what? More red lightning?" Sidious snorts. "Your powers are weak, old man. Weak! You underestimate my power. I cannot be betrayed. I cannot be beaten. Are you listening?" he jeers. "First, you tried and failed. Then, Anakin Skywalker tried and failed. Luke Skywalker tried and failed. Kylo Ren stood against me with young Rey and together they failed—"
Plagueis interrupts with his solemn mantra. "The Force is with me." And damn, does that phrase sound intimidating from the Muun. This time, Plagueis adds, "I have foreseen how this ends."
"So have I! I win!"
"You can't win," Plagueis calmly insists. "Sheev, the values of Darkness lead to nothing in the end. They will consume you in obsession, in isolation, and in nihilism. There is madness in the extremes of the Dark Side. For rampant destruction fuels chaos, prudence becomes paranoia, and sadism quickly becomes masochism. I know because I have lived that path! Look at you—can you not see the slow humiliating slide into self-destruction? You're animating a young clone as a host body now, but soon it too will have a decaying face and yellow eyes—"
"At least, I'm not a walking corpse!"
"You are better than this!" the Muun asserts. Plagueis continues to speak deliberately, with his hulking, threatening physicality looming. The reformed sinner Sith keeps arguing hard against Darkness as the voice of experience. "Relinquish the Forge. Walk away from this folly. Don't you see? Mother Abeloth just gave you the rope to hang yourself! Resist that urge!"
Plagueis is inexplicably playing against type as some kind of Muun Luke Skywalker. All that's missing is an exhortation to 'let go of your hate.' But maybe that's coming. Kylo isn't sure. He never expected the confrontation to go this way.
Neither did Dameron. He squints. "Is he trying to redeem him?"
"I don't know . . ." Kylo is confused too.
"There's no use in trying to redeem him."
"People said that about me," Kylo points out.
"They still say that."
"Sheev, see beyond the lies of the Sith. There is a future in which Darkness has its place alongside the Light. You have great power and considerable skills. You could contribute to a new era—"
Darth Sidious sniffs, "I refuse to hear this heresy!"
"There is more to leadership than power and more to the Force than Darkness. Do you not see how much decline the ways of the Sith have brought to the galaxy? What have you accomplished by all the death and destruction you have wrought?"
"I destroyed the Jedi. The Sith achieved revenge!"
"Yes, but you cannot destroy the Light. Surely, you must know that by now. How many Death Stars will it take?"
At Kylo's side, Dameron is getting impatient. He grumbles, "I thought there would be more fighting and less talking."
"Same here," Kylo whispers. He never expected Plagueis to attempt to recruit his old Apprentice. And Kylo is far from certain that he wants Darth Sidious as an ally.
"We destroyed the Old Republic to make things better. Are they better? It does not appear that way. Recall that this started as creative destruction—our revolution would jolt the galaxy from its sleepy rut and prod history forward at long last. There would be both positive and negative consequences. But in the aggregate, the benefits would outweigh the costs, and ultimately we would create a safer, more secure, and more prosperous society for all. Our new Sith Empire would be better than the Jedi-led Republic."
"Indeed, it was under my leadership," Darth Sidious brags.
"No, it wasn't!" the Muun disagrees. "You failed. I failed. We didn't usher in greatness, we provoked decline. The forces we unleashed tore down the institutions we loathed, but they also made it impossible to replace those institutions. In a society where nothing is sacred and truth is a victim of fake news, what is there to believe in?" Plagueis challenges. "Darkness unleashed and unchecked feeds on everything until all is lost."
"Listen to you, Master," Darth Sidious snorts. "You sound like a Jedi who's scared of the Dark Side."
"The power we sought originally had a purpose, and that purpose has been lost—"
"Power is the purpose!"
"It can't be, or you will never build anything larger or more enduring than yourself. Just how many clone bodies and comebacks are you planning? There will be a limit to that madness," Plagueis warns. "And then, you will be a footnote to history . . . a transitional figure . . . and a mere villain at that. Reconsider, Sheev, before it's too late. You're better than this. I will help you to be better . . . to be the Dark hero you could easily be. There is a role for that going forward—"
Darth Sidious wants no part in it. "I fell for your promises long ago, and I will not repeat that mistake." The argument gets personal now as the student tells his former teacher, "I hate you!" with a vehemence that ripples through the Force.
Plagueis nods. "Much as I hate what you have done, Sheev, I cannot hate you. I made you. And I might have become you, had the Force not humbled me for my own good."
"No more lectures, Master! I'm done listening."
So is Kylo. This has gone on long enough. He dares to interrupt, stepping forward to demand an answer to the riddle that's tearing him apart. "Where's Rey? She's not on board. I can't sense her."
"Neither can I," the Muun concurs.
"That's because she's dead!" Darth Sidious reveals. He doesn't look happy about it, either. "She tried to escape into the Maw. Those gravitational forces crush anything instantly, like I warned her. That stupid girl jumped to lightspeed from within the hangar bay and killed herself instantly."
Like Kylo, Dameron isn't willing to accept that explanation. "We got here just fine."
"Chancellor, you had safe passage. You were exempted from the Maw's wrath by the goddess. I told her that I wanted to kill you myself. It would be too anticlimactic for things to end like they did for Rey. I want closure, I told her. I want victory. So, she obliged me . . . and here you are."
"Rey's dead." Kylo says the words softly, as if perhaps he has misunderstood.
Darth Sidious scowls. "I am rather upset about that myself. She was coming along so nicely . . . and she had twin sons growing in her belly."
"Twin sons . . ." This is news Kylo doesn't want to know, for it compounds his loss.
"Such a pity. I was looking forward to my little Sith princes." Sidious is sorrowful for the merest instant before he shrugs. "Rey served her purpose. She got you both here for me to kill."
"Why wouldn't Lady Abeloth save her?" Kylo outright wails. He clenches a fist in anguish as he rages, "Rey is her daughter!"
"The goddess and Rey quarreled," Darth Sidious supplies the answer. "They did not get along." The way he says this assessment makes it a clear understatement.
"She didn't save her because Rey was our illusory lure," Plagueis sighs heavily, "like the Star Forge is for him . . ."
"You took the bait," Darth Sidious gloats, "like we knew you would."
Rey's dead. "Rey's dead . . ." Kylo whispers the words aloud in disbelief. He can't accept her fate even though he has been obsessing over this possibility for weeks. "Rey's dead . . ."
"It was instant," Dameron consoles him under his breath. "She didn't suffer."
Maybe so, but that is small consolation to stricken Kylo. He can't help but feel like this is the beginning of the end, like it's going to all unravel from here in a downward spiral of defeat. Rey is dead, he and Dameron will die soon, and old Plagueis will lose . . . Then Darth Sidious, the evil manipulative tyrant who misled and enslaved his grandfather, who destroyed his mother's beloved Alderaan and her life's work, who chased his uncle into exile, and who duped and ensnared him, will emerge victorious. It's so galling because it's not supposed to be like this . . . the Skywalkers are supposed to bring balance to the Force, not die leaving it in Darkness. All his family's many sacrifices—and the sacrifices of those who protected them, who taught them, and who followed them—are made meaningless by their failure. Kylo feels like his family is beset by tragedy, and that is dissatisfying on both a personal and societal level. But Rey . . . oh his valiant, capable Rey . . . his beloved, unexpectedly pregnant Rey . . . How bad must things have been that she felt a suicidal escape attempt was her best hope? Rey . . . oh poor Rey . . .
Kylo drags his mind away from those thoughts. He can't think about Rey or he will fall to pieces. And so, once again he draws upon the emotional restraint his uncle taught even as he follows the teachings of the Sith to sublimate strong feelings into Force. It takes every ounce of effort he has, but Kylo swallows his despair and pushes aside his grief. There will be time for that later . . . he hopes.
Looking up to spy the smirk on his nemesis' unnaturally young face, Kylo vows, "You're a dead man!" as he lifts his lit sword to eye level in a challenge.
Beside him, Plagueis orders, "Stand down! Apprentice, take the Chancellor and get back to the ship. You can pull Rey back from the Force like I taught you."
"You told him? You told him?" This is yet another slight to add to outraged Darth Sidious' list of grievances. "Of course, you told him—he's a Skywalker! He gets to know . . . but I don't? You never trusted me!" Darth Sidious accuses with a pout.
He now addresses a sneer at Kylo. "Amazing trick, isn't it? To keep the ones you care about from dying. But did he tell you the cost? Every time you do it, you bleed power. And, the more powerful the person you resurrect, the more you give of yourself. Sith resurrections are badly named. For no Sith worth his saber would willingly diminish his power for another. Getting Rey back is going to cost you dearly, Kylo Ren."
Plagueis did it for him. And he did it for Rey. He'll do it again in a heartbeat. "I died for Rey once before. I'll do it again."
"Of course, you will!" Darth Sidious' sarcasm grates. "Your whole wretched clan are weak at the core-weak for love! Generation after generation, you never learn-it's a fatal flaw! It was inherited, it seems, from him! So sentimental he is," Sidous jeers at Plagueis, "so weak."
'Sentimental' is the ultimate diss coming from a Sith, but a rather ironic one coming from Sheev Palpatine who clearly craves his old Master's esteem all these years later. It's an unexpected dynamic that is made all the more obvious by Darth Sidious appearing in the guise as his young Senator self while the elderly Muun is a lumbering wreck. For this conflict is a student chafing against a mentor, and an older son resenting his father's love for a younger sibling. There are overtones too of outsider status. For clearly, Sheev Palpatine wishes he were a Skywalker. For decades now, he has been jealous of the Chosen Ones—for their power and for their meaning to the Muun.
"Love is a strength. It is how Kylo Ren and Rey will bring balance to the Force," Plagueis intones.
"Too late—she's dead! And listen to you! How you have changed your tune. Enough!" Petulant Darth Sidious is exasperated and strangely hurt looking. He decrees, "You will be punished for your apostacy."
Darth Sidious now shrugs out of his Sith shroud. That's apparently the signal to get down to business, for Plagueis does the same. "Very well." The Muun's dark grey cloak drops to the ground in a puddle of fabric. It's a simple, elegant gesture that indicates the challenge is accepted. Watching Kylo wonders if this is how a battle begins under old school rules. Is there some protocol for a duel? No one ever told him to let the other guy take his cape off first.
Darth Sidious produces a saber. Kylo is taken aback. He blinks and stares at the flashy gold hilt that ignites a flawless red energy blade with an ominous snap-hiss. A sword? They're doing this fight with swords? That's unexpected. Old dudes are supposed to fight with lightning, tricks, and trash talk. That's how it went on down on Exogol and the second Death Star, at least.
"Here. Take mine." Kylo deactivates his grandfather's iconic weapon and makes to toss it to Plagueis.
But the Muun declines. "I have my own." And holy shit does he ever. From somewhere beneath those Jedi-ish robes Plagueis has adopted, he produces not one, but two lightsabers. They have curved handles, Kylo notes, like Count Dooku's. It's the mark of an expert duelist.
Kylo exchanges looks with Dameron. They're clearly both thinking the same thing: how is the decrepit Muun up for a sword fight? He might have merited those swords long ago, but now? It seems doubtful. The guy takes a full minute to walk across the room most days.
"Do not interfere," Plagueis instructs as he yet again lays claim to Sheev Palpatine's head. "He is mine." With that declaration, the Muun lights both swords. They're red, naturally.
For a long moment, the still room is filled with the sound of three swords buzzing. It's the calm prelude to battle. Thoroughly unnerved, Kylo thinks 'May the Force be with us.'
Plagueis raises his right sword in a quick salute to acknowledge his opponent. It's a courtly gesture that again makes Kylo think he missed out on learning the social niceties of mortal combat. Lightsabers are supposed to be elegant weapons from a more civilized age. In hindsight, 'We're not done yet,' is probably not the most debonair manner to commence a fight.
But this isn't him in a ragged cowl facing off in the snow against the traitor trooper General Finn. This is Sheev Palpatine, the scion of an aristocratic Naboo family-turned Chancellor-turned Emperor taking on the Muun who as Chairman of the Old Republic Banking Clan once controlled the galaxy's financial markets, a role which in many ways eclipsed his Apprentice's position. Back in the day, these two cultivated influence beyond just military and Force power. They cared about public appearances and sought respect. They lived in the open right under the oversight of the Jedi Order. It was dashing and daring and shockingly successful. Until, of course, their duo fell apart. What began as a personal conflict would later become a war for revolution, and eventually evolve into a religious schism. All that scheming, all that conflict, all that collateral damage . . . it leads to this moment.
"May the Force be with us," nervous Kylo mutters.
Darth Sidious stares his old Master down a few more seconds before he returns the salute gesture. Who swings first? Sidious does. His youthful body launches forward in a flying, arcing, twisting lunge that lands him within a saber length of Plagueis.
The Munn is ready. He meets that charge with both blades swinging. The battle is begun and Kylo holds his breath to see what happens next.
Darth Plagueis is shockingly fast and his reach is incredible. His long arms combined with his extra-long swords make for a deadly combination. Moreover, it's hard to engage him because while one sword fights in classic passes, his other sword throws in random jabs and stabs. Kylo has never seen anything like the Muun's fighting style. There were Old Republic Jedi who fought with two swords, but they would swing their blades in a concerted effort. This almost seems like two different people fighting as one. It's fascinating.
It's also completely unexpected. The sly Muun must be far less injured than Kylo supposed under those robes. Either that, or he is channeling the Force to amplify his physical efforts. For how else to explain the suddenly supple and spry lanky body that moves with an elite athlete's grace? Has all that disability been merely an act? Is this another fake, like Plagueis' pretense of immortality? Kylo wonders.
His first inclination is to light his own sword and join the fray. Except Kylo worries that he will be more hindrance than help. The Muun clearly knows what he is doing. And damn, is he impressive with his twin blades. So Kylo stands down, his own sword unlit, watching and waiting for his time to come.
For his part, Darth Sidious fights with style. The guy has flourish befitting Snoke's penchant for sartorial excess. He twirls more than pivots, he springs as he leaps, and he is loose as he lunges. But his fundamentals are undeniably solid. Watching Kylo judges Sidious' footwork to be impeccable. There is power behind his quick, intricate moves. Still, Kylo can't help but conclude that Sheev Palpatine is more dancer than swordsman. His opponent, by contrast, seems to be more cerebral strategist than fighter. But the two men's swords connect over and over again in quick succession. Static recoil rings out loudly from the clashing weaponry. This fight is chaotic and loud. Kylo can't take his eyes off it.
Come to me and I will give her to you.
What the Hell? Kylo shakes his head and blinks. He doesn't need this sort of distraction now. But of course, that's why the goddess is doing it. She's on the side of Sidious and she wants him off his game for this all-important confrontation. Tempting him with Rey even now that she's supposedly dead. Angry Kylo resolutely thrusts his mind away from Lady Abeloth's meddling. He will not listen to more of her duplicity. It's hard to tune someone out in the Force, but he does his best.
He focuses instead on how to help Plagueis who is holding his own currently but not winning. The big Muun succeeds in dragging his sword tip across his smaller opponent's shoulder, but the move gives Sidious the opportunity to to swipe the sword from Plagueis' left hand. He still has a sword in his right hand to fight with, but he's suddenly off balance and his fighting strategy must dramatically shift. It becomes far more conventional and thus more predictable and easier to defend against.
Wounded Darth Sidious is bloodied but far from beaten. The shoulder scrape looks to be superficial. It must be because Sidious begins punching at it with his free hand. It's a time-honored Sith technique Kylo himself has used to increase the pain to fuel his power.
Panting Plagueis grunts as he observes the ploy, "Old school Sith to the end, aren't you?"
"The only ending today will be for you!" his former student snarls back.
Darth Sidious reengages now with a flurry of saber swings. They are so fast that his weapon is a red blur. Clearly, Sidious, like decrepit Plagueis, is amplifying his natural abilities with the Force. For even the youthful body he inhabits cannot move that fast. Even at peak performance, humans are not so agile.
And now, Sidious shifts his taunts to him as the sabers continue to swing at an intimidating pace. "You, Kylo Ren, I will spare once you are beaten. I have need of your services now that Rey and her little Sith are no more. I require an Apprentice."
Is he serious? He sounds serious. "I'll never join you!" Kylo rebukes him.
"You will join me or die."
"I'll take death," he deadpans. That remark would earn him lightning from Snoke back in the day, but Darth Sidious is too busy right now for that.
"Come now," his old master cajoles, "I know you wish to rule the galaxy. You have half of it currently. Together, we can unite the Republic and the First Order under our joint leadership."
Kylo has heard enough stories from Astral about Darth Vader's role in the Empire to know what a false pitch Sheev Palpatine is making. Moreover, he was Snoke's Apprentice long enough to know what Darth Sidious is like as a Master. There's no way he's falling for this lie.
"No, thanks." And just to punctuate how thoroughly offended Kylo is at the offer, he shoots a bolt of Force lightning right at Sidious.
Plagueis laughs.
Darth Sidious deflects the lightning with his sword. It ricochets away harmlessly.
But now, emboldened Kylo is drawn into the fight. He's ignored the Muun's order to leave, so he might as well participate instead of standing around as a spectator. He and Plagueis become a two-man team, with the Muun sweeping his long sword as Kylo sends in Force pushes and lightning for Sidious to dodge or block. With the dueling combatants moving so quickly, it takes all of Kylo's concentration to avoid nailing Plagueis with his contributions. He gets close once and singes the Muun's sleeve by accident. It earns him a sharp look of indignation.
This would be the perfect situation for battle meditation. Except Kylo has never tried it and this isn't the time to experiment with new skills. The fact that this battle is two-on-one doesn't trouble Kylo in the least. All concerns for fair play go out the window where Darth Sidious is concerned. A win is a win.
Well, maybe it's really two-on-two. Because as Kylo keeps up his efforts, attempting to take the heat off the tiring Plagueis, he hears in his mind: Come to me and I will give her to you. She's alive.
She's alive. Rey's alive! It's a lie, of course, but one he desperately wants to believe. So Kylo blurts out, "Where? Where is she? Take me to her!" The words simultaneously transmit through the Force and out his mouth.
It distracts Plagueis who falters briefly in confusion. "What?"
Sidious exploits the moment. He jabs his sword through the Muun's torso and then kicks him back hard. Plagueis staggers and sprawls as Darth Sidious crows victoriously, "I have you now!"
Is he talking about killing Plagueis? The Muun is down and in pain.
But could Sidious also be talking about him taking the bait from the goddess? Could the price for getting Rey back be enslavement as the Apprentice once again? If Rey's even alive, that is . . .
Kylo feels desperate. This moment is everything he fears as he watches Darth Sidious position himself for the killing stroke. It's clear from his deliberate manner that he wants to take his time to savor his success. All the lightning the fast-fading Muun rains down on him seems to have no effect. For that's how strong Darth Sidious is with the Force. He seems impervious to the onslaught. Even against the added threat of the blaster bolts Poe Dameron now pumps at him.
Kylo may have lost Rey and now he's going to lose Plagueis. And he himself may escape death only to wind up the enslaved Apprentice. He's got to do something . . . anything . . . to prevent this.
This is the moment for a mighty Force push that will thwart the coming execution and allow Kylo to step into the Muun's role as chief opponent. But that's not what happens. Horrified Kylo goes to a place he has gone only once before. He was a clueless kid back then, not a fully trained, master slaying, galaxy conquering, peace making Son of Darkness. But the feat is still a surprise the second time around. Because the explosion of destructive Force energy Kylo generates is instinctive and impulsive. His attack is summoned from the depths of his Dark despair. This is pure rage outpouring from his mind in all directions. The first time he did this, it saved his life, killed his friends, and destroyed his uncle's temple. The second time, he's aiming to destroy Sidious even if it means taking Plagueis, Dameron, and himself down with him.
The Jedi have long enshrined the concept of self-sacrifice, but Kylo arrives there from the side of the Shadow Force. This act isn't motivated by love, it's fueled by hate. Who says only warriors for the Light can be heroes? Because in this moment, Kylo is the consummate anti-hero of Darkness.
Does it work? Kylo has no idea. Because he suddenly feels like he is falling. His vision fades to black before he can perceive what happens.
Great, just great. He must be dying again. He's probably failed, like he has feared all along. Did he just kill himself? Did Sidious kill him? Maybe it doesn't matter. Dead is dead this time because Plagueis is unlikely to survive to resurrect him. His one consolation is that he has done his best. He's pretty sure there's no such thing as luck, but if there is, maybe he will be reunited with Rey in the Force. Take pity on me, Kylo prays with his last conscious thought, for I have only ever sought to do your bidding, Force. Take me home . . . take me home to Rey . . . I have no regrets . . .
His dying wish is granted. For sure enough, when Kylo opens his eyes, all he sees is his beloved. She is leaning close over him, backlit by sunlight that streams down from overhead. Rey wears fancy white and silver robes and a dazzling smile on her face. She says his name. He smiles and she smiles, and Kylo decides death is fine. He's with his angel Rey and that's enough.