Chapter Five

Bonadan

Chewbacca moaned quietly to himself as he scrutinized the holographic creatures on the Millennium Falcon's Dejarik table. He seemed to be taking his time about it. Poe and Finn sat across from him.

Poe leaned forward. "You ever gonna go?" he asked.

The Wookiee's eyes scanned forth and back between his two opponents. He sniffed.

"He can't beat us every time," Finn muttered, stroking his chin.

Poe responded, "Well, apparently, he does."

"How does he do it?"

"This guy right here?" Poe said. "It's 'cause he cheats."

Chewbacca roared angrily.

"I'm kidding!" Poe said loudly.

"Oh, come on, take your turn," said Finn.

"You're two-hundred and fifty years old—"

"You're taking forever. That's cheating."

"—of course you're better than us."

"That's why we think you're cheating."

A beeping noise made all three of the competitors look up.

Rose, sitting in a swiveling chair, scrutinized an instrument panel next to her. "Looks like we're coming up on Bonadan," she said.

Chewbacca growled and waved an arm at Finn and Poe as he stood.

"Don't worry," said Finn.

"We're not gonna turn it off," reassured Poe.

Chewbacca roared a combined agreement and threat as he headed for the cockpit.

Finn commented, "He's cheating."

"Definitely," said Poe as he rose and turned off the holochess game.

Rey and Chewbacca took their seats in the cockpit. Rey pushed the hyperdrive lever forward. The blue of hyperspace turned to white streaks, which then resolved into individual points of starlight.

"Let's go over the plan one last time," Poe said. "We're going to the second planet in the Bonadan system—"

"—to find Kyber crystals hidden at the Jedi Temple in the Forbidden Valley," interjected Rey.

"But that's not all we're doing," continued Poe. "We're also meeting an informant with a message for General Leia."

Rose asked, "How are we supposed to find this informant?"

"He's supposed to meet us near the Jedi temple," Poe replied, shrugging. "There isn't much life on the second planet, so he shouldn't be too hard to find. I guess we'll see when we get there."

The Bonadan system was one of the most densely populated regions of the Corporate Sector. Despite the polluted state which centuries of mining and industry had left them in, the planets Bonadan and Roonadan were twin hubs of commerce. Tycoons and nobles from across the galaxy traveled there to conduct business.

The second planet of the Bonadan system, however, was a runty, tide-locked world, one side perpetually turned towards the sun, the other forever in shadow. Both were almost uninhabitable, for opposing reasons: the sunward side was a parched desert, the dark side a freezing, ice-covered ocean. In between the two extremes, a narrow twilight zone boasted the only settlement of off-worlders.

The Millennium Falcon descended into a valley ringed by rounded mountains that cradled the lone city. The sun hung low over the peaks, casting a dim half-light over the settlement. Smoke rose from houses built on top of one another, held in place by ropes and intricate scaffolding, while broad canals spotted with junk boats reflected the glowing lights of bustling nightmarkets.

The Falcon landed on a multi-level docking array shaped like a giant plant stalk, the landing pads the tower's leaves. Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, Chewbacca, and BB-8 trooped down the boarding ramp. Two stumpy Langoles named Oke and Sokko ran up to them. Poe tossed them some credits and promptly became embroiled in an argument with the aliens.

"I know it's a Corellian light freighter, but you're gonna say it's a Praddor Cruiser in the registry. That's why I winked when I gave you the money! Understand what's happening here?"

Oke and Sokko chattered angrily at him, their voices rising.

"Okay, which one of you is in charge, because you're both the size of children where I come from," Poe said, exasperated. "Chewie, will you straighten these guys out?"

Chewbacca roared at the Langoles. Their chattering turned to shrieks, though whether they were of fury or terror was unclear.

The landing pads descended smoothly, rotating around the central tower. It stopped at ground level, just above a broad canal.

"Come on," Finn said to the others. "Let's find this Jedi temple,"

"It's a ways inland," Rey said, consulting an old, brown map. "We should probably find some sort of transportation."

They were interrupted by a commotion from behind them.

"Braaaggghh!" Chewbacca roared as he lifted one of the Langoles off the ground and shook him. Their cries were now definitely of terror.

"Aw, Chewie!" Poe chided. "Negotiate. Persuade, quietly."

The towering Wookiee shook his head and whined that he was being persuasive.

"Let's just go," Poe said. Chewbacca gave Oke and Sokko a parting growl and followed the others into the nightmarket.

Bright lights and strange smells assaulted the group as they passed aliens and humans haggling over artisan crafts and live animals. Packs of teenagers ate bizarre street food bought or stolen from market stalls. Children laughed at buskers, jugglers, puppet shows.

"Come witness the frothing eye of Loyyil Karn!" A hawker shouted, beckoning them towards a curtained booth. Rey lingered but moved on. C-3PO stopped and had to be pulled away by Poe.

"I still don't see why we had to land in town and then trek to the Jedi temple," Poe said.

"Trust me," Rose replied. "You do not want to get caught for a parking violation in this sector."

"Besides, there's a shipyard right over there," Finn added, pointing at a stall with a sign reading Mistan's Previously Owned Watercraft.

Mistan was a strong-chinned man dressed in a blue and purple plaid robe. "I'm Mistan, and I'd eat my hat to make you a deal!" he said, waving his arms. Considering the prodigious size of his broad-brimmed hat, this was quite a statement.

"We would like to rent a boat," Poe said. "Just for a few hours, probably."

Mistan grinned broadly, leading them down a pier. "This way, ladies, gents, droids…thing."

Chewbacca growled.

Mistan hurriedly continued his spiel. "I can see that you're tourists with refined and distinguished tastes. Might I recommend this specimen of unparalleled sea-going excellence?" He pointed at an ornately decorated yacht longer than the Millennium Falcon. "Comes with the full complement of features: high-power propellor, hover capability, fully stocked maxibar—"

Poe winced. "We're looking for something a little…smaller." He lowered his voice. "More inconspicuous."

Mistan had tapped his foot impatiently as Poe spoke. Now he smiled once more and smoothly pivoted on his heel, continuing down the pier. "Of course, of course! I can see that you're travelers on a budget. That's why I keep some vessels in stock just for people like you! How about this baby?"

He gestured proudly at an old, beaten rowboat that seemed as though it would spring a leak if someone so much as looked at it wrong. It would certainly not support four humans, two droids, and a Wookiee.

"How about that one?" Finn suggested, pointing at a medium-sized junk boat with a few sails and a pole attached to the rear.

"Ah…a man with truly superior taste!" Mistan complimented him. "That's one of the most popular classes of craft on this planet, and for good reason! It may not be fancy, but it's reliable. Sails for when the wind is blowing, pole for when it isn't. I've never had a customer who wasn't satisfied with one of those—"

"We'll take it," Poe cut in.

"A terrific choice!" Mistan said. "Of course, now there is the matter of payment…"

After a brief bit of haggling, Poe and Mistan struck a deal. Poe handed the salesman some credits, which Mistan made vanish with breathtaking speed. The Resistance team climbed aboard the junk and pushed off, Chewbacca poling it up the broad canal towards the desert beyond the hills.

Poe sat in the bow of the boat. "You know, this reminds me of my grandfather," he said.

Rey, who had been leaning against the railing of the ferry gazing at the passing nightmarkets, looked at him.

"During the war, and sometimes, after my mother. . . passed, I used to stay with my grandfather," Poe continued. "We would go out in an old boat he had named the Shara Bey, after my mom. He tried to teach me to fish, but I was terrible at it. Not enough patience. I was good at sailing, though."

Rey said gently, "Losing your mother must have been hard."

"It was," Poe said. He pulled a chain necklace out of his collar and fiddled with the silver ring hung from it. "She used to take me up in her A-Wing, teach me to fly it. Anytime I'm in a cockpit, I feel like she's with me."

"Was that her ring?" Rey asked.

"Yes. Someday I'll give it to the right person." Poe eyed her. "What do you remember about your family?"

Rey dug for a memory of the times before her abandonment. "My father and I would build starships out of wood. They could fit in your hand."

"Anything else?"

"I remember love. That's why I waited for so long." A note of doubt crept into her voice. "But I must have imagined it. They were no one."

The junk rounded a hill, entering the broad, sandy plain of the Forbidden Desert. Poe looked at Rey, the growing sunlight bathing her in radiance, shining from her eyes. He wished he could change the past for her, for both of them. But he could not; so instead he simply said, "No one is no one."

Rey absorbed his words, then smiled. To Poe, her face seemed brighter than the sun.

Chewbacca roared.

"Okay, Chewie, I know it's my turn," Poe said, taking the pole from him.

"This boat trip reminds me of a story as well," See-Threepio expounded. "Once, I was on Drexel with Artoo and Master Luke. . . ."

There was a collective sigh from his fellow passengers.

The sun was noticeably higher in the sky when the canal opened out into a small lake. Rose handed the pole to Chewbacca, who guided the boat onto the sandy bank.

Poe stepped off the boat and said, "We walk from here."

The others disembarked behind him.

"I can see the temple," Rey said, standing on her toes to peer over a large rock outcropping. "It's on that hill."

"What's that noise?" Finn asked, cocking his head.

"It's probably just the wind," said Poe.

Rose said, "It doesn't sound like wind. It sounds like. . . drums."

Chewbacca growled his agreement with Rose.

"Well, let's find out," Poe said. The rest of the group followed him as he led them around the rock. A wide valley opened beneath them, full of people of numerous species dancing and singing. Many of them were tentacle-faced desert dwellers in colorful saris and chunky jewelry; others were townspeople or off-worlders, dressed in utilitarian garb or the latest Nabooan fashions. Fireworks exploded in the air above the masses, spraying colored powder.

"What is this?" Poe asked, stupefied.

"The Aki-Aki Festival of the Ancestors," C-3PO said. "The celebration occurs only once every forty-two years."

Poe buried his face in his hand.

Finn squinted into the light. "Well, that's lucky."

"Lucky indeed!" Threepio raised a metallic arm to emphasize his point. "This festival is known for both its colorful kites, and its delectable sweets."

The rest of the group turned to stare at See-Threepio. The protocol droid turned away and pretended to be very interested in the desert to his right.

Festival-goers threw small, carved statuettes into a flaming brazier. The Resistance team wove through crowds of celebrants swaying to the music.

"Not too much life, huh?" Rose asked Poe sarcastically.

Poe shot her a dirty look.

"I've never seen anything like this," Rey said, staring around her in wonder.

Finn rejoined, "I've never seen so few Kyber crystals."

BB-8 curiously examined some metal canisters spraying jets of yellow pigment into the air.

"There are always random First Order patrols in crowds like these," said Poe. He turned to look behind him. "Keep your head down, Chewie." Chewie, walking near the back of the group, dropped into a half-crouch.

Rey watched a pair of Aki-Akis cradling and bouncing their snub-nosed, bald babies.

"Change of plans," Poe said. "Let's split up. Rey, Beebee-Ate and I will search the Jedi temple for the Kyber crystals. Everyone else, pair up and try to find the informant."

Rey, Poe, and BB-8 split off from the group and wandered past people wrangling unruly riding animals and carrying candies on poles over their backs. Rey drank in the sights, but then tensed as she spotted a trio of mechtroopers scanning the crowd ahead. Poe followed her gaze and put his hand on his blaster.

"No," Rey said, pulling up her white hood and dragging Poe into a food vendor's stall. They surveilled the troopers through hanging cloths.

The stall's owner, an ancient female Utai, barked, "Cassasan! Nep. Nep." She waved a bowl of clawfish soup in their direction.

"No. Not hungry," Poe said, waving it away.

The pink-skinned peddler held out a steaming ladle to the pilot. "Depee cassasan!" she insisted in an offended tone. One of the mechtroopers seemed to be looking in their direction.

"Okay," said Poe, taking the ladle. "Here. Just. . . shhh." He drank. "Mmm. See? Mmmm." His face turned red, and he coughed from the intense heat of the spicy dish.

The Utai and her friends laughed. "Arno tow di?" the shopkeeper asked.

"No, it's good," Poe said hoarsely. He coughed harder. The mechtrooper was moving towards them, attracted by the sound. . . .

Rey decided the situation called for drastic action. She grabbed Poe by his shirt and kissed him on the mouth, her hood obscuring his face.

From afar, the mechtrooper saw a pair of lovers surrounded by applauding Utai women. He moved on.

Rey and Poe pulled away from each other. They were both breathing heavily, for more reasons than one. It took a moment for them to recover.

"Did it work?" Rey asked.

"I mean, I think so," Poe said.

Rey shot her eyes at the mechtroopers walking away.

"Oh," said Poe, catching on. "So that wasn't—"

"No," Rey lied.

Rey and Poe looked at each other, wishing that the Force could stop time.

Hesitantly, Rey said, "We should—"

"Right. Yeah."

They headed for the edge of the crowd, BB-8 beeping happily to himself. Skirting the throng, the trio soon came to the base of the stony slope leading up to the Jedi temple. A narrow path cut into the rock face zigzagged upwards.

After a long, arduous climb, they reached the top and got their first good look at the temple. It appeared to be carved directly out of the rock, without any visible seams. Three spires soared upwards out of the blocky structure. Two enormous stone doors faced them.

Rey stepped forward and used the Force to push the doors open. They swung back with a harsh, grinding creak. Rey, Poe, and BB-8 stared into the dark interior of the temple. Poe turned on a flashlight, casting a thin green beam of light onto sandy floors and rough walls. Rey activated her lightsaber and walked in, its blue glow lighting her path like a torch. Poe looked at its much brighter light and then at his own, which now seemed paltry in comparison. Peeved, he flipped his flashlight to reverse his grip on it and followed Rey into the darkness.

Finn and Rose were hot and tired. They had searched what seemed like the entire festival, to no avail. Finally, they had taken shelter under a candy seller's awning in exchange for buying some of his fluffy wares.

Finn was wiping sweat off his neck with a threadbare rag when someone dragged him off balance and pulled his hands behind his back. Beside him, Rose was similarly held by a man dressed in a brown uniform and a blast helmet. Finn recognized him from an intelligence report as a Corporate Sector Authority Security Police Officer.

"You're fugitives from the Cantonica system," one of the officers said. "You're under arrest for escaping custody, animal theft, resisting arrest, destruction of property, and parking violation twenty-seven-bee-stroke-six. You have a right to remain silent."

"You're going to Stars' End for a lo-o-ong time," added the one holding Rose as as he removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

Suddenly, the first officer was lifted into the air by a large, furry arm. Chewbacca slammed him against the ground and roared. The other officer pulled a riot gun from his holster and pointed it at the Wookiee, but Rose twisted free of his one-handed grip. She zapped him with her electroshock prod and he fell, stunned. The first officer, who had been trying to rise to his feet, abruptly found himself with a Wookiee's foot covering his face. Then Rose shocked him too.

"Oh, my," said C-3PO, emerging from behind a stall. Despite his lack of discrete facial expressions, the droid still managed to radiate shock at the violence. He was, improbably, holding some sort of fried, scaly animal on a stick. Chewbacca grabbed the skewered beast from him.

"Just in time, Chewie," Finn said. "Any sign of the informant?"

Chewbacca roared a negative through a mouthful of serpent-on-a-stick.

"Yeah, us neither," said Rose.

Finn pointed at the unconscious Security Police Officers and asked, "What are we going to do with these guys?"

Rey, Poe, and BB-8 had combed through the lower levels of the temple and were now ascending the tallest of the three towers. At the top of the spiral staircase, they climbed through a trapdoor into a small room, bare except for a wooden chest. Sunlight streamed through windows cut in the rock walls, illuminating dust floating in the air.

Rey rushed to the chest and knelt before it, but then her shoulders slumped. The box's lid had been stoved in. It was empty.

"This is where they were kept. I can feel it. But they're gone," Rey said.

Poe bent and examined the wreckage of the chest. "Yup, looks like the scavengers got here long before us." As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. He tensed, expecting an explosion of anger, but Rey merely looked at him desolately. She collapsed to the floor, her back to the broken chest.

"This was a waste of time. I shouldn't have come here."

Poe attempted to cheer her up. "Hey, there's still the informant. We can still—"

"You don't understand," Rey said fiercely. "I'm putting you all in danger by being here."

"So? They want to find me too."

"It's different. You're not the last Jedi." Poe was surprised by the bitterness in her voice. "I never wanted this. To be the person everyone is looking to, to save them. To know that if you fail, the hope of the galaxy dies."

Poe knelt before her and took her shoulders. "Look, I—I don't know a lot about Jedi stuff. But I do know that you have friends. The First Order wins by making us think we're alone. But we're not alone. Even if we fail, others will rise up and take our place." Poe paused. "I'll be here for you, Rey. Whatever happens."

Rey smiled and then hugged him. Poe held her lightly, but Rey clung to him like a lifeline.

BB-8 beeped at them from the other side of the room. Rey extricated herself from their embrace and crossed over to him.

"Yeah, I see it," she said, kneeling.

The droid extended a nozzle and blew compressed air at a pile of sand, revealing the corner of a book. Rey picked it up and shook the dust out of its pages.

"See? We found something," Poe remarked.

BB-8 looked from Poe to Rey. Unbeknownst to any of them, his antenna was transmitting an encoded message on a First Order frequency. Near the edges of the Bonadan system, a probe droid had picked up the signal and relayed it to the First Order Capitol. The message lit up a bored technician's screen, shaking him out of his late afternoon stupor. He reported it to the chief comms officer, who in turn reported it to the second-in-command of the First Order military.

A loud knocking awoke Chancellor Armitage Hux from a dream in which he was engaged in a vicious screaming match with Kylo Ren. He stumbled out of bed, rubbing grit from his eyes, and heaved open the door to his suite.

"What is it?" he snapped.

Commander Sellik was standing in the corridor, a surprised look on his face. He had never seen his superior officer in his pyjamas. He quickly regained his composure. "Sir, one of our probes picked up the droid's signal. We've found them."

"Ready my ship," Hux commanded. "I want to witness their extinction myself."

"Shall I inform the Supreme Leader?"

"No," said Hux. "Let Kylo and the girl fulfill the empty promises of their ancient religion. In the end they'll destroy each other, as Jedi and Sith always have. Then we will rise. Strong, decisive. Ready to bring true order to the galaxy."

Commander Sellik eyed Hux, unnerved by his intensity.

"Alert the local troops and prepare the attack," said Hux. Then he shut the door and began to pull on his uniform.

Rey, Poe, and BB-8 walked up to Finn, Rose, Chewbacca, and C-3PO. Finn and Rose were carrying a large bundle of fabric between them, while the Wookiee had another slung over his shoulder.

"What'd we miss?" Poe asked, eyeing the colorful cloth.

"Not much," said Finn. "Some guys tried to arrest us."

One of the rolls of cloth started yelling something in a muffled voice. Rose punched it. The shouting stopped.

"We haven't found the informant," Finn said, seemingly oblivious to Rose attacking textiles next to him.

Rey sighed. "We didn't find any Kyber Crystals."

"So, what do we do now?" Finn asked, looking at Poe.

"Freeze!"

A single stormtrooper was pointing a blaster at them, moving it back and forth to cover them all. "Hold it right there," he ordered. Into his helmet, he said, "I've located the Resistance fugitives. All units report to—ahhh!" An arrow had buried itself in his visor.

The Resistance fighters turned to see where the projectile had come from. They saw a figure wearing a metal helmet and black robes that folded back to reveal a flowery yellow lining. He was holding a crossbow in his right hand. The masked being scanned the crowd for more troopers and then said in a distorted voice, "Follow me."

Finn, Rose, and Chewbacca dumped their burdens to the ground. They and the other Resistance members followed him through the festival to a treadable, a boxy metal vehicle surrounded by two giant treads.

"Hurry," he said.

The dimly lit interior of the machine was festooned with nets, ropes, chains, and baskets hanging from the ceiling. The team climbed aboard as their mysterious benefactor opened a slit in the wall between the passenger compartment and the driver. A hairy alien with shining, three-lensed blue eyes turned to look through the gap.

"Meeta tobiah," the masked man instructed.

"Okay!" the serpentine driver shouted in a gruff voice.

"How'd you find us?" Finn asked the informant.

The man removed his helmet. It was Lando Calrissian. "Wookiees stand out in a crowd," he said, eyes twinkling.

Chewbacca warbled happily and hugged Lando.

"It's good to see you too, old buddy!" Lando exclaimed, grinning.

C-3PO said, "This is General Lando Calrissian."

Rey looked back at the protocol droid. "We know who he is, Threepio."

"It is. . . an honor, General," said Finn.

"I'm pleased to meet all of you nice young folks as well. Especially you, sweetheart," Lando said smoothly, kissing Rose's hand. She opened her mouth, an expression of equal parts surprise and joy on her face.

"All right, all right," said Finn, taking her hand from him.

"General Calrissian, what's the intelligence you've got for us?" Poe asked.

"Ah, yes," said Lando, handing Poe a data disc. "This has information from sources in the First Order. They tell me there's a rift among the officers. A number of warlords and tycoons are unhappy with Kylo Ren's leadership, and they're pushing to have him removed and replaced."

"An internal struggle inside the First Order could be just the opportunity we need," Poe strategized.

"And there's something else," Lando said, his tones hushed. "There are rumors of a mysterious figure running the First Order behind the scenes. They say he's some sort of dark side user."

A grim silence descended upon the band. They exchanged worried glances.

Finally Rey spoke. "We're looking for Kyber crystals," she said. "We need them to send a message to the galaxy. We thought there were some in the Jedi temple here on Bonadan, but they were gone."

"I know who has them," said Lando.

"You do?" asked Finn. "Who?" He looked around as if he expected the person to spring out from a dark corner.

"Her name's Nomi," the General responded. "She's a navigator—and force-sensitive. Spice diggers used to pay her to find deposits on asteroids."

"She worked with spice miners?" Rose asked incredulously. "Can we trust her?"

"She's a little off, but she's no friend to the First Order. Her den is out past Lurch Canyon."

"Where's that?" inquired Poe.

"We should be coming up on it now," Lando said, looking out a barred window partly obscured by a cluster of small red berries. "The First Order could be here any moment. Go!"

The Resistance team began to exit the treadable, one at a time.

Chewbacca roared at Lando to take care of himself.

"You too, Chewie," his old friend responded.

Rey turned to leave, but then stopped. She said, "Leia needs pilots, General."

"My flying days are long gone," said Lando. "But do me a favor. . . give Leia my love."

"You should give it to her yourself," Rey said. "Thank you." Then she leapt out the door.

Nomi's den was a cylindrical cottage-like structure built atop a raised platform of rock. A few paces beyond it, the ground fell away into a jagged canyon.

The inside of the building was occupied by a single circular room draped in colorful silks. Devoted followers, seekers of advice, and sightseers sat near the walls, smoking pipes and vaporizer devices. An electroharpist played ethereal, keening music.

In the middle of the room, the stone floor had hundreds of small marbles fitted into rounded depressions. A fluffy pillow rested on them. On the pillow sat Nomi, a tiny, wide-eyed alien the size of a small human child. She consulted quietly with a Rodian couple on the brink of divorce. They cried, touching antennae.

The crew of the Falcon entered through a curtain of hanging beads and took in the surroundings.

"Easy on the details," Poe said. "She doesn't have to know who we are or why we're here. Just what we need."

Nomi smiled past the Rodians at the group of Resistance members by the entryway. "A Jedi," she said. "The last."

Everyone in the chamber turned to look at them.

"Or this," Poe said testily. "We can do it this way."

Nomi nodded to the couple before her and touched their chests. "Go." She spoke to Rey. "Come. Sit. The Jedi and the friends."

The gallery of observers made conspiratorial asides.

"If you don't mind, I would prefer to stay here," C-3PO said quietly, looking nervously at the marbles set in the floor.

"All right," said Rey. She and the others in the group approached Nomi.

"Remove your footwear," the alien said.

They did so, with the exception of Chewbacca and BB-8, who weren't wearing any. The marbles felt cool, hard, and slippery under their bare feet. They sat.

"You seek Kyber crystals."

"Yes," Rey agreed.

"You seek them for what purpose? To bring healing, or destruction?"

Rey considered this. She did plan to use the crystals to bring about violence. . . but it was necessary. At the same time, she felt that Nomi's huge, dark eyes could see her very soul. There was no way she could lie to this being.

She said, "Might not some destruction be needed, for healing to occur?"

Nomi smiled. "The Jedi speaks truth. The crystals are here." She produced a bag from under the pillow and opened it to reveal dozens of white Kyber crystals.

"Which ones do I take?" Rey asked.

"The crystals are living. They choose their own masters. You must hear the music of the crystal, find the sound that harmonizes with the music in yourself."

Rey closed her eyes. She could hear a variety of tones, like a chorus of voices. She focused on the sounds that resonated most within her. She reached out. Two crystals rose from the bag and her hand closed around them.

Rey could hear Rose gasping and BB-8 beeping quietly behind her. She opened her eyes and looked at the crystals that lay in her palm. They were the same size and shape, but mirror images.

"The Jedi chooses wisely," said Nomi. "A balanced pair, each the complement of the other."

"Thank you," Rey breathed. She rose to go, as did the others.

"Stay," said Nomi. "You also seek a place."

Rey sank to her knees. "Yes."

"Mortis is the place."

At the mention of Mortis, Poe frowned. "Look, we're in a hurry—"

Nomi cut him off. "The man will not speak."

Poe sat down beside Rey, his expression grim.

"The destination is very old," Nomi said. "The first to know the Force. The first where the good was done. And the evil too."

"How do I find it?" Rey asked.

"The destination lies within. The power of Skywalker will lead you."

Rey's forehead creased in puzzlement. "What do you mean the power—"

"The mouth of the Jedi stops and the mind makes the picture," said Nomi. "The Force fills the Jedi and reveals the destination." The tiny marbles in the floor rose into the air, forming a three-dimensional map of the galaxy.

The Resistance team stared at the marbles floating around them in awe.

"The eyes close," Nomi continued. "Only the Jedi knows the path. . . ." Her voice grew distant as Rey fell deep into meditation.

Mortis. Snow on the peak. Flaming autumn leaves in the valley below.

Nomi's voice cut through the vision. "There the two will meet. Drawn together by the Force."

The temple. Two thrones in the rock. A well of light, pulsing from deep within the mountain below.

"The dark side and the light."

A cloaked figure standing before Rey, his mask familiar, unmistakable.

"Then she will make the sacrifice."

A flash of red light.

Rey snapped out of her vision.

"Wait, what?" asked Poe.

A flat, black, oval stone drifted from the edge of the marble planetarium and into Nomi's palm.

"What do you mean, sacrifice?" Poe asked hotly.

Nomi handed the stone to Geb, a tiny Anzellan astroscrivener seated at a minute easel. He painted a starmap of the chosen location.

"The Jedi must go alone," said Nomi.

"No, hold on a second," Poe said. Finn put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Map is-a ready," Geb the astroscrivener said as he tore the drawing off his easel, limped to Rey and handed it over.

"This map will lead you to the starting point of your journey," said Nomi. "Only those who are meant to can find Mortis."

Rey took the star map from the tiny artist and said, "Thank you." She stood.

"We're not leaving. What did she see?" Poe asked. He turned to Rey. "What did you see?"

"The Jedi will make the journey. The journey will answer the question."

"What question?" Poe asked, agitated. "Can we all just take a deep breath and talk about this?"

Rey paused at the door. "Is there another path?"

Nomi stared at Rey, her wide eyes unreadable. "There is always another path."

Outside the den, Poe confronted Rey. "You're not going to Mortis."

Finn was staring into the distance. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Master Luke said I had to," Rey told Poe. "The fate of the galaxy depends on it."

"Guys. . ." said Finn.

Poe was implacable. "The fate of the galaxy also depends on us defeating the First Order. We need you with us, not on some wild bantha chase."

"But if Kylo gains the power he seeks, he'll be unstoppable!"

"Then I'm going with you!"

"GUYS!" Finn shouted.

Rey and Poe looked up from their argument to see Finn pointing at the sky. A line of TIE Fighters and Atmospheric Assault Landers were descending to planetfall.

"It's the First Order. They've found us."