Thanks for the reviews Guest, Love. Fiction. 2022, RemiSparklez and NeroFlashfox!
"Ben."
Amaya's voice came from far away, barely audible.
"Ben." Amaya repeated, shaking his arm. "Hey, talk to me."
Ben turned to look at her, feeling dazed. He didn't understand. His grandfather wasn't Darth Vader. His mother, father, Luke...they wouldn't have all hid something like that from him... Right?
Wouldn't they? Snoke sneered.
"Is it true?" Amaya asked, her eyes searching his face for answers he didn't have.
Ben looked around the room, suddenly terrified of being recognized. No one noticed him. He wasn't famous like his parents were, after all. His parents. The saviors of the galaxy. The ones who brought down the Empire. His mother couldn't possibly be Darth Vader's daughter...that would have meant she went to war against her own father. She would have mentioned that little detail! Wouldn't she?
"Ben, look at me." Amaya said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Let's think this through. First of all, we don't even know if it's true. It could be a lie made up by the opposition to discredit your mother. We should call your mom. Ask her. Then we'll know."
Yes, go on. Call her. Give her the chance to explain herself. She always has such wonderful excuses for everything doesn't she? A true politician. Snoke sneered and Ben grit his teeth.
He pulled out his comm device anyway, transmitting a holographic message to his mother. When no response came, Snoke laughed, and Ben resisted the urge to slam the comm against the counter top.
"She's busy." He said, through a clenched jaw. "Let's go back to the Temple. Luke will know."
Ben burst through the doors of the Temple, not caring that they slammed against the wall. He made a beeline straight for Luke's study, not pausing to knock before opening the door.
"Is it true?" He demanded, planting his hands on Luke's desk and glaring at him.
Luke leaned back in his chair, frowning in confusion. Evidently, he hadn't heard.
"Darth Vader." Ben snapped. "Is he my grandfather?"
At this, the color drained from Luke's face and Ben had all the confirmation he needed.
"How did-" Luke began.
"Turn on the HoloNet!" Ben cried. "It's everywhere. Everyone in the galaxy knows!"
"What?" Luke asked, frantically. "How-"
"Why didn't you tell me!?" Ben screamed, standing up straight again.
Luke stood up, putting out his hands as if to placate him. "Okay, calm down and-"
"ANSWER ME!" Ben screamed, and Luke froze, a momentary look of fear crossing his face.
"We were going to tell you." Luke said after a moment.
"When?" Ben snarled.
"Soon." Luke said.
"Soon." Ben scoffed. "How soon? 5, 10, twenty years from now? On your death bed!?"
"After your Jedi trials." Luke said and Ben rolled his eyes.
"Right, because after I pass the Jedi trials I'll be worthy of knowing the family's dirty little secrets." Ben sneered. "Who was my grandmother? A Nightsister from Dathomir?"
"A Republic Senator." Luke replied.
Ben filed this potentially interesting information away for later, still furious with his uncle.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Ben asked. "You lied to me for 23 years! Why should I trust anything you say after this?"
Luke sighed, running a hand over his face. "It was a mistake." He said. "We didn't intend for it to go on this long-"
"You just said you were planning to tell me after the Jedi trials." Ben snapped.
"Originally, we intended to tell you sooner." Luke said.
"Then why didn't you?" Ben snapped.
"We...didn't know how to break the news." Luke said, looking sheepish.
"So you were a coward." Ben surmised.
"You could say that." Luke said. "We weren't sure how you'd react."
And there it is. Snoke said smugly.
Ben froze, realizing what this meant. They hadn't told him because they didn't trust him.
"It was because of my Darkness wasn't it?" Ben said, the expression on Luke's face confirming his fears. Ben felt his stomach turn over, hurt and betrayal filling his heart.
"Look, there's things about my father I need to explain to you-" Luke began.
"Then explain them!" Ben cried, his hurt turning quickly into anger. "Tell me the truth for once in your life! Stop hiding things from me you lying hypocrite!"
"I was only trying to protect you!" Luke cried, his composure finally cracking.
Ben laughed sharply. "Protect me?" He sneered. "You think I'm the threat! You think I don't know what you really think of me? You don't want to protect me, you're scared of me!"
"That is not at all true!" Luke cried.
"STOP LYING!" Ben screamed, slamming the door shut down with the Force. Luke looked over at the closed door and Ben saw the flash of fear in his eyes again. He was scared of him.
"There's some things you need to understand." Luke said, and Ben could tell he was making an effort to stay calm. "This Darkness inside you...it runs in the family. Your grandfather was a Jedi and a good man until he fell to the Dark Side. Your mother and I have also felt the pull of the Dark Side at times throughout our lives, but we've resisted it. But you...you remind me of my father so much sometimes. And yes, maybe sometimes that scares me. But I'm not scared of you Ben, I'm scared for you."
Ben swallowed the lump that rose in his throat at his uncle's words. He'd finally admitted it. He was scared. He reminded him of Darth Vader. His uncle had just compared him to the most hated man in the galaxy.
"That's why mom sent me away to live with you." Ben said, the sickening realization dawning on him. "I reminded her of her dad. The man who destroyed her planet and her adoptive parents."
"Ben, she just wanted what was best for you." Luke began, but Ben cut him off.
"She wanted to get rid of me!" Ben cried, his hands beginning to shake.
"That's not-" Luke tried again.
"SHUT UP!" Ben screamed, the entire room shaking until pictures fell off the walls.
Ben took a shaky breath to calm himself, his eyes fixed on his uncle. "I hate you." He ground out, his fists clenched at his sides.
Luke made no reply and so Ben left, slamming the door on the way out. He strode through the halls in a blind rage, barely noticing when Amaya called out to him. She pulled him by the arm, and he followed her out into the courtyard.
"What happened?" Amaya asked.
"He knew." Ben snarled, gesturing wildly in the direction of Luke's study. "They all knew. They kept it from me my entire life."
"So it's true then?" Amaya asked, and Ben let out a barking laugh.
"Are you really surprised?" He sneered derisively. "Have you met me? Don't you think this explains a few things?"
Amaya frowned, as if his comments confused her, and Ben felt irritated that she didn't just admit the obvious. How could she not see the similarities? Clearly something was wrong with him and now he knew what it was. Darkness was in his blood.
"I'm sorry, did you commit a genocide I'm not aware of?" Amaya asked, "Have you killed anyone? Are you running a galactic empire?"
"I'm talking about my Darkness, Amaya." Ben said, frustrated that he had to spell it out for her. Everyone else saw it. Even the other students at the Temple. He knew what they really thought of him. They wouldn't be surprised to find out he was related to a genocidal maniac.
"There's a big difference between having Dark Side tendencies and doing what Darth Vader did." Amaya said.
"Well Luke doesn't seem to think so." Ben snapped. "You want to know why my family lied to me all these years? It was because I reminded them of Darth Vader. They were afraid that if they told me he was my grandfather I'd end up like him."
"Are you sure-" Amaya began, but Ben interrupted her.
"Luke just told me so!" Ben cried, wishing she would just get it.
At this, Amaya's face paled and she stared at the door to the Temple, her face impassive.
"Do you get it now?" Ben asked sharply. "Do you see what I mean? They don't trust me. They think I'm a ticking time bomb."
"I see." Amaya said curtly, looking back up at him. Ben felt a flicker of fear run through him as he detected anger from her in the Force. Was she angry with him too now?
"I'm mad at your family." Amaya said, picking up on his fear instantly. "Where were your parents that they couldn't even stop by to wish you happy birthday? How cowardly were they to not even tell you who your grandfather was for all this time? You're not a child anymore. Snoke is awful, but honestly, your family makes his job so easy."
Ben felt her words strike a chord inside him and a burning feeling of vindication formed in his heart. They were terrible parents. And Luke was an even worse uncle and Jedi Master. Snoke had been right all along and he wasn't crazy for believing him.
"You have no idea how satisfying it is to hear you say that." Ben said, his fingers itching to destroy something. He wouldn't though. He would prove them wrong, if only just to spite them. He wouldn't end up like his grandfather even though the promise of the Dark Side seemed more and more enticing every day.
Ben left his mother's letter of explanation on the desk, bristling at the fact that she hadn't even bothered to come explain in person. Instead, her letter had arrived two days later - filled with nothing but empty words and promises she couldn't keep. It was a politician's handiwork.
He walked down to the training room, gritting his teeth when Luke came up beside him.
"Hey kid." Luke said, cautiously.
Ben said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"I have something for you." Luke said, something in his voice prompting Ben to finally look at him.
"What?" Ben asked shortly.
"Come with me." Luke said, gesturing in the direction of his office. Ben hesitated, unsure he wanted whatever it was his uncle wanted to give him. But in the end, curiosity won the day and he followed his uncle back to his office.
"I've been meaning to give these to you for years now." Luke said, rummaging around in his desk.
"Let me guess." Ben sneered. "It just slipped your mind."
Luke ignored the comment, pulling out a bundle of bound pages. He handed them to Ben, who frowned and looked up at his uncle.
"Everything you could ever want to know about Anakin Skywalker is in here." Luke said, putting a finger on top of the book.
Ben took the book, looking up at his uncle in confusion. "What is this?"
Luke sighed. "I never knew my father. Aside from a few precious moments at the end...all he was to me was Darth Vader. I never knew who he was before that. When he was Anakin."
Ben raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
"So after the war, I went around and I spoke to those who knew him. I spoke to Force ghosts. I even spoke to my father's ghost..."
"You spoke to him?" Ben asked, shocked by this more than anything.
"He came to me." Luke said. "He wanted to make things right. He told me about his life...about my mother...Everything I know about his life I put in here."
"Why are you giving this to me?" Ben asked, looking down at the book. Was this a lesson? A warning? A guide on what not to do?
"Because you deserve to know the full story." Luke said, with a sigh. "We've kept this from you long enough."
Ben looked at his uncle, his words reopening the still fresh feelings of betrayal. He should have been given this book years ago. A decade ago, maybe.
"If it hadn't come out, how long would you have kept this from me?" Ben asked, tightening his grip on the book.
Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know." He said, honestly, and Ben's eyes hardened.
"Right." Ben said, turning to leave before he lost his cool again.
He made a beeline back to his room, all though of fitting in some extra training gone. He locked the door behind him, opening the first page of the book. He stared at the words written in Luke's messy handwriting, his heart beating furiously in his chest. He tightened his grip on the book, confused as to why his hands were shaking. Why did he care so much? He didn't, really, care. It was just that he was so curious. He wanted to see what his family had been hiding from him. But even more importantly, he wanted to see what had turned Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader.
"Ben, you have to sleep." Amaya said, crawling over to sit next to him on the bed. "It's almost 1 am."
"I'm not done." Ben said without looking up.
Amaya sighed, "We agreed 1 am. We need to be up at 7. You need sleep-"
"I said I'm not done!" Ben snapped and Amaya froze, staring at him in shock.
Amaya looked at the book, estimating it would take him another 2 hours at least to finish it. She reached out with the Force, sensing the thick Darkness around him. Pushing him to put it down would only result in an argument. Amaya hesitated, wondering whether it would be worth it to fight him and ultimately decided against it.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep." She said, crawling under the blankets. Ben moved his legs to make room for her without looking up from the book.
Amaya lay there in silence, staring up at the ceiling. How was she going to sleep with his chaotic energy pulsating through the Force? She considered going back to her own room but the thought of it seemed so cold and lonely. Amaya closed her eyes, trying to put herself to sleep. Her mind continued to race, however, oblivious to her attempts to shut it off.
He had been reading that book Luke had given him ever since she'd gotten back from teaching the level 1s that evening. He'd been practically unresponsive when she'd tried to talk to him about her day, barely taking enough of a break from the book to look up at her. It scared her.
Amaya opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. It felt like something had shifted since his birthday. He was different. And so was the galaxy. With Leia Organa defamed by her association with Darth Vader, no one was left to push for action against the First Order, and Amaya couldn't help but feel that wasn't a coincidence. Was it possible that Snoke had infiltrated the minds of Senators the way he had Ben's? Was he pulling the strings from the shadows? Suddenly, it didn't seem so far fetched. He could get inside anyone's mind, manipulate their thoughts, know what they knew...
But so could she.
Amaya inhaled sharply as an idea took hold inside her mind. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. It was so terribly obvious. She didn't have to lie here speculating about Snoke's intentions. She could find them out herself. Her brother would know and his mind was as weak as a house of cards.
Amaya closed her eyes, reaching out across the galaxy for her brother's Force signature. She focused her attention on his memory, locating it faster than the last time. She was improving.
Ancai sat at a table, Sabacc cards in his hands. Amaya heard the other Knights of Ren speak around him, taunting each other as the game progressed.
Amaya blocked out the other Knights' voices, focusing in on her brother's thoughts. She slipped inside his mind as she had Ben's, rifling through his memories for anything of interest. Memories of battles, of red lightsabers cutting down people armed only with blasters, filled her mind and Amaya quickly pushed those away. She continued flipping through the pages of his mind until a memory of Ren's voice caught her attention.
"Senator Ransolm Casterfo will take care of that problem." Ren said and Ancai raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yea? How?" Ancai asked.
"Snoke let him in on Senator Organa's dirty little secret." Ren said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
"And what secret was that?" Ancai asked.
"Well if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?" Ren sneered. "Anyway, it won't be a secret for long. You'll see."
Amaya felt her heart skip a beat and quickly shuffled through Ancai's memories. She paused when she caught a glimpse of the HoloNet, the same broadcast she and Ben had watched in the pub playing out within Ancai's memory. She felt her brother's surprise and intrigue as he took in the news and looked over at Ren.
"This is a lie." Ancai said, his voice amused.
"Snoke says it's not." Ren said with a grin that made Amaya want to slap him. "Makes you wonder about Snoke's pet, doesn't it?"
"The kid is messed up." Ancai scoffed. "But he's no Vader. He's too soft. He doesn't have what it takes."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Ren said, watching the images of Leia broadcast across the HoloNet with a smirk on his face.
Amaya pulled out of her brother's head, her eyes flying open. She inhaled sharply, gripping the blankets as she readjusted to her real surroundings. She looked up at Ben, suddenly afraid he'd noticed her strange behavior. He didn't look at her, his nose still stuck in the book Luke had given him. Amaya didn't know whether to feel relieved or even more concerned by the fact that he hadn't noticed her.
Ransolm Casterfo. Amaya repeated the name in her head. She couldn't forget it. He was working with Snoke - it was Snoke who had told him of Leia's true parentage. That meant that Snoke had people on the inside - he had infiltrated the New Republic. Of course he had. Why else would they take no action against him when it was clear he posed a serious threat? She was so stupid for not realizing it earlier.
Amaya closed her eyes again, reaching out through the Force once more. It was harder this time, as she was already tired from finding Ancai, but she still managed to locate Leia's Force signature. Leia's mental barriers were much stronger than Ancai's had been and Amaya found herself unable to get inside the Senator's head. She tried to catch Leia's attention, metaphorically knocking on the door to her mind.
Senator Organa. Amaya tried to call out, hoping the woman would sense her presence or hear her. It's Amaya. Luke's padawan. I need to talk to you.
Amaya waited, feeling her strength drain away. She wasn't going to be able to maintain the connection much longer.
Senator Organa, please. Amaya tried once more. This time, she felt some of Leia's mental barriers come down and she took the opportunity to quickly enter her mind.
It's Amaya. I need to tell you something. Amaya said and this time, she felt Leia hear her. She felt the Senator's shock reverberate through the Force, fear and suspicion quickly following.
Amaya!? Leia asked, Is that really you?
Yes, it's really me. Amaya said. Listen, I need to tell you something. I don't have much time, the effort of sustaining this connecting is exhausting me. Are you listening?
How are you doing this? Leia asked and Amaya would have sighed if she'd been able to.
I just am. Amaya said quickly. Listen, Senator Ransolm Casterfo is working for the First Order. Snoke told him you were Darth Vader's daughter so that he could use it to discredit you.
Where did you get this information? Leia asked, Amaya's words sending ripples of fear through her veins.
My brother. Amaya said.
Is he a spy? Leia asked. Has he turned?
No. Amaya said. I read it in his mind just now. He doesn't know I know.
Leia fell silent, her suspicion and fear of Amaya's abilities doubling. Amaya grit her teeth, wishing she could reassure the Senator of her good intentions.
Have you told anyone else? Leia asked.
No. Amaya said.
Not even Ben? Leia asked and Amaya hesitated.
I'm not going to tell Ben. Amaya said, the words feeling like a betrayal no matter how right she knew this decision was. Snoke has total access to his mind.
Leia was silent for a moment, processing this information. Thank you, Amaya.
Oh and Senator Organa? Amaya asked, stealing herself for what she was about to request. Please don't tell Master Luke about this either. I don't think his mind is as shielded from Snoke as he thinks it is.
Leia hesitated once more and Amaya could feel her uneasiness. You're asking me to lie to my brother. To your Master.
I'm asking you to keep this secret, you don't have to lie. Amaya said and she could feel Leia did not appreciate the distinction. You don't know Snoke like I do. If he finds out what I'm capable of he'll make sure I never get any more First Order secrets. Ever.
I understand. I'll keep this to myself...for now. Leia said and Amaya let out a sigh of relief.
Thank you. If I find out more, I'll let you know. Amaya said, letting go of the connection. She inhaled deeply, putting a hand on her head as she let go. She felt exhausted, like she'd just ran a marathon from her bed. She looked up at Ben, who was still consumed in his book, and felt a twinge of guilt. Was it really right to keep this from him? She wanted to tell him; she really did. But the moment she did, Snoke would know what she was doing and she couldn't let that happen.
Ben pushed around his breakfast with his fork, staring blankly down at it. Amaya didn't have much appetite herself, but she forced herself to eat. Tai and Hennix chatted happily next to them, Voe having apparently decided to sleep in.
The circles under Ben's eyes were darker than Amaya had ever seen them before. If he'd slept at all, Amaya hadn't witnessed it. Every time she had woken up herself, he had been awake. It had been a week since Luke had given him the book on Darth Vader and he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since then. He'd read the book at least 5 times since then, staying up late either thinking or reading instead of sleeping. This couldn't go on.
Tell Luke you're sick and go take a nap. Amaya said silently. Ben looked up at her, the emptiness in his eyes scaring her.
I'm fine. Ben replied, looking down at his food.
You're not fine. You're not sleeping. You're not eating-
I'M FINE! Ben snapped, looking up and glaring at her. Amaya noticed his hands were clenched in fists and she felt her stomach flip.
Amaya held his gaze for a moment, at a loss for what to do. Pushing him to take better care of himself ended in arguments. But she couldn't just let him fall apart either. It was an impossible situation.
"Did you hear the news?" Voe asked, boisterously taking a seat between Ben and Tai and breaking Amaya and Ben out of their silent war. Ben inched away from her, shooting her a dirty look.
"What news?" Hennix asked, curiously.
"The Centrist faction left the New Republic to join the First Order." Voe said. Amaya looked up, feeling the air go out of her chest.
"What?" She breathed.
"They left." Voe repeated. "They joined the First Order. All Centrist planets are now under the control of the First Order. The Senate is missing half its members. The entire galaxy is losing its mind!"
Amaya looked over at Ben, his expression confirming that not even he had known of this.
"What does this mean?" Tai asked. "Is the New Republic still the government? Are there two governments? Are we...at war?"
Before Voe could open her mouth to respond, Luke entered the room, his face flushed. He walked over to their table, looking down at them uncertainly. "Breakfast can wait." He said in an unusually brusque fashion. "We need to talk. Come with me."
Exchanging a look with Ben, Amaya followed Luke out of the room. They followed him down the hallways of the Temple, barely able to keep up with him as he led them to his office. They filed in and Luke quickly closed the door behind him before pulling up a holographic map of the galaxy.
"I assume you've all heard the news?" He asked and the padawans nodded mutely. "Okay. So-"
"Are we at war?" Voe interrupted, and Luke looked up at her, unable to hide his irritation.
"If you would just let me finish-"
"Sorry." Voe said quickly and Luke nodded.
"So, no." Luke said. "We're not at war. Not yet."
"Not yet?" Voe squeaked, and Luke shot her a look before continuing.
"Leia is officially withdrawing from the New Republic to form a Resistance movement." Luke said.
This time, it was Ben's turn to speak up. "She's what?"
"She believes corruption in the New Republic runs deeper than we thought." Luke said. "She thinks the only solution now is to prepare for a military response."
"But if she leaves she's effectively gutting any chance of the New Republic mobilizing against the First Order!" Amaya cried, the severity of the situation dawning on her. "She's giving up on diplomacy. She's giving up on democracy-"
"She's preparing a defense against the First Order when the New Republic refused to do so." Luke cut in, quick to defend his sister.
"But Amaya's right." Ben said, exchanging a look with Amaya. "Without mom and her supporters or the Centrists, who is even left in the New Republic?"
"The Resistance will defend the New Republic." Luke said. "It will protect it until it has a chance to rebuild."
"Right because mom and her band of rebels will be able to fight off the entire First Order on their own." Ben sneered.
"We should help them!" Voe cried, and Luke nodded.
"We will help them." He agreed. "We're going to start going on a lot more missions soon."
"Snoke will know our every move." Amaya said, panic gripping her chest until the world seemed to spin. This was really happening. She was being dragged into another war. Only this time it wasn't confined to one planet. It had the potential to destroy the entire galaxy.
"Maybe." Luke conceded. "But what other choice do we have?"
"We have to try." Tai agreed, and Amaya looked at him, wishing he understood. But he didn't understand. He didn't know just how easy it was for Snoke to infiltrate all of their minds. He didn't understand the enemy they were up against. There was no trying. Victory against Snoke was impossible.
Luke and the other padawans continued to talk, strategizing amongst themselves, but Amaya stopped listening. She stared at the light that spread across Luke's desk from the open window. After a moment, she felt Ben's eyes on her and she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. She could tell from his expression that he understood the severity of the situation. Who knew Snoke better than him, anyway? Snoke was probably in his head right now, listening to everything being said. As long as Snoke lived, they stood no chance.
Amaya looked away, a chill running down her spine. They needed to even the playing field.