Rey sits in her room cleaning her blaster, when she feels a presence. When she looks up, to her horror she sees Kylo Ren, but without his mask. He seems just as surprised to see her as she is to see him and before anything else could happen, she fires her blaster at him, only to find she's made a hole in the wall. Later when Luke enquires what had happened, she lies, saying her blaster went off while cleaning it. She keeps this new development to herself, planning to ask Xanthe about it later.


"Anticipation: I can't wait to leave this place Master! But I must admit I am disappointed that Rey can't join us."

"She has a more important job at the moment HK. I am sure we will meet again. I must admit, a part of me is eager to meet with Scourge. It'd be nice to see a familiar face, and see how much the Empire has grown in my absence." Xanthe admits with a small grin. She pauses, feeling a slight disturbance. "Hmm… strange." She says more to herself than to HK. "I feel...a presence, but very faint, but also not threatening…Feels like Kylo Ren… but..." she cocks her head to the side and furrows her brows, slightly puzzled "...Snoke?" and just as quickly, the feeling vanished. Xanthe frowned. "Strange...Most strange indeed."

Rey was NOT happy. After randomly seeing Kylo Ren again and again and then Luke's less than composed reaction to discovering this development, she gave up putting it off and went to see Xanthe.

"He could be turned back… We were working as a team, not as enemies. It has to be true..." Rey mutters to herself amongst other things as she was trudging along. " It would've helped if he put a bloody top on." she grumbles as an afterthought. A voice suddenly sounded behind her, "If who put a top on?" Rey jumps startled, and turns around seeing none other than Xanthe with a very innocent expression on her face… 'Too innocent' Rey thinks as she notices her fighting back a grin. "You know, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I could've attacked you with a lightsaber or something." Rey says irritably. "Ha! I'd like to see you try." Xanthe replies. "So what brings you here anyway Rey?"

Rey looks at her in confusion and then looks around and realises she's already at Xanthe's ship. 'How did I not notice...? I was more in thought than I realised.' she thought to herself. "I was looking for you actually. I think we may have a little problem."

"Oh?"

"I've been seeing Kylo Ren, like really seeing him. I could even feel him. I even tried shooting him, only to end up making a hole in the wall. Eventually Master Skywalker saw the two of us and he didn't react well. I touched his hand and I saw the future! I saw that he joins us. He and I were fighting together, so there must be hope for Ben Solo!" Rey says excitedly.

"That is… an interesting… development." Xanthe says slowly, deep in thought. "Firstly, force visions, especially of the future are not always accurate nor are they always how they appear to be. Just because you saw him fighting with you, doesn't necessarily mean he turned back to the light. It could be that YOU agreed to join him, or that Snoke tries to kill him, so you both team up temporarily. It could mean anything… or yes, it can be simply what you saw. All I'm saying is don't take Force visions as something set in stone. Anything can change the outcome. On a more important note, these "visits" you get from Kylo Ren, seem to be of a Force bond nature. Usually you need to have a strong affinity or connection to another, such as master and acolyte or in your case, padawan or apprentice, or family members or other loved ones. Usually Force bonds don't happen between strangers… the only way it can happen in these conditions, is if it was forced or manipulated.

It has been done in the past. It was accidently forged by the Jedi padawan Bastila Shan, when saving Darth Revan's life and was purposely created by Kreia, who was once a Jedi Master turned Sith Lord and forcibly bonded herself to Meetra Surik, known in most Jedi texts as the Jedi Exile. I feel that this Force bond is not natural. You must be careful Rey." Xanthe warns.

"I will. That's why I came to see you. I have decided to go and confront Kylo Ren. We must be bonded for a reason. Maybe I can find the light in him and bring him back." Rey says confidently. Xanthe rubs her head, feeling a headache coming on. "That is not what I meant. You should be keeping away, not entertaining the idea."

"But I have to do something! The Resistance needs help and Luke Skywalker isn't doing anything! He doesn't want to get involved!" Rey shouts out in frustration.

Xanthe sighs. "I understand your frustration, especially in regards to Skywalker. However I do believe you should stay and learn…" Xanthe trails off as she sees flashes of… 'Memories? No… Events? Visions? Is this… the future?' She sees Kylo Ren, she sees the Force Tree, Snoke, General Organa, Skywalker, The First Order, The Resistance, Lord Scourge, the ancient Jedi texts, Sith holocrons, Rey helping the Resistance, Rey helping Kylo Ren, Rey looking at holocrons and texts and- 'Lana?' The blonde figure just smiles as if she heard her and vanishes. Xanthe snaps back into reality and refocuses on Rey. "Xanthe? Are you alright? You seemed a million miles away and you also look very pale." Rey asks, looking very concerned. "I… No… Yes… I don't know. I saw… things. I think I understand what you meant in regards to Kylo Ren."

Xanthe remembers the Force Tree and Rey. She smiles. " You know what? You are right. Luke isn't going to do anything, so it's up to you what you want to do. If you still want to follow Kylo Ren and try to redeem him, I will not stop you. You are right, the Resistance needs help. You are the only other person besides Luke that can do something.

I still believe you need to learn the ways of the Force and of the Jedi, but if he won't show you, there are other ways to find what you need."

"How? There are no other Jedi to learn from?"

"Who says you need a teacher?" Xanthe replies with a grin. Not every Sith or Jedi had a teacher, they learned through other means… like observing, or reading, or following their instincts. Trust your instincts Rey and trust the Force. The Force will guide you with what you must do next. If you are still unsure- Meditate. Meditation is a technique used by both the Jedi and Sith to centre themselves. Meditate and the Force will tell you what to do next."

"I don't know how… Can you show me?" Rey asks. Xanthe nods. "Very well. Sit down like so… Close your eyes and slow your breathing. That's it. In…. and out. Clear your thoughts. Relax… Just… feel…

"You were never one for meditation were you?"

"No, not really… I'm too…" Xanthe waves her hands around, unable to find the words.

"Fidgety? Impatient? Stressed?"

"I...Yes… All the above I suppose."

"Well then, I believe you have a greater need to meditate that I do."

"I… don't know how" Xanthe admits in shame. "I am too busy watching my back for who wants to try and kill me next. I don't know anything else. My Master only wanted to use me as her vessel. I was only trained in enough things to keep me alive long enough for her objectives to be completed." Xanthe mutters sadly. She then looks up pleadingly "Can you...Can you show me?"

"Of course. It would be my pleasure."

Xanthe continues breathing with a small sad smile. 'It's been so long since…'

"That's it Rey, keep breathing in and out. Let the images- if any- come to you. If there are none, don't worry. Just feel… Feel the Force around you." Xanthe says softly, not wanting to break Rey's concentration. They continued like this for the next ten minutes, not noticing HK silently observing them. Eventually Xanthe opens her eyes, observing Rey. "So… How do you feel now?"

"I… I think I'll need to do this more often. I saw things… felt things. I think...everything seems clearer now. I think I know what I have to do." Rey says as she opens her eyes. She stands up, brushing off the dust and dirt from her clothes. "I don't see the point in talking to Skywalker. I'll do what I need to do and then I'll leave to find Kylo Ren and help the Resistance."

"Very well. The Force has shown me that we will meet again. I still believe your meeting with Kylo Ren will not be as you expect it to be, but you will survive the encounter and you will be there with the Resistance. I also saw you as a Jedi. It appears you will be able to do just fine without a teacher." Xanthe says with a smile. "Good luck, and may we meet again."

"Thank you Xanthe. May the Force be with you." Rey replies, walking back to the Jedi Temple and the Force Tree.

"Oh by the way, from what I saw, I believe a double bladed saber would suit you." Rey turns back questioningly. Xanthe puts her hands up in defense "I'm just saying." Rey gives a small smile and replies "I'll keep it in mind. Thank you."

"You're welcome. May the Force serve you well Rey."