A/N: Just a word of warning. It might be a little sappy for some at one point, (or maybe a couple of parts) in this chapter. It is necessary for a certain character or maybe a few characters to voice certain things and perhaps in doing so, come to some sort of... Resolution perhaps? But don't worry, I don't intend to have many more like this.

"Family? What do you mean family?" Xanthe questions before Rey could get a word in.

"This holocron can only be accessed by those containing a certain genetic sequence. In particular, my genetic sequence." Sidious responds. "But I am curious how you came to be in possession of it here and it seems you are following a Jedi's path, while you, Xrysi, are dressed more like Sith."

"We found it on Korriban. In one of the temple ruins" Rey quickly replies. Sidious' face turns serious and he is silent for a moment, the holocron processing the information. "Korriban? So then the possibility became a reality. For you to find this holocron on Korriban, it means you are not the intended apprentice. You were a test."

"What do you mean, a test?" Xanthe asks.

"This holocron was designed for knowledge, while the other was designed to train a suitable apprentice. The fact that you are not aware of the other holocron has changed things." Turning to Imperius, Sidious asks, "I take it that I am no more?"

"No. You and Darth Vader perished on the second Death Star roughly thirty years ago."

Sidious' frowns, "If that is so…" and turns to Rey, "You do not look like you are thirty years of age. You were brought about after my… demise. This is most unusual. Someone continued my work but years after." Turning back to Imperius, Sidious sighs. "I suppose if any answers are to be found, despite the purpose of this holocron to be of Sith knowledge, this is something I cannot provide any more information for you. If you require answers, I suggest you go to the place of my demise. I assume this happened near Endor?"

"Yes, the Death Star was orbiting the forest moon of Endor."

"Endor has many moons. If not the forest moon, then one of those moons will have the answers you seek. Find the ruins of the Death Star and there you will find your answers."

Turning again to Rey, Sidious chuckles, "If only my real self could see you now. For now, this holocron will belong to you. Use my knowledge to become stronger and discover the true power of the Force." And with that, the holocron deactivates.

"Palpatine." Ahsoka says, the name laced with venom. "I can't believe that holocron all this time was actually his. Even in death he still causes suffering."

Xanthe stays silent, observing Rey who still looked pale and deep in thought. "Rey?" Xanthe calls out gently. No response. "Rey?" Xanthe calls out again, "Are you alright?" she probes as gently as possible and delicately places a hand on her shoulder. As soon as the hand barely touched Rey's shoulder, Rey jumps in surprise and starts to reach for her lightsaber until she recognised her surroundings and started to calm down. "Rey?" Xanthe asks again concerned. Rey finally looks back at Xanthe, with a lost look in her eyes. "Sorry... You… Did you say something?"

"I was asking if you are alright?"

"I… No. No I am not alright." Rey states fiercely shaking her head. "How can I be after what he said? And the scariest part is that what he said is probably true, because he was also in my vision during my mediation."

"You mean the vision that had Revan in it?"

"Yes, the one and the same, but he seemed angrier in the vision and was reaching out to either kill me or… control me maybe? I felt a cold chill in my spine like as if he was trying to get inside of me. I don't want to experience that again." Rey says with a shaky voice.

Xanthe's eyes hardened as she remembered when Zash and Valkorion were trying to take over her body. With a determined look in her eyes, Xanthe places her hands on Rey's shoulders trying to comfort her, "He won't touch you, definitely not while I'm around." she promises with a small smile.

"I suppose if I want my answers, I will have to find him won't I?" Rey asks more to herself than to Xanthe. Ahsoka steps in and looks at Xanthe worriedly, "Imperius, I strongly do not recommend that she step foot off Odessen, especially not now. She is most definitely not ready to face him, even if it's just to ask a ghost some questions. Palpatine- ghost or not- cannot be underestimated."

Imperius nods, "I completely agree with you. However, if Rey is to get her answers, this is the only way. Perhaps after a few more months of-"
"No." Rey responds, cutting Xanthe off. "I waited twenty years to find out who I am. I waited long enough."

"Yes, but you are not even close to ready. It isn't just lightsaber techniques and Force tricks. When it comes to Sidious, it is also a mental battle- A battle of wills. He is a master manipulator. He is dangerous even without weapons, after all, he almost killed Skywalker with lightning alone. You need to be better prepared before you find him. Who knows what he will tell you. He may tell you things that will make you question everything about your life, allegiance, values or even your identity." Xanthe says solemnly.

Rey looks back and forth between Xanthe and Ahsoka, displeasure written all over her face. "I guess there is no point in discussing this anymore, so I'm going to go and meditate." she declares and walks off into the Odessen wilderness not bothering to wait for a reply from either of them. Xanthe watches Rey leave and sighs. "So... Ahsoka, that went well." she states sarcastically.

"She will cool down eventually. I strongly stand by my opinion. She isn't ready. Maybe meditation will actually help." Ahsoka replies. She sighs, "Yes, perhaps. But if he truly is still present and hasn't become one with the Force yet and he is aware of Rey, then she is in danger. I wouldn't put it past him to manipulate her through her meditations. In fact, who knows if what she saw before was just a vision or Sidious actually trying to find her." Imperius states. "I guess I will go and meditate as well. I had been trying to get a balance in the Force, and kept my people in hiding in order to keep that balance of light and dark. Yet if Sidious is still alive… Hopefully the Force gives us a hint of what our next step should be. I will see you later." As she turns to leave, Ahsoka calls out "Xanthe wait. You do realise Palpatine called you Xrysi Sathor right?"
"Yes, why are you asking? That's the name I gave to you also when we first met."
"True, but Rey hasn't heard it before. When she calms down and has processed everything, she will ask about that name."

Xanthe sighs. "When that time comes, I will explain the alias I used. Right now, I think we have larger issues." she replies and leaves, walking into the Odessen wilderness.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the forests of Odessen, Xanthe finally reached a secluded spot. Looking around she sees a familiar cave, still with the equipment she left in it the last time she was here. She walks slowly to the abandoned campsite structure, inspecting it. She notices the markings despite some of the parts had faded and takes the remains of the banner into her hands, running her fingers along the insignia of the Galactic Alliance. Closing her eyes and sighing silently she whispers, "Oh Lana…I could really use your advice right now."

"Well all you ever needed to do was ask, "Commander". It took you long enough."

Xanthe's eyes widen in shock as she quickly spins around coming face to face with the former Dark Advisor, former Minister of Sith Intelligence and Sith Lord- Lana Beniko.

"No… Lana? Is it really you?" Xanthe whispers with a shaky voice, not trusting her voice to go any louder without it cracking. "Yes love, it's me." Lana confirms with a smile. "But, all this time…" Xanthe trails off, unsure of where to start. Lana chuckles and sits down on a log near the campsite. "It is your own fault really. You were too stubborn to let go and in doing so, you prevented me from being able to visit, although I am aware that was not your intention. I know people do things they don't mean when they are hurting or upset. So instead, I had gotten in contact with Lord Scourge and Padawan Ahsoka Tano, or should I say, "Fulcrum" out of all people, to try and talk to you on my behalf. I even asked Master Yoda to deliver a message to you."

"Yes… I spoke to Yoda. And Scourge only told me recently that he had actually spoken with you."

Leaning back onto the wall, not trusting her legs to support her, she continues, " It has been so long… I can't believe you are actually here… This isn't a trick is it? Did I accidentally inhale hallucinogenic spores on the way here?"

Lana shakes her head and lets out a lighthearted laugh. "I can assure you, I am very much real. And as I'm sure you have suspected by now, I also met Rey on Korriban. It seems that some of us, depending on our willpower, mastery and understanding of the Force, we can summon an almost complete physical form. It isn't easy or something that can be done on a whim, but it can be done as was demonstrated on Korriban. After all, all life flows through the Force.

The Force is in all things. Darth Plagueis was able to create or at least manipulate life in midichlorians using the Force, so it shouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that those who deny the will of the Force and retain their self and not become one with the Force, could assume a physical body albeit temporarily."

"So it really was you on Korriban. You were the hooded individual." Xanthe voiced, more of a statement than a question. Lana nodded in response. Xanthe breathes deeply and closes her eyes for a moment. " This place brings back so many memories. It is… comforting. And seeing you here… it's almost as if nothing has changed. For a brief moment I forgot you died."

"No one's ever really gone. You should know that by now."

Xanthe turns her head in surprise, hearing Luke's voice. "You too?"

"Of course. I didn't want to interrupt a private moment, but I just wanted to prove a point and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity… As well as see your reaction. Now I know how Old Ben and Yoda feel. I might do this more often just to see the expression on your face." Luke comments with a grin.

His grin fades as he remembers the other reason for his appearance. "Also, I will need to talk to Rey. She is conflicted. Being "Grey" is one thing, but for Rey to be the hope of the Resistance and of the Jedi, she still needs to pass the trials and master the values of a Jedi. Otherwise, she may become another Kylo Ren. Ahsoka managed this feat, only by first mastering what it means to be a Jedi and then understanding when to relax or bend the rules. And the discipline involved helps when controlling aspects of the Dark Side when the need arises."

Lana nods in agreement. "Yes, I agree with Master Skywalker. For us, it is different as we learnt in the dark before learning the light and so you could call us more... "Amicable" Sith. For Rey, since you fear her nature changing should you try exposing her to Sith teachings, you must let her be grounded in the ways of the Jedi first. Ahsoka has helped with her "grey" methods, but I believe it should have been the other way around. Ahsoka's training will help when combating the elements of the Dark Side, but it may not help her from resisting Sidious' influence or from the fear he will most certainly instill in her."

"Fear is the greatest downfall of any Jedi. She needs to truly learn what it means to be a Jedi in order to rebuild the Jedi Order and to conquer her battle with Kylo Ren and the Emperor. And with that, I think I will take my leave. I will leave you to your conversation while I try to speak to Rey." Luke states before he vanishes.

Xanthe continues staring at the spot Luke disappeared from until finally commenting, "...Well now, it seems Luke has taken to his new form very well." With a light laugh Lana responds "Yes, I believe so."

"I thought I was doing the right thing by bringing her here." Xanthe states with a sad sigh. "I wanted her to become a Jedi so badly as to bring balance to the Force, but here we are with Sidious that may not be truly gone and Rey somehow being involved in his schemes. This is starting to sound like another Valkorion. How could I not notice something like this? Genetic code? How in the blazes could she be genetically connected to him? And even so, why now? You would assume she would be as old as the formation of the New Republic at least if that were true." Turning back to face Lana, she asks "I have made this too personal with Rey haven't I? I admit, she reminds me too much of Cora. I thought I could help her the way I helped my sister, but Cora didn't seem to have the same troubles on Korriban as Rey experienced. Holocron or not."

Noticing Lana's lack of response, it started to arouse suspicions in Xanthe. "For you to be awfully quiet about this is unusual and only happens in certain circumstances. It may have been a long time, but that doesn't mean I have forgotten things… Is there anything you would like to share with me..."Advisor"?" Xanthe asks, in an unusually polite tone with her arms crossed.

Lana seemed to hesitate briefly before responding, "There are…. Things that we cannot be directly involved in. As part of our new "nature" I suppose, we are privy to more knowledge, information and abilities than we ever could be while we were alive. The Force has "rules" I suppose you could say. What I can tell you, as you probably did suspect knowing that Sidious isn't completely gone, is that yes, Sidious has tampered with those rules. The Force is constantly trying to restore balance as you have stated many times. You have done nothing wrong by trying to make Rey follow a Jedi's path. It is unfortunate that Master Skywalker refused to train her. That action alone had changed things. But the reason Luke Skywalker became a recluse… Why he refused to train Rey and caused her to become a… "lost Jedi" perhaps? Could it be possible that these things… These actions and events were done on purpose, perhaps even orchestrated?"

Xanthe frowns, "What are you trying to say?"

"What I am saying is that perhaps there is more to you and Rey than you realise. You have done nothing wrong by bringing her here. After all, it helped you to come to terms and reconcile with your past. Now Rey needs a friend more than ever. She needs the guidance of a Jedi now more than ever. And if she can't have that, then a friend can be better than any Jedi. She is like the new Meetra Surik of the Jedi. Her role that is. She will find others like her… She will find other "Lost Jedi" and with them, rebuild the Jedi Order."

Xanthe raises an eyebrow and comments, "Hmph. That almost sounded like it was quoted."

Lana actually looked slightly embarrassed. "Well… Somewhat. I had spoken to the Exile myself and she told me of the events that led to her Exile and the rebuilding of the Jedi Order and her death at the hands of Lord Scourge. She mentioned that the Sith Lord Darth Traya- also called Kreia, told her of the "Lost Jedi", basically those who were Force sensitive, but never discovered by the Jedi to be trained."

"I see." Xanthe replies, nodding her head slightly. "Too bad Cora isn't around, perhaps she could have helped Rey."

"I agree. But as I said, things have been…. Tampered with. What you have done by keeping our Sith preserved and keeping Ahsoka safe and in a semi Grey state and trying to keep Rey in the Light have helped keep things stable, but only just. Because you see, with the Sith thriving in Wild Space and the Jedi flourishing in the Core Worlds, for all intents and purposes, there should have been balance. But then, if the balance is there, then why were the Jedi destroyed when the Sith were still there? Why did this happen?" Lana asks Xanthe, not too unlike a teacher questioning a student.

Xanthe frowns, "I am still trying to understand what happened. I must be missing something. Sidious convinced Anakin Skywalker to join him. After that, the Jedi were destroyed. Anakin was thought to be the Chosen One. The one to bring balance. He had the opportunity to destroy Bane's Order of Two and restore the two factions, but instead he decimated the Jedi Order and in doing so, destroyed any balance there could have been."

"Yes, but his wife was already pregnant with twins was she not?"

"Yes? Your point?"

"The Force had a failsafe. Twins. Two Force sensitive children to bring balance back. Yet only one was trained. Balance was semi restored, with Vader saving Luke and destroying the Emperor and thus, somewhat fulfilling the role of the Chosen One. And for many years, everything seemed to be ok. Our Sith were keeping the Dark Side balance and Luke was rebuilding the Jedi Order with Ben Solo, hence keeping the Light Side balance. Yet then Luke became fearful, Snoke appeared out of nowhere, the Dark Side sect- Knights of Ren appeared and the Jedi all but decimated once again, as if someone was trying to stop the Force from achieving this balance. The only thing that hasn't been taken into account is Ahsoka Tano.

The Force is suffering from the imbalance and is being manipulated. Darth Traya had dreamed of being able to kill the Force, but this individual is wanting to do what Valkorion was trying to do- Control the very Force itself. This individual is getting closer, but the fact that Ahsoka is still a Jedi- Grey or not, she is still more attuned and aligned with the Light, is the only reason the Force has not resolved to more "drastic" measures of balance."
"You know who is orchestrating this?" Xanthe asks

"Yes, but I cannot get more involved than I already have regarding this matter. There are things you and Rey must discover yourself, no matter how much I would like to give you all the information you desire. Such is the will of the Force I suppose."

"That does not help me at all Lana. All you have done is created more questions."

"I know and I am sorry. I have said much more than I had intended and others will probably reprimand me for that. But I could not leave without telling you this. It is not just the Sith and the Jedi that will be affected by this. It isn't just the galaxy that will be devastated by this. Force ghosts- including myself may cease to exist if something is not done. We cannot be directly involved as we are part of the Force now. We can only do so much in keeping balance from the other side. It is up to all of you. The only Force ghost that may be exempt is Anakin Skywalker due to his unique circumstances, but I am not sure."

Xanthe looks at Lana alarmed. "No." She replies, shaking her head. "No, no, no. I will not lose you again. I will do whatever it takes. I destroyed Valkorion. I will destroy whoever is behind this also. Tell me where I need to go."

"All I can tell you is that you must follow the path you see before you and see where it leads. Go with Rey to find the ruins of the Death Star and follow wherever the path leads you from there. Be there for Rey. She has no one else."

"I will not abandon her Lana. You have my word." Xanthe promises. "In saying that, don't you dare leave me either."

"Never. I will always be with you, as I always have. Just try not to be so stubborn in the future." Lana says with a slight smile.

"I will do my best." Xanthe says, with a slight smile as well. "I… I love you Lana. I always have and I always will."

"And I you, my love. Unfortunately I must go. I assume Luke has finished speaking with Rey. You should find her."

"Very well."

"Goodbye Xanthe. May the Force ever serve you." Lana replies with a smile.

"Goodbye Lana." Xanthe replies, Lana bowing her head as she vanishes. As soon as she has completely vanished, Xanthe lets out a long sigh. "Here we go again. Khem Val would have definitely been helpful now… Well, time to find Rey and tell Ahsoka of these new developments. Maybe I should've just taken the role of Empress and stayed in Wild Space…" She mutters to herself, walking back to the dirt trail to find Rey.