Visions
The sun shone through the treetops in the jungle of Ajan Kloss, warming the grass and rocks on the ground.
"Be with me…" Rey's eyes were closed as she meditated. She was sitting cross-legged but with the help of the Force, her meditation caused her to float upwards, leaving her sitting on nothing but air. Rocks surrounded her as they began to levitate around her.
"Be with me…" Her hands lay on her knees, and she tried to focus her breathing and reach out to the Force beyond her. She reached out to feel the Force flowing through and around her, over and under, in between light and dark, trying to find the balance. She could vaguely feel the cloth of her tunic against her skin, and the wind blowing strands of her hair.
"Be with me…" Rey's eyes remained closed for a few more moments before her expression became one of disappointment.
"They're not with me," Rey said as she opened her eyes. She groaned in frustration and let the rocks around her fall heavily to the ground. Her vision spun for a moment as she arched her back whilst flipping forward to land lightly on her feet. She huffed in annoyance as she walked back over to where her master, General Leia Organa, was standing with a kind smile on her face.
"Rey," she said sympathetically, and somehow, through that one syllable, she wrapped Rey in feelings of warmth, comfort, encouragement, and gentle firmness that made her the great leader she was. Her hair was pinned up in a way that was both elegant and practical and her regal robes of red and blue stood out against the green foliage surrounding them. Leia was everything that Rey strived to be one day, and the mother she never had.
"Be patient," Leia encouraged, her eyes crinkling in a soft smile.
"I'm starting to think that isn't possible," Rey said with an air of defeat. "To hear the voices of the Jedi who came before." Leia shook her head and gave her a knowing smile.
"Nothing's impossible," she said confidently.
"Nothing's impossible?" Rey raised an eyebrow with a slight smile on her lips. "I'm going to run the training course." Leia nodded and held Luke's repaired saber out to her, strangely reminiscent of when Rey had offered Luke his saber on Ahch-To so long ago. Rey looked down at Leia's hand and took the saber gently as if she were afraid it would break in half again. When she lifted her eyes back up to meet her master's, she saw nothing but compassion and encouragement in her eyes. Rey smiled before she ran past her and into the jungle.
Leia watched Rey sprint into the trees with a warm smile on her face, and her smile broadened when she noticed BB-8 chasing after her. It reminded her of R2-D2 when he would follow Luke around. She felt a growing sense of pride in her chest that she hadn't felt since… since Ben. Her smile slipped for a moment. Rey was a wonderful student, a brilliant, young, and headstrong girl that was full of life. She supposed that she saw a bit of herself in the young scavenger, eager, innocent, fierce, and perfectly capable of handling herself. She was often the most powerful or the most capable member of a team. She was close friends with the former stormtrooper, Finn, and Poe, and while Leia found it sweet at how much they worried over her, especially Finn, she couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the irony. Rey was often the one having to save them from danger, not the other way around.
Leia realized that she was twisting the ring on her finger, one of the last things she owned from Alderaan. It was a nervous habit and she looked up again to where Rey had disappeared. The girl was powerful but also kind and compassionate. She was also very stubborn and got frustrated easily when she wasn't able to do something, not realizing how fast she was learning things.
Rey was like the daughter Leia never had, and she reminded her of Ben so much that her heart ached. They were polar opposites at times, but also much more similar than she had initially noticed. However, Leia hadn't seen her son in a very long time, he might have been a stranger to her by now. Her chest ached when she thought of Han, but she didn't hold any anger towards her son for what he did. She knew that he was being manipulated by the Dark side, she had sensed it since before he was born. Leia blamed herself for not doing anything about it sooner. She had almost given up hope that her son would ever return to her, but Rey…
Leia knew that Rey cared for Ben much more than she wanted to admit. Despite her hurt at what had happened before Crait, Leia knew that she still held out hope for him. Rey had confided in her often about the events that had happened during her time with Luke, and after. She felt for the girl because she knew the agony she felt as she could only watch Ben fall further and further away from her. But it warmed her heart a little to know that someone cared for him and that he seemed to care for her. Leia didn't want to get her hopes up, but wasn't that the driving factor of her life? Hope? It's how she had met Han, wasn't it? And Luke? Oh, Luke, Leia thought. What do I do? How can I help Rey? How can I help her… and Ben?
Rey sprinted past the trees, the wind whipping her hair and clothes. She was vaguely aware of BB-8 rolling as fast as he could behind her, trying to keep up. Rey called on the Force to fuel her legs, to make it seem as if she were almost flying across the ground. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the large ditch. She grabbed the helmet from the stick and glanced behind her as the familiar buzz of the training droid whizzing towards her. The thin branch that stretched across the drop wobbled as she stepped on it. Even though it felt as if she was going to fall to her death, Rey took a deep breath and completely immersed herself in the Force. She pulled the blast shield down so it covered her face, ignited her lightsaber, and stepped out off the cliff.
Rey was still facing the side she had left on as she let the Force guide her actions. She was almost able to see the remote as small laser blasts shot towards her. She deflected it away with her lightsaber, the blue blade contrasting sharply against the red hue of the bolt. It wouldn't kill her, but it would still sting. Although Rey wasn't sure if it stung her body or her pride. It was as if she could feel the droid move as if it were part of her as she raised her saber again. She turned around but her concentration wavered and she nearly lost her footing. Trusting the Force, she recovered quickly and deflected three shots back to back. The blade of her saber hummed as it sliced through the air. Rey dropped her saber to catch it with her other hand in a reverse grip, to deflect another shot to her legs. It reminded her of how she had first used that technique with the Praetorian Guard on the Supremacy with… No, she couldn't think of him now. She quickly pushed him out of her mind as she pulled off the helmet, letting it fall to the ground as she ran forwards, her movements rustling the foliage around her.
Continuing to deflect blasts from the droid, Rey called on the Force again to help her scale the tall tree in front of her. Still wielding her lightsaber, she grabbed a branch with her hand and braced her feet against the trunk. Her other hand slashed her lightsaber through the air, cutting the red ribbon hanging from the limb. Rey dropped to the ground and quickly switched off her lightsaber. Her hand shot out to catch the red fabric, the edges still smoking from her saber.
She broke into a dead run, running back the way she came. Instead of crossing the gorge ahead via the branch, she simply continued to run across a log and the Force helped her leap across to the other side of the cliff. BB-8 whistled as he saw her coming. Rey dropped into a roll as she landed and began running through the jungle again, with BB-8 and the training droid close behind.
A cloud of vapor rose into the air with a hiss as the compartment opened. As the smog cleared, it revealed the remnants of the helmet of Darth Vader. Waves of darkness and power seemed to be rolling off of it. Kylo Ren stared down at the battered and worn helmet with almost a detached interest. He no longer held Vader on a pedestal anymore, he had grown to embrace his own power.
As the last of the mist cleared away, Kylo put his gloved hand on the mask. He could feel the power around it and he closed his eyes as he went deep into the Force. She wouldn't be hard to find. She never was.
Rey was running faster and faster and the adrenaline was pumping through her veins, she felt invincible at that moment. Suddenly, her foot caught on a tree root and she fell to the ground. She grunted as she fell, her frustration mounting. She bolted upright instantly and called her saber to her hand and ignited it, dirt still clinging to her clothes. The red training droid flew past her head and before she could blink, it fired. Rey felt the bolt hit her upper arm and she winced. BB-8 stopped when Rey fell and turned around to look at her.
Rey felt a surge of anger rising in her chest, all of her frustration and her worries building up, so she released it through her arm and swung her saber. The blue blade sliced through empty space as the droid nimbly moved away. She held her saber in a defensive position and narrowed her eyes at the droid, copying its movements. BB-8 looked back and forth between Rey and the droid and beeped in confusion. Rey lunged and stabbed forwards but again her blade was only met with air and she stumbled forwards. The droid managed to hit her in the arm again. She gave a yelp of pain as she backed away. Her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes darkened. She turned back to face the droid again, yelling and baring her teeth. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Leia's voice telling her to calm her emotions. But Rey didn't listen to her, she was tired of this and she was angry.
Rey swung her saber, again and again, yelling in frustration as she continued to miss. The blade shook violently as it cut through a tree trunk but Rey didn't even seem to notice. She tried another slash to her left but she overestimated and it cut down another tree and a flurry of sparks spewed forth from her blade. She was vaguely reminded of Starkiller Base when the trees had been falling around her and Ky- no. She cleared her head and was only focused on the infuriating droid evading her. Her face was tight and her teeth were bared as she yelled fiercely.
Kylo's eyes were still closed, but he could see her so clearly. He could feel her, see her, in the Force. He focused more and reached deeper and deeper.
Rey was seeing red now, and her anger was overtaking her. Yelling, she threw her lightsaber towards the droid. It missed and it spun, cutting through trees as it made its way back to her. Frustration mounting, Rey thrust out her hand and a dead branch flew into her grasp. She spun the branch and slammed it into the droid, pinning it to a tree. With her other hand, the red ribbon still in her grasp, her saber smacked into her palm with a resounding thud. She glared at the droid, breathing heavily.
Kylo searched deeper and deeper, until at last. He found Rey's consciousness and latched onto it. She was angry, and he fed into it before suddenly he stopped short.
Rey's eyes snapped in front of her as if her gaze was abruptly drawn by something unseen. She could feel something, no, someone in her mind… Suddenly she could no longer see the tree in front of her. Her vision flashed and she heard a horrible screech of lightning and thunder.
She was somewhere dark, she didn't know where. It was cold, Rey felt as if icy tendrils were crawling down her back. Lightning flashed and she could see a hulking black silhouette, spikes jutted out from the sides and pure darkness rolled off of it.
Rey saw herself as a child, screaming as a ship flew away from her. A beautiful woman filled her vision then, her face worried, a blue hood pulled over her head as she clutched her child to her chest. Her green eyes shone with fear and Rey felt a sense of terror and desperation wash over her. Rey was breathing heavily, her face becoming more and more pained. Then she heard a bloodcurdling scream.
"NO!" a woman's voice screamed in agony, eerily similar to Rey's. Rey felt panic rising up in her, but she was paralyzed, unable to move anywhere else, or even close her eyes. Her vision flashed again and she saw was back on the dark planet and lightning illuminated the horrible black shadow. It was a throne, she realized, and someone was sitting in it! Rey felt dread boiling in her stomach.
"Join me." Her heart froze when the low, familiar voice filled her ears. She saw Kylo holding out his hand to her in desperation on the Supremacy. She could feel his agony and anguish at her refusal as if it were her own.
"Join me," his words rang in her ears as she was transported back to the throne and was horrified to see herself sitting upon it. Her skin was deathly pale, a black hood was drawn over her head, and her eyes were milky white, staring into nothingness. Then her eyes were open, but a black hood was still drawn over her face, but her cold expression was illuminated by the red glow of double-bladed red lightsaber.
Kylo saw all of these images flash past him. He saw Rey, he saw Exegol, he saw himself, he saw Rey again. He heard his own voice, pleading with her to take his hand. Then it was replaced by a much deeper and menacing voice.
"Join me," the voice of Darth Vader echoed in his head but Rey could hear it, too.
"Ben, no!" Luke's voice screamed through their ears as they saw Luke Skywalker standing on Ahch-To, the way Rey had seen him when she had offered him his lightsaber for the first time.
They saw Kylo's face, dirty and sweaty from Mustafar. Ash and dirt clung to his face and his hair fell into his eyes as he shook his head slightly, eyes downcast.
Kylo's eyes flew open but instead of seeing his quarters on the Steadfast, all he could see were the images flashing through his mind.
"You killed him…" Snoke's voice taunted him as he saw his father walking towards him on the walkway in Starkiller Base.
"BEN!" He heard his father's desperate cry as he saw himself stab his father through the chest. Han Solo's face was pale, shocked, but it hurt the most when he reached to put his hand on his son's face. Kylo could still feel his hand on his cheek, the skin still warm as his father looked at him with sadness, resignation, and love. Han Solo's body tumbled off the walkway into the abyss below.
Kylo opened his eyes again, and this time he could see his grandfather's mask staring up at him with an accusing gaze. He tore his hand away from the mask and quickly left his chambers, his breath uneven. He clenched his gloved hands into fists to keep them from shaking.
On Ajan Kloss, Rey was breathing heavily and her body was trembling. She didn't know what to make of the visions, but she knew that she wasn't the only one who saw it. She could feel Kylo's presence leave her mind as quickly as it had entered. But she could feel his discomfort, as well. She knew that the visions hadn't entirely been her own, she could feel Han Solo's hand on her own cheek, and the pain and anguish in her chest that Kylo felt. She could remember his memories. Her body shook and she clung to the branch desperately for fear that she would collapse. Her breath came in uneven, heavy pants as she trembled.
An indignant beep brought her back to reality. She turned to see BB-8 trapped under a tree that she had cut down. Rey's eyes widened and she dropped her stick and the ribbon and rushed over to him.
"BB-8, I'm so sorry!" She knelt down next to the droid and saw that one of his orang discs had come loose and popped off, leaving parts of his wires and systems out in the open. Rey winced and she felt terrible for hurting her friend. Oh, no, she thought. Poe was going to be furious with her. Not that he needed to, Rey was already disappointed in herself.
When she made it back to base, she cleaned BB-8 and herself up as best as she could. She was stuffing things in her bag when she heard Leia come up behind her.
"I didn't finish the training course," she said sheepishly. "I got distracted." Rey flung her quarterstaff across her back and stood and turned to meet her master's gaze. "I'm just…" she paused, unsure how to continue. "Not feeling myself." When she met Leia's knowing gaze, she quickly said, "I know it looks … it looks like I'm making excuses." Leia shook her head kindly.
"Don't tell me what things look like, tell me what they are." Her voice was gentle, but Rey still felt uneasy.
"I think I'm just tired, that's all." She winced as soon as the words were out of her mouth and judging by Leia's expression, she knew it was a lie, too.
"General," Lieutenant Connix's voice came from the side. "The Falcon still hasn't arrived, Commander's asking for guidance." Kaydel Connix was a strong but kind woman, who was very much like Leia in a lot of ways. Leia nodded and Connix began to make her way back to the main hanger. Rey unhooked Luke's saber from her belt and handed it to Leia.
"I will earn your brother's saber," she said softly. "One day." As Leia took it, BB-8 beeped questioningly, earning a small smile out of Rey.
"No, you can't do it for me," she said, laughing lightly and smiling at the little astromech. Leia raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Never underestimate a droid," she said with a sly smile before walking after Connix. Rey turned to watch her leave and smiled faintly.
"Yes, Master." She looked down to see BB-8 beeping at her again. "I don't know, BB-8," she said, kneeling down in front of the droid. "I don't know what it was that I saw, and it just...the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth." BB-8 beeped a little more forcefully this time. Rey smiled and said, "No, I tell you everything. I know you can keep a secret." She winked and stood up. She began walking towards the mechanic's station to fix BB-8.
Her smile faltered a little, though, as she thought of her vision again. And when she thought of Kylo, her heart stuttered and she nearly stumbled over a power cord lying on the ground. She tried to clear her head but the only things she could see were Kylo's dark, piercing eyes. And she knew all too well how dangerously easy it was to get lost in his deep gaze that seemed to set her on fire every time he looked at her. BB-8 beeped again, and it shook Rey out of her trance enough to quickly follow BB-8 through the base, without thinking of him.