Star Wars: A dyad in the Force Chapter 71: Imperial Court - An Old Ally, a star wars fanfic

Warning: Major Spoilers of TRoS.

Note: This is a Reylo FanFiction (slow-burn)

「Imperial Court」

「Act 71: An Old Ally」

Imperial Supreme Court, Galactic City, Coruscant 38ABY

The pain wasn't sharp like needlepoint or a knife; it burned around his innards better than boiling water. Ben awaited such amount of pain as his memories kicked in, and the prosecutor made sure to remind him of crime after crime and murder after murder. Everything felt scolded and move or not; he was in more pain than he could have ever imagined was possible. A blast would be mercy right now, taking him out of his misery, especially now that he appeared and would spoil everything. But how was it even possible?

"Order in my court," the Chancellor demanded, "You might proceed!"

"Told you, kid, I would always be with you," the male figure said and turned and faced the court, leaving a very dumbfound Ben gazing at him, "I'm Master Jedi," he paused and took the hoodie down, revealing his face "Jedi Luke Skywalker, and I am with you now, to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth."

For so long, Luke had shut himself off almost became a Force-Ghost after projecting himself to fight Ben. Now the Force was roaring around him, and he was whole again. The Force had sent Anakin, of that Luke was now inevitable. He had arrived bearing the message and trying to push Luke to stand once more. He was not the Force's vessel; he was the Force, Anakin was the chosen one, and he had proven it.

And now it was Luke's time to repair what his grief and guilt had created; Yoda told him once that 'Failure is the beginning.' and now he could understand. He was trying to shield the galaxy from his failure; he had remained hidden in Ahch-To and then inside the Force as a Ghost-Force. But Luke Skywalker wasn't that pathetic; he was the son of Anakin and Padmé; he was Leia's brother and a rightful Jedi master. And today, he would once again stand his ground and make things right.

"How is this possible," a few of the jury asked, puzzled, eyeing Luke carefully in disbelief.

Maz Kanata smirked as she could finally relax against her seat; Luke was exactly what this courtroom needed. "The Force always finds it's way," Maz said as she looked at Ben, who was still in shock. His past was hunting him today in taking any form, even the state of his uncle.

"Did you know?" Finn asked Poe, who seemed now as well relaxed only by seeing that Luke was there, "But how?"

"It cannot be," the prosecutor distrusting the male figure standing in front of her that looked like Luke Skywalker, "What kind of trickery is this?"

"But you died?" said another person from the prosecutor's team.

"I'm here, to tell the truth," Luke repeated, "I wasn't dead; who said I was? People tend to misread the Force."

Across the hall, a very confused and happy Chewie was helping Rey to return to the courtroom. The medical unit had boosted her system, and Jannah remained to take the medical results after the blood testing would be done. She was worried when she watched Rey faint earlier, and she wouldn't let Rey leave the medical unit if they didn't examine her.

'You were aware Luke could do that?' Rey's thought reached Ben through their dyad. She was still a little bit dizzy, but when she stepped into the courtroom, she had a big smile on her face. She always had fate in Luke, even if Ben still didn't fully trust him.

'No,' he answered as his eyes were resting against Luke. Still, his brain stuttered for a moment, and his eyes took in more information that he could. A part of him was happy to see Rey back and standing on her feet. But Luke's presence had robbed the moment away from him. He wanted to yell in frustration, tell Luke to stop messing with his life, but he didn't. He was still frozen, gazing at him, lost at what was happening.

"Enough," the Chancellor interrupted, "I approved Luke Skywalker to take part in this trial because I want answers as much as everyone inside this courtroom. Prosecutors sit down; we heard your statement earlier, now Master Luke Skywalker can take the stand."

Luke shared a moment with Dark Rey when Luke returned and found out that the Galaxy was finally organized, and the ruler was a Palpatine; he went to meet her. To his surprise, Dark Rey somehow managed to accomplish what Leia, Han, and he didn't do all those years. He took his time and observed her and her ways, and although she was a cruel politician without a heart or remorse, she seemed fair enough, and he came to agree with her being the new Chancellor.

"I know what Ben Solo did, as Kylo Ren, the terror, and distraction he caused all over the Galaxy, the lives he took and those that he saved, the crimes he committed, and those crimes that are falsely hunting him. Let me tell you a short story, how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren, let me narrate through the facts, and then feel free to judge him and me." Luke spoke with determination; this time, he was as powerful as the Jedi master people knew. And thankfully, Rian Johnson wasn't around to mess with his character.

Luke took a small pause gazing at Ben, making sure he would hear him out. Ben's terrifying gaze was pinned against Luke; he was panting, not wanting to hear his story by Luke because he knew he would make excuses and try to save him, but Ben didn't want to be saved. He had said that line so many times; it was carved into his mind.

Next look turned towards the audience, who seemed troubled and restless, there he saw Rey and gave her a small node, ensuring her, this time he would not run away. Rey smiled at him as she and Chewie took a seat. Rey felt the warmth now of her surroundings, and she could relax and observe the trial. She was watching for hours now the prosecutors slowly ripping Ben apart, and she couldn't aid him at all. That was breaking her heart, but hope rose again, with Luke being there.

"Ben was born in a complicated family, with too many responsibilities, with legacies waiting for him." Luke said, "His mother was raised by Bail Organa, who taught her about politics, leadership, and war. Leia was a brutal strategist, a leader, and a fighter. She accepted her Organa heritage and believed in the New Republic, and she more than anyone promised a fair, equal government for everyone under the Law. And she would drag me, Han, and Chewie to see it done. She was the boss."

Fond little laughter rippled through the audience, and Luke noted that he had woken the crowd, won them over slowly. It was time for him to say the words his listeners wouldn't want to hear.

"In our busy lives, and with a history of grief and terror, hunting us, little Ben was born in our family. Ben didn't know what he would have to face, and we surely didn't help him understand. Leia loved her son, but she wanted her son to succeed in all of the Legacies, Organa, Skywalker, and Solo. I needed to take him away from his mother, taking away because I thought he would turn to the dark side, and he would end up hurting Leia. I was so blinded, after watching my son killing his mother, and after I had to fight him and watch him take a fall to his death." Luke sighed as now his eyes had softened and gazed at Ben apologetic.

"My son, of course, didn't die; I always knew that, but I couldn't bring myself to hunt him down. Until he became a bigger threat to the Galaxy, you already know his story as Delkor. In the end, I created one more tragedy, cousin fighting cousin, and in the end, my son took his own life. Anyway, back to Ben now, he was the grandson of Darth Vader. And we make sure that Ben was unaware of his true lineage. His parents had decided to keep it a secret for his own protection. I persuaded Leia that it would be the best way to protect Ben by hiding the truth." Luke laughed at the irony.

The crowd gossiped, and Luke paused to let it subside before continuing; the council had many questions, the jury also waited for Luke to go on with the story. Because most knew about Leia Organa, but her family's personal affairs and what kind of mother she was, it wasn't clear.

"We agreed to tell Ben when he was older, Han disagreed, but we insisted. Like I insisted on taking him from his parents and train him when I felt the Force strong in him. Leia agreed as she had a vision, seeing her son die while serving the dark side." Luke took a moment to breathe. "That vision caused her to stop training herself to become a Jedi, and that vision was proof that her son had a raw power force inside him like our father. I ended up training Ben for years; I knew the truth of Anakin Skywalker's past. I never revealed it to Ben."

"We all had some childhood drama, Luke, but we didn't end up bringing the Galaxy to its end!" Nakim interrupted him, and a few of the audience and Juri agreed.

"Let me finish the story, Nakim," Luke prompted and went on, "No one told Ben the truth. He was forgotten in the Jedi Temple with his Uncle, who was supposed to train him to become a Jedi. The only son of Rebel Alliance heroes Leia Organa and Han Solo, and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's nephew and protégé, Ben Solo, had the potential to be a great force for light the galaxy. But not any longer. We took that away from Ben when he woke up and found me upon him, ready to strike him down. The Skywalker's legacy, that cast a long shadow of the dark side, won him over. Voices from both his past and future were trying to convince him who he must be. Snoke waited for him. The knights of Ren waited as well. He was shattered, he was reforged, and his destiny was eventually revealed."

Ben felt his emotional pain burning him as Luke was finally telling the truth; he was slowly pointing out that Ben's family was not perfect. They made mistakes, and Ben was quickly pushed to the dark side, but he fought it as much as possible until he couldn't any longer. That didn't change his past or wrongdoings, but it gave the monster a face and a reason. And Luke wanted the court and audience to know.

"Snoke's specific methods of seducing Ben to the dark side had started. The perfect Puppet of the Emperor was finally able to crack into Ben's mind. He encouraged Ben not to deny his true self, fostering Ben's feelings of inadequacy and expectations that he felt have been placed on him. And his plan had finally found solid ground after Ben defended himself against me and left. Until now, Ben always believed that he burned the temple and took all those lives, " Luke shook his head and exhaled.

"Sorry, kid, but since when can you create blue lightning, it was the emperor all along, who needed you to believe that it was your doing, and you believed him!" Luke said as he turned and faced Ben. "I trusted you would be better than that, but I guess you were still trying to fight all the darkness."

Ben shook his head. "No, I was there. It was me, I am sure, I..." Ben paused, recalling the moment when the arcs of lightning came from the sky and struck the temple, causing the fire. He felt his chest tightened until today he was sure it was his doing; the Emperor was still playing him, and he wasn't even around any longer.

"No, you didn't, Ben," Luke faced the court again, "You said that Ben was trying to destroy the Resistance fleed, that was Hux and Snoke's commanding, Ben never fired that day, Leia was there, and she felt the connection to his conflict. You said that he tried to kill his mother and me, but again you were wrong. Indeed we have argued and fought with Ben, but Ben didn't kill any of us. Even if he wanted to believe it was his doing, it was our choice to protect him. And then you said he wanted to completely wipe out an entire star system to eliminate the New Republic." Luke smirked. "Yes, he took over the First Order but wiping out whole star systems where never Kylo Ren's doings; Pryde ordered those attacks. Kylo Ren was at the time after Rey, obsessed to bring her to the Dark Side."

"He still is obsessed with her," Poe mumbled, hiding a smile, recalling Ben's reactions around Rey. "But she is even worse,"

There was a moment of silence after most had heard Poe and tried what to do with that information. They chose to ignore it, only Ben and Rey glared at Poe, and he felt his gazes burning against him.

"And what I needed to point out is that Ben, after Exegol spent years trying to redeem himself. He led himself in Jakku, living in exile, putting himself through hell. He was beaten, treated wrongly, almost starved to death, but he didn't complain. When General Poe had come and asked him to become the Spy on the remaining First Order, to obtain the information about the new darkness rising, Ben agreed. If the Resistance hadn't saved him, he was ready to die for a cause that wasn't his for the beginning. He put his life at risk multiple times, without even thinking about it, and he is self-aware of his past; he wakes and sleeps inside that pain." Luke concluded, and only then had he noted the audience and court being speechless.

"Your story is touching, Luke, but it still doesn't justify his actions. You can try to convince us that Ben Solo is still a confused child that never grew up and only managed to find maturity now. But we aren't usually the ones that handle that. Even if his life is filled with suffering now, and even if he tries to redeem himself, it will not affect the verdict." the prosecutor argued after a long moment.

Luke smirked and gazed at her "Nakim; I just wanted to set the facts straight. I never said anything about Ben being a confused child, but I believe my point is taken," he turned around. "Now, the rest is up to you, just be aware not to take away someone like Ben Solo from the Galaxy; it will be a loss."

"You are trying to present him as someone who turned fully to the light side, but if we asked now, Ben Solo about the light and dark side, which side would he want to be part of?" the prosecutor stood up and walked towards Ben, "Defender can you answer my question,"

Ben had to smirk at her ignorance, as did Luke. Until now, he wouldn't defend himself or try to talk his way out, but when the Force was brought in the discussion, and the prosecutors' ignorance made him a bit angry, and Ben finally spoke, not about himself, but the Force. "Trying to divide the galaxy to the light side or the dark side, created chaotic events all those years, you people don't understand the basics, the Galaxy needs balance." Ben rested his hands against the desk; the cuffs were still around his wrists, "Inside us there is darkness, and there is light; we need both to continue, some of our actions are dark, and some aren't. That doesn't mean that the dark side is evil; the previous generation started to mix up that the dark side and evil are two different things. As Anakin had figured it, as the ancient generations, we need Balance."

Luke nodded, "We have forgotten that even the Jedi and the Sith, we only choose one side, messing with the balance around the Galaxy. The Jedi of Anakin's era and mine made many mistakes; taking young children to create a Jedi order was wrong, the Sith's way was wrong. We lost our ways, but a new era has now come; the new generations have witnessed our mistakes. You people voted for Palpatine to become your ruler. She seems to do fine work, the generation invests in academies and knowledge, and less is offered for creating an army of deadly weapons that would destroy the galaxy. And today, I believe that Ben's trial will bring an end to the old era. And we all will seek the balance as Ben said. Nakim, balance, we need both sides."

"Thank you, Master Luke, that is all for now." Chancellor said, "Juri, council, and we are going to recess and vote for the verdict."

「Upcoming Chapter: Act Seventy - Two」

Okay, guys, that's all. I hope you enjoyed reading the 71st chapter.

Thank you all so much! Stay awesome! Stay sweet!

And be nice to each other, see you soon, in the next chapter!

Feel free to Review and Follow the story!

Feedback is always appreciated!