Rey and Poe find an artifact in the abandoned Jedi Temple on Coruscant that sends them back in time. This isn't your normal time-travel fix-it though. They're there to witness important events that led them to where they are today. Rey thinks it is to show her how to avoid going down her grandfather's path and reinforce her ties to the light. In reality, it's showing her that her ties to the Skywalkers goes deeper than she knows.

Chapter 1

Coruscant – one year after Exegol

Bee-boop-boop-bee.

Rey glanced up from the worn parchment of the old Jedi texts she was studying to find R2D2 waiting patiently at the mouth of the cave—cavern—room—whatever this place was. It was deep under the old Jedi Temple, also known as her grandfather's former palace.

"I'll be there soon, R2. I just need a bit more time."

The droid beeped his irritation in strongly worded binary.

"Language! This is a holy place. Besides, I brought better lighting with me today." She gestured to the bright lamps hovering from the ceiling. "And I think I found something. Luke left detailed notes about artifacts Master Nu may have hidden. If I can just correlate them with what we found last week, I might finally be able to finish up here."

R2 growled out another disgruntled series of beeps. Sometimes she missed BB8. R2 was enormously helpful, but he was definitely getting cantankerous in his old age.

"I frankly couldn't care less what General Dameron wants at the moment. He's got his mission, and I've got mine. If his precious dinner is so important, he and the others can eat without me."

Rey had had it up to here with General Dameron and his hovering. He was constantly questioning her and trying to keep her from doing her job—not just here. He'd tried to stop her from visiting Tatooine six months ago, and from returning to Ach-To. Thankfully, he'd been too busy to do much in the way of preventing her from leaving Naboo, where the new government had set up temporary headquarters.

This time, though, he'd managed to invite himself along. Poe and a group made up of former Black Squadron members as well as a few of the defectors that joined the Resistance in the aftermath of Crait were scouring the former Imperial Executive Buildings and other parts of the palace/temple to ensure there were no other secret contingencies beyond the Final Order.

The first New Republic thought they'd done a thorough job of searching the relevant locations after the Galactic Civil War, as had Master Luke, but they'd clearly missed something back then.

Rey felt like she was missing something now. She'd reviewed every Holocron and data pad Master Luke left for her on Ach-To and tried to match up all the artifacts Luke tracked down and those she'd found in this secret bolt hole built into the mountain beneath the decaying fortress.

The convergence of energies in this place, but especially down here, was a disturbingly potent mix of light and dark. She'd never understand how the old Jedi Order didn't realize the darkness that emanated from the old Sith ruins beneath them. It was older than Master Yoda—maybe even older than time itself.

Wayfinder with lodestone—unclear usage. Doesn't seem to have set coordinates. Neutral artifact. Needs further study.

Rey recognized Master Luke's scrawled handwriting, but there was an older note in the text beside the drawing. It wasn't original to the book like the sketch of the Wayfinder. The ink was slightly less faded.

Blood trigger?

Rey went over to the tarp where the pathfinders had helped her lay out the artifacts when she first found the chamber. The one matching the sketch had been placed at the far corner, as if it were unimportant.

Holding the rough metal in her hands, she flashed back to the Sith Wayfinders she'd held nearly a year ago. For a moment, she lost her breath, her heart pounding in her ears, fear singing her like her grandfather's force lightning. Slowly, she beat back the reaction, centering herself in the Force.

That's what it was—returning to center. Neither dark nor light. She found a place of balance and searched for an answer.

"What the kriff are you doing?"

Poe Dameron stood where R2 had been moments—maybe hours?—ago, his sharp voice startling her out of her trance.

It was only when her utility knife clattered to the floor that she realized what she'd been about to do.

In spite of herself, she scowled at the unsettlingly handsome man standing beside her. "I thought we agreed I'd handle all things related to the Force and you would handle all the Republic General related things."

"You agreed. I just didn't argue at the time." Poe crossed his arms over his compactly muscled chest. He was standing close enough that Rey could almost count the flecks of gray hairs interspersed with the midnight black of his stubble. "I'm arguing now though. What did you think you were doing?"

Rey huffed, but concern radiated off Poe, washing over her like the waves on Ach-To, fierce and tumultuous. They had a somewhat prickly relationship, especially given all Kylo Ren put him through, but she tried to place herself in Poe's position. If she'd found Rose or Finn or even Poe in a similar situation with no context, she would have freaked out too.

With effort, she eased the tension in her shoulders. She wasn't on her own anymore. Even if they had different missions, they were the leaders now. Communication wasn't the most natural skill for her, but she needed to practice. Even if it was with the most annoying man in the galaxy.

"I was testing a theory. As part of my identification of all of the artifacts we found." Rey held up the Wayfinder. "Another Wayfinder, only this one doesn't appear to be Jedi or Sith in origin."

"Didn't we all find ourselves in monumentally deep bantha shit last time one of those things was involved?" He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. "Nope, not the point right now. Why were you about to cut your hand? You weren't possessed by some evil Sith spirit or something were you?"

Rey softened a little more, remembering how it felt to have her own head invaded against her will. She had the Force to help keep the fear at bay—Poe wasn't as lucky.

"No. Not at all. I just…I think blood will activate the Wayfinder. It might give us a clue as to where more artifacts might be or any other places Palpatine might have hidden plans or bases. I mean, it would make sense not to rely solely on the Sith followers on Exegol wouldn't it? And—"

"Slow down, Rey. I get what you're saying." Poe relaxed, hands braced on his lean hips as a wry smile crossed his lips. "But maybe don't try stuff like this by yourself, okay? We don't know what it might do."

"Well, you're here now. Can I proceed, oh Great General or would you prefer to wring your hands and fret a bit more?" Rey raised an eyebrow in challenge. In spite of his lofty position, Poe Dameron couldn't ignore a dare. It was how she beat him in a speeder bike race through Takodona's densest forest two weeks ago when they stopped to visit Maz.

"By all means, Master Jedi." Poe made an exaggerated bow before picking up the knight and returning it to her.

Rey took a deep breath, trying to return to her center. It was harder with someone like Poe so close. He radiated light and intensity and something else Rey couldn't name. Something that stirred her insides and haunted her dreams.

No.

She had to focus.

Raising the knife, she gently brought it to slide across the center of her palm. Clenching her first, she glanced at Poe.

"Here goes nothing," he said. He rested a palm on her shoulder, watching as the blood oozed into a single drop.

The second it hit the Wayfinder, the room around them disappeared.

Come with me, children. I have many stories to tell and yet it is only one.

The woman's voice echoed in their heads as they swirled around and around, no end in sight.