Chapter Two

As Ben sped away from Exegol, he reached down to remove the heavy object digging into his side. His mother's lightsaber, clipped to his belt. He didn't remember picking it up or putting it there. In fact, he couldn't remember seeing it since he was a child. He must have grabbed it up while he was worrying about other things back there. Careful not to pierce the glass of the dusty TIE fighter, he ignited the saber. It glowed soft and blue, illuminating him and his little dark world inside the ship. He hadn't even drawn it. Down on Exegol, he had hardly even thought of fighting. What a coward he was. Kill me if you must. He hadn't even tried.

Make the sacrifice. The Emperor had commanded, and the Empress had been born. The sacrifice, as if killing Palpatine would not only make him stronger. No, the sacrifice hadn't been Palpatine. The sacrifice had been Rey. It should have been him. Ben should have been the sacrifice. Ben had been sacrificed before, to make way for Kylo Ren. He had turned, and turned back. He didn't doubt in Rey's ability to turn him or kill him. But he knew he couldn't kill her.

He exhaled heavily and closed his eyes, slumping forward to bang his forehead against the TIE fighter's control panel. The ship spiraled off course and he let it. He had planned no destination anyway. Afterall, maybe it was better for him to just float off into empty space. Someone better would save Rey. Someone better could save Rey. But they were gone. He was the only powerful Light-side Jedi left. Without him, there was no counterpart to the Empress's darkness. He sighed and adjusted his controls, not regaining his original course but at least moving in a consistent direction.

Ben's fingers found their way back to his mother's lightsaber. They smoothed over the metal ridges. "Mom," he whispered, "I wish you were still here."

The ugly graphics of the old TIE's navigation system would have made Ben cringe, but he was too exhausted to give any feeling to the screen. The Endor system held the closest inhabitable worlds to him. He leaned back in his stiff seat and jumped into hyperspace.

Ben sat under the trees a few paces away from the TIE. A group of Ewoks had surrounded him when he disembarked but he had flashed the lightsaber at them and they had given him space. Now he was alone. He folded his legs and placed his hands on his knees, closing his eyes. It had been so long since Ben had used Jedi meditation techniques. He breathed deeply and tried to clear his mind. Compared to the Sith anger-concentrating meditations, it felt peaceful, relaxing. "Be with me," he murmured. "Be with me."

Ben felt a presence and opened his eyes. His uncle Luke, his mother Leia, both giving off that gentle blue glow. Ben felt a surge of anger and tried to let it out. He looked inside himself for forgiveness but he couldn't find it. Suppressing his anger would do. He looked at Luke. "Could you leave us?"

Luke looked down and nodded. "I—yeah. Sure. You did good, kid." He vanished, leaving Ben with Leia.

"Mother…"

"Ben." The corners of Leia's eyes crinkled up as she looked at him. There was pride in her gaze. She enfold him in her arms, cradling his head.

"Mom." Ben's voice squeaked like it hadn't since he was young. Tears ran down his cheeks and he bit his lip to keep from sobbing, burying his face in the fabric of his mother's shoulder. "Why did she do it?" he whispered. "If I had been a minute earlier…"

"Rey is strong. She will be alright. She will return to you."

"I need your help. I don't know what to do! I'm not a leader like you. I could never bring the galaxy hope."

Leia tucked her son's messy hair behind his ear. "Ben, you only need to do those things for her. There are others to take care of the rest of them. She was your light, now you are hers. You aren't alone."

"I am."

"The Resistance will help you if they know it's for Rey. Surround her with people who love her. Finn—he's co-general now—he will help you if you make your circumstances known. Rey loves him."

"She…what?" Ben felt his heart plummet into a pool of icy water near his stomach.

He thought he could make out a mischievous twinkle in his mother's eye but her expression remained serious. "They are like brother and sister. Believe me, if Finn runs off with anyone, it won't be Rey."

Ben didn't have the energy to wonder what that meant. He let it slip.

"The Resistance base is on Ajan Kloss. You'll find them."

The sky overhead was tinted pink. Ben stepped away from Leia, back toward the TIE fighter. "Thank you, Mom."

"Ben." She caught his arm. "Wait until morning."

Ben nodded. He hadn't really thought about his own exhaustion, just Rey and all he needed to do. It hurt him to know that she was still out there, alone, probably sitting by herself on the cold, stone throne of the Sith. But now he had a plan, albeit a hazy one. Now his legs nearly crumpled as he acknowledged his weariness. One of his ankles throbbed and it started to buckle as he shifted his weight toward it. He must have sprained it in the caverns on Exegol. The intense rush of adrenaline had finally worn off. There was a dull ache in his chest as if it threatened to crack and fall away in pieces. Broken ribs, from leaping across the chasm, part of him figured. Broken ribs or broken heart, does it matter, he wondered lethargically.

He limped back to the TIE and dug around behind the inner paneling for an emergency medical kit. The supplies were old and sparse but he patched himself up the best he could, cleaning and taping shut the worst of his cuts. There was a flattened bed pallet behind the side panel, and just enough room to stretch out his lanky frame on the floor of the TIE fighter.

Author's Note: Thank you everyone who reviewed or otherwise showed interest in my story! I'm super excited about this project, glad y'all are enjoying it!