Twenty.

The Star Destroyer burst back into real space just above Mustafar and swiftly established orbit, all guns live and primed. Captain Rinder gathered his reports from the bridge crew, confirmed that the ship was in order and then turned to the General.

"Orbit established. All systems nominal," he reported, his even voice calm. He was a neat man with buzz cut blond hair and thoughtful eyes. Hux nodded curtly.

"Scan the planet for signs of the Resistance ship," he ordered in his clipped voice. "And life forms."

"The device determined that they reached here," Rinder reported, "but the ionisation within the atmosphere and the pollution from the vulcanism renders standard scanners unreliable. High band will take longer."

"Then get to it," Hux commanded, sweeping his pale eyes over the bridge. Everything aboard the Eliminator was pristine, with no hissy fits from Ren or any sign of his abhorrent sorcerers, the Knights of Ren. And no evidence of Snoke either. Here, Hux was master of all he surveyed, served by loyal men and women who he treated well. And his personal ship had secretly been loaded with every technological innovation-including those that Snoke had suppressed or discarded. Hyperspace tracking had been proven over and over and he knew that it would serve him well-as it had in showing the way here. "And send out a summons to any of those remaining in the First Order, any ships or bases and order the commanders to my Flagship. Together, we can still rebuild…providing we can destroy that traitor!"

-o0o-

It was like being swathed in fog with a bad cold. Everything was muffled, the air thick with the stench of sulphur and the Force clogged with swirling, suffocating dark. Above him, the ruins of Castle Vader jutted against the roiling sky, the orange glow warming the clouds and seemingly setting them aflame. He was aware of the others, following him and he knew there would be little point in asking them to remain outside. The Castle had been built over a powerful gateway to the Dark Side and though that portal was now destroyed, the entire place had been swathed in darkness for so long that the voices were becoming harder and harder to ignore. That and the fact his head felt like it was splitting again.

Passing through the open gateway, he peered into the gloom. Half of the castle was collapsed but this hall seemed to be intact, diving deep into the bowels of the building. He peered, casting around for light. A few stray rays of the gloomy reddish light filtered through the cracks in the roof and he paused, inspecting the floor.

"Hey!" His head snapped round as Poe tossed him a flash lamp. "Try this. Hate to see you trip over and break your neck."

"Puts you in the minority," he muttered, tossing it back and igniting his lightsaber. The bluish light washed his pale features even paler, emphasising the stark contrasts between his dark eyes, raven hair and skin. Poe clicked on the flash lamp and sighed, checking the walls and floor as Ben walked forward, the hum of the weapon jarring amid the muffled silence. "Where did you get this?" he asked, searching the hallway ahead.

"Finn," Poe revealed. "He brought it…just in case. There were two lightsabers lying close to you and Rey when you were picked up from Exegol. Finn 'adopted' one." Frowning, Ben stared at the lightsaber.

"This was Luke's," he murmured, suppressing his animus towards his Uncle. Their relationship had been strained long before the legendary Jedi had tried to murder his sleeping nephew and though Ben had renounced the Dark, he still hadn't forgiven his Uncle. Yet in truth, the lightsaber was merely a tool, a device used to channel energy. Ignoring the kyber crystal within, the mystic connection between Jedi and crystal, the weapon was just a tool-and for now, it was a useful weapon and convenient source of light and Ben would make use of it while he could.

Not as if I have any choice…or chance to make my own…

The air grew clammy and colder, the stench of putrescence thickening and he heard coughs behind him. Illuminated by his own light and beeping worriedly, BB-8 nudged Poe's legs. Ben coughed and took a shuddering breath.

"Stick close," he said firmly. "And cover your mouths. This place is dangerous."

"Now he tells us," Zorii grumbled.

"He did tell us," Rose hissed, coughing gently. "And you have a mask on anyway." Chewie sneezed suddenly, the noise echoing round the dark space. Suddenly, there was the creak of stones moving, the grinding of rocks and an awful crashing sound.

"COLLAPSE!" Ben yelled as the group sprinted forward. Dust swirled around and with a crash, the roof fell in. Poe stumbled and Rose ducked as the huge blocks making the roof slammed down on them…

…and stopped, hovering in the air mere inches above their heads. Ben was frozen, his hands flung up as he held the massive monoliths up. The lightsaber was lying by his leg, the light casting eerie shadows around.

"Get back," he grunted, backing slowly away. Diverting his attention to kick the saber away almost resulted in the roof falling on him and cutting his own foot off-so Rose darted forward and snatched it before retreating to stand by the others. Slowly, he inched back and then allowed the remains of the roof to crash down, wrapping them all in choking dust. Hacking and coughing, he found hands pulling him back and Poe offering him a strip of cloth to cover his mouth. Struggling to breathe and feeling drained, he gratefully accepted the lightsaber back from Rose.

"Thanks," Poe told him and turned to the chastened Wookiee. "And you-oh, I am going to make sure everyone knows your sneeze brought the roof down!" Zorii inspected the rubble.

"Well, now we can only go forward, flyboy-and hope Commander Disaster there can find us another way out," she commented.

"Did you just call Kylo Ren Commander Disaster?" Poe asked her, his eyebrows raised in shock.

"So what if I did?"

"His name is Ben Solo," Rose piped up determinedly and Ben stared at her in shock.

"Whatever," Zorii retorted as the former Supreme Leader chuckled.

"Commander Disaster," he mused."Sounds more like Hux to me."

"Nope-definitely you!" Zorii said, her voice teasing. Poe stared at her.

"Are you flirting with the nasty First Order defector?" he asked in an outraged voice. Rose burst out laughing.

"Maybe…" Zorii teased Poe. Ben frowned and Rose inched closer.

"Pay them no mind," she reassured him. "They can't decide whether they want to be friends or friends."

"I want them to be alert," Ben murmured, blinking and shaking his head. "Something else is coming. Get behind me-and if I start acting strangely…run." Rose stared into his face and after a long moment nodded.

"But please call if you need us," she told him in a low voice. "We're here because this is dangerous and we want to help get Rey back." A little flicker of warmth fluttered through his chest and he nodded once.

"And you're Rey's friends and she would want you all alive to greet her when she comes back," he told her and then stalked off into the gloom.

-o0o-

Finn awoke with a start, eyes snapping open and finding with horror that he was tied up and on his bunk. The bowed shape of Jannah was sitting at his side, stripping down and reassembling her blaster as a way of distracting herself. Eyes wide, he jerked against his bonds.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice vaguely panicked. "Why am I tied up?" Jannah looked up.

"Don't you remember?" she asked him, her tone neutral. He blinked. What did he remember?

"I felt a real desire to rip Ren's head off," he admitted. "I felt like he had killed Rey…even though…he didn't…" His voice was puzzled. "Did he do something to me? Is this why I'm tied up?"

"Everything went a little crazy," the woman admitted, her eyes looking guilty. "I think we all felt a surge of…hatred. Every one of us wanted to shoot Ren, to hurt him. You wanted to watch him die slowly and painfully."

"I did?" Finn asked, his eyes wide. "Are you sure?" She nodded, absently continuing reassembling the weapon.

"It's something about this place," she admitted. "The Dark Side is very strong here. It messed with all of us, making us more suspicious, aggressive…but you're Force sensitive so it's a hundred times worse for you. At least, it seemed to be. You were a whole different person, the moment we landed. Ren said you were safer on the ship, as far away from the Castle as possible…"

"Then why don't I feel like shooting him now?" Finn asked. Jannah frowned.

"Maybe because Ren-and the others-went to the Castle?" she suggested, snapping the power unit back into place. "Perhaps whatever Darkness lingers here has more fun things to concentrate on?"

"Like our friends," Finn said. "Poe. Rose. Chewie…even Ren…"

"I would say especially Ren," Jannah told him decidedly, snapping the final piece into place. "That one still has Darkness in him." Finn sighed.

"I know," he sighed. "You see flashes, just now and then. But then he catches himself and I can see he's trying. He saved our lives. And he is absolutely determined to save Rey…" Jannah fiddled with the settings on her blaster.

"Doesn't it bother you what he is?" she asked him. "What he's done?" Finn sighed.

"I guess," he admitted. "I was a trooper on the Finalizer. We saw him most days. We heard of his tantrums, of stormtroopers and other staff injured because he was having a pissy fit. Everyone was on tenterhooks anywhere near him. He was like a cross between some spoilt brat and a psychopathic murderer. Everyone loathed him…"

"I can guess," Jannah agreed.

"But when we found him, he was holding Rey," Finn forced himself to say. "He was protecting her. And when he told us what happened, what he felt…I knew it was the truth. He believes he can bring Rey back. I believe him."

"But you don't trust him…" Jannah realised.

"None of us can…wholly," Finn admitted. "But he's delivered all along."

"He's got his powers back," Jannah noted. "He can go anywhere…"

"I think…he was trying to get away from us on the Finalizer," Finn said. "But he had to rescue us…and when we escaped we ended up…well, you saw."

"Some rescue!" Jannah teased him. He sighed.

"Could you undo me?" he asked. "Look, I'm not a danger…" She checked him over, then offered a small nod, untying him. He sighed in relief and stretched, trying to get the blood flow back into his cramped limbs. "I cannot thank you enough," he said. "Thank you, thank you…"

"HEY!" Beau's voice jolted them from their discussion and both looked guiltily at the doorway. The Resistance fighter sighed. "I'm not even asking why you're untied-I presume you're taking responsibility if he goes feral again?" Jannah nodded urgently. "I thought you might be interested that a First Order Star Destroyer has just appeared in orbit."

"WHAT?"

"And it's not a coincidence, is it?" Beau asked.

"Hyperspace tracking," Finn murmured. Jannah's head snapped round.

"What?"

"Hux," Finn realised and scrambled to his feet. "We need to get ready. Keep scanning and if they enter the atmosphere, we'll have to warn them…"

"May be worth giving them a head's up anyway," Beau offered, lifting the comm. "Falcon to General Dameron. Poe, do you read me?"

But no matter how hard they tried, all they could get was static…

-o0o-

The sense of cold and dark was getting more and more oppressive, the whispers a constant shushing sound so the individual words were almost unintelligible now. Almost. Except…his voice.

I knew you couldn't keep away…

Ben stiffened, hearing the voice and feeling the instinctive chill that ran down his spine. It was a learned response, a reaction to countless encounters where sometimes there would be praise, sometimes denigration and frequently there was pain.

"Snoke," he breathed.

Where else would I be but here, waiting for my treacherous apprentice? Waiting to repay you for the treason you committed. Though I was impressed that you finally developed the nerve and defied all your programming and conditioning to move against me.

"You always taunted me that I was too weak and conflicted," Ben snarked, his eyes flicking from side to side, trying to locate the malevolent presence amid the absolute darkness.

You were weak and conflicted. And you still are.

"And yet…you are dead," Ben smirked, his voice eerily calm.

You are still a child, hiding behind a mask.

"I have no mask!"

The mask of being a decent man. The mask of being Ben Solo. The mask of being what they want you to be. I have seen your mind and soul. I created Kylo Ren. I know the darkness that runs to the core of your rotten soul. You were unloved and unlovable. Your family rejected and ignored you-because who would want such a tainted creature, always filled with anger and hatred? You had no friends. Even your master, the famed Jedi who saved the Galaxy, could see no good in you. I was the only one willing to pick up the pieces and give you a home.

"You picked me to pieces and tortured me to mould me into the image you wanted!" Ben roared. "You fed the fires, you corrupted me, you stoked my anger! You warped and twisted me from inside the womb!"

And you welcomed it! You were a scared child, hiding in the dark, whimpering because no one wanted you. I wanted you! And you begged for my validation, for any word of praise I would give you. And you did whatever I commanded just to feel that praise. And you did it willingly.

"YES!" Ben shouted. "But not any more. She saved me. She drew me back. And I chose her over you!"

Your precious Rey is dead.

"You're dead," Ben repeated, the saber raised against the thick darkness. "I killed you!"

And here, in a Dark stronghold, that scarcely matters. I am almost as powerful as I was in life. And when you try to resurrect her, I will be there as well. I will destroy her and take her body and then I will destroy you as well.

Suddenly, the rage was there, the anger at every moment Snoke had chastised, boiling over and filling his body with rage. He spun, the lightsaber slashing through the darkness, humming as it arched round and round. Faces lunged at him, images of guards in red armour, of electrowhips and vibro-blades and even blasters. The Knights of Ren swirled around him, familiar faces and psyches, their weapons all turned on him once more, circling him to overwhelm him by sheer weight of numbers. But the one face he sought, the one enemy he desired to face again was missing, though his taunting voice swirled around him.

"FACE ME!" he bellowed. "FACE ME, YOU MONSTER!"

The others screeched to a halt, backing away as he raged. Chewie gave a worried growl.

"No, I can't see anything either," Poe murmured. "BB-you see anything, buddy?"

A rather confused and dispirited beep confirmed the little droid couldn't detect any foes in the gloom. Zorii tilted her head.

"Well, he looks like he's well and truly gone," she commented sharply. "Like Finn, seeing what isn't there." Rose stared at her and nodded.

"He told us to run if he started behaving strangely," she breathed and grabbed the woman's arm. "I don't think he sees us. I think he only sees enemies. Only enemies!" Understanding, the other woman skirted the edge of the hall and sprinted ahead, with Rose and BB-8 following. Poe stared at the tall shape, seeing the lightsaber slash and slice, every motion measured and precise. A deadly ballet, waged with absolute ferocity and rage against an enemy that didn't exist. Nodding to Chewie, he ran after the others. Giving a final, pitying yowl, Chewie shambled after him.