CHAPTER X

Finn landed the freighter on Hosnian Prime and found a nice hangar in a pastoral area. The entire planet was one big farming village, and the locals were the Nom, a simple species with fish-heads. As soon as they disembarked the freighter, the trio looked around.

"You said you wanted a place to rest?" Rey asked.

"We're going to-I mean I'm-I'm going to-"

Rey giggled a bit. It was cute the way Finn still wasn't fully at ease with thinking as an individual. Meanwhile, Udo roared loudly.

"It's alright, Finn," Rey said, "It's okay for you to want to do something I don't want to do. It looks like Udo is as tired as you are anyway."

The trio walked over to a nearby inn, where they rented a room. Finn and Udo headed upstairs to get some rest while Rey agreed that she would meet them there in a few hours.

Rey walked through the village, enjoying the locales. She had seen so many different landscapes over the last few days, yet something was drawing her to this planet.

She suddenly felt very drowsy, and realized she was getting sleepy again.

This isn't normal, she thought, I just took a long nap on the ship. How can I be this sleepy? This is Kylo Ren again, trying to get into my dreams.

She struggled to stay awake, when suddenly a large spacecraft was landing. It was a shuttle from the Star Destroyer.

Almost immediately, several cloaked figures disembarked, pulled out lightsabers, and began attacking the Nom. Rey watched in horror as these simple creatures, who could barely defend themselves, were being slaughtered by these hooded figures.

"Attention, people of Hosnian Prime," one of the hooded figures yelled, "You are now part of the Sith Imperialists! We offer you aid and succor as one of our colonies!"

Finally, a masked figure emerged, and Rey recognized Kylo Ren, even though it was her first time seeing him in person. He looked exactly as he had in her dream; her vision was a little less hazy and his mask appeared darker, but it was him.

As he walked off, away from the others to a heavily forested area, she followed him. He activated his lightsaber: it was a crossguard lightsaber, producing three plasma beams, and it was bright red.

Rey instinctively ran towards him.

"No! You can't do this! These Noms didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Kylo Ren turned towards her and simply held up his hand and Rey froze. She felt herself gasping for air, as if her ability to breathe had been removed. Was a hand choking her? She brought her hands to her throat, but felt nothing there. This was what being Force-choked felt like.

"I knew we'd meet soon, girl," Ren said, "I followed you here. But it's not too late. You can still be one of us."

Rey sensed a lot from him, mostly fear and insecurity. Something in him was unfulfilled. Well, if this was to be how her death would come, then so be it. She had made a mess of her life, she knew that much, and she was going to face death with dignity.

And just as Rey was starting to lose the last bit of her breath, she noticed a new figure starting to walk forward. The grip around her neck began to loosen; even Ren was surprised by this figure.

The figure was also hooded, but a lot older and in much more modest robes. He was not one of the Sith Imperialists. Ren only stared at the figure, dumbfounded.

The figure lifted up his hands towards his hood: his right hand was normal, his left hand was a metallic prosthetic. The hands then removed the hood, and the bearded face of Luke Skywalker was revealed.

"What are you doing here?" Ren asked.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing," Skywalker responded.

Ren dropped Rey entirely and turned all his attention to the new figure, and Rey was relieved to feel oxygen enter her lungs once more. Skywalker activated his lightsaber; it was bright green. For a moment the two figures stared each other down, then Ren ran at him with all his strength.

Rey stared at this older man. She knew this was Luke Skywalker, knew it with all her heart. Yet he just stood there. Kylo Ren swung his lightsaber every single direction he could, and Luke simply defended himself, moving his saber in position, barely even breaking a sweat.

"This isn't what I wanted for you, Ben Solo," was all he said.

"That name holds no more meaning to me!" Kylo Ren screamed in rage.

"I wanted you to have a better life. Not to fall into the mistakes of those before you. Like your grandfather. But I made mistakes. I made the wrong choices. And I feel every bit of pain that you feel."

"You know nothing of pain!" Ren screamed, "You were too busy playing hero to know pain!"

And with that, Luke dealt another blow, striking Ren in the shoulder.

Ren screamed in shock. Luke simply raised his hand, and with one wave of the Force, the weakened Ren was knocked out, falling to the ground completely unconscious. Luke then began walking over towards Rey.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Rey said, still trying to get her voice back.

"Come with me. The other Sith will be after their fallen master any second."

He helped Rey up. They looked out of the forest, seeing the other Sith still decimating the village.

"What about my friends?" Rey said, "They're in the village right now!"

"We'll save your friends if we can," Luke said, "But one thing at a time. Follow me."

"You're him, aren't you? Master Skywalker?"

He said nothing, but only gave her a knowing look.

And in that moment, Rey understood everything: her dreams, her sensations, her desire to visit Hosnian Prime. It was all leading up to this. She had set out to find him and now she had. Luke Skywalker was asking her to follow him.