***Author's Note***
Good evening, dear readers! I have a few more surprises in store for you, my friends! I hope you like them. ^_^
Rey leaned her head back on Ben's shoulder, reveling in his presence and her newly-recovered memories. She closed her eyes, "I can see him, Ben. I can see my father as though he were standing in front of me right now. I remember everything!" Rey turned in Ben's arms to face him. "We have to go there. I feel like it's important. I think he left something there for me."
Ben smiled, "Of course, little desert rat. Hmm...I suppose that is more accurate than we thought, isn't it?" His eyes crinkled as he laughed.
"I have the strangest feeling that we need to go there, either way. I think Padme will strike there next. It's like she's looking for something. Hmph. Us, probably."
Finn cleared his throat and Poe chuckled, "I think they forgot we were here, Finn."
"Yeah, I think you're right. What the hell, guys?"
Rey and Ben turned to their friends, laughing. "Sorry, guys," giggled Rey, "I guess we got lost in the moment."
Finn and Poe chuckled as they strolled leisurely over to their friends.
"Must be nice to actually have a childhood, huh? Turns out you're not some nothing scavenger, after all! Your father was a Neutral Jedi, just like you! Luke told me that people like you have often been referred to as Gray Jedi, but they've never created their own Order before. He said you two are changing everything."
Rey beamed at Finn, "It is nice to know that I seem to be walking the same path as my father. Will the two of you come with us to Tattooine?"
Poe rolled his eyes, "You really have to ask? I'll bring BB-8. If your father really did leave something there for you, he'll keep it safe if Ben's right about Padme." Rey threw her arms around Poe's neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek.
Ben raised an eyebrow and took his wife by the had, "Easy there, Rancor. She's a married woman. Don't make me cut off your other hand."
Poe stared at Ben in mock-fear before bursting into laughter. He threw his arm around Ben's shoulders as the four walked together from Ben and Rey's room. As they walked, Ben grew more and more certain that Padme would strike next on Tattooine. An uneasiness was growing in his heart, and he knew that Rey felt it, also. A certainty and fear was growing in Ben's heart that he knew exactly what Padme was looking for. An object of immense power that the Jedi had come to fear. Ben caught Rey's eye and they exchanged a grim nod; she knew it, too.
Ben and Rey looked forward as they came to the briefing room. Something was wrong; Ben and Rey sensed an aura of great disturbance withing. "Something's happened," whispered Ben and Rey simultaneously; Finn and Poe exchanged worried glances as the doors opened. Every eye snapped up to stare at them as they entered. Leia was leaning heavily on the table they were all sitting around.
"Mother, what's happened?" Ben asked as he rushed to her side.
"You mean the great Kylo Ren doesn't know?" The entire room went terribly still. Ben turned slowly to stare at the offender. It was the female Twi'lek that Finn had been dancing with at his wedding.
"That is no longer my name," Ben said very quietly. "Nor has it been for more than a year."
"So, we're supposed to believe that just because you fell in with this...whore..." at this, the room gasped, Rey paled, and Ben's eyes narrowed menacingly, "that you've suddenly changed?"
Ben began to slowly pace around the table with his hand clasped behind his back, knuckles white. "And what evidence have you to the contrary?" He continued in the same low, dangerous voice.
She scoffed, "Really? She's your twin sister! And you expect us to believe you didn't know!?"
"Know what? We were occupied."
"Oh, yes. I'm sure you and your personal prostitute were very busy!"
By now, Ben had reached the Twi'lek. Raising his hand, he slapped her, hard, across the face. He spoke again, his voice nearly a whisper, "Say whatever you wish about me, but do not ever insult my wife again." Every face in the room had paled; Ben's fury was a palpable thing. "Now, you will calmly explain what it is that my sister has done now without insulting my wife."
"She is slaughtering Tei'leks. Rounding them up like she's looking for someone. And you're going to tell me you didn't know? Everyone here knows about the Force Bond you have with your precious twin."
The room had gone so silent that you could hear every hear hammering in its respective chest. Ben raised an eyebrow, and spoke so softly that every ear in the room strained to catch his answer, "My sister poisoned me through our Bond. She thought I was better off dead than returned to the Light. We knew she would try again, so my Bond with Padme was severed." Ben's voice broke on the last word. Rey rushed to his side and placed a hand on his back.
"LIAR," the Twi'lek screamed.
"And what about my word?" Came Luke's calm voice, "I severed it myself, and it nearly killed him. Would you call me a liar, also?"
The girl flushed, then paled, "Of course not, Master."
"And as for what they were occupied with, I believe Rey was having a conversation with my former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, her Grandfather." Every head snapped around to stare in astonishment at Rey, who nodded in affirmation.
The Twi'lek looked confused, "But, how are you alive? Destroying a Force Bond of that magnitude is usually fatal."
Ben considered the girl for a moment, "You're one of my Uncle's students, correct?" The girl nodded, "Then seek out the Bond between Rey and myself." The Twi'lek closed her eyes and reached for them.
Her eyes snapped open in shock, "But, that's! I can feel the empty space where your Bond with your sister once was! You were telling the truth. And your Bond with Rey...It's at least as strong as the one you severed. Forgive me, Masters Solo. I have wronged you both." The Twi'lek sand to one knee with tears in her eyes.
Ben smiled at her and held out his cybernetic hand for her to inspect. Her eyes grew wide; Ben lifted his trousers to reveal his cybernetic right leg, and the entire room gasped. Rey turned and loosened her tunic so that she could show the scar on her back. The Twi'lek looked like she had stopped breathing.
Ben took her by the elbows as Rey fixed her tunic and helped her stand. "Never forget, little one, we have all sacrificed for each other.
Leia finally broke her silence, "My son may well sacrifice more than any other single person in this room by the time this is over. One way or the other, he will most likely lose his twin, again, in the end." The Twi'lek nodded.
"What's your name?" Rey asked.
"Twila," She answered.
"Twila. That's a lovely name. Always remember, Twila, things are rarely as they seem."
Twila nodded, "Please forgive me, Masters."
Ben smiled again and laid a hand on her shoulder, "It is already done." Twila bowed her head in gratitude. "Now that the unpleasantness is dealt with...Mother, I believe that Twila may be right. Padme is looking for someone. Or more accurately, something."
"No," whispered Luke as he sensed what Ben was thinking.
"Sadly, yes, Uncle. Rey and I believe she is seeking the Darksaber." A mixture of horror and confusion swam through the room. "I will explain as quickly as I can. The Darksaber was once a relic of the Jedi Order, when it was in the height of its power. The Darksaber is an ancient weapon of unsurpassed power. It was stolen from the Jedi Order by the Mandalorians. Since then, it has taken the lives of many Jedi. It seems that being Force-Sensitive is not a prerequisite to use it, unlike normal light-sabers. It was handed down from one Mandalorian to the next until it was won by Darth Maul. When he was finally defeated during the Clone Wars, the Darksaber was lost once again. Now, the mass-murder of Twi'leks fits perfectly into this theory. It was rumored, among thousands of other rumors, that a lone Twi'lek was seen stealing away from the battlefield, clutching the Darksaber."
Luke passed a hand shakily over his face. "Ben, are you sure? The Darksaber is a great and terrible weapon. It may well have been destined to be lost. If Padme is seeking it, I fear to think what might happen if she acquires it. We cannot allow this to happen. Any idea where she might possibly search next?"
Ben nodded, "Tattooine. I have the sense that she will attack Tatooine. We think there was something left there for Rey by her father; she and I had decided to o go there in the hopes of finding it first."
Leia nodded, "Very well. I will send a contingent of troops with you, just in case you're right. We must get to it first. I suppose Finn and Poe are going with you, also? Well, I suppose you will be in need of a pilot. Well, then, it's settled. You will leave in three days' time for Tattooine. May the Force be with you."
***Author's Note***
I know I've put up super short chapters lately, and I'm sorry; I'll most likely put up a lengthy one again tomorrow. Until then, my dear readers, I hope you've enjoyed tonight's installment!