This is a long chapter – however, I didn't want to break it into two, because the whole storyline deals with bitter truths and how to swallow them (almost literally). Later in the chapter, Rey tastes bitter Mandalorian wine and bitter Sullustan tea (the latter is my invention; don't shoot me for playing around with SW lore). Both drinks symbolize the fact that she has to learn how to develop that "refined Jedi vision" and become subtler. Finn must face with the bitter truth that there are no winners in a war; and in the end, Rey must face with the bitter truth that her enemy is not so different from her after all. I introduced Hera and Kanan from the SW: The Rebels. Both characters were so intriguing to me that I had to make a place for them in this story. Besides, all our heroes are very young and very lonely and this applies to all of them in different ways: to Rey, Finn, Poe, Ben Solo especially – and Hera and Kanan serve here as some kind of mentors or parental figures, the same way they were mom and dad to Ezra Bridger.
There is also a bit of text dedicated to all of us, weak and deviant fools, who contemplate what would it feel and look like if Rey would to succumb and turn to the Dark Side. ;)
Also, I am an idiot who only figured out now how to add chapters properly. But I hope my Galactic Standard is becoming increasingly better.
MTFBY!
Chapter IX.
The bitter truth.
Synopsis: Finn makes a strange discovery on Lothal. Rey fights Snoke's attacks off and make an even stranger discovery with the help of Luke Skywalker. The light-saber reactivates.
Finn came to Lothal onboard a communal shuttle, over-crowded with merchants and farmers. Peculiar animals, resembling chickens, clucked in a small crate near his feet. Droids, crowded in the back of the ship, clicked, beeped and talked in myriad of different languages and dialects. He had the false identifications of a small time fruit merchant on his way to buy goods from Lothal. The fact he went unnoticed shocked him at first, but then he found himself observing all these bustling life-forms with a child-like curiosity. If only Rey was with him – she'd be even more enthusiastic about this than he is. What kept Finn going was some unclear vision of how their future might look like. He remembered, although very vaguely, the farm he was raised at. He could imagine himself buying a small farm like that one day, retiring with Rose. She'd probably find that lifestyle boring, but with her mechanical skills, she'd be in great demand in any neighboring town. They'd have two cute kids, a boy and a girl, with her button nose and shiny black hair. And both would be curly, like he is.
And as for Rey, he saw that kiss. He thought that pairing – a powerful warrior and a daredevil pilot – was probably the coolest stuff ever to occur in galaxy, even after the famed Han Solo and Princess Leia romance. Only this time, that romance would end happily.
At least that's the way Finn's imagination went.
An elderly Twi'lek female pushed him from behind and cursed: "Watch where you're going, merchant".
She was surprisingly strong and pretty tall. He didn't wish any unnecessary commotion surrounding him.
"I'm sorry, ma'am", he said and tried to avoid her.
"Forgive this old woman", she said in a mock-senile way and then lowered her voice, "There are troopers checking your false IDs, soldier. Lothal is a dump, but your IDs are even worse. What is with your Resistance nowadays?"
"What? Who are you?" Finn whispered.
"It doesn't matter now", she said with a shadow crossing her face, "The only important thing is to get you out of this mess. Follow me and you have a chance".
Finn was by that point accustomed to trust strangers he only just met. He was getting better in this, supposedly.
The warm, polluted air of an overcrowded miniature landing pod almost suffocated him.
"Welcome to Lothal, young man", the Twi'lek woman said loudly, "How nice of you to help this old woman in need".
"Go to the right and make no sound", she hissed at him, accelerating her fragile step to the rate Finn had trouble following.
Rey took her saber and activated it – this time, the blue hue felt unsettlingly different. Perhaps it was the aftermath of the explosion she survived? Perhaps her rage and her recklessness tainted the kyber core? But she had no time to ponder. She never had enough time.
Rey had a strong feeling she was always critically and tragically late, especially now. She was late to become a Jedi. She was late to save Ben. She was late to the realization that her parents abandoned her. She was late to realize Snoke wasn't killed. And now, something terrible has happened – the prisoner she brought in was now on the loose, and that happened right in front of her very nose and under her watch. She was late – again.
The basic survival instinct told her to walk carefully as every single muscle and nerve in her tensed to the breaking point.
She walked through the door she herself locked – they were open from the inside. The keys were still with her.
She walked into the main corridor leading to the rest of the Resistance base as she felt that same immediate feeling of danger and cold she felt on the Guavian ship. The corridor seemed normal, but was completely abandoned and empty. And then she touched something with her foot – she looked down and saw that it was one of the young Resistance fighters.
She could recognize that wound – it was a light saber.
Rey almost howled with pain at the realization – but she couldn't allow herself to be heard.
He broke free. He broke free while she was asleep, and used her weakness to wreak havoc on the base, leaving her alive just so he could sadistically enjoy in her suffering later.
Rey felt the rage rising in her, fueled by her overwhelming guilt.
She was deep inside the monster's lair. She must stay alive and slay him. She followed the long trail of blood and dead bodies, all killed in the same way, as she entered the command center.
A heart-wrenching howl finally broke loose from her. On the command panel, there was Poe's body gutted with monstrous precision from waist to neck. He was still warm, being killed perhaps mere minutes before she found him. On the ground near him, there laid Kay, killed in an apparent attempt to defend her General's life.
Rey felt her eyes welling with tears.
"No! No!" she screamed as she tried to resuscitate them both, forgetting about the Jedi Killer still on the loose, forgetting about her safety and everything else. But they were beyond help, their blood now smeared all over Rey's hands.
Finn, she thought, at least he's alive. He went to Lothal. That planet is full of Resistance sympathizers. This is not over yet as long as there is one Jedi or one Resistance sympathizer alive.
"You have to let them go", his stern, cold voice was filled with mockery. She looked behind – he stood there in the doorway, blocking the only way out. He had his more ceremonial uniform on and looked like he had this somehow prepared and planned all along. Was he too easily captured, the same way his old Master was too easily killed? He must've had help – he was disarmed, and all these fighters were killed with light-saber.
But then, to her utter horror, she felt a strong and deviant attraction for him. It was something essentially evil: savage lust mixed with hunger for power and bloodshed.
It made her quake to her very core.
"You monster", she screamed, swirling her blade like a chainsaw in her hands, "You killed them! You killed them all!"
"Actually", he said in an inhumane calm and pulled together manner, "I killed the pilot, and the traitor Stormtrooper. As for the rest of them… you did it. It was your test and you passed it excellently. Our Leader is very pleased".
"No!" she screamed and flew across the chamber to cut him down, blinded by tears, rage and pain.
He didn't move. He didn't as much as flinch.
And in the last remaining nanosecond, another shadow came from behind him, armored with a light-saber, and clashed with Rey, blocking her vision even more with glistening sparks of grey and blue.
The fierce opposition she encountered sent her backwards. She fell to her knee and as she reached out with her hand to pull down her unknown opponent with the Force, she finally saw that shadow.
It wasn't Snoke, or a Praetorian, or another Knight of Ren.
It was her. She looked at herself like she would look at her own mirrored image. Only her doppelganger had a dead, inhumane gaze in her eyes and coldness that shook Rey to the bones.
The doppelganger was dressed similarly to the Knights of Ren, but she could clearly see the Jedi influence. And although she was mostly clad in black robes, she had the long ceremonial overcoat in deep gray color.
"You are conflicted and untrained", Kylo Ren spoke to her again with the old tone of threat and softness, "What do you think, how difficult it was to pull you to the Dark Side, where you belong?"
He strode slowly to her, lowering himself to her level.
She was sobbing quietly with her light-saber still flickering before her.
He pushed away her weapon with disdain.
"Hux finished the second Starkiller Base", he continued in the same condescending manner, "And as we speak, every single one of the Resistance bases, every single one of your sympathizers and your allies are destroyed. You killed your Mandalorian friend first. Yes, you did it. She was the first one to try to stop you, but she could never be a worthy opponent for you. Only now that lingering Light in you deceives you to think you're innocent, that you couldn't have possibly done it".
He smiled at her with the most terrible of smiles in the existence and caressed her cheek.
"Come now", he offered her his glowed hand, "Come to our true Supreme Leader. Bow to him. And he'll cure you from your illness".
She realized the terrible truth behind his words. He promised before he'd never lie. He didn't lie now. Her doppelganger apparition was gone – actually, there was none to begin with.
It was her.
She looked at her blood soaked ceremonial robes with horror and disgust. And as he reached with his hand to pick her up to her feet, she quickly summoned the blade he threw away, and pierced them both straight through their hearts in a single fatal blow.
Finn found himself again running away from the First Order.
The Twi'lek female navigated the small vessel with admirable precision, but the First Order's shuttles were at their tail and a TIE fighter came roaring over their heads.
"Who are you?" Finn yelled, frightened by her flying technique, "Who taught you to navigate like this?"
She managed to outrun the shuttles by quickly rotating the vessel up, almost colliding with the TIE fighter.
"Why does it matter, soldier, if we're dead?" she laughed and coughed like an old woman, for the first time revealing her true age.
"Reasonable", he uttered and then screamed, as they faced the TIE fighter head on. But a single blast directed to TIE core engine put it down from the sky.
They dove deeply into what appeared to be dense field of high grass that flexed and hit back like millions of whips.
"They hate this", she said, "Their radars don't cover anything lower than 1.5 meters. And this junk here is just enough for that. I escaped like this more times than I can remember. But I can tell you one thing, kid. It never gets boring".
She laughed again brazenly and with a hint of insanity.
"Great, just great – again, I'm stuck with a crazy person", Finn thought.
She flew them right to a small abandoned water-tower, semi-corroded and in the middle of a nowhere. The city was far behind them, detectable by only few skyscrapers. Lothal was always a poor dominion of Empire, and after the Galactic Wars, it was in an even greater state of disrepair. The short time of peace was not enough for their economy to regenerate.
"Home, sweet home", Twi'lek said.
"Wait", Finn said, "Tell me your name. You saved me. I'm…"
"Finn of the Resistance, or FN-2148 if my memory serves me correctly", she interrupted, "You better tell your General he needs better intelligence officers. Intelligence being the key word, kid".
She reached with his glowed hand to him. He was completely dumbfounded.
"People called me Hera Syndulla long time ago", she said, "In another lifetime".
Rey awoke screaming, spastically clinching to the hilt of her light-saber.
Poe was at her side, shaking her shoulders.
"Wake up, Rey! Wake up!"
She gazed at him, not recognizing him for the split second. And then she broke into tears, hugging him frantically.
"Rey", Poe uttered, "It's alright. We're safe here. The black overcoat is still in coma. Finn is on Lothal. He contacted the base".
"That powerful Force shields the base and the traitor", Snoke said, "And the girl is stubborn. We have worthy opponents, Supreme General Hux".
Hux bowed to the voice of his true master.
"Leave it to me, Supreme Leader", Hux hissed like a well fed snake, "I'll scan every single planet in Inner and Outer Rim. I'll pulverize all that is tainted with but one Resistance fighter's breathing".
"Good, General", Snoke said, "And bring your new allies with you. Let them feel the bloodshed. Those are the ways of Mandalore".
They went to a small organic garden in one of the lesser Sullustian domes. Rey was silent as a grave as they walked there. Poe didn't want to obey her command and leave the hallway. He installed a small audio device at the door and ran to her side as soon as he heard her muffled screams only to find her coiled on the ground in what appeared to be a powerful nightmare.
She sat on a low bench and looked into distance for some time. BB-8 brought her the strong brew of local tea and made a short, worried sound. She took the cup from the little droid but couldn't bring herself to drink from it.
"Come on, Rey", Poe said gently, "Take a sip. They say it's good for the soul, whatever that means".
Rey looked at him with her tears-washed gaze and drained the cup, spilling some on her chin.
"How was it?" he asked.
"Awful", she replied, "It's bitter. But thank you".
She locked her hands around her knees.
"It was a telepathic attack", she said solemnly, "I know it. Snoke is trying to get to us – to get to me. I thought that was impossible. I should be the Light that never goes away".
She smiled bitterly.
Poe quickly sat down on her left.
"Rey", he said carefully, "I don't understand this Jedi mumbo jumbo and I don't pretend I do, but as far as I know, as long as you're alive, the Darkness will try to get to you, wherever you are. It's a pain in the butt, and I hate that you have to endure it, but if somebody can endure it, it's you – you're strong. You could've ruled the galaxy if you wanted to, but you didn't. I trust you, Rey. I trust you with my life".
She looked at him with the purest gratitude, smiling at his loyalty and simple-hearted profanities. But Rey shook her head.
"You don't know me", she said, "Even I don't know myself. I hate the Force. I hate that I'm untrained peasant with a broken light-saber and a Jedi Killer under my custody".
"Are you sure the saber is broken?" he asked, trying everything to comfort her.
She nodded.
"I tried to kill him with it and it just shut down", she said, "The kyber core must be unstable".
But she felt this was only a half-truth.
"Have you tried it since?" he asked again.
She shook her head – everything transpired so quickly that she barely had the time to even put back the saber in its scabbard.
She looked down on it and put her hand on its somewhat rough surface.
"Try it", Poe said, "It might surprise you. It happens with my old X wing all the time. BB-8 can tell you".
She smiled at him again, this time with more reassurance.
Something in the air de-coiled, she could sense it. Out from the deep fear and doubt, she felt there was still that light that couldn't be snuffed out so easily like the First Order thought it would.
She stood up and took the saber out. The metal was cold and felt steady. She clicked the hilt.
The brilliant blue light sprung from both sides like fountain of energy.
Finn was in that single room at the top of the watchtower. The room looked like it belonged to an obsessive hoarder, with stacks of ancient helmets and outdated parts of weapon dating back to early Empire. Hera gestured at him to sit down, him finding it difficult to see the small crate that served as a chair at first.
"Hungry?" she asked as she was pouring an indiscernible mishmash into a damaged pot.
Finn declined as politely as he could.
"Is this all that is left of Resistance?", Finn said, openly disappointed.
"What did you expect, kid?" she said as she sat down on the last remaining free space on the ground, legs crossed. "A Jedi academy?"
She snickered again with that unnerving hint of insanity.
"0k", Finn went straight to the point. "I need to find this man, Frank O'Hara. He was a long-standing Resistance supporter".
Finn caught her troubled gaze and added cautiously: "If there is still somebody with that name left on the planet".
"I knew O'Hara. They were all Resistance sympathizers: Frank, Lily, and even little Bren. But they were detained and taken away a long time ago. Their other kid, Dev, was drafted for the First Order. The last I heard is he made quite a career there".
"He surely did", Finn murmured and his heart sunk. "Dev has died a hero. He sacrificed his life so we could escape. He destroyed a Procurator class II starship and stopped a Starkiller ship from attacking us. He begged me to find his family. He obviously didn't know anything about their fate".
"The bastards", she cursed, "It was all part of their bargain. They said they would be easy on his family if he joined their ranks. Bright kid he was. He reminded me of another kid I knew long time ago…"
Hera's eyes darkened with sadness and loss. She reached out with her hand and said imperatively:
"Give me the medallion. I keep many keepsakes here. Mostly it's junk. But there are some things that could potentially interest you".
Finn gave her the medallions reluctantly. Since he was already stuck on this planet with this strange old woman, he could as well see what it was.
Rey went to make-shift cantina and shared her meal with other fighters. Satine was sitting at the corner of the table with her Mandalorians, all exchanging barely few words. They were in the state of aay'han since one of their own has succumbed to his wounds on Sullust. They held a small memorial that morning for all they've lost in a battle.
"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum", they repeated and murmured their fallen comrades' names, sipping Mandalorian wine after each one.
Rey sat next to Satine and remained silent. They offered her a cup of wine too – Rey never tasted any fermented beverage and found herself being overwhelmed by the beverage's bitter and aromatic taste. She soon understood the origins of Satine's discontent.
"I didn't come here to hide in a hole", Satine eventually said and punched the table with her fist almost flipping their cups in the process. "Saxon Clan is on the move. They claim they're the only true Mandal'ore. They are sided with Hux. The longer the Nite Owls are away from the Mandalore system, our memory fades. People are scared. We are the only resistance left on the planet".
Her warriors made a small curse at the mentioning of the Saxon. They resented them even more than they resented the First Order, feeling a graver injury comes from an inside traitor than from an outsider.
"Follow me, and you'll see no short supply of battles", Rey replied sincerely, "But only for now, we have to stay low. What sort of Resistance any of us would be if we're dead? What sort of leadership the Council would represent if they'd send all their men and women to certain deaths? Be patient, it won't take long. War follows me and the darjetii like a blood-hound".
Satine examined Rey with that piercing gaze of hers.
"Council is no leader", she said abruptly, "It is you, Rey of Jakku".
Rey had to laugh whole-heartedly. The fermented wild rice and fruit did their thing on her palate and her senses.
What a majestic title for a junkyard planet.
"No, a Jedi is never a leader", Rey shook her head; "I don't lead anyone".
"Let's see", Satine said briefly and stood up. The Resistance fighters around them tensed as they sensed the commotion.
3PO's voice from the corner of the cantina recited: "It is a common practice for Mandalorians to organize ritual duels after the burial of their dead. It would be insolence to decline them".
Rey was sitting still and frowned at Satine. She didn't approve of their blood-thirst. And she still had the shadow of dread after that dream. She knew it was a mind-trick, and a desperate one at that, but Snoke was powerful. The manipulation shook her to the core and Rey had no intention of re-playing it in reality.
"What would Duchesse Satine have to say about this? Why do you Mandalorians solve everything with violence?" she asked sternly.
"Duchesse was wise, but this new world needs you to be insane", Satine replied readily, and then grinned, "Come on, jetii. Show me what you've got".
"Alright", Rey sighed and stood up to her feet, gesturing to 3PO to fetch her old quarterstaff.
Satine shook her head and took out her beskad.
"The saber, jetii", she grinned, "Mandal'ore means business".
Rey frowned, but complied. She of course had no intention of hurting Satine, but she now wanted to hold a small lesson. A small brazen smile now formed on her lips.
Poe had to interfere.
"Gentle-ladies", he said trying to act relaxed, and glanced at Rey. "There is no need for this now. We can do this another time, when we don't have the whole galaxy after us, aye?"
Satine looked down on him with a smirk, while Rey squeezed his shoulder and said:
"It won't take long. Let her deal with this the best way she can".
"I thought you should be the rational one here, Rey", he whispered in frustration, but had to let her go – again.
"I thought we agreed all Jedi are crazy in their own way", she smiled brazenly. Poe rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
And the lesson was exactly what she held. Satine was a fierce and cunning opponent. But the more strength she used, Rey exploited it more to her own advantage without breaking the sweat. The exercise invigorated her and she felt her rigid muscles flexing and healing with every single move, her ligaments and bones being re-positioned in the right places. Rey played around; everyone could clearly see it, with Satine soon struggling to catch her breath.
Rey activated the saber, and then quickly de-activated it. Satine was a bit frustrated, but laughed and accepted the game. She felt the heat of the blade millimeters from her helmet multiple times. In the end, Rey used beskad to knock out Satine's helmet from her head, causing her not even the slightest injury in the process.
It was a witty and an explosive maneuver, one that left Satine on her backside and her squadron snickering behind her.
"Is it enough?" Rey asked in good humor, reaching with her hand to help Satine get up.
"Not a leader, you say?" Satine accepted the hand.
"Your Basic Standard is getting better with each passing moment", Rey smiled and clicked on the surface of her translation device.
Hera gestured at Finn to help her with the crate that was stacked high above the ground.
"You're strong young soldier", she said, "Fetch it for me".
Finn struggled to stack other crates so he could get to that box. "I really don't have time for this", Finn grunted.
"Don't be lazy, son", Hera told him.
Finn almost lost his balance as he took the long wooden box and came down to ground.
Hera took the box and used an elaborate personal code to open it.
"Turn away", she commanded. "It is personal stuff, son".
Finn grunted again, but turned anyway.
"Now, look at it", she said eventually.
Finn turned and his eyes widened. In the open box, neatly kept and polished, were placed 5 different light-sabers.
Replenished, as the curfew above them has commenced, Rey went to her guardian post. Poe escorted her to the entry and paused for a moment, reluctantly.
"What?" Rey smiled back at him, "Go to your post, General. Jetii and darjetii belong to this hole, for now".
"Don't joke about it", Poe said, with a sudden outburst of solemnity, "Rey".
"What?" Rey's smile disappeared, "The saber is working, and you saw it. If he wakes up, I won't let him past me. I'm good at that, when I have something to protect".
"Rey", Poe grabbed her by her hand this time, and his grip felt a bit more passionate and firmer than he intended, "That's exactly what I am afraid of – that under that entire tough warrior Jedi exterior, you're still just a kid from a desert planet. This… thing is merciless. I agree with Satine, no matter how crazy she is. She's right. If something happens to you, then all of this – the Resistance, everything – falls to pieces".
She put her other hand on his shoulder.
"Luke Skywalker told me", she said, "It is vanity to think that when a Jedi dies, the Light dies. I am not the only light in the galaxy. Besides, nothing will happen to me. I taught him a lesson on Starkiller Base, and see how much more powerful I'm now".
And to his amazement and delight, she winked at him. Poe relaxed a bit and smiled as she closed the door.
"Jedi", he shouted from the other side of the door, "I'm a bad influence on you. Luke Skywalker will haunt me. That's why he's not visiting you".
Rey had to admit she smiled again. She appreciated the fact he treated her like a human, and not like some kind of a superhuman – super-weapon.
The medical droid informed her there were no changes in Kylo Ren's physical state. He has sunken deeply – and for the first time, a fleeting thought came through her mind: perhaps he really wants to die? Perhaps he doesn't want to be brought back to life? But she discarded this thought as a mere wild speculation on her part.
Her watch started. She sat in her niche, legs crossed, saber at her side, and let her mind go. She meditated and let the Force take her where she has to be.
This time, he came to her side almost immediately. It felt so usual and everyday, which made it even more outlandish on the whole.
"Watch out for that Mandalorian wine, Rey", Luke said. "And for the Sullustan tea. One makes you bold without limits; the other makes you unreservedly honest".
"I thought those were Jedi virtues", Rey replied and frowned.
"Everything is a potential virtue – in moderation", Luke said. "You'll see that when you want to tell the truth, you usually can't do it in its unrefined form. When it's too concentrated, it strikes as bitterly and as harshly as that Mandalorian moonshine they offered you. And what's the use of such truth to anyone then?"
Rey realized he was referring to her misunderstanding with the Council. She rushed to be completely honest and completely open so much that she completely forgot to try and find another way.
"You need to develop that refined vision of a Jedi, Rey", Luke added. "Things will get harder, you know they will".
Rey frowned again. Perhaps it was the Sullustan tea, or the Mandalorian wine – or both – but she had to ask.
"Why haven't you protected me from that attack?"
Luke raised his eyebrows.
"Haven't I?" he replied.
Rey was left speechless – indeed, how much worse would it be had her Master not interfered? And he reached out for her only so much to make a point – which he certainly did.
Again, she felt her loyalty was being put on the test.
"I would never turn to the Dark Side", Rey exclaimed. "Ever – you know that. I'd rather die an infinite number of times than serve Snoke or Kylo Ren".
"I know, Rey", Luke replied. "And I know if you decided otherwise, there would be nothing I could do to stop you. It is your decision and yours alone".
Luke tensed a bit and looked from across the hallway on his unconscious nephew.
"Ben always had this feeling of being trapped in this destiny", he shared his memories with crude and painful honesty. "That he was pressured and bullied into a role he never actually wanted. He fought to be a good son and a good Jedi apprentice. And for the most part, he truly was, Rey. But he never quite accepted one thing. And that is, whatever he does, it is only his choice and his choice alone".
Luke turned to Rey again:
"And it is his choice still".
Rey frowned. Part of her felt she was thrown into this war not of her choosing – she again had an unnerving feeling that her connection with Kylo Ren was much more than a mere mind trick.
"I see his will is heavily burdened with the Dark Side. He spent too much time deviating from the path. He abhors the ways of Jedi. I don't think he has the strength to come back, even if he wanted to", Rey eventually said, trying to emphasis on the great rift between them – she would never yield. And he yielded every single time.
"Why don't you ask him directly, then?" Luke raised his eyebrows.
Rey paused. It never occurred to her. In all honesty, she actively avoided coming too near him. She despised what he has done and what he has become – and now she had the lingering aftertaste of that nightmare too, more bitter than the Sullustan tea and Mandalorian wine combined.
"Ask him – what?" she whispered bitterly. "You know what happened in the throne room. You know what happened on Crait. He is full of darkness and mindless rage. Even if he can hear me in his present state, who knows what he'll do when he wakes up?"
Rey glanced at unconscious Ren with mistrust and bitterness.
"If he ever wakes up", she added.
"He was up against a very old and very cunning foe", Luke said, his expression again shadowed with guilt. "I failed him. I see it now more than ever".
He looked at Rey piercingly.
"Do you realize who Snoke is? Where he's coming from?" Luke asked Rey.
Rey shook her head. She really didn't know.
"Remember, Rey", Luke said. "Remember Ahch-to. Remember its many halls, its many secrets, its many caves… you saw it. He was hiding from us in plain sight".
Rey's eyes widened. It has finally dawned on her.
"The Prime Jedi", she uttered. "How's that even possible? He must be living for eons. It is…"
"An abomination – yes, that's exactly what he is", Luke sighed. "His own body was failing him for centuries. There is only so much the Dark Side can do to promote immortality. He was waiting for some time in hibernation. Waiting for someone powerful enough and susceptible enough to exploit him for his powers and then take him over completely, body and soul".
Rey's heart sunk. "Ben?" she whispered.
"Ben", Luke sighed. "Ben – the boy conflicted from the very beginning. I don't say he was a mistake. No one's ever a mistake. But his parents… me… the whole galaxy… we all failed him. We were not up to that task of recognizing the danger that loomed over him. Han was Han, he always objected Jedi ways. He didn't understand them nor did he want to. Leia has been struggling for a long time with the fact our father was Darth Vader. She forgave him eventually, but it took time to heal. And in between, it was Ben whom we lost. Too many losses, Rey – we have to stop them".
He shook his head. His expression morphed again in that of an old and feeble man.
Rey was moved, but her fears were not dispersed altogether. In a way, they were mounting now more than before.
"I am sorry", she whispered. "But what can I do? How can I help him? You tried, his mother tried, his own father… Han Solo is dead, so are you, and Leia died of heart-break. There is a long trail of suffering and death behind him, and so much Darkness within him still".
"Ask him what is that he wants then - that is all I say", Luke repeated simply.