Later that evening, in the twilight, three seeker droids swooped and darted around Rey in an erratic pattern, firing stinger bolts which Rey easily blocked.
"Gah!" Rey exclaimed as a fourth seeker darted from behind a stack of crates firing rapidly, some shots getting through her defense.
"You're distracted, calm your mind then run through the forms again." Luke said calmly.
"Of course I'm distracted." Rey said pulling off her helmet and striding over to Luke. "You still haven't told her."
"It's complicated, Rey" Mara said coming over.
"No it's not. I've given you both a chance to tell her, to tell all of them, but it seems you have gotten comfortable in hiding your life and your feelings." Rey said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You might have chosen that life, but I refuse to live a life that is ruled by secrets." Rey stated, storming off towards the Falcon in the distance and wiping furiously at her eyes with the heels of her hands.
"Maybe she's right, perhaps we should tell at least Leia." Luke said quietly after a moment.
"That's your choice, but I'm not looking forwards to her reaction when she finds out we've kept this from her for so long." Mara said. "I have to go check on my people, I'll see you later Luke." She said seeing Leia coming up behind him and walking away.
"Luke, have you seen Rey?" Leia called out.
"Last I saw she was heading to the Falcon. If you'll excuse me I need to go meditate." Luke said, walking off himself.
Leia found Rey sitting in the cockpit of the Falcon with her eyes red and cheeks tear stained.
"Rey, what's wrong." Leia asked firmly but gently.
"Everything." whispered Rey looking down at the lightsaber in her hands.
"I heard you got into an argument with Mara Jade and Luke. An argument with Jade, believe me I get that, she's not the easiest person to get along with. I still don't understand why she's hasn't left yet, it's not like she believes in the fight. But Luke? What would you have to argue with Luke about?" Leia asked.
"She's staying because of me. She's trying to protect me. The same goes for Luke." said Rey explained, looking out of the cockpit at the darkening sky.
"Protect you? From what? Why?" Leia asked, her confusion turning wary when she saw the look in Rey's eyes when she glanced her way, a look she had seen many years ago in Luke's eyes on Endor.
"She's my mother and Luke is my father. I'm a Skywalker. My birth name is Kiré." Rey said quietly, turning her head away from Leia.
"What? How can that be? Why would Luke choose to be with her? He knows what she's done, where she comes from. So why in the galaxy would he tie himself to a woman like that?" Leia questioned.
"The answer is as plain as the stars in the sky, he loves her. But if you want to know more, you'll have to ask him." Rey said getting up from her seat and walking out.
"Oh Luke, what have you done?" Leia murmured to herself, her head falling into her hands. Steeling herself she reached out to the Force and found her brother on the cliffs overlooking the base. Seeing her brother sitting there on the ground in a meditative position she called out softly."Luke."
"I sense your distress, Leia. She told you, didn't she?" Luke said, slowly opening his eyes and looking over at Leia.
"She did. Why Luke, why her? You knew her past, so why her? Rey said you love her, is that true?" Leia cried dreading the answer.
"Of course I love her. She's my wife, my other half. When I thought she was gone, I almost lost the will to live." Luke said simply but passionately.
"How can you say such things, Luke?" Leia asked, the distress clearly evident in her voice.
"The Force brought us together on Wayland, bonded us. Though it took about a year for us to accept it. We were married according to mandalorian tradition. We kept our relationship quiet, knowing that many in the New Republic would view it as a betrayal of everything they portrayed me as." explained Luke.
"You're right, many would have seen it that way. Politically, I would have agreed with them." Leia said then shot him a look. "But as your sister you should have told me sooner."
Luke winced. " I know that. Mara wasn't exactly comfortable with the whole arrangement and frankly neither was I and if I had been on Hosnian Prime I would have. But by that time I had begun training my students. Between rebuilding the Jedi order and trying to navigate the pitfalls of my romantic entanglements, sending a comm never crossed my mind." Luke confessed. "Then when you sent Ben to be trained there was more important things to discuss with you then the fact that I had been married a year earlier."Luke said timidly.
"Ben, I should never have sent him there. That's when I lost him." Leia said sadly.
"Actually, Mara helped him better than I ever could, even though she refused to become a Jedi. But maybe because of that and her past, she could see him clearly. She understood what he was going through, listened to his fears and calmed his mind. But within a year of his arrival Rey was born, looking back I see now he thought we would push him aside. The fear of abandonment and the fear that he could never measure up to the dreaded Skywalker lineage is what in the end, I believe, caused him to fall." Luke finished, gazing over the base.
"There's no hope for him, is there?" Leia said sadly.
"I'm afraid the only one who can save him is himself." Luke said gently though his voice was full of sorrow.
"I now understand Obi-wan's viewpoint of our father, though I wish I'd never had to." Leia said to herself
"Everything okay, kid?" came a voice from the shadows.
Spinning around and igniting both blades, lighting up the face of Ezra.
"Whoa, careful with those." Ezra said, putting his hands up.
"Governor." Rey gasped out, deactivating her lightsaber. "Forgive me, I didn't see you there. You have a habit of surprising people, don't you?"
"Comes from living on my own for so long, drives my wife crazy, so don't worry about it and call me Ezra. It was my fault sneaking up on an emotionally compromised padawan." Ezra said.
"Pada-what?" Rey asked confused.
"Padawan, a jedi apprentice. So do you want to tell me what's going on, because it feels like you're about to go supernova." He stated.
"Family trouble." Rey replied, giving him an odd look and starting to walk away.
"I get that, do you have anyone you trust to talk to?" Ezra said, coming up next to her not seeming to get the hint.
"I'm not sure." Rey said looking down then glancing over at the man walking next to her. "How do you know what a Jedi apprentice is called?" Rey asked suspiciously.
"Believe it or not, I was once a Jedi myself, left all that behind a long time ago." Ezra said wistfully.
"I don't believe it." Rey said edging away slowly and reaching for her lightsaber. "Master Skywalker is the last Jedi."
"The last of the old Jedi, or so he believes. He hasn't exactly followed the old code, though that's not surprising. There's a reason the old order fell, but he's always refused to see it. That's why I never joined his Jedi order no matter how many times he asked and why I'm technically not a jedi." Ezra explained.
"That . . .makes sense. Now that I know I can see how bright your force presence is. I don't know why I didn't see it before." Rey said.
"That and the fact I've let down my barriers so you could see I was telling the truth. In times like these it's sometimes best to cloak your presence in the force." Ezra said.
"Like those creatures they brought in to keep Kylo Ren in his cell." Rey said with an odd note in her voice.
"Yeah, about that, what was Leia thinking bringing him here?" Ezra asked, glancing over at Rey he noticed she was starting to look uncomfortable. "Would you know why?" he asked.
"It's not my place to tell." Rey said quietly when Ezra's comlink went off.
"Governor Bridger here." Ezra responded.
"Governor an unidentified ship just blasted through our defenses and they're heading in your direction!" A young woman's panicky voice came though.
"Toph Kell, you need to calm down. Put up the shields and signal the Lothal defense force."
"Didn't you hear me?! Our defenses are destroyed and the ones that are still there are in no position to help." Toph replied.
"Send everyone who can help to find and treat the injured. Then get everyone to safety." Ezra said resignedly.
"I hope your friends are good, because they're the only chance we have now, Kell signing off." She said ending the call.
"Come on kid, we better tell them to sound the alarm." Ezra said running ahead and comming the base. "This is Governor Ezra Bridger we are under attack. Repeat we are under attack."
Rey was following when she saw Poe and Paige out in the open, running towards the cave opening.
"Are you two alright?" Rey asked as Paige doubled over, her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
"We will be." replied Paige.
"Why haven't they started their attack yet?" Poe asked incredulously, staring into the sky from the mouth of the cave.
"Something's not right here." Rey said as she looked at the display, then closing here eyes she reached out to the Force. Her eyes flashed open dread and determination filling them. "They're not coming for us, they're here for him. It's not an attack, it's a jailbreak." She exclaimed, grabbing her lightsaber off her belt and running off in the direction of the cell block. "Get everyone to a safe place, you're not equipped to deal with this."
"What do you mean?" demanded Poe grabbing Rey's arm.
"They're here to break Kylo Ren out of our grasp. If you confront them, you'll be slaughtered. I'm the best bet to stop them." Rey said
"Alright go, we'll take care of things here." said Poe rushing off with Paige.
Seeing Rey run past the command center.
"Continue tracing that signal!" Ezra called behind him as he ran after her. "Hey kid, could you use some back up?" Ezra said coming up to her.
"I hope you can fight, Governor." said Rey.
"Don't worry kid, I have something up my sleeve." said Ezra with a smirk. Turning the corner the saw Kylo Ren was free and flanked by the Knights of Ren
"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Rey, igniting her blades.
"The only place I've ever belonged, home and you'll be coming with me." said Kylo Ren.
"I'm not going anywhere with you after what happened last time." said Rey.
"That's what you think." Kylo Ren said raising his hand, with a point of his finger."Fire!" he said as stun bolts overwhelmed Rey.
"Kid!" Ezra exclaimed kneeling next to Rey and checking to see if she was okay. "You shouldn't have done that." Ezra said quietly.
"Soon you'll have more important things to worry about Governor Bridger. Once I'm gone, I'll give the order to raze Lothal to the ground." said Kylo Ren.
"I don't think my wife will care for that very much and you don't want to see a Mandalorian warrior when she's angry." said Ezra standing up.
"You won't be around to warn her." Kylo Ren said grabbing Ezra in a force choke. Ezra gripped at his throat as a lightsaber quietly dropped into his hand as Kylo Ren released him. Dropping to one knee he ignited the yellow-orange blade, quickly dispatching three of the knights before being stunned himself.
"Buy me some time by engaging the enemy." ordered Kylo Ren to his men as he picked up Rey in his arms and grabbed her lightsaber tucking into his belt. "Take any ship you can find, then burn this place to the ground."
"Yes sir." said the Knights of Ren turning right, while Kylo Ren went left. Once he got to the knight's ship he restrained Rey and took off. Below the Knights of Ren had engaged Sabine, Luke and Mara.
"Ezra come in, you might want to call up the wolf pack." Sabine said into her comlink.
"They're on their way, you know the plan. Make sure to take them all out, Lothal depends on it." Ezra's response came back slowly.
"Mara, Luke, follow me and lead the enemy into the tall grass. On my mark get to high ground." Sabine called out running towards the plains with Luke and Mara following close behind.
"Luke, Mara, NOW!" yelled Sabine, activating her jetpack launching herself to the top of one of the stone spires closely followed by Luke and Mara who Force jumped to the top of another stone spire.
"Now what?" asked Mara.
"Watch and see." Sabine said.
The knights formed up, preparing to attack when the grass began to rustle and a pack of Loth-wolves appeared and began to take out the knights. Every time the knights tried to attack the wolves would just disappear into the grass with no trace only to reappear somewhere else and resume their defense.
"What are those?" gasped Luke.
"Loth-wolves, Protectors of Lothal. They really don't like anyone associated with the empire or the dark side." Sabine said.