As they made their way through the palace's maze of marble corridors, Ben could hear the sounds of battle raging just beyond its walls. But its halls had fallen eerily silent and were completely abandoned—save for the bodies of many dead guards that they discovered along the way.

"We should've had the shield more heavily defended," Rey said suddenly, her hands clenched in frustration. "We could've had Hux's ship checked more thoroughly, or—"

"What's done is done," he interjected. "And the fault is mine. I should have realized that the knights were here sooner. I could've stopped them."

"Well, we were a little distracted."

He looked down at her, and she gave him a reassuring glance. At that moment, they passed through golden beams of sunlight that were streaming through the window beside them, and Ben felt as if his heart had stopped. Rey was wreathed in a heavenly glow, her green eyes sparkling as they gazed into his. She was so beautiful. More than that—she was breathtaking.

"Ben?" Her brow furrowed in concern, and she canted her head. "What is it?"

He cleared his throat and returned his attention to what was in front of him. "Uh…nothing."

"All right then," she shrugged.

Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself to stay focused and reached out with the Force. The knights were very close now, so close that—

They rounded the corner, and Ben froze. There, at the far end of the corridor, were Cassus and Deroph—racing toward them. He instinctively raised his arm in front of Rey's chest, and she halted. Catching sight of them, the knights skidded to a stop and snatched their lightsabers from their belts. Ben and Rey responded in kind, his silver and her blue blades springing to life.

"We can take them," she growled, flourishing her weapon and then gripping its long hilt with both hands. "We've triumphed over worse odds."

"Don't underestimate them," he warned.

Suddenly sensing a presence behind them, he spun on his heel. Morvis had just emerged from a nearby doorway, and he took one quick look at them before dashing down the hall they had just come from.

"He's heading for the throne room," Ben realized. "You have to stop him."

"What?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Not without—"

"Rey, he'll slaughter them. You have to go now!"

"Yes, and you're coming with me," she insisted stubbornly. "I'm not leaving y—"

He silenced her with a firm kiss on the lips, not caring who was watching. "I'll come back, sweetheart. I promise."

"You better," she muttered, staring up at him with a confused mixture of fear and fury in her eyes.

Finally, Rey turned and started running. As she disappeared around the corner, Ben faced the approaching knights, his saber humming at his side.

"Well, would you look at that?" Cassus scoffed, his voice deep and metallic as it emerged from behind his black mask. "It didn't take you long to become the rebels' watchdog, did it? And you failed even at that."

Ben tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Don't get ahead of yourself. The battle's just beginning."

"Ha!" the knight jeered. "It is already over. The palace will soon be ours, and we will put the queen's head on a pike—right beside your precious Jedi's!"

An angry knot formed in Ben's chest, his vengeful instincts threatening to resurface. But then he heard a quiet voice enter his mind like a peacefully flowing river.

"Mercy over vengeance. Love over hate."

That was his motivation. That was his aim. Not killing these men who had once been his friends—but saving the Rebellion. Saving the woman he loved.

A wave of calm washed over him, and Ben found his center as his opponents charged. Thinking quickly, his eyes darted to a nearby statue that stood against the wall on his left. He reached out with his free hand, using the Force to bring it crashing down in the knights' path. Deroph vaulted over it, but Cassus leaped high into the air, gripping his saberstaff with both hands and raising it above his head. As he came down, Ben sidestepped, and one of the crimson blades plunged into the marble floor.

Making a swift diagonal slash with his own weapon, Ben sliced his enemy's saber in half and nearly did the same to his body. But Cassus twisted and flipped above the silver blade, and it passed through nothing but the fringes of his black robes. In evading the attack, he was compelled to relinquish his hold on the lower half of his weapon. It spun upward out of his grasp and landed in Ben's waiting hand.

Quickly, he turned and flung it toward Deroph. The knight dove over the spinning saber, dropping into a forward roll as Ben parried a strike from Cassus. With a fierce growl, he shoved his foe backwards and wheeled to meet Deroph's blade. As he did, Cassus' severed hilt returned to his left hand, forcing Deroph to duck in order to keep his head.

Ben's movements became a deadly dance, swift but powerful blows following one after another—relentless and calculated. He was constantly discovering new weaknesses in his opponents' defenses and assessing their responses to his techniques, always seeking openings that would give him the advantage. Deroph, for instance, was overly aggressive and relied too heavily upon his physical strength. Thus, when he aimed to deliver a mighty overhead blow, Ben used his momentum against him. Evading the attack, he slipped behind his enemy and dealt a devastating blow.

Both sabers sliced through Deroph's back, and he stumbled forward. Hitting the floor with a heavy thud, he moved no more. Cassus roared, summoning his fallen comrade's weapon to his free hand and using the other to send Ben careening backwards with a powerful Force push. Slamming into the broken statue behind him, all breath was driven from his lungs. The red saber deactivated and dropped from his grasp. As he slid down to the floor, it rolled out of his reach.

Ben tried to inhale, but no air entered his body. Heart pounding, he tightened his grip on his lightsaber and started to swing. But a black boot crushed his forearm against the effigy and pinned it down. Cassus crossed the two crimson blades in front of Ben's throat, and he could feel the knight's blazing wrath.

"It…isn't too late for you," he gasped, finally managing to force a breath into his lungs.

"You would appeal to my humanity?" Cassus sneered. "I have none left. It was you who taught me to eliminate the weak, to kill without mercy—remember?"

"I led…all of you astray," Ben admitted with a shuddering exhale, "and there is…little I regret more."

"We followed you, even after you committed treason! You had the galaxy in your grasp, and you abandoned your power—your authority! You turned your back on us, and for what?"

"There are more important things," Ben answered, gazing steadily into the eyes that he knew still lingered behind the faceless mask.

Cassus snarled. "I no longer recognize you. But because of who you once were—our leader, our master—I will end your life quickly!"

A pang of sorrow stabbed through Ben's chest as he realized that Cassus was going to leave him with no other choice. "I'm sorry," he said.

Hiss!

Suddenly, the hilt that had been spinning through the air behind Cassus activated. He was beheaded by his own lightsaber, and his body collapsed onto the floor. Breathing heavily, Ben switched off his silver blade and lay there for several moments, unwilling to get up. Death followed him like a shadow. Even now, he could not escape it.

They were gone now—all of Luke's former students. He was the last of them. The only remaining survivor.

"Ben? Ben, are you there?"

He bolted upright, grimacing as sharp pain pierced his side. Snatching the comlink from his belt, he activated it and raised it to his lips. "I'm here, Rey. Are you all right?"

"Yes, and the knight is dead. But…but Hux got away."

"What?"

She was out of breath, and it sounded like she was running. "There…there was an ambush. Stormtroopers with explosives. Many of Vashti's guards were killed."

Gritting his teeth, Ben got to his feet. "Where are you now?"

"We're on our way to the hangar. With Hux gone, there's no guarantee that…that they won't destroy the palace."

"You'd better get there fast," Finn's voice cut in suddenly, "cause we've got a very big problem arriving as we speak. The dreadnought is here, and it's taking up position near the palace."

"Blast!" she exclaimed. "Where is our fleet?"

"I don't know," he answered despondently, "but without it, we're sitting ducks. We can't hope to match firepower of that magnitude."

"There must be something we can do!"

Ben's heart plummeted as he heard the despair in her voice.

"All we can do is just…get as many people out of Theed as we can," Finn replied. "I'm—I'm sorry, Rey."

There was a long pause.

"Ben?" Her voice cracked this time. "You get to the hangar as fast as you can—do you hear me?"

He nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him. "I hear you. I'll be there soon."

"All right. We'll—we'll be waiting for you."

Deactivating his comlink, he lowered it to his side and took a deep, trembling breath. Guilt gnawed at him. He had never lied to her—not once—and the pain of doing it now was nearly too much for him to bear.

But if the dreadnought was indeed moving into position, then it was already far too late for an evacuation. The people of Theed would be slaughtered. The rebel forces would be wiped out. And Rey…

Ben shut his eyes, unable to complete the thought. If there was anyone who could stop the dreadnought, it was him, and that was exactly what he intended to do. It was a risky idea. The odds weren't good. But what choice did he have?

Perhaps this was what he had been meant to do all along.

One last chance. One last chance to do what was right. To preserve the dream of a free galaxy—what his mother and his father had fought and died for. What his uncle had died for. What his grandfather had died for.

They had all gone before him, and now, his time had come. He would finish what they had started.

HHHHHHHHHH

"The dreadnought's going to fire!"

"Where is Supreme Leader Hux? Has he given the order?"

"No! No one's heard from him since the fighting broke out!"

"It's the generals. It must be! They're going to kill us all!"

The panicked voices were coming from a comlink that lay inches from the gloved fingers of a fallen stormtrooper, and Ben shook his head as he listened. The First Order was rotting from the inside out. It had no leadership, and its forces were in complete disarray.

Having heard enough to further appraise himself of the situation, Ben raced down the hallway, then exited the palace through a side door. When he emerged into the bright sunlight, he squinted and shielded his face with his hand, finding himself standing on a long permacrete platform that separated the hangar from the river that ran through the city.

A screaming TIE fighter dipped in front of him, nearly skimming the surface of the water as it pursued a Naboo starfighter. Wind rushed through his hair and robes, and once the ships passed him by, he saw the battle raging across the river. Green and red blasterfire. Smoke billowing from burning structures. Unarmed civilians fleeing for their lives.

Ben's jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed with grim determination as he looked to his left. There. Past the waterfall and out over the vast green hills that lay beyond, the dreadnought loomed. A black and ominous harbinger of death, its enormous shadow darkened the land.

"Ben, are you almost here? We need to get the queen out of the city now!"

As Rey's voice crackled through the comlink, his throat constricted. Swallowing hard, he walked to the edge of the platform and stared down the angular nose of the dreadnought. He could scarcely hear her above the roar of the waterfall.

"Ben? Ben, can you hear me?"

His heart was breaking, tears welling in his eyes as he extended his arms in front of his chest and braced himself. This was his only chance to save her, and he would do it—no matter what the cost.

Breathing hard, Ben closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force. He immersed himself in its energy, feeling it flowing in the water, in the air, in every heartbeat. And it was drawn to him like a beacon of light in the dark, the sheer magnitude of it threatening to overwhelm him. Like one caught in the middle of a storm, he struggled to stay afloat, tossed about by waves larger and far more powerful than himself.

"Don't fight it," Anakin urged. "Surrender to its current. You are its vessel."

But fear held him back, his outstretched fingers trembling. "I can't let go. What if I lose myself?"

"You will find yourself—your true self. Remember, the Force is balance."

Ben's heart pounded in his ears, and behind his closed lids, he saw Rey's face. "Let me save her," he murmured desperately. "Please."

And then, he let the current take him. He sucked in a sharp breath as strength coursed through his veins. Every sound was suddenly amplified, and he became aware of the vibrations of every atom in the air around him.

"Breathe," Luke reminded him. "Just breathe."

In and out. In and out. Slower. Deeper.

Finally, Ben opened his eyes. The dreadnought's autocannons were aimed toward Theed, and he sensed that they were preparing to fire. But now, he was ready for them.

Four blasts shattered the air. Fiery streaks of energy launched from the cannons and sped toward him. He had only a moment to react.

Reaching out, Ben pushed back against their momentum. Sweat beaded on his brow, his teeth clenched as his arms began to shake. They were still coming, but they were starting to slow down. His chest heaved, and he hardened his will further. Groaning from the effort, Ben stared up at them as they descended like flaming meteors.

His legs began to quake, and he swayed. No! Hold on! Thrusting his hands out even farther, he strained with every fiber of his being. Just a bit more…

At last, the projectiles ground to a halt. Hovering in the sky above him, they wavered, burning and pulsing with staggering heat and firepower. A shiver ran through him, sweat streaming down his temples as he kept them in place. Almost there.

Summoning all that remained of his strength, Ben made a shoving motion with his arms and reversed the blazing missiles' direction. Now, their energy was unleashed, and they shot back the way they had come. The projectiles pierced the hull of the dreadnought like flaming javelins, leaving gaping, deadly wounds in their wake. A chain of explosions was triggered, and the mighty ship began to dip downward.

Ben's shoulders sagged, his arms falling back to his sides as he finally released his hold. Exhaustion overcame him, and he collapsed onto his knees. The dreadnought plunged toward the earth, and he watched its descent through rapidly blurring vision. Breathing a weary sigh of relief, Ben saw it crash. Saw it erupt with a flash so brilliant that it temporarily blotted out the sun, the flames of its destruction rising to the heavens.

Clouds of dust and smoke rippled outward, a deep rumble filling his ears as the ground beneath him trembled. And now that it was gone, now that he knew Rey was safe—at least for now—his eyelids became impossibly heavy. He bowed his head, his breaths weak and shallow as darkness began to swallow him.

"Ben!"

He raised his head, his eyes flying open again as the sound of her frantic voice awakened him. A second later, something sharp and metal was thrust between his shoulder blades, tearing through fabric and flesh.

"No!"

The weapon was ripped from his back, and Ben fell forward onto his hands and knees. Then with a last, shuddering gasp, he hit the permacrete and saw no more.