IMPORTANT NOTE AHHHH: Hello all. So, I'm still not getting emails regarding updates and some of you aren't either. That's totally fine because I made a freaking twitter account to let you know when there's an update. I was originally going to use my own personal twitter, but I'm an awful shitposter and I'm sure you guys don't want to see that. But, of course, you can always follow me there too if you do feel so inclined to see total trash on the internet. Which, you can find me by my name, which is the same name on here and on my instagram.

Anyway, the twitter handle for all updates is CommandMech because... get it? And I already tweeted so... you'll know you found me. I don't have a photo yet and I promise it's not spam. So, if you want to always know when this story updates, there you go. You can follow that and get updates.

Or... you know... just keep checking back here every 2-3 days. You do you, boo.

Also...

We are so freaking close to 500 reviews. Think we can reach it before the next chapter shows up? I think we can because you guys are freaking awesome and I don't deserve any of your kind words and praise. For real, though. You guys are straight up amazing and I love you all.

But you came here for a story... so let's boogie.

Damar stood very still in his new office as the giant hologram of Snoke's deformed head spoke to him. He was afraid that any sudden movement on his part would result in his own demise. While Snoke wasn't particularly angry with him at this time… he was still uncertain about what the deformed figure in front of him was actually feeling. "We are able to track the Falcon now that we've duplicated its signal. We will send a squad of fighters out to track them down."

Snoke was not exactly impressed, nor was he disappointed. He just simply knew that the TIE Fighters were not going to do much. He had seen it. What he was more concerned about was the state of the Grey User on that ship. He could feel her sanity fluctuate as her balance faltered from the battle of Lothal. "No." He finally spoke after a moment's pause. "Kylo Ren has found the Eye of the Sun; the stone will emit darkness that none of the Force Users are prepared to deal with. The darkness will offset Ashlyn as well; keeping her unbalanced if she is not strong enough. Her will is being tested as we speak." His voice a distorted growl. "Something is changing. Something is coming to light that we have never seen before. I can feel it. It will change everything."

All this talk of the Force and feeling things was not something Damar truly cared about. He wanted blood and he wanted Hux's head on a platter. "How do you wish us to proceed?"

"Keep an eye on them. They will soon need to return to their home base. When that time comes, we will know where the Resistance and Ascension are hiding."

Damar wasn't exactly keen on this idea at first, mainly because he wanted nothing more than to blow the Falcon out of the sky and destroy the remaining Ascension and Resistance members. However, if they were able to find the location where the two parties were hiding… he could do just that. "As you wish, Supreme Leader."

In the belly of the Falcon, where most of the main engines resided, the Dark User and the Grey User snuck away. It had been a week since the Battle of Lothal and they were no closer to finding the Heart of the Universe. For a week they dwelled on the asteroid belt, scanning for any signs of a tower or any unusual markings that would be a sign. Nothing. It had been a frustrating week, to say the least. Between the Battle of Lothal, the darkness that practically exploded within Kylo Ren before either one knew what to do about it; oh, and the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere with the threat of asteroids every ten seconds. It was a rocky week; they got out their frustration in one of the only ways they could think of.

Her back was against the only flat wall in the main engine room as her legs wrapped around Kylo Ren's waist, the two panting heavily; sweat coating their bodies as their hair matted to their faces. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as her head rested on his shoulder. A lazy grin on his face as he pressed his lips to the crook of her neck and out to her shoulder. "I like when you get frustrated." He teased; nipping at the soft flesh of her shoulder.

Ash let out an airy chuckle as she caught her breath. The pain her ribs were no longer as awful as it had been. At times there was discomfort, but most of the bruising had healed by now. "You're the worst." She mumbled, into his shoulder.

There was something rather odd in the way Ash and Ren settled their stress. Granted, a natural thing to do in time of crisis was to succumb to carnal needs; a way to forget everything all together. A distraction. Yet, what Ash and Kylo Ren seemed to be missing was the suggestive nature of the darkness that was brewing inside him. The control it had wasn't just over him; it was a control that was slowly seeping its way into her own being. Channeling the darkness within her. Instead of Ashlyn learning to deal with everything that had happened in a productive manner, it was almost trying to prevent her from doing so. That simple, strange darkness that neither one realized was a bigger threat in the long run. The darkness that allowed them to give into their desires. The darkness that was slowly and connivingly drove them to a state of madness. Blissful and ignorant madness.

Kylo Ren's arms were starting to grow tired from holding her up for so long, yet he didn't want to put her down. He liked finding himself in these… situations with her. Reluctantly, he knew he had no choice any longer and did. The two werestanding naked in the main engine room.

There was a loud thud that echoed throughout the Falcon as Kylo Ren sighed angirly. "Another asteroid."

"Well, we are in an asteroid belt." Ash retorted as the two began to rummage around for their clothes. "At least they're small ones."

"They're still making dents in the ship." Ren snapped at her with that slight anger in his tone.

Ash shimmied into her shirt, adjusting it over her upper half as she frowned at him. "Hey, what did we say about controlling the darkness?"

The darkness was still stirring inside Kylo Ren; every so often, he'd let it slip and would grow angry or hateful for no particular reason. Well, angrier than usual. If that could ever be possible. That was when Ash stepped in, she tried to help him curb it and for the most part, it worked. Yet, Kylo Ren worried that the darkness was simply lying dormant, waiting for the right moment to strike. At least, for now, they could assume he was controlling it. He exhaled sharply, buttoning his shirt with haste. "I know."

Ash was fully dressed now as she walked over to her brooding husband, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing. "I know you know." She said softly. "And I know you're trying."

It took everything in him not to roll his eyes at her as his lips quirked upward slightly into a smirk. "We should head back to the main area."

"Yeah-" She agreed. "We don't want to look suspicious."

His smirk widened to a full out mischievous grin now. "Starshine, I'm sure they've figured out what we're doing by now." Ash opened her mouth to protest, only to realize… he was probably right. Her face turned beet red as she blushed profusely. Kylo Ren chuckled, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "And if they hadn't, your face says it all."

Ash groaned as the two pulled away from one another, Kylo Ren walking with a new-found pep in his step as Ash trudged, grumbling over how awful he was at times.

Back on Crait, the Ascension were allowed to send only a handful of troops down to the base at a time. At first, they cautiously sent only Lieutenant Mitaka down. Their reasoning was that if they killed Mitaka, it wasn't exactly the biggest loss. Surely, Mitaka didn't appreciate that sentiment, but still went all the same.

Now, Hux, Phasma and Brass had bravely ventured down to the surface of Crait on a regular basis. Or rather, as regular as they saw fit, which mostly consisted of when they needed to brief with General Organa.

That night was different, however. The trio ventured down out of boredom, curiosity and of course, recon. They wanted to know what the Resistance was up to at all times. Not the most trusting crew in the war; their suspicions were always what kept them alive and being on Crait was no difference.

While Poe Dameron was far from okay with the Ascension leaders roaming around freely, General Organa assured him that this was actually better for them in the long run. Had they been up to something, they'd be able to catch it considering they had every means to watch them while they wandered the base. That didn't stop Poe Dameron from following them around and becoming their unofficial tour guide.

"Some of your machinery seems…." Hux paused, trying to find a word for it as he stared at everything the Resistance had at their disposal. Falling apart weapons; tools that seemed that they hadn't been used in over a decade. It wasn't up to date, comparatively, to what the Ascension had. "Archaic."

Poe frowned at the snarky General. "We had better stuff on D'Qar, stuff given to us before the Republic was blown up."

Hux smirked knowingly. "Oh right, we blew them up."

"Not sure how you can make a joke about destroying the lives of millions of innocents." Poe mumbled.

"Innocents?" Hux mused. "The Republic and the First Order worked very closely together; buying and selling weaponry, parts and ships. This war put money in the pockets of those 'innocents' you seem so fond of. Money keeps wars going."

Phasma rolled her eyes at their clear display of right vs wrong ego trip. "We took the responsibility of the death toll. It's not something we are proud of, don't mistake us for heartless monsters." She interjected. "We did what we had to."

"At what cost?" Poe asked, addressing her more so than Hux.

"One less giant to knock down." Hux added for the good Captain; contemplating his next offer. It could either help or hurt him. Regardless, for now, it was probably better if the Resistance trusted them, at least in some capacity. Even with the aid he would offer them, he knew their numbers could easily wipe out the small team based on hopes and dreams. "Phasma, can we offer some of our intel and technology to the Resistance?"

"I can see what we have." Phasma confirmed, not giving away any emotion whatsoever. Hux had a plan, and regardless of that plan, Phasma followed.

Poe's eyes widened as he stared at the Ascension leaders in disbelief. "You're giving us your stuff?"

"Well, not all of it." Hux explained. "We can't have our allies using out of date equipment. You'll get us killed should your toys break."

His peace offering was concerning as well as intriguing to Poe. The idea that these people who were seen as creatures and nothing more, and not even that long ago, could make peace with them. Or rather, an artificial peace that could pass as an attempt for now. Poe was still suspicious of them, he had to be. He had the responsibility and duty to protect the people of the Resistance. However, if peace could be had, he'd be willing to try for it. "Hux, maybe you're not the worst person in existence." He was joking… sort-of.

Phasma grinned over the comment as Hux quipped. "No, that award goes to Kylo Ren. At least, according to his wife." Poe actually laughed at that. "Speaking of, has anyone here heard from them?"

"Last we heard they were sitting in an asteroid belt, searching for the second stone." Poe admitted.

"And hopefully not starting anymore wars." Lieutenant Brass finally sarcastically chimed in. His sentiment was one they all shared.

"Your Leader is quite the piece of work." Poe added, albeit with a slight distaste.

Hux grinned, knowing exactly how the Poe vs. Kylo Ren war was going. "Ashlyn is just as much of a troublemaker as he is. If anything, she exploits his impulsive tendencies at times."

"She's a good person though." Poe tried to deflect the fact that Ash really was a troublemaker in her own right.

"I would never say otherwise. However, my point stands. She is trouble in her own way."

She was and Poe Dameron couldn't argue that. Ash wasn't perfect, but at least she was a loyal friend when it came down to it. With a long sigh, Poe simply shrugged. "Mind if I show you guys to our common area? I need a drink."

"Don't we all." Hux agreed flatly as Poe lead the Ascension leaders to the common area. The room fell deafly silent as the Resistance members in the common area stared in concern as Poe gave them a half-reassured smile. "It's cool, guys. Everyone's cool." He lead them over to a nearby table, mumbling something about drinks as he walked away for a brief moment.

Phasma noticed the nervous, former Trooper sitting at that very table. He was slightly glaring at her; swallowing hard. "Captain Phasma."

She smiled wickedly. "FN-2187. It's so good to see you." She hadn't exactly forgiven him yet for abandoning his post, turning against her Troops, oh and putting her in a trash compactor when they invaded StarKiller.

"It's Finn now." He reminded her.

"Of course, it is."

Poe rejoined the group; holding tightly in his arms a few bottles of something Hux didn't recognize as he placed the bottles sloppily on the table. "It's all we got, nothing fancy." He noticed the apprehensive look on Finn's face. "Everything okay, buddy?"

"Fine." He replied. "Just wondering what Chrome Dome is doing here, is all."

"Chrome Dome?" Hux smirked, his brown quirking upward as he looked at the blond woman next to him. "I kind of like that." Phasma glared at the ginger, daring him to say it.

Poe sighed. "It's a lot to take in, I know. But, we have to work together."

"I know." Finn said, still not happy about the whole thing as he gestured to the other seats. "Well, are you guys going to just stand there?"

Brass was the first to sit, smiling brightly at the former Trooper. He had no qualms with anyone in the Resistance, granted he was a former militia expert for the First Order. That didn't make him a bad guy, per say. Okay, it sort-of did. But, he, personally, wasn't the worst thing to have ever come out of the First Order. "So, Finn; you were under Phasma's rank, I assume. She's a tough cookie." He tried to be personable. "Not many survive Phasma."

Finn frowned. "I don't think we've met, were you a First Order officer?"

Brass wasted no time in opening his foreign beer as he took a nice long swig. "Sure was." He grinned. "Militia; 'A' rank. Basically, I ran your squad tactics."

"And consistently made wise ass remarks while doing so." Hux droned as he finally sat along with Phasma.

"Still don't know how you didn't fire me." Brass added with a wink.

"Oh, I was going to fire you." Hux retorted. "Out of a canon, and into a nearby sun."

Phasma gave Hux a pointed look. "No, he wasn't."

Poe was curious now at how different they seemed when together. There was a playfulness; comradery that almost mirrored how Poe, Finn, Rey and Ash were when they were together. "How long were you all ranked officers for? Did you know each other prior to being First Order lackeys?"

Brass was still grinning his stupid grin as he replied. "You call us 'lackeys', and we get it. The First Order isn't exactly known for spitting up rainbows and sunshine. However, your enemy was also our friends. Just how our enemy was all your friends. We may be evil, but we were fighting for the same things you all were. Freedom; Order, a chance to make a difference in the Galaxy."

"By murdering people." Finn objected to his notion.

"We are not as different as you may think." Hux contributed. "History shows us exactly that truth. The Rebels murdered dozens of innocents that got in the way of taking down the Empire. It's never so one-sided. All we can do now is try to make the change we want to see in the Galaxy, and I think we're on the right path, considering we are sitting in the same room and no one has killed anyone yet."

"We learned what was wrong with the Supreme Leader and his ideas; now we're trying to change the course of history. Does that not say we're the conflicted good guys?" Brass said.

Poe nodded. "I like that. Conflicted Good Guys."

Brass smugly enjoyed the praise over his new description before returning to the other question. "And yes, we knew each other before we became First Order officials. We went to the academy together. Trained under the same squad with courses and drills. We also met Kylo Ren there."

"That must have been fun." Poe assumed.

Phasma grinned. "Remember when we said he was a troublemaker before? Imagine him worse back then, with less of a filter than now."

Finn grimaced. "I can't even begin to think of him as anything but evil."

"Evil, sure." Hux explained. "But if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be having this conversation with you all. We'd still be with the First Order; or more likely dead."

Poe frowned in confusion. "Wait, Kylo Ren created the Ascension?"

"With our help, of course." Phasma answered. "But more or less, yes. This was his idea."

"He's not as evil as you think he is." Brass took another big gulp of his beer. "Sure, he's done really bad stuff over the years. A lot of it was stuff he didn't want us to do; kept our innocence in all this. Ren did all the hard stuff so we wouldn't have to."

Hux frowned at the foreign beer in his hand, debating if he even wanted to drink it. However, he knew it would show good faith if he did. Even though he had much better and far more expensive stuff on his ship. With a reluctant exhale, he opened his bottle and took a sip. "Do not take this as he's a saint." Hux reminded the group almost warningly. "He's still a complete pain in the ass."

Poe and Finn exchanged knowing looks as they grinned. "Pain in the ass or not-" Finn said. "You still joined him."

"And we don't regret it, either." Brass beamed.

Ash locked eyes with Chewbacca as they sat at the Dejarik table; she all but read his mind to predict his next move. At least she wanted to play fair, unlike Kylo Ren who sat meditating across the common room.

Chewie made his next move, bellowing smugly at how wonderful of a move it was as he folded his arms across his hairy chest; nodding her Ash to try and beat him.

Ash looked back down at the board, grinning as she brought her rather large monster forward. The monster using his club to smash Chewie's monster. The Wookie angrily roared; his fists coming down onto the table with rage before storming from the table. He could be heard shouting in anger as he left the room and wandered to the cockpit once more. "What was that about?!" Ash exclaimed at his outburst.

"Didn't I tell you to always let the Wookie win?" Ren smirked knowingly, his eyes still closed as he tried to concentrate. "It was Han's number one rule whenever I wanted to play against him." His lips pursed at the memory; a memory he was fond of and yet had the utmost contempt for all the same.

"It's a stupid rule." Ash grumbled.

"Not if you want to keep your arms attached to your body." Another surge or darkness pulsated through his body as his face contorted to a more pained expression. His lips connecting tightly as he waited for the feeling to pass.

Ash sensed his distress as she removed herself from the Dejarik table and over to where he was sitting. She crouched in front of him. "Hey, are you okay?" His eyes snapped open, the pure blackness was back as his heart began to race. His breathing labored ever so slightly as he looked at her. "Your eyes are black again…"

In his frustration, Kylo Ren maneuvered around Ash and began to pace the common area. "I shouldn't still be having these complications."

Ash watched him pace, his anger beginning to build up even more. "You'll get through it eventually. You just need to keep working at it." She truly believed that.

"I need to get through it now!" He snapped at her; stopping his pacing as he exhaled sharply. He didn't mean to yell at her, it wasn't her fault. "I'm sorry-" His voice low. "It's the-"

"I know." Ash reminded him gently as she stood up and walked over to him again.

Even in his frustration, he still pulled the girl close to him, holding her there for a long while as he sighed. "I have to be strong."

"You are strong."

"Stronger." He rephrased. "I can't defeat Snoke if I'm not powerful."

She frowned into his chest. "You're not going to beat him alone. This isn't just your burden to bear, it's all of ours. We will help you through this."

Ren pursed his lips as he pulled back a little from Ash to look down at her. Suddenly, he seemed quite amused at his new revelation. An amusement that should have worried Ash. It did. "You still haven't told Rey."

She hadn't. "I don't think we should worry her with that right now considering she's getting her own stone soon." Ash answered truthfully. "Assuming we ever find it."

Ashlyn began to wonder then what was going to happen when Rey did receive her stone? Would she suffer the way Kylo Ren was? "It's a Light stone." Ren answered her, not having to take almost any effort to hear her thoughts. "She shouldn't be bothered too much by it."

"Too much of either side can be overwhelming, I'm sure." Ash offered. "But what does her stone do? Yours gives you a ridiculous surge of power, but her stone?"

He made a face. "I'm not sure."

"I wonder what mine will do to me." Ash began to contemplate. "Maybe it'll turn me into a garbage rat or something."

Ren chuckled; the darkness beginning to subside as he did. "Don't be ridiculous."

She beamed. "But it helped." Ash nodded up at him. "The scary eye thing is gone."

"And not a moment too soon." He noted just as Rey walked into the room.

Ash reluctantly pulled away from Kylo Ren as she turned her attention to Rey and offered a somewhat weak smile. "Anything yet?"

Rey shrugged. "Nothing. Maybe Master Luke was mistaken?"

Ren retorted dryly. "Wouldn't be the first time." To which, the girls rightfully glared in reply.

Ash shook her head, trying to return the conversation back to the issue at hand and not Kylo Ren's clear hatred for his uncle. "Have we checked everywhere?"

"That's the problem. Since we're in an asteroid belt, it's constantly moving. We can't really keep track of it." Rey explained.

"Well, what did you expect?" Ren was really having issues containing the raging darkness that was residing within him today. "It's a moving asteroid belt, of course it wasn't going to be easy to track. It's not like the asteroid we need is going to just fly right into us." That was exactly what happened.

The ship shook violently from the impact of a larger asteroid; sending it spiraling as the trio were tossed around in the common area of the ship. The lights flickering on and off as anything in the common area that was not bolted down began to fly around, this including the Force Users. The Wookie could be heard roaring from the cockpit as the trio tried to get some sort of footing as the Falcon spun out of control until it finally landed with a crash.

Ash groaned, now sprawled out on the ground amongst any lose items in the room. "You were saying?"

Rey had managed to latch onto the Dejarik table and clung onto it for dear life during the commotion, she was afraid to let go even though the ship had stopped moving. Kylo Ren wasn't as lucky as he was now in the far corner and lying flat on his back, yet he was the first to his feet as he stomped to the cockpit to find out what the hell had actually happened.

The Wookie was yelling at all the blaring alarms going off on the console when Kylo Ren entered the cockpit. "What was that?!" He looked from the Wookie to the outside world, noticing they had crashed on a rather large asteroid. In the distance, a peculiar formation covered in shadow. He stared at it, trying to make out what it was as Rey ran in.

Her eyes scanned the blinking red lights and consistent error warnings on the counsel as she asked. "What happened?" Chewbacca yelled back in reply. "Yeah, I can tell we got hit!"

Ren looked back, noticing she came alone. "Ash?"

"She's assessing the damage." Rey explained, now looking out the cockpit window. "Where did we land?" She then saw the shadowed formation. "And what the hell is that?" Rey felt something tugging at her from the inside; beckoning to get out as it crawled underneath her skin. Something with that formation felt… right. It felt like home, a piece of home calling out to her.

Kylo Ren, of course, did not let that go unnoticed as he eyed the scavenger suspiciously. "I think we found the stone."

Rey kept staring out at the formation; unable to take her eyes off it. "How do we get to it?"

He shook his head. "Not we, you."

She finally tore her eyes from the fixture to stare at Kylo Ren in disbelief. "Just me?"

"It's your stone, it calls out to you. Only you can be the one to touch it."

Her eyes locked back with the formation. "So, how do I get to it?" A question for the ages.

Ash was running around frantically as she skid across the floor of the Falcon, cutting corners as best she could to get around as fast as possible. The asteroid that hit them got them good, they needed to repair the ship. One of the main oxygen pipes burst; that wasn't the best news.

Ash ran down to the engine room, her eyes scanning over the sparking towers, noticing where the shortages were coming from. The main oxygen pump had completely stalled. "Shit…" She uttered before rushing back up to the main area to find some tools. She had to fix the oxygen pipe first and foremost, then the pump. The ship was going to run out of oxygen and they'd all suffocate in only a measly few hours if nothing was fixed. As she ran through the halls, she nearly ran into Kylo Ren and Rey who were trying to find her to discuss a plan anyway.

"Starshine?"

"Not now!" She yelled, rushing passed them with some tools and towards the severed pipe. The two other Force Users exchanged glances before cautiously following her to where the broken pipe was.

Rey realized immediately what was wrong and how grave the situation was becoming. "It took out the main oxygen system?"

Ash was climbing up pipes to get to the ceiling of the Falcon where the pipe was, holding it up with one hand as she began to try and rejoin the severed pieces. Kylo Ren frowned as he watched her. "Please be careful."

"I'll be careful once I get the pipe fixed." She grumbled, working meticulously to mend the pipes.

Kylo Ren decided now was as good as any time to explain the situation. "We found where the stone is; Rey is going to retrieve it."

She frowned. "How?"

"There's a suit she can use; it'll protect her from space as well as handle the no-oxygen problem."

"Uh-" Ash informed them. "She won't be the only one not able to handle the oxygen problem if I can't get this fixed."

"We don't have that kind of time, Starshine. We're sitting stationary on this asteroid, which is going to cause an even bigger problem." Kylo Ren began to explain. Ash looked up at him, about to ask what could be bigger than this, when another space rock hit the ship, shaking it. Ash hung on tightly to the poles as Ren and Rey stumbled to regain their footing from the rocking ship. He glared slightly. "That. That's why we need to move. We're sitting ducks."

Ash looked at Rey; knowing their choices were extremely limited and their time was running short. If they stayed and sat there, they risked getting hit by more space rocks. If Rey used the suit, they also risked the ship running out of oxygen before Ash could fix it. As Anakin had told her before… she needed to have faith. And she needed to have faith in her friend. "Be safe out there, okay?" She said. Rey wasted no time in heading to the escape hull where the suits lied. She needed to get the stone and quickly.

Kylo Ren walked closer to Ash, looking at her then to the severed pipe. "What do you need me to do?"

"Hold this, I have to check on the compressor." She instructed; Kylo Ren obeyed, holding the pipe together as Ash got down from the connecting pipes. The two locking eyes for a brief moment, uncertainty in how this situation would play out as Ash tore herself away from Kylo Ren and ran for the engine room.

There was nothing more terrifying than the wide-open space between the ship and the formation in the distance as Rey stared at the rocks flying by. She stood in the bulky space suit, waiting for a clear moment to start running. The blue blade of her lightsaber being her only light and source of defense as her window of opportunity came. Rey sprinted as fast as she could, feeling a little resistance from the giant rock. It held its own gravity, a mysterious force that she couldn't be bothered to question then. She had to keep going.

Rocks crashed around her, Rey dodged what she could and sliced what she couldn't with her lightsaber. The formation was coming closer and closer as she extended farther away from the Falcon.

So close, she was so close. The stone was calling to her, begging her to find it. She had to. She needed to find it. A desperate feeling coursing through her that wanted nothing more than to explode from her chest and reach out to the stone.

Her pulse thudded in her ears as she crossed the dangerous gap and ran into the opening of the formation. Around her was darkness. She was shrouded completely in it as she tried to look around for the stone.

She could feel it; the stone was so close. It was there. She knew it was there. Yet, she couldn't see it. Rey walked forward and deeper into the formation. As if her eyes suddenly adjusted, Rey could see through the darkness and was now face to face with a large mirror.

Suddenly, she wasn't alone as she stared almost horrified at the sudden clones of herself, standing in a line with her. Curiously, she moved her hand and looked at it, then at the duplicates as they mimicked her movements. She snapped her fingers. They snapped back. There had to be an end to all this, an end to to the duplicates. However, Rey was lost within herself.

Ash and Kylo Ren had repaired the damaged oxygen pipe, however the issue still remained. The pumping action was still not fully operational. Oxygen was not getting to the entire ship. Now, the two were in the engines room as Ash cursed loudly at the mechanism; the machine that wouldn't budge. She slammed her wrench into the side of it; kicking it for good measure too.

"Starshine…" He said warningly. She was using too much energy and the room was already growing stiff. The oxygen in the ship was clearly beginning to run out much quicker than she originally anticipated. There was also no sign from Rey in the last two hours.

Ash looked at the tank, the pump; she reexamined the intricate inner workings. Nothing. Nothing was fixing the problem. She took a deep breath, realizing it wasn't giving her any relief as the room was losing oxygen. "I can't fix this." She said in defeat. "I can't fix this and we're going to die."

Kylo Ren would not accept that. "You're one of the best mechanics out there, of course you can fix it."

"Not this time." She shook her head. "This isn't fixable. I can't-"

"Ash… you have to." Now, he was beginning to panic. Whether he was channeling her own anxieties or his own, this couldn't be it. This couldn't be where it all ended.

"I-" She tried to form words, but couldn't. They were losing oxygen rapidly. This was it. She knew it, her face said it all as she watched Kylo Ren sit down. His breathing starting to becoming labored. She realized, so was hers.

As Ash was ready to join her husband in defeat, another voice chimed in."I think you should check the pump wires again." Ash turned sharply towards where the pump was to see Anakin Skywalker leaning over and examining the exposed wires. "Something seems wrong here."

She glared. "What do you know about fixing stuff?"

Kylo Ren's confusion was evident; his wife was losing it. Wait, no, she wasn't losing it. She saw ghosts. That… wasn't any better, honestly. "You still talk to my grandfather?"

"Not since Crait." Ash answered sharply as she stomped over to Anakin and the pump. "Where the hell have you been?" She asked before looking into what he was referring to.

"The Force only sends me out when you're not following its path, remember?" He replied. "And, to answer your question, I used to be able to build and fix anything." Anakin's snarky reply only reminded her of Kylo Ren as he continued. "The converter shorted"

Ash glared. "Don't you think I know that?" Kylo Ren really hated being on the outside of these conversations, all things considered.

"Maybe you should jumpstart it?" Anakin suggested.

"With what?"

Anakin smirked, he was fading away then. "C'mon, Ash. You're an impressive mechanic. Don't let me down."

"What is he saying?" Kylo Ren demanded; his tone clearly brimming with aggravation on being left out.

Ash pursed her lips, looking around the engine room for anything strong enough to power the pump again. Her eyes locking onto the hyperdrive rotators. Immediately, she had an idea. "Son-of-a-" She raced over to the rotator, ripping off the panel; the rotators still doing their job at conducting power. In a tired and slowing down eureka moment, she yelled. "Ben, the cables! The jumper cables!"

Jumping to his feet, he quickly did as he was told, handing Ash the jumper cables. She quickly attached them to the conductor and bolted for the pump; the other end being attached to the converter. After a few quick sparks, she waited with bated breath. They both did… until the pump started vibrating and pulsating.

The room quickly began to feel a little less stiff as the oxygen pump began to work once more. Ash laughed incredulously; shocked that that had actually worked. "Okay, maybe your grandfather isn't the worst Skywalker." She mumbled as she walked back over to Kylo Ren.

"You fixed it." Ren gave her a knowing look. "Take some credit in that."

She beamed, leaning up and pecking his lips quickly. "We're not out of the woods yet. We have to keep the ship running; if we get hit again, we're toast." That grim feeling began to takeover again as the two went back to the cockpit to check on Chewie, and see if Rey had made any progress.

At the end of the clones, Rey found herself standing in a cave where a small pool of water resided. She looked around, unsure where she was anymore. Nothing felt real. Nothing felt stable. And yet everything felt so connected all at once as she stepped closer to the pool of water. There, sitting at its center, was a blue stone. The water wasn't deep; she could simply reach right in and grab it. However, something was holding her back. Like an invisible force field, it kept her from reaching forward and grabbing the stone.

No, she didn't have time for this. Ash needed her! They were dying on the ship, she needed to get back. Inhaling deeply, Rey closed her eyes and did the only thing she could think to do. She channeled the Force.

Life; Death; Uncertainty. It was all there. Balance and connection. It surrounded her, engulfed her in the way of the Force. As she opened her eyes, she could see it now. The grey veil that was preventing her from walking forward and grabbing the stone. The veil was the Dark Side of the Force, taunting and provoking her. Trying to keep her from doing what she had to do.

With a clear mind, Rey exhaled and reached forward. The veil didn't stop her this time as she reached into the water and picked up the tiny stone. She stared at it as it sat in her hand; admiring it for how precious and small it was. How much power it held. Yet, she didn't know what it was doing, how it would change her. She just simply knew it did.

When Rey made it back to the ship, she was more than pleasantly surprised that no one was dead. That was, at least, a good start to all this. She put away the suit and held onto the stone tightly in her hand as she walked to the common area. At least, Kylo Ren would know what to do with the stone now.

Chewbacca was not one for sitting around and stalling; the moment he knew Rey was on board, he booked it to get out of the asteroid belt. No one objected to the action.

Tired and worn down from their hectic adventure onboard, Ash stumbled into the common area with Kylo Ren trialing not too far behind her. "You found the stone?" She perked up, a new-found energy overcoming her as she looked at Rey.

Rey held out her hand, showing off the blue stone. "I have no idea what it does." She looked at Kylo Ren, reluctancy in her tone as she asked. "Can you show me how to use it?"

He made a face; something was off about Rey. Something very, very off. Something he needed to quickly figure out. He tried to listen in on her thoughts; see for himself what had happened to her. Except… he couldn't. "Why can't I hear you?"

"Hear me?" Rey asked, only to realize what he was attempting. "Stop trying to get into my head!"

"I can't." He replied. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, I can't hear you." He looked at Ash. "You try."

She looked at Rey as if to ask for permission. Rey merely nodded at the notion; and so, Ash tried. "No… I can't hear her either."

In an irritated fashion, Kylo Ren stalked closer to Rey, his arm extended forward as he tried to reach within her mind just a little more. He was pushing passed the unknown block she had in her mind; without much effort, she pushed right back. Kylo Ren stopped, his arm dropping as he glared at her. He could keep pushing, he knew he could. However, he had a feeling that would hurt Rey, quite possibly kill her even. Another thing that would piss off his wife if he did it. Especially accidentally. Or however accidental a person could be that was trying to kill someone, but not like that. "Well, whatever the stone is doing to you, it's already begun."

Rey didn't really care for that. "But what is it doing?!"

Kylo Ren didn't answer her as looked at Ash. "Can you contact my mother and see if Skywalker is around? I want to ask him a few questions. Before I do, I need to show Rey how to install the stone into her saber."

Rey and Ash were both equally surprised at his request. She looked at Rey, making sure she was okay with the idea. Albeit very, very reluctant. She nodded once more. "I'll let you know once I've reached them." Ash offered before leaving the common area.

Once he knew Ash was out of earshot of the common area, Kylo Ren wasted no time in testing Rey's new ability. He levitated one of the nearby objects that had been tossed around during the crash and, with the Force, chucked it at Rey.

Rey's hand went up almost a millisecond before the unsuspected attack even happened. The object stopping in mid-air before dropping with a thud. Kylo Ren was suddenly smirking. "What the hell are you doing?!" Rey exclaimed.

"This is interesting." He noted. "It's such an extreme thing and yet, you can't even notice what you're doing."

Rey swallowed hard. "What is?"

"Whenever I try to use any Force ability at you, you seem to be predicting it and attempt to prevent me." Ren was curious. "I wonder how far this new ability can really extend to."

He began to reach his arm back out again, however, Rey stepped back. "Ash is coming back." It was her attempt to stop Kylo Ren from doing anything that could potentially hurt her. She knew he had asked Ash to leave so he could try to manipulate whatever her new ability was without being yelled at.

Suddenly, Kylo Ren's arm dropped. Although, he didn't say it outloud… he hadn't sensed Ash was returning until a few seconds after Rey had said it. When the red-haired girl did enter the room, he was still staring intensely at Rey.

Ash looked at both Force Users; unsure what it was she had just missed, and also not sure if she actually wanted to know. "I reached them…" She mumbled.

Kylo Ren pursed his lips; he did have to ask Luke exactly what was happening. He needed to be sure of Rey's new ability, considering her new ability would make things very hard to tiptoe around. He nodded to the door, signaling for the other two Force Users to follow him to speak with his Uncle.

"Predicting your actions?" Luke asked over the hologram, his brows furrowing as he tried to process what his nephew had told him. "Rey, what are you feeling?"

"I was feeling normal." Rey began. "But, I feel connected, even more so than I have been before. Like a door that had always been in front of me is now open."

He hummed in reply. "I think you three need to return as soon as possible to go over your new abilities."

"We're still missing a stone." Kylo Ren interjected. "Until we find it, we can't come back."

Luke smirked slightly. "If my nephew had any patience, he would know, that I've located the third stone." Ash's stomach tightened at the notion of her own stone. Especially considering that the two other stones were causing such uncertainty among her husband and friend. "Sith Lord Revan was given the Heart of the Guardian; when he died, it was left on the Yavin Station. The station still orbits Yavin Prime. Once you find the stone, return to Crait at once."

Ash frowned as the hologram ended. "That seems so… easy?"

"It won't be." Ren muttered. "The station is out in the open, which can attract scavengers, pirates and bounty hunters."

"What if the stone was already taken?" Rey asked.

Kylo Ren exhaled sharply. "I can guarantee it wasn't." He seemed almost too certain about that as he finally said. "Chewie; take us to Yavin Prime."

Final Thought: The Ascension and Resistance are starting to like each other, me thinks. That's probably not a good thing, maybe, idk. Also... the next chapter is all about our favorite Grey User. Thanks for reading, guys. Remember to review and if you plan to follow the twitter account for updates, please do so. See y'all next chapter!