Good evening everybody. It's finals week here at Towson, and I just got this chapter done before I get into the heart of things. Who else is excited for Rouge One? Yeah, it might just be Disney crapping on the EU again (Myles Matarn? Really?), but I'm no movie critic, I just hope that the movie will be decent enough. It's entertainment after all. Now then, the chapter you've all be waiting so patiently for.
Rey: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!
Chapter 12: A Duel of Dimensions
Mara took in the situation with the trained eye of both a Jedi Master and an Emperor's Hand. She had seen Kylo Ren standing over Katerina, poised to deliver a killing blow and had simply pushed. Now that he was a relatively safe distance away, the Jedi Master could take in more details. Brave Katerina, holding the stump of her arm while pointing her blade at Ren, so much relief in her Force signature at the arrival of Mara. Finn, the plucky former Stormtrooper, hopelessly in love, willing to do whatever it took to save Rey, including challenging a Force user like Kylo Ren, cradling his crippled right arm as it hung, nearly split in two. And Rey. Mara felt her fear, her anger, and several other dark emotions swirling about her, but what struck her the most was her resolve. She definitely had that Skywalker resolve in her and it was that, and her sense of hope that shone through the dark emotions like a ray of light in the darkness.
"I don't know who you are or where you got a copy of Grandfather's lightsaber," Kylo Ren began warily, though there was a healthy fear in his eyes. Mara allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction on that before she focused on her opponent. "But don't think that your trickery will be enough to stop me!"
"This?" Mara held up her lightsaber before using the Force to call the second lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker to her hand. Her tone was deadly calm. Kat had only heard Mara use that tone when she was about to go all out against an opponent. It didn't happen often. "No, there's no trickery here. You've harmed my former apprentice, tried to murder your own father, and are responsible for the destruction of an entire system. You're a disgrace to the Skywalker name."
Ren snarled as he held out a hand to try and rip one of the lightsabers out of Mara's hand, but the Jedi Master merely countered his pull with her own mental grip. The Knight of Ren then smirked at Mara. "I killed you before, I can do it again!"
That got Mara's attention. "Really? Because as I stand, better people than you have tried." She ignited her lightsaber with the classic snap-hiss, returning the other lightsaber to her belt. She glanced at Kat as she stepped forward. "You've done well Kat. Get Finn and Rey back to the Falcon."
The young Jedi nodded, extinguishing her blade as she stood up. "Yes Master." Despite the obvious pain she was in, Kat helped Finn up, taking care not to jostle his arm too much.
"You sure she'll be alright all on her own?" Mara heard Finn ask Kat quietly.
"Trust me," Kat replied, casting a wry glance back at Mara. "I do not want to be in his boots right now." With that, they trudged off, though Rey remained behind, concern on her features.
"Tell me," Kylo Ren taunted, holding up his crackling red blade. "If killing his wife made Luke run away once, what will killing his wife a second time do?" Mara fixated him with a glare. She didn't even give him a chance to surrender. She just sprang. Ren's eyes turned from gloating to scared in an instant, barely getting his blade up in time to block her downwards slash. She used the attack as a springboard to add even more power to her attack and Mara was rewarded with a grunt of pain as Kylo Ren's own blade bit into his shoulder ever so slightly. With a graceful flip, Mara landed behind Ren, who spun with a mighty slash that would've taken her head off had she not crouched down. She used the opening granted to her by his wild swung to plant a Force-enhanced kick in his ribs, launching him backwards. He landed on his back with a gasp.
"Tell me Ben," Mara spat at him, venom lacing that last word. "What could you possibly have gained by joining this Snoke person? What could he have possibly offered you that our family couldn't?" She stalked forward, ever so cautious. There was no point in letting one's guard down. Not at this critical juncture. Ren may not have the skills of a Jedi Master like she did, but the dark side was powerful, and could catch many off guard.
"My name," the Knight of Ren spat back as he clambered to his feet, "is Kylo Ren! And Luke was holding me back! But with Snoke, I will become the most powerful Knight this galaxy has ever seen!" With that he leaped at her, a simple overhand chop that Mara blocked with ease. The Jedi Master let him flail away at her for another few swings, calmly blocking each strike. The crossguards were of no avail to him either, as any attempt Ren made to utilize the little blades was avoiding by Mara taking a step backwards.
"You certainly don't deserve the name of Ben, that's for sure," Mara told Kylo Ren as their blades locked. Her green eyes bore into his brown eyes, which she noted had a few flecks of yellow within them. This boy was feeding on the darkness and it in turn was corrupting him further. There was the sound of a blaster being fired and both Ren and Mara had to duck to avoid the shot. Rey had decided to try and blast Ren in the back while the opportunity had presented itself, but both Force users had sensed it coming.
"Rey, get back to the Falcon!" Mara shouted as Ren growled.
"You want to play games with me little girl?" the anger in Ren's voice was almost tangible. "I can play!" With that, he took his right hand off his lightsaber and made a pinching motion. Once again, Rey was lifted off the ground, grasping at her throat.
"No!" Mara shouted, lunging forward. Her blade was quick, like a viper, but Ren's Force Push was quicker and she was forced backwards a couple meters.
"Put down your weapon or she dies!" Kylo Ren ordered. Mara heard Rey's choked cry and it tore at her heart. She could feel Rey's fear and it reminded her of Ben when he was young and being hunted during the Vong War. Rey may not have been her actual child in this dimension, but she was close enough that it didn't matter to the Jedi Master.
With a clarity the likes she had never felt before, Mara sank into the Force, once again lunging forwards. "Not my daughter you sleemo!" she shouted. Time seemed to slow down. She lunged. Kylo Ren made to parry. There was a small explosion of Force energy as Rey somehow, desperately, impossibly, broke free of Ren's Force grip, the Jakku scavenger landing in a snow drift and gasping for air. Both combatants were buffeted with a wave of Force energy. Mara felt a tug on her hip as the blade of Anakin Skywalker from this dimension tore itself off and began to fly away. Her mind as quick as it had always been, Mara regained a Force grip over the weapon, not wishing to face two lightsabers from Kylo Ren until she felt the presence gripping the lightsaber. With a small grin, Mara let the other lightsaber go, maintaining her grip on her own weapon. Even operating on instinct, Rey still had the natural talent and gift of a Skywalker.
Kylo Ren straightened, eyes wide as he sensed the situation turning against him. "Impossible!" Rey looked up to see the lightsaber that had been hanging off Mara's hip partially buried in the snow in front of her. With a hesitant hand, she grasped it.
"THAT LIGHTSABER IS MINE!" Ren roared as he sprang towards Rey, hand outstretched. There was a blur of red hair, black clothes, and blue lightsaber and Kylo Ren found himself facing Mara Jade Skywalker once more.
"You lost your right to that blade," Mara said simply and shoved, both with her arms and her mind. Ren went flying back once more, slamming into a tree. The Jedi Master gave him no time to recover and was on top of him in an instant. Ren looked up at her, realizing now just how outclassed he was. Mara brought her blade down, cutting through the tree as Ren dodged and began to back away. Mara gave him no quarter. Like a nexu, she was all over her prey.
"Leia told me," Mara said between swings. "How you-" vmmm "idolized" vmmm "Darth" vmmm "Vader" vmmm. Their blades locked in a crackle. The Jedi Master glared at Kylo Ren, the man who had dared to betray his family and take the side of evil. "Let me give you an idea of how he felt." Ren's look of curiosity was all Mara needed. With another powerful shove, she knocked Ren's lightsaber skywards and spun in a counterclockwise circle, striking low. Kylo Ren let out a cry of agony as the blue blade sliced through his right knee and another as Mara brought the blade upwards, cutting through Ren's left elbow as he tried to bring his blade down to block. The afterswing of Mara's precise cut caught Ren's face, cutting a slim gash from the bottom of his left cheek, narrowly missing his eye before the cut ended in the center of his forehead. That was the least crippling wound Mara gave him in the span of a second. Kylo Ren collapsed at her feet, the crackling red blade falling to the ground in his limp severed arm and extinguishing itself.
"GAhh!" Ren cried out, completely at the mercy of the Jedi Master standing over him. "I don't understand- aghhh"
"Vader was a pawn," Mara said to him, taking a deep breath. "Nothing more than Palpatine's tool in the Sith's quest to dominate the galaxy. Perhaps with time, you would have came to see that too, but I can't allow you to continue as a menace to the galaxy." She stepped forward, ready to deal the finishing blow, seeing the look of terror in Ren's eyes and hesitated. Mara could hear Luke now, in her head admonishing her for the action she was about to take. She looked back, saw Rey standing up on shaky legs, looking at the lightsaber in her hand in sheer astonishment, then looked back to Ren. With a sigh, she closed down her lightsaber. As if on cue, the ground rumbled and Mara took a hasty step back as another chasm opened up between her and Ren. The red glow of lava frothing below told Mara that it was time to get out of there before the planet became Mustafar or worse.
"What just happened?!" Rey asked as Mara approached her. She seemed very shaken, and given what had just transpired, Mara didn't blame her. She glanced back and the chasm that had separated her from Ren was now a few clicks wide and expanding. Kylo Ren was just a speck in the distance, and it looked like his First Order buddies were picking him up.
"Right now, we need to get out of here," Mara said turning back to Rey. The Jakku scavenger offered her the lightsaber, but Mara shook her head. "Hold on to it for now." With that, the two women were off.
Starkiller Base Communications Chamber
General Hux was nearly breathless as he ran into the chamber. Several rocks were falling from the rumbling ceiling, interrupting the hologram of the scarred Supreme Leader. Still, he had to do his duty. "Supreme Leader!" Hux was not going to enjoy delivering this news. "The fuel cells have ruptured! The collapse of the planet has begun."
To the general's relief, the Supreme Leader did not seem all that concerned. "Leave the base at once and come to me with Kylo Ren." In fact, if Hux didn't know any better, he would say that Snoke seemed rather pleased with the day's turn of events. He seemed to be staring off into the distance. "It is time. Time to complete his training." With that cryptic statement, the hologram faded and Hux knew he had to get the hell out of there.
Starkiller Base Upper Atmosphere
"Still no sign of the Falcon," Jess Testor reported, wheeling her X-Wing around for another pass. "And it doesn't look like the planet's going to last much longer."
"I've got movement!" Poe interrupted. A pause. "All teams! I got eyes on them!" That got the remaining few dozen X-Wing pilots whooping in celebration. "Let's go home!" For those that had their rear cameras active, it was a sight that would never be replicated. All the energy that had been stolen from the star was getting released at once, and one could see the star trying to poke out from the planet's surface. Further view of the vids would show several First Order ships trying to get away from the dying planet, but for now, it was like watching some creature hatch from an egg. A fiery, hydrogen fueled, extremely hot creature. Then the equator collapsed in on itself and the rest of the planet soon followed, any solid matter getting consumed in a matter of seconds. The fleeing X-Wings could feel the tug as the gravity of the reborn star tried to draw everything in the immediate vicinity into itself. Several First Order ships were unable to escape the gravity well of the star and exploded into flame as the materials superheated into atoms, but more of the ships escaped than those that were consumed. The Resistance Fighters didn't stick around for any First Order retribution and soon disappeared into hyperspace.
Millennium Falcon, Hyperspace Transit
"How are Han's vitals?" Mara asked as she entered the medbay of the Falcon. Chewbacca groaned an answer to which Mara nodded. Vitals were low, but Han would survive the trip. Whether or not he would last longer than that, it was up to the Force. Satisfied with that for now, the Jedi Master checked in on the other two patients. The gash Ren had left in Finn's forearm was nasty, and Mara suspected that it was going to take more than one transplant to save that arm, if it could even be saved.
"It only hurts when I move," Finn said when Mara queried him about the wound. Rey was there, wrapping it as gently as possible, though when she saw Mara approach, she had stopped, looking at the Jedi Master with curiosity, wonder, and a bit of apprehensiveness. Mara took it in stride and moved on to Katerina. The young Jedi was attempting to meditate, but Mara could tell that she was in too much pain to properly meditate. The Jedi Master used the Force to call a bottle of painkillers to her hand.
"Guess I should've sparred more with Dan, huh Master?" Kat said in an ironic tone, giving up the pretense of meditation and slouching on the Falcon's couch. A single tear dripped from her brown eyes, the young Jedi unable to hold it back from the agony she was in. "Do you think Grand Master Skywalker had it this bad when Vader cut off his arm?"
Mara snorted gently as she opened the bottle and fished out four pills. "You tell me, though I think the revelation that Vader was his father took some sting out of the injury." She held out the pills to Kat, no words necessary.
Kat accepted the pills in her hand, swallowing them quickly. "That would make a bad situation worse," she quipped, wincing as she accidentally bumped the wall with her stump. "Ow."
Mara could feel for her former apprentice, knowing that her husband occasionally experienced ghost pains in a hand that was no longer there. She only hoped that the Resistance had the proper equipment to fit her with a good prosthetic. "Just take it easy Kat. You showed that you are worthy of the title Knight out there. You did the Order proud."
"Sure doesn't feel like it," Kat grumbled, but Mara could tell that the compliment had lifted her spirits ever so slightly. Satisfied that the wounded were taken care of as best they could in the Falcon's limited medbay, Mara made her way back to the cockpit for a moment of reflection. Blowing up superweapons certainly seemed to be becoming a Skywalker family tradition. Still, it was a long and daunting task ahead of them. Priority number one now was finding her husband. He knew more about Snoke than she did, and that information would be vital in stopping the First Order. Kylo Ren was not going to be a problem, not for her at least. That much had been proven today. She'd been on the side of the Imperials during the Galactic Civil War, now she was going to see how it had been on the side of the Rebels, or Resistance in this incarnation. It was going to be tough, but Mara had dealt with tough times before, when she had been on the run before falling in with Talon Karrde. She hoped to gather more information about the situation from Coruscant when she had the chance. Several soft footsteps approaching interrupted her ruminations about the future and the Jedi Master sensed Rey hesitate before the entrance to the cockpit.
"Don't be afraid," Mara said, turning around in the pilot's chair. She sensed the trepidation in Rey, and tried her best to project a soothing aura.
"What's happening to me?" Rey asked, fear in her tone. She held up the lightsaber she had called to her, however unintentionally. "Why does this lightsaber keep coming for me?"
Mara took a deep breath before answering. This was a delicate situation. "Rey, you have a gift that you are finally coming into. People like myself and Kat use the Force. The Force surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. It's what gives us our power."
"But I'm just a scavenger," Rey protested, looking at the lightsaber in her hand. "I don't have any power."
Mara gave her a knowing smile. "Rey, you are far more than a simple scavenger. The Force is a gift. I have it. My husband has it." She indicated Rey with a nod of her head. "You have that power too."
The Jakku scavenger was silent for a moment, trying to come to terms with what Mara was saying. "I don't understand."
"It's all right Rey," Mara said gently. "But you will in time."
Rey fell silent again, and Mara could sense her wrestling with another question. This one was weighing heavily on her. The Jedi Master waited, allowing Rey to muster the courage she needed to ask. There was nothing but the hum of the engines and the rush of blue outside the viewport. Finally, Rey spoke. "What was all that about when you said 'not my daughter'?"
Mara sighed. She'd hoped to have found Luke before having to explain this, as having Luke there to confirm her feelings would have been nice. Still, no point in beating around the bush. "Rey, I don't have any other way to say it."
Rey's eyes went wide as she began to grasp Mara's implication. "You can't mean?"
Mara nodded. "Rey, I am your mother." Rey gaped at Mara for a moment, shock rippling through the Force. Mara held out her hand to Rey. "I know it's a lot to take in. But while I don't have all the answers, I know that together, as a family, we can make the galaxy a better place."
Rey's mind was in turmoil. As she had scrapped her way through each day on Jakku, she had often given thought about the parents that had left her there. The earliest she could remember was Unkar Plutt holding her back as she screamed at an ascending starship, desperately imploring it to come back. Now, here was one of her parents, at long last, and it felt, odd. It was there, on the edge of her memory, and she strained to recall just what it was. All she got was a flash of red hair, and bright green eyes, looking on in sadness before the memory faded to black. With a gasp, Rey flinched, looking at Mara's hand. "Mother?" She took Mara's hand, and the Jedi Master pulled her into a gentle hug. It felt right.
"It's alright," Mara said, as she could feel Rey choking back sobs. "It's alright."
"Why come back now?" Rey asked. "Why wait for so long?"
"It's more complicated than I can explain," Mara answered simply. A beeping on the console broke up the moment. "Once we find Luke, I hope things will become clear."
Ileenium System, Planet D'Qar
It was a bittersweet landing. Most of the Resistance had turned out to the landing pad to welcome home the victorious pilots after pulling off another miracle that would reverberate throughout the galaxy for decades to come. Then a med team came rushing through the crowd, alerted by Mara's transmission beforehand. Mara's heart went out to Leia as she saw Chewbacca carrying her badly wounded husband to the med team. She'd seen that haunted look on Leia once before, at the height of the Vong War, when her youngest son Anakin Solo had died. Leia took an appraising look at Rey as she descended the Falcon ramp, looked to Mara and nodded before following her husband and the team of medics that was swarming about him, Finn, and Katerina. Mara noted Dannard's face when he saw the wounded Katerina and could feel the turmoil of emotions within the young Jedi. She resolved to talk to him later, but right now she had to deal with a dazed Rey.
The Jakku scavenger was watching the celebration from the entrance of the Falcon, unsure of what to do. For most of her life, it had been about survival. Now here she was, on a lush green world, facing an uncertain future filled with legends come to life and parents whom she had nearly given up on. Mara approached Rey, who had been silent since they'd dropped out of hyperspace. "Rey, I understand if you need some time to let this sink in. Just know that if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Rey merely nodded and continued to watch the celebration.
The New Force Awakens
Chewbacca paced anxiously outside the medbay, peering in every so often at the doctors that were operating on Han. It was a great dishonor in Wookiee culture to let someone he owed a life debt to die, especially if it went unavenged. But this was not his expertise, and as such, Chewbacca was powerless to do anything but watch and pray. He knew Leia was in there, watching, as hopeful as he was and just as scared. With a roar of frustration, the Wookiee punched the wall. Nearby, a droid had just finished siphoning through the millions of terrabytes of data that he had received from Coruscant. He had what he needed to find his master, and now it was time to let the others know. Several beeps from R2-D2 as he powered up alerted another nearby droid, who happily rolled up and beeped at the astromech droid.
"R2-D2!" exclaimed the prissy voice of a protocol droid. C-3PO moved as fast as he could towards the two beeping droids. "You've come back at last!" R2-D2 let out a string of rapid beeps at C-3PO, excited for the first time in years.
"You've found what?!" Threepio exclaimed, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. Another string of beeps, this one a little more like snickering which prompted C-3PO to whack Artoo upside his dome. "How dare you call me that!" More beeps. "Find Master Luke? How?" More explanatory beeps and whistles. "Oh! We must tell the general!" With that, the two reunited droids set off to find Leia, the third wheel of their party content to roll along behind them and observe.
Bit of a winding down from the previous chapter, I'll admit, diverging from canon in some ways and staying true to canon in others. Do not worry my friends! We'll see Luke Skywalker soon. Yes, Mara crushed Kylo Ren. Why wouldn't she? Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)
CG: There are plenty of reasons for Mara to be mad at Ren. Ren had made one bad decision after another, and while Mara is a badass, she's still a Jedi. And of course we can't kill off Kylo Ren just yet. As for Old Republic material, yes they have a TON of stories to go after, the biggest one I believe they could make a trilogy on being the Revan story. Revan, Bane, the origin of both Orders, the Old Republic MMO, there's so much to be explored, they could make dozens and dozens of Old Republic movies and make a fortune. Of course, they could do that with Clone Wars/Rebels TV shows as well. I'll take whatever I can get.
I am not a fan of the bleeding crystals idea. It just sounds silly. I prefer the old canon with the colored crystals vs the synthetic crystals the Sith used. And yes, Visions and Voices was a pretty good episode, all things considered, and all but confirmed that Kenobi will make one last appearance, hopefully to settle the matter with Maul once and for all.
Denz-El: I intentionally put disarmament, a bit of a joke really, you know, disarmed, lost an arm….. (Nappa voice: I get it!). Yup. She'll get a prosthetic in due time. More character development for future chapters. Han's alive, barely. Will he make it? Time will tell. Hopefully I did Mara and Rey justice in this chapter, as well as making Kylo Ren stronger than what we've seen. God bless my friend!
Sir CiCi: Well, I hope I delivered. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Hope to hear from you again in future chapters!
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!
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Merry Christmas to those that believe!
Happy Hanukah to those that believe in something else!
Happy Holidays to those that don't believe!
And to all peace on earth and goodwill towards all!
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut