Rey passed the night on the Millennium Falcon. Having been tearfully reunited with Finn, she, Finn, Poe and BB-8 sat and talked. Mostly they talked of what they had been doing at the Resistance bases. Neither Poe nor Finn asked too much about what had happened on Ahch-To. They knew she would tell them in time.
When she could no longer keep her eyes open, the two men and the droid bid her goodnight.
Before she slept, she and Luke meditated. It was the only thing keeping her from crawling out of her skin. Having sent the ysalamiri away before the night fell, Luke could already pick up on Rey's feelings. He used his influence once again, and talked her through more meditations.
Her dreams were broken and restless, filled with images of Poe, Ahch-To, snow falling in a forest of trees and a single red lightsaber casting its crimson glow on the white blanket. Her heart raced when she felt that fear. From the forest, she moved to the interrogation room, where she saw Kylo's face for the first time. She felt the shock, the confusion that under his helmet, he was just a man.
With his face still in her mind, it was his reach through the Force that woke her from her sleep. It felt like being doused with warm water, not altogether unpleasant, but jarring nonetheless.
Rey swung her feet off her bunk, and hung her head in exhaustion. Across the bunk room, she heard her mentor's exasperated sigh as he too gave up on sleep.
"He's reaching for you," Luke said.
"I know," Rey said. "Those ysalamiri were nice for something, I'll say that much."
Luke rose, wrapping his cloak around him, and Rey followed suit. The two of them sat pensively in the galley until the sun rose, and drank their tea in anticipation of the trial that would come in a matter of hours. Just when Rey sensed that it was time for them to leave, Luke broke his silence.
"If they let him live, they surely won't let him go free. So that means he will be imprisoned. I know this will be hard to hear, Rey, but I will be taking custody of him. The council will agree to my demands."
Rey gaped in disbelief.
"Why?"
Luke sighed, and she could sense his inner turmoil. "Ben is my nephew. He killed my son," their eyes met, but his expression communicated he would say nothing of this story for now, "but I plan to try to bring him back to the light. Leia thought there was good in him, and that's why she sent Han after him. And Rey… killing Han certainly would have been the best way to earn Snoke's trust. And he most certainly does, at this moment, have every intention to take you to him."
Luke's expression was grave. Rey's stomach flipped, and her heart pounded in fear. Luke felt everything she did, but put his hand on hers in a comforting gesture. "I know him. I know that's what he thinks he's going to do. But I know you, Rey. I knew your parents, I knew Obi-Wan and his wife Miri. If anyone can get to him, it's you. Your job, Rey, is to bring Ben back towards the light."
"How am I going to do that?" Rey asked, feeling herself pull her hand away from Luke's.
"You misunderstand me," Luke said, shaking his head. "Ben wants to be your teacher. He wants what he thinks I failed to give him. His feelings toward you are palpable, it is true. Do with them what you will, but you appear to be something of a weak spot for him. It's the only one I've seen in him that has affected him so."
"Play to his humanity, you mean…" Rey said, hoping she understood where her mentor was taking this.
"Yes, Rey," Luke said. "You could just as easily be a sister to him. And once he has seen the light, then we will destroy Snoke. With his padawan's help."
"But Ben is too far gone. He'll never be fully light."
"No," Luke concluded. He looked suddenly like he had the weight of the whole galaxy on his shoulders. She had seen this look before. Occasionally he let this show. "We will get to that in time. I need you to put your faith in my plan, Rey."
Rey swallowed the lump in her throat, trusting again the wise man she had grown to respect and trust so much. Unable to respond verbally, Rey nodded.
Rey was a pillar of strength. Her stony exterior betrayed nothing of the battle that raged inside her. Kylo Ren's trial had been underway for an hour now, and he had laid an impressive path for the council to follow. He was an artful storyteller, she had to hand it to him. She just didn't know if she believed him or not when he described realizing that Snoke had to be destroyed.
Kylo sat with electronic manacles about his wrists, in the center of the amphitheater, a stark contrast set between his jet black hair and clothing and the silver of the chair to which he had been secured. Even the council and those who were early enough to find space in the amphitheater were light in comparison to the dark mark he set.
The ysalamiri, per Luke's orders, had been sent away before the trial could commence, allowing Luke full access to Kylo's mind as the trial commenced. In response, Admiral Akbar had ordered twenty soldiers, armed with blasters set to kill, to be stationed at the top of the amphitheater.
With his story told, the council now began to launch question after question at him, attempting to chip away at his story. To trip him up.
Rey turned to her Master Luke, who watched stoically. She lowered her voice while the trial continued around them.
"They're going to let him go, aren't they?"
Luke looked at his padawan for a brief moment. "I don't think the death penalty is going to be utilized, if that's what you mean."
"What else is there?" Rey asked. She knew that he could be remitted to the custody of Luke, as was his plan, but what else could they possibly have in store for him?
"When the council has given its sentence and punishment, it will be carried out. Only then will he be released to our care."
Rey had never seen a military trial, or any trial of any kind, so her mind ran wild with the possibility of punishment.
"Ben Solo," the ancient Vee Burell said, in a tone that sounded very final, "Having heard your testimony, and having answered the questions put to you, this council will meet for one hour to discuss your fate. Do you have any last words before this session is adjourned?"
Kylo looked up at the small, white haired woman clad in her maroon robes, and shook his head. As two large guards approached Kylo Ren to escort him out while the council convened, Kylo's eyes met Rey's, and for a moment, she felt him reach out to her through the Force. It was momentary, just an exploratory meeting, but Rey hadn't expected it. She tensed up at the feeling, and stood abruptly from the courtroom, racing out of it before she could see Kylo Ren taken away.
Across the room, Poe Dameron caught sight of her disturbed exit, and followed on her heels. By the time he caught up with her, she had already reached the mess hall, and stood fuming in line.
"What happened back there?" Poe asked, pulling Rey aside to speak to her.
Rey shifted, looking at Poe, before deciding to let him know. "He reached out to me… The minute the ysalamiri were taken away, he did it too. We have a," Rey bristled, "Force bond."
"What does that mean?" Poe asked.
Rey hoped the answer wouldn't disappoint him. "A kind of connection. It's not voluntary, please believe that. I have one with Luke, but with Ren it feels… different. I can't stand it."
Poe comforted Rey in an embrace. Who was he to begrudge her things he didn't understand, things as serious as the Force? Still, the thought of Kylo Ren reaching out to Rey in an unwanted form of contact set him on edge.
Quietly the two passed the hour, speaking sparsely, but with Poe's hand on Rey's leg in a calming gesture, she was able to wait out the hour before sentencing.
It wasn't until there was a sort of rush in the mess hall that Rey's senses went on red alert. Pilots and mechanics alike left their trays on their tables, murmuring and rushing off outside. Poe stood, addressing Finn as he raced past them.
"Finn," Poe called, "what's happening?"
Rey felt a brief wash of relief as she saw Finn, having not seen him at all since the previous night. She wanted nothing more than to sit with him just a moment, but so much had been condensed in such a short frame of time.
Finn spoke in a grave but decidedly just tone, "they're going to carry out the sentence now."
"C-carry out the sentence?" Rey stammered, jumping to her feet. "It's happened already? The trial?"
"They didn't need long to convene apparently. Fifty lashes and imprisonment for the duration of the war," at that Finn raced off with the rest of the crew, leaving Poe and Rey in his wake.
Rey felt an odd wave pass over her, and she clutched at her stomach. Could she possibly be afraid for him? She swallowed, telling herself it was only nerves. She looked to Poe, who instinctively took her hand, and together they walked out to the throng of people that gathered around a raised platform.
On it was a metal pole that Rey knew served as scaffolding for aircraft repair, but the manacles dangling from it gave her a feeling of dread. She blanched at the sight of them.
And then she felt him. He was being led to the center of the growing mass of people who threw slurs at him, but most of them remained solemn and quiet.
Poe and Rey approached the center of the circle just as Kylo was led to the platform. They came to stand next to Finn, who had only arrived seconds before them.
A guard moved to pull at Kylo's cloak, but Kylo held up a hand to stop the man.
Rey's stomach tightened, and she could sense the palpable fear in the crowd that he was about to use the Force against this man. But, in a shocking gesture, Kylo unclasped the cloak, and folded it in on itself, dropping it a few feet from where he was about to receive his punishment. When his manacles were briefly un-magnetized, he did the same with his black shirts, leaving his bare chest exposed to the Naboo moon's chilly mid-morning breeze.
Rey's stomach now seemed to be in an ever-growing knot. Now stripped down to the waist, Rey was able to see the damage she knew she had rent. Small burns on his chest and shoulder, and the scar that extended from his face down his neck. Then there was the blaster scar that Chewie had left. She found him in the crowd, towering above all others, his face impassive.
Soon, his manacled hands were affixed to the chain that dangled ominously from the pole.
Rey felt like time had slowed, and in the time between each heartbeat, an hour could have passed. And then she saw the man with the whip in his hand. He could have been anyone, for Rey registered none of his features. When she would think back to this day, she would never be able to remember his face. All she saw was the whip in his hands.
It was when Luke walked through the crowd that the rest of the crowd grew silent. He came to stand next to Chewie. His face was grave. Rey thought briefly that something of pity and sorrow played on Luke's face, but just as soon as she thought she saw it, it was gone.
With Luke, Leia, Chewie, Someone was speaking, and Rey didn't understand a single word that was being spoken. After these words were spoken, the faceless man with the whip stepped up to do his work. Rey flinched at the sight of the length of the whip being dropped, grabbing for both Poe and Finn's hands, holding them to calm her nerves.
Kylo's eyes met Rey's, and for a moment, she felt his fear. She felt his self-loathing. She felt the same pain he felt when he ran his blade through his own father. And with all of Kylo Ren's emotions running through her own mind, she flinched as the first lash was dealt.
Unconsciously, a tear fell from her eyes. Another lash, and another lash descended on Kylo's back. Kylo held Rey's gaze as long as he could, but when the skin on his back began to welt, he winced and clenched his jaw, silently taking his punishment.
Unable to look any longer, Rey took her hand from Finn's, and turned into Poe's shoulder. Without a word, Poe reached over, putting his hand on Rey's arm for comfort. Rey kept her eyes open, staring at Poe's jacket, losing count of the blows to Ren's back, but could not force herself to look.
She could not feel Kylo's pain, but could feel the emotions that it brought out in him. More guilt. More self-loathing. But beneath that, Rey could have sworn she felt a growing rage, and just as soon as she felt it, it was gone. Kylo had blocked himself from her.
At the absence of their connection, Rey looked back at him. He was having a hard time supporting himself, but he kept his gaze on Rey. When his eyes shifted slightly to Poe, Rey could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smirk on his face. And at that, the last lash had been dealt, and Kylo Ren's punishment had ended.