Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
So, this one will be a merging of the plans for two chapters, as I realized that would be a better way of doing it.
Let's get to it.
BlackWatcher1234: I might address that, but I haven't decided yet.
Guest: Well, its not so easy in this one because of how I wrote The Terran and the Mandalorian. I will say, Shin, no, she won't be appearing. However, depending on what we see with Baylan in the show, him making an appearance is not out of the question.
Rico: It's too late for that, given what I wrote with Ben and Rey finding his stash, and doing so would kind of ruin his arc for me. From the moment I conceived the character, he was always meant to go into permanent exile and never return.
Chapter 53- A Guiding Voice
(February 11, 2051)
As the sun begins to set over the planet, Rey carefully climbs over a fallen pillar. She hears a shuffling behind her, and whips around, but thankfully only sees some kind of catlike creatures scampering across the broken walkways. Rey sighs a bit before glances up again at the spires of the massive Sith Citadel.
After Ben and Rey had received Darth Malgus' journal from Lando, they had spent extensive amounts of time studying the journal. They had also received a transmission from Luke, sending them a few passages from the Book of the Sith, all of which were entries drawn from the records of Sith from the Rule of Two era.
At the same time, Ben and Rey had discussed their next destination. They had decided to travel to the planet of Dromund Kaas, the home of the Sith Empire after the Great Hyperspace War, and a crucial planet in the history of the Sith. They were also intrigued about the history of the cult known as the Dark Force that had been established on Dromund Kaas. They had had a conversation over a commlink with Jared Hansen about his mission to destroy the Dark Force about 25 years ago and what Jared had learned about the cult and its founder, Darth Millenial. However, they also wanted some firsthand knowledge that they knew could be found on Dromund Kaas.
After coming to Dromund Kaas two days ago, Ben and Rey had decided on a strategy of divide and conquer. They had decided Ben would remain behind on the Falcon to continue study of Malgus' journal and the excerpts of the Book of the Sith sent to them by Luke. Meanwhile, Rey, sometimes accompanied by R2, would explore the ruins on Dromund Kaas. She had made a number of discoveries already, including a scroll kept in a tightly sealed chamber, a scroll that turned out to contain writings of the last great Dark Lord of the Sith of the old Sith Empire, Marka Ragnos. Ben and Rey had spent some time reading Ragnos' scroll, as well as studying records of his time as Dark Lord, wanting to see what about Ragnos made him such a successful ruler that brought the old Sith Empire to its peak.
Rey had just finished several hours of exploring the main Citadel in the capital city. Most of it, she had spent using her camera to take photos of the inscriptions and hieroglyphs carved on the walls of the Citadel, as well as meditating within the Citadel, trying to see if she could bring about any visions into the past through the Force presence in the Citadel. Now, as the sun is setting, she's decided to head back to the Falcon.
Rey turns back towards the Falcon, which is resting on a large outcropping of rock near the Citadel. Rey jogs over to the base of the rocks before leaping up with the Force, easily reaching the top and landing gently. She then strolls up to the ship and boards.
Slowly making her way into the passenger bay, Rey finds Ben still engrossed in the journal of Malgus, jotting down a few notes in a notebook. She walks over and sits down next to Ben. When he doesn't react immediately, Rey speaks up and says, "Have you taken a break all since I last checked in?"
Ben is quiet for a moment before he mutters, "No."
Rey sighs. "Ben, you can't wear yourself out. We are not in any big hurry on this journey. You can't ignore your own well-being for the sake of your research," she says with concern, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Ben sighs as he finally sits back away from the table and slumps against the back of the seat. "I know. I just…I don't want to let the galaxy down."
"I know. But if you don't take care of yourself, that won't help your case," Rey responds.
Ben just slowly nods, clearly very tired. Rey just looks at him for a moment before she asks, "What was your focus today?"
Ben looks a little more revived as he sits up straight and says, "I was reading through the later excerpts in the Book of the Sith that Dad sent us. I was especially focusing on the writings about Darth Gravid."
Rey nods in response, a little interested herself. During her limited perusing of the excerpts from the Book of the Sith from the Rule of Two era, she had come across Darth Gravid, and she had been particularly interested in the idea that a Sith Master could turn to the light side and try to destroy the Sith by making them more like the Jedi.
"Did you find anything of particular interest to you?" Rey asks.
"A little. A read a lot about what Gravid wrote about his master, Darth Vectivus. Since Vectivus didn't die by his apprentice's hand, unlike all the other Sith of the Rule of Two, I'm starting to think a major reason for Gravid's dramatic mental break and his turn to the light side might have had to do with him being Vectivus' apprentice. I think Vectivus' unique views rubbed off on Gravid and helped him to abandon the dark side," Ben says.
Rey looks at him for a moment before she asks him, "I can tell you're thinking something. What is it?"
"You may think I'm crazy, as might everyone else in existence. But I thought while I was studying, if teachings that are partly Sith, but also grounded in some level of goodness, could bring someone to turn away from the Sith and try to destroy them…what could happen for someone raised in the ways of the Jedi who had turned to darkness?" Ben says. He pauses for a little bit, then says, "I can't believe I'm saying this, given I saw him kill his own father, and I've almost killed him myself out necessity, but…part of me can't help but think that…just maybe….there's a chance that Jacen can still be brought back to the light."
Rey sits there for a moment, just silently thinking over what Ben said. Finally, she says in calm, comforting tone, "I suppose, there's always hope. But Ben, you have to realize how deep Kylo Ren has fallen. He's not the cousin you once knew. Perhaps he could come back…but the chance of that happening…"
"I know. But the chance does exist. If it could happen for Gravid, and for Vader…it could happen for him. But knowing how astronomical the chance of that happening is…it doesn't make things any easier," Ben says, a sense of despair in his voice.
Rey looks at him with pity before she leans forward to close the book. "Alright. That's enough for today. We are going to spend the rest of the day before bed eating a good meal, listening to good music, and relaxing from all the hard work we've been putting in the last few weeks."
"But…" Ben starts to protest.
"No buts!" Rey declares, standing up before pulling Ben up to his feet. "We are going to relax. And maybe we can practice our Irish dance. We haven't done that in a while." She then takes a few steps back as she does a few Irish dance steps, smiling knowingly at Ben.
Ben sighs before starting to smile in return. "Alright. You win," he says before following Rey to the galley for some food.
(That night)
As nighttime sounds can be heard outside the Falcon, on board the ship, Ben and Rey have fallen asleep for the night. Ben is out like a light, completely exhausted. Rey is sleeping a little more lightly, not near as tired as Ben.
As Rey turns over in her bunk, she suddenly hears a voice in her head, "Rey. Rey."
Rey wakes up, unmoving but staring up at the ceiling. She doesn't recognize the voice she just heard, but it resonates within her soul. At first, she's wondering if she imagined it or if it was just a dream. Then, she hears the voice again, "Rey."
"I am listening," Rey whispers. She pauses for a moment, then says, "Who are you?"
"In life, my name was Qui Gon Jinn," the voice replies.
Rey's eyes widen. She definitely knows that name. From her training with the Skywalkers, she remembers that name was the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi's master. She also heard his name spoken a few times by members of the Terran Jedi Order, as Qui Gon had been held by many as the model Jedi for the Terran jedi to model themselves after. She had also heard his name from Calvin Adams, who said that Qui Gon Jinn had guided in his hunt for Moff Gideon and Lumiya. She didn't know a lot about the venerated Jedi Master, but from what she knows, he was a great Jedi who really knew what it meant to be a Jedi and did not let the politics of his time stand in his way.
"Master Jinn?" she asks aloud.
"Yes, young Rey," Qui Gon's voice answers.
"I had heard that you could speak to the living. Why do you speak to me, Master?" Rey asks aloud.
"I speak now to set you on a new path. You have followed well the mission given to Ben by Revan. You have done well to search out the secrets of the Sith and gain an understanding of the dark side. You did well in your defeat of Exar Kun. But now, it is time to set your journey after Sith lore aside. What you have gathered is sufficient to prepare you as you continue your study. Now, you must seek not only deep knowledge of the light, but the deepest secrets of the Force," Qui Gon says to Rey.
"What do you ask of me, Master Qui Gon?" Rey asks, now sitting up in bed.
"Wake young Ben. It is time for you to come to the home of the Force; the place where all of the Force flows through. You must seek out Mortis," Qui Gon says.
"Mortis?" Rey asks.
"Yes. One cannot be guided there by maps or technology. The Force will guide you to where you must go. I await the chance to speak to you in person," Qui Gon says.
Rey awaits further words, but receives none. After a minute of silence, she realizes that Qui Gon has left her. However, hsi words ring in her ears. She waits only a few more moments before she hurriedly gets out of bed and makes her way to Ben's cabin.
Crouching next to Ben's bunk, she gently shakes him awake as she whispers, "Ben! Ben, get up!"
Ben's eyes flutter open and he looks up at her. "Rey? What time is it?" he asks.
"Early morning," Rey says dismissively before she says urgently, "Ben, listen. I just had a visitor. The voice of master Qui Gon Jinn spoke to me."
Ben's eyes open fully, and he sits up in bed. "What?" he asks in surprise.
"Yes. I heard his voice, clear as day. He spoke to me and told me what course we must take next. He told me our goals must now change," Rey says.
Ben shakes his head a bit to make sure he's totally awake, then asks Rey, "What exactly did he say to you?"
"He praised us for our journey and what we have discovered so far, but he said it was time for us to move on from this. He said what we have gathered is sufficient for us, and it's time we turn our attention to learning secrets of the dark side. And then, he told me that we needed to seek out a place called Mortis, calling it the home of the Force," Rey says.
At the name Mortis, recognition flashes through Ben's eyes, and shock comes over his face. This does not escape Rey's notice, who asks him, "I saw that look, Ben. That name means something to you."
"Yes. My parents spoke to me of it once. Apparently my grandfather went to Mortis once during the Clone Wars with Ahsoka and Master Kenobi. They called it a conduit of the Force, and that it was home to three extremely powerful beings of the Force, all of whom died during the visit. But, they didn't say anything more. They didn't put too much importance on it, partly because they said it was virtually impossible to find Mortis," Ben explains.
"Master Qui Gon said something similar about it not being easy to find. But he said that the Force would guide us where we needed to go," Rey says.
Ben is quiet for a few moments before he says, "Alright. Let's get the ship ready. We'll leave as soon as we can," all the while wondering what awaits the two of them when they reach Mortis.
And, I'll end there.
So, I hope you liked this chapter. I wanted to focus more on Rey this chapter because we haven't spent a lot of focus on her in this story, and she is still important, so I want to build up her character.
I hope you like the Sith I name dropped in this, especially Darth Gravid. Also, as for Darth Vectivus being Darth Gravid's master, that is my own headcanon, partly because I like the idea, and also because I think Darth gravid's turn to the light makes even more sense if Vectivus was his master given Vectivus' ideals, and might also explain why Vectivus was the only Banite Sith we know of to die of old age.
Now, we come to our next arc: Mortis. For those who didn't know, the original plan for Episode IX under Colin Trevorrow, titled Duel of the Fates, actually featured Rey having her final fight with and killing Kylo Ren on Mortis. And since I would love to see Mortis in live action, I decided to have them travel to Mortis here. We will see Ben and Rey converse with quite a few Force spirits on Mortis, and not just Jedi of the Skywalker era. They will be meeting the spirits of Force users from throughout galactic history. Please leave suggestions of any you would like to see. I will say that Revan and Yoda are already a given, but leave suggestions for any others you'd like to see.
Alright, next chapter will be up soon. Until it is, please leave a review, and stay tuned!