Chapter 21: The Knights of Ren

37 ABY

Night was falling when Rey returned to Yavin 4. The scent of damp earth and growing things welcomed her like an old friend as she descended from her X-wing and left her flight gear in the care of a maintenance droid. The silhouette of the Temple was as grand as ever, backed by the light of Yavin Prime's other three moons. She didn't pause to admire the view; there were tidings to share with Luke, and decisions to be made. Her pulse thrummed with unspent energy.

The climb to the Jedi Master's study was familiar, and Rey encountered no one on her journey. She rapped three times on the doorframe, and Luke's voice carried into the hall.

"Enter, Knight Rey."

Knight Rey. No last name for the orphan of Jakku.

She stepped into the dimly lit space and bowed slightly, noticing that Serai and Baz had already arrived. "Master Skywalker, Master Lunara, Master Toluk," she murmured.

"Greetings, Rey," Serai echoed, gesturing to the empty chair to her right. "I trust your journey here was without obstacles?"

Rey grimaced slightly as sank into her seat. "To a degree," she answered. "Hux and his lackeys are tightening their restrictions on the hyperspace routes they control. I almost missed my jump time at Hosnian Prime because I was arguing with a secretary about what constitutes 'official government travel.'"

"I take it 'Jedi business' wasn't on their list of accepted justifications?" Baz asked, a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

"The First Order grows ever more powerful," Luke hummed. "What news of the Senate, Rey?"

"Much of the same," she answered. "The First Order faction continues to make moves towards separation. Hux publicly decries Leia and the old guard at every opportunity. But that wasn't why I returned."

Luke leaned closer. "What news have you that couldn't be shared over comms?"

"There are rumors," she started, "of a fleet under construction."

"A fleet?" Serai cut in, looking alarmed. "A battle fleet?"

"Star destroyers," Rey confirmed. "At first I thought it was all hearsay, but I delved into Armitage Hux's personal finance records and—"

"Rey," Luke chided. "That was outside your mandate."

She turned her serious gaze on him. "Whatever punishment you choose for me will be worth what I've learned."

"I don't aim to punish you," Luke protested. "It is but a reminder that the Jedi must take care not to abuse their powers."

Rey took a measured breath and paused to release her budding irritation into the Force. A pool of still water, ruffled by the breeze, she imagined. Let the ripples dissipate. She continued. "The records led me to Canto Bight and a dozen other lawless cesspools of the rich. The fleet is real, and there is more." She produced a small electro-chip from an inner pocket. "Communications detailing troop movements on Ilum. They're investigating the Empire's old mines there. The expenses were hidden in a large bill passed by Hux for 'infrastructure improvements.' Flight charters and shipping records have been struck from the official database."

Luke took the chip with an unsteady hand. "You're certain of this?"

"Yes," Rey said. "You know there's only one thing they could be looking for on Ilum. Kyber."

"Is there thorilide on Ilum?" Baz asked. "Perhaps they're seeking to provision their fleet with turbo lasers."

Rey shrugged. "I can't be certain," she said. "But there's another connection to kyber hidden in those transcripts—an odd connection with a man named Ren."

The other three froze, watching her face closely.

"As in…the Knights of Ren?" Baz asked slowly.

"The very same, as far as I could gather," Rey responded. "There were whispers of him in Canto Bight. Apparently he's not one for the finer aspects of civilization, though the denizens of the city did seemed to fear and respect him in equal measure. But not as deeply as they feared his enemy—the Basilisk, they called him. An assassin who has pursued Ren and his men tirelessly. If you're close enough to look into his eyes, you're already dead. Or so they say. Evidently the Knights' numbers are rather…reduced, of late."

Luke shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"So you believe that the Knights of Ren are involved in the First Order's movements on Ilum?" Serai asked. "And that they're being hunted by some type of vigilante?"

"Why not?" Rey asked. "Who better to lead Hux to kyber than a group of Force-sensitives? I imagine they share a common interest there. After all, the Knights were after kyber when you encountered them on Csilla. Whoever this assassin is could be a potential ally. They may know a great deal about the Knights of Ren. Even how deeply their involvement with the First Order runs."

"The Jedi Order does not barter with vigilantes," Luke said sharply.

"Nevertheless," Serai responded, "this is a valuable lead. If the First Order are involved with dark siders, the rest of the New Republic needs to know. And if the Knights of Ren are indeed weakened, as Rey says, now could be the perfect time to move against them. Try to capture one of them alive."

"None of my intelligence provides proof that Hux is involved," Rey added. "Everything is carried out in shadowy back allies, through hidden accounts, and with no paper trail or official record beyond the whispers that follow him. This could be our opportunity to formally indict him for his warmongering."

Baz's eyes flickered briefly to Rey and then back to Luke. "Perhaps it is time for you to summon Knight Solo," he said slowly. "Ben's skill could be of great help to us on this mission."

Rey blinked once, hard, and stilled her mind. It had been eight months since the Force had last connected her with Ben. She hadn't acknowledged his presence any more than he had acknowledged hers. The sound of his name still stung.

Luke leaned back, steepling his fingers under his chin. For a while he was silent. "I agree with Serai," he said finally. "And you as well, Baz. As it turns out, I have already summoned Knight Solo."

Rey's eyes leapt to Luke, the bitter sting of betrayal rising in her throat. Master Skywalker had summoned Ben without warning her first?

Luke's countenance didn't waver. "He has refused his summons."

"Sorry—refused?" Serai echoed. "He can't do that!"

"It would appear that he already has," Baz said mildly.

"He does not believe that his return to Yavin 4 at this time would be 'productive,'" Luke continued. "He is in the midst of another mission which requires his full attention." His voice darkened. "Worry not, young Serai. My nephew and I will be having words when I succeed in returning him to the Temple. Even if I must drag him here against his will."

"So we'll go alone," Rey cut in. "There are enough of us to handle the Knights, especially if my intel is accurate. No more than three, including Ren himself, have been spotted in the past ten months."

"I would urge caution," Luke said. "The last time we sought to observe these dark siders, an apprentice nearly died."

Rey's stomach clenched. Ben.

"We can take a larger force," Serai offered. "Kora is busy overseeing negotiations on Kijimi, but Ezriel, Loren, and Janneh will all be planet-side within days. And Colt and Akava by the end of this week."

"Colt has yet to pass the trials," Luke protested.

"Master, he and Ninsar are both ready, and you know it," Serai said gently. "You may wish to protect them longer, but they could be of great help to us in this fight. They are older than Rey, and she's been a Knight three years."

Luke sighed, staring hard at the whorled surface of his desk. "So be it," he said finally. "I will not detain you here, if this is what you desire. Where will your mission begin, if I may ask?"

Three pairs of eyes turned wordlessly to Rey.

She swallowed. "On Ilum," she answered. "In the old mines of the Empire."

They departed from Yavin 4 at daybreak, eight days after Rey's return. It was the largest force of Jedi to move against an enemy since the times of the Old Republic, but the fleet was meant to grow yet larger before their arrival on Ilum.

"You'll take a squadron of New Republic pilots with you," Luke insisted. "Leia is seeing to it that the most capable are selected. You will rendezvous with them at the intersection of the Celanon Spur and the Namadii Corridor."

There had been some latent bickering about the wisdom of bringing non-Force users to track down the Knights of Ren, but in the end, Luke's argument had prevailed: "A blaster is a blaster, no matter who's holding it."

The first stages of the trip went smoothly—all four X-wings rose from the landing pad, wheeling in the sky over the Temple like great birds of prey. In the copilot's seat behind Rey, Colt checked and double-checked their coordinates. "All systems are go," he said. "Initiate orbital ascent."

"Affirmative," Rey answered, easing back on the stick. "Taking her up."

"Sky Team Leader, this is Sky One," Baz's voice crackled over the comm. "What is your status?"

"Copy Sky One, this is Sky Leader," came Serai's response. "Preparing to make the jump to hyperspace. On my count. Initiating lightspeed in five, four, three …"

The journey to the Namadii branch was a long one, requiring multiple transitions between hyperspace lanes. At Rey's suggestion, the team had chosen to travel under a civilian alias to avoid scrutiny from any First Order partisans who could have been surveying flight records. Factoring in the endless waiting for jump times, the journey took nearly thirty-two hours. They slept in shifts, curled in their seats, and Rey was reminded unwillingly of the last time she shared an X-wing with Ben Solo.

He has refused his summons, Luke's voice echoed in her memory.

What could Ben possibly be up to that's more important than bringing down a group of dark siders? Rey wondered. Could it be that he simply doesn't want to see me?

When they reached their rendezvous point, Rapier Squadron had already arrived. Their X-wings were sleek and compact, and numbered just over a dozen. The Jedi circled, accessing the shared comm channels.

"Rapier Leader, this is Sky Leader," Serai hailed. "Do you copy?"

"Copy Sky Leader, this is Rapier Leader," a jaunty voice responded. "Commander Poe Dameron, at your service!"

"How many men do you have with you, Dameron?" Serai asked.

"Twenty-five of the Republic's best, at your service," the squadron leader answered. "How can we be of service? Senator Organa was rather…sparing on the details."

"For good reason," Serai answered. "It is of the utmost importance that the First Order learn nothing of our mission. Can you trust your men?"

"With my life," Dameron answered easily. "What is our course?"

"We fly to the ancient Jedi stronghold, Ilum, though it has been many years since the Empire claimed it for their own. We are in search of the Knights of Ren, a terrorist faction that we believe may be aiding the First Order in gaining a foothold on Ilum."

For a moment, only static answered them. Then: "The Knights of Ren? I thought they were a story told to frighten children."

"I wish that it were so, Commander Dameron, but these days we have no need of stories—truth itself is fear enough. Will you aid us?"

"Aye, Sky Leader, we will. Years we've waited for the Republic to take action against the First Order. We will aid you at any cost."

"Very good," Serai answered. Rey could hear the tension leaving her voice. "I am sending your team coordinates. Depart on my mark."

At first glimpse, Ilum was exactly as Rey remembered it—a pale, lonely speck in the vastness of space. As they drew nearer, Serai began to bark commands.

"Rapier Squadron, Sky Squadron, activate cloaking shields. We're going in with all stealth. The Jedi Temple is two clicks north of the coordinates I've dropped you. We'll land there, under the cover of the trees, and make the rest of the journey on foot."

Rey flicked on their cloaking shield and prepared to descend.

"Sky Leader, this is Rapier Two. Did you say Jedi Temple?"

"Copy Rapier Two, yes I did."

"I thought our mission was to explore the Empire's old mining operations," the pilot ventured. There was unmistakable trepidation in his voice.

"Yes, but night is currently falling over the mining outpost we've identified," Serai answered patiently. "We require shelter from the elements, and a place to hide our aircraft. The Jedi Temple is safe, and one of the most easily defensible locations on the planet." Serai paused momentarily. "Consider yourself lucky, Rapier Two. The Jedi do not suffer many to enter their sacred places."

Rey thought darkly of her last visit to the Jedi Temple, and the defilement that had been wrought there. If only there had been someone left to defend it.

The Jedi Temple was every bit as cold and forbidding as Rey remembered, although it seemed less so once the crew had set up tents and a single generator for warmth. One of the members of Rapier Squadron began passing around field rations while the Jedi conferred with Commander Dameron.

Poe was of medium height and solid build, with dark, curling hair and a ready smile. With his caramel complexion and dark brows, even Rey had to admit that he was handsome.

Not that those kinds of observations mattered to her.

"Our intelligence states that shuttles have recently been seen entering the Gamma Quadrant of the mining belt," he informed the group. "It's long-range space telescope data, so the precision is low, and we couldn't make out the model or number of aircrafts."

"It's a fine start," Serai said. "We should send a team of scouts ahead, to determine their location and numbers. We're prepared to take the Knights of Ren into custody with our current numbers, but if they have back -up we may need to retreat and regroup."

"How do you suggest we proceed? Discrete observation from orbit?"

"Too risky," Akava warned. "If they have any sort of surveillance equipment, they'll see us before we see them. It would be to our best interest to maintain the element of surprise."

"My squadron specializes in aerial maneuvers," Poe argued. "These are some of the finest fliers in the New Republic. We're not a traditional ground force."

"Akava is right," Serai said. "My Knights and I can handle the initial reconnaissance—we are all well-trained for ground operations and will be able to traverse a large area quite quickly if we split up and make use of the Force. We'll also be able to sense any Force users before we stumble upon them."

"Are you certain?" Colt interjected quietly. "If these Knights of Ren are indeed Force-users, might they not have the ability to feel us in the Force as well?"

"It's likely beyond their training," Serai reassured him. "These are un-initiated dark siders, not true Sith. Their range of perception will be small, if it exists at all."

Rey chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe Colt is right," she said. "Maybe it would be better to hide our Force-signatures."

Serai looked at her sharply. "And how would you recommend we achieve that?"

Rey looked down. I could do it, she almost said. I could go alone.

Instead, she shook her head. "You're right," she said. "It wouldn't work." Even after seven years, the shame of her strange abilities weighed on her heavily. She opened her mind to release the emotion into the Force, but it clung to her like a stain.

"Then we're in agreement," Serai said. "The nine of us will split up to cover as much ground as possible. We'll set out at oh-five-hundred, before sunrise. We'll take five X-wings and descend into the mining belt under cover of darkness. Private-frequency comms only, we can't risk transmissions being intercepted. Commander Dameron, is there any information that you'd like us to gather to inform your squadron's movements?"

"Oh, I'm coming with you," Poe assured her, crossing his arms over his chest.

There was a moment of strained silence before the gathered Jedi broke out in a barrage of protests.

"—too slow to keep up—"

"—not trained in stealth—"

"—won't spend my whole day Force-lifting you over rockslides and—"

"Silence," Serai cut in icily. "Commander Dameron, please reconsider. Without you, we'll easily be able to traverse the entire sector within a single day. Our particular skillset is…different from your own. Perhaps you'd be better placed here, with your squadron—"

"With all due respect, Commander Luminara, my skillset involves commanding my squadron in battle. While I'm sure you've all had tactical training, I know the capabilities and limitations of my squadron best. As you say, the Jedi are possessed of particular skills. Have any of you ever lead non-Force users into battle?"

His question was met with silence.

"Then, if you please, I'd prefer to come along. I'll not send my men and women into battle unless I'm certain of the terrain and enemy capabilities at hand. It would be rather unfortunate if one of you illustrated a line of attack and forgot that some of us can't drop two stories without shattering all of the bones in our legs."

"More like four stories," Janneh mumbled.

Serai sent the younger Jedi a silencing look. "Your concerns are noted, Commander Dameron," she said finally. "Very well—you will be paired with Knight Rey." Rey nearly opened her mouth to protest. "She is strong in the Force, and will be able to—as Ezriel so kindly put it—'spend the day Force-lifting you over rockslides.'"

The teasing glimmer in Serai's eyes doused any further complaints from Rey.

"It's as cold as a witch's tit out here," Poe Dameron complained, for what Rey could swear was the hundredth time. He chafed his palms together briskly, trying to bring heat back to his freezing fingertips.

"Quiet," Rey murmured, waving a hand in his direction.

Poe started and let out a sigh of relief and warmth ran over his limbs.

The silence only lasted a few moments.

"How are you doing that?" he asked, panting as he scrambled to join Rey at the top of a short bluff.

"Heat is a product of the kinetic energy of the particles that make up everything," Rey returned softly, scanning the horizon. "Force telekinesis is one of the first skills taught to Jedi younglings."

Poe paused for a moment, and Rey ventured to hope that his curiosity was finally sated. "So you're moving the molecules in my hands?" he questioned, looking down at his spread palms with an expression of horror.

"The air molecules around your hands," Rey grumbled, raising her quadnocs to scan the valley below them for movement. The sun was high in the sky, although its light felt pale and weak on the icy planet. An endless stretch of churned up earth, undulating with crevasses, outcroppings and barren hills lay before them. No distinguishing markers broke the interminable plain of the mining sector, at least until the eye reached the distant cloud-like pillars that stretched high into the milky sky. Rey's mind grappled with the knowledge that those pillars were massive cliffs, a testament to the magnitude of the Empire's vast open-pit mines, rather than dull atmospheric haze. Their tops blended almost seamlessly into the sky overhead.

"Is that very hard?" Poe asked.

"No," Rey said shortly. "Follow me."

Together they picked their way down the steep hillside, stepping over crushed rubble and the ancient tracks of Imperial excavators. Everything was coated in a fresh layer of snow.

They'd made fair progress in the hours since dawn, but had encountered no sign of the rogue Force-users, nor life of any sort. The mining sector was, even to the keenest eye, a wasteland, its emptiness making Jakku seem idyllic by comparison. After more than a decade spent on Yavin 4, the silent buzz of the Force felt like a heavy blanket pressing down on Rey's mind. She could sense something in her periphery, like a vast approaching storm cloud, but the finer details were washed out in a way that made her skin itch with irritation.

"So can you lift rocks, too?"

Poe Dameron's ceaseless questions weren't helping.

"Hush," ordered Rey, nimbly descending a slope of scree into a narrow gully. "There's something…"

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of a disturbance in the fine sheet of snow. It was a paltry mark, hardly worth further examination except that what could possibly have left marks in the snow in a place like this?

"I've heard Jedi can control minds, is that true too?" Poe asked, jumping down beside her. "My friend said that once he met a—"

Rey's hand clapped over Poe's mouth, muffling the rest of his words. "Quiet!" she hissed. "Look!"

Before them, a narrow groove cut through the otherwise unbroken surface of the snow. It was deepest at the center and sloped up gently in either direction.

"What?" Poe asked, peeling her hand away in irritation. "That's not a footprint."

"As a pilot, how often do you use your feet for travelling?" Rey asked, letting her annoyance seep through into her voice. There is no emotion, she reminded herself wearily. There is peace. Something about Ilum's strange, frozen moonscape was getting under Rey's skin. She wasn't sure if it was a memory or a premonition.

Understanding washed over Poe's face. "Speeder tracks," he breathed. "This gully is a transit route."

"Yes," Rey said, glancing side to side hurriedly. "We can stake it out, wait for someone to come through. Then follow them to the main encampment, if there is one."

"Umm, we may have a problem with that," Poe answered, pointing down at his shoes. "We've left our own tracks everywhere."

"Let me worry about the tracks," Rey said, pushing Poe back up the hill. "Moving snow is even easier than moving rocks."

From their vantage point at the top of the rise overlooking the gully, Rey adjusted the focus of her quadnocs.

"Still nothing?" Poe whispered, his mouth irritatingly close to her ear.

"Obviously not," Rey answered, sinking deeper into the Force in an attempt to glean a sense of something, anything. Their stakeout had been ongoing for nearly two hours, and she could feel pins and needles beginning to creep into her legs.

"You Jedi are a prickly bunch," Poe observed casually, examining his reflection in the chrome casing of his blaster. "Is it part of the whole mystique?"

Rey made a derisive sound low in her throat, scanning the far reaches of the gully with the quadnocs. "It's a 'I'm busy trying to catch dangerous criminals,' thing," she answered absently.

"So serious," Poe responded, dragging his finger in a pattern through the snow. "Have you considered the idea that—" he paused, tipping his head to one side at the same moment Rey's fingers tensed around the quadnocs. "Do you hear that?"

"Yes," Rey whispered. "Someone's coming."

The low rumble of an engine echoed down the gully, rapidly approaching. But the sound wasn't what had tipped Rey off. In the Force, the rider was a bright flash of life amid quiet walls of stone.

"Coming in from the west," she murmured. "Single rider, human female."

"Why do you have the quadnocs if you can already see her with your Force-thingy?" Poe asked incredulously.

"Because I'm the one being serious," Rey answered, adjusting her focus again as the rider came into view.

The speeder was of old Imperial make, but clearly upgraded with more recent tech, including an engine muffler and rear-mounted blasters. The muffler explained why the rider had been nearly on top of them before her engine became audible.

The woman herself was slight, but made larger by the short, tattered cape that swirled around her shoulders. She was decked out in dark armor, scuffed from what must have been years of wear, and a black steel faceplate that covered her eyes. In fact, if Rey hadn't touched the rider's mind in the Force, she may have mistaken her for a man. She may also have missed another crucial detail.

The rider was Force-sensitive.

For once, Poe was watching intently. "Get ready to move," Rey said softly. "We have to follow her."

"How are we going to keep up with her on foot?" Poe hissed back.

"By taking a short cut," Rey whispered. "This gully isn't a straight shot, it's just the easiest route for a speeder bike. But we're going straight through."

"I think you're forgetting an important fact," Poe hissed back. "I can't jump five stories like—"

For the second time that day, Rey's hand clamped over the pilot's mouth.

The rider had stopped.

Her speeder hung in midair, engine idling, just fifty meters downslope of the pair. Although Rey knew they were well-concealed, she couldn't help but sink lower into the ground, icy meltwater soaking the front of her tunic. She watched the rider's gaze swing from side to side, scanning the hills around her. Did I miss some of our tracks in the snow? Rey wondered.

Finally, just when Rey was certain they would be discovered, the rider kicked the speeder bike back into gear and accelerated onwards.

Rey waited several moments to be sure that the rider had been alone, and then scrambled to her feet. "Hurry," she told Poe, unclipping the comm from her belt. "Down into the gully and straight up the other side. I'll be right behind you." Switching the comm on, she spoke into it. "Serai, this is Rey. Poe and I have sights on one of the Force-users and are in pursuit. Pinging you our coordinates now."

For a moment the commlink crackled with static, and then Serai's voice came through. "Rey, this is Serai. Do not pursue alone, repeat, due not pursue alone. Hold your position, we're coming your way."

Rey hesitated, indecision written over her face. Poe was already halfway up the slope opposite her, scrambling on his hands and knees to fight the pull of gravity. "Negative," Rey answered. "We'll lose her if we wait for you. Don't worry Serai, we'll be careful." She clicked off the commlink before Serai could answer and darted after Poe.

Her rubber-soled boots caught traction on the stone beneath snow, and she pushed off, using the Force to propel her jump and clearing the gully in a single bound. Poe flinched as she landed noiselessly beside him, legs bent. She curled one hand into the collar of his leather jacket and dragged him to his feet.

They scrambled quietly to the crest of the next hill, just in time to catch sight of the rider rounding the next curve of the undulating gully before them.

"She's too fast," Poe panted. "We'll never keep this up for long."

Rey looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her lips curling into a smirk for the first time that day. "Time to lift some rocks," she quipped, darting forward and throwing herself towards the next ridgeline.

"What—" she heard Poe begin, before his voice was cut off by the rapidly expanding distance between them.

To his credit, the pilot didn't let out a noise when she grasped him in the Force and dragged him after her.

The hard granite was icy under Rey's stomach as she belly-crawled towards the top of the rise. Her elbow clipped Poe's, and she murmured a quiet apology.

She had been right to follow her instincts. Trailing the lone rider, they had quickly come to a section of land where the snow was sparse and windswept. Had they waited for Serai and the others, following the snow-tracks of the woman's speeder would have been impossible.

Now, she sensed that they were near their destination. The woman had slowed as she rounded the last bend into a hidden valley, and even from afar Rey had sensed a buzz of what felt like movement.

More movement than she had been expecting.

As they came to the top of the rise, Rey's breath caught in her throat.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Poe murmured, gazing down at the valley below them.

"Unfortunately, yes," Rey answered. She blinked, as if doing so might erase the sight of the massive encampment below them. Based on the number of field-tents alone, she placed the enemy's numbers at nearly a thousand. And not just men either—a range of equipment scattered the valley floor, from excavators to drilling rigs, and even one tank-like machine that Rey identified as a massive laser-cutter. Several transport shuttles were clustered in the shadow of a bluff, their insignias invisible even through Rey's quadnocs. Navy-decked commandos stalked to-and-fro down the muddied roads between tents, shouting orders to work-crews and directing battalions of—

"Stormtroopers," Poe breathed. "Those are stormtroopers."

Rey focused on the neat rows of black-and-white clad soldiers. She'd never seen a stormtrooper in person, unless you counted the horrifying remains she had come across in the burnt out Star Destroyers on Jakku. These men marched with terrifying precision, their blank, masked faces revealing neither thought nor emotion.

"An Imperial remnant?" Poe questioned. "Continuing mining operations after the fall of the Empire? I thought the New Republic swept this planet after the Battle of Endor. Cleaned up the dregs."

"I'm not sure that this is a remnant," Rey whispered. "I think this is something new." For a moment they were silent, taking in the sight before them. The Force warped around Rey, making her oddly dizzy. "This is worse than we thought," she finally said. "We'll need major reinforcements. I'll contact Serai, make sure she doesn't follow us here, and then we'll—"

"Freeze," said a mechanical voice, accompanied by the click of a blaster's safety being deactivated. "Or you both die."

Rey spun around.

Arrayed on the slope behind them was a squadron of storm troopers, weapons at the ready. The trooper closest to them had spoken, its blaster just feet from Rey's face.

How did they creep up on us? she thought desperately, cursing herself for losing focus. I should have felt them in the Force!

From amongst the troopers, a black-cloaked figure emerged, trailed by the slight form of the rider they had followed to the encampment. Rey couldn't see the woman's face, but she could practically sense the smug satisfaction radiating off her. Her head barely came even with the breastplate of the other figure, a man dressed entirely in black, crowned with a matte helmet crisscrossed by silver wiring.

"You Jedi are so arrogant," the figure's voice crackled, distorted by the helmet's built-in modulator. It sent a chill down Rey's spine. "You truly think you're the only beings left in the galaxy who can touch the Force?" He chuckled, a dark sound that reverberated through the air. "As if my Master never taught me to create a Force distortion."

"As if I can't sense when a Force-user touches my mind," the woman added, her voice a silken crackle.

With a cold rush of certainty, Rey realized they had been played. The woman's stop in the gully had not been random, nor had she spotted tracks in the snow. No, she had felt the brush of Rey's consciousness, and hurried straight home, leading them into a trap.

"A Force distortion?" Poe piped up, startling Rey. "Sounds painful."

"I'm glad you think so," the man answered. "It's also quite useful. Can make one feel rather…disoriented."

Rey remembered the sudden ripple she had felt in the Force, and the nausea that she had attributed to sheer horror. Cold sweat prickled at the back of her neck. If this man was strong enough to twist her perception of the Force itself, she and the others had vastly underestimated his power.

His hand clasped with a clink around a metal cylinder hanging at his hip, and Rey realized with a start that it was a cybernetic limb. The buzz of white noise filled her ears. A dark cave, filled with dark warriors. The flash of lightsabers, one crimson red, matching the splash of blood on Ben's face and the maroon stain spreading across his chest. The crumpled foe behind him, clasping the stump of a severed hand.

"Ren," she whispered, moments before his scarlet blade sprang to life.

She summoned her own saber into her hand, its golden light washing over the dark granite with hardly a moment to spare as she caught Ren's saber, inches from her neck. One of the troopers opened fire, and Rey extended her second blade, deflecting the bolt before it could connect with Poe's stricken face.

"Impressive," Ren hummed. "But do you know how to use that pretty little thing?"

"Maybe you'd like to find out," Rey snarled, shoving him away and deflecting a blow from the woman's vibro-axe. Although she was still masked, Rey could see the glimmer of hatred and fury reflected in her opponent's eyes.

"You Jedi will die for what you did to him," the woman snarled, recoiling to prepare for a second blow.

Rey whirled her saberstaff in one hand, deflecting a barrage of blaster fire, while with her other hand she made a knife-like motion through the air. A wave of Force energy struck the woman in the midriff, tumbling her backwards down the hill with a startled shout.

"A little help would be great here!" Rey snapped, and moments later Poe opened covering fire, causing the stormtroopers to scatter.

Rey and Poe's position was terribly indefensible, she thought, as she blocked a stray blaster bolt headed for her torso. They were pinned at the top of the ridgeline, with no cover from Ren's squadron. If they crossed the ridge to shelter from the troopers, they could be exposing their backs to the main battalion. It was the perfect place to stage an ambush, and a terrible place to be caught spying, she thought disgustedly.

Ren charged up the hill again, his saber a slash of bloody light. Their blades connected in a storm of parries and blows as Rey tested his defenses. Whoever had trained the rogue Force-user had clearly taught him well, if not in the traditional manner of the Jedi. His attacks were aggressive and battering, making up what they lacked in finesse through sheer strength. Rey was certain that, given enough time, she could find a pattern in his defense and take the upper hand, were it not for the second Force-user throwing herself recklessly into the fray.

They pressed Rey backwards, attacking from two angles so that her attention was forced to flicker between them. Not for the first time, she blessed the stroke of luck that had driven her to build a saberstaff rather than an ordinary blade. Without the dual reach of her blades, she would have been terribly outmatched.

Slowly Rey yielded ground, drawing nearer and nearer to the crest of the hill. By now she was certain that the main battalion had been alerted to their presence, and she didn't dare make herself a target by cresting the ridgeline. She reached out behind her in the Force, searching for anything she could use as a tool, and came across the ragged edges of loose stone.

Without hesitating, she wrapped the hand of the Force around the stones and pulled, leaping to the side as they clattered down the hill towards her.

Ren swore and leapt to the side, but his compatriot was not so lucky, catching rubble to the knees and going down with a string of curses. Rey took the moment of distraction to probe the Force again. On the other side of the ridge, the encampment boiled like a swarm of ants responding to an invader. Already she could feel troopers rushing towards the sounds of battle.

Perfect, she thought. Just perfect.

Something else flickered into her awareness—a bright thread of light. Colt and Serai.

It didn't take Rey long to find them with her eyes—two small figures creeping down the gully towards them. No, she tried to signal. Get back!

Then Ren was on her again in a blaze of saberwork, and she lost sight of her friends as she fought him off. Without the second Force-user's assistance, she was more than a match for him, especially holding the high ground as she did. She pressed him backwards in a flurry of blows, her saber clipping his shin in a burst of sparks and smoke. He swore and struck at her in the Force, a feeble attempt that she swept aside with the motion of one hand. Desperate, he slashed at her ankles. Rey skipped neatly over his blade and punched him in the face.

He wasn't expecting the move, and as pain shot up Rey's arm, she understood why.

Did you just punch a man in his metal mask? she asked herself dazedly, shaking blood away from her split knuckles as Ren staggered backwards. Really, Rey? The voice in her head sounded strangely like Ben Solo. No, she thought savagely. You don't know anyone named Ben Solo.

The woman had finally scrambled free of fallen rubble, and sprang at Rey, vibro-axe raised. Rey dodged nimbly, raising her saber to deflect a second blow and—

"Stop what you're doing," a mechanical voice interjected, "or he dies."

Standing at the top of the ridgeline was a chrome-decked stormtrooper carrying a long, silver lance. The shaft of the lance was hooked through both of the trooper's elbows, pinning Poe's limp form to its armor-plated chest. One of his eyes was surrounded by a ruddy mark, and blood dripped from his nose onto his white shirtfront. His hands scrabbled weakly at the lance where it was pressed to his throat. His face was rapidly turning purple. Behind the chrome stormtrooper, a line of soldiers aimed their blasters down at Rey.

Reinforcements had arrived.

A sense of numb desolation crept over Rey as she felt the vibroaxe buzzing in the space behind her spine. "Drop your weapon," the female Force-user hissed in her ear.

Rey allowed the saber to be pulled from her nerveless grasp.

"A brave opposition, but futile," the chrome stormtrooper declared. "Commander Ren, what shall we do with them? Execution by firing squad?"

Ren's cold, mechanical chuckle made Rey's skin crawl. "Oh no, Captain Phasma," he answered. "I know someone who will be most interested to hear that a Jedi and a New Republic pilot were found wandering in this sector."

"Very well," Phasma answered. "SR-3496, cuff them."

"Any false moves, Jedi, and your friend will wish he were dead," Ren purred.

Rey forced her face into an emotionless mask as one of the troopers drew near, bearing a pair of energy cuffs. She didn't struggle as they were fastened around her wrists. A blaster prodded her in the back. "Move," the trooper ordered.

Rey shuffled down the hill into the gully, a row of stormtroopers flanking her on either side. Captain Phasma marched at the head of the phalanx with Ren, while the female Force-user took up the rear.

Halfway down the gully, Rey felt a sharp prod in the Force. She almost flinched, but restrained herself, scanning carefully from right to left. Colt and Serai!

A vague impression came to her, an image of her ducking to avoid the swing of a saber. It was nothing like the complex images and memories that she and Ben had once shared through their Force bond, but it was enough to clue her in to their intentions.

No! she shot back through the Force, aiming the thought precisely in Colt's direction and hoping desperately that Ren and his accomplice would not overhear her. The stormtrooper to her right stumbled suddenly, and she caught a glimpse over its shoulder of two round, pale faces staring down at her from the rocks. She shook her head violently.

"Hey!" the trooper to her left shouted, raising a hand and pointing. "There are—"

Rey threw her shoulder into trooper's chest as hard as she could, connecting with its solar plexus. Pain flared through her shoulder as she felt it dislocate.

"What's going on back there?" Phasma's mechanical voice demanded.

In the swirl of confusion and directionless press of bodies, Rey sensed the trooper to her right lifting its blaster. The weapon's nose pointed directly at the center of Colt's retreating back. A clear shot.

Please, she thought desperately through the haze of pain, reaching out in the Force to grasp as the muzzle of the weapon. Please don't hurt him.

She was too late.

Before she could do anything—jerk the blaster to the side, prevent its discharge, crush the trooper wielding it—

The trooper lowered its blaster.

A moment later, Phasma shoved through the crush of soldiers to tower over them. "FN-2187, what is the meaning of this?" she snapped.

The trooper to Rey's right came to attention. "Nothing, Captain Phasma," it responded. "The prisoner was merely trying to escape."

Rey blinked in surprise. Was the stormtrooper in front of her…lying to its commanding officer?

Behind her, the trooper she had struck was scrambling to its feet. "Captain Phasma, I spotted two hostiles at three o-clock," it barked.

"Did you?" Phasma drawled. "FN-2187, why did you draw your blaster?"

"KR-3389 pointed up the hill Captain," the first trooper answered steadily. "I was prepared to fire but didn't see anyone."

"Interesting," Phasma answered coldly. "KR-3389, you will lead a squadron to search the foothills for these hostiles. I will send another detachment to flank you once we return to base. Ren, do something about your pet Jedi before I open her up with my spear."

"Should have known you'd be trouble," Ren's modulated voice hissed in her ear. "Most Force-sensitives are."

There was a sharp prick just under Rey's jaw, and she felt her legs melt beneath her. She stumbled backwards, and felt Ren's hands catch her under the arms, one flesh, the other metal. The last thing she saw before darkness encroached upon her vision was the outcropping where Colt and Serai had been crouched.

They were gone.

A/N: hello, hello! Welcome to the second half of the story! I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read/favourite/reviewed/otherwise followed along with this story so far. It started out as an itch in my mind that just needed to be written down, but I never expected it would end up being so long, or that so many people would want to share it with me! So thank you for all of your incredibly kind encouragement, and for bearing with me on this journey!

-A