They all made the jump to lightspeed together.

Luke and Rey would stay with the rest of the fleet until they reached Exegol. They would stay toward the back of the group, and once the defenders at Exegol were distracted by the invaders, they would slip down to the planet's surface. Poe knew they were bringing explosives with them in hopes of destroying the Sith temple, and anyone living in it, while the Resistance fleet focused on the Star Destroyers. While blowing up the base of operations was the optimum goal, it was also just an excuse for the Jedi to be away from the fleet, drawing the Knights of Ren and their leader away from the main battle.

Poe tried not to think how much danger Rey and Luke were in; after all, they would be in just as much danger if they were flying into battle in the skies above. It just seemed more… personal. Flying in his X-Wing, Poe didn't have to see the eyes of the people he was trying to kill, and it was a rare thing indeed to even communicate verbally with the enemy (his conversation with Hux being an anomaly; while it had been a means to distract the General, Poe couldn't help but enjoy taunting the man who had been responsible for his torture last year). Rey and Luke would not only be coming face to face with their adversaries, but they were related to two of them.

The trip through the nebula was as treacherous as the last one, but everyone in this mismatched fleet was fully capable of handling it, and Poe felt a moment of absolute pride to be a part of such a group of tough and talented individuals. He didn't care how much firepower the First Order had waiting for them. The Resistance was in top form, stronger than they had been before their defeat at D'Qar, even if they were a little less strict and orderly. The Alliance to Restore the Republic had been similarly haphazard and chaotic, and they had become victors in the end.

So would the Resistance.

They arrived at Exegol to find exactly what they were expecting: a huge, motionless fleet of Star Destroyers, with three more active Destroyers on guard. The First Order was prepared, and within moments of the Resistance ships entering Exegol's atmosphere, TIEs began streaming out of the enemy ships.

"TIE's incoming," Poe announced, more for those listening back on base than for his companions. "Take out as many as you can, but make sure you get past them and onto those Destroyers as soon as possible."

"Poe," Finn's voice called over the comm. The former stormtrooper was handling the weapons on the Gaundel, one of the many freighter-turned-fighter they had in their fleet. "Those Destroyers are lit."

Poe looked closer at the still immobile fleet, noticing that the surface lights on the ships were blazing. "Looks like they're on-line," he said. "But they still haven't left atmo, and I'm betting they can't for a while, yet. Target those weapons!" They had made it in time. Barely.

The TIEs reached them and soon the dark skies above Exegol were ablaze with violent energy. Poe knew that would be the cue for the Jedi to make their way down to the surface, and he had to work to focus on the enemy ships and not try to check his readings to see if Rey and Luke made it down safely. He was grateful when BB-8, who could multi-task much better than him, tweeted that they had landed. Force, he loved his droid. He turned his full attention once more on the TIEs, taking out everything in front of him as he headed for one of the destroyers.

Karè and Jess had already reached one and were bombarding the area behind the giant canon with torpedoes. With a shout of satisfaction coming from one of them (or maybe both; Poe couldn't tell for sure), they peeled away from the ship as it began to implode from the inside.

"Yeah!" Poe shouted. It worked! "Now they know we know how to beat them," he called out. "So, let's do this in a hurry!" There were so many ships to destroy, and he knew the active Destroyers would be moving in quick. But he couldn't think about how they were outnumbered right now. He just needed to keep going.

The battle increased in intensity as more and more TIEs swarmed them. An X-Wing was lost. Then an A-Wing. A freighter. Another X-Wing. While the Resistance pilots were taking out far more TIEs than they were losing ships of their own, the TIEs just kept coming, as if they were never ending. Only seven of the dozens of Star Destroyers had been obliterated so far; despite the fact they were easy to destroy in their current state, they were being well protected by the First Order, and it was becoming increasingly difficult just to get to them.

Poe could feel his senses becoming overwhelmed.

His breathing quickened, his pulse pounded, his head began to throb, and a tremor started up in his hands. Another Resistance ship burst into flames on his right, and he couldn't even focus to determine who it had been. Desperate shouts echoed in his ear and even Leia's calm but determined voice couldn't push through the fog forming in his brain.

They were losing.

"Poe."

It was just his name, and it wasn't coming through the comm. "Rey?" he whispered.

"They're coming," her voice said in his head. Was it his imagination? How could she talk to him like this? She was strong in the Force, yes, but he was just… Poe. "Don't stop."

Wait! His head began to clear. What did she mean 'they're coming'?

"Bombshell Squadron is ready and awaiting your orders, Commander Dameron."

Han Solo's gleeful voice resounded in his headset making Poe's breath catch. He swung his X-wing around, BB-8 beeping excitedly behind him, and his jaw dropped in awe at what he saw.

Dozens of ships of all sizes and makes were dropping out of hyperspace, led by non-other than the legendary Millenium Falcon herself. Wave after wave of mostly civilian ships filled up the space around Exegol. Suddenly, the Resistance wasn't outnumbered anymore.

"We're getting overrun by TIEs," Poe said, his voice breaking a bit as he recovered from his shock. "And watch those Star Destroyers that are just outside the perimeter of the main fleet. None of the ships in the main fleet are able to fire yet, so aim for them. Let's take 'em all out!"

The tide had turned, and the hopelessness and anxiety Poe had been feeling were long gone as he moved back in to attack. He heard the voices of the majority of his friends, grateful beyond measure that so many had survived so far. One by one, the TIEs blinked out, their numbers finally decreasing. And one by one, the brand-new, state-of-the-art Star Destroyers were also decimated.

The active Destroyers moved in, desperate now, firing into their own fleet at the enemy ships, but their aim was far from accurate and they were easy to dodge. Poe had a sneaky suspicion that Hux was now in charge, not Ren. Ren would be masterminding some kind of suicide bombing run with his shuttles or something like that, not panic fighting. Which meant…

"Poe?"

Rey's voice was in his head again. He didn't question it this time, however she sounded a lot less confident than the first time. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"I need help," she responded. "Please?"

Knowing the battle had turned far in their favor and he wasn't needed here anymore, Poe turned his X-Wing toward the surface of Exegol, ignoring the calls over his comm asking what was wrong.

"I'm on my way!"

XXXXXX

When Rey saw the Sith Citadel on Exegol for the first time, she was struck speechless.

It was a huge upside-down pyramid structure that floated above the surface of the planet. The dry lightning that flashed frequently in the dark atmosphere of the planet lit up the black mass of the Citadel, and it was that same dry magnetic polarization that allowed the building to float, not mechanical thrusters or repulsors. Rey followed Luke underneath the intimidating structure, and the two quickly found a platform that would lower them down to the main part of the temple underground. They saw no sign of life anywhere during their cautious journey.

As they descended down into the bowels of the temple, huge statues surrounded them. Ancient Sith, Rey assumed, watching them with blank, expressionless eyes. When they reached the bottom, more statues awaited... but nothing else.

Luke looked at Rey. "Can you tell if Ben is aware of our presence?" he asked her.

Rey shrugged. "I thought I could feel him when we first entered the system, but I haven't felt him since. Either I imagined it, or…"

"Or he's blocking you," Luke finished. "I can't imagine he wouldn't have come with his ships, and if he's blocking you, he's either on his way or already here." He looked around them warily. "This temple is literally built into the natural crevasses of the planet," he said. "It will be impossible to destroy it completely." He looked back at Rey. "But we can damage it as much as possible." He nodded toward the small bag of explosives she was carrying and touched his own. "Have you used these kind of detonators before?"

Rey nodded. "I was taught how early in my training, though I've never had need to use them as a pilot."

"Place them at the base of anything that looks like it's being used for structural support, and anything that just looks like it might be valuable to the Sith. Move quick, and meet back here."

Rey immediately turned and set out to do as he suggested, her heart racing, knowing that Ren or his Knights, including her mother, could show up at any moment. She ducked through a passageway, stopping every once in a while to place an explosive behind a pillar or at the narrow part of one of the many statues. She rounded a corner and stopped sharply, shock hitting her hard as she saw what was sitting at the far end of the large room. It was a chair. No.

It was a throne.

Glancing around the room, she opened her senses. Even if Ren was blocking his Force presence from her, she would still be able to sense his living presence, as well as that of the Knights, and so far, there was nothing. However, as she let herself read the Force around her, a strong rush of anxiety and mental distress hit her hard.

Poe.

She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. There was nothing she could do to help him right now. She had to have faith that he was capable of handling whatever was happening to him. But damn, it hurt. She opened her eyes and made her way to the throne. Stepping behind it, she placed her last two detonators on either side of the base, then stepped back. Another wave of panic hit her and she couldn't stop tears from forming in her eyes. Then she felt something else. A wave of positive energy flowed into her. She stepped back around the dais and saw Luke across the room. He had ditched the bag carrying his explosives and he had a smile on his face. Rey dropped her empty bag as well, then started walking toward him, her brows furrowed. What was he so happy about?

"Han is here," he said softly as she reached him. "And he brought help. A lot of it."

Rey realized suddenly that he had a Force connection to his best friend, just as she had one with Poe. She opened herself up again and she could feel it, too. Excitement and pride emanated from a large number of beings in the skies above Exegol. Immediately, she sought out Poe, finding him still in panic mode.

"Poe!" she whispered, trying to imagine her words flowing through the Force to him.

"Rey?" she heard in her head. She smiled. It was working!

"They're coming!" she told him, holding on to their tenuous connection as long as she could. "Don't stop!"

She felt his confusion, his desperation. Then she felt his joy and his wonder. Rey smiled, looking at her father.

He was looking back at her with awe in his eyes. "Now, that's something I can't do with anyone but Leia," he said. He cocked his head. "I'm starting to think there's more to this pilot of yours than I initially thought."

Rey felt her face heat at the 'pilot of yours' comment. "I hope you continue to think so," she told him. "Because he wants to marry me and have children with me." She folded her arms in front of her, knowing it was a defensive reaction.

Luke looked at her steadily. "You aren't scared?" he asked softly. "Of having children?" He paused. "I know I was, which was why I didn't have any. Or… I thought so, anyway."

Rey shrugged lightly. "Well, I turned out okay." She couldn't help the bit of snark in her voice.

Luke laughed suddenly. "Yes. Yes, you did."

"Well, isn't this lovely?"

Rey turned toward the voice, already chastising herself for being so distracted she hadn't felt Kylo Ren's presence. She glanced at Luke, who didn't look at all surprised. He was either a very good actor, or he had known his nephew was near but didn't care.

Maybe he wanted Ren to hear what they were talking about?

"My loving Jedi uncle and his… daughter." His distain at the last word was easily recognizable even through the distortion his helmet caused.

Collecting herself, Rey smirked at him. "Hello, cousin. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

She heard Luke give a soft snort of amusement next to her, but he remained silent.

Now that she was aware, she felt the presence of more people and looked back to see six shapes behind her, all dressed in black and wearing helmets with their faces covered. They all carried weapons of some sort, but none had lightsabers. She wondered which one was her mother. She glanced at Luke again, who had also looked back at the new arrivals, but his expression betrayed nothing.

Rey faced Ren again, then looked up toward the shaft above them to the battle she now realized they could see from here. It looked as if a lot of the big shapes she knew were the Star Destroyers were burning and falling from the sky. She looked back at Ren. "Looks like you're losing."

Suddenly, one of the shapes behind them moved toward them, and Rey looked to see the Knight pull the helmet from their head. Dark hair with a hint of grey and familiar hazel eyes looked back at her. The woman tossed her helmet to the side and looked at Luke.

"Hello, Luke." She then tossed the axe she was carrying down and pulled out a lightsaber from underneath her cloak. Rey couldn't help but wonder if it was one she had built while she had been training with Luke.

"Hello, Mara," Luke said softly. "Welcome back." Rey knew he was speaking of the Light Side.

The woman raised her eyebrows. "I never really left, you know. I was just biding my time. Waiting for her." She nodded at Rey with a smile. She looked back at Luke. "I didn't really believe you'd come with her, but I'm glad you're here."

"What the hell is going on?" shouted Ren, obviously pissed.

Mara smiled and turned to face the other Knights, lightsaber at the ready, her back to Luke and Rey. Luke kept his own body angled so that he could see both Ren and the Knights, while Rey turned back to Ren, a smile of her own forming on her face. As one, the three of them lit their lightsabers. Green, blue, and yellow.

With a roar, Kylo Ren charged them, his eyes on Rey. The Knights, having obviously been shocked by the betrayal of one of their own, also charged forward.

Rey would look back on the fight in the years ahead with a sense of awe. It only took minutes, but it felt like eternity at the time. The Knights, though not powerful in the Force, were still formidable fighters, and they were heavily armored. While Rey and her parents stayed in their defensive position as long as they could, eventually Luke and Mara pulled away, focusing on the Knights, while Rey focused on Ren.

He was good, as she knew he would be, and he was strong. He was older, bigger, and was using his anger to give himself even more strength, and Rey struggled to keep up with his frequent blows. She opened herself up to the Force, but found so much darkness in it that it was disconcerting. It wasn't just her opponent she was feeling, but the whole of the temple around her. She wondered if Ren was gaining power from it and then thought that if so, maybe she could use it, too.

No! Never!

Her strong mental push against such thoughts seemed to shove the darkness around her away, and she was able to feel the Light infuse her once more, giving her its strength. She moved quicker, was able to brace herself stronger, and was even able to push back more, not just defending herself. Ren seemed to be tiring, his own anger exhausting him. He glanced behind her once and what he saw seemed to mess with his concentration. Rey took advantage and struck low, stabbing him through the hip. He cried out and fell, his helmet tumbling off. Immediately, Rey was able to knock the red-bladed lightsaber from his hand, then pointed the tip of her yellow blade at his bared throat.

She turned her head to see all of the Knights down. Luke was also down on one knee, holding his side, pain on his face. He had been injured, she realized. Mara was standing, but she was panting hard and there was blood on her face. She looked at Luke, grimaced, then turned to Rey. She strode up to her, now looking down at Ren.

"Finish him," she gasped. "Do it!"

"No!" Rey argued. "He'll come with us as a prisoner."

Mara glared at her. "Are you insane?" she yelped. "He can't be trusted. If he gets away, thousands more will die!"

Rey looked at Ren, who was glaring up at Mara, his brown eyes not unlike his mother's when she was angry, then she looked back up at the battle above. She could feel the excitement and the satisfaction from those she loved. Poe was especially elated. She looked back at Mara. "I don't think so."

Suddenly, Mara collapsed onto her knees, her face pale. Rey realized she was bleeding from somewhere on her chest. Luke had also fallen back into a sitting position, his own injury obviously serious. But his expression as he looked at Rey was proud.

Biting her lip, Rey looked back at Ren. Knowing there was no way she could get three injured people out of here by herself, she closed her eyes and reached out one more time.

XXXXXX

Hey, all. Life is being unfair again, and I'm in a financial bind thanks to hateful but necessary car repairs. If any of my readers are interested in helping out, please PM me and I can send you a link to my GoFund me page. I've already had some amazing friends help out, but every little bit is a blessing.

I'll see you next week as we start to wrap this story up. Thank you all for reading!