Chapter 2: Empty

Palpatine gave Ren the creepiest grin he had ever seen. It made Ren feel uneasy, but he did his best to hold his serious face. He remembered reading stories of how his grandfather defeated Palpatine and the records last stating that there was no trace of him anywhere. Everyone was sure he was dead, so how was he standing in front of him, alive and breathing? Ren could tell the machine was supporting what was left of Palpatine, but who could have resurrected him to keep him functioning with basic movement?

"You must have a lot of questions boy," Palpatine cut in as he noticed Ren observing him.

"How are you alive?" Ren asked as he ignited his lightsaber.

"I thank the Sith Eternals that brought me back," Palpatine began explaining, "They brought me to Exegol and created this place to sustain my life. As I regained what strength I had left in my body, I ordered them to experiment in cloning me, in hopes of continuing my legacy. I'm sure you're familiar with Snoke?"

Ren shuddered. He always wondered why Snoke's skin looked the way it did.

"Does everything make sense now?" Palpatine asked as he motioned the machine to bring him closer to Ren.

Ren brandished his lightsaber in front of him, keeping Palpatine at a distance.

"Don't come any closer," Ren threatened, his lightsaber giving a low hum, "Why did you bring me here using the Force? Did you want this?"

He raised his other arm to show the triangular object he picked up from Mustafar.

"I don't need the map to Exegol," Palpatine replied as he eyed the triangular object, "but it was the key to bringing you here via the Force. I'm sure the act of it was familiar? It's similar to the many times you've been able to see my granddaughter."

Ren's eyes widened at the news.

"Y-You're lying!" Ren angrily said through his teeth. He darted forward and tried to stab Palpatine in the chest, but it went through him like an illusion.

"Are you blind boy?" Palpatine laughed, "You're here through the Force, but not physically. You cannot kill me."

Ren took a step back and clenched the triangle object with frustration.

"You can't be related to Rey," Ren began, "She's nothing like you."

"Nothing like me, because her parents sold her away," Palpatine replied sharply as he neared closer to Ren, "She wasn't raised to understand the Dark Side. Her father wanted nothing to do with me and what I wanted to build. He was naïve and tried to live life fast and easy. He sold his child for drinking money, only to die with his wife off in a distant planet. In the end he failed as a proper clone of me."

Palpatine shook his head and moved himself slightly back.

"How do you know all this?" Ren skeptically asked, "You look like you've been trapped here since you've been brought back to life."

"It's like I mentioned before…" Palpatine began, "The Sith Eternals have been my eyes out in the galaxy while I've been recovering. I've been waiting for the perfect time to come back and Rey is part of the plan in doing so."

"What do you want with her?" Ren demanded.

"Rey was born with a higher purpose," Palpatine replied, "Your connection with her explains everything. Have you heard something called the Dyad?"

"Vaguely, but it was mostly a myth the last I read about it," Ren said recalling what he remembered reading in the books his uncle had stored in the library.

"The Dyad is the bond you have with Rey," Palpatine explained, "It's a rare occurrence within the Force and with both of you combined, it creates a strong power no one has ever seen. Thanks to you coming here, you'll follow my orders and bring Rey here to Exegol."

"No," Ren snapped, "Rey and I are not helping you. I'm done listening to your stories. Since this object holds the map to Exegol, I'll come personally to kill you."

Ren closed his eyes and concentrated on the Force to bring him back to Mustafar. But after a couple minutes passed, he remained where he stood. He couldn't sense the Force and as he opened his eyes, Palpatine gave him a small smile.

"You're forgetting something," Palpatine began, "Snoke may be gone, but the power he had over you isn't. I have control over you now."

Palpatine froze Ren in place using the Force. Ren couldn't control his body no matter how much he tried to move his arms and legs. His lightsaber unignited and fell to the ground. Suddenly, he could feel the familiar coldness running towards the top of his head. It was the same sensation when Snoke tried to wipe his memories. He tried connecting to Rey through the Force to warn her, but to no avail. As he stared at Palpatine, who had his hand raised towards him, he could see shadows coming in from both sides. As he gasped to take a breath, all he could see was complete darkness. He could no longer feel his body. An empty feeling surrounded him and his soul felt trapped in a box.

Rey opened her eyes and felt a sense of urgency as she sat up from her bed. She realized she was no longer in Ben's room, but back at the Resistance base.

"Ben?" she called out as she looked around her room and tried connecting back to him.

She tried to sense him through the Force, but there was nothing. Her heart began to race. She remembered this feeling. It happened right before she faced Ben-or rather Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base. His memories were gone and he was completely enveloped with rage to kill her. It was like he wasn't himself anymore. But how could that happen again? Snoke was gone… Did someone else erase his memories? She didn't know where to begin. She can't physically go to the ship Ren is located at to investigate, she'd get killed. She desperately wanted her connection with Ben to return.

"Breathe….breathe," Rey whispered to herself.

She positioned herself in place, crossing her legs and allowing her arms to rest on her knees. If she wanted to form the connection, she'd have to connect with the Force first.

~to be continued…