Chapter 8: Darkness

As the night went on, Rey waited for Ben to make a connection. But minutes turned to hours and eventually she fell asleep in her bed. She could feel herself being pulled into a familiar darkness. It was the same feeling she had earlier when she sought out Ben.

When Rey opened her eyes, she could see the galaxy. There were no Star Destroyers hovering around. No giant Death Star to threaten anyone. Everything she could feel through the Force was a sense of peace. Did the Resistance win the war? She blinked for a moment and found herself sitting on a throne. She looked to her right and saw Ben-no Kylo Ren sitting there facing forward, watching what was taking place in front of them. She turned her head forward and saw a line of three people in handcuffs, their heads bent down avoiding any eye contact. A few Stormtroopers stood beside them, appearing like they were guiding these people towards them.

"Stop right there," Kylo ordered as he raised his hand.

As the line stopped, she recognized Finn, Poe, and Rose instantly. They looked very disheveled, as if they were tortured earlier. When she looked down, she realized she was wearing a completely different outfit. It was like Kylo's clothing, but in her version. It was a black dress, with a high waist belt, a hood to cover her head, and a black cape that draped right beside her. They were sitting in what looked like the inside of a stadium. All the seats were filled with hooded figures.

"This is what remains of the Resistance," one of the Stormtroopers announced as he approached.

Rey stood up and quickly announced, "Instant death."

The hooded figures all cheered. No…. Rey thought, this isn't right. But she could feel her body walking towards Poe, Finn, and Rose. As she got closer to Finn, who was second in line, she felt herself reach behind her and grab a metallic object. It was a lightsaber, but it wasn't the standard two-handed blade. It was one, curled up with two emitters, one on each end. As she walked right up to Finn, she said to him, "It's a shame it had to be this way. I thought you all would be willing to join me."

With those words, she activated her double-bladed lightsaber and slashed Finn across the chest. Rose screamed and a Stormtrooper held her back right away. Rey could feel her chest swell in agony. She didn't mean to do this, but she did it anyway. She wanted to stop herself, but she kept going. She slashed Poe, who couldn't look at her in the face. Then, as she turned towards Rose, she could see the sadness in her eyes, with tears coming down her face. Rey raised her blade, and like the others, slashed Rose as well.

Her former friends laid dead at her feet. She could feel the sense of victory coursing through her veins. As she turned around, she smiled at Kylo Ren, who smiled back at her from the throne. The crowd from the stands cheered even louder. As she took a couple steps towards Kylo, her vision became hazy. When it cleared, there standing in front of her, was Palpatine. He looked like a corpse, who had come back to life. She could see he was being supported by a mechanical arm. He had a huge smile across his face. Rey did her best remain calm and stay brave.

"How did you feel about that vision?" He asked. Rey could sense she was herself again and not that other part of her from awhile ago.

"H-horrible…" she quietly replied, fighting back tears.

"Oh come now, that was a potential piece of the future you can have!" Palpatine exclaimed, "You saw how at peace the galaxy is. How much power you and Kylo Ren wielded. The Resistance cannot do the same. Their sense of what's good, cannot shift the rest of the galaxy. That vision is shared through the Force."

"You're lying," Rey said angrily, "This vision is of YOUR creation. Just like how you're mind controlling Ben!"

"I only enhanced his dark side child," Palpatine explained, "It is a part of him. A side you cannot fully accept and desperately want to change."

Rey held her tongue. She knew she couldn't force Ben to change nor ignore his dark side. She had to accept it if she wanted a future with him.

"It makes sense after all," Palpatine mentioned, "You two are a Dyad."

"A what?" Rey questioned.

"A Dyad. The two of you are pure beings of the Force intertwined together," Palpatine continued to say, "Ben's lineage comes from the Skywalkers, which all started in the light. Whereas you, have the same line with me, in darkness. It's interesting where you both ended up. One went in the opposite direction and so did the other."

Rey brandished her lightsaber and pointed it in Palpatine's direction.

"You and I are nothing alike!" She hissed.

Palpatine gave a chuckle, "The same blood flows through you child. You cannot escape what you are. You are my granddaughter. Your father, my first successful clone rejected me, the same way he rejected you. It's a shame really, you would have developed well with the dark side. You saw what happened."

"I've heard ENOUGH," Rey screamed and tried to slash at him, which despite the mechanical arm behind him, he was able to move away from her with ease.

"Fine reject me, but know this," Palpatine warned, "If you want him back, you have to face me first."

Palpatine waved his hand and right beside him, Ben appeared. His eyes looked glossed over and he didn't make any eye contact with Rey.

"You want him back don't you?" Palpatine teased.

Rey ran up to Ben and grabbed his arms, "Ben, it's me," Rey pleaded as she shook him. But he didn't stir nor make a sound in return.

"Meet him where you two first met on Takodana," Palpatine instructed, "He will bring you here back to me. At that point, you have a choice to make Rey. Join me and I will spare Ben Solo. Otherwise, you'll lose him forever."

Before Rey could say anything else, she woke up in a panic. She felt like she bursted out of the water, as she sat up gasping for air. Leia heard her across the room and rushed to her side.

"Rey, what's wrong?" She asked while taking a seat on the bed right next to her.

Rey caught her breath and tried to calm her nerves down. Once she was settled, she told Leia everything in detail.

"I know I can't change anyone Leia," Rey began as tears began to form in her eyes, "I know everyone has their own light and darkness. But I'm still finding it hard to accept Ben after everything he has done."

"I'm in the same situation Rey," Leia admitted, "Your friends are right, Ben must stand trial once everything is said and done. Will he change after that? Who knows. But I think his love for you is much stronger than anything his father and I have been able to give him. I've thought for a long time how I would talk to him again. Will I forgive him? Maybe not right away, but he is my son, so he'll always have my motherly love. Everyone has both light and dark inside them, but what matters most, is how we balance the two. For now, I think we all can agree, Ben needs to get home, and we need to take Palpatine's bait to do so."

Leia was right. Rey began to feel a little better after hearing her words. She was glad Leia was there to give clarity. She quickly gave her an embrace.

"Thank you, Leia," she said softly, "I promise I'll get Ben home."

As Rey released the embrace, Leia nodded to her in return.

"Thank you Rey," she said, "But first, let me give you this."

She got up from the bed and walked over to a drawer nearby. Sitting on top of it was a decorative brown box. When she opened it, she took out a rose gold looking lightsaber.

"When the time comes Rey," she began as she turned back to walk towards Rey, "use this when you need it."

"Leia, was this yours?" Rey asked surprised.

"Yes, but I want you to have it," Leia replied, "I don't have any use for it. I stopped my training with Luke the moment I found out I was pregnant with Ben. I wanted to be a mother over being a Jedi."

As Leia handed the lightsaber over to Rey, she could feel the difference in comparison to the one she had been using. It was much lighter and more detailed.

"Thank you Leia," Rey said feeling honored, "I'll take good care of it."

To be continued…