𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒

𝟎𝟎𝟕. 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐝

007. ANOTHER SITH PLAYING GOD

∘₊✧───────────────────────────✧₊∘

Although the day started off bad, it had only gotten worse. Evangeline frowned as she looked around the room. She may have wanted to leave Jedha, but this was not the way she had planned to do that. At first, she had ignored the hooded figure that sat on the throne in the center of the room until a certain thought popped into her mind.

"I thought you said you were the Supreme Leader?"

"I am!" Ben snapped before receiving a glare from the hooded figure, "but there has been a challenge for leadership and—"

"You lost?" Evangeline scoffed with a laugh.

The brunette in the room seemed to agree with her that the situation had turned humorous as she hid the smile forming on her face.

"So who is this guy then?" Evangeline proceeded to ask bluntly.

"Ah, an introduction must have slipped my mind. I am Supreme Leader Seth," the hooded figure finally introduced himself to the room, "and each of you are now just a pawn meant to play my game."

"Yeah, I've never been very fond of games," Evangeline noted with a shrug.

"What's your goal?" the girl asked with a serious tone.

"You are going to help me bring back Emperor Palpatine from the dead."

The room remained silent for a long time before Evangeline broke the silence with laughter, "You're joking, right?"

The Supreme Leader glared, "I do not jest."
Evangeline's smile immediately disappeared before she turned to look at Ben, "Dank Farrik, Ben! You're a piece of Bantha Fodder, you know that?!"

"I had no idea that's what he was planning!" Ben shouted in return.

"This has to be impossible though, right?" the other girl asked, "You can't bring people back from the dead... can you?"

"Actually, Rey" Seth stood and stepped down from the throne before approaching a machine that was wheeled into the room, "With this machine, the right materials, and the proper balance of the force, I can."

"If you weren't such a scaredy-sark this probably wouldn't have happened," Evangeline proceeded to argue with Ben.

"Quiet," Seth raised his hands and the three in the room found themselves unable to speak and it had become quite difficult to breathe, "Much better. Send in the Admiral to help with the final preparations."

The Admiral entered the room and hooked Evangeline up to the machine while Ben and Rey were hooked up by another pair of stormtroopers. The cuffs were removed from Rey and Evangeline, but they remained unable to use the force.

"What is the meaning of all this," Ben asked, referring to the equipment that prohibited even him from accessing the force, "I am a member of the First Order not some common resistance scum."

"It's a safety precaution," Seth noted, "I'm taking no chances."

Evangeline looked uneasily at Rey who shared the same expression. This was bad. Very bad. Ben may not fully understand what he was getting himself into, but Evangeline had heard stories of the Old Empire and all the destruction it had created. Now, someone was trying to bring back that leader and they had no idea as to why.

"You may begin, Admiral."

The machine was turned on and Evangeline immediately gasped as power was both drained from and coursed through her veins. She tried to fight the feeling at first, but it only took more energy from her and created pain. Why was she fighting again? True she hated the First Order and the Empire but she was no fan of the Resistance either. She slowly let go of the control and allowed herself to pour her own energy into the machine.

As soon as she let go, the energy surging through her veins increased and she was branched into a connection among the others connected to the machine. She could feel the rage in Ben's mind as he fought to remain in control. She could feel the hope that Rey felt toward Ben that not all was lost. She could even access the feelings of desperation that Seth had in his quest for answers.

Answers. That was something she herself had been looking for ever since she had been abandoned. It was the reason she had arrived on Jedha in the first place all those years ago and it was the reason she had also tried to leave. As she let the machine access her own thoughts and emotions, her energy was amplified. The machine began to whirl at an increasing pitch as its ability to contain the energy of the force was put to the test. Despite the fact that Seth was meant to remain in control, by giving in rather than resisting, Evangeline had gained control and now directed the search. She didn't understand what was happening, but as her memories of the past played out in front of her she was forced to face the trauma of her past:

Flames danced in the young girl's tear-filled eyes. Her small hands tried to brush the ash and grime away from her face; furthermore, her white hair had been temporarily stained black. She had struggled to accept the event that had just occurred as she thought that he was her friend. She thought that she had known him... but his actions, well they said the exact opposite. The destruction of everything around her reflected the emotional turmoil she struggled with within herself. Even the stars in the night sky above her head had been blocked out by the smog and smoke of the fires. As she finally grew brave enough to withdraw from her enclosed hiding space, she noticed that dust had filled the air from all the fallen debris. While she brushed off her scabbed knees, she winced in slight pain. The building had gone down much faster than she had thought it would and if she hadn't dove for her hidden cranny in time... well she'd rather not think of that. Exiting the remains of the temple, she placed a hand over her mouth to conceal the gasp that tried to escape. Her eyes that were usually filled with excitement and curiosity were overshadowed by devastation. Tears streamed down her face as the amount of loss that she had just experienced finally clicked in her mind. Over the sound of the smouldering flames and crackling ashes, the revving of an engine forced her ears to perk up. She looked overhead as she watched the last bit of evidence of any other survivors flee the scene and leave her behind. It was at that moment she realized she was alone and could depend on no one but herself to survive.

As if she had been living the moment in real time, tears slid down the girl's face as the emotions she felt were as real as the first time she had experienced them. As she faced Seth, a lavender hue filled the entirety of her eyes and a determined look masked the once fallen expression. Although it had originally been Seth's quest to find answers, she realized this was the only time she'd be able to satisfy her own desires for answers about who she was and where she came from. If only she could remain in control of the power for just long enough to find them.