Rey's Ancestry (A Star Wars Fan Fiction)

CHAPTER 9 - Another New Development

For the next few months, Jadma spent her days training with the children, and in their spare time, they played games like Hide-and-Seek with the Force. Jadma had never gotten to be a child properly, so she particularly enjoyed being included in the children's games. Sometimes, she and the children liked to watch the animals indigenous to this planet, and sometimes, the animals even let them get close enough to pet them. She also told the children stories of her adventures, and some days, she just chatted with Ben, who was still by far her favourite of the children.

"I have the best mother anyone could want!" he was telling her. "Her name is Leia Organa Solo, and she used to be the Princess of Alderaan before my grandfather destroyed it. She's just as Force-sensitive as my Uncle Luke, but she doesn't really do anything with it. My father is a different, story. He's always saying I'm going to be the death of him."

"Oh, don't listen to him!" said Jadma. "I'm sure you're a great son!"

Ben smiled that adorable smile, pulled something out of his shirt pocket, and placed it in Jadma's hand.

"What's this?" asked Jadma. "A wooden flower?"

"It's a ridda flower!" said Ben. "I carved it for you. I know you like them. And if you turn it over, there's a ridda dragon on the back!"

Jadma turned it over, and there was indeed a ridda on the back of the ridda.

"And guess what else?" said Ben. "I've been practicing extracting thoughts from people's minds! Want to see?"

Before Jadma could answer, she could feel Ben probing into her mind.

However, he couldn't get very far, and all he had really done was open the door for Jadma to see into his mind.

Of course, she hadn't needed any special powers to see that he had a massive crush on her.

She could never reciprocate, of course, for obvious reasons. She cared about him immensely, but it was in more of a maternal way, which was as it should have been, given that he was a child and she was about three times his age.

Besides, she was still intent on marrying Luke someday, and she knew that, when that happened, she would become Ben's aunt.

When Ben stopped trying to bore into her brain, Jadma knew that he had gotten no information from it.

"I'm sorry!" said Ben. "I don't know why it didn't work! It worked so well when I tried it on the other kids!"

Naturally, this was a red flag for Jadma.

"Uh, Ben," said Jadma, "I don't think your uncle Luke would like you trying out what he would call Dark Side powers on the other kids."

"But you said it yourself!" said Ben. "You don't think there is a Light Side or a Dark Side, and if that's the case, then what does it matter what powers I practice? I want to be just as powerful as my grandfather!"

"I met your grandfather!" said Jadma. "Do you have any idea how mean he was to me?!"

"But he taught you all of these cool powers!" said Ben. "Now I want to learn them too!"

Jadma feared that there was no stopping what she had started.

During her months on this planet, Jadma spent her days with the children, but she spent her nights alone with Luke in his room.

Some nights, they meditated together; some nights, they had debates about the Force and how to use it; and some nights, they did something that they really hoped that the children would be unable to detect.

Sometimes, they did all three in one night.

Jadma had never been happier.

One night, Luke said, "I think you should stop spending so much time with Ben."

"What?! Why?!" said Jadma. "If this is about that silly crush that he has on me..."

"No!" said Luke. "I've just noticed that, when the two of you are together, the darkness grows in both of you, and I don't want to see either of you fall to the Dark Side. As it is, you're already walking the line. These Dark Side powers are a slippery slope. As you continue to use them, the temptation towards the darkness will just get stronger and stronger. I know that you've done remarkably well at resisting it so far, but I'm worried that Ben might be too weak. He might have too much of his grandfather in him. I don't want to see him turn evil."

"Of course!" said Jadma. "I promise, I meant no harm! I would rather die than let such a horrible fate befall Ben!

And Jadma meant what she'd said. She found it hard to imagine loving any child more than she loved Ben.

The next day, Jadma was walking along the slope of the mountain when she noticed Ben staring at her. She had never seen him looking so serious.

"What's wrong, Ben?" asked Jadma.

"Jadma," said Ben, "I've felt a disturbance in the Force. She is going to be very important to me someday."

"What are you talking about?" said Jadma, growing uneasy.

"I've felt her," said Ben, "my cousin."

"You have a cousin?" said Jadma. "Is it one of the girls in our class?"

Ben pointed to Jadma's lower abdomen and said: "She's in there."

Jadma's hands flew to her lower abdomen as her head spun.

No! How could Ben know such a thing?! But then she searched her feelings, and she knew it to be true.

She was going to be a mother!

Suddenly, her vision from Dagobah came back to her.

She saw the dark figure, who she now knew to be a fully-grown Ben, advance on the girl, who she now knew to be her unborn child.

She saw again as the fiery red lightsaber stained the blue lightsaber and turned it red.

"Someday," said Ben, "I'm going to be the most powerful being in the galaxy, and my cousin will help me become even more powerful!"

Jadma now knew that Ben was going to turn evil someday, and that there was nothing that she could do to stop it.

She also knew that she could never let him near her child.

For the moment, all she could think to say was: "Don't tell Luke."

She immediately left him there and rushed all around the mountain, looking for Luke, and found him meditating at the summit.

"Luke!" she shouted, bringing him out of it. "I've had a vision! Ben is going to turn evil whether I'm here or not! No matter what happens, you have to promise me that you won't let that happen! Promise me!"

"I can't promise that!" said Luke. "All I can do is try to guide him towards the light and encourage him to stay away from the darkness."

"Please!" said Jadma. "You have no idea what's at stake! You have to promise!"

"Alright!" said Luke. "I promise, I will do everything I can to prevent him from turning to the Dark Side."

"Thank you!" said Jadma.

That night, Jadma waited for Luke to fall asleep, and then, with a heavy heart, she slipped away, knowing that, in order to protect their child, she would never be able to come back here or see the man she loved again.