Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 38✰

Today's last rays of sun warm my skin as I sit under my improvised Jedi Temple, which consists of two pairs of wooden poles which hold up a square canvas that acts as a roof. My collection of Jedi texts and old books lie in crates around me as I sit in a fold-up chair. 

The Porg that attached itself to me back on Crait is asleep in the hood of my robes, soft whistles sounding every time it exhales. One of the newer books in my collection rests in my lap. After I finish the chapter on the members of the last Council before the fall of the Jedi, I flip the page to the next chapter.

A cold shiver travels up my spine at the title. The Sith.

My fingers tremble as I reach up to close the book, but my eye catches a familiar name. "Darth Vader," I whisper to myself. I close the book, marking the page with my hands to check the author, but the name doesn't ring a bell.

Even though I'm not sure I want to know, I start reading. Most of the information on the page is myths and speculations, but there are a few facts, including the construction of the Death Star and the fall of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. A rough sketch accompanies his name, but it's not of the Anakin I know. It is of a man wearing black armour, a mask covering his face and a long cloak hanging from his shoulders. 

"You shouldn't be reading that," a voice says and I shoot upright. My eyes widen as I see Anakin sitting on one of the crates, his head lowered. 

"Anakin..." I whisper. "What... Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for days." 

"It wasn't my decision. I wanted to help you but... others... thought you needed to find yourself first," he tells me, finally looking up. I am relieved to see his eyes are no longer yellow.

"But I needed you," I say softly, feeling tears prick my eyes. "I hate feeling this way. I want it to stop." 

"What way?" he asks, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"Like... I could cave at any given time. The Dark Side is still in my head and I can't get it out," I say. I run my hands through my hair. "The others think I'm doing just fine, even Rey can't feel the Dark within me. I keep having these... dreams - visions - that I just can't understand."

"What are they about?" Anakin asks, slightly tilting his head. 

My forehead wrinkles as I dig into my memory. "Lightning. A deep voice talking, but I can't understand him. It's like he's talking in a different language. Voices... chanting..." I tell him.

He narrows his eyes. "You have to be careful around the girl," he says. 

"Who? Rey?" 

"She's not who you think she is." 

"What? What do you mean?" 

"Your brother. He told you what he knew about her parents. What did he tell you?" he presses and the urgency in his voice makes the hairs on my neck stand up.

"That they sold Rey for drinking money. That they're probably dead," I say slowly.

He looks at me for a second. "Just... Promise me you'll be careful." 

"I will if you tell me why. She's my friend and my Padawan, I can't just abandon her out of nowhere," I say rather forcefully. 

He blows out a breath. "You're very difficult, did you know that?" he asks but I just raise a brow. "Alright, she is of very dangerous decent. That's all I'm going to tell you. If you really want to know, which I strongly discourage, you can look into her Force-Presence." 

And then he disappears. 

I sit in silence, staring into nothing, for what feels like hours. I try to make sense of his words but I can't. 

"Raven?" A new voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I look up. My mother stands a few feet from my hut. "Did I interrupt your meditation?" she asks. 

I shake my head. "No, I was just thinking," I tell her, smiling softly. I close the book I'm still holding and put it in one of the crates, making sure to close it. Mom sits down on the spot where Anakin sat previously. The Porg wakes up and flies over to her. It settles down on her knee and she smiles, stroking its back.

"How are you feeling? Poe told me you had another nightmare last night," she asks. 

I chuckle darkly. "I have nightmares every night," I say. "But I'm okay. I just talked to your father, actually." I unfold my legs from having them cross-legged or folded up for the past few hours. 

"Really? I thought you couldn't reach him," she remarked.

I shrug. "He showed up when I was reading," I reply. "Mom, I want to ask you something." 

"What is it, honey?" 

I shift in my seat, turning to face her. "Grandfather said that Rey is of dangerous descent. He wouldn't tell me what exactly, but I'm guessing Sith or something Dark Side related. You don't happen to know anything about that, do you?" I ask her, hesitantly.

She releases a soft breath, averting her eyes to the ground. "I wish I didn't have to tell you, but if you continue training her, you'll find out sooner or later," she says. "I need you to know that you can't tell her. You have to hide this information from her until the time is right."

"Please just tell me, Mom. You're scaring me," I say, feeling my stomach twist into knots.

"Rey's grandfather was a Sith Lord. One of the most powerful to ever live," she says and my blood runs cold. "That's why she's so strong with the Force and why she's so unbalanced. The Dark Side runs in her blood." 

"Just like mine," I mumble. 

"No, it's nothing like yours. Your grandfather wasn't fully turned. He never was. At least, that's what Luke told me. He redeemed himself before he died. Palpa-" She cuts herself off, but I heard her loud and clear. 

"Palpatine?" I ask, my voice a mere whisper. "Sh-She's a Palpatine?" 

Mom closes her eyes, sighing. "Yes," she answers. "Raven, you can't judge her based on this information. She doesn't know, and she can't know. Not now. You have to teach her how to stay on the Light Side. If she even asks about the Dark Side, tell her you can't teach her that. We have to make sure she stays with us because if she joins your brother, we will lose this war." 

The thoughts swirling through my mind give me a headache and a thousand questions, but I only ask one, "What if I'm not strong enough to keep her on the Light Side and she drags us both under?" 

She reaches for my hand. "We'll have to do everything we can to prevent that. I'm not losing you too," she says. I smile softly, squeezing her hand. 

"I'll have to meditate more to hide the information from her," I say. 

She nods. "I agree. This is not something to take lightly." She rises to her feet. "I need to head back. Will I see you tonight?" 

"Yeah, of course," I say with a smile. 

"Oh, before I forget. Do you think you can attend tomorrow morning's meeting?" She asks.

"I suppose I can. What's it about?" 

A slight smirk plays on her lips as she says, "You'll see."