Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 42✰

"Steady," I tell Chewie as I rise to my feet, narrowing my eyes to look through the front window of the Millennium Falcon. Mustafar's surface stretches out in front of us. It is dark, but I can make out the shapes of trees on the ground. "Okay, go ahead," I say and Chewie smoothly lands the Falcon with Rey's help.

The back hatch opens and we get out. The volcanic ashes rustle under my feet as we walk into the bared forest. I ignite my Lightsaber to light my way and a gasp escapes my lips. All around us, dozens of dead bodies are scattered on the ground. Rey ignites her own Saber and Chewie holds up his crossbow. The sound of the X-Wings hovering over our heads slightly settles the growing nerves in my stomach. 

"What happened here?" Rey asks quietly as if she's afraid to wake anyone. 

"I don't know," I whisper back. I crouch to the ground beside one of the dead creatures, tilting my head as I inspect its injuries. "These are Lightsaber marks," I say, holding my hand over one of the large gashes down the creature's torso. 

Images of Jaz's lifeless corpse flash past my eyes and I close them, shaking my head. The sound of a scream fading in the distance brings tears to my eyes. I wait for the wave of nausea to pass before I push myself to my feet. I look around and search for Rey after realises she's no longer next to me. I spot her standing a few feet away. 

"Rey?" I call, but she doesn't react. I frown before walking over, seeing she's standing beside a rectangular block of concrete. In the middle of the top, an upside-down pyramid-shaped hole is carved out. "Rey, are you okay?" I ask and she snaps out of her thoughts. She looks up and nods. 

"Ben was here," she says quietly. 

"I know. I feel it too," I reply. I trace my fingers over the markings in the concrete and suddenly, a cold wave washes over me. I hear lightning crack in the distance and flashes of light blind me. The unsteady humming of a Lightsaber reaches my ears and I look around, but the only Lightsabers around are mine and Rey's.

"Snoke trained you well," a raspy voice says and I my head shoots up. I turn to Rey. 

"Did you hear that?" I ask. 

"Hear what?" 

"The First Order was just the beginning," the voice continues and I snap my eyes shut. My Lightsaber slips from my fingers and clatters to the ground, releasing a cloud of ashes."The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be..."

"Stop," I muster out. 

"...Unnatural." 

"Raven?" Rey asks. 

"The might of the Final Order will soon be ready. It will be yours if you do as I ask," the voice says. "Kill your sister. And the girl! End the Jedi and become what your grandfather Vader could not!" 

I inhale sharply as I tear my hand off of the concrete block. I fall to one knee, breathing deeply. 

"Raven!" Rey exclaims, dropping herself next to me. Chewie roars with worry. 

"General Solo, is everything all right?" Commander E'ron asks through the ear comm.

I take a second to catch my breath. "W-We have to- We have to go back," I pant. I try to stand up, but my legs tremble too badly. Rey takes my arm and helps me up. I brush off the ash from my hands, staining my robes in the process.

"What happened?" she asks, worry lacing her words. 

I stiffly shake my head. "I-I don't know. I need to talk to my mom. Chewie, start up the Falcon," I shakily tell the Wookie and he gurgles worriedly. "I'm okay, just start up the Falcon, please," I say and he rushes off. With my legs feeling like they could collapse any given minute, Rey and I follow him. "Commander, return to the base. We'll meet you there," I tell E'ron through the comms. 

"Yes, General," he replies and seconds later, the X-Wings shoot into Hyperspace. We make it onto the Falcon shortly after and follow them back to Ajan Kloss. 

Mom, Poe, and a few others meet us as we exit the Falcon. "Whoah, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost," Poe asks, taking my arm from Rey. 

"That's because I have," I mutter. I completely ignore the bewildered look he sends me as I turn to my mother. "Mom, I need to talk to you." 

"What is it, honey? Is everything okay?" she asks. 

I shake my head. "Not here." I grab her hand and take her aside. The others remain at a distance and Poe's worried eyes never leave me. I sink down on a crate, still struggling to catch my breath. "When we were on Mustafar, Rey and I felt Ren. He was there and he killed an entire group of creatures," I say. "But that's not all. I had a vision of a voice talking. He was talking to Ren. The voice told him to kill me and Rey in exchange for the Final Order," I tell her and concern clouds her eyes. "Mom... I think it was Palpatine." 

Her eyes go wide. "Palpatine? How do you know?" she asks. 

"I'm not sure. A feeling, I guess," I say. "But how is that possible? Palpatine is dead." 

She looks down, a frown wrinkling her forehead. 

"What is it?" I ask. 

She releases a breath. "We received a message a few days ago. We thought they were just rumours and whispers, but there are some who think Palpatine has indeed returned. A mysterious broadcast has been sent into the galaxy to different systems. We haven't received it yet," she says. "We'll have to contact our allies for any information they can give us." She stands up again and moves to head back, but I grab her arm. 

"Mom, if this is true and Kylo Ren gets this Final Order, will we even stand a chance against them?" I ask, dread turning my stomach. 

"All we can do is hope," she says, patting my hand. I let her go and she heads back, immediately commencing conversation with the commanders and admirals. 

I put my head in my hands and finally, my breathing evens out. "Hey." I look up at the sound of Poe's voice. "You okay?" 

I nod. "I'll be fine," I reply. He sits down next to me. "I suppose my mom filled you in on what happened?" 

"She did, yeah. Chewie, Finn and I are going to the Sinta Glacier Colony. Our informant there let us know they received a broadcast a few days ago, we're taking R2 to pick it up," he tells me. "Do you think you and Rey could come along?" 

I shake my head. "I don't think that's a good idea. If this is true and Palpatine has truly returned, our presence can only put you in danger," I say. "He already managed to reach into my mind without a problem so I'll have to meditate to be able to shut him out."

He blows a breath through your nose. "Okay," he says. He gets up. "We're leaving tomorrow."

I nod. "Okay. Be careful," I tell him. I take his hand and give it a short squeeze.

He pulls me in for a hug. "Meet me in the hangars in five minutes," he whispers, sending goosebumps all over my body.

"Sure thing, Flyboy," I say after pulling back. He chuckles, a hue of red covering his cheeks. 

"God, I love you," he mumbles softly. 

I giggle. "Go, I'll be right behind you."