Let It Burn

How Long Will You Hide Your Face?

Satisfied that Iton Ren wouldn't be a problem, Rey headed for the cockpit of the ship. Luke and Lyek Ren could be anywhere, and she didn't have time to search for long. Plus, she didn't want to walk into any more surprises if she could help it. Surveying the scanners, she was startled to see that another ship had arrived. There were people around it, perhaps a half dozen. She bit her lip. Should she really do this? Go out there against an unknown number of enemy agents to rescue Luke? If she could free him in some way, he would be able to aid her. But how could she get to that point?

She couldn't turn back now. So she tucked a blaster into her belt and touched her lightstaff for reassurance before hesitating. A clap of thunder made her jump and she looked up with a frown – the rain would come soon so she would have to hurry. Being soaking wet would not be an advantage, and she had the horrifying thought that her weapons might not function properly if exposed to water. But she couldn't realistically hope to defeat all of the Knights to rescue Luke. So perhaps some bargaining could be done...

After gagging her prisoner, uninterested as Rey was in hearing her odd statements, she set off, driving Iton Ren before her. The rocky terrain mostly flattened, with the occasional stone structure rising above the dirt. It was unsettling devoid of any plant life, though there had been some on other parts of the planet. The dust was getting in her throat and she was looking forward to the rain. As they walked, she briefly inspected the structures she passed. The first few she had thought to be just oddly shaped outcroppings, but they started to seem like they were intentionally created. Who had made them? Why? How long ago? The level of erosion on them was unlike any she had seen, so it was far older than anything with which she was familiar.

Something passed before her eyes and she stopped in her tracks, looking intently forward. There it was again! A shadow of some kind. Then thunder cracked and the light showed two figures engaged in deadly combat. Reaching for her lighstaff, she was further startled when they disappeared entirely. A frown crossed her face as she continued forward, warily. Iton Ren was intent on her footing, since tripping while bound was an unpleasant experience, and hadn't noticed anything amiss. The rain began to fall, heavy drops that started out sparse and swiftly increased until Rey was soaked through. Wrapping her arms around herself for warmth, she stared into the darkness and kept walking.

She could take out her lightstaff – it would make her feel safer. But it would also give away her position, and she did not think that wise at this point. Another bolt of lightning lit up the area and she saw the figures again. Better prepared this time, she could perceive the shadowy quality to them. They weren't real. Or, at least, were not really here. One of them got the upper hand and ran his enemy through. In his death throes, the second figure managed to return in kind, and both collapsed on the ground before vanishing.

Shuddering, she wondered what this place was and what it might do to her. Though she'd been training for years to control the visions, here she could do nothing to stop them from coming. At the next bolt, the same two were back on their feet, and repeated what she had seen. Was that their fate? To fight to the death for eternity? Were they Force-ghosts? She didn't know. Perhaps, when she found him, Luke could explain these things to her. But maybe she'd rather not know.

Not daring to ignore the figures, though it was unpleasant to watch them, she made her way forward through the mud. And barely stopped short in time to see a red light some ways ahead – a lightsaber.

The rain would make finding the temple and Iton Ren more difficult, and Kylo Ren cursed under his breath. He motioned for the Knights to return, and waited impatiently as cold water soaked through his clothes. "We must find Iton as soon as possible. She should have met us by now," he told them, beginning to worry that she might have acted against his orders.