The Balance and The Force {Star Wars Ep. X}

s. VII

Anni snapped out of her thoughts and followed her parents off into the meeting room. The most respected people on the base were there. Anni barely knew their names. Only a few of them she really had seen before. Finn and Poe were sitting on the end of the table closest to the door. Three chairs sat for Rey, Ben and Anni at the end. Rose Tico, and a few others were also sitting at the table.

Anni immediately noticed Ryder was sitting by the chair left of Anni. She smiled and gently walked over to sit next to him. Ryder had been invited on the team because he was Poe's 'apprentice' of sorts. Anni sat next to him and scooted her chair just a little bit closer.

She wasn't going to lie to herself, she had grown fond of Ryder. Maybe it was because she had never had a friend before, or maybe it was because she couldn't help but feel a bond between the two of them growing strong. But, mostly after every training, Anni would spend lunch with Ryder and his friends.

Poe watched the Jedi sit across the table before gently standing up.

"As you all know, the New Order has sent us a threat of attacking the base. We believe we have something they might want." Poe started, giving a look over to Anni.

Everyone in the room knew she's what they wanted. If they had both twins on their side, the Order would be unstoppable.

"That is why Rey and K-," he stopped himself, "Ben... Are training Anni as a Jedi. So, she can help us defeat this order." He nodded before looking down for a second. "I never believed the battle for the Galaxy would start again, but as we know history tends to repeat itself. Especially when it comes to the Skywalker's." He gave a look towards the three of them.

Anni looked around at all the older people in the room. They seemed so... Sad. They had spent much of their young life fighting for this not to happen again, and here they were. They were going to have to find the hope to fight again.

The people in the room all looked towards the three of them at the end of the table.

Rey turned and looked over at Ben. His expression was sad as well. He knew nobody in that room really believed that he was good. They were all still weary, even after 18 years.

Anni suddenly stood up. "None of you truly know my brother, but this isn't like him. I believe someone else is clouding his judgement."

"Anni, you don't know that. Your brother had been hiding a lot from you back on Tatooine. Are you sure you know him that well?" Rose spoke up. They must've all been told about what happened back on Tatooine that morning.

Anni nodded. "I feel his emotions sometimes as if they were my own. He was the only person I knew as a friend for years. He wouldn't have ever done this if he knew it would hurt us like this. I do believe there is foul play on the dark side."

The Dark Side.

  Anni barely knew much of it, but she didn't feel it. She never felt it. Though, as she thought back, did she ever feel the Light either?

"But how? Who could be using him? If Rey's grandfather Palpatine is dead then who is left of the Sith to create this New Order?" Finn spoke up.

That was when Ben put a hand on Anni's shoulder. Telling her to sit down. Ben slowly stood up and stared down at the table. He seemed agitated by something.

"Back when Luke Skywalker had a Jedi Academy, I knew a kid. The person we used to know as Snoke was pulling the both of us to the dark at the same time. Luke found out about him and expelled him from the academy. His name was Alec. He was a strong force user born out of a family of nobodies." He said truthfully. "When I saw his face on Exegol, I knew it was him. I knew that whatever he was doing, has been being planned since before Anni and Kai had ever been born." Ben explained.