The Remnants of Emperor Palpatine

Traveling Blindfolded Through The Stars

Picture taken from http://blog.adw.org/2019/01/have-you-ever-really-seen-the-stars/

Rey Palpatine POV-

I immediately sit up and place my hand over Ben's chest. I feel it thump unsteadily under my hand. Leaning over his head, I force his eyelids open to see if I get a response. His pupil dilates as it tries to take in the light in the chamber before he involuntarily flinches and closes his eye.

He's alive and responsive!

CRACK. CRAAAACK. BOOM!

My head whips to the left, and I see a chunk of rock shatter apart as it hits the ground. Dust explodes everywhere as more pieces of the ceiling rain down. It's hard to see one meter in front of me. My lightning storm must've destabilized the chamber and set off a chain reaction of cracks. This proves to be true when I see a large crack in the middle of a scorch mark spread across the ceiling like stepped on ice.

Shit! We need to get out of here! I use the Force to pick Ben up. He weighs exactly as much as I thought he would, and I can only lift him about 3 meters off the ground. I stumble through the way I entered and make my way to Luke's old starship

By the time I get both of us near the ship, the sun of this planet is starting to rise. It turns the sky a pale orange and shows all of the broken machinery that litters the land. As I board my ship with Ben, the smell of salt and fish hits me hard. It got the smell from being submerged under water all those years. It's a wonder how the ship still runs.

I lay Ben down on the floor and grab a first aid kit from underneath the control panel. It only has bandages, tape, and rubbing alcohol. I rip the rest of Ben's shirt off of him and have to stop myself from gagging at the smell of burnt flesh.

He has a 2nd degree burn right over his heart where I'm guessing my lightning hit him. I wrap a bandage around the spot after cleaning it. I noticed a new red, fern-like scar surrounding the area after I cleaned the blood off. I have heard of scars like that from stories about people who were struck by lightning. If I can remember correctly, they call them Lichtenberg Figures.

There's also a slit on his thigh with blood surrounding it. I tear the hole open bigger so I can clean it too. I pull off his gloves and notice that his fingers are rubbed raw. I carefully place them down on his stomach so that they don't get touched more.

When I'm done, I sit Ben down in the co-pilot seat and go look for some of Luke's old clothes for him. I find a white tunic, brown trousers, and hiking boots in one of Luke's trunks. I couldn't find him anything black to wear so he'll just have to suck it up. I clothe him in the tunic so he doesn't get cold and put the pants and shoes next to him.

Pulling spare clothes out of my bag, I see a spare roll of cloth that I use on my arms. I glance at Ben's closed eyes and wonder if he'll wake up soon. Just to be on the safe side, I put the roll beside him then change quickly. I use what's left in the first aid kit to doctor myself.

When I look up, I noticed that Ben's eyes are open. His face is expressionless when he says in his deep voice, "Why did you bring me back to life?" As I look into his light brown eyes, I realize that I do not completely know myself. But I do not tell him that.

I quickly look away and put the first aid kit back where I found it. Still looking down, I answer him. "Why did you bring me back to life?" I stand up and move to sit in the pilot's seat. "Nothing was stopping you from leaving. Why didn't you?" I glance at
Ben's face before turning my focus to the control panel. I was able to tell that confusion was written all over his face from the peek I stole.

I rev up the ship before turning back to him. Ben still hasn't answered, and I find him studying my face. I don't know what he finds in it, but, apparantly, it was enough for him to respond truthfully. "I couldn't stand the idea of living without you," he says with resignment and that's how I know he meant it. "I'd rather die."