Star Wars: Fall of an Empire - Part II

I - Ben

Zion's surface was devoid of any liquid water or vegetation. It was covered in valleys and deserts and the air was dusty. It was the first time Finn visited this planet and yet it didn't feel foreign to him. He could swear he had been here before. Maybe it was in one of his prescient dreams. He had many of them lately.

Ben walked ahead of him. He had thrown away his royal cape and was wearing grey clothes and a plain dark robe. He donned the mantle of the Jedi once again and Finn wasn't used to it. As he considered him and then stopped to take in his surroundings, Ben turned at him.

"We have to keep moving," he said.

Finn nodded and continued. "As you wish, Emperor," he said mockingly.

A smile lighted Ben's face. It felt good to smile again. It gave him hope.

"Why not Solo? Emperor Solo sure has a better ring to it," Finn said.

"To honour my uncle and my grandfather," Ben said walking ahead of him. "It is a name that will spark fear to the people that heard of Anakin Skywalker and respect to those who knew Luke. I am always going to be Ben Solo, but what the people need is a Skywalker in the throne."

"I think the time of rightful leaders has ended. People will stand up to fight for what is good. A name isn't going to be what will unite them."

"When I find someone worthy to take my place I will step down. But as long as there is unrest, I have to be the one holding the throne."

"A throne that is now gone," Finn said. "Would systems still obey without Coruscant?"

"A capital world isn't necessary. In these times it is better to keep moving."

"And yet every day more systems side with Rey after her win."

"We will discuss peace terms with her when the time comes."

"It is in defeat that we turn to diplomacy," Finn said.

Ben looked surprised at him. "Do you really believe that?"

"When you were winning you didn't care to negotiate."

Ben thought about it. "That's true. But I hope Rey realises that she is not any closer to victory than I was."

"You know, you keep talking about her."

Ben narrowed his eyes at him.

"A bit too much, if you ask me," Finn said and chuckled feeling the beginning of anger in him. "I'm only joking, relax! I don't want to see you angry. I know how it is to pine over someone that doesn't return your feelings."

"I'm not pining over her," Ben scoffed at him.

"Alright, but I'll give you an advice. Simply because she has the Force and you felt there was a connection doesn't mean that she felt the same way."

"Aren't you insightful all of a sudden?" Ben said sarcastically. "Who would expect that from a stormtrooper?"

"You'd be surprised how many of our abilities are muted by all the brainwashing," Finn said bitterly. "If you valued individuality and skilfulness over obeying orders, maybe you'd finally see an improvement of the stormtrooper program."

Ben smiled and pointed at the cave at the bottom of the mountain. They approached its entrance which wasn't quite large and attentively stepped into the dark.

As they walked deeper into the passage Finn looked suddenly worried. "Are you sure we're going to find it?"

"Yes," Ben said igniting his blue lightsaber to light their path in the darkness.

"Maybe if your buddy Snoke didn't mine a whole planet off its crystals, it would be easier to find one there."

Ben nodded. "Ilum like Jedha was overmanned and destroyed. This is why it is vital for Zion's location to stay between us."

"Why does Luke lead us to it now?"

"Maybe he thinks you're our last hope," Ben said pensively. "Maybe he knew that if I came here any other time I would drain it of its crystals."

"Aren't you annoyed that he didn't reveal it to you when you were his apprentice?"

Ben shook his head. "There is a right time for everything. You never see this when you're younger."

As they walked through a large opening in the passage they entered a large room. They were crystals glowing yellow ahead of them on the cave walls.

Ben pointed at them. "These are the rarest kind of kyber crystals."

"The kind the Starkiller Base used."

Ben nodded. "Sith used them from ancient times to power their superweapons."

"With these we could win the war," Finn said. "A superlaser that could."

"This is not the way of the Jedi," Ben cut him off. "Such a weapon would bring destruction. As you saw with the Resistance it is never used solely as a threat."

Ben walked towards another of the openings in the room. As they entered this passage Finn followed him marvelling at the cave walls around them. There were many crystals here. They could construct a thousand lightsabers, but this wasn't what they needed. One was enough.

Ben walked ahead with certainty in the darkness. He felt doubt, but knew that Luke was there with him. As they walked deeper the passage was getting bigger till they reached a dead end. Ben stopped and turned towards Finn who was looking around him.

Finn walked towards one of the walls. He looked enamoured by the crystals reflecting the light. But it was a specific one that he moved towards as if guided by an instinct. He reached out to it and held it between his fingers.

He felt the Force inside him and the crystal calling to him. It was odd to think that he could detach it with his hand and yet he had that deep desire to do it. He pulled at the crystal not forcefully, but as if summoning it and it snapped out like an apple from a tree.

He felt a strange connection to the stone as he held it in his palm.

Ben was tempted to do the same. He knew he had the power to take any crystal here. There was nothing stopping him, but none of the crystals called out to him. If he did take one it would be against nature's way. He instead started walking back.

Finn put the crystal in the pocket of his jacket and followed him. They were both silent and lost in their thoughts.

"How did I do that?" Finn asked when they left the cave, as if slowly waking from a trance.

"You attuned yourself with the Force," Ben answered. "The crystal is a living thing that resonates with it."

"Is this why I felt drawn to this particular one?"

Ben nodded. "A crystal serves for more than a part of a weapon, it also points us to the light. This is why many Jedi fashioned them as necklaces in the past. As we form a bond with it we learn how to be in harmony with the Force."

Finn felt the link with the kyber crystal in his pocket and the truth in Ben's words. "Where do we go from here?" he asked as they approached the command shuttle.

"We have to prepare our response."

"Are you planning an attack?"

"Our fleet isn't ready to meet them head on," Ben said shaking his head. "Not yet."

"I have agreed to apprentice under you, but not to fight against the Resistance."

"I hope it won't come to that, Finn."

"We should talk to Lando."

"First we have to get to my mother and make sure she is safe."

"Have you had a vision?" Finn asked concerned.

"My grandfather said there is no way to avoid your destiny. Even if you try and change it, you will end up in exactly the same place. So I have blinded myself from the future. It only leads to worry and torment over an eventual reality," Ben looked away and his expression was pained. "But I reached out to my mother and felt her pain. She needs me as much as I need her."