I Can Get It Back

The Drive to Extreme, That Willingness to Bleed, I will Get It Back

The massive crowd of Sith that had been against the walls of the chamber was gone. Rey hesitated to look too closely in that direction, afraid of what might have been left behind after the Emperor was defeated. Hopefully nothing, but this place was permeated with the Dark Side and there was no way of knowing what might manifest from it. A shudder ran down her spine as she looked instead at the Throne of the Sith.

"That looks very uncomfortable," Finn said, an attempt to break the tension. Both women laughed, but the response was strained.

"I'm not sure personal comfort was the goal in mind," Rey replied, wondering if she should send her friends away. She glanced at them and was comforted by their reassuring expressions.

"What can we do to help?" Rose asked.

Rey shrugged. Though his sensitivity was improving, Finn had shown no aptitude for psychometry, which was normal – the Jedi Texts indicated it was a rare skill to have. She glanced at the Throne again, wondering if her ability was a result of her lineage. She hoped not.

Finn touched her shoulder, startling her. "What are you going to do?"

"Touch the Throne. Perhaps it will reveal something useful."

He nodded. "And if it doesn't?"

That wasn't something Rey wanted to hear, and she curled her fists in the fabric of her clothes. "Then we look around for anything that could be a portal for me to go through, or for Ben to return." She glanced at the Throne again and took a deep breath. It had been on this planet for a long, long time. Before even the Emperor was born. There would be much to sift through. "This might take a while. If it works. Could you look around while I do this?"

Finn seemed ready to protest, but Rose agreed. "We can do that. We won't go far," she promised.

The words weren't necessary, but they were a relief. Rey walked resolutely up to the hideous, spiky seat and reached out to place a hand on its arm. Usually her ability took some concentration but not this time – she was instantly transported into a vision of the past.

The arena surrounding the throne was full of people – not the dark shapes Rey had seen but living people – and a robed creature was sitting in the seat of power. The people were cheering and the figure gave a deep nod.

Later, the same creature was there again, speaking to a child. The room was empty and the creature had an unpleasant smile as it peered at the little one. Rey stiffened and felt a surge of protectiveness, though there was nothing she could do anymore.

More scenes flashed by of the creature teaching the child. The child became a youth who grew into a man all while under the creature's tutelage. As he grew older still, Rey was shocked the recognize him – the Emperor as a young man.

It took considerable effort not to recoil when the Emperor-to-be killed his master, though Rey had been expecting it. He kicked the creature out of the throne and took it himself. The stands around the throne room held only shadows again, but they cheered somehow, a sound like wind whistling through the cracks in a metal shelter. The soon-to-be Emperor smiled and bowed his head to them.

Rey wondered what had become of the real people before they had become shadows. There was no answer as what she saw continued forward in time. The visions revealed a throne room more often empty than not. The Emperor returned, setting up the laboratory. He spoke only to shadows, seeming to be the only one here who was alive. It was grating to watch him gloat about his plans and she began to despair of seeing anything useful. Then she heard something that made her concentrate on seeing the vision play out.