Force Destiny

Revelation

"Is it supposed to do that?" Finn asked as Rey waved the double-bladed indigo saberstaff through the air. The plasma blades were unstable and serrated-looking in appearance.

"I think so?" she laughed. "It wasn't entirely on purpose. It was unstable like Ben's and I didn't want to create vents for it. I thought I could make it similar to my quarterstaff instead. It was fairly straightforward. I just added beam emitters at both ends and tweaked the magnetic rings slightly. I wasn't sure how it would turn out cannibalizing Luke's lightsaber and using the spare electronics, but it works. And it seems stable...enough. And thanks to Rose's help, we were able to do it rather quickly." She smiled, admiring the weapon in her hands.

"I like the color," Finn replied.

"I was surprised by the color," she answered honestly. "I thought it would be blue, like Luke's, and part of me feared that it would be red...but purple hadn't crossed my mind."

"It looks...royal," Rose smiled. "Befitting of the Last Jedi."

She disengaged the weapon and placed it at her hip. "Have we heard any more about the success of the Resistance fight?"

"No, not yet," Finn sighed. "But I believe that Poe will pull it off. He always does."

With the help of the Hutts and the other allied forces that had sworn loyalty to their general, they had a chance, but against the entire First Order? It seemed hopeless. Everything seemed hopeless. Rey shook the darkness from her thoughts. They would do this. The had to do this. "We can't sit here and wait for the Resistance to save us. Ben is out there – somewhere – dying. I'll fight them all on my own if I need to, but –"

Rose stared at Finn then Chewbacca, eaching giving her a nod to her silent question. "Well, it beats waiting around for the First Order," Rose said as she unholstered her blaster. "We'll give them hell. And then we'll take the Falcon and help you find Ben." Rose stared at Finn as she said the last part.

He nodded in promise. "Of course, we'll help you, Rey. We'll use the thermal scanner. We'll find him."

Chewbacca growled in affirmation and left to retrieve his bowblaster. Rey exhaled slowly. We're coming, Ben, she assured him. It was more than she could have promised him before. The odds were stacked against them; there was the battle of allied forces raging above their heads, there was the First Order troops that held them prisoner, there was Ben slowly dying out in the darkness, but they had weapons, hope, fight left in them, and the Force. It was everything they needed.

As they waited for Chewbacca to return, Rey thought more about those odds. "Can I ask you guys something?" Rey's tone was more serious than before. "I've been thinking about the Resistance attack. Something has been bothering me, and, at first, I couldn't figure out why. But the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't add up. Does it seem strange to you guys that Poe sent us to a world that is a mining center for the First Order? Ben acted like it was something most people would know.

"Surely, Poe should know then, right? I mean, the Hutts somehow figured out we would need help. And then the Resistance organized an attack on the Finalizer, almost like they knew they would be waiting for us. But how would they know, when we didn't even know they were up there?" Rose nervously glanced at Finn, and Rey felt a chill shiver through her. They knew more than they had been telling her. Rage ignited instantly, drawing in the darkness. "Someone better start talking now..." she growled through gritted teeth.

"I think..." Finn began nervously, "That he may have set a trap for Kylo...using you." Her heart sank.

No... No, it can't be. The First Order shot him down, not the Resistance.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I told you it was important that you tell me if you were in love with Kylo?" She nodded, wondering where he could possibly be going with this, "Well, that was because Poe ordered me to assassinate him. He said you were bait for an ambush. He was certain Kylo would know where to find you. When I saw the First Order here, I figured he knew that they were here, too. Obviously, the stormtroopers would notice the Millennium Falcon land and inform Kylo. Poe knew Kylo had...has feelings for you, and he knew he'd come for you. I think his plan was for me to kill him while the Resistance attacked the Finalizer. None of us had any way of knowing that Kylo would desert the First Order." Rey stared at him, shaking, as she absorbed all the information.

This is all my fault. Ben is dying because of me.If I had just listened to him when he warned me about Ilum, none of this would have happened.

"I want you to know, Rey. I couldn't kill him." His voice broke. "I had my chance in the caves. I had the blaster to his head and everything. I couldn't do it....to you...or him. He really does care about you. I'm sorry." She shook her head in disbelief.

"But you never told me, Finn," she gritted through tears. "You should have told me. I don't know what to do. I feel so betrayed. The cause I was fighting for is no better than the First Order. I should have listened to Ben. He tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. I was so sure I was right. But now Ben will die, and we may be joining him...all because of me. Poe used me to get to Ben. He used us all. He put us all in danger like we are nothing. And now he leaves us in the hands of the First Order. If I see him again, I'll kill him." She wiped the tears from her eyes and gathered her strength.

"The Resistance has abandoned us. It's all up to us now." Rey whispered.