Force Destiny

Chess Pieces

Fear. Rage. Hatred.

Ben never thought he would feel the Force in its full strength in his veins again. Its power was welcoming in his rampage. The others followed behind him, but not closely. They whispered about him, which wasn't especially unusual, but it distracted him from his singular focus. He could hear fragments of their conversations.

"His eyes are....

"Mhmm...."

"Is he...?"

"I don't know...."

"He looks..."

"Yep...."

"Should we...?"

"Nope."

"Have you seen him this...?"

"No, and I've seen him slaughter villages."

"I'm glad he's on our side."

His lightsaber was by his side, spitting, angry, as wild in intensity as he was. Ben had warned Sidious not to touch Rey; if he was too late.... There would be blood, regardless. His blade would end his former master if it was the last thing he did. The darkness surged through him, but he couldn't find it in him to care. They turned the last corner, and he stopped, inhaling sharply, the lightsaber slipping from his fingers and crashing to the floor.

Rey.

She was alive, perfect, as if the past few hours had never happened. He blinked repeatedly to reassure himself that she was real. Chewing his lip to bite back his emotions, he waited to hear the voice he had never thought he would hear again. His vision was blurring, but he couldn't fall apart. His ferocity toward the monster—who looked no different than himself —had all but vanished under the overwhelming relief at seeing her bright hazel eyes. She stared back at him as if he were the one who had been run through with a blade.

"Ben?" she whispered, but a shadow of distrust passed over her features. "No, it can't be."

He could feel her energy in the Force, but it was weak, as if it had been suppressed. "What did you do to her, Sidious!?"

"Sidious?"

"He is Sidious," the monster lied, nodding toward Ben. "Look at the clothes, the absence of the scar, you know it's not him. He's here to take us prisoner, Rey, please help me! Don't let him kill me!"

Rey's lightsaber was in her hand in a blink. She stood between the clone and her friends, staring at Ben as if the clone's words were the truth. It didn't make sense. She had seen the clothes he was wearing earlier. His hand slid up to his face. The scar was still there. How could she... Force Illusion. Sidious was manipulating her with a Force Illusion.

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked, his face twisted in confusion as he turned to Rey. "These are the clothes he's been wearing since he rescued us from our cells. That is the scar you gave him, Rey. We found him on a skywalk with the dead Knights who kidnapped us. This is not a clone; I know Ben, this is him. That is the imposter," Finn said, pointing at the clone. Finn shrugged when Ben turned to him, brows raised in disbelief. Rey's hands were searching for something in her satchel, as if whatever she kept in there held the answers. She closed her palm around an object he couldn't see. Her eyes slowly raised to his.

Please, Rey, you know me.

"That's not Ben," he whispered. "I am."

Rey's expression remained guarded. "I know he's not Ben."

With a sigh of relief, Ben stepped toward her, but she raised the lightsaber and backed away. There was a flash of distrust in her eyes. "Who do you think he is?" he asked.