Star Wars Episode IX: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 1: Let the Past Die

Be with me. Be with me. Be with me.

Rey could hear nothing but the wind gently caressing her skin as she meditated in the clearing. Her body was planted in the plush grass, the sun beaming down on her skin. Her eyes closed, she tried her hardest to feel the balance in her body. Warm. Cold. Soft. Firm. Light. Dark. Nothing. With a sigh, her eyes opened, connecting with the setting sun through the trees. With Luke gone, her training was incomplete and though she felt much stronger in the Force she was nowhere near ready to take on a master like Kylo Ren. She needed to talk to Jedi masters of the past and yet no one answered. No one heard her pleas for help. No one listened, much like the Battle of Crait.

The Resistance is dead.

You came from nothing. You are nothing.

We could bring a new order to the galaxy.

Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.

You're still holding on. Let go!

I'll show you the dark side.

Rey's teeth gritted as his voice echoed through her mind. She thought that after Snoke was killed, she would no longer be connected with Ren. Still memories plagued her mind. Thankfully, she hadn't seen a projection of Kylo since their battle. She didn't know if she could handle a meeting with him now. She had never before felt this much internal conflict. Part of her believed that Ben Solo was still there, that he could turn. She still sensed light in him. But she knew she had her own darkness beginning to rise in herself. If she could sense his conflict, Kylo Ren would sense hers. A trill of beeps broke her from her thoughts, a smile forming on her lips.

BB-8 rolled into the clearing. In binary, he announced the return of the Falcon back to base. "Of course. I'll be right there. I'm just going to run the course." Rey responded. She grabbed the handle of her lightsaber and flicked the switch. A glowing green blade materialized from the circular emitter. After the Battle of Crait, Rey had returned to Ahch-To to see if Luke had left anything behind for her and luckily, he had left his saber. After she and Ren destroyed his other lightsaber on Snoke's ship, she needed another weapon. Of course she could create her own but she did not feel as if she earned it yet. Releasing a breath, Rey's eyes snapped to the start of the training course, BB-8 rolling behind her quickly as they made their way through.

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All he could see was red. Heat enveloped his body as his eyes surveyed the volcanic landscape in front of him. His eyes moved across the scene and yet his feet would not move. His boots remained planted in the ground as he watched Clone Troopers lift a body onto a floating stretcher. Screams of agony flowed from the charred remains. How is he still alive? The man appeared to be missing his legs and an arm, his skin charred and black as he writhed on the surface. "Take Lord Vader to the ship. I will be there shortly." A hooded figure commanded. His eyes widened at the mention of Vader. That was Darth Vader? The Clone Troopers nodded, walking straight toward his frozen body and yet they passed right through him.

The hooded figure unclasped his hands and revealed a strange looking pyramid in his grasp. The figure crouched and placed it in a stone pedestal before sealing it and pushing it into the ground. Suddenly, the hooded figure's strange golden eyes met his. "Mustafar." His gravelly voice echoed in his ears. "What you seek is on Mustafar." Lightning shot from the figure's fingertips straight into his body.

Kylo Ren jolted from his sleep. Sweat beaded over his body as he sat upright in bed. The cool air from his chambers swept over his bare torso as he caught his breath. His heart was beating out of his chest as he recalled the dream he just had. His grandfather. Palpatine. Mustafar. There was no time to waste. Kylo rose from his bed and got dressed in his armor. His steps were determined as he exited his chambers. Two Stormtroopers stopped in front of him as he walked down the dark colored hallway. "Ready my ship." He commanded one of them. "You, get General Hux to the control room." He told the other.

"Supreme Leader." Hux nodded as he approached the control room, standing stiffly behind Kylo Ren. Ren whipped his head around and surveyed the General. He sensed fear from the general, something that Ren took pride in. "I am heading to Mustafar. Continue searching for the girl and the Resistance base." He commanded, earning a curt nod from Hux. "Yes Supreme Leader."

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The crackling of his lightsaber overpowered the noise of battle as he slashed it through countless people. These fighters were guarding the prize he came for and would not hesitate to put down anyone who stood in his way. Dozens lie dead as Kylo Ren decimated the fighters with his knowledge and skill in the Force and battle. The final fighter guarded the pedestal fiercely only to be pulled through the air into the jagged saber before the red plasma disappeared into the emitter. Not even the wind dared to make a sound on the battle field. The only noise was Kylo Ren's steps in the soil toward the pedestal.

Don't do this Ben. Please don't go this way.

You're a monster.

You will pay for what you did.

Ben there's still time, call off the fleet.

Ben!

Rey's voice assaulted his mind like a virus. A frustrated snarl escaped his lips as he felt a familiar pull to the light. He wanted her gone. Out of his head. Out of this war. Part of him knew that whatever was in this pedestal was the key to that. Pushing through the memories of her tear filled disappointed eyes, he opened the stone to find the object from his dreams. A Sith Wayfinder.

Ren wasted no time returning to his ship and setting of the Wayfinder. He immediately set his course to the destination he knew little about. He had heard whispers of Exegol throughout his training yet no one had ever been able to find it. An ancient Sith planet where the throne sat along with nearly unlimited power. Palpatine was hiding there and Kylo Ren knew what he had to do.

Let the past Die. Kill it if you have to.