A New Force

Chapter IX: The Desperate Fight for Balance

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?!"

Rey yelled at the man in the pilot's seat.

"I told you, I've done this before!"

The entire ship shook and groaned, and Poe leaned forward to pat the control panel. "You've got this. You're not giving up on me now."

With every hyperspace skip, she felt as though her organs were going to fly out of her body. Then, they lurched back inside, only to continue the cruel cycle.

BB-8 screamed in the back of the cockpit. He didn't like bumpy rides.

Chewie yelled at Poe, and Rey stole a quick glance at her friend Finn, who was uncharacteristically quiet. He seemed fine, which is more than she could say for herself or the rest of the crew. Once they were successful, she would speak with him about their conversation. But Rey didn't have the energy to argue right now.

She silently wondered how much longer she'd have to endure this. Luke's X-Wing was able to handle this journey much more smoothly than this large, ancient hunk of space junk.

With a menacing snap, the Falcon ripped out of hyperdrive, careening into dead space. It wasn't any dead space. In the distance, she saw the hungry black hole growing larger by the minute.

The five other planets, just as Master Yoda promised, were before them.

"Why couldn't we see these planets before?" Poe wondered out loud, and Rey didn't have the answer. Perhaps it was this realm's way of protecting itself. That type of knowledge was still far out of her reach.

"There!" She pointed to the far right, where a large blue planet floated in orbit. It was the furthest planet from the remains of Exegol. "Rakata Prime. It has to be."

They sped towards the planet, and Rey felt their connection grow stronger. There was a strong vergence here, she knew it. A concentration of the Force that made her mind clearer and sharper than it ever was. Maybe that's how she had felt so powerful on Exegol.

As they came into the planet's orbit, the surface was unlike anything she had ever seen. If Exegol was a dead planet, then this was its counterpart. Vibrant colors danced across its terrain, colors she had never even seen before. If she didn't know better, Rey would have guessed she was in a dream.

The Falcon quaked and hissed quietly as they found a small patch of solid ground to land on. The colors were almost too bright to look at, as they cast their shadows onto the crew and turned their faces different shades.

"Poe, Finn, you're coming with me." Rey barked without hesitation. She didn't know where her sudden clarity had come from, except the power of the planet. "Chewie, you need to stay with the ship. You know it best."

The boys ran deeper into the Falcon to gear up for the mission ahead. Her eyes met Chewie's, and he didn't need to make a sound for her to understand him.

"I know, buddy. I promise I'll bring him home."

He roared, checking the diagnostics of the ship and ensuring it would be safe for the journey back. "Listen. As soon as we enter, this planet will begin to fall apart. I need you to be ready to go at a moment's notice." Chewie responded in agreement, and she put her hand on his shoulder, hoping that wouldn't be the last time.

With quick feet, she walked to the loading doors and met her two best friends. Her hand rested on her lightsaber, heart in her throat. She stood between them, looking in both their eyes, and finally settling on the mission before them. The ramp landed on solid ground, and the wind whipped their clothing in an amusing dance around their bodies.