Into the Darkness

21

"Wake up, my love. Your time has not yet come." I hear Armitage's voice say in the distance. My eyes flutter open, blinded by the bright light hanging above me. I blink a few times and look around as my eyes adjust. I'm inside a ship, who's ship it is is still a mystery to me. I attempt to stand up, but my wrists are bound to the chair I'm sitting in.

"You're awake." A voice says. Rey sits to my right, she puts down the book in her hands and walks towards me. "What happened to your ship?" I study her silently.

"It blew up. Engine malfunction." I tell her. She shakes her head.

"Are you sure about that?" I narrow my eyes and grind my teeth.

"Yes." She stares at me for a moment. "Why am I even alive? Why did the scum even attempt to save my life?"

"It wasn't her idea." An all too familiar voice says. "It was mine." Poe rounds the corner and leans against the door frame.

"Was this some sorry attempt to get me to forgive you? After what you did to me?" I say to him, my jaw clenched.

"I know you won't forgive me. But that doesn't mean I was going to let you die. There's a lot you don't know Eira." Something in the cockpit beeps, Poe rushes to it. "We're coming up on Endor. This is gonna be a rough landing, get ready." I feel the ship lurch out of hyperspace and slam into the ground, sending the contents inside bouncing around. "We're here!" Rey comes to undo my restraints.

"You know he didn't want to do it, right?" She asks me, putting cuffs on my wrists.

"If he really didn't, he wouldn't have." I say. She grabs my forearm and walks me outside the falcon with her. We round the corner to see the wreck of the second Death Star. "Astonishing." Finn looks over at me.

"That thing destroyed planets, it's terrifying." He says to me.

"The power that station had, I can only imagine what it was like to be in control of it." I smile at him as Rey lifts a Sith dagger. "Where did you find that? My men have been searching for that."

"It's there." She says, pointing at the Emperor's chamber of the Death Star. The sound of a stampede comes from behind us. A group of men and women on horseback ride into view.

"Who are you?" The women asks.

"Who's asking?" Poe responds.

"We got a transmission, they said you'd be coming. That you were the only hope." She smiles, then she notices me. "You!" All of them point their blasters. "Why are you in company of the Grand Admiral?"

"The Deserters. Is this where you've been hiding all this time? Like the cowards you are?" I say, taking a step closer. Finn pulls me back.

"We're not with her. We have her captive." He says. I look at him with pure disgust.

"I am not captive! I would have gladly died!" They continue to talk as I turn to look back at the Death Star. The monstrous waves crash against it, but still the energy pulsating within is louder. Rey comes to stand beside me. "You can't wait until tomorrow."

"I know." She says, then looks at me. "There's good in you, Eira. I can feel it." I watch as she quickly walks away, disappearing over a hill. I run to catch up with Finn on the way back to the Falcon.

...

I sit on a storage unit, watching Poe attempt to fix the Falcon. Suddenly, my head starts to pound. I cry out and press against my temples. My mind is filled with a vision.

"She's dangerous, her power is uncontrollable." My father says, shaking his head.

"We can't tell Leia. She won't like it. She won't like what we're going to do." My mother tells him. They're both silent for a moment.

"We have to take her to the First Order. They can contain her." Mother looks at the ground.

"What if they kill her?" Father shakes his head.

"When Snoke sent us here, he told us we must tell him anything that may threaten his power. What choice do we have?"

"Eira! Eira what's wrong?" Poe says, kneeling in front of me. I quickly look around the room, backing away from him and shaking uncontrollably.

"My parents... It's not possible." I say, rapidly blinking in an effort to erase the vision from my mind. Poe sighs and falls back to sit across from me.

"Your parents, Aster and Faye, they were First Order spies. Aster was a powerful Sith, trained by Darth Vader himself. They were planning to take you to the First Order once they learned of your heritage, we knew you would be killed. We had to stop it. Leia forbid me from telling you." I shake my head and stand up.

"No, no I don't believe you." I run out of the Falcon to look over the Death Star.

"He's telling the truth, you know." I hear Armitage say as he places a ghosly hand on my shoulder.

"Did you know before?" I ask him. He shakes his head.

"Being in this form, it has brought me so much knowledge. Revealed so much truth. I didn't even know Snoke sent your parents there, I believe he was the only one who did know." I turn to look at him as a tear falls down my face.

"I wish you were truly here with me. I don't know how I'm going to do all this without you." He smiles and places his hand in my cheek.

"Darling, you are so much stronger than you think." I stare at him for a moment.

"I love you Armitage, so much. I long for the day we will be together again." He kisses my forehead.

"I love you, my dear. I'll be here waiting for you." With that, he disappears.

"Rey took the skimmer!"