Into the Darkness

22

"She's going to get herself killed." I say, running down the hill to the edge of the cliff. Finn grabs the back of my shirt before I fall off.

"There's another skimmer." Jannah tells us, Finn and I look at each other.

"Finn, I know you don't trust me, but I can help you. The force, it reveals so much to me, and I know now that I cannot let that girl die." A few feet behind Finn is the ghost of Armitage, nodding at me with a smile on his face. "You won't be able to get there alive on your own." He lets out a breath and then unlocks the cuffs. I rub my wrists and look over at Jannah. "Where's the skimmer?"

...

We arrive at the wreckage of the Death Star and begin the climb to the top. Finn pulls himself up and then offers his hand down to me. Once I'm on my feet, a massive amount of energy weighs down on me.

"It's Kylo, he's here." I tell him, Finn's eyes grow wide.

"No." He says, taking off running towards the sound of clashing lightsabers. "Rey!" Just as he begins to make his way towards her, Rey throws him away from her with the force. I carefully catch him with my own power and lay him down.

"You're going to get yourself killed." I slowly walk to the end of the fallen wreck as Kylo and Rey continue to fight one another. Rey falls to the ground at Kylo's feet, saber knocked from her own grasp, but suddenly Kylo stops. "Rey!" She looks up as I unhook my own lightsaber from my belt and throw it across the roaring waves to her. She catches it and ignites it through Kylo's stomach.

That's when we all feel it, the shift in the force. The loss of the General. I fall to my knees and stare down at my hands as they begin to tremble. I shake my head furiously, my wide eyes look over at Kylo.

"Leia." I whisper. Rey drops my saber and runs to Kylo's TIE fighter, soaring into the sky. I look back at Finn. "Stay here."

I force jump over the massive gap between where I stand and where Kylo lays on the ground. I bend down in front of him, picking up my lightsaber, then standing back up.

"I can feel your conflict, Kylo. I can feel the real you attempting to claw its way back out." I tell him, he stares at me. "Maybe we all have a chance at redemption."

...

The Falcon is completely silent on the flight back. I stare blankly at the wall, completely motionless. That's when I hear the voice calling out to me. It comes from the back corner of the ship, I follow it blindly as it grows louder. Standing facing away from me is another force ghost, but I've never seen this one before.

"Hello?" I call out. He turns around with a soft smile on his face.

"Hello Eira. I've been waiting for an opportunity to talk to you, though it never seemed like the right time until now." He says. My eyebrows furrow.

"Who are you?" He nods, as if he's forgotten something and only just remembered.

"I am your grandfather. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi." My eyes widen. "I am here to guide you to the right path."

"You're my grandfather?" He nods once more, allowing me a moment to process.

"Come sit with me Eira." We sit across from one another on storage containers. "I have sensed your struggling conflict. The pull to the dark and the light side of the force. I've seen it once before and I failed him, I do not intend to do the same with you. I've seen the rage you felt, I've seen it consume you. But that rage, my darling, is misplaced. You feel so much anger over your parents death, but it was done to save you Eira. Poe told you the truth when he said they were taking you to Snoke who would have killed you."

"I'm just so tired of the lies grandfather. I am just so very tired." He smiles at me.

"I've met a man who loves you so very much. Very firey red hair." I chuckle at him. "He tells me you were an incredible leader. That you have so much passion, so much talent. It is wasted when you use it for destruction, whether it is other people's or your own." I look away from him. "I know you think you don't deserve a chance to prove yourself after everything in your past, but your past means nothing when you want to change. Were you ever taught of what happened to the great Lord Vader, Eira? After the absolute terror he caused for years and years, to the people and even to his family, he saved the life of his son. And Luke forgave him for everything because he saw the good within Anakin."

I see him look behind me, I turn around to see Anakin Skywalker leaning against the doorframe for a moment. He just barely smiles at me and then nods, suddenly disappearing.

"You will have a moment to prove yourself Eira. To change, and I encourage you to take it. It is not too late to change." He tells me. A warm smile spreads across his face as he stands up and places a hand on my shoulder. "I love you, my granddaughter. I know there is good in you, you just have to let it out." And with that, he disappears.