Backfire

Rey had her arms wrapped around her body in an effort to comfort herself as she sat on the decrepit couch in the living area of the AL-KM44 Allanar N3 light freighter. Her only friends in the entire galaxy were fuming in anger as they stood around her. Rey's eyes were cast down at the steel floors of the ship. They wanted an explanation from her, but she was too ashamed of her actions. She had lied to them to save a man they want nothing other than to see come to justice for his crimes. Poe, Rose, and Finn were all confused and hurt by the person who they thought would be the last to lie. Let alone lie to them to save an enemy. They each have scars, physical or emotional, from Kylo Ren. Rey could not bear to look up to any one of them, she knew what she would see. Disappointment, betrayal, and anger riddled each of them and Rey could feel it rolling off them in thick waves. As Finn looked at the girl he thought he knew almost comprehensively, he felt that his understanding of his first true friend was thrown out the window. How could she choose him over the galaxy, the Resistance, her friends? They were best friends and she had chosen a murderer over everything. She had confronted Luke Skywalker over Kylo Ren's treacherous words. She had slipped into his clutches and never came to him or any of the others for help or guidance. His nostrils flared at the thought of them together. She was the closest thing he had ever had to family and he felt like he had failed by not being able to protect her from Kylo Ren.

"Rey, just what the fuck do you think you were doing with Kylo Ren? How could you lie to us like this?" Finn was the first to speak for the group, anger and frustration laced his voice. She could not move her eyes to meet any of theirs. She was so ashamed of herself, ashamed that she had let herself go so completely. Rey had been so enveloped by how she and Ben's lives had been thrown together that she forgot who she is and what she stands for. She had forgotten herself when she was with Ben Solo, he had a way of drawing her to him, almost effortlessly. Tears started to well in the corners of her eyes. How could she had let the situation spiral this far out of control? She has ruined everything. She is not even sure that she had friends after they had discovered Kylo Ren. "Rey, you need to explain yourself, right now. Look me in my eyes and tell me why you risked all of us for fucking Kylo Ren." Finn raised his voice. Rey wanted to say how much she was sorry for betraying them, for lying to them. She wanted to say that she did not know why she did what she had done. Kylo Ren had a magnetism that pulled her toward him. She could not help herself when she was with him. But she could not say anything, she was frozen looking at the floor. The silence only angered the former Stormtrooper further. Poe and Rose were angry too, but they had never seen Finn like this.

"I- I-" Rey stuttered with tears threatening to fall down her face. Several moments passed before Rey's mouth parted, trying to speak but no words would vocalize. She raised her eyes to the fuming Stormtrooper.

"Unbelievable, Rey." Finn sounded truly disappointed in his friend, he left the room. Rey and the others watched Finn leave the room in a hurry. He had no idea what to do, none of them did, but he knew that if he stood there another second, he would not be able to control his anger any longer. Rose and Poe stood there looking at Rey. She was now hunched over, her elbows rested on her thighs. Her hands fell in between the gap of her legs. Rey's brown hair fell over her face as she looked down at the floor of the ship. They did not know how to feel about the situation before them. Betrayal and confusion swirled in the ship between the four of them.

"I am going to bed. I will see everyone in a few hours. Goodnight." Poe announced, breaking the silence. He could not think anymore. Everything that had transpired had left his mind and body fatigued. The image of the burning red sword sat behind his eyes every time he closed them. He had never seen Kylo Ren without the mask, but the lightsaber, he knew that. He walked out from the living area, heading to his chambers. Rose and Rey watched Poe leave the room. The uncomfortable silence stood still in the room with a thick presence that felt like it was stuck to their skin. Rose cast her eyes back down toward Rey, her arms crossed over her chest. The mechanic sat there in silence listening to Rey sniffle and cry softly in the living area. Not knowing what to do with herself, Rose sat down next to her friend in spite of the situation at hand. Rose had so many questions she wanted answers to but did not know where to start. The question that was at the forefront of her mind was why did she do all of this for a man like Kylo Ren? Would his past, crimes, and affiliation not be enough to drive reason into her?

"Why, Rey? Why did you go through all this effort to come here for him?" Rose let out softly in disappointment, not looking at Rey. Rose was slightly hunched with her legs outstretched in front of her with her knees locked.

"Kylo Ren and I were Force-bonded together that night on Starkiller Base by Snoke. It was not until I arrived to find Luke that we discovered the bond. And as the Resistance bombed the Fulminatrix, I went to him, in hopes to take him to the Resistance, but it was a trap. Kylo Ren delivered me to Snoke. Snoke wanted the map to Luke Skywalker, he pillaged my mind. Every corner, Rose, he defiled my memories. I tried to fight him, tried to use the Force against him, but Snoke was too strong and he took it as a challenge,"

"Kylo Ren could have listened to Snoke's orders to kill me, but instead he killed the Supreme Leader to save me. I tried to fight him, tried to not see him as a human, but the bond connects our minds, thoughts, and feelings. I could see the fight between Dark versus Light. I could see Ben Solo in there, fighting Kylo Ren, he wants to come back to the Light. I have seen another side to him and I know that does not excuse anything, but I know it is the first step for his redemption. I want to help him. I wanted to bring him back home to Ahch-To to be with his mother and to teach him how to balance himself. I know I do not deserve anything after lying to you, but we cannot tell anyone his true identity. It has to be kept between us four and General Leia." Rey let the story slip out between soft sobs. Rose was taken aback by the information her friend laid out to her. She brought a hand to her throbbing temple in hopes to calm the dull ache. Rose let out a long sigh, processing what Rey said. How could someone so strong like Rey be so susceptible to someone so insidiously evil? Was what she said true or had Kylo Ren convinced her of false truths?

"Rey, what you did was inconsiderate and dishonest. You could have come to any one of us with this information instead of running away after the First Order destroyed what was left of the Resistance. Then you came back and locked yourself away out of what? Shame? I don't think I can forgive you so quickly, but I will keep your secret. Rey, I am serious when I say this, do not lie to me ever again." With that the mechanic gathered herself and left the room, sudden exhaustion falling over her. Rose did not want to think anymore, hoping sleep would take care of it. Rey was left alone in the living area with her thoughts of her betrayal and lies. Her sobs continued for a moment before she began to feel the return of Kylo Ren through the Force. Their bond did not pull at her chest, but she could feel the rage from him. It was such a raw form of power that called to her through the Force. Rey could feel his sword slash through other Force signatures. Her eyes shut, the skin pulling into folds as they squeezed tight while the Force rippled the effects of his hurt, anger, and betrayal to her. She began to cry again at the thought of him being dragged back into the Dark's stronghold. It felt as if all this time Ben Solo had locked away Kylo Ren had only infused the rage he had. It was as if Kylo Ren returned with a vengeance, Rey had never felt this kind of fury from him. She shut herself off from the wrath, unable to handle anything more. She rose the back of her hands to her face, wiping away the wet tears from underneath her eyes.

Rey took in a deep breath trying to clear her mind, to center herself from the swirling emotions. This was all her fault. He may have not been discovered if she just let him be. Her friends would not have been so hurt and disappointed in Rey if she had just let him continue to hide on Dantooine. Maybe she lied to her friends and risked everything because of where she came from and how her life had unfolded. Coming from Jakku, everyone looked out for themselves. In a place like that, it was hard to find kindness and mercy, but as a child, two folks had shown it to her. She would never forget Troade and Mashra for that. She always told herself that she would be that person, to help others, always. Rey told herself that she would always fight for them and be strong when they could not be. This is a defining quality in the young Jedi apprentice, she may have not executed it in the right way tonight, but she did what she thought was right. Rey tried to reassure herself that she did the right thing by helping Ben as she sat alone in the living area. She tried to think of why he was worth risking herself and her friends. Images of him lashing out in anger, the slaughter of innocent Padawans, and Han Solo's murder blazed in her mind. The only reason she could come up with was that Rey wanted to save him for selfish reasons. Kylo Ren had not done one thing in his life that was worth saving from execution. She wanted to save him from himself, save him from the First Order. Rey has seen what he would become, a powerful Jedi, fighting alongside her. Not truly in the Dark or Light, somewhere grey. Somewhere both Kylo Ren and Ben Solo both could exist.

Rey was exhausted and just wanted to curl up in a ball and let sleep carry her far away from the day. She lifted her head up, not really looking at anything, and took a deep breath. Exhaling, she brought her hands to her thighs as she rose from the battered couch. She turned her body toward the entryway, placing her foot in front of her to walk out of the cold room. Rey was dazed and unfeeling as she made her way to her chambers as if on autopilot. The door wheezed opened as it revealed her small room and she stepped in making her way to her cramped bunk. Not even bothering to strip herself of her clothes, she let her body fall to the bed. Rey pulled the scratchy blanket to her, nestling into it trying to find some type of comfort. Moments passed in silence before the automatic lights turned off, leaving Rey in the dark. She shut her eyes, imagining that tomorrow would be better and that her friends would understand her actions better. She did not need them to forgive her as much as she needed them to see why she did what she did. Rey knew that they will never see what she sees in Kylo Ren, that Ben is fighting just beneath the cold exterior of his evil counterpart. She pushed the thoughts away of Ben and everything that transpired in the last few hours, trying to find peace. Rey began to meditate to allow for a clear mind to sleep.

Rey awoke from a dreamless sleep to an empty and cold room. Last night replaying over in her mind. She could still feel Ben's heat on her skin, the way his hand had grasped her hair. How his lips were so close to hers. And then, Poe, Rose, and Finn's faces after they realized Ben Solo's true identity flashed in front of her mind's eye. Her guilt returned with a crushing weight to her chest causing her to believe that it was about to cave. Rey's hand clutched her shirt, making it bunch up in her fist. Her heartfelt so conflicted. She did not know where she lay. Does she give up on Kylo Ren and Ben? Does she choose her friends and the Resistance? Rey did not know how to fix this and to make sure everyone was happy without sacrificing her own happiness. She did not want to give up on Ben Solo, cut him out like so many had before. And on the other hand, there were her friends, people she loved. They were the closest thing to family she has. The only people in the whole galaxy she could ask for advice were furious and biased. She wishes she had someone to talk to about what she should do. At this moment, Rey felt utterly alone. The deep ceded feeling of complete alienation flourished within Rey as she lay curled into herself. She imagined that this is what a mother would be good at. She liked to imagine that a mother would be a person that she could always turn to in times of uncertainty. Someone, that no matter how bad her actions, would love and comfort her. Rey had tried to pull an image of her mother to her mind an innumerable amount of times since she was a little girl. She always played on the idea that she was beautiful and strong.

Rey could feel the weight on her chest as she lay there thinking of her trespasses and isolation. Her tears threatening to escape the rims of her eyes. Self-hatred had never been an emotion she had ever felt, but at this moment she did. Rey had always been resolute and unafraid, but when she left Jakku for the first time in her life, she began to change. And in this moment, she had no idea who she is or what she stood for. There was a soft knocking on her chambers. It rang hollow through the metal door. The sound snapped her from the spiraling thoughts. The door wheezed open to reveal Finn standing in the hallway. Finn stood tall with his shoulders pulled back, almost defensively. His face held a cold expression as he stared into the dark room. Rey sat up in the bunk, the blanket fell as it bunched up at her waist. The lights remained off, but the light from the hallway illuminated the shadows. Rey stared at her friend not knowing what to say. She was shocked that he was even here.

"Can I come in?" Finn asked, no anger was there, but his voice was still cold. Rey nodded her head, allowing Finn to walk into the room. The automatic lights switched on as he crossed the entryway. Rey tossed the blanket back, swinging her legs over the side of the bunk. She kept her eyes cast down at the floor as her friend took a seat on the adjacent bunk. They sat there for a moment, the silence stood firm between them. Rey looked up at her best friend, he was now somewhat deflated. His posture was hunched over himself, his eyes cast away from hers, his hands grasped tight in his lap. But he spoke up.

"Rose told Poe and I what happened… and wow. That is just mad. I am not forgiving you, but I understand. I came to tell you that Poe and I will keep his secret. But do not expect him or I to like the situation…" Finn's voice trailed off at the thought of something worse crossing his mind. He took a deep breath, looking up to meet Rey's eyes that seemed so sad, but relieved that he was there. He gave her a half-hearted smile before his mouth parted, wanting to ask her about his worst fear, but he hesitated as his mouth closed.

"What? What is it?" Rey asked with a hint of fear creeping into her voice. Anxiety started to make her heart race, her palms became clammy at what Finn was holding back. He looked away, he did not know if he truly wanted an answer to his question, but his curiosity was growing.

"Do- do you love him, Rey? Is that why you went through all of this? Why you put everything we have left at risk?" His voice was riddled with a sense of pain. Rey was like his sister, he had felt like he needed to protect her. He knew that she needed no one to defend her, she grew up on Jakku, but he wanted to anyways. The thought of Kylo Ren and Rey together made him feel like he had failed her. The question stunned Rey, her eyes went wide. She did not know how to feel about the words love and Kylo Ren being in the same sentence. The thought that she might love him scared her even more. He was not a man that deserved love and yet she showed compassion toward him, kept coming back to him even though he hurt her. Her heart began to pound at the thought. How could she love him? An even scarier thought raced across her mind, does she love him?

No… that would be preposterous, right? I- I don't know. I care about him, but love him? Rey thought to herself as a sudden warmth sprawled over her body. The images of how close they were last night displayed in her head. His soft sighs of pleasure echoed in her ears, making a shiver run down her spine to a warmth that was beginning to pool. The way he bit his bottom lip and pulled her hair tightly, made Rey tremble. She tried to push the stolen moments from her mind, they were so private that it felt wrong to think about such things in front of a man she viewed as a brother. "I- I don't know if I love him. I care about him. I want to help him.. but love…?" The words felt so foreign as they slipped from Rey's lips. She had never said those words in reference to a person. Maybe she did love him. Maybe this bond they shared made her realize that he was so much more than Kylo Ren. She was ever so aware of his thoughts, feelings, and wants when they were together. They were so private and utterly human.

"I don't know.. he just has this way of drawing me in when I am around him. I am so curious to see what lies beneath the fake composure. I am just as confused about my relationship with him as you are. When we first bridged, I was furious at the sight of him, I hated him even. But the more it happened, the more of Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren, had begun to surface. I had a vision of the future one night, on Ahch-To, of what he could be. Ever since then, he has been reaching out towards the Light. I can feel it every time we connect. It is impossible not to see. I can see him. The true Ben Solo. I care about him. I want to see him come back to the Light, Finn. If that is love, then maybe I do." Finn straightened at her words. Hearing her actually saying that she cared for a monster like Kylo Ren made his anger flare up again, but he did not let it show because Finn came here to make peace with his friend.

"I don't like him, Rey. He is an abominable, treacherous murderer. But on the other hand, I love you. You are my best friend, my sister even. So if this is what you want to do, I will not stand in the way of you and Kylo Ren." Finn let the words out almost begrudgingly. He knew that he had felt the opposite of his promise, but he did love Rey. Rey was the only semblance of a family he had ever known. Finn winced at the thought of them touching, becoming more than friends. The thought of someone so pure being tainted by a sick, twisted monster, made his stomach clench. He could only imagine Kylo Ren pulling her into his intoxicating darkness, losing Rey forever. Finn trusted Rey, but could not shake the idea of her turning for Kylo Ren. Rey shifted her weight down onto the balls of her feet as she began to get off the bunk. She crossed the short distance between them and sat next to Finn.

"Thank you, Finn. I love you too." The friends look at each other with smiles spread across their faces, laughing. He had been angry with the Jedi, but it was all beginning to fade away.

Rey had finally worked up the nerve to come out of her chambers after Finn had come to talk to her. Her friends may not understand exactly what was going on, but they believed in her. They knew that her actions had good intentions. Rey was dressed in her usual linen attire as she walked into the corridor outside of her room and followed it to the living area. Hunger started to pang in her stomach as she stepped into the room. Rose, Finn, and Poe all sat in the semi-circle booth around the table eating. They were laughing at something, most likely a horrible joke Poe had said. Their laughter began to die out as Rey entered the room. She walked over to the group and took a seat on the outer section on the booth next to Rose. There was a small spread of food in the center of the table. Rey spotted scrambled eggs, most likely synthetic, and slices of puffer pig bacon. She had not had a hot meal since she had left the Resistance base. Rey picked up a thin metal plate in her left hand and picked up a concave serving utensil in her right. She began to scoop a portion on to her plate, her friends watching her in silence, but she did not let it stop her. After serving herself a portion of each item, she began to lift generous bites of food to her mouth, her eyes glancing over her friends. They were watching her, not expecting her to come out of hiding so quickly. Rey swallowed her food as her eyes darted to each of them, setting her fork down on her plate.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Her nerves came out as she spoke. She knew that her friends made it clear that they would not forgive her any time soon, but she would imagine that she would be able to enjoy a meal with them. Poe looked down at his plate, moving the remnants of his food with his fork. Finn stared back as Rey's eyes moved to Rose. She cast her glance away from Rey. The moment began to turn awkward for the four of them.

"It is nothing, Rey. We just weren't expecting you." Rose piped up, causing the silence to falter between the four of them. Rey started to deflate in her seat. Her actions still causing her friends to be distrusting of her.

"Well, I am here. You all know why I did what I did, but I have not said what needs to be said. You three, Poe, Finn, and Rose are the closest thing I have to family in the galaxy. I should not have lied to any of you to get you to save Kylo Ren. I can go on and on about why I did it, but it won't matter. What does matter is that you know that I love you all so very much. I am sorry for lying to you. Poe, Rose, Finn, I am so sorry. I don't expect things to return to normal so quickly, but I want you all to know that I will never betray your trust again. " Rey said with sincerity in her voice. They all knew that she meant what she said.

"Thank you, Rey. We appreciate it. Now can we just finish our meal?" Poe said with a smile spread wide across his face, the rest of the group began to laugh at his sarcastic remark. The laughter seemed to lift a weight that rested on all of their chests.

As the conversation began to fade and food began to wane, the group of Resistance fighters began to clear their plates from the table. Each of them loading them into a small sink. Poe placed his used dish underneath the running water that came from the faucet, washing it of food. He placed the clean plate in a drying rack to the right of the sink. He turned, almost in the same moment, to make his way to the cockpit. Rey was right behind him. They followed the short hallway to the small cockpit in silence. Rey took the co-pilot chair, settling into its worn cushion. She began to look over the various systems, making sure they were all in running order. The engines were reading that everything seemed in order. "All systems go," Rey reported to the seasoned pilot who was studying the navigation screen. They were coming up to two parsecs from Ahch-To. "Copy that," Poe confirmed as he began to flip various switches around him. The two pilots flew in silence, watching the streams of light flit by them. The silence was almost meditative to Rey. The mission had failed miserably, so, Rey and her friends were heading back to Ahch-To. She needed to speak with Leia, they all did. Finn wanted answers to how she could approve a mission for Rey to extract a sworn enemy to the Resistance. Poe wanted to know why Leia kept the identity of Kylo Ren a secret from her second in command. Rose, who was the most indirectly affected by Kylo Ren, wanted answers to how Leia could have let her son drift so far from the Light.

Poe began to relax in his chair, allowing his attention to pull from the stars. He turned his head to look at his copilot, she was sitting there with her eyes fixed on the navigation screen between them. The light illuminated her strong features. Rey had never shown this side of her, deceitful and conniving. The taste in Poe's mouth turned sour as he looked at who he thought was a woman of unequivocal moral standing. But she was just as weak as anyone else. Poe had always been drawn to the fight just as Rey. He always believed that he had to be the one to stand up for those who could not do it for themselves. When he found out about General Leia's movement, he had almost ran to the nearest recruiting station. The Resistance had become his life, his passion. He wanted to stop the First Order and liberate the galaxy from its clutches. Then Rey, one of his friends, comrades, has been sinking further into the grasp of Kylo Ren. She betrayed everything the Resistance stood for, everything Poe stood for. Rey must have felt his unwavering glare cast upon her. Not turning her head toward her Co-pilot, her eyes peered to her left to catch Poe's dark eyes. She could see his thoughts surface to his face, not even trying to hide his disgust. The erratic beeping from the ancient radar system pulled their locked eyes away. Poe's head whipped towards the system's screen. The winding cursor passed a blip that showed to be coming from directly behind them. A ship was following the group of Resistance fighters through Hyperspace. The two pilots readied themselves for the oncoming attacker. Until now the First Order was the only one with the technology of Hyperspace tracking.

"They've tracked us through Hyperspace and they are right on our tails. Rey, we are two minutes from dropping out of Hyperspace when we do I need you to turn to the weapon systems. We do not know who is following us, be ready for anything." Poe barked out the order, shouting over his shoulders as his eyes stayed glued to the stars whizzing past them. Rey gave a sound of acknowledgment to Poe. The

AL-KM44 Allanar N3 light freighter's engines started to whine as they started to slow the ship's speed. The effects of adrenaline that coursed through Rey's veins made every movement calculated yet reactionary. The ship almost lurched as it dropped out of Hyperspace. Rey unbuckled the harness that fastened her to the pilot's seat. Her strong legs pushed her upright. Without any words exchanged between the two pilots, Rey lifted the grated hatch just past the cabin. The grated door revealed steep stairs that lead to the weapon systems. Rey took the plunge down the steps that led just below the cabin. The space was big enough for one. The walls crowded around one chair and the laser cannon's joystick. The anterior side of her body pressed against the cold metal wall as she maneuvered the cramped space. She slipped her slim frame into the dusty chair. A plume of dust wafted out around Rey as her body fell into the seat in haste. There was an old headset with a mouthpiece. She slipped it on over her ears. They were cool to the touch, but there was no time for the young Jedi to dwell on trivial facts.

"Poe turn this ship around. I need to get sights on the ship behind us." Almost instantly with no reply from the pilot, the ship banked upward. The Transparisteel window revealed Ahch-To. It looked serene, peaceful. The bright dual stars were burning it's life force down onto the planet. It felt like weeks since she had been back to the base, but it began to slip from her line of sight as the freighter began to turn over. The stars scattered the expansive plane. Her eyes searched for the ship that had tracked them through space. She knew that one with such technology did not have benign intentions. The N3 light freighter idled in place. She searched her field of view with a keen eye, waiting for the ship to blip into sight. Seconds later another light spacecraft dropped in front of them. It too stood its place. It's pilot unwavering. The silence in the ship allowed for Rey to hear hasteful footsteps above her. The grated floors echoing Finn and Rose's heavy feet approaching the cockpit. No one spoke. Rey took the opportunity in the two ship's standoff to fire first. The almost ancient, yet powerful laser cannon rounds barreled toward the mystery ship. With unfathomable reflex, the mystery pilot maneuvered the cannon's fire. The other pilot banked his ship hard to the left and stayed there, unmoving as if saying it was not a fight he wanted. Poe sat in awe in his pilot chair at the other pilot's skill. As if the pilot of the rogue ship had seen Rey's fire coming. Poe had never seen a direct hit like that be avoided so fluidly and without fault. Poe could not see the other pilot's face from that distance, but he imagined that his expression bared a look of cocky achievement while Poe showed disbelief.

The mystery ship turned slowly toward the planet of Ahch-To and started to gain speed. The other ship started to gain distance before Poe began to follow after the light spacecraft. Rey shot off a burst of laser rounds from the N3's cannons. The retreating ship swerved and missed Rey's efforts, making sharp movements left and right. Rey watched the unknown pilot in awe. The pilot's skills were uncanny as he evaded Rey's calculated shots. Her right hand clutched the joystick of the laser cannon so fiercely that her knuckles turned white. Rey's face contorted into a focused expression as her sights narrowed on the unidentified spacecraft. Her index finger contracted around the trigger of the joystick, firing at the ship that was barreling toward the planet that sat suspended in space. Ahch-To was the current base of the Resistance and for this unknown pilot to head straight for the base was a threat to Rey and Poe. Both were determined to stop the pilot from reaching the planet's surface. With the pilot's impeccable timing and maneuvering of the Resistance group's efforts, they may not be able to stop the mystery light freighter in time before he reaches the planet. The light freighter dove into Ahch-To's atmosphere that began to turn around the ship's exterior. Poe could not let the ship escape his sights as he dove into the planet's atmosphere. His determination to keep their base a secret from the unknown pilot drove his actions as he followed. The AL-KM44 Allanar N3 light freighter began to shake as it entered the atmosphere with resistance. Their target had already made their way down and into the stratosphere. The Resistance group's ship may have been ancient, but its capacity for speed kept them just feet from the other pilot's ship. Rey took the opportunity to fire off another few bursts at the ship.

The laser cannon rounds barreled toward the rogue ship, but the other pilot shifted his trajectory at a steep decline causing him to miss the cluster of shots fired at him. There is no pilot, seasoned or not, that could evade fire like this one. Rey pawed at the idea that this pilot was a Force-sensitive individual. That could be the only explanation of how he could achieve advanced maneuvers. As the possible Force-sensitive pilot corrected from the steep decline, Rey fired a single shot at his spacecraft. She used the Force to direct the laser round to get a direct hit on the retreating pilot's ship. Her countenance was focused as she willed the shot toward the ship's wing, clipping it. The mystery pilot's ship began to hurtle dangerously towards the surface of Ahch-To. Poe's voice came through her headset, "Good shot, Rey. You got that son of a bitch!" A tight smile of satisfaction pulled the corners of her lips as her friends cheered on the deck above her. They followed the crashing ship towards the watery surface of their base planet. From their perspective, the group could see that the pilot was trying to maintain a steady trajectory. But the surface of the ocean was coming to fast. The mystery aviator was going to crash at dangerous speeds into the water. The pilot pulled up just as he was approaching the open waters. The ship skidded a few feet above the water before it started to topple over. The crew of the AL-KM44 Allanar N3 watched the ship's wings rip off the ship and the body of the craft being torn away from its frame by the ocean's surface tension. Their faces dropped in the horror of the tragic accident that was unfolding before their eyes. The pilot crashed with his ship, an honorable death. The group of Resistance fighters sat in their light freighter in silence as they watched the mystery ship sink below the surface. Rey bowed her head in respect to the lost life of the pilot she had shot down. None of the crew on the AL-KM44 Allanar N3 intended for the pilot to die. The accident that transpired before the four of them was truly tragic. Loss of life is never an easy concept to accept, especially for Rey who was responsible for the crash landing of the pilot.

"Alright, guys, let's go." Poe's voice called through the headphones in a mournful tone. The shock of the events hung in the air of the ship like a wet blanket. The AL-KM44 Allanar N3 turned around, leaving the wreckage behind them. The small band of Resistance fighters stayed silent as Poe flew them to base. Rey sat back in her dusty chair, slightly slumped over, as she watched the ocean crash against the small rocky landmasses that protruded out from the water. She had never been the direct cause of another being's death, such was against the Jedi Code. Feelings of guilt and remorse weighed heavily on Rey. She swallowed, letting her head lean back against the headrest, her hands came up to her face. Her hands moved her youthful skin around before she lifted them towards her hair. Her fingers made a raking motion through the loosened hair, as if in an attempt to calm her mind. The images of the gruesome crash played over and over in her head. At that moment Rey wished she could talk to Ben. Even though she had never considered him a friend, through the bond they had a deep understanding of one another. He felt what she felt and with that, she could try and find comfort. Since she had shut off the bond, she felt as if a piece of her was missing; she felt alone. Rey could not bring herself to reopen their bridge in fear of what waited for her on the other side. She could not subject herself to such fury that was fueled by the Darkside. The young Jedi apprentice lowered her head from the headrest of her chair to see that their ship was coming up on the main island.

The sight of the Resistance base washed relief over Rey as the AL-KM44 Allanar N3 light freighter settled unto its landing gear. She pushed herself up from the chair and pivoted out from the cramped space. Rey walked up the short, yet steep flight of stairs to the main deck of the ship. As she came out from downstairs, she turned to close the grated hatch to the laser cannons. Her eyes looked up to meet the eyes of Finn, Poe, and Rose. Their faces all bore an expression of sadness. She gave a halfhearted smile as she turned towards the hallway that led to the crew's chambers.

Rey sat in the deserted dining hall with her friends. None spoke a word to each other while they waited to be called into General Leia's private office. She expected a full report from the group. Leia knew that her son had not made it back with them, she was absolutely terrified at what her fighters might report. The group of friends could not even look at each other in the eyes. The tension from Rey's betrayal to them all still weighed heavily in the air between the four Resistance fighters. In the sheer silence, Rey could hear BB-8 rolling back and forth in place as if it was the droid's equivalent to twiddling its thumbs. Minutes went by before Leia strode into the room. Despite her anxiety, she walked with composure and grace. She kept her head held high when the group stared at her with mixed emotions. The General knew that she would have to answer for playing a part in the deception to extract her son. She stopped just short of the aged wood table that Rey and her friends occupied. "Come, follow me. Rey, you stay put." Leia offered no emotion in her voice as she waved the group to follow her. Rey knew that Leia telling her to stay behind would give her friends a chance to speak their minds freely. She gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to the General. Rey would wait here until Leia came back for her. She would want to know her side of the story. While Poe, Rose, and Finn had an extensive part of the story, they were not there while Ben Solo and Rey stood outside the ship. They did not see the bounty hunters shoot at them or how Ben Solo had fought alongside her. They only saw the most infamous lightsaber in the galaxy burn red in the night. They only knew what Rey had told them.

The silence continued on through the main corridor; only the echoes of footsteps filled the air. The group followed Leia that led them down the candlelit corridor towards her office. She raised her hand to meet the cool metal as she applied a light pressure on it to push the wooden door open. She left it open for the rest to file in after her. Finn was the last one in the room. He turned to shut the aged wooden door behind him. The door hitched with and hearty clunk. Poe, Rose, and Finn stood shoulder to shoulder in a line at the front of the General's desk. The quiet by now had taken its toll on Poe and was the first to break the suffocating silence. "Leia, how could you sanction an extraction mission for the galaxy's number one most wanted man? Would his violent crimes alone not make you think for a second that maybe he is far beyond salvation?" Frustration erupted from out from Poe as he spoke. Leia stood behind her matured desk with one hand clutched around the other. The three Resistance members stood there waiting for answers. She dared not to lose composure as she thought of her little boy who strayed so far from her while her agents stood on edge awaiting answers. Leia took a deep breath in order to settle her anxiety.

"I allowed Rey to undertake the extraction based on the fact that Kylo Ren is losing power over my son. I can feel Ben fighting, sensed it through the Force. Rey only confirmed it when she came to me some weeks ago telling me of his new path." The General let out almost plainly, trying to keep emotion out of her voice in the midst of the situation. The fact that Rey and General Leia had been withholding vital information for weeks now had infused the anger within Poe. The Pilot's nostrils began to flare as his eyebrows shot up, but he held back his thoughts. Poe's fists clenched tightly, his short nails dug into the skin of his palms. He allowed himself a moment before he took a deep breath to calm himself. Finn, Rose, and Leia stood in silence as they looked at Poe. Finn turned his sights to Leia as she began to let out a sigh.

"My marriage with Han was not perfect. He was drawn to the adventure and I was called to politics. When we had Ben we thought that it would fix our marriage, but it only made our existing problems multiply. Our son was a victim of our issues and absentee parents. As Ben got older, he started to lash out at school and became violent. I was almost never home to be any semblance of a mother, so I sent Ben away to Luke's school. Ben wrote to me every day and from the letters, the Jedi teachings seemed to be helping control his anger. As time went on, tensions were on the rise within the galaxy and I was called away, but his letters still came. I was never able to reply and at the time the galaxy seemed more important than my son. There was one night when I felt a grave disturbance in the Force and I could feel the scales shift violently," Leia looked away from the fighters that listened to her every word, but her story saddened her. "It was not until Luke came to me to tell me what had happened that I knew I had lost my son forever. After that, Luke and I thought it best to release a statement saying that Ben Solo was dead and that Kylo Ren had killed him along with the other Padawans." Leia had never shared her story like that. Even she liked to forget that time in her life. Her story was one filled with regret and sadness and it was as if she relived it all.

Leia's story dumbfound the group of Resistance fighters. They had no idea what to say to her. Regardless of the fact that Kylo Ren was her son, they felt some sense of sympathy for the General. Poe's temper was long gone as he looked at Leia. He had never known anything of her personal life. The only information that he knew was from her endless biographies on the HoloNet. Leia's eye looked away from her fighters and through the carved out the window of the dark office. The suns of Ahch-To were setting, casting deep orange and yellows across the sky. The endless ocean seemed calm as it bobbed up against the other small landmasses around the base. Her eyes felt heavy as tears threatened to escape from them. She regretted not being there for her son. She regretted not being the mother that Ben needed. And yet, when she approved Rey to go retrieve him, she had hope that she and Ben could start over. Leia pulled her eyes back to the group before her and stood up tall, trying to regain her composure.

"So, tell me what happened." Leia expected a full debriefing from the mission.

Rey sat in the pilot's chair of the Millennium Falcon. Her hair was loose and sat on her shoulders as she flew towards the crash site. She knew that she should have waited for Leia to call her into her office, but the downed pilot called to her. It was as if the Force was willing her to go back. The engines whined as she flew close to the water's surface. Her eyes scanned the waters to find some sort of evidence of the crash. By now the ship has sunk down to the ocean's floor. Rey had been searching for the pilot for what seemed an hour and she was beginning to feel discouraged in finding him. She spotted an island that was expansive enough to land the Falcon on. She flipped the switch to her left that controlled the landing gear. The mechanism gave out a hearty mechanical clunk as the landing gear locked into place. The pilot slowly lowered the freighter to the grassy surface of the landmass. The Millennium Falcon wavered as it settled on the ground. Rey cut the engines on the control panel that sat to her left. She pushed with her legs as she lifted herself out of the chair and pivoted out from in between the chair and controls of the ship. As she walked to the circular corridor her right hand extended behind her. The makeshift quarterstaff lifted from its resting place and drifted towards Rey's ready hand. It landed softly in her palm without sound. She continued to the ramp of the Millennium Falcon. The young Jedi had no clue what she would find, but she knew that whatever it was, the Force that was drawing each step she took closer to it. The hydraulics of the ramp hissed as it lowered. A blast of cool air wafted into the ship with Rey in the entryway. Rey walked down the ramp, her footsteps echoed by hollow thuds from the grated walkway.

Outside her feet were met with the soft cushion of the green grass. Rey stood still panning her head slowly left to right, scanning the open seascape. The dark waters ebbed and flowed and the soft breeze surrounded her. She walked to the edge of the rocky island and looked around to see the ocean for miles. The crash took place only a klick away from the island Rey stood on. In the unpredictable ocean of Ahch-to, if the pilot survived, it would not have been an easy feat to make it to land. Scenes from the crash played back in her mind. The way the cladding was ripped violently away from the frame of the ship drove a shiver down Rey's spine. She could only imagine what happened to the pilot. There was a faint tug at Rey's chest, it was warm and familiar. The Force was calling her, beckoning her to move on from where she stood. The young Jedi turned expecting to find someone behind her, but no one was there. She knew that she had to move on using the Force has a compass to what she was called there to find. Her feet pulled her forward, closer to the edge of the cliff. The water had taken a turn, the waves were crashing against the jagged slopes of the island. Rey took a deep breath to calm her mind, letting the Force take her where it called. She rose her arms above her head, fingers held to a point and jumped off the cliff into the wild waters of Ahch-To.