While General Leia Organa was worried, she was also slightly relieved. Rey finally gave herself to Kylo Ren—to the Dark side. Because of her decision, Ben was finally back on the Light side. For Rey and Kylo Ren to switch sides was Step One of the Resistance's plan to restore peace to the galaxy. Now, it was time for Step Two.
After a long day of teaching at the Academy, Leia decided to go for a walk down Palm Tree Beach. Just being there, she remembered the day she and Rey sat on the palm, and Leia told the young woman, "Destiny is not a horse." She felt her aura. While weak, it was more peaceful than the aura she wielded when she was on the Light side. That told Leia that Rey was right where she belonged. Now, she had to wait for Ben to return with the Resistance heroes. From there, she could put Step Two into action.
At peace with herself, Leia sat on the palm she shared with Rey and stared at Supher's orange ocean. She thought about Rey, and then her mind moved over to the Beacerika. If not for the Beacerika, Rey and Ben may have never switched sides. The Beacerika's duty was to snuff out any Force-sensitive individual struggling between the Light and Dark sides of the Force and take them on a journey to their true destiny. Leia was proud of it but also sad because she knew it sacrificed itself to save Rey from her own Force abilities—the supernova.
She nodded to the ocean and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Beacerika."
"Leia," a voice suddenly spoke from off to the side.
Leia jumped slightly at the sound, but then she recognized it. She slowly turned her head, and her eyes landed on Luke Skywalker beside her.
His ghost gave her a feeble smile and came toward her. Leia let him sit down on the palm beside her. He smiled at his sister, and she smiled back.
Then, chuckling slightly, the deceased Jedi spoke just four words: "'You changed your hair.'"
Leia also chuckled. "You're still the impetuous kid I knew from my youth."
Luke laughed and asked, "I am, aren't I?" He picked up Leia's hands and kissed them. "Leia," he continued, gently squeezing them, "it is done."
"I know it is. Rey did what she had to do. Now we have to wait until Temiri and Lando return with Ben."
"We're going to win this war, " Luke encouraged the weary general. "I know we are. Ben will confront Rey, and they will take out Palpatine together."
"The Force is balanced," Leia said with a nod, "and it's all thanks to Ben, Rey, and the Beacerika."
***
"So, what exactly happened to you?" Yamo asked General Hux as the Millennium Falcon jumped to lightspeed.
"It was weird," Hux admitted. He held a warm drink and had a blanket over his shoulders. "There I was, minding my own business—being the loser I am—and suddenly, an old coot approached me. He told me I do not deserve to be the Supreme Leader."
"Eh, you really don't," Rose said with a slightly disgusted look.
"Quiet," Hux begged. "I don't need you rubbing it in. Anyway, I refused to give up the throne, so the coot threatened me. Said he would take it by force, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up with that little boy hovering over me."
"My name is Temiri," Temiri spoke from one of the common room's chairs.
Poe Dameron paced back and forth before Hux, arms crossed. "The Emperor possessed you. He's trying to create a new Darth Vader—a new Galactic Empire."
"By using Rey," a stressed-out Finn finished for him. "Not Ben Solo, but Rey."
"After all, Rey is the Descendant of Evil," Rose admitted. "There is too much light in Ben."
In a thoughtful voice, Poe said, "It all makes sense. Rey is just as powerful as a supernova. The whole reason why she's the Descendant of Evil is because she has a connection with Palpatine."
Beside him, Lando rested his palm on one of the common room's tabletops. "Why are all the problems in this galaxy due to family issues?"
Right as he said that, Chewbacca laughed a little.
Slightly glaring at him, Lando asked the Wookie, "Are you having fun over there, Fuzzy Mc. Muzzy?"
Again, Chewie laughed.
Finn, Rose, and Poe remained serious.
Finn slapped his hands down on the table Temiri sat at and told his friends, "We have to find her."
"Find her? Find who?" Temiri did not like where this was going.
Finn glanced at him and answered, "Rey."
"Why?" Instantly, Temiri was on his feet.
Rose stopped beside Finn and took his shoulder. "She needs us."
"Ben is also on Jakku," said Poe. "I know he is. After all, he tends to follow her wherever she goes. Therefore, it is only necessary to return to Jakku."
"We cannot look for Rey," Temiri sternly said. "We can look for Ben, but not Rey."
"Why?" Finn, Rose, and Poe asked at the same time. All three Resistance heroes glanced at the little boy.
"Guys, do you not even realize what's happened to her?" he asked them. "Rey is on the Dark side now. Zip. End of story."
"That doesn't matter!" Finn shouted, banging the tabletop with his fist. "She's still our friend!"
"Guys, we failed our mission once. We're not going to do it again. This is not what Leia expects from us!" Who knew that Temiri, a ten-year-old boy, could be so intimidating? He gave Rose, Poe, and Finn the evil death glare. "Rey is where she belongs. We need to let her go."
"Forget it!" Poe also punched the tabletop. "We're going to Jakku, Temiri, and we're going to find her!"
"I was afraid you'd say that. Leia was right. You really are a reckless pilot."
"Ooh!" Poe turned red from his heels up, but he refused to make a move on the rebellious little boy. He, Rose, and Poe merely pushed past him and made their way to the Falcon's cockpit.
Behind, Temiri crossed his arms. He exchanged glances with Lando, Yamo, Hux, and Chewie and admitted, "Rey is not going to be the downfall of this galaxy. Nor is Kylo Ren, and nor is the Emperor. It's going to be those three."
When the Millennium Falcon jumped out of lightspeed, there was Jakku, back to the normal planet it was before. An exploding star no longer threatened it since Rey swallowed the supernova's energy, but it did not mean it was out of danger.
Poe landed the Falcon in one of Jakku's deserts, the Koewika Desert, and shut her down. Blasters in hand, he, Rose, and Poe were the first to head down the ship's ramp.
Chewie and Temiri went with them, but Lando and Yamo stayed behind. They had a few more questions for General Hux. Besides, after losing the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo many years ago, Lando was too proud to let her go.
As the five friends left the Falcon, he hugged her control panel and whispered, "It's okay, baby."
Finn, Rose, Poe, Chewie, and Temiri searched the Koewika Desert for an hour and a half but found nothing. Other than an occasional oasis or two, the area was empty. It was so quiet—it was suspicious.
Finn, Rose, and Poe held their blasters at the ready while Chewie protectively held his arm up to Temiri's chest. They walked for another ten minutes, and then Finn saw it. Further ahead of him and his friends was a disabled and smoking bundle.
From out of nowhere, Finn shouted, "The Robin Hood!" and sprinted to the wreck.
Rose, Poe, Temiri, and Chewie followed him. When they reached the smoking, disabled Robin Hood, Finn, Rose, and Poe fell to their knees and started to dig through the debris. They knew it was the ship Rey flew for her battle against the supernova. Temiri told them.
As he pulled debris from the wreck, Finn called for Rey: "Rey! Rey, are you in there?" No answer. He tried again. "Rey!" No answer. "Where is she?" frightfully asked the young man. There was nothing that indicated she may be trapped under all the debris.
After a little more digging around, Rose and Poe backed up from the wreck. Together with Temiri and Chewie, they started to survey the area. Finn remained at the wreck.
Temiri wasn't really looking. Instead, he froze and stared at the horizon when he felt something unsettling. He couldn't help but feel something was coming for him and his friends, but what? Whatever it was, it was enough to make Temiri feel uncomfortable.
Just before Finn gave up searching the wrecked Robin Hood for Rey, Rose called him from the top of a hill.
"Finn!"
At her voice, Finn looked up and saw her waving him over. Quickly, he got up from The Robin Hood and joined her at the top of the hill, "What is it, Rose?"
Rose did not speak. She merely closed her eyes and pointed ahead to Jakku's wide-open spaces.
Finn looked in the direction she was pointing, and instantly, he broke down in sweat. "Rey!" Sure enough, there was Rey. She was lying unconscious in the sand.
Finn wasted no time. He sprinted down the hill, with his friends following him, and approached her. Even Temiri came only because he had a feeling they were in danger.
Finn knelt beside Rey and grabbed her arm. "Rey!" She let out a small, painful grunt as he held her in his arms. "Rey! Rey! Please, no!" He slapped her cheek, but she did not open her eyes.
It wasn't long before Finn felt Rose take his shoulder, and she spoke worriedly, "Finn, her arm." When the supernova threw her onto the floor during her battle, the impact totally damaged Rey's arm.
It looked broken; if it were, Finn would give that supernova a piece of his mind. "What did that supernova do to her?" he shouted angrily.
"Finn, Finn, calm down." Rose once again leaned on his shoulder. "We can help her."
"Help her?" asked Temiri. "How many times do I have to tell you guys? If and when she wakes up, she'll be on the Dark side!"
Finn peered over his shoulder and glared. "So, what are you saying? That we leave her here?"
Temiri shrugged and answered, "Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Temiri, what is wrong with you?" Finn gently set his friend back down on the sand and rose to his feet. As he stomped to Temiri, Poe was the next one to sink beside Rey. Finn stopped before Temiri and clenched his fists. "Rey's hurt! Her arm may be broken, and you're saying we should leave her?"
"If we're going to protect the Resistance, it's best for us. Guys, Rey is just as powerful as a supernova. If we return her to Supher, she will destroy the Resistance."
"She's hurt!" Quickly, Finn pulled his attention away from the little boy and focused on Chewie instead. "Chewie, we need to get her back to the Falcon!"
"We don't 'need' to," said Temiri. "She is super dangerous, guys. Just leave her be."
"You're treating her like she's some kind of animal!" Finn snapped.
"Well, excuse me." Holding up his hands, Temiri backed away from the angry young man. "I'm just trying to protect the Resistance."
"You know, I thought I liked you at first." Still glaring, Finn placed his hands on his hips.
"Well, if you hate me, you hate me," said Temiri. "All I'm saying is we're not supposed to bring Rey back to Supher. We're supposed to bring Kylo Ren."
"Kylo Ren! Kylo Ren! Why is it always Kylo Ren? He got us in this situation in the first place! Chewie!" Finn stomped his foot and whirled around to the trembling Wookie. "We need to get her back to the Falcon!"
"Fine. That's your decision," Temiri uttered. "But you're going to regret it in the future."
Finn, Rose, and Poe did not care. They just wanted old Rey back. They did not like the new one.
Everybody moved aside and let Chewie come within reach of her. He prepared to pick her up, but the friends heard the roars of spaceships just before he could.
Gasping, everybody whirled around to see an army of TIE Fighters approaching them. They whipped up sand as they flew and readied their guns.
Finn leaped before Rey to protect her, holding his arms out to his sides. Sweat trickled down his temples, but it was not just because of the heat. He was frightened.
As the TIEs closed in on the six friends, Temiri threw his hand back. In an angry voice, he told Finn, Rose, and Poe, "And this is why you should have let Rey be."
ns 15.158.61.5da2
