Star Wars | Episode X: The Edge of Destiny

Chapter 30: Secrets Revealed

"How have you been, kiddo?" 

I turn from looking at the secured door at the end of the hallway and see Maz walking towards me--I smile at her. 

"I sense that you are in great pain, child," Maz says as she approaches me.

I look down at her and can feel the tears forming in my eyes. 

"What is it, Rey? Tell me..." She steps closer to me.

"I don't even know where to start anymore, Maz," I choke as tears fall from my cheeks.

"The beginning. Why did you want me to look after it?" she asks softly. 

The tears fall harder and I can't choke back the sadness any longer.  I start to cry and fall to my knees on the stone floor.  Maz approaches me and places her arm around my shoulder.

"I don't even know what the beginning is anymore, Maz.  I have had to weave so many lies to the ones I love the most.  I am being torn in three different directions---destiny, love, and duty. I have even lied to Finn.  He acts like he doesn't know I'm lying to him. But deep down I sense he knows..."

Maz turns me slowly with her small hands and I come face to face with her.  "Rey, you would not tell a lie for deception.  You are only trying to protect them. Tell me, what do you need me to do with that item Luke found so long ago?"

"You have to deliver it to Ahch-To," I say handing her a small drive with the coordinates in it.  "You need to give it to the head Lanai caretaker. She will know what to do with it," I say handing the small drive to Maz. Maz looks down at the drive and her mouth draws a small frown. I see sadness growing in her eyes. 

She slowly plays with the small drive in between her fingers and tries to gather her thoughts. After a few moments, she finally speaks. "Rey, what do you plan on doing with the Dagger of Mortis?"

 I wait a moment to speak as I try to regain my composure. "He's inside of me, Maz," I choke on a sob.

Maz's face grows firm and stares deeply into my eyes. "Rey, are you saying, he, somehow found a way to attach to you?"

"Yes."

"You killed him on Exegol, how could he have survived that! What are you going to do with this blade, Rey?" Maz says with concern. Deep down she knows the answer but does not want to face the reality of what I must do.

"I have to kill him."

"Rey, how? How could you do that and not kill yourself!" Maz's small hand cusps my right cheek.

"It is the only way, Maz.  You know what he would do if he came back. You have seen his evil spread across this galaxy before.  You know he must never come back..."

"Rey no! Tell me everything! There has to be another way! You have to be overlooking something!"

"I have to do this," I choke.

"Tell me everything!" Maz screams and her small hands grip tightly against my shoulders.  She knows what I'm saying and knows the price I must pay.  

"Rey! Tell me!"

"It all started after our victory against the Sith fleet," I say finally.  Maz relaxes her grip and listens.

"After we won, I started to have visions of a dark future in my dreams at night.  These visions were evil...Palpatine would find some way to return to this world--he needed me. We fell for his trap on Exegol, Ben died for nothing!  Ben thought he was saving me but really he ended up doing what Palpatine needed him to do--die. That bastard needed the life force of Ben and me to survive! Palpatine would never be able to return to this world if both of us were here. I did exactly what he wanted! I fell for his trap and lost Ben! I lost everything!" I turn my face away and wipe the new tears that have fallen from my eyes away and return my gaze to Maz.

She patiently waits for me to speak.

"After I returned months later to Exegol, I discovered a cavern dedicated to the World Between Worlds.  I was only able to decipher it because of my newfound ability to read ancient Sith I was given after defeating Palpatine.  The information led me to numerous places but eventually to Mustafar.  I discovered Darth Vader's datacron on another world and brought it to his castle there.  He was trying to bring this Padme back from the Spirit world."

"Padme?" Maz asks somberly.

"Yes."

"That was Luke's mother," a frown spreads across Maz's face as she connects numerous events from her past now.  

"Really?" my voice cracks as my bottom lip trembles.

"Yes," Maz says slowly taking a seat next to me on the stone floor.

"I went into Vader's castle. I found the laboratory in the depths below where he tried to bring her back.  After examining the ruins of the laboratory and my months of research I discovered not only was Vader in the wrong location to bring her back, but he was missing a piece. I discovered the missing piece after reading an ancient scroll in the old Jedi temple--this," I say holding up the Dark Saber attached to my belt.

I feel through the Force Maz's curiosity.  I know that she has heard of this blade from tales of old but never seen it with her own eyes.

"How did you get this?" she asks with intrigue as I hand her the blade. She examines the hilt with tender care.

"I knew the enemy had the coordinates to the Dark Saber and based on my research I knew that the caretaker of the blade would never reveal itself to them--only to me.  That's why they gave up the coordinates of its last location."

Maz's eyes grow bigger from looking at the Dark Saber.

"I knew the enemy had eyes everywhere and was watching me at all times.  I planted the datacron on Mustafar for them to take as soon as they started following me.  I knew they would input the coordinates to this Saber in it. After they did that and held the auction on Hutta I knew they had fallen into my trap.  They even auctioned Vader's Tie Fighter to follow me to the planet. I had to pretend to be ignorant this whole time."

"The enemy has revealed their hand to me. I have everything I need now, Maz.  The only thing that has to happen is for you to deliver these items to Ahch-To once we depart from here and you cannot tell anyone where you are going."

"Rey, why haven't you told your friends about your plan? Why must I deliver this to Ahcho-To?"

"If I told them what has to be done--they would try to stop me." Tears begin falling from my eyes.

"Rey, what are you going to do with the Blade of Mortis?"

"Palpatine will die once and for all."

"Rey, how will do this?" Maz's voice draws concern.

"Ben."