The Balance and The Force {Star Wars Ep. X}

s. XI

Anni sat in her bedroom on the base alone. Her brother had New Order business to attend to and she didn't have much to do either.

She could always train by herself but that never seemed to get her anywhere. She sat on a mat in the middle of the floor. Her legs crossed and her hands gently touching her knees.

She breathed out as she tried to connect. She needed to reach someone she knew back on the resistance base.

"Ryder... Mom... Someone, hear me." she said in her own head. She felt herself come to peace. She felt her body relax and her mind get clear.

There was no one. She felt like there was a wall blocking her from connecting with anyone. Maybe, she just wasn't strong enough yet.

Her eyes flew open suddenly as someone opened her door. She fell from the air again, not even noticing she had been floating.

"Ms. Solo." The voice said. Anni turned suddenly to see an official standing there. "Supreme Leader Alec would like to see you."

"But Kai is in-" Anni started but she was shut up immediately.

"A meeting? We know. Come with me." The man said before turning and leading her to Alec's throne room.

Once inside Alec sat up in his throne and watched as Anni walked in alone. She held her hands behind her back as she stood in front of him.

"Child, I've called you in here for a good reason. I've sensed you've been having nightmares, but I have also sensed a longing in you. There's things you don't know and you wish to have the answers to them, correct?" Alec began.

Anni's hands were sweaty. She gripped onto her wrist and nodded gently. "I would like to know more about my father, I would like to know more about these dreams and my family..."

"I have all the answers for you. I have the truth. But, are you sure you want to know it?" Alec had a grin appearing on his face. "It could ruin the image of light you so desperately want to hold onto."

Anni stood there nervously and rubbed her hands on her pants. "I don't need to know everything, I don't need you to show me these things. My parents would tell me!"

"Would they, child? Your mother has kept more from you than you know. Things that she was afraid would turn you to the dark side."

Anni was suddenly lifted into the air and forced to come to his throne. Anni felt herself being pushed down onto her knees in front of him. Her hands were held behind her back.

She felt tears starting to prick at her eyes as his hand gently caressed her face. "You two could be so powerful, if you could just see what the dark side holds."

Anni felt Alec was trying to push himself into her mind. She tried to shake her head. "You know we both are different. Nothing you can do will make the two of us do your bidding."

"I want your father dead, or on my side. No exceptions. Soon, you'll realize the power of the dark side. How it can control you, and how you two do feel it. I can tell something is holding the force back from you two, something is blocking you from seeing the truth." Alec whispered as he got closer to Anni. His hot breath against her face.

She whimpered and closed her eyes tightly. She was frightened. Though, it was making sense. Why else had she seen her ancestors, and who else would be blocking her from contacting her parents?

Suddenly, her mind went blank for a second as Alec got himself inside her brain.

Images started flashing in her mind. First, it was a young boy.

A woman's voice was calling out the name Ben. He was running towards a woman who had her in a braid. She was dressed in white.

Suddenly, the picture changes and the same young boy is being sent away with someone she recognized as Luke Skywalker. Someone her mother had talked about quite a bit.

Then, everything changed. Anni saw a burning building, slaughtered bodies, and that same boy wearing dark clothing. She saw him fleeing. She felt his pain inside out. She saw flashes of anger and pain. She physically felt it. Her heart raced as she saw the man killing and killing. Growing up to try and be just like his grandfather.

She knew this had to be her father.

Anni then saw a young girl on a desert planet. She saw her being abandoned. She then saw her growing up alone and becoming a Jedi.

Though, she felt her pull to the dark too. She saw how the young woman fought with her father. She saw her mother coming to realize who her ancestors were. She saw it all.

Then, Exegol. The whole thing played through her mind like she was really there. She saw Palpatine and she saw the battle. She saw her mother die and the sacrifice her father made for her.

She saw how she was concieved. She felt it in that moment, she knew what was what happened.

Then, she saw her mother become alone again.

Her thoughts snapped back into reality as everything became clear. Anni was let out of her hold as she fell back onto the ground.

The hot tears streamed down her face and before she knew it Alec was pulling her back up to stand in front of him.

She couldn't believe the amount of hate and horror her parents had seen. The amount of anger that they had to deal with over their past and their family.

She couldn't believe how abandoned everyone was. Was this true? Did the Jedi path only ever leave to being alone?

Her hands were shaking and Alec was holding them. All Anni wanted to do was push him away. She wanted to kill him for making her see the truth.

She knew this is what it must feel like. This must be what the dark side is.

"I can feel it, your anger. It finally races through your veins as it should. You've been bringing your brother back to the light, and that can't happen, can it, darling?" Alec put a hand up to caress her again.

Suddenly, Alec went flying back. Anni had used the force to push him back against the wall behind him.

She turned and ran towards the door. She felt so scared and confused. She needed to find her brother.

That's all she felt she had left to ground her. She felt like she was going to go out of control.

She ran out of the room before Alec could get her. Stormtroopers went racing down the hall and Anni grabbed her lightsaber off her belt. She blocked their shots and managed to make them go flying back. She kicked one before throwing a group of others at the wall. She ran down the hallways.

She didn't realize she was screaming till the blaster shots stopped. She was running with no real place to go.

She got tired and exhausted. Running in circles as she kept her mind blank. She couldn't let herself think.

Suddenly, she realized she couldn't run any longer. Her knees collapsed on the cold hard ground. Her lightsaber turned off and rolled a bit away from her on the ground. She heard footsteps behind her.

That's when Anni realized she hadn't been running far at all. The throne room doors were still behind her and the dead stormtroopers lay limp around her. There had to be a dozen of them.

She turned to see Alec and Kai behind her. Alec must have used a mind trick on her to make her feel like she ran through the whole ship.

"I made her see everything, Kai. I made her feel all that pain." Alec said. "As you wanted me to."

A/N: oooOOoOOOOO PLOT TWIST