Force Destiny

Lightning

It was one simple sentence, but if it was true, if it was as significant to him as it was to her, then it changed everything.

It was complicated enough that the Force had shut their connection when Rey had so many questions about his consequential words. It was worse, because they hadn't been connected again since. Had he meant it? Or had she twisted his little game of "hide-n-seek" into something that it wasn't? Perhaps he had used that thought because he knew its significance to her, even if it wasn't true. She couldn't ask him, because he had disappeared and never returned. Had he sensed her hope that the words were true? Had he regretted it? Certainly, it wasn't real. That was impossible, wasn't it?

That was what she convinced herself in the silence following their connection. If he had meant it, he wouldn't have blocked her out. And he had clearly blocked her out. At first, she was angry with him. How could he play games with her heart, then leave her alone without another word? That wasn't the man she thought she knew. The longer they went without contact, however, the more unsettled she became. What if... what if something terrible had happened. Kylo had told her that a mutiny was "only a matter of time." What if he was in danger? What if he was imprisoned?

As the others slept, she slipped away to the Engineering Bay, where her friends couldn't find her or hear her. It was in all their best interests if she avoided another confrontation, though she was thankful it was made easier by Poe's departure. If Rose or Finn found them, she trusted that Kylo would be safe. She trusted him to keep them safe.

Rey slid down the wall and closed her eyes. She dragged herself deeper into the Force as she had done once with Luke's guidance the only time he appeared to her after his death. It would be simpler this time; she had the assistance of the bond, a hyperlane straight into his mind. Rey followed the glowing cord across the stars until she found the dark, viscous stormcloud of his consciousness.

Her face was reflected in the darkness as she approached. She had hesitated before, only allowing herself to touch it, but this time she was resolute in her determination. Her outstretched palm touched the substance, and she was surprised by its solidity. A mist of darkness passed over her hand, but it felt less like a cloud and more like a wall. No, not a wall, she thought, staring at her reflection through the mist, a mirror. Gathering her light around her, she used the strength of the Force to push through the thickness of the slimy darkness and into his mind. As soon as the light touched the shadows, it was effortless. There was not a single barrier to stop her. The darkness subsided, and she was in Ben Solo's mind.

Immediately, she was met with temptation. She had access to his thoughts, memories, feelings, secrets. She had access to everything. Anything she had ever wanted to know about him was at her fingertips; all she had to do was search for it.

If she wanted to know sensitive information about the First Order – where they were located, their battle strategies and weaknesses – she could find it without resistance. If she wanted to know his most vulnerable memories or even his deepest, darkest secrets... it was all at her mercy. She could dissect his true feelings for her, a question that had plagued her thoughts for weeks. And, perhaps, if he were truly her enemy—if she didn't love him—she might have explored the places he would never grant her access.

The wings of her desire for knowledge of him were weighed down by the burden of an unspoken promise to him. If she took from him what he had not willingly given, it would be a betrayal of his trust. Despite her profound curiosity, her loyalty to him and their bond was stronger. It might have been everything the Resistance needed to win the war, but they were enemies no longer.

Rey focused instead on the memories and feelings that were immediately present when she entered his consciousness, hoping there would be an answer to why he had shut her out from the bond. Well, it was more like she stumbled upon them. She was immediately met with his thoughts when she entered his consciousness, just as she had been the first time in the interrogation room. Only this time, his thoughts were not centered on finding the map and becoming as powerful as Darth Vader.