Us Against the World

21

Poe continued talking. My ears were not listening to Poe, they were focused on the movements of Rey as she ran off to where she kept the Jedi texts. The moment she ran back to us, a familiar red book clutched in her hands, one that I had read.
"General, Lowla, can I speak with you?" I moved before Leia, following Rey as Leia followed behind us. She knew how to find Exegol.

Rey turned to a page in the texts and I began to read over it. Each word screamed to me that this was the best option we had, the only way we were going to find the planet of the Sith and destroy them once and for all.
"I know how to get to Exegol." Attached to the page were different papers, all Luke's writing, his notes about clues to a wayfinder giving me more hope. Rey continued explaining every detail to Leia, convincing her that this was where we needed to go. I sensed Leia reluctance, not wanting to let Rey go, especially if the fleet couldn't be stopped in time. Rey had become like a daughter to Leia, and we both knew Rey needed to complete her training.

I turned to Leia to see her already looking at me. She wanted to know what I thought about it.
"I'll continue her training on the way." I offered. A feeling washed over me, one of confidence, and I knew that this was what we needed to do. "If my idea is going to work, then I need to be closer to Ben. Staying here won't do that."

Leia had been well aware of my plan. We had discussed it under my tree, looking at the stars as if they held the answers. She trusted me, she believed in me and I wouldn't let her down. At first, she had offered to try and reach out to Ben, or try and hear Anakin, but something told me that it had to be me. Leia promised that when I was able to speak to her dad, that he would listen, that he would help. I needed to work out why our force bond wasn't working, and if I couldn't reach Ben, I'd have to talk to him. The general agreed that something wasn't right, she felt like someone was blocking us, fearing that Ben was turning so they wanted to stop it.

As we readied to leave the next morning, I watched Rey and Leia's embrace. It wasn't until she moved in front of me that I realised I had no idea what I wanted to say. There had been so much I needed to thank her for, and no way for me to show my gratitude. Instead of talking, she embraced me, clearly feeling the same as me. We had said goodbye so many times, swore to bring Ben home even more, and knew we would never have the time to say all the words we needed to. Leia pulled away and looked at me.
"You've grown so much, Lowla." She admired, comparing me to the frightened little girl she had met at first. She had been the mother figure I had never known and always craved.
"Leia..." I trailed off, not knowing where to begin in the seconds we had left. If anything went wrong with our mission, I'd be dead and so would Leia and most of the universe. She reached her hand and placed it on my cheek, looking at me with a love in her eyes that was reserved for her child.

"I'm glad Ben has you." With a tear falling from my eye, we pulled away and I entered the Millenium Falcon, memorising the image of the General waving us off, wishing us well, and praying for our success. Everything felt so final.

Aboard the falcon, everyone was gathered in the cockpit. I didn't feel like joining the party. Instead, I sat down, and closed my eyes. Now wouldn't be the time to get the concentration needed to try and talk to Anakin, so instead I reached for Ben.

I couldn't help feeling like the young girl sat alone in a field, channeling the force to try and see Ben, clearing my mind and searching for where he was, wanting to find the boy I had fallen in love with. On the falcon, I could almost feel the grass beneath me, the breeze lifting my hair.

This time, instead of feeling Ben but not having him answer, I could see him. It felt like I was watching him sit on his bed in his room, through glass. I went to move forward only to find me stuck, frozen in place and watching him run his hands through his hair. Even through this, I could feel his pain, his upset. All I wanted was for him to look up, to see me. I began to shout for him, call his name over and over again as I became desperate for an answer. He should be able to hear me. Why couldn't he sense I was there?

A figure in the corner of the room caught my attention. He was dressed in a dark cloak that fell over his face, casting a shadow over all his features so he couldn;t be seen. He had his hand raised, revealing pale, bony fingers directed at me, holding me in place. This being was the reason Ben couldn't see me. My screaming increased as I tried to fight his hold over me, glaring at the reason for my anguish. When I could feel the screams shredding my throat, I finally saw Ben look up, eyes wide as he called my name. His eyes didn't meet mine but he looked around the room, standing up.
"Ben!" I shouted, his head turning to where I was before whatever being stood in the corner pushed me away, out of the connection and back into the falcon.

One word filled my mind. One that poisoned my thoughts and consumed every part of me. It was a word that angered me and scared me. Palpatine.