Author's Note: Second last chapter you guys!!!!! Frick this one was amazing to write, and I'll be coming back around to fix mistakes in it. Thanks for all the patience...the more you spur me on, the greater the chapter becomes from what I initially imagine!
*
The blood.
Tainted when it entered the body, it moved to fester in the bones, stirring production of the darkness, damaging the marrow to prevent replication of the healthy cells.
It spread like an insidious wildfire, mingling in the arteries and veins little by little, more cells returning to join the pool of life.
The river opened up suddenly, and the darkness flowed out with the good, emptying itself from the vessel...
*
Copious amounts of the scarlet fluid flowed over Rey's fingers, pressed firmly into her robes. Her arm was trembling as she staggered backward in shock at the injury she'd sustained, hurt and betrayal on her face.
It took all of Ben's self-control to not lose it in the wave of guilt crashing over him. He wished there was another way, but there was no other choice.
"It's in your blood, Rey" the words tumbling from his mouth. "Palpatine...his blood."
"Was this the only way?" Rey paled and disorientated with pain, looking down at one of her palms to see her fingers shaking. "I shouldn't have followed him to the underground...". Reeling off balance, her back came to rest against a wall under the stairs and she gasped, lowering herself to sit on the cold floor.
"I should have listened to you...instead of looking for them everywhere. It was my greatest weakness."
Ben rushed to her, his hands sorrily tempted to cradle her face but instead focused on carefully prying her fingers away from the fabric so he could look at the wound. A generous clot of dark blood fell out, followed by the slow, syrupy pour of what appeared to be tar. It was so thick that it rolled off the fabric of her robes, congealed and viscous with a mind of its own.
The blood rolled out onto the floor, a molasses of vital fluid, and it sickened Ben to watch as it bubbled and steamed for a few moments before it died of air exposure.
The prominently blue veins around Rey's jugular began to fade rapidly as her abdomen emptied of the dark fluid. Finally, the flow petered out and bright red blossomed suddenly around the inflicted injury. Rey's own blood now stained her white robes.
Ben stripped his tunic quickly, down to just a loose undershirt, balling it up on one end and pressing it in to stop the bleeding. Rey cried out with the pressure as Ben took her hands and firmly crossed them over one another on his tunic.
"You need to stop him" her voice broke, and he could barely hear her words over the sound of crackling energy that was nearing. The hurried footsteps of Tyrus were coming down the stairs above them, most likely with Lilith right on his heels.
I don't want to leave you.
"Please go" she urged, her lips losing their color now.
He hesitated, taking one long look at her before rushing out from under the stairs just as Tyrus and Lilith connected again at the bottom.
Tyrus' hair was soaked with sweat and it was evident he was tiring against the ferocity of Lilith's blows. Lilith's face had a sheen of perspiration also from her efforts, but her iron will still shone through; she was determined to win this fight. It wasn't in her nature to give up, that much was known about the Arkanian.
Ben ignited the blue lightsaber, dropping Freen's, and the absence of Force connection left it feeling so foreign and basic. Battle would be unguided, unpredictable, and dangerous.
"Put an end to this nonsense" Palpatine called out. The Sith troopers stationed on the edge of the room engaged energy batons simultaneously, stepping forward cautiously toward Ben and the duel transpiring on the floor.
"Contact the bridge," He continued, no mercy in his eyes. "Prepare all destroyers to fire on the planet surface. The Resistance will be wiped out once and for all."
Even in her exhaustion, Lilith managed a short laugh, her blade crashing down on her opponent's to accentuate her point. "You've lost, Tyrus. You chose the wrong side."
Three Sith troopers approached Ben, the blue energy reflecting off their crimson armor. Two flanked him as the third stayed center, the energy baton buzzing in the air as it was pointed in his direction.
The trooper on his right suddenly darted toward him, raising the baton for a strike. Ben mentally calculated his block, but it seemed like his arm moved through molasses to get there and he barely completed it. Using his height as leverage, Ben shoved against the baton's resistance with all his might, causing the baton to connect with the Sith troopers' shoulder, who elicited a sharp cry in response. The distraction gave Ben the moment he needed to thrust the lightsaber just beneath the troopers rib cage.
Barely catching his breath, the two troopers that flanked him closed in quickly. He met the right trooper head on, but the energy baton of the left struck the back of his hamstring, sending his leg collapsing beneath him to ultimately put him in a compromising position.
"No!" Lilith screamed angrily, flinging her one arm out in their direction; the troopers were sent flying off their feet, violently making contact against the far wall. Their bodies crashed to the floor and ceased to move.
Ben turned and saw Tyrus step into a spin to send a strike at her hip, but Lilith side-stepped swiftly and landed a blow on Tyrus' exposed shoulder. The knight cried out as he jumped back, clumsily fending her off with his right hand gripping the hilt. The left arm swung back and forth limply, the front shoulder muscle rendered useless now.
Moving to help Tyrus, he advanced forward, Lilith's back to him. Fatiguing quickly with his injury, Tyrus crossed his weapon arm all the way to his opposite shoulder, prepared to put full power into the swing.
The Arkanian's shoulders were drawn up tightly, her chin set with determination as her outstretched palm invisibly threw the lightsaber hilt in his hand backward to put him off balance. His body blocked by his own arm, Lilith's amber saber ran through his abdomen, damaging his diaphragm; in shock, Tyrus stumbled backward against the wall, the saber screeching against the steel behind him as he struggled to breathe.
"Tyrus!" Ben yelled, nearing in his approach, but with a hand still on her saber, Lilith turned her attention to Ben and froze him where he stood.
"Ah, ah" She taunted, panting through exasperated breaths. "You're next, Ren."
Ben watched helplessly as Tyrus' saber arm moved freely; Lilith was too exhausted to use the Force for both of them.
Impaled against the wall, Tyrus swung the saber directly at Lilith's outstretched neck, and Ben closed his eyes for the blow. The sound of energy buzzing through something solid was heard, followed by a wet thud on the ground. His body releasing instantly, Ben saw the headless body of Lilith crumpling as it fell away from Tyrus.
Ben rushed to his knight, helping him get down to the steel floor.
Tyrus, pale and sweaty, was jerky and uncoordinated as he tried to reach under his cloak, his hand emerging limply holding a familiar black object.
"Might...be useful" he gasped out the words, an odd gurgling in the back of his throat. Ben tried to hold Tyrus upright by his shoulders as he sat against the wall, but the life in him was fading quickly.
"Tyrus..." Ben was at a loss for words. He'd always trusted the knight to keep the rest in line. He would mourn Tyrus, one of the best he had known.
"You...took the torture from Snoke" Tyrus gulped for air again. "This is...my thanks."
Tyrus' cerulean eyes fluttered as his gaze drifted off to a corner of the room, fixated to some unknown spot. A long breath escaped his chest, and Ben allowed him to rest on his side against the floor. The knight made no more sounds.
Heavy metal plunked beside the body, and rolled away from them, coming to rest in front of Ben.
A black iron rod gleamed in the dimness, quivering as it vibrated in its place.
The Sith weapon.
Ben hesistantly reached for the iron, surprised that it did not react when his finger touched it. He picked it up as he stood from the floor to stare up at the emperor.
"You cannot win...the spawn of Skywalker never does. Turning is the best outcome you could ask for."
Ben did not answer as he ascended the stairs, feeling strangely unafraid despite the absence of his powers. Something was different in his approach, and he didn't feel alone for this fight. The air was buzzing all around him with unintelligible whispers.
"If you will not be turned, then you will be destroyed" Palpatine sneered from the top of the stairs, raising his arms at Ben.
Bracing himself for the worst, Ben winced in anticipation of what followed a gesture like that.
The emperor halted suddenly, his eyes widening in disbelief in Ben's direction.
In the space between them both, a wispy tendril of blue smoke appeared in the air, swirling and growing as it formed a figure. It was the shape of a man, not facing Ben but Palpatine instead.
"You will curse the name of Skywalker no more" the voice of Luke Skywalker announced.
Palpatine grew increasingly agitated. "You, like your father, are dead."
"We've come to destroy you, to bring balance back."
"Silence, apparition...you have no power here" he rejected.
The soft voice of Anakin Skywalker interrupted their conversation. "It's unavoidable, your destiny. You, like
the Chosen One, had a part to play in this arrangement." The blue aura of the tall Jedi appeared beside Luke, further blocking Ben's view of Palpatine.
"You stole the life of my father, but you will not take my son" Leia materialized beside Luke, her lips set firmly in a line. "He will live."
There was a froggy little laugh among the apparitions in the room. "Fooled us once as chancellor did you...again though, you will not." Master Yoda took his place beside Leia.
An older man with a white beard and kind, blue eyes faded in next to Master Yoda. "Hello there" he smiled knowingly. "We've all come."
Hairs raised up in goosebumps on the back of Ben's neck at the sight before him. The Jedi were standing between him and the emperor.
Palpatine regained his confidence, taking a moment to cry out boastfully. "The Jedi are dead!"
Luke stepped forward. "I wasn't the last Jedi, and I am not the last Skywalker."
The emperor's face fell as he looked around; blue aura's were frequently appearing all around him. Entirely surrounded by the ghosts of the Jedi, he took just a step back, turning each way in astonishment at the ghosts faces.
"You are powerless!" he snarled, a bolt of white and purple energy releasing from his palm in the direction of Luke Skywalker. Luke simply raised one palm, the energy being absorbed into it. The emperor leaned into it, his face contorting with effort as he pushed harder.
Anakin raised his hand next to Luke, and the energy spread between them, lessening the intensity against Luke. Leia did the same, followed by Yoda, the man with the white beard, and the rest of the Jedi that were present. The energy formed a ring around the circle of aura's surrounding the emperor.
Stoic faces closed in, stepping in unison as a wall of bodies retracting the space around the emperor; his black robe whipping around his ankles as he spun with a wretched expression.
Looking through the ghosts' figures, Ben could see Palpatine's face writhing and contorting; the flesh appeared as if something beneath it was trying to escape his own skin.
"You said we would rule everything!" rang the fearful and familiar tone of Armitage Hux from his own body. He fell to his hands a knees, breathing irregular and haggard.
"You've served your purpose" the emperor's voice answered in return. "It's time."
Ben blinked in realization.
He's trying to leave Hux's body and transfer to Rey.
Looking down at the iron in his hand, the same calmness he experienced in the throne room came upon him.
"Is it possible these are linked to your midichlorians, or your force signature?"
He smiled at the memory of Rey's curiosity in the cell when she healed him, understanding the gravity of what being able to hold the Sith weapon meant in this moment.
Distracted by the ghosts closing in on him, Palpatine did not see the tall, powerful form of Ben Solo striding towards him. Palpatine looked up with a horrified expression at Luke, who nodded in confirmation.
"That mighty Skywalker blood."
Ben passed through the ghost of Luke, reaching out with the iron in his grasp and slammed it into the throat of Palpatine, holding it firmly in place as it came alive. The emperor started to scream as the bar began to move, lashing out with it's barbs to drive into the mottled skin of his neck.
"How..." was all he managed to choke out, his yellow eyes wide with fear.
"You wanted the power of the dyad. My power...Snoke made it for me specifically, remember?"
His expression etched in shock, Palpatine clawed at Ben's clothes, his deteriorating hand managing to grasp Ben's throat weakly as the iron ground tightly around his own. The blood started to trickle from the barbs, puncturing deeper the more he moved; he gurgled and choked before clutching at his neck. Slowly, the sounds died out as he sunk to the ground. The blood ran steady, steaming on the floor where it pooled.
The body turned to dust before his eyes, no longer housing the soul of the Sith Lord. An otherworldly breeze swept up from nowhere and the particles of the body blew up into Ben's face. The dust singed his skin where it fell, turning to ash as it made contact.
Uncovering his eyes, Ben saw the ghosts began to disappear, some of them bowing to him respectfully before turning away to walk until they faded. Only Anakin remained.
"The power of the dyad will bring back the balance" he confirmed.
Ben looked down at his hands. "But how? It was taken from me."
"It will return to you" Anakin reassured. "The dyad will always return to it's original place, because one half cannot exist without the other. You'll gain your strength back, but it will take time."
An invisible weight was already lightly tangible in Ben's palm as he tried to grasp the Force, and his mood lightened at the reassurance it was there.
"She needs you now, Ben." Anakin turned away, and walked across the floor until he disappeared in a wisp of blue.
With one last look at the black robe crumpled on the bridge, he sprinted down the stairs to the main level and ducked under the platform.
Rey was still against the wall, but he grew alarmed to see that her arms had limply fallen on her lap, no longer holding pressure against the wound in her abdomen. Ben rushed to push the garment back to the wound, but the black tunic was heavy; soaked right through with her blood. Her chin resting against her chest, he tried to raise her head up, but when Rey didn't move, he tapped into the bond.
At first there was nothing, but after a few moments he felt the soft ebb of life thud within the bond. She was barely there, almost gone from the blood loss.
"Rey" he said urgently, pulling her into his arms as she flopped around. Ben tightly wrapped his arms around her as he pressed his mouth into her ear. "Wake up, sweetheart."
There was no response from Rey, her face pale and eyelids a translucent blue shade.
Refusing to lose her this way, he tested out how much force he could harness a few times. It was there, possibly even enough to heal her, as he hoped.
Sliding his hand between their bodies, Ben found the spot where the lightsaber pierced her. The palm of his broad hand covered the gaping hole, and closed his eyes to take deep, measured breaths. Rhythmic and heavy, he let himself slip into the stream of consciousness where fear had no place.
Reaching as far as he could, Ben drew on the force with all his fervor. There was the chance that this could kill him, but it mattered so little.
She mattered.
*
Warmth was slowly leaving the liver, it's functions slowing down to a complete stop, despite attempting to regenerate the damage caused by the lightsaber. The blood cells moved slowly as the blood pressure dropped steadily, no longer able to properly sustain the circulation.
The cells began to vibrate, their organelles nearly lost outside of their membranes with the force of the shaking.
The damaged marrow in the bones ceased all circulation of movement, and began to grow instead. New, complete segments of marrow filled in where parts had fallen away. The marrow produced once more, healthy blood cells of it's own; Rey's blood cells.
The liver pulsed wildly as regeneration began to occur rapidly, the tissue growing beyond it's cauterized bits to close over all the damage. When the organ reached capacity, the pleural membrane grew back over, followed by the thick epidermis of Rey's abdomen. All was closed...all was safe.
Life began again.
*
Weakness was overtaking his body, and he was close to the threshold.
Whatever she needs, let her take it. Even if there's not enough for me.
A heartbeat sounded strongly in their connection, one that was not his own. A gasp echoed in his ears in the midst of his focus, the channel of life transfer passing between them fizzled out with confirmation of life.
Ben opened his eyes, still clinging to Rey who remained unconscious, but the color returned to her cheeks and lips. The force he possessed was enough to heal her wound, but not enough to return her energy completely. Sleep would remedy that for her.
Ben looked up at the door, the sounds of blasterfire approaching as someone was yelling on the otherside.
The door opened, red lasers passing by the entry as the face of the youngest knight poked in. Concerned as he saw Ben holding Rey, Alwick ran to him and knelt beside them.
Ben nodded in reassurance to him that Rey was alive, and he grasped Alwick's shoulder tightly.
He uttered a request, staring at the door where the conflict was presently erupting.
"Alwick, help me get her to an escape pod."