"Are we almost there? They need our help," Y/N shouts back to Ben.
"We're almost there!" He shouts back.
He flies toward the tough terrain getting to Exegol. Everything is red and there's a lot of ruckus, so they had to yell at each other to hear one another. He finally goes into hyperspace and then back out. As soon as he enters the newer atmosphere, the darker world, and the war happening, suddenly appear in front of them. Ren controls the ship, heading downward to get to Rey. He parks it and both of them jump out of the ship.
"What are you gonna do?" Ben asks Y/N, seeing the X-Wing fighter.
"I can't stay behind and do nothing, I'm going to go fight. You?" Y/N asks.
"I need to go help Rey," He says.
Y/N smirks and then runs over to the X-Wing. She stops in her tracks and runs back to him. She gets her satchel out and hands him a blaster she's been carrying but not using.
"You might need this," She places it in his hands.
"For what? Wouldn't I need a lightsaber?" He questions.
"No way you're using mine, it's my mother's."
"Oh come on, Y/N. I'll give it back to you once this is all over," Ben complains.
"Such a big baby," I whisper. "N-O."
"Ugh fine then," Ben grumbles, and Y/N begins running back to the X-Wing.
"Why are you using that? Use the TIE," Ben suggests, walking backward.
"If I use a TIE, they'll be ready to shoot me down. Plus, I know how to use an X-Wing. I hope to see you after this war Ben," Y/N smiles, jumping into the fighter and then placing the helmet on. Ben smiles back and waves goodbye. Y/N waves back, firing up the fighter to take off the ground and into the air.
Ben weaves his way toward the center of the floating box underneath to find Rey. Rey looks back to Palpatine and nods. However, she's lying, sensing Ben's presence nearby.
"Good," Palpatine smiles.
Ben finally finds the entryway and runs toward it. Without thinking, he jumps down and lands on a stone chain leading down to the cave below.
"Ow," He grunts as the pain springs up.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"Finn! Where are you? The lander's leaving!" Rose asks him through the comlink. "Finn!"
"Go without us, we're taking the entire ship down," He tells her.
"What? How?" Rose stops running and looks back to try and spot him.
"We're gonna hit the command deck," Finn sees her at the lander but doesn't move. "Rose, please. Go." Rose is about to run after him, but she's stopped by Lieutenant Connix and another person.
"Rose!"
"Rose!" They call out trying to stop her from going any further. She gives in and follows them back to the lander. Finn sits on top of a huge blast gun and directs it toward the control room on the ship.
"I'll get the trigger!" Jennah announces.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"The ritual begins!" Palpatine calls out and the figures in the stands chant once more. "She will strike me down, and pledge herself as a Sith." Rey looks at him, nervously. The figures chant once more.
Ben runs through the hallways, trying to find his way to the main room with the throne of the Sith. He shoots down a soldier that walks around a corner and then shoots another that appears behind him, without even looking back. He turns another corner but runs into The Knights of Ren. He sees six of them walking toward him, behind and in front. He can hear the people chanting, but doesn't give it any mind, and pays attention to the danger around him.
They surround him in a circle and Ben takes a step back, thinking of what to do.
"She will draw her weapon," Palpatine declares. Rey takes out her lightsaber and activates it. "She will come to me." Every time he speaks the figures chant. Rey walks closer to Palpatine, keeping an eye on the soldiers around her.
Ben pushes back one of the knights with the force but another comes behind him and hits him in the back. More and more come hit him until he's on his knees.
"And Y/N thought I should have a blaster instead of a lightsaber," Ben mutters.
His face is bloody from the Knights of Ren using their metal weapons to hit his face and stomach. Another Knight hits him in the cheek and he falls.
Rey takes a deep breath, shaking from seeing and almost feeling what Ben is going through.
"She will take her revenge!"
Ben gets back up quickly, looking around.
"And with a stroke of her saber, the Sith are reborn!"
Rey lifts the saber, ready.
"THE JEDI ARE DEAD!" Palpatine's eyes are closed, ready to take over Rey and the rest of the universe.
Rey can see Ben, Ben can see Rey. It's like time stops and they focus on one another. Ben nods his head, knowing the plan that Rey has already made.
"Do it! Make the sacrifice," Palpatine shouts.
Rey lifts her saber behind her back, in a ready-to-strike form. A few seconds later, she lifts her hand for Palpatine to see, and the lightsaber is gone.
Ben has his hand behind his back and grabs ahold of the saber, placing it to his side so the Knights can see. They look at one another, confused. Ben shrugs and without warning, he swings the lightsaber in front of him to attack the two Knights in front of him. He twirls the saber to attack another one, then strikes in a chopping way toward another.
Rey grabs the other saber strapped in her belt on her back and ignites it. Palpatine moves away to let his guards attack. Rey looks behind her to see them move toward her. She stops a blast from coming to her with the force, also pushing a guard away. She pushes the blast in the opposite direction from her and it hits another guard. She swings the saber to protect herself from two blasts coming from the right side direction. It also knocks out two other guards. She dodges a bullet and it runs past her face to a guard's skull.
Ben lifts the saber to stop the spear from coming toward him and pushes it away. He spins around, also cutting another Knight and then facing two more. He blocks the ax from killing him and another weapon that the other is holding. He pushes upward and they fall back from the impact. Ben twirls the saber and spins it behind him. He bands down having the saber flat on his back. A Knight strikes him down but is blocked by the blue lightsaber. Ben takes a breath and turns around to dodge another strike. He blocks the spear again and uses his other hand to push back a Knight into a hole. He pushes away a Knight and then pierces another right in his stomach. He runs to the last one but jumps, doing a front flip, grabbing the Knight's helmet, and landing on the ground. He appears behind him and stabs him in the back. Once he sees that he's finished them all, he runs toward Rey knowing she is close.
Rey pushes a guard to another one and then dodges more blasts using her lightsaber. One by one they are killed and Rey kneels. She waves her hand down and the guard falls to the ground. He's pulled away as Rey motions her hand to push him back. The last guard is taken down by Ben coming from behind and pulling him down to the ground. They face one another, knowing that even though they killed the guards, they are not done yet.
He walks closer to her and together they stand. They both face Palpatine. Ben and Rey lift their lightsabers, ready to attack, together they would do this.
"Stand together... die together," Palpatine claims, lifting his hands and forcing their sabers away from their hands. They deactivate quickly and roll far away from them. He pulls them toward him and they kneel. Without realizing it, a light aura comes from Rey and Ben's bodies to Palpatine's form. He gasps sharply, pulling back and looking at his hands. The flesh that was decaying from his fingertips slowly form back to normal, the flesh returning. His missing fingers, quickly grow back to normal.
"The life force of your bond... a dyad in the force. A power to create life itself. Unseen for generations, and now... the power of two restores the one... the true... Emperor," He smiles once again and lifts his hands.
He starts taking the life of Rey and Ben combined, laughing maniacally. Rey starts screaming from the pain, feeling her soul ripping apart from her body. Once Palpatine sucks all of their power for himself, he pulls back and the couple passes out.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Up above, Poe and the others still fly away from the TIE-Fighters. Y/N tries to connect the headset to the radio everyone else's is on. She finally connects and hears Poe shouting to a pilot saying there are Fighters on his tail. She sees an X-Wing flying away from three TIE-Fighters and swoops in to destroy them.
"Yes!" She whisper shouts, she hadn't flown since the Dreadnaught invasion and it felt good to be alive.
"What?! Who was that?" Poe asks, looking behind him to spot the X-Wing that saved him and another's life.
"Don't know but they helped me out, come on," Snap, the pilot that was about to be destroyed, exclaims. Poe couldn't believe it and tries to talk to that Fighter. Poe looks around him as he hears more of his troops being shot down. That X-Wing fighter he saw helped Snap is trying to help out, but ends up being too late.
"General, what's our next move?" A pilot asks.
"Poe! What now?!" A female pilot shouts at him when they can't hear him.
"My friends, I'm sorry. I thought we had a shot. But there's just too many of them," Poe starts losing hope.
"But there are more of us Poe... there are more of us," Lando connects to the radio, and Poe grows shocked. He controls the fighter to flip behind him, seeing the Falcon with more ships and fighters behind. It's a whole army and fleet and still hundreds more coming out of hyperspace.
"Look at this," Poe mumbles.
"Don't be surprised General, maybe you shouldn't lose hope," Y/N laughs.
"Y/N?! Y/N! What happened to you?!" Poe shouts through the intercom.
"We have a war to fight, I'll see you after it," Y/N smiles through the radio.
"Then let's hurry up and win this war," Poe breathes out, relieved. "Hit those underbelly canons. Everyone we knock out is a world saved!" Poe directs, following behind the Falcon.
"Which one to be exact?" Y/N asks.
"All of them," Poe answers. Everyone directly aims for the first Star Destroyer and fires it with everything they've got.
"Nice flying Lando," A pilot says.
Y/N flies in and starts to aim toward the canon also. It starts to blow up from underneath and everyone flies out of there. Y/N shouts in victory.
"One down!" She exclaims.
She heads to another Star Destroyer, and seeing no one behind her she starts shooting the Destroyer herself. Many shots later it finally blows up and Y/N's happy.
"So long sky trash," she hears a woman say. She slightly laughs at her comment and helps out more people.
"Who's that flyer?" Poe asks, recognizing the voice.
"Take a guess spice runner," Zorii insults. Babu pops out and starts cheering.
"Ha! Zorii! You made it!" Poe yells. One by one all the Star Destroyers were being shot down.
"Who's this?" Y/N questions.
"I'm guessing you're the spice runner's girlfriend huh?" Zorii asks.
"I am- Wait, you're one of his spice running buddies? You have to tell me everything," Y/N chuckles.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"Look what you have made," Palpatine walks toward the two lifeless bodies. The crowd chanting and Palpatine smiling. He looks new, his flesh grown back, robes a different color. Rey is passed out on her side but Ben slowly wakes up. He's shaking but gets up to his knees. Palpatine lifts him into the air.
"As once I fell... so falls the last Skywalker," Palpatine declares.
"I'm Ben Solo, the blood of a Skywalker but not taking the name. Rey, the blood of yours but taking the name of Skywalker. Y/N... she's the last true Skywalker. She doesn't know but almost everyone else does. Y/N's the link to Palpatine and Skywalker. Born of the enemy and hero," Ben tells him, making Palpatine angrier. He pushes him away and Ben falls into a deep crack in the floor that opens to a deep ditch.
"Do not fear that feeble attack... my faithful. Nothing will stop the return of the Sith!" Palpatine sits down on the throne and lifts his hands toward the opening of the roof. He can see all the Destroyers being blown up and the Resistance fleet flying around. Bolts of lightning shoot up from his fingertips to the sky, taking over all the aircraft in the atmosphere.
"R2, my systems are failing!" Poe shouts. R2 is screeching from all the electricity. "Does anyone copy?"
"Oh come on!" He can hear a faint voice from Y/N shouting and banging on the controls. All the aircraft lose power and are falling rapidly. Palpatine laughs maniacally again, enjoying the scene happening in front of him.
Rey wakes up and turns from her side to laying on her back. She's bleeding on her forehead but doesn't mind. She sees the bolts of lightning in the sky. She can hear the screams of people on the ships. She can see her cousin, Y/N, Poe, and everyone else. She breathes deeply looking up to the sky.
"Be with me," Rey repeats over and over, focusing and soon seeing past the lightning and into the black night of the peaceful galaxy.
"These are your final steps, Rey," A young Obi-Wan says. "Rise and take them."
"Rey," Mace whispers.
"Rey," Ahsoka calls.
"Bring back the balance Rey, as I did," Anakin states.
"In the night find the light, Rey," Aayla announces.
"You're not alone Rey," Mace claims.
"Alone never have you been," Yoda directs.
"Every Jedi who ever lived, lives in you," Qui-Gon proclaims.
"The force surrounds you, Rey," She hears Anakin and everyone else around her, blocking out the noise from the war happening.
"Let it guide you," Ahsoka says.
"As it guided us."
"Feel the Force flowing through you, Rey," Mace orders.
"Let it lift you," Anakin insists.
"Rise Rey."
"We stand behind you, Rey," Qui-Gon calls. Rey slowly moves her body to the side.
"Rey."
"Rise in the Force," Yoda demands. Rey lifts herself.
"In the heart of the Jedi lies her strength," Kanan states.
"Rise." The voices of all the Jedi in the past call out to her, giving her strength. She gets on her knees, lifting her feet.
"Rey, the Force will be with you, always," Luke tells her.
Rey stands up, grabs Leia's saber using the force, and ignites it. Palpatine stops the electricity and pays attention to his granddaughter that was still alive.
"Let your death be the final word in the story of rebellion," Palpatine stands up from the throne and shoots lightning in Rey's direction. She blocks it with the saber in her hand, having her other arm behind her.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"I'm back on, this is our last chance," Every ship immediately goes back online. Y/N is way too close to the ground by now and quickly pulls up. "We gotta hit those canons now!"
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"You are nothing!" Palpatine shouts, placing full power in his attack, lightning shooting from his fingertips. "A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me."
Rey blocks his power with a lightsaber in hand, taking steps forward.
"I am all the Sith!" Palpatine exclaims.
"And I..." Rey uses her other hand to grab Luke's saber, using the force. "I am all the Jedi."
She activates it, making an X with the sabers. She remembers seeing Y/N do this back on training days in Ajan Kloss.
"Trust in yourself, Rey," Y/N orders, blocking the attacks Rey hits her with Luke's lightsaber. "The only way you're going to improve is if you believe and trust in yourself. Clear your mind of everything, and continue pushing forward."
Rey steps forward, grunting from the strong power of the lightning, but still pulling through. She pushes the sabers in front of her, making the electricity fall back towards the source, Palpatine. She does it again and again. Palpatine's skin and flesh rotting and decaying quickly in front of her.
"If you can't get someone by using your own knowledge or power, you have to fight it with theirs," Y/N blocks Rey's move, pushing her lightsaber away from her hand.
When Palpatine disappears, destroyed by his own power, the lightning traveled to the figures on the stage, destroying them and leaving the place in ruins.
Rey turns off the lightsabers in her hands, suddenly feeling weak. She tumbles to the floor, looking up at the galaxy, connecting with her cousin before darkness overcomes her vision.