"We listened to the message from the First Order spy and decrypted their enclosed intel," Poe speaks to the crowd that is gathered around us. After listening to the message, Mom summoned everyone. "And it confirms the worst." He pauses, lowering his head.
"Somehow, Palpatine returned," I state, resulting in a wave of gasps and whispers.
"Wait, do we believe this?" Rose Tico asks.
"How can this be? The Emperor is dead," Colonel Aftab calls out.
"We're not sure, but we think cloning," I speak up. "It's an old Kaminoan technique that was used in the Clone Wars. It is possible the Sith gained access to the secrets from the archives of the Empire."
"He's been planning his revenge," Poe says. "His followers have been building something for years. The largest fleet this galaxy has ever known. He calls it the Final Order. In 16 hours, attacks on all free worlds begin. The Emperor and his fleet have been hiding in the Unknown Regions on a world called Exegol."
Next to me, Rey looks up. I glance up at her but her widened eyes reveal nothing.
"Exegol does not appear on any star chart," C-3PO informs after R2 runs a scan. "But legend describes it as the hidden world of the Sith."
Rey whips around and dashes off toward the Temple. I send Poe a glance before rushing after her. I find her rummaging through the crates. "Rey!" I call. "What are you doing?"
She doesn't reply until she pulls out a red, leather-bound book from the crate, the one I gave her to read this afternoon. "I know how to get to Exegol," she says, flipping through the book. My brows furrow into a frown and she continues, "Luke searched for it. For a long time. He nearly found it." She turns the book to me and I take it from her hands. "When I was looking for that rune you told me to find, I came across this. There are ciphers here that I can't read, but he said to get there, you need one of these." She points at a sketch of a pyramid-shaped object. "A Sith Wayfinder."
"What is it?" I ask, tracing my finger over the page.
"They're compasses that lead the way to Exegol," she replies. My eyes scan the page, wishing I picked up this book sooner.
"If this is true and this thing actually exists," I start. "We need to find it."
"To stop what we both know is coming, we need to finish what Luke started," she states. "Find Exegol. Find the Emperor."
Her words take a few seconds to sink in. Finding the Emperor means finding Rey's grandfather. Finding Exegol means finding a world that belongs to the Dark Side. Everything within me screams to tell Rey no, but instead, I say,
"Okay. Where do we start?"
***
"Are you sure you can fly the Falcon on your own?" I ask, trailing behind Rey as she prepares the ship for takeoff. The crew managed to repair the damages done by the fires and they assured us it would fly just fine.
After spending all night reading and searching the old texts and books for anything related to Exegol, the Sith, cloning, and Luke's search, Rey and I concluded we needed to leave as soon as possible.
"I've done it before," she replies, removing the fuel supply and closing the tank. "Still hate flying? I thought Poe taught you how to fly," she asks me.
"He did, and I don't hate flying," I reply, crossing my arms. "I just utterly despise it."
She chuckles at me before continuing to work on the Falcon. The two of us turn around when we hear Poe call, "So, you got her up and running?"
"You were right before," Rey replies as we walk over. "We're picking up Luke's search for Exegol. We're gonna start where his trail went cold. The Forbidden Desert of Pasaana."
"Yeah, I know. We're coming with you," Poe replies, patting her arm. He walks up to the Falcon with Finn, Chewie, 3PO and BB-8 following. Rey turns to me, eyes wide. I shrug.
"We can't do this on our own, Rey," I tell her, feeling slightly guilty for letting her believe we were actually going with just the two of us.
"It's too dangerous, Raven," she states.
"We go together," Finn says from behind me. Rey looks at us for a second before chuckling.
While everyone runs off to gather their supplies, Poe and I casually chat as we travel to the abandoned hangars. After making sure we're alone, I pull him in a tight hug. He doesn't say anything and neither do I. Both of us know what we're about to face and all I need is someone to hold.
After what feels like hours, I pull back. "We're gonna make it through, right?" I ask.
"Of course," he replies, taking my hands in his and pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "We're gonna be just fine." He kisses my forehead before leaning his own against it. I close my eyes, just focussing on his breathing to keep myself calm.
"We should get going," I whisper, opening my eyes again. His dark eyes hold nothing but adoration as he gazes down at me. His hand cup the sides of my face and he draws me in for a soft yet passionate kiss that sparks fireworks in my stomach. I would give anything in the galaxy just to stay in this moment, but I know we'll have to leave soon.
I draw back first. "You should go ahead, I'm going to find Mom," I tell him and he nods, pulling me close for one more kiss. After we part, he leaves the hangars. I relish in the silence for a few minutes before I head outside to look for my mother.
I find her by the Falcon, looking at the ship with nostalgia and bittersweetness in her eyes. She looks up when I approach. "Off to Exegol?" she asks, a sombre smile lingering on her lips.
"I guess so," I reply. "I'm scared, Mom."
"You'd be crazy if you weren't," she says. "Did you come here just to tell me that?"
"No," I say. "I though you might have some much-needed advice."
She smiles softly, taking my hands in hers. "Just focus on the Light. As long as you do that, you're going to be fine," she says.
"And what if I slip?" I ask, my voice trembling just a bit.
"Then you just get back up and keep going. You've got this, Raven," she tells me. "Okay?"
I release a deep breath. "Okay. Thank you," I say. My eyes linger on her for a second before I wrap my arms around her. She tightly hugs me back, her hand resting on the back of my head. I feel my eyes water. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, sweetheart. I'll be right here when you get back," she whispers, squeezing me a little tighter before pulling back. Her eyes hold tears but I can see she's not allowing them to fall. "Good luck out there," she says. "Now off you go."
I smile softly and nod. "Thank you," I say before I go to join the others by the landing platform where the Falcon has been cleared for takeoff.
I pass Rey without noticing at first, but I stop when I do. She's looking at the spot where she meditated yesterday and tried her best to hear the voices of the Jedi.
I turn on my heel and jog to the Temple, retrieving Anakin's Lightsaber. I return to where Rey is standing and call her name. She turns around. "You're going to need this," I say, holding out the saber. She hesitates a moment before taking it from my hands. "Let's find Exegol."