He heard the familiar shrill noise of lightning striking around him as he walked through the fortress. The hallways were illuminated by newly installed lights but were empty of anyone but him. His footsteps echoed in the endless structure around him. He made his way to the throne room where he saw the Sith throne in all its intimidating glory. On it sat Rey, her features illuminated by the red glow of her lightsaber. "Did you come back to say you forgive me? To save my soul?" Rey mocked, rising to her feet as Ben continued to walk forward. "No." He answered simply.
"You came to tell me to stop my attack, haven't you? To trick me into letting my guard down so you can kill me?" She questioned as she descended the steps to her throne and walked towards Ben, her saber turning off as she walked. "No." He repeated, igniting the cracked energy from his lightsaber. "It's a shame you lost sight of who you are, we could have been such great rulers." Rey frowned, her voice pitiful as her eyes glinted with hate. "I could say the same to you." Ben continued to walk to her until their bodies were almost touching. They stood toe to toe, just looking at each other.
"I want you to join me, Rey. Come home and end this." Ben said softly. "Rey is gone." She growled. "She was weak and foolish, like her parents. So I destroyed her." She continued. Ben shook his head. "That's what Palpatine wants you to believe, but it's not true. That Rey is still alive." Ben calmly said. "No," Rey began, "Palpatine was wise." Ben fought the urge to reach out to her. "No, he's using you for your power. When he finds enough strength he will crush you. You know it's true." He argued. Rey's eyes began to fill with tears. "It's too late." She whispered.
"No it's not. Leave here with me. Come home. We miss you. I miss you." He begged. Ben retracted his lightsaber blade back into its handle as Rey's tears began to spill over, her eyes searching his intensely. "I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain... I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it." Her voice was shaky as tears trailed down her cheeks. "Will you help me?" She whispered. "Yes. Anything." He murmured.
Rey stood there silently for a few moments, just staring at the man before her. His eyes never left hers, showing all the love and sincerity he could. She knew he loved her, and she loved him. But that was not enough. With one swift movement, she ignited her weapon, the beam of plasma stabbing through the middle of his chest. Ben's eyes widened as he looked at her, feeling the life slowly begin to leave his body. Slowly, he raised his hand and gently placed it on her cheek and jaw, his thumb caressing the smooth skin of her cheek before his body fell limply backwards, his eyes shutting as the sensation of falling only grew.
Ben opened his eyes and saw a red crystal ceiling above him. He took in a deep breath, looking down at his bare chest to see no evidence of a lightsaber mark where he was hit in his dream. Only the scar from the forest along his collarbone and the scarred and bubbled skin from Chewie's blaster on his side. He felt a dull pain in his lower back as he slowly sat up, resting his head in his hands as he forced away memories from his dream. It felt so real... so familiar. The room was silent except for his slow breaths as he tried to shake off his grogginess.
"Ben." He heard the voice of his mother as he lifted his head from his hands. "I'm fine." He said to her as he noticed the worried expression she held on her face. "Yeah, I've heard that before." She said sarcastically. Ben swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing on shaky legs. He noticed Leia go to step forwards to help him but he raised a hand as a signal for her to stop. "I am alright. I can do this." He said quietly, yet confidently.
He grabbed his shirt that he saw laying on one of the chairs in the makeshift medical room before he slowly felt his strength returning. He knew the lightsaber hit was not a fatal injury. He was exhausted and weakened and in pain, both physically and emotionally. Seeing Rey stray so far away from who he used to know, he feared it was getting close to the point of no return. He couldn't think about that now, he had to come up with a plan. "Where is Finn and General Dameron?" He asked his mother. "By the ships, why?" Leia responded. "We need to make a plan." Ben said as he began to make his way there.
By the time he got to the hangar, he saw Finn, Poe, and Rose all sitting together. They were talking about something, but Ben could not discern what it was. But the conversation stopped when they saw Ben and Leia approach. "You're looking pretty good for a dead man." Poe teased. Ben glanced at the man briefly but paid no attention to his comment. "We have to come up with a plan." Ben said seriously.
"Don't you want some time to recover?" Rose questioned, making Ben shake his head. "I don't need to recover. We don't have too long before the Final Order finds out we're here. I would not be surprised if they tracked our ships here and know already." Ben began. "We need to go to Exegol, surprise them and shut down the Command ship so they can't use their fleet of Star Destroyers. We also have to get Rey." He said sternly.
"I like your enthusiasm kid. But look at the size of our fleet. We can't just fly to Exegol and attack them. They'll crush us." Poe argued. "Can't you call for help from people around the galaxy?" Ben asked. Poe snorted as he rolled his eyes. "No offense buddy, but you kind of ruined that for us. We called for help when we got to Crait the first time. No one showed. They are terrified." Poe said deaftedly. Silence fell upon the group. Ben glanced at Finn to see him deep in though. "Finn?" Ben asked to get his attention. Finn looked up, pursing his lips slightly. "What do you think?" Ben pressed further. Finn took a breath before speaking. "The Final Oder wins by making us think we are alone. They're counting on us to not fight back. We've seen their fleet and their capabilities. They're counting on us to stay scared and prepare until they come and kill us. I think our best bet is calling for help and attacking Exegol."
Everyone fell silent at Finn's words. Poe was reluctant, but he knew Finn was right. There was a mind game in keeping the Resistance from attacking Exegol directly. "If we do end up going in alone, we would have to focus our attack on the main control ship. Ben and Finn would be the only ones on the ground to stop Rey. There shouldn't be too much activity on the ground if we coordinate for the attacks to happen simultaneously." Poe explained. "Do you really think that will work? Can we do this alone?" Rose questioned. Poe stayed silent for a moment. "Finn is right. They win by making us think we are alone. People around the galaxy are scared, but we are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the Final Order to the ground. Once they see us fighting they may join. If not, well, we are our only hope."
-----
"Alright everyone! Listen up!" Poe yelled across the tables of the dining area where nearly the entirety of the Resistance sat eating and socializing. At the loud command of their leader, they quieted down and brought their attention to the man that was standing on top of a table to get a better view of everyone. Poe looked over the hundred or so people in front of him as they all looked to him for guidance. Swallowing the small lump in his throat, he began to speak.
"We have had a rough couple of days. I know it's hard to stay motivated and strong, but you all are the most courageous people I have ever met. This war is almost over, and we're about to have the upper hand. In a few days time, we are bringing the fight to them. We are going to attack Exegol head on." Gasps and whispers erupted between the soldiers, but Poe quickly got them under control.
"Hey! There is a good chance they already know where we are. We stay here, we're sitting in a trap. They will destroy all of us and everything we stand for. We go to them, we ask for help, and we will bring down their fleet. There are good people in the galaxy that want to fight but they are afraid. We need to show them the way, we need to show them how to stand up to the Final Order. We will show them that we are done being oppressed. They will listen and this time they will come.
"Listen, I know what I'm asking of you all. I know that if we do this, not all of us are going to make it back. I can't make all of you go to that fight.But I will ask for volunteers. I'm going, Finn and Ben are going too. I'm not asking you guys to go out of duty. There is no judgement for those who do not want to go. But we will happily accept anyone who wants to come." Poe looked over the crowd of people. Everyone was looking at him, but no one spoke. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he felt embarrassment wash over him. No one was coming to his aid from his own friends, how did he expect people from the galaxy to rally behind him.
Just as Poe was about to turn and get off the table, just as his eyes were shutting, he heard the squeak of a metal chair against the ground. He lifted his eyes to see one member of the Resistance standing. "I'm with you." He said clearly. Poe smiled at the man before another squeak could be heard. "I'm with you." A woman spoke up from one of the farthest tables. Then, one after another people stood and volunteered to go on the fateful mission to Exegol. After a few minutes, every single person in the cave was on their feet, proud smiles on their lips as they pledged their assistance to the mission. Poe smiled widely as he looked over the group of brave men and women. "We have some preparing to do then."
-----
Days passed as the Resistance repaired their ships, stocked up on supplies from neighboring systems, and created a more solid plan. Every day, Rose sent out a signal to anyone who would listen with the coordinates of Exegol hoping people would prepare for the fight. She also began to analyze schematics of the Star Destroyers to see if there were any weak points. Ben and Finn trained with each other to prepare for the fight with Rey, all while Leia gave them tips and advice from her experiences with Luke and from the Civil War. Poe trained the newer pilots on how to operate the ships and how to fight efficiently.
Soon enough, the day of the battle was upon them. The sun rose over the red and white plains of Crait like any other day, but the Resistance base was alive and buzzing with energy and adrenaline as everyone prepared their ships and computers for what was to come. Rose and Leia were staying with the base to monitor everything and send out communications to any systems that would listen. Finn and Ben would be flying together so they could sneak down to the fortress without being involved with the aerial battle. Poe was to lead the charge to take down the control ship before assisting on the ground.
The plan was rather thought out and the Resistance was nearly ready to take off as Poe, Finn, Leia, Rose, and Ben all stood in the back of the hangar. Tensions were high, but there was confidence radiating off of the group. Rose hugged Finn as Leia embraced Ben. "I am so proud of you." She whispered into her son's ear, a smile along her lips. "Your father is too. I know it." Leia said as she pulled away. Ben returned her smile with a small one of his own. "I love you, mom." He said quietly.
Leia felt guilty about not sharing her vision with her son. She knew, somewhere deep down in her soul, that this was the last time she would see her son. She was not filled with sadness as she expected she would be. Instead, she was grateful; if this was the last moment she would see him, she was glad he was smiling. After all he had been through, he was still the person Leia always knew he was capable of being.
Poe wrapped his arms tightly around Finn. "I swear to god, you better come back to me, General." Fin whispered as he returned the tight embrace. "You are stuck with me for a lot longer than this, kid. I hope you're ready for it." Poe teased back in response, placing a lingering kiss on his lips. "Now go save our friend." Poe whispered before pulling away completely. Poe and Ben locked eyes. "I'll see you on the other side of the war." Poe said to the man. Ben stoically nodded his head.
Ben looked around at the group as they stood and said their goodbyes. He watched Leia and Finn embrace as Rose and Poe laughed. His heart felt full for the first time in a while. He turned to watch the Resistance begin to bid their farewells to their friends, hugging and getting settled in their ships. Ben watched as the people he never thought would be his friends prepared to fight alongside him as allies, and he once again knew he was on the right path in his journey.
As he loaded himself and Finn into the Falcon, he thought of his father. Suddenly he felt like he was a little boy again, sitting beside his father and Chewbacca as they traveled the galaxy and formed their own adventures and memories. The faintest smile formed on his lips as the echoes of their laughter filled his mind. Soon enough he would once again find that peace he had been searching for for so long. All he had to do was go to Exegol and soon enough, he was barreling through hyperspace towards his fate.