Lothal

Jedi Shaina Dameron is determined to prove to her parents that she is mature enough to make her own decisions, but when two older Jedi are killed by an unknown assailant Shaina finds herself in over her head as she attempts to stop the evil by herself.

THANK YOU TO X-WINGS-AND-LIGHTSABERS FOR THE PICTURE OF 'SHAINA.'

Anyone looking at Shaina Dameron could tell just who her parents were, but if they were asked which of her parents she favored, they wouldn’t hesitate to say her father. Her black hair was thick and wavy, and curls bounced around her face even when she wore it up in a messy bun on top of her head. Her dark eyebrows were full and expressive and her smile, when she chose to gift you with it, was mischievous. Like her father, her jawline was strong and her lips full, but hers had a definitively feminine look to them. She had inherited attributes from her mother, as well, including her nose, her height, her ever-changing hazel eyes, and of course, her temper.

And it was her temper that was front and center today as she faced off with her now silver-haired father, who unfortunately knew all about that disposition. “You can’t stop me!” Shaina cried.

“Like hell I can’t,” responded the elder Dameron, his dark eyes flashing. “You are not going off-world by yourself with some guy you met less than a month ago, especially one a decade older than you!”

“You’re more than a decade older than mom, so I don’t see the difference,” she argued, her own eyes blazing.

“The difference is your mom was an adult when I met her,” Poe countered.

“Sixteen is considered an adult in most human cultures,” Shaina pushed.

“Not in Dameron-world,” Poe snapped.

“Ugh!” Shaina groused, rolling her eyes. “So how long are you going to keep me from dating in your world, General?” she demanded, not really wanting to know the answer.

Poe paused to consider. “Until you’re thirty,” he finally answered.

“Mom!” Shaina whined as her mother snorted a laugh. Shaina turned toward Rey Skywalker, who had been watching the argument with amusement from the sidelines. “You were making your own decisions and living your own life when you were sixteen, weren’t you?”

Rey scoffed. “You know damn well my situation growing up was very different from yours, Shaina,” she said with a shake of her head. “Don’t even try comparing the two.”

Shaina huffed, folding her arms in front of her, refusing to look at her father.

“Thirty is a bit over the top, however,” Rey said, eyeing her husband. “But I agree with your father that you are not quite ready to be heading off on an adventure with some bounty hunter ten years your senior. Not at your age.”

“He’s not a bounty hunter,” Shaina argued. “He’s an official skip tracer for the New Republic.”

“Glorified bounty hunter,” her dad grumbled.

Shaina glared at him, then looked back at her mother. “So, I’m old enough to carry a lightsaber and help out with peace keeping missions, but I can’t go off with my boyfriend for a few days?”

“Boyfriend?,” Poe growled. “You just met him! When did he become a boyfriend?”

“Shaina,” Rey answered, giving Poe a look. “You are at the perfect age where hormones are going a little crazy, and crazy hormones and the Force don’t always mix well together. You need to learn how to control both a little better and balance them before you can even think about having a serious relationship.” She walked over to Shaina and tapped her lightly on the cheek. “In the meantime, why don’t you head out to feed and clean the tris; it’s your night tonight. And maybe you can invite Stephan to help you?”

It was Shaina’s turn to scoff. “Seriously?” she grumbled. “He has no interest in cleaning tris shit.”

“You might be surprised. If he really likes you, he should be willing to help you do anything.” Her mom glanced at her dad, then gave Shaina a soft smile. “You’d be amazed at what your father helped me with back in the day, just so he could be in my company.”

This time, Poe rolled his eyes, his look eerily similar to her own eye roll from earlier. “Don’t remind me,” he snorted. But then he focused his intense gaze on her. “You can spend time with him, as long as you stay in public.” His tone brooked no argument.

“Fine,” Shaina snapped, then giving one last glare at her parents she left the modest little house that had been their home here on Lothal for the last few years. She turned toward the large barn about 300 yards north where about a half dozen Tris (and one lone fathier) lived. She climbed through the fence and was quickly surrounded by the large quadrupeds, anxious for their dinner and attention. Shaina obliged them, leading them into the barn where she got their grain meals ready and rationed out hay. While they ate, she set out with a pitchfork and wheelbarrow to clean the yard. It was a humble chore, one she had done since she was a child old enough to handle the cleaning equipment, and she quickly fell into an almost trance-like state as she went about the familiar task.

“There you are,” a voice said from the other side of the fence. Shaina started, looking over to see Stephan watching her with his arms folded on the top rail. “What are you doing here?”

Shaina smiled and walked over to him, admiring the handsome man before her. His hair was as dark as hers, but straight, and he wore the shoulder-length strands tied back with a leather strap. His eyes were a brilliant blue, a startling contrast to his tan complexion and hair. “All the students in the Academy rotate in the care of the tris,” she explained. “It’s my turn tonight.”

“That sucks,” Stephan told her.

“It’s not so bad,” Shaina told him as one of the tris, Brant, came up to her and playfully grabbed at the pitchfork in her hand. She shoved his head away good-naturedly. “I grew up with them. They’re pretty neat.” She looked at Stephan again, her face serious. “I can’t go with you to Vardos,” she told him. “They need me to help keep an eye on the younglings when they have one of their camp-outs in a couple of days.” That sounded better than ‘my dad won’t let me.’

“That sucks even more,” he said with a frown. “I was hoping for some alone time with you.”

She shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant even if his words sent shivers up her spine. “Maybe next time?”

“Yeah,” he told her. “Maybe.” He backed away from the fence. “I won’t be leaving until tomorrow afternoon, so I hope to see you before then?”

“Oh,” Shaina responded, a bit disappointed that he wasn’t offering to help her, or even just staying to keep her company while she worked. “Yeah. I’d like to see you before you leave.” She paused. “When will you be back?”

“As soon as possible,” he told her with a smile. “I really like the atmosphere here, not to mention the view.” He winked at her and turned to leave. “See you soon, Shay.”

“Soon,” Shaina repeated, smiling as he started walking back toward the base, but her smile faded a bit as she watched him go. Brant nudged her on the shoulder and she brought her free hand up to stroke his face, trying not to think of her mother’s words from earlier. “If he really likes you, he should be willing to help you do anything.“ With a sigh, she continued on with her cleaning.

******

Rey came out of the fresher after finishing her normal bedtime routine only to find her husband sitting up in their bed, brows furrowed as he read a datapad. His expression hadn’t changed much since his argument with Shaina earlier in the evening. It was not a good look for him.

She sighed and turned off the light behind her, heading for the bed. Shaina had come back from her chores just after sunset, casting them both accusatory looks before stalking to the bedroom she shared with her sister, Shiloh, and staying out of sight the rest of the evening. Poe’s attitude hadn’t improved any, either. Rey climbed into bed and leaned over to peek down at what her husband was so focused on. “What’cha reading?”

Poe glanced over at her, tilting the datapad just enough that she could see it. She wasn’t surprised to see a detailed account of all assignments and skip trace completions belonging to one Stephan Byrne. She let out a frustrated breath. “I’m not even going to ask how you got that.”

“Good idea,” he told her softly.

She shook her head. After a pause, she asked, “Thirty? Really?”

He glanced at her again. “I was joking,” he grumbled. “Mostly.”

She cocked her head at him. “Do you happen to remember how old I was when we first met?”

He took a deep breath and looked up toward the ceiling. “Yes, I do,” he muttered. “And as you so eloquently explained to our daughter, your upbringing was a lot different than hers.” He shot her a dark look. “You’re the one always complaining about how much like me she is. Well, I happen to remember being sixteen. I’m not letting her do the stupid shit I did.”

She gave him a soft smile, undeterred by his bad attitude. “I agree this Stephan isn’t ideal, but we’re reaching that point we both dreaded long ago, and we need to deal with it.”

He set the datapad down on his lap and focused on her. “What point?”

“The point where we have to give up control,” Rey told him firmly. “The point where we have to hope that all we’ve done to help her learn and grow takes root and blooms and carries her forward and upward.” She leaned into him, her shoulder pressing against his. “We have to start trusting her to make the right choices for herself. Learn from her mistakes, which she will make, no matter how much we protect her. We’ll have to let her go, and soon.”

Poe stared at her, his eyes dark and a bit angry. “Are you saying you can do all that?” He tilted his head toward her. “And tell me the truth, Jedi.”

Rey sighed. “No,” she said honestly. “But we have to.”

He abruptly threw the datapad on the table next to the bed and dropped his head back, hitting the bed’s headboard. He brought up his hands to rub them over his face. “Ugh!” he groaned. “I want my little girl back!” Shaina had been their firstborn, the one that started it all. She had been their first big test, helping her inexperienced parents work through their first turbulent years of marriage. As the oldest of six children (and counting, Rey liked to add), she had always been the child that they had to keep the tightest rein on and yet always managed to get away with the most, too; in the majority of those instances, all she had to do was bat her big hazel eyes in her father’s direction and any discipline that had been forthcoming was forgotten. She had always been ‘Daddy’s girl.’

But now she was a woman, and Rey knew Poe was having a very difficult time accepting it.

She slid closer to him on the bed, bringing her arm up and twining it with his, linking their fingers together, then she rested her head on his shoulder, staying silent. Slowly, she felt his body relax and the tumultuous energy surrounding him began to settle. She glanced up at his face, relieved to see his brow softening above his closed eyes and his jaw releasing from its clenched state. She felt him squeeze her hand. “I don’t know how to do this,” he whispered.

“Neither do I,” she whispered back. “But I think that’s been the norm throughout her whole life, don’t you think?” She ran her other hand up his arm soothingly. “We’ve always muddled through. I think the important thing is to make sure she knows that no matter what, we love her. Whether she believes it or not.”

Poe huffed out a laugh, then sighed, opening his eyes and looking at her as she raised her head. “I love you,” he said softly.

She smiled and brought her free hand up to run her fingers through his thick silver hair. “I love you, too, flyboy.”

***

The heat rose around her, threatening to scorch her skin, set fire to her hair. She opened her mouth to cry out, but the heat immediately pulled the moisture out of her mouth, and her voice sounded more like a weak croak. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the Force, drawing it in around her, pushing the unnatural heat back. She was able to concentrate on her surroundings as she felt the power of the Force envelope her like a shield, and she opened her eyes again.

There was no fire, though she could swear she felt flame. There was no bright, glowing light. Only darkness. There was no inferno.

It was the Dark Side.

It had been a very long time since she had felt such dark power. Exegol. Sidious. Her own death. But even that dark day had not felt like this.

She stepped forward, her senses alert to everything around her, her Light energy still surrounding her like armor. She needed to find the source. She needed to stop whoever or whatever was creating so much darkness. She had sworn to prevent this kind of power from ever rising again.

Gradually, she began to get her bearings and recognized her location. She was in the remains of what had once been the Jedi Temple here on Lothal. She had visited the site often after the Resistance had settled here just over four years ago, bringing many of her students so they could learn the history of the great temple and its destruction many years earlier by local rebels intent on protecting its secrets from the Empire. The site still carried a great Force presence, and her students had benefitted from its power.

But that power had been more light than dark. This darkness she felt now could not be emanating from the temple debris. It had to be coming from elsewhere.

She stepped around a large outcropping of rock and saw the shape of three people. Two she recognized immediately. They were former students, Jedi now. Middy, a female Himoran, and Paulo, one of the ‘children of the Sith’ from Exegol, stood shoulder to shoulder, lightsabers ignited, facing another figure, one she couldn’t see clearly. The figure raised their arms and Force lightning began to shoot out from their fingers. Middy and Paulo raised their sabers, blocking it as best they could, but they were startled, obviously not expecting such an attack. After a moment, they pushed forward toward the Dark figure. The lightning stopped and a bright red blade flared in the dusky light that surrounded them. Her Jedi rushed forward, but the wielder of the red saber was ready for them. She felt the Dark Side power flow from the figure, and she felt fear for her Jedi.

They held their own for quite a while, working together against their enemy, but it quickly became apparent that the Dark entity was stronger. Quicker. And very, very angry. The Darkness exploded around her and she once more felt heat inundate her. She stood in absolute shock as she watched her Jedi cut down right before her eyes. She felt their pain and their surprise.

She felt their death.

Rey woke with a scream. Poe was already kneeling on the bed in front of her, hands on her shoulders, and it was apparent he had been trying to wake her for a while. She gasped in air and looked at him with terror. “Middy and Paulo! They’re gone!”

“What?” Poe demanded. “Rey! What do you mean, gone?”

“They’re dead!” she cried, her body shaking. “Right here, on Lothal!” She grabbed his forearms, pulling herself onto her knees. “At the old temple. I saw it!”

“How?” Poe asked, shaking her lightly, trying to get her focus on him.

“Someone,” she told him, shaking her head. “A Dark Side user. Powerful.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, regaining control. “I couldn’t see them clearly, but they were familiar.” She opened her eyes and looked at her husband. “One of my students, Poe. It has to be.” She felt tears slide down her cheeks. “One of my Jedi has fallen.”

******

Shaina sat on the literal edge of her seat in the cockpit of the shuttle Latham, watching the people in front of her carefully. Her mother was flying the shuttle and Uncle Finn was co-piloting, and they were both looking ahead grimly. Shaina actually felt lucky to be sitting behind them, as neither of her parents had been keen on letting her come on this trip.

They were flying to the old Jedi temple remains here on Lothal. What was odd was how they were going about it. Usually, when Rey or Finn took students, they just took a speeder. While it was a good three-hour trip from the base to the temple by speeder, flying a shuttle or any other spaceworthy ship just used up more fuel than was necessary. But today was obviously different, as not only were they taking a shuttle, but her father was flying alongside them in his x-wing. So much for saving fuel.

Shaina knew this trip had something to do with the events of last night, and it made her more than a little nervous. She had woken up in the middle of the night in terror, and had soon realized that her mother was screaming. She and the other children had run for their parent’s room, Shaina and her fourteen-year-old brother Skyler with their lightsabers in hand, and found their father comforting their distraught mother. He had given them all a look that was a combination of anger and gratefulness, and told them in a firm voice to go back to bed. They had done so, but Shaina had not slept.

She still wondered this morning if it had been her mother’s ‘nightmare’ that she had felt or if whatever had given her mother the nightmare. Only, it wasn’t a nightmare. When morning had arrived, Shaina had learned that several other Jedi students had woken in a panic during the night, some dreaming of a dark entity with a red lightsaber. Shaina’s mother had gathered them all together to apologize, telling them her severe night-terror had manifested through the Force and many of them had felt it. It wasn’t impossible, Shaina thought. Rey’s Force energy was so powerful that many of her students felt it when she let her emotions get the best of her.

However, Shaina’s parents and Finn immediately began making plans to visit the old Jedi temple for some unknown reason, and Shaina just knew it had something to do with the events overnight. When she had asked to come along, her father had immediately said ‘no,’ but then Stephan had appeared, smiling his sweet smile and asking Shaina if she wanted to take a walk with him before he had to leave. Suddenly, Poe was there. “Shaina is helping her mom and I on a project, Mr. Byrne. Sorry.” Talk about whiplash! She was equally angry at him for basically telling Stephan to get the hell away and grateful she had an excuse to come with them.

Unfortunately, her three mentors had all been mum since then, telling her where they were going but not why.

Shaina had been to the temple on Lothal several times since they had moved here, so the moment she stepped off the shuttle she could feel the difference in the energy surrounding the area. It wasn’t dark, necessarily, but it wasn’t the light she was used to feeling here. There was a subtle electricity to it that made her skin tingle, and while it didn’t feel bad, it didn’t make her feel good, either. She followed her mother and Finn as they made their way toward the remains, noticing in her peripheral that her father was landing his x-wing after having done a few passes of the area. Looking for what, she didn’t know. She kept her hand close to her lightsaber, her nerves on edge despite her trust in her mother and uncle.

They reached the ruins and Rey turned to look at her. “Let’s split up and search the area,” she told Shaina.

Shaina nodded, but then tilted her head. “And what are we looking for?”

Rey’s expression was grim. “You’ll know it when you see it,” she said. “Or feel it,” she amended.

With a shrug, Shaina turned and headed off toward the west. She could see her father heading their way, BB-8 as always on his heels. She felt resentment almost immediately when she looked at him, and was angry at herself for letting him get to her, because it only proved her mother right. If she couldn’t control her emotions, especially the negative ones, then she wasn’t ready to have a relationship with anybody. But she wasn’t about to admit that to either of her parents.

She took a deep breath and slowed down, focusing on the ground in front of her and opening herself up to the Force. At first, she didn’t feel anything more than what she had felt when she stepped off the shuttle, but as she walked slowly along, she felt the change. The energy darkened and became thick. She recognized the Dark Side easily; one thing her mother had always done in the training of her students was to make sure they could recognize and learned to respect the Dark Side. She let it lead her, following the Force energy until it almost felt like she had walked into a dark room, despite the bright sun of Lothal shining down on her.

She began to panic a bit, recognizing it as an imprint of some immense discharge of the Dark Side in this one spot. She glanced over at her mother, who was already on the far side of the ruins, with Finn about half-way between them. Her father was closest to her, and he immediately started moving her way. Rey was also watching her, sensing her disquiet. Shaina swallowed and moved forward, pushing through the thick feeling surrounding her, telling herself that whatever had created this Dark Side chaos was long gone, and she could easily overcome this left-over power. She still found herself freezing, feeling cold shivers run up her spine. Never had she felt such darkness.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, turning to look at her father, who had reached her and was watching her with a concerned look on his face. Unyielding resentment rose up in her again, and without thought she shrugged his hand off of her shoulder and moved forward away from him, ignoring for a moment the discomfort of the Darkness. Her father didn’t follow, but he didn’t move away, either. She refused to look at him, telling herself she didn’t care if his expression showed anger or hurt at her action.

She focused on the ground again, breathing deep and opening herself up just a bit more. She sensed her mother and Finn coming closer, recognizing that she had found whatever they were all looking for. Shaina felt a tug, one that she knew was the Force leading her to something, but she hesitated, unsure if it was a good idea to follow a pull that originated from the Dark Side. But the feeling was insistent, and she let herself move toward it, recognizing as she did so that it wasn’t emanating from the Dark, but from the Light. Suddenly sure of herself once more, she started walking faster, and she could feel the others follow her.

“What happened here, Mother?” she asked as she walked, her heart racing.

There was the briefest of silences, then Rey answered. “Middy and Paulo were killed here last night.” Her voice was firm, devoid of emotion.

Shaina stopped and turned toward her, startled. “What?”

“It was another of my students,” Rey continued. “But I couldn’t see who.”

Shaina felt the panic grow again. She knew what her mother was saying. One of her students, someone Shaina knew, had fallen to the Dark Side. Shaina turned once more toward the tug, noticing with her physical eye a flash in the sunlight. Shaking, she moved toward the object lying in the dirt. She squatted down and immediately picked it up.

It was a medallion, one that was very familiar to Shaina as she had one very similar. Carved with the symbol of the Jedi, Rey Skywalker gifted all of her students with one when she felt they had met the requirements necessary to be called Jedi. They were all the same except for the jewel or mineral that was used as the center of the light radiating from the stylized saber; every graduate’s gem was unique to them. Shaina recognized right away that this medallion did not belong to either Paulo or Middy.

She stood and turned toward the others, showing them the medallion… and the fire ruby in the middle.

Rey closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath.

“Isaias.”

******

Isaias Plasency had been one of Rey’s first Jedi students. She and her grandmother had appeared on Ajan Kloss not long after the war with the First Order had ended along with a small group of Force sensitives from Lothal. They had been trying to find their way to Rey and the Resistance for a while, but it wasn’t until after the war was won that the public learned where the Resistance had been based during those final months. Rey had helped those she could in becoming comfortable with their Force abilities, though none had been strong enough to warrant training as Jedi. Except for Isaias.

At only five years of age at the time, Isaias had already been extremely powerful. Her grandmother feared her and was not particularly kind to her, so Rey was more than anxious to take the child as a student if only to give her the positive energy she needed to grow into a healthy woman, much less a Jedi. It got so bad with her grandmother that at one point Rey actually suggested the woman leave and go back to Lothal, leaving Isaias with Rey. Brabar Plasency refused, but also promised to do better by her granddaughter.

Rey had indeed seen improvement after that, both in Brabar’s treatment of the child and in Isaias’ attitude. Any lingering fear Rey had that the girl would grow resentful and distrustful, and therefore more prone to the Dark, had faded. When Talia had joined the school a few years later, another human child the same age and of equal strength as Isaias, Rey’s worries came back briefly; the two children immediately became competitive and wary of each other. But after a few months, respect from both girls developed, and they became the best of friends.

After their ‘graduation,’ both young women began to help the New Republic and local governments when in need. Most of the time, just their presence, the fact they were Jedi, was enough to settle any disputes, but sometimes negotiations took place, and both Isaias and Talia had become good at solving simple feuds without the use of a lightsaber. They were exactly as Rey had hoped her Jedi would be, unobtrusive, patient, their presence more symbolic than anything, but ready to help when needed.

Rey had never intended to maintain absolute control of her Jedi once they were on their own, but she did ask to be kept informed of their whereabouts and activities, constantly reminding her students that everything they did reflected on the Jedi as a whole and with the history of the Order not being all that positive, they needed to avoid any negativity. Talia had not only kept in almost constant contact with Rey, but she visited often.

Isaias had not been as communicative, though she hadn’t completely disappeared. Rey remembered the last time she had talked to the young woman, about six months previously. Isaias had been helping with a minor border dispute on Bonadan, not too far away from Lothal. They had talked about the situation over a holo link, and Rey had not seen anything concerning from the dark-haired woman.

Everything in Rey wanted to deny that it was Isaias that she had seen killing Middy and Paulo. But everything in Rey was also screaming that Isaias was the one. It made Rey’s head hurt.

Talia, who had been planetside in the Westhills area visiting with her parents who had settled there after her ‘graduation,’ had come immediately after having her own nightmare the night Middy and Paulo were killed. When she learned of Isaias’ medallion being found at the ruins, she immediately came to her friend’s defense.

“It wasn’t her!” the red-head argued. “There is no way she could have turned Dark. I know her!”

“You knew her,” Finn argued back. They were situated in the large pavilion that had been built specifically for Rey’s school, where it served as a classroom, exercise area, and as it was being used now, a council chamber. Rey, Finn, Raseyn, Dayne, Demi (a Togruta and the only non-human) and Temiri were the current Jedi ‘council.’ Shaina had been invited today as she had been the one to find the medallion and Talia, who was in consideration to be a part of the council, was welcomed as soon as she arrived.

“You knew her,” Finn said again, emphasizing ‘knew.’ “When was the last time you saw her? Spent time with her?”

Talia set her jaw, but then made eye contact with Rey and sighed. She dropped her eyes and said, “I haven’t seen or talked to her in over a year.” She looked back up at Rey. “But I can’t believe she could do this.” Her eyes were pleading.

“I don’t want to believe it, either, Talia,” Rey told her softly. “And we certainly won’t accuse her without more proof than the medallion, but we need to find out the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ so we can determine the ‘who’ with certainty.” She looked at everyone around her. “There are two questions I need an answer to as soon as possible. One, why were they at the temple remains, and two, what were Paulo and Middy doing there?” She shrugged. “They were working together to help the locals on Anoat rebuild the old shrine there. The last I heard from them was only four days ago. Why did they come back to Lothal and not tell me?”

“We have to assume they followed whoever it was that killed them,” Temiri said. “Maybe they were rushed and didn’t feel they had time to inform you?”

Rey nodded. “I can believe that,” she said. “So, why the old temple ruins? There’s nothing of physical interest there anymore.”

She felt a brief ‘tap’ in the Force and looked in the direction it had emanated. “Talia?” she asked when she noticed the young woman was shifting in her seat.

“Isaias used to talk about those remains all the time. How she remembered visiting them even as a very small child, before her mother died.” She shrugged. “She was convinced there was still a way to access the World Between Worlds.”

Rey stared at her former student for a long time. Talia shifted again, obviously uncomfortable with her Master’s scrutiny. Finally, she said softly, “That puts another nail in Isaias’ coffin, doesn’t it?”

Rey sighed. “The rebels here on Lothal destroyed the temple so that the Emperor couldn’t access the Vergence Scatter. If Sidious couldn’t find a way to access the World Between Worlds, then how did Isaias think she could?”

Talia shrugged. “It was just talk, I thought. Wishful thinking on her part.” She looked at Rey with concern. “But what if she found a way?”

Everyone was silent for a moment. It was Shaina who finally spoke up.

“Why can’t we just find Isaias and ask her?” she queried. “We would know for sure if she was the one who killed Middy and Paulo then.”

Rey raised an eyebrow at her. “You know where she is?”

“Or course not,” Shaina huffed. “But someone must have some clue as to where she might be, or at least know where to go to get those clues.”

Rey shook her head. “If it was Isaias that did this, she probably didn’t go too far away, especially if what Talia suggested is true and she is trying to access the Vergence. She’s probably laying low and hiding at the moment.” She shrugged. “I don’t think it will do us any good to try and find her, yet, but I guess we can put the word out that we want to talk to her. If it wasn’t her, then she should come back willingly, right?”

Everyone else nodded grimly. Shaina still seemed a bit put out that her idea had been swept aside, but Rey didn’t have time to worry about her daughter’s ego at the moment. “Temeri, I want you to take a couple of students that you feel are capable and head to the temple ruins for a thorough search. From what I understand, when it was active, it required two Jedi to open.” She gave Finn and Rose’s adopted son a stern look. “But if you should get something to activate, you stop there and let me know. Do not proceed. Understood?”

“Yes, Master,” Tem replied.

“Rasyn and Dayne, if you would take charge of a memorial for Paulo and Middy, I would greatly appreciate it. I’ll get started on a message to Isaias and send it out to our contacts. Let’s meet back here tomorrow morning to decide our next move.” She paused. “I don’t want any of you to do anything without informing me first, no matter how much of a hurry you are in, and do nothing alone. Always take a partner or two. This person killed two trained Jedi by themselves. Isaias or not, they are dangerous and cannot be trusted.”

Everyone nodded, then they stood and set off. Rey watched her daughter stalk out of the pavilion, anger in every step. She shook her head, wondering if she should have allowed Shaina to come to this meeting; she needed to learn that not every idea and opinion was going to be well received. She needed to, well, grow up. Not for the first time, she wondered if she and Poe hadn’t spoiled their eldest daughter just a tad too much.

She pushed the thought out of her mind and focused once more on the situation before her. If Isaias had indeed turned to the Dark and killed, and was indeed trying to open the portal to the World Between Worlds, then she would be back, and Rey and her Jedi needed to be ready.

******

Shaina went straight to the tris barn after leaving the meeting, still angry. She needed to be doing something, taking action, not just waiting to see what happened next. Mourning the two young Jedi that had been killed was necessary, of course, but bringing their killer to justice was just as important. While her heart didn’t want to believe Isaias, someone she had known her whole life, was capable of doing this horrendous act, Shaina knew it was her. She felt her mother was being far too cautious; she couldn’t understand how the woman who had single-handedly defeated Darth Sidious could be so tentative now.

So, Shaina would go after Isaias herself.

She had a plan, one she hadn’t had the opportunity to suggest while in the meeting, which might be a good thing, and she was going to go through with it on her own. Well, mostly on her own. It was time to prove to her parents she was really a Jedi. She wouldn’t go in recklessly, but she wasn’t about to wait around for something else bad to happen.

She could just see her house from where she stood inside the doorway of the barn. A couple of the tris came to check her out, but when they found she had no food and was just standing there being boring, they left her alone. She saw her mother arrive, and then her father stepped out of the house to greet her, her little sisters Sabine, who was six, and Sienna, who was three, at his heels. Normally, she would be the one watching them this time of day, but as she had been invited to the meeting, her father had stayed to keep an eye on them. Her other siblings were old enough to be allowed free rein while not at school, as long as they didn’t stray off base too far and were back by sunset.

She watched patiently as her parents talked. She saw her mother look in her direction and Shaina didn’t bother to draw back into the shadow of the barn. There was no point. Rey knew she was there; her connection to her children was far too powerful for her not to sense Shaina from so short a distance. Chewing her lower lip, Shaina watched as they talked more, then they both headed toward the base, probably to the Command Center. Rey looked back one more time toward Shaina, but then continued on. There was no concern in her expression, just an acknowledgment that she knew her daughter was there. Shaina appreciated the fact that her parents were giving her ‘space.’ But Shaina didn’t want space. She wanted action.

As soon as her parents and sisters were out of sight, she headed toward the house, and once inside she went directly to the comm. The Dameron’s, being who they were, had a private comm, separate from the base, but Shaina had rarely used it. She sat at the desk and played with the controls, inputting the link code she already knew by heart. It didn’t take long to connect.

“Shay?”

She smiled as Stephan’s query. He recognized her code. “Hi,” she said brightly. “How far away are you and is there any chance you can come back to Lothal?”

“Well, that depends,” he told her smoothly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “What for?”

Shaina took a deep breath. “I want to hire you,” she told him. “I need your help to find somebody, and I’ll pay you your legit fee to do it, but I have a condition,” she paused. “I need to come with you.”

She heard his deep chuckle. “Darlin’, you had me at ‘hire’.” She heard the familiar tones and beeps coming from a ship’s control panel. “I’m less than ten minutes from my next drop point,” he told her. “I’ll turn around then. I should be there in four hours.”

**

“General?”

Poe acknowledged Sargent Dulin with a nod, but kept his attention on the datapad in front of him. The information he was reading was fascinating and frightening; while he had known about the World Between Worlds, he had never really paid attention to what the phenomenon really was. Until now. The thought of what life now would be like if the Emperor had managed to seize control of the Vergence was beyond terrifying.

Dulin cleared his throat. “General?” he said again, a bit more insistent.

Poe sighed and finally looked up. “Yes, Sargent?”

“I thought you should know, the Nocturne came back to Lothal about an hour ago, then left again within thirty minutes.”

Poe gave his full attention to Dulin. “Really?” he asked. “Did Byrne happen to explain why?”

The Sargent shrugged. “He said he forgot something, but didn’t say what.” He took a deep breath. “I just know you have been a bit wary of him, so I thought you should know.”

Poe contemplated Byrne’s answer. Forgot what? It must have been important for him to turn around and come back hours after leaving Lothal. What if..?

He set the datapad down and grabbed his commlink from his belt. “Rey?”

It didn’t take her long to answer. “Yes?”

“Do you know where Shaina is?”

“Well, she’s not at the house,” Rey answered. “I just assumed she was still avoiding me after the meeting this morning.” There was a pause. “Why?”

“Do you sense her?”

“Poe?” There was an edge to her voice.

“Rey?” he responded in kind.

He heard her sigh, then there was a longer pause. “No,” she said softly. “Poe, I don’t feel her near at all. What’s going on?”

“Kriffin Hell,” Poe cursed viciously. He looked at the Sargent, who swallowed nervously. “I think our daughter just ran off with Byrne.”

******

Rey’s fingers flew over the controls of the Millennium Falcon, her motions automatic and almost instinctive. It was a rare thing nowadays to sit in the cockpit of the legendary ship; as old as she was, the Falcon was mostly retired, but she was still the fastest thing on Lothal, and Rey wanted fast today.

Chewbacca, like the ship he co-owned, was also mostly retired, and was living on his home world of Kashyyyk, but he had been insistent Rey keep the ship with her on Lothal. At the moment, Rey was very happy about that decision. She turned her head a bit as she saw Talia step into the cockpit out of the corner of her eye. She could also hear Finn banging around back in the hold and wondered briefly what the heck he was doing. They were the only two Jedi she was taking with her. The school would be in good hands with Rasyn in charge for now.

“So, where are we going?” Talia asked as she sat in the seat behind the copilot’s chair.

“We’ll start with the Anoat System,” Rey told her as she finished the prep and started the ship’s engine. “That’s were Paolo and Middy were before they came here. Maybe someone there knows why they came and we can follow a trail from there.”

“Do you think that’s where Shaina went?”

Rey shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. I’m not a bounty hunter and don’t think like they do, but it was Poe’s first suggestion, and I think he has a pretty good feel for Byrne’s thought process.” Her husband reading up on the man had probably been a good thing after all. “Hopefully, we’ll find out if Paulo and Middy followed Isaias here or if they were following some lead.”

“So, you think it is Isaias now?” Talia’s voice was soft.

Rey sighed. “I don’t want to, Talia,” she replied, her own voice subdued. “But when I close my eyes and look back on my vision that night, it’s her I see. I have to trust that it’s the Force telling me something and not just my subconscious fears leading me in the wrong direction.” She glanced back at Talia. “If I am wrong, I will be thrilled.”

Talia nodded. “As much as I hate to admit it, I feel it’s her, too.” She turned her head as Finn walked in and dropped into the chair behind Rey.

“What the blazes were you doing back there?” Rey groused at her best friend.

“The latches on the panel for the induction system weren’t completely engaged and when I tried to position them right the whole thing opened and the intercooler fell out.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I know that’s kind of important, so I put it back as best I could.” He groaned. “I am so not a mechanic.”

Rey couldn’t help but smile. Finn was indeed much better at handling people than he was machines. “My copilot and I will check it out when we get into hyperspace. It should be fine until then.” The Falcon had always been a piece of junk, but Rey was determined to keep her spaceworthy for as long as possible.

“Where is he, anyway?” Finn grumbled.

“Right here,” Poe responded as he stalked into the cockpit. His expression was dark, as it had been since learning of his daughter’s departure a few short hours ago. He slid into the co-pilot’s seat, his eyes roving the control panel. Like Rey, it was almost an instinct for him to eyeball everything and make sure it was ready to go. He looked at Rey. “Ready?”

“Yep,” she told him. Without further discussion, they worked together to get the Falcon in the air, and within minutes they had left atmo and made the transition to hyperspace. The Anoat System was close enough it would only take one jump to get there.

After the Falcon was secure in hyperspace, Rey turned to her husband. “Finn said the intercooler fell out of the induction system.”

“Again?!” Poe turned to her, rolling his eyes. “Rey, when are you going to scrap this thing?”

Rey didn’t answer, but the look she gave him said enough.

“I know, I know,” Poe griped. “Legends never die.” He stood abruptly and moved to the back of the cockpit. “Let’s get to it. This jump isn’t gonna take long.”

With a smirk, Rey stood and followed. “You have the con, Finn.”

“Wait! What?” Finn exclaimed, looking back and forth between Rey and Talia. He had become a decent pilot, but he never felt comfortable flying the Falcon; she was too temperamental.

“Relax,” Rey said with a smile. “We’ll be done before we have to revert.”

Finn didn’t look convinced as he moved to sit in the pilot’s chair.

Rey made her way to the hold where Poe had already taken the panel off and was studying the induction system on his knees. The intercooler hadn’t fallen out immediately, so Finn must have done something right. She grabbed the tool box, which never strayed far from the main hold, and carried it over to him. As she kneeled next to Poe, he was already pulling out the intercooler. Without any words spoken, they worked in tandem to insure all was well with the part and then placed it back where it belonged, Poe holding it steady while Rey worked the fasteners into place at the back of the compartment; her hands were smaller and fit much easier than Poe’s.

As she did so, she glanced at her husband. “She’ll be okay,” she said softly.

“You get a vision?” Poe asked, the sarcasm controlled. Barely.

“No,” Rey responded. “But I do know her father very well, and I happen to know that he passed on his common sense and street smarts to his offspring.”

“Common sense?” Poe scoffed. “That’s the last thing I think she has right now.”

Rey smiled. “She has it. She’s just shoved it out of the way in favor of trying to prove she’s all grown up. It’ll come back to her eventually.”

“Before or after she finds Isaias?”

That comment sobered her. “I can only hope we find Shaina first.” She tilted her head at Poe. “Just how good is Byrne?” She finished tightening the last screw and pulled back.

Poe sighed. “He’s good,” he said, his frown deepening. “Very good.”

“Well, then we have to hope that everything we’ve taught our daughter in her lifetime helps her through whatever she may end up facing without us.”

Poe closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting go of the intercooler and leaning back.

“Remember what I was saying about letting her make her own mistakes and learning from them?” Rey asked.

Poe nodded.

“Let’s pray this is one of those lessons,” she continued. “And nothing more.”

He opened his eyes. “Why do I feel like it’s going to far more than that, Rey?”

She searched his face. “Is this a worried father speaking, or did you have a vision?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

Swallowing her own fear for their daughter, Rey gently grasped his hand and brought it to her mouth. Ignoring the grease on his fingers from the work they had just done, she kissed his knuckles. “Have faith, my love. Everything will soon be set right.”

Poe’s eyes softened, but the worry did not go away.

******

If there was one trait that Shaina readily admitted to inheriting from her father, it was stubbornness. And it was that stubbornness that had her convinced she was doing the right thing, even when something in the back of her brain kept niggling at her that she was heading right into trouble. But if that was the case, she told herself, she had Stephan to back her up.

She had watched him work with more than a little fascination since they had left Lothal. The fact that he seemed almost giddy with excitement over sneaking her away from her parents and going on an ‘adventure’ also amused her. On the short flight to Anoat, where Stephan had determined they should look first as that was the last known location of Paulo and Middy, he was on the comm the whole time, reaching out to at least a dozen contacts that he had scattered throughout the galaxy. Just before they arrived at their destination, he turned to her with a bit of a frustrated look on his face.

“No one knows anything,” he told her. “No one has seen a dark-haired human Jedi around recently.” He shrugged. “My sources would notice someone with a lightsaber in a heartbeat. She must be staying off the radar on purpose.”

Shaina felt the excitement of this undertaking sour a bit, and she frowned at Stephan.

“No worries,” he told her with a grin. “I’m not even close to done, yet,” he said while he dropped the Nocturne out of hyperspace.

But Anoat didn’t give them the answers they sought, either. No one could tell them why Middy and Paolo had left. The shrine that they had been there helping to rebuild wasn’t done, yet, though the locals were making progress in finishing on their own. They were horrified upon learning the news that the Jedi that had been staying with them, guiding them for well over a month, were now dead. Apparently, Paulo and Middy had left late one night with only a brief apology, promising to return when they could. No one else was with them, and as far as the people knew, no communications had come in the night before.

“It was the Force,” Shaina whispered as she sat in one of the two passenger’s chairs in the back of the Nocturne’s cockpit.

Stephan turned in the pilot’s seat to look at her, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

“One or both of them had a vision,” Shaina explained. “That’s why they left when they did. The only question is, was it the Force guiding them or did Isaias send it to them intentionally, to draw them to Lothal?”

She felt Stephan’s intense gaze on her and looked up at him. He looked away quickly, a small smile on his face.

“What?” she asked, desperate for his thoughts. For his approval.

“You are amazing, you know that?” he told her as his fingers danced over the controls of his ship.

Shaina took his comment as a compliment and felt her face heat. She shifted. “So, where do we go now, oh great Skip Tracer?”

Stephan chuckled. “You said Isaias was last seen on Bonadan, right?”

“Yeah,” Shaina confirmed. “But that was months ago.”

He shrugged. “Gotta start somewhere.” The ship lifted off of the ground as he spoke. “Besides, I have a few more contacts I want to try. People that I don’t use all the time but they have never let me down.” He glanced back at her and winked. “We’ll find her.”

The jump to Bonadan took a bit longer than the one to Anoat, and Shaina spent the time looking up information on the World Between Worlds on her datapad while Stephan continued having conversations with several of the many beings throughout the galaxy that he had developed professional connections with. She was so focused on her reading that she wasn’t paying any attention to him or his words, so when he started snapping his fingers at her, trying to get her attention, she actually jumped.

“Got it!” he told her. “One of my most trusted snitches knows exactly where we should go,” he told her. “We’ll be arriving at Bonadan in just a few minutes, but I think we should just head out to the coordinates she gave me right away. What do you think?”

She smiled at him. “If you trust this contact that much, then yes, I think that’s a good idea.”

He gave her a warm smile of his own, then turned back to the controls. “You know you can head back to the galley and see if there’s something to your liking in the cooler.”

Shaina did admit that she was a bit hungry, having missed dinner at home in favor of sneaking away with Stephan. She was also feeling tired, as that had been hours ago. She yawned, and felt her face heat as Stephan laughed softly.

“Why don’t you take a nap, too, while you’re back there?” He gave her another wink. “Maybe I’ll join you when we get set on our new course.”

Flustered, Shaina stood. “Yeah, a nap sounds nice,” she told him. “How far to this new planet?”

“Not far, Shay,” he told her. “I have a really good feeling about it!”

She nodded and turned to head back into the ship’s hold, determined to lay down for a while on the single bunk. She shivered a bit, wondering if he would really join her, and if so… he hadn’t even kissed her, yet, she thought. How far did she want to go? She wanted to focus on Isaias and finding her, but why couldn’t she take this next step with Stephan, too? She lay on the bunk, feeling the tremor of the ship as it exited hyperspace, knowing Stephan would be inputting new coordinates into the navicomputer, and feeling the ship shudder once more as it reentered hyperspace. The almost comforting sound of the engines as they pushed the Nocturne through space lulled Shaina into a doze.

She didn’t know how long she had been asleep when she woke, her subconscious informing her that something was not right. She jumped up and made her way to the cockpit, checking her chrono as she moved. She had been asleep for over four hours. When she stepped into the cockpit, she saw Stephan seated in the pilot’s seat, but he wasn’t flying. He was reclined back, his feet propped on the console, ankles crossed. Through the viewport she could see a planet beneath them. It was an odd color, not green or blue or grey or tan. It was mostly black and red, though there were a few lighter areas. Volcanic, she wondered? She looked at Stephan with her brows furrowed.

“What is this place?” she whispered, her heart thudding. She felt the darkness emanating from the planet, but she wasn’t sure if it was from a place on the surface, a person, or the planet itself. She had heard stories of Exegol and the Dark that exuded from that planet, but she had never heard of any others like it.

Stephan turned to her with a smile. “There you are!” he said gleefully. “I was just about to wake you.” He looked out the viewport at the planet, then waved his hand dramatically. “Welcome to Mustafar.”

“Mustafar?” she whispered. “Isn’t that where...?”

“Yep,” Stephan gleefully. “This is where the Sith Lord Darth Vader himself once kept his residence.” He brought his feet down off the console and powered up the ship, immediately directing it toward the surface. “We’re meeting my contact here,” he told her. “Not sure if we’ll be staying or not.”

Shaina sat down carefully on the passenger seat, her heart still racing. “Stephan,” she said softly. “I don’t think we should go down there.”

He laughed. “Oh, come on, Shay! I thought you were up for this.”

“This?” she muttered.

He glanced back at her. “Adventure. Growth. Change.”

She furrowed her brow again. “What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that why we’re doing this?” he asked. “So you can prove to your parents you’re a real Jedi?” He shrugged. “Maybe you’ll get your chance here.”

Shaina’s nerves tightened even more, and she tried some meditation as Stephan guided the ship down to what looked like the remains of a great stone building. From the looks of it, the land was in poor shape, but there were a few odd-looking plants growing here and there. The Nocturne set down and Stephan jumped up. His excitement was palpable, and normally Shaina would have fed off of that emotion, but the tension in her remained.

Slowly, she got up and followed Stephan to the ship’s hatch. He was already walking down the ramp when she got there, and she watched as he began walking toward a person standing in the midst of the ruins. It was a woman, she noted immediately, and she squinted as she stepped down the ramp, trying to see through the dusky light that covered the area.

Shaina stopped short at the base of the ramp as she saw Stephan gather up the woman in his arms and kiss her passionately. While she was very aware of the pang of hurt the sight caused, she was more aware of the dread that followed, as she realized exactly who this woman was and what that kiss meant.

“Isaias,” she whispered.

Though the couple was still a fair bit away from the ship, Isaias pulled away and looked toward Shaina, as if she had heard Shaina’s soft words. She smiled and started walking toward the ship, keeping a hold of Stephan’s hand and pulling him along with her.

“Well, well,” Isaias purred. “Look at what you have brought me, Stephan,” she drawled. “This is unexpected, but not unwanted.”

“That’s what I thought,” Stephan answered. “Her being here will just make your plan go smoother, won’t it?”

Isaias nodded. “Mommy will come running even faster now that her baby girl is here.”

Shaina took a deep breath, tears pricking her eyes. The horrible feeling of betrayal flowed through her. One of her best friends growing up, someone she had known all her life, and a man she thought she was falling in love with, both stabbing her in the back. She swallowed. “You know how many people back home refused to believe it was you?” she asked Isaias.

The woman shrugged. “I’m sure they did.” There was no regret in her expression. No contrition.

“I didn’t do anything to hide my tracks, so I’m sure her parents will find this place soon,” Stephan said with a smirk.

Shaina found she couldn’t even look at him.

“Parents? Both of them?” Isaias frowned. She looked at Stephan. “You didn’t deflower the poor girl, did you, Stephan?” she asked with fake concern. “Her father would cut off you hand if you touched her.”

“Oh, he’ll cut off more than that,” Shaina couldn’t help but growl.

Stephan’s eyes widened at her implication, but Isaias just laughed. With a disgruntled look, the skip tracer shook his head. “No, I didn’t do anything to her. Not for lack of interest.”

“Well, depending on how this all works out, maybe you still can,” Isaias breathed menacingly. “I’m sure she won’t enjoy it,” she said as she smoothed her hand down Stephan’s arm. “But I bet you will.” She looked back at Shaina and smiled. “I had expected Rey to come after me herself, but as cautious as she’s become since bringing in the Exegol kids, I knew it might take a while. However, with you here, she’ll come now.”

“You want to face her yourself,” Shaina mumbled. It wasn’t a question.

“Of course,” Isaias nodded. “She is the only one worthy to face me.”

“You’ll lose,” Shaina whispered.

“You keep thinking that, Shaina,” Isaias told her. “Just like all her other students. Thinking she’s omnipotent. Unbreakable. A god.” She grinned. “I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”

******

“Mustafar?” Talia’s voice was confused. “What’s on Mustafar?”

“Apparently, that’s where Stephan is taking Shaina,” Rey said softly. More than one person here at Anoat had told them Stephan had been asking about the volcanic planet. Spreading seeds.

“Why is that name familiar?” Finn asked.

“It’s where Darth Vader lived when he wasn’t torturing Rebels and destroying planets at the behest of the Emperor,” Poe told him. “The Rebellion destroyed his palace not long after they took over occupation of Coruscant. There used to be a Sith temple on the site before that.”

Rey nodded her head toward her husband. “I still think you should teach my history courses, Poe.”

Poe shook his head violently. “Nope. Not a chance.”

Rey gave him a slight smile, but there was little humor in it. It had become apparent that Stephan wasn’t ‘helping’ Shaina find Isaias. He already knew where she was.

“So, we go to Mustafar?” Finn asked.

“Guaranteed it’s a trap,” Poe continued, his arms folded tightly over his chest.

Rey shrugged. “So, we spring the trap.”

“Not without a solid plan, we’re not.” The General was carefully overriding the Father.

“Well, do you think it’s just going to be Isaias and Stephan?” Talia asked. “Or do you think she’s managed to lure other Jedi to her ‘cause,’ whatever it may be?”

Rey tilted her head toward her former student. “I’ve been in contact with everyone else that isn’t on Lothal,” she said, speaking of her Jedi. “I can’t say one of them wasn’t lying to me about where they were or what they were doing, but as far as I know none are even remotely sympathetic to whoever killed Middy and Paulo.” She shrugged. “Whatever she is doing, I think Isaias is on her own, with Stephan being her only ally.”

“And we don’t know how much support he is,” Finn added. “It could be he’s been tricked into helping her somehow.”

Poe snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“Poe,” Rey chastised. “Innocent until proven guilty, right?”

“Rey, he essentially kidnapped our daughter,” he argued, his eyes flashing. “You have to see that, now. Right?”

Rey didn’t answer him. What could she say? He was correct, and no amount of positive thinking was going to change it.

“So..?” Talia began.

Finn straightened up suddenly. “Hey, does Isaias know about you two?” He wagged his finger back and forth between Rey and Poe. “You know, how you can…” he tapped his head, glancing at Talia.

Poe shook his head. “Our kids don’t even know about that,” he grumbled.

“About what?” Talia asked, her voice suspicious.

Rey nodded toward the young Jedi. “Does that answer your question, Finn?”

“Can’t you use that?” Finn was getting excited now.

“Use what?” Talia demanded. It was obvious she wasn’t happy about being the only one not in the know.

“Poe and I can communicate telepathically through the Force,” Rey told Talia. “We’ve been able to keep it quiet for years. I think only Finn, Rose, and Casey know for sure.”

Talia’s face cleared and a smile appeared. “I always wondered about that. We used to joke about how you guys could ‘read each other’s minds’ when I was little.” She gave Poe an assessing look. “But how?”

“Poe has a… modest… connection with the Force,” Finn explained. “When he connects with Rey, it gets a lot stronger.”

Talia nodded, and Rey could tell her mind was racing. Her eyes got bright. “We can definitely use that to our advantage.” She started pacing around the hold. “Poe can stay hidden on the Falcon. Isaias shouldn’t be able to sense him.” She looked at Rey. “You can keep him appraised of what’s going on and who is where.”

Rey had a thought. “I have an even better idea.” She looked at her husband. “Do you think you can connect with Shaina?”

“First of all,” Poe unfolded his arms and put his hands on his hips. “Do you really think Isaias is going to believe I didn’t come along?” He paused. “And second, I have no clue if I can connect with Shaina. I’ve never tried. How can I if she isn’t even aware that I can?”

“I can make it appear to Isaias that I made you stay behind, citing Jedi business or something,” Rey began. “And as for Shaina, you connect with me easily now without me instigating it. You are stronger than you have ever been, and your bond with her is so powerful.”

Poe shook his head. “We’ve been at odds more often than not the last couple of years,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m not sure how powerful that bond is anymore.”

“It’s still there, Poe,” Rey said softly. “Trust me, she is still our daughter, no matter how moody and rebellious she’s been.” She smiled at him. “She’s still Papa’s Little Girl.”

They were all silent for a while, then Finn said with a grin, “It looks like we have a secret weapon.”

Poe huffed. “I am standing with three of the most experienced Jedi in the galaxy and I’m your secret weapon?” he asked. “We are in so much trouble.”

**

Shaina paced the small room, her arms folded, trying her best to hold onto her anger. It helped control her fear. She still had to swipe at a tear every now and then as it tracked down her cheek, but she refused to give into the terror that sat just beneath the surface.

Her mother would be here soon, she knew, but that bit of certainty did not make her feel better. Isaias was strong, and more than that, she had tapped into the Dark Side, and that made her even more powerful, if only because now she had no moral compass to keep her Force energy restrained. Shaina had learned of the Dark Side at a very young age; she vaguely remembered feeling the intense energy that swirled around her parents and her home during the war with the Traagmol when she had only been a toddler. She would later learn how a woman named Michaela Dean had tried to manipulate her parents using artifacts imbued with the Dark Side during that time; Rey specifically taught about it in her classes, now, in order to prepare her students for even the most subtle of attacks. Rey also talked about her experience fighting the Emperor during the Battle of Exegol so many years ago, but only to her older students, and even then, Shaina had always felt her mother left a lot out of that story.

Shaina often wondered if it was because it wasn’t as fantastic as it seemed, or if the opposite was true, and Rey was being humble in not telling everyone the whole story. Was her mother really as powerful as so many believed? Or was her legend larger than reality? Shaina really hoped, today of all days, that her mother truly was unbeatable.

Shaina felt exhaustion overwhelm her and she leaned against the wall at her back. The building was old and not very large, a care-taker’s house from what she had gathered, left over from when Darth Vader had lived here in perpetual self-condemnation. Despite the fact that it was a good distance from the remains of the Sith Temple, Shaina could still feel the Dark Side all around her. It radiated out from the temple area in waves, and Shaina knew her weakened state was due to her body trying to fight it off, a natural instinct. Her head hurt and her stomach churned.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar warmth inundate her. She closed her eyes and opened herself up to her mother’s presence. She felt a calmness fill her and she couldn’t help but smile. She opened her eyes, wondering how to make her mother aware of the situation, when she ‘heard’ a familiar but unexpected voice.

*Shay,* her father said. *Can you hear me?*

******

Rey stepped off the Falcon, Talia and Finn following closely, flanking her on either side. All had their lightsabers still attached to their person, but their hands were close, their reflexes ready. Rey stopped at the base of the ramp and looked around her. To their right sat Stephan’s ship, the Nocturne. To their left the ruins of the palace that had once belonged to Darth Vader. What appeared to be the remains of a forest lay in front of them, the trees long dead and most having toppled over. The grass beneath their feet wasn’t fairing much better, as it was dry and dormant, though not dead. Rey knew the planet had become this way due to unnatural intervention, but in the past several years since the Empire’s collapse, it had begun to heal. Apparently, that healing was no longer happening, and was in fact going in reverse once more.

The Dark Side, Rey knew. She felt it easily, swamping her senses in a way she hadn’t felt since her last visit to Exegol. Something had reawakened here on Mustafar, something as dark as Vader had once been.

“Oh, no one to meet us,” Talia said, the sarcasm heavy in her voice. “What a shame.”

Rey glanced at the red-head. “That’s a good thing,” she told her protegee. “We don’t want anyone near the Falcon so Poe can slip out when he finds Shaina.”

“How’s that going, by the way?” Finn asked softly as the three of them turned toward the ruins.

“I felt Shaina as soon as we entered atmo,” Rey told him. “I sense that Poe is very focused right now. I’m hoping that means he’s talking to her and not still searching for her.” She was very confident her husband could make the connection with their daughter, but she knew his confidence was more important; if he didn’t think he could, he wouldn’t open himself up enough to do it.

They walked cautiously toward the rubble, heading for part of the structure that looked to be still standing. It was the obvious place to find who they were looking for. Rey tried to open herself up to Force to see if she could locate her former student, but the Dark was too strong. Finn had once likened it to ‘swimming in mud.’ It was still an apt description.

“Kriff,” she heard Talia mutter on her right. “I can’t ‘see’.”

Rey knew exactly what Talia meant.

“No temple you ever brought us to felt like this,” the younger woman said.

Rey shook her head. “No, but none of those temples had such Dark power worked in them so recently as this place.” She took a deep breath. “Every bit of Vader’s hate and sorrow and pain is embedded in this site,” she said. “I can feel him everywhere, and I’ve never ‘met’ him.”

She could feel Finn looking at her. “I thought Anakin Skywalker helped you on Exegol.”

“Anakin Skywalker is not Darth Vader,” Rey explained. “Just as Ben isn’t Kylo Ren. Not anymore.” She glanced at him, noticing his grimace. Neither he nor Poe had yet to forgive Ben Solo for all he had done while allowing himself to be used by the Dark Side, and she would never ask them to.

“And do you think Isaias can be redeemed as they were?” Talia asked.

“That’s why we’re here,” Rey told her. “I intend to do my best to bring her back.” She looked at Talia with eyebrows raised. “But if she hurts my daughter, all bets are off.”

They reached the area that was still intact and carefully moved through the large opening in the side of the wall. They entered a very large room, with most of the ceiling missing but three of the four walls standing. The wall to their left was mostly collapsed, and the remnant of a giant rolling door lay nearby. It was a hanger, Rey realized. Built to protect ships from both the elements and enemy attack, it explained why most of the structure was still standing.

Rey saw movement off to the right, and two figures emerged out of the shadows.

“I have to admit,” she heard Isaias say before she could even see the woman clearly. “I expected you to bring more backup.” She and Stephan moved closer, but stopped a good hundred yards away. Rey saw the dark-haired woman’s eyes flash, her gaze taking in the three Jedi carefully. “Where’s Dameron?”

“I made him stay on Lothal,” Rey answered. “I was afraid he would get a little… irrational.” She looked directly at Stephan as she said this, and noticed the young man swallow and shift his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile a bit. As confident as he seemed, Byrne had a great deal of respect for her husband, maybe even a bit of fear. As he should, Rey thought.

Isaias just laughed. “And that is just proof where you went wrong, Rey,” she said with her smile intact. Rey couldn’t help but flinch as Isaias said her name; ever since Isaias was a child, Rey had been Master Skywalker to her. Rey had even asked that she stop with the formality as Isaias got older, but the young Jedi never had. Until now. Using her name now so casually sounded more like an insult than any acknowledgement of friendship. “Attachments are a Jedi’s downfall,” the young woman continued.

“Really?” Rey asked quietly. “Why do you say that?” She shrugged. “He’s not a Jedi. He’s not here to interfere. You don’t think I’m being irrational, do you?”

“You don’t know what we’ve done to your little girl,” Isaias told her, her smile gone now. “Your emotions would take over if you knew.”

Rey smiled. “Really, Isaias. Not only do I think you’re wrong, but I happen to know my daughter is fine.” She tapped her head lightly. “Attachments create strong bonds through the Force. You have her locked away, but untouched.” She looked at Stephan again. “Which surprises me a bit, but I guess I should be grateful. Poe never trusted you,” she said to the young man. “But I always sensed your fondness for Shaina.”

He snorted, giving Isaias a nervous glance. “I must be a better actor than I thought,” he told her with a wry twist to his mouth. “My goal was always to get close to your family and cause unrest.” He smirked. “I overhead some pretty heated arguments between Shay and her father,” he said. “I enjoyed that.”

“I’m sure you also enjoyed comforting her when she came running to you afterwards,” Rey nodded, unperturbed. “And you tried your best to make her smile again.”

Stephan frowned at her words, glancing at Isaias once more. The woman was scowling at him, but didn’t say anything.

“Why, Isaias?” Talia spoke suddenly. “You were my sister. My best friend. Why are you doing this?”

Rey didn’t wait for Isaias to respond. “What do you know about the World Between Worlds? I rarely even mentioned it. Did you think you could access it, when Palpatine himself couldn’t?”

Isaias’ eyes shifted between the two of them. “My mother told me all about the temple and the Vergence Scatter, and how the past could be changed by one who entered it.” She raised her chin up high. “She made me promise to find it, to become what she couldn’t, a Sith more powerful than even Palpatine.”

“Your mother was a Sith?” Finn asked.

“She would have been,” Isaias growled. “If she hadn’t been struck down with bloodburn.” She paced off to the side, and Rey could feel her anger grow. “My grandmother blamed me. Said I was a curse to her, that I should never have been born.” She grimaced. “She brought me to you, Rey, the woman who could have ruled the galaxy, but who was too emotionally weak for the job.” She laughed without any humor. “She tried to beat the memory of my mother out of me, just as you tried to train it out of me, but I never forgot. I never will.”

“And what would you do if you could change the past?” Rey asked, keeping her voice calm, an absolute antithesis of Isaias’ attitude.

Isaias stopped suddenly and looked at her with wide eyes. “Save my mother, of course.”

“How could you prevent her from getting bloodburn?” Talia asked, and Rey could feel how hard the young woman was trying to follow Rey’s example of staying calm.

“I would heal her,” she scoffed, as if the answer was obvious. “I’ll be strong enough to do that soon.”

Rey shook her head. “The ability to heal isn’t determined by strength, Isaias,” she explained. “It’s a talent some Jedi are born with. From what I understand, it’s actually a very rare gift.”

Isaias bared her teeth at Rey. “Of course, you would say that. Think that. Keeping yourself high on that pedestal, aren’t you? Making the rest of us feel like we’ll never live up to your standards. Your power.”

Talia surged forward and Rey grabbed her shoulder to stop her. “How dare you!” she shouted. “Rey has never been like that! She’s always made us feel equal and strong in our own gifts!” She took a breath and stepped back again. “If anything, I think she’s always downplaying how powerful she is. I don’t think either of us have really seen what Master Skywalker can do.”

“Talia,” Rey told the woman, her hand still on her shoulder, comforting this time. She looked back at Isaias. “What is it you want with me, Isaias? To defeat me? To take over my ‘throne,’ such as it is?”

“I want to be what my mother couldn’t be and what you refused to be.”

“A sith?”

“More than that,” Isaias whispered harshly. “I want to be Empress. I want to rule it all.” She smiled again, and Rey could see the red glint in her eyes. “Don’t you get it, yet, Rey?” she said in a deceptively sweet tone. “My mother was also a daughter of one of Palpatine’s clones.”

Rey stood in shock. Nobody but those closest to her knew about her heritage. She felt Talia look at her with surprise on one side and Finn grabbed her arm gently from the other, supporting her with his own quiet strength.

“Hello, Auntie Rey,” Isaias purred.

******

Poe stepped down the ramp of the Falcon, looking carefully off to the left where he knew the others had gone. However, he was going in the other direction. He strode past Byrne’s ship, glaring at it as if it was the man himself standing there, then headed past it toward the remains of what once appeared to have been a forest in this planet’s recent past. As he moved along, he noticed something falling from the sky. At first, he thought it was ash; this was a planet where the molten core reached the outer layer on more than 30% of the surface. But then a speck hit his cheek and he felt the cold. Snow? He lifted his eyes toward the grey sky, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea that he was walking on a superheated planet while the atmosphere was cold enough to create snow. That was just asking for seriously wicked weather.

He saw before him in the dusky light the shape of a building. Short and squat, the stone edifice looked like something from a horror holo, but he knew from the stilted description his daughter had given him that this was where she was being held. He gave a brief smile as he thought about Shaina’s reaction to his telepathic contact earlier. She had been disbelieving at first, demanding he prove he wasn’t Isaias pretending to be him. Poe knew without a shadow of a doubt that Shaina could recognize his touch through the Force, but he also knew she was stressed and frightened and was having a hard time believing her ‘Force-dead’ father could be talking to her in her head. He reminded her of the time she was a four-year-old and went missing on Yavin IV; even Rey couldn’t ‘feel’ her and had panicked, and soon the whole Base was looking for her. It was Poe that had finally found her, high up in the Uneti tree in Kes’ backyard, stranded and terrified, her fear causing her to draw the Force into herself and thereby preventing her mother and the others from feeling her, especially as she was surrounded by the tree’s own powerful Force energy. Poe had had to climb up to her and comfort her, singing her favorite song until she relaxed her body and fell into his arms, allowing him to climb them both down carefully. Poe had connected with Rey to let her know he had found Shaina, but had not told anyone but his wife where he had found the little girl.

Shaina’s fear of heights had remained throughout her life, though she hid it well.

Once Shaina had been assured it was really him ‘talking’ to her, her attitude had become constrained, almost as if she didn’t want to accept that he could do what he was doing. He wondered if she was mad at him for keeping his limited Force abilities a secret. He honestly couldn’t tell; her emotions were, like that day he had found her in the Force tree, tight and almost invisible.

As Poe neared the building, his worry about the conditions on the planet became reality. A bolt of lightning hit the ground off to his right, the resulting crack of thunder that immediately followed letting him know exactly how close the strike had been. The snow became heavier and he quickened his pace.

He entered the building through a doorway with no door. The stone structure was itself still strong and solid, but most of the interior was bare and cold. He moved toward the back of the building, entering a narrow hallway that led to an alcove with three huge wooden doors. He went unerringly to the middle one, knowing through the still barely-there connection that his daughter was behind it. He eyeballed the door, guessing that though the wood was old it was thick and strong. A metal padlock secured his daughter’s prison. He walked up to the door and placed his hand on it. “Shay?”

“Yeah?” Her voice trembled.

“Think you can envision the interior mechanism of an old padlock and work it open with the Force?”

There was a pause. “You can do that?”

Poe smiled. “Well, I can’t, but your mom probably could. She’s great with handcuffs.”

“I don’t need to know why that is,” Shaina said, her voice dry now.

He chuckled, but then took a deep breath and studied the lock and door again. “It’s been a while, but I guess I could pick it,” he said. Though he was basically talking to himself, he wanted Shaina to know what was going on; he knew firsthand how isolating being locked up somewhere felt and he hoped that his words would comfort her and give her strength. “Kriff,” he swore as he tried to figure out what he had on his person that he could use to pick a lock. His hand brushed his blaster. “Screw it. We don’t have time for subtlety.” He pulled the weapon out of the holster, glad he had never gotten out of the habit of wearing it, even during these last few years of relative peace.

“Shaina, move away from the door.” After giving her a heartbeat to do so, he stepped back, aimed and fired. He had to fire a second time before most of the lock collapsed and fell to the ground. Unsurprisingly, the wood along the lock was only slightly singed. Tough stuff, he thought. Holstering his blaster, he used his gloved hand to sweep the remains of the padlock out of the way and opened the door.

Shaina stood at the back of the dark room, her eyes wide. She looked cold and scared, but otherwise seemed unhurt. He still asked her with concern, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded, and Poe immediately became concerned with her attitude. That didn’t sound like his independent, temperamental teen-age daughter. He reminded himself that she had just been through what had probably been a roller coaster of emotions. He felt the sudden urge to hug her, but knew without a shadow of a doubt she wouldn’t appreciate it right now; he would wait for a better time.

He gestured with his head. “Come on. We gotta get to the Falcon.”

She swallowed and nodded, following him out as he turned to leave the house. Another powerful lightning strike hit just outside of the house and they both jumped. Poe took a chance and put his hand on Shaina’s shoulder, giving her a light squeeze. “And we better hurry,” he told her wryly. As they neared the door, something on the floor caught his attention. He scooped up a pair of binders, glancing at his daughter. She glared at them, her lips tight with tension; he didn’t have to ask her if the shackles had been used on her. Silently, he attached them to his belt.

They left the house and Poe directed her toward the ships. Two more very close strikes only made them move faster until they were both at a slow jog. The Nocturne and the Falcon were both in sight when Poe felt it. He stopped short and Shaina did the same. One look at her told him she had felt what he had. She looked at him, her eyes even wider than they had been before. “Mama?” she whispered.

The shock they had felt was almost as strong as the fear, and both emotions were coming from Rey.

“Mama!” Shaina shouted suddenly, and she started running toward the temple.

“Shaina!” Poe shouted. He reached for her but she was too fast. “No!” Rey had demanded he take Shaina directly to the Falcon after he found her; she didn’t want their daughter anywhere near Isaias or Byrne. It looked as if Poe had already failed in that job. “Kriffin’ hell!” he grumbled as he took off at a run after his little girl.

******

The fear that coursed through Rey was slightly more powerful than the shock. She felt Finn move even closer to her and absorbed some of his Force energy, grateful as always for her best friend’s presence. Glancing at Talia’s wide-eyed expression as she looked between her and Isaias, Rey took a deep breath, pulling the Light around her like a shawl, feeling it wrap around her and fill her with peace.

“How did your grandfather keep your mother hidden from Palpatine?” she asked calmly.

Isaias snorted. “He didn’t have to,” she said with a sneer. “Sidious always knew where she was; she was born on Exegol.” She lifted her chin. “My grandfather died young, as all of the Emperor’s clones inevitably did, but my mother grew up there. She became a pilot and a spy, reporting back to the Sith Eternal. She was one of the few that came and went from Exegol regularly.” Her expression became morose. “That’s how she got sick.” She paused a moment, then looked back up at Rey, her face enraged once again. “Once she was dead, her mother took me away. I didn’t want to leave. The Final Order was ready by then, but I was too young to fight and too young to help the Sith Eternal.” She took a deep breath. “When it was over, she brought me to you.”

Without warning, her hand dropped to her side and she grasped her lightsaber. It wasn’t the one she had made when she was twelve, the one Rey had helped her with. This one was new, and Rey was unsurprised when she ignited it and revealed a red blade. Isaias looked over at a frightened looking Stephan. “Go,” she told him. “Have fun with your little toy.”

Rey made eye contact with the young man, who looked more than a little panicked, but she was unconcerned by Isaias’ threat. Not only could she feel that Shaina was safe with her father, but she still had a sense that Stephan really did care about the girl and wouldn’t physically harm her. As the skip-tracer walked quickly past them, giving them a wide berth, Rey turned her attention once more to her former student.

Without her even moving, Rey’s saber left her belt and met her casually lifted hand, the yellow blade already ignited. Finn and Talia also took their sabers in hand and their green and blue blades illuminated the large room even more.

Isaias giggled. “Looks like we’re having a party,” she jeered, then with a smooth spin she took off running for the back of the hanger. She knew exactly where she was going and disappeared behind a pile of rubble.

Rey huffed out a breath. “She knows she can’t take on the three of us together.”

“So, we don’t separate,” Finn responded. “Corner her and take her down.”

Rey shook her head. “You two don’t separate,” she corrected. “She wants me alone.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Talia told her firmly.

Rey smiled at the red-head. “It probably will,” she told her wryly. “But let’s pretend it won’t.”

Talia frowned at her as Finn started arguing. “Rey…”

“Come on,” Rey interrupted. “Let’s see where she went.”

“What about Shaina and Poe?” Finn asked.

“They’re together, I know that,” Rey answered, glancing behind her where Stephan had disappeared. “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing them soon.” She started heading toward the back of the hanger.

“I thought you wanted them to stay with the Falcon,” Talia said as she and Finn followed Rey.

Finn snorted as Rey replied, “You really think either of them could sit this out?”

Talia shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I guess not.”

“Rey and Poe have a bad habit of making verbal plans with each other that never resemble the finished product,” Finn groused to Talia. “What they visualize is never what they end up doing, and yet they end up doing the same thing as each other anyway. They don’t even need to read each other’s minds; they just think the same way.”

Rey didn’t dispute her friend’s assertions, as they were true. She smiled a bit as she considered just how much she and Poe had become connected through the years. She could blame the Force, but she didn’t think that was it. Once upon a time, she had had a legitimate Force bond with Ben Solo. When she had fallen for Poe, there had been no Force connection between them whatsoever; she had chosen him with pure emotion, letting her heart, the same heart that had believed there was still good in Kylo Ren, lead her. Her heart had not been wrong in either case, and her faith in Ben Solo had, in fact, saved her life. A life that she had been determined to fill up with as much joy and love as she could, raising children that would never know the loneliness and lack of affection that she had lived with most of her childhood. Poe Dameron had made sure she fulfilled those intentions and then some.

She wasn’t going to let one bad apple named Isaias destroy everything she had worked so hard to build.

The three of them rounded the ruins Isaias had ducked behind, stopping short when they saw the opening of a large tunnel that appeared to lead underground.

“Well,” Talia murmured. “This is unexpected.”

Rey glanced at her, wondering if she was to blame for Talia’s use of sarcasm. She shrugged, then looked at Finn, who looked grim but determined. “Together?”

“Together,” Finn responded with a nod.

With lightsabers still lit, the three of them stepped into the opening of the tunnel shoulder to shoulder. Rey opened up her senses more than ever, pushing past the darkness, determined to find Isaias in the Force before the woman had a chance to ambush them. As they moved deeper and deeper, she felt something, but she knew it wasn’t the novice Sith. She stopped short and her companions also halted.

“Rey?” Finn asked softly.

“We’re not alone,” Rey responded quietly.

The other two immediately moved so that they stood with their backs to each other, facing outward, forming a triangle with their bodies. It didn’t take long to see more than one pair of glowing red eyes in the light coming from the sabers. Rey sucked in a deep breath as Finn swore out loud. “Kriff!”

Four shapes emerged from the dark. They were as large as the tris, but with sharp horns and even sharper teeth. They had no hair and their dark skin was shiny and smooth in the saber light. Large claws clacked on the rocky floor of the cavern, and their growls could be felt vibrating through the ground beneath them.

“Tuk’ata,” Rey whispered in awe.

“I thought they were a myth,” Talia answered softly, and Rey could feel panic growing in the young woman.

“I once thought Luke Skywalker was a myth,” Rey answered. She watched as the four creatures looked at them, then at each other. She felt a humming insider her, and realized they were communicating through the Force. Their essence flowed through it, and it was undeniably Dark. Rey swallowed, knowing that there would be no way to reason with the animals; they were already set to kill the Jedi. They had no other purpose.

“This was a trap, wasn’t it?” Finn grumbled. While he was calmer than Talia, his voice was still tight. “Isaias probably didn’t even come down here.”

Before he even finished his sentence, the creatures lunged at the trio and their lightsabers began spinning and flashing. Rey opened herself up to her companions, hoping against hope that they would be able to read each other well enough to cover any holes in their defense. She felt the Light course through her and soon felt both of the Jedi with her, their Force energy different colors in her mind’s eyes, with Finn’s being a bright violet color bordered by dark purple and Talia’s a bright yellow-orange. Rey lunged and swung and occasionally felt the physical touch of her team as their backs or shoulders brushed.

She heard Talia scream in pain, and Finn shouted in distress shortly after, but they stayed up and continued fighting. One by one, the Tuk’ata fell.

Breathing hard, Rey moved over to the last creature that had collapsed, driving her saber through what she hoped was its heart, putting it out of its misery. She turned just in time to see Talia fall to her knees, her arm bleeding badly. Finn, who was also bleeding from a gash on his neck, dropped down next to her, holding her arm and putting pressure on the wound. Rey rushed back to them both.

“Let me help,” she demanded.

“No!” Talia said forcefully, her eyes flashing. “It’s not that bad and you need to save your energy.” She looked at Finn, her eyes pleading.

Finn was looking over the wound carefully as Rey looked at his own injury closer. His bleeding had already stopped.

Finn looked at Rey. “She’s right, Rey.” He looked back at Talia’s arm. “It’s not too deep. I’ll get it wrapped and get her out of here, but you need to keep what you have left for Isaias.”

“Finn!” Rey argued. “It won’t take much to heal you both!”

“No!” he demanded. “We’ll be fine!” He shook his head. “You need…”

He stopped suddenly as something sharp and painful rushed through them both.

“Shaina!” she breathed.

“Go!” Finn shoved her away. “Go!”

With one last look of regret at her friends, Rey turned and ran back up the tunnel as if more Tuk’ata were on her heels.

******

Shaina was running as fast as she could through the heavy wet snow that was still falling, heading for the temple ruins where she could sense her mother’s distress. She ignored not only the lightning that was still striking too close for comfort, but the shouts from her father behind her. As she neared the old building, she felt the disquietude coming from her mother ease; she wasn’t in danger, just upset. Shaina slowed, and as she did so she noticed a person coming from the ruins, moving at a slow jog.

When Stephan noticed her, he eased into a walk, his expression a combination of fear and surprise. She saw his gaze flit past her and knew he was watching her father coming up behind her. She stopped, heartbreak and embarrassment rushing through her once more. She felt her father stop and place his hand on her shoulder. Strangely, she felt no urge to shake it off. In fact, she was grateful for the comfort she felt flowing through the Force from him to her. How had she never noticed her father’s powerful presence in the Force before? Was it simply because she had grown up surrounded by Force users she never recognized that he was one himself, his own power mild compared to the others but there nonetheless? It was something she would have to think about, but later. Right now, it was time to deal with Stephan.

The skip tracer slowed as he approached them, his eyes flicking back and forth between her and her father, his hand on his blaster. Shaina glanced at that hand, realizing as she did so that her lightsaber hung from his belt on the opposite side. Anger flared, and she didn’t try to control it if only because it helped push back the pain of his betrayal. She met his eyes with her own, once more gaining strength from the man standing behind her.

“Why?” she demanded.

Stephan grimaced, his hand tightening on his blaster, but he didn’t pull it. She had a feeling her father was doing the same thing behind her.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Stephan told her gruffly.

“What wouldn’t I understand?” Shaina retaliated. “The Dark Side?” She took a deep breath. “My parents fought against everything dark for years before I was born and even after. My mother made sure I knew how to recognize it, respect it. She taught me how powerful it was, how seductive. She also made sure I knew that being controlled by it meant giving up everything good and right. It meant giving up love, real love.” She paused, feeling her father squeeze her shoulder, supporting her without interfering. “I think it’s you who doesn’t understand,” she whispered.

Stephan just frowned at her, but she was aware of a strange look in his eye. A look that almost resembled longing. He took a deep breath and she saw the subtle tightening of his right arm and knew without a doubt he was about to pull his blaster. With a smoothness that she knew would have made her mother nod in approval, Shaina called for her lightsaber, the blue blade igniting the second it reached her hand.

“Don’t,” she said softly, raising the blade slightly, tipping it in his direction.

His eyes widened, then his expression darkened. “Just as I suspected,” he grumbled. “The mighty Jedi, using their supernatural power over the Force to control and manipulate us poor, weak mortals.” He raised his chin defiantly. “Isaias was right. Having Jedi in charge of the galaxy will just be another form of enslavement.”

Shaina frowned. It was obvious Stephan had been brainwashed by her former friend. Her mother had, from the beginning, made sure her students knew they were not to let themselves take any form of political or social leadership. They were to assist only, taking their cues from whatever government or group they were helping. She glanced at her lightsaber, recognizing the fact that it did make her feel superior over Stephan, and she didn’t like that realization. Taking a deep breath, she closed down the blade. She heard her father shift behind her, but he said nothing. Clipping the saber onto her belt, she tilted her head at Stephan.

“You know, you have a point,” she told him with a slight smile. “I don’t need to use my ‘powers,’ as you call them.” She paused. “Not for you.”

She stepped forward suddenly, bringing her right fist up and punching him on the jaw. Startled, he stepped back, but she followed, bringing her right knee up into his groin. As he groaned and doubled over, she jabbed her left arm toward his throat, pushing upward as she did, and as his chin popped up, she brought her left leg up behind his, sweeping his feet out from under him. He fell heavily, landing flat on his back, his grunt echoing through the cold air.

Shaina stepped back, looking down at the man at her feet with distain. Chuckling, her father stepped past her, unhooking the pair of shackles he had grabbed from the caretaker’s house from his belt.

“That’s my girl,” she heard him say softly, and she felt her face heat. It was none other than Poe Dameron himself that had taught her those tricks many years ago.

Her father squatted down behind the still groaning Stephan, taking his hands and forcing them away from where they were cradling his crotch and pulling them behind his back. “Stephan Byrne, you are under arrest for kidnapping and for aiding and abetting murder.” He pulled the man into a sitting position. “I happen to know the Republic has no sympathy for anyone who deals with the Dark Side.” Standing, he pulled the younger man to his feet. “You picked the wrong side, buddy.” He glanced at Shaina. “And the wrong Jedi.”

Still feeling heat in her face, Shaina glanced at the temple ruins. “I’m going to check on mom,” she told her father.

“Shaina, wait until I get him locked in the hold, okay?” He started pulling the now limping Stephan back toward the Falcon.

“There are three Jedi in there, General,” Shaina told him rigidly. “I’ll be fine.” She turned and headed toward the ruins.

“Shaina!” her father shouted back. “Fuck,” she heard him mutter. She had never heard him use such harsh language before, and she looked back with wide eyes to see him dragging Stephan as quickly as he could back toward the old freighter. He glanced back at her. “Don’t do anything stupid! I’ll be right back!” With a sigh, she headed in the opposite direction, carefully walking among the ruins to the large building that still seemed intact. The same building she had seen Stephan come out of.

She slowed as she came near the gap in the wall, taking her lightsaber from her belt and holding it at the ready. She may have spoken confidently to her father, but in reality, she had no clue what she would find. She still did not know what had caused the surge of emotion in her mother earlier, but she hoped that whatever it was had led to Isaias’ defeat. Looking back toward the Falcon, she decided to wait, but after a few minutes she determined she was running out of time. She stepped carefully through the gap into what appeared to be a hanger. She glanced around quickly, looking for anyone, but the room seemed to be abandoned. She focused on her mother’s presence in the Force and confirmed that Rey was not anywhere close. Slowly, she moved across the debris littered floor, heading for the back where larger pieces of rubble blocked her view of the far wall. She reached the first large chunk of debris and realized there was an opening behind it. There was no question in her mind that her mother and the others had followed wherever that hole led.

Shaina heard a rock clatter behind her and spun around, her saber lit and ready. Isaias stood half way between her and the opening she had entered the hanger from, a small smile on her face, her own lightsaber in her hand, but unlike Shaina’s it was not ignited.

“Well, call me impressed,” the dark-haired woman said as Shaina walked to meet her, trying her best to appear confident, wondering just how quickly her father could make it back from the Falcon. “I didn’t think you had the talents required to escape that room.”

Shaina thought back to what her father had said about how her mother could use the Force to manipulate locks. She would have to ask to learn that trick as soon as possible. She simply lifted her chin, looking at Isaias defiantly, trying not to worry about being alone with the woman.

Isaias frowned. “Wait,” she said softly. “Stephan didn’t let you out, did he?” Her brow furrowed. “That shukking dunce,” she muttered. “I knew he cared about you more than he let on.”

Shaina swallowed, both to control her fear and her surprise. “Stephan is currently being locked up in the same shackles you put me in earlier,” she growled.

Isaias cocked her head. “Who?” Her expression cleared. “Wait. Let me guess. Daddy’s here after all?” She snorted a laugh. “Too bad he’s not a Jedi, little one,” she said, her face turning sorrowful. “You could use some powerful back-up right now.”

“You’d be surprised,” Shaina said softly back.

Isaias’ eyes narrowed, but then she smiled sadly. “I’m sorry, Shaina. I really did like you and considered you a friend.”

Shaina recognized the threat in Isaias’ use of the past tense. Taking a deep breath, she brought her other hand up to hold her lightsaber in the ready position.

Isaias shook her head slowly and reattached her lightsaber to her belt. “Oh, I don’t have time for that.”

Shaina watched with horror as Isaias’ face changed from sympathetic to savage. With a roar, the former Jedi brought both of her hands up, lightning springing from her fingertips. Shaina had no time to prepare herself as she was thrown off of her feet and backwards several yards, her lightsaber flying out of her hands. She hit the ground hard, but the pain of her fall never registered, as the agony of Isaias’ unnatural attack overwhelmed her senses. She screamed, feeling her body flail as it tried desperately to get away from the pain. She tried to curl into a ball and managed to tuck herself somewhat into a fetal position, but Isaias was relentless, and the torture continued.

I’m going to die, Shaina thought in her misery. Images of her parents and her siblings flashed through her mind, and guilt overwhelmed her. Her mental anguish only compounded the physical pain.

Suddenly, the pain eased, and she was able to focus on her surroundings long enough to become aware of the body that now covered hers. Someone had thrown themselves over her, taking the brunt of Isaias’ attack. The overwhelming pain she felt was suddenly not her own, but belonged to the person whose Force connection to her was as strong as any bond she would ever have. Tears in her eyes, Shaina cried out once more.

“Papa!”

******

Rey was about half-way back up the tunnel when she felt the Force shift. No longer did she feel her daughter’s agony. Now it was her husband, his fear almost as overwhelming as the physical torment she felt coming from him; fear not for himself, but for Shaina.

Rey ducked around a large boulder and sped into the hanger. She skidded to a stop as she saw Isaias, arms outstretched, sending out the hated Force lightning toward two shapes on the ground in the middle of the room. Her husband was lying over their daughter, and his screams echoed in the giant chamber, squeezing her heart.

“No!” she shouted, her anger quickly taking over. But it was well controlled anger. Rey had more experience than she cared to admit with her negative emotions and the Force. With one swipe of her arm, she sent Isaias tumbling backward. The lightning ceased, as did Poe’s cries. She gave one glance toward her husband and daughter, but then pushed them out of her mind and focused on Isaias, who had quickly risen to her feet and faced Rey, her shocked expression turning to a wicked smile.

Isaias ignited her lightsaber and moved toward Rey. “Yes!” she hissed. “This is what I’ve been waiting for. Just you and me.”

Rey took a deep breath, calling on the Force as she did so. Isaias’ eyes glinted red as she got closer, and Rey didn’t know if they were reflecting her lightsaber or if the color was coming from within. With a small sigh, Rey ignited her own lightsaber. “Let’s get this over with,” she said softly. Carelessly.

As expected, Rey’s nonchalance made Isaias angry. She charged Rey, and the red and yellow blades collided with amazing force. Rey blocked every thrust from the red blade, letting the Force direct her action. She had taught Isaias the basic techniques as she taught all her students, but Rey had long ago learned that there was more to fighting with sabers than could ever be taught. Her own experience learning to fight with a staff often caused her to move differently, and having fought against – and alongside – Kylo Ren so many years ago, she had picked up many moves that she rarely taught or even practiced on her own.

Those moves came in handy as she let Isaias work at pushing her back, making the younger woman think Rey was giving way. Retreating. In reality, she was saving her strength, breathing in the energy around her, sifting out the Dark and absorbing the light. Becoming stronger with each parry. Lighter of foot with every evasion. She ducked a sharp blow and threw herself into a backflip, landing on the giant piece of debris that had hidden the cavern. Her balance wavered for just a second; she was out of practice with this sort of activity. But the Force remained with her, keeping her upright.

Isaias growled and threw herself up to land next to Rey, but Rey just smiled and jumped, twisting herself around to land back on the floor of the hanger. She winked at Isaias, who responded by screaming in rage and throwing herself into the air, somersaulting over Rey and landing hard several yards past her. She was overreacting, Rey thought, her anger getting the best of her. Isaias rushed her again, and Rey parried with a calmness and surety that spoke of maturity.

Rey spun one more time, letting all her fear and anger and pain lift at the same time as she drew in more of the Force around her. With a circling movement of her arm, she brought up her blade and feigned an envelopment, threatening to disarm her opponent, but Isaias countered, changing her grip and ducking in. Rey’s bluff worked, and she was able to bring her own blade up, severing Isaias’ arm just beneath her elbow. The red saber dropped to the ground along with the limb.

Her expression changing from infuriated to stunned, Isaias stared at Rey for a brief moment, then her face contorted into rage once more.

Rey felt the static electric feel of the Force swirl around them and knew the woman was drawing on the Dark Side once more. Rey could already feel the pressure in her head at the rising tide of power. With a grimace of regret, she brought her saber up and into Isaias’ sternum. The Dark power faded immediately as Isaias’ face became slack, the red light fading from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Rey whispered. She turned off her saber, then held onto Isaias’ arm as the woman slowly sank to the ground. Rey felt her life force fade.

Then she was gone.

Taking a deep breath and swallowing back tears, Rey pushed herself away from Isaias’ body.

“NO!”

The scream rent the air and made Rey jump. She turned toward her daughter, her breath in her throat.

“Papa!” Shaina screamed. She was kneeling next to Poe, leaning over him.

Rey’s heart started pounding as she realized she could not feel her husband.

“No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!” she chanted as she rushed over to them.

She dropped to her knees across from her daughter, only to look down at her husband’s sightless eyes. “NO!!!”

Shaina was lying over Poe’s prone body now. “Papa! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” she cried. “It’s my fault!”

Tears running down her face, Rey grabbed her husband’s cold hand. No. This couldn’t be happening. It was too soon. They were supposed to grow old together. No.

She closed her eyes, trying to focus, her connection to the Force having been shattered by her despair. She reached out, searching…

A pale blue light began to form in her mind’s eye. Her breath caught.

Rey opened her eyes, looking at her daughter. “Shaina,” she said, her voice catching. She reached with her free hand to grab her daughter’s fist, which was clenched in her father’s shirt. “Shaina, stop! Listen to me!”

Shaina looked up, her hazel eyes huge and swimming with tears. Rey did her best to extend what she was feeling toward her daughter through the Force. “Do you see it?” she whispered.

Shaina’s breath stuttered and she nodded ever so slightly.

Rey dropped her hand on top of Poe’s chest, bringing Shaina’s hand down with it. “I need your help,” she told Shaina firmly. “I need your strength.”

Shaina nodded and placed her hand flat on her father’s chest. Rey did the same.

“Close your eyes,” she whispered as she closed her own. “Feel it. Feel his heart. Feel it beating.” She paused. “Feel his lungs,” she continued. “Feel them taking in air. Filling up.” She opened her eyes slightly and was unsurprised to see a glow emanating from all three of them. This had happened once before, when she had healed Poe after his brain had been damaged by Michaela Dean years ago. She closed her eyes again, letting the feeling fill her. Love. The Force thrived on it.

When she opened her eyes again, she looked down to find Poe watching her. He looked confused for a moment, then anxious as he looked at Shaina, who still sat with her eyes closed, focused on the healing. Determined to bring her father back from the dead.

“Shaina, are you okay?” he gasped.

Her eyes popped open and she looked at him. “Papa?” With a soft cry, she fell upon his chest once more, crying tears of joy this time.

Poe’s free hand came up and he started stroking his daughter’s hair, his eyes once more looking to Rey.

“Rey!”

Finn’s shout grabbed their attention and the three of them looked over to see Finn supporting Talia as they came out of the tunnel. The two Jedi looked to their left at Isaias’ body, and Poe’s eyes were also drawn to the deceased woman. He frowned, then looked back at Rey.

With a glint in his eye, he asked, “So, what did I miss?”

Shaina huffed a laugh and then let her head drop back down to Poe’s chest.

Rey gave him a soft smile and ran her fingers through his silver hair. “It appears that your daughter has the talent for healing,” she told him.

He grunted and continued his own stroking of Shaina’s hair. “That doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

******

It had been a quiet trip back to Lothal, with Stephan still shackled and locked in the Falcon’s hold and Isaias’ body wrapped and carefully placed on the floor near the main hatch. Once back on Lothal, Poe had handed over Byrne to his head of security, Cecil Kumbota, and he and a small contingent of Resistance guards headed to Naboo where the skip-tracer would stand trial.

Though Shaina had proceeded to use her newfound talent of healing on both Finn and Talia, under Rey’s supervision, everyone headed for the infirmary for a check-up once they arrived. Dr. Kolonia had given the group a clean bill of health, making note of bruises and pulled muscles on everyone. Everyone but Poe. Her question as she examined her General was “What am I looking for? There’s not a mark on him. What happened to him?”

The look Rey and Shaina gave each other was enough to make the doctor furrow her brow and look at Poe, who simply shrugged, looking back at her with wide, innocent eyes. Without another word, Shaina went over to her father where he was sitting on the exam table and hugged him. He held her tightly in return, and Rey had to take a deep breath as she saw a tear work its way down his cheek.

“I love you, Papa,” their daughter whispered. Then giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she left the room. Rey knew Shaina had a lot to make up for, but there would be no discipline for her, despite the fact that she had been the one to call Byrne back to Lothal and leave with him against her parent’s wishes. She had been through enough, both physically and mentally. If she hadn’t learned patience and self-restraint from this experience, then she never would.

Isaias was given a proper burial, and all of Rey’s students and Jedi attended. Rey knew many were resentful, knowing full well the young woman had been responsible for the deaths of Paulo and Middy, but Rey also knew bitterness and anger would only fester and create an opening for the Dark Side, just as it had for Isaias. The woman had paid with her life; there was no reason to hate or fear her anymore. After the service, Rey was grateful to feel more peace and calm from her students and Jedi than before it had started. Closure was important.

It was later that evening when Rey finally found herself heading back to her home. With one ‘glance’ of the Force, she knew all her children were asleep or nearing it, but her husband was thankfully still awake.

Less than an hour later, Rey was doing her best to catch her breath, but the feeling soaring through her body was making that very difficult. As was the man braced above her, his hips thrusting hard, as if he was intentionally trying to knock that breath right out of her. She could feel him, his own breathing rough and irregular now, and knew he was almost there. So was she… but not close enough. He sensed her thought and, slowing his thrusts, brought his left arm down, scooping it under her right knee and drawing her leg up sharply toward her armpit. He continued to drive into her, his pace relentless. The change in angle worked, and Rey felt herself rocket to the edge and quickly fell over it, lights flashing before her eyes. She was almost embarrassed by the squeal that came from her person. Almost. The lights suddenly intensified as Poe followed her over with a long, drawn-out moan.

Releasing a giant gasp of air, Poe dropped her leg and let himself slide off of her, flopping down next to her on the bed with a dramatic groan. “You know, making a man my age perform a marathon like that, especially after he died, is not nice!”

Rey felt her body shake with laughter. “A man your age?” she giggled. “Most of the men I know that are half your age aren’t nearly as fit as you are, Dameron.” She pushed herself up on her elbow so she could look down on him, putting her other hand on his still heaving chest. “But I do apologize for jumping you like that when I got home.” Her smile told the lie; it was completely unrepentant. “I tend to get a bit licentious after life altering events.”

Poe snorted. “Don’t we all?” he said with a raised eyebrow. “I clearly remember how much I wanted to drag you into the forest on Ajan Kloss after the Battle of Exegol.”

“Oh, really?” Rey said with her own raised eyebrow.

“You would have run me through with a lightsaber back then,” he grimaced.

“I think you might have been surprised,” Rey answered with a grin. “Of course, I’m not sure Finn would have let me go alone.”

“You’re not saying I should have dragged him along, too?” Poe huffed.

“That would have been interesting,” Rey responded, deadpan.

Poe eyed her, brows furrowed, giving her a contemplative look, but then he shook his head and scrunched his face. “Nah! No way was I gonna share you, even with my best friend.” He smirked and reached up to stroke her cheek. “Not then. Not now.”

She grabbed his hand and kissed his palm. “Ditto.” She felt her heart swell as she tilted her head, looking at him intently. “I love you so much, Poe Dameron.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how I would have made it this far without you by my side.”

“Ditto, Mesh’la,” he said softly. “Ditto.”

Rey lay back, keeping her hold on his hand as she closed her eyes. “I think we should consider moving the Base from Lothal soon.”

“Why is that?” Poe asked, his voice wary.

Rey opened her eyes and looked him, giving him a wicked grin.

“Guess.”

He lay still for a moment, absorbing her news, then he moved up on his side, leaning on one elbow, looking down at her. “You’re not telling me you can sense through the Force when you’ve conceived?”

Rey shook her head, biting her lip. “No, of course not.” She smiled. “But I do know my body fairly well.” She pushed herself up to kiss him softly. “And I am married to a very virile man.”

THE END