Fandom Star Wars: Legacies of the Force [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

The Resistance had escaped.

Worse than that, the Resistance had escaped with the information relating to Luke Skywalker. They had arrived at their base on D’Qar too late, distracted by escaping from the destruction of Starkiller base and getting everything in order. D’Qar was cleared out. Leia had learned from Hoth what to do, when on the run, and there were no leads on where the Resistance had gone, or where Luke was. Not even their best cryptologists could figure anything out from what little had been left behind. It was infuriating, and Kylo found himself locked in a game of anger and blame as he stood outside Snoke’s Throne Room.

Not an auditorium.

Not a projector room.

He had been transferred to the Supremacy due to his wounds, all of which were now covered by his black armor. Helmet in place, the only real sign of his anger was the way his fists were clenched at his side, and the tense posture he took. He was waiting for an auburn haired officer, one of the cryptologists who failed, but still stood out from the others, known as Octavia.

Apparently, Snoke wanted to see them both.

Kylo didn’t know why, but he wasn’t happy about it. It was bad enough seeing Snoke alongside Hux, it was worse with an unknown element involved. It didn’t help he knew she was a ginger, too. He wasn’t exactly having good relationships with them as of late, and he couldn’t help but think they might all share a similar trait of being tiresome. He wasn’t keen to find out, and hoped whatever it was, it wouldn’t extend long beyond the throne room visit.

He knew of Octavia’s approach before she was visible. The Praetorian guard shifted, and he felt the new presence in the Force as she came into sight. He assessed her silently behind his mask, making silent judgments on what use she could possibly have in this meeting on her appearance. If she knew more than he did, he wouldn’t ask, just simply turn as she got closer and open the door so they could both stride into the room where Snoke was waiting for them, decked out in his golden threads and slippers, lounging upon his throne.

It was not often that he let just anyone see him in person.

He was…well, much less intimidating in person, though that was not something Kylo Ren would state aloud. It was hard enough keeping it out of his thoughts, where Snoke wouldn’t see such a thing in his mind.

There was no one in there previously, thankfully, beyond the many praetorian that stood guard over Snoke. Kylo often wondered what it was they did all day, but he wouldn’t be asking that question, either, as he stepped forward in silence, coming to a stop some distance off to drop to a knee, and bow his head before the disfigured face.

“Commander Ren,” Snoke greeted, “Officer Octavia,” he addressed the other, before averting back to Kylo, “How is your wound?”

Kylo stiffened, but didn’t rise, or look up. “It’s nothing,” he dismissed, not wanting to delay this meeting with talk of his failure, or the scars that would remain to remind him of it. He was still furious that he’d been bested by a Scavenger with no training.

Snoke did not let it go, of course. He looked to Octavia, offering her a wry smile with a chuckle, “The Mighty Kylo Ren,” he said, rising to his feet as his tone took on that mocking note. Kylo resisted the urge to again clench his gloved hands over the smooth floor, to look up, to challenge Snoke. “Afraid to admit when he has been defeated, afraid to admit when he needs help.” Kylo felt his lips twitch beneath his helmet, and he looked up, “Take that ridiculous thing off.”

Irked, but unwilling to disobey in the moment, Kylo lifted his hands, and undid the clasps of his helmet to take it off, and reveal the unhealed wound on his face. ‘What is the point of this?’ He wondered, but couldn’t ask, as Snoke’s eyes assessed the wound that was there, the black strip that ran over it.

“To think, a mere scavenger could do this to you, a mere scavenger you let escape with the map to Luke Skywalker.”

“She—”

“Silence!” It wasn’t a shout, but it held enough authority that Kylo nearly bit his lip. He glared at Snoke, but still, did not rise.

Snoke returned to his seat, to settle there, “We will rectify it.” He stated simply, looking then to Octavia, with a smile, “As you can see, Commander Ren does not seem to know how to gather information any longer. We had the chance to have a droid that had the information we needed, but he let it go, and has suffered gravely for it,” Kylo swallowed down a comment. He wouldn’t hear the end of that damned droid. “There is a transmission coming from Eedit Temple. It is too far away for us to hear it clearly here. You will go with Kylo Ren, he will offer support where you see fit to use him. I believe it carries information that will lead us to Luke Skywalker, and put the Order back on the correct track.”

~***~

Dathomir was in mourning for Senator Velroz in the major cities, but that was not an unnatural state for Dathomir.

Where the Sith Lady, Darth Psyche, lived was more a necropolis than anything else. It was here that old battle droids mingled with bones of the fallen, here where the Clone Wars had nearly committed an act of genocide against the Nightsisters, those women of Dathomir blessed with the ability to manipulate the Force in a kind of Magick so unlike the way the Sith were trained to manipulate it.

The planet teemed with that energy.

Its secrets were kept on walls and in history that was hard to access, but the Lady of the Sith sought to unlock those secrets, and those followers she had were always helping with it, but it was not enough, and now, time seemed more important than it ever had. She was young – 21 years only, time had not seemed a concern to her until the Hosnian Cataclysm happened, and she knew a side had to be chosen.

So far, she was mute, letting Dathomir mourn first.

That day in particular, she had gone back to translating one of the old spell books, knowing there was something within it she sought, but uncertain what it was. She just had that feeling, and as any Force sensitive knew, it was not a good idea to ignore these kinds of feelings. The Force was ever her guide, and she had to listen to it, as it listened to her will, and guided her towards its completion.

Of course, she did impose herself on it, as well.

She was sitting outside one of the stone homes when she heard the rumble of a ship overhead, and glanced up. ‘Millennium Falcon?’ An infamous ship. What was it doing here, though? Was she caught? ‘Impossible.’ Were they looking for something? Someone? Was this an attempt to rally Dathomir in general to the cause of the Resistance?

Pia reached out with the Force.

She caught a glimpse of an impression – confusion, concern, a lost girl at the helm of it all, forsaken, uncertain…powerful. ‘Hm.’ Certainly not Luke then, nor Leia. She had met neither, but knew of them. Who did not know of them?

The young woman rose from her place as another came into sight, curious. Pia gave a smile to the togruta, “I will go investigate,” she promised, and offered out the book, “Would you take this in to Felicity? I’ve marked the page,” she had slid a black feather into it as bookmark. “Translating takes so long sometimes with language this archaic.”

“I will,” the togruta took the book gingerly from Pia, careful with the old leather, and turned away. Pia left her spot, pulling her pink hair back into a quick ponytail, glad she’d kept a band on her arm. She usually tied it up while reading if it started getting in her face. The wind had been nice, until now – but she didn’t need it in her face if this came to a clash.

She hopped down the rocky incline to the base of the village just outside the mountain fortress, for once glad she had chosen white for the day over black, though the dress was a bit too short, and too revealing, to be considered decent. Not that she really cared about such things. It was comfortable to her to not have so much in the way.

Nonetheless, she made her way towards the Falcon where it had found a clear space to land, one lightsaber on her hip, kept there on a black belt. She wouldn’t actually approach the ship close enough to touch it, but she wanted to be seen, and for the others to know she was aware of their presence, as she sought again to get an idea of who was there, and why, through the Force.

 

[Cory]

The air was tense, but that could very well have been Octavia reading too much into things. She'd never met Snoke. Certainly not in person. To be summoned by him shortly after the Resistance got away with the map to Luke Skywalker? Naturally, there was a bit of concern.

The role of a spy was a dangerous one, and being around not one, but two powerful Force users who could get the truth from her fairly quickly definitely made her worry a bit. It was different from the way she'd felt the moment she started to offer assistance to the Resistance. There was always a big risk involved, and despite standing out a bit more than she would have liked to, Octavia could still fly under the radar.

She was glad she at least had some practise when it came to keeping her expression neutral, regardless of what she was feeling. Even if Kylo Ren sensed her nervousness, that could easily be attributed to being in the presence of the Supreme Leader himself, so it shouldn't be too far out of character. It was an easy thing to convince herself of during her trip to the Throne Room, but that changed a bit the moment she stepped inside.

There was no way for Octavia to tell what Kylo was feeling or thinking in that moment, but she didn't think it was anything good. The past few hours hadn't exactly spelled much victory for the First Order, which meant that the determination to succeed and see the Resistance fall was likely stronger now, more than ever.

Following Kylo's example, Octavia dropped to one knee beside him, keeping her gaze down and merely nodding as Snoke addressed her. She still didn't know what exactly it was she was doing there, but she knew better than to ask. The only time she moved was when the man beside her took off his helmet at Snoke's command, and Octavia found herself tilting her head to the side just a bit, gaze wandering to the side curiously to see part of the wound on Kylo's face that had yet to heal. She didn't linger for very long. Snoke shifting to a standing position made sure of that. When she was finally being addressed, however, Octavia lifted her head to properly look at the person giving her orders.

Eedit Temple? As far as Octavia knew, the Resistance had the map to Luke Skywalker, though whether it was the only one, or whether it had proved useful or not, she had yet to find out. Still, if there was a transmission from Eedit Temple regarding information on Luke Skywalker, it was considered important. Maybe it was the way to him, or maybe it was something else. She supposed she'd find out soon enough how important it was. If they needed her to go, then she could only assume she'd be met with a challenge on the other end. One that couldn't be solved through force or violence.

"Of course, Supreme Leader." With the instructions clear to her, there was nothing else that needed to be said. The tone of his voice had been clear. Failure wasn't an option, and it wasn't something Octavia intended on either. The idea of traveling with Kylo Ren made her feel only a little uneasy, but she supposed it didn't really compare to how he probably felt after the way Snoke had just spoken to him.

Knowing better than to rise till they'd been dismissed, Octavia waited to hear again from Snoke, all the while trying to predict whether this particular mission would end well or not.

~ * * * ~​

There was a strong energy that surrounded Dathomir, and Rey could feel it from the moment the Millennium Falcon made its descent onto the planet's grounds. Bathed in red light, it didn't initially seem very welcoming, but she continued onward, surveying the land below while searching for a decent place to land.

The map stored within BB-8 had offered up only clues, and it had ultimately led Rey here. It was the only lead the Resistance had on Luke Skywalker, and with not much time to lose, it wasn't a lead that could go ignored, even if there was no guarantee that he'd be found here. Rey had been assured, before leaving, that other avenues were being explored as well in case this one didn't end up working, but whether she found Luke here or not, she knew she wouldn't be leaving with nothing.

There was a powerful presence here. Maybe that should have pointed to the fact that the last Jedi was, indeed, on this plant, yet somehow Rey didn't feel that way. She couldn't describe it, but it made her more curious. Cautious, of course, but also curious. Up until recently Rey hadn't known how much she was capable of, and clearly there was much more she had to learn. The last time she faced Kylo Ren, she didn't believe he had any light left in him, and though she'd somehow defeated him in combat, Rey wasn't sure if she'd be able to do it a second time till she truly understood what this power was, and what it meant.

The moment the ship landed, Rey was out of her seat and reaching for her staff which she strapped to her back. Luke's lightsaber was strapped to her waist so she could offer it up to its owner if she did, in fact, find him here. If not, it was still a weapon of great power, one that would help her in case things took a turn for the worse. She didn't know what she was going to find once she stepped out of the ship, but she knew this was important.

As she approached the exit, Chewie followed closely behind. Rey could sense his apprehensiveness, and it caused her to stop in her tracks as the ramp began to lower to the ground. "There's something strong here. I can feel it," Rey explained, wanting to offer some reassurance. "I'll take a look around first, okay? You stay here with the ship." Not that she expected they'd need to make a quick escape, but it'd be better.

The low moan she received from Chewie in response was a reluctant agreement and she accepted it before turning toward the way out. The first thing Rey noticed when she set foot on the ground was the presence of another woman. Her pink hair was what caught her attention first. Rey realised they hadn't been very discreet with their arrival onto the planet so it made sense that someone would come to investigate. She considered making her business clear, to avoid any trouble, but then decided that it was probably best if she didn't let people know right away that she was looking for Luke Skywalker.

Rey took another step closer, trying to figure out how else to ask, when something else about the woman caught her attention. The hilt of a lightsaber strapped to a black belt stood out against her entire outfit. She may not have had much experience with lightsabers until recently, but Rey had no doubt in her mind that she was looking right at one. Her eyes widened slightly in mild surprise, and she was unable to help the words that left her mouth next, "You're a Jedi?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo Ren knew how to locate Eedit Temple. He had been there before, in what felt like another life, when Luke was still looking into old Jedi lore and trying to discern what was useful, what was a lie, and what was no longer useful. Eedit Temple had been one of Luke’s training grounds, and it had a history with the Jedi. He had checked it, after joining the Order, but found no clues there then.

If something had changed, that was a good sign. At least, Kylo hoped it was a good sign, and proof they would soon have answers about where Luke was. It was possible that Luke was mobile, although Kylo found that train of thought to be less likely. He’d hear from people who saw Luke, if the Jedi were moving about and world-hopping.

People couldn’t not talk about the Jedi.

Octavia questioned nothing about the command, which was to her benefit. Snoke never cared much for too many questions, and as she agreed, he gave an almost bored nod, and offered a dismissive wave, “Then go,” he had no more use of them, and Kylo got to his feet, pulling his helmet up with him, but not pulling it back over his head.

He wanted to.

That urge to hide his face was always present, but it would earn Snoke’s disapproval. ‘Did nothing I do matter to you?’ He wanted to yell it, but in front of a stranger, he found himself restrained. Perhaps Snoke knew that would be the case, too – saved himself from a petty argument.

Kylo could only feel his resentment grow as he said the stilted, “Thank you, Supreme Leader, for trusting me with this task,” before he would turn on his heel to walk out the door. He would not fail again. He would put some distance between himself and the door, waiting until Octavia had caught up some distance away – waiting until the door shut behind her, before he would comment, “Have you ever been in any Jedi temples before?”

He doubted it. He didn’t know her history, but he was certain he’d know anyone with Jedi experience here. He was trying to figure out why Snoke chose her, of all people, for this task. Was she one of Snoke’s more personal spies? She didn’t feel attuned to the Force, although he had missed that in others, apparently.

He was ordering what needed to be done in his mind.

He needed his ship prepared.

He needed to put his mask back in his room.

And they needed to head to Eedit.

She probably needed to gather whatever supplies were necessary to her part of the job, as well. They’d seen soon enough what was awaiting them. Kylo didn’t plan to waste any time.

~***~

There was a wookiee and a human woman upon the ship, the wookiee visible within the confines of the ship, while the woman left the ship. There was a lightsaber at her hilt, as well, and Pia’s eyebrows lifted a bit as she recognized that. ‘Curious.’ Was this another Sith? The answer to that question came quickly, as the woman asked if she was a Jedi.

‘Ah.’

Pia shook her head at the question, “No, I am not a Jedi, though I know of them,” she touched the lightsaber at her hilt, “and I did make this,” best not to say what she was, for the time being. If the woman before her was a Jedi, no doubt that would mean a fight of some sort, and she didn’t think it was necessary to clarify. “There haven’t been Jedi here in many years now.”

The woman still felt lost. Uncertain.

“My name is Pia,” she introduced herself simply by that. There was no surname to go along with it, no family to claim her, beyond the family she’d been inducted into so long ago, “Are you looking for something?” Evidently, she was looking for someone, or some type of person in the Jedi category, but Pia held onto the thought that the woman’s uncertainty might lead her to divulging a bit more.

It could be interesting to learn what she was up to. It no doubt tied to the Resistance, somehow, and if there were Jedi beyond Luke left, that would also be something good to know about, and to weigh in the larger schemes of things.

After all, she didn’t think this newcomer had mistaken her for Luke, unless Luke had found some way to age himself down, and dye his hair pink.

That’d be quite the sight, and the mental image did twitch a smile onto her lips, even as she tried to suppress the thought. She had no reason to laugh, and she didn’t want to seem like she was laughing at the newcomer, when it was just her imagination running wild, as ever.

 

[Cory]

Snoke dismissed them, and as soon as he did, Octavia rose to her feet to follow Kylo out of the room. The fact that he didn't put his helmet back on was something she took note of, mainly because up until now, she'd rarely seen him without it. Once out of there, she found herself releasing a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding in. While her latest task was a bit concerning, there was some relief in knowing nobody was onto her yet.

Kylo's voice, once they were out of the Throne Room, made Octavia more aware of the fact that she was still in his presence, and couldn't afford to let her guard down. She turned to face him and shook her head in response to his question. "No, I haven't." It took some effort to keep the resentment from seeping into the tone of her voice. Had she not been taken away from her home, she might have had the opportunity to visit a Jedi temple, or maybe she might not have. Either way, the First Order took that choice away from her a long time ago, and Octavia hadn't seen much outside of the ships she worked in for years.

"I'm not quite sure what to expect but I suppose we'll soon find out." It made sense that something related to Luke Skywalker was present at a Jedi temple. Given that she'd never been there though, Octavia would be approaching the start of this task with a bit of cautiousness.

Part of her wanted to question Kylo in return, but they didn't have the time to waste and she figured that it could wait till they were on the ship and heading toward their destination. So, for now, she tried to think of all the things she might need so she could gather them quickly before making a move. "I need to collect a few things," Octavia added after a moment, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was going on a mission with Kylo Ren, after Snoke insisted on it.

"We can leave whenever you're ready, Commander," she continued, still listing things off in her head. He will offer support where you see fit to use him, Snoke had said. Use him. For some reason, Octavia couldn't really see herself doing that. The term didn't feel quite right.

Knowing Kylo probably had things to do before leaving as well, she spoke again, "I can wait for you in the hangar." She wouldn't take more than a few moments to get what she needed. The sooner they left, the better.

~ * * * ~​

Rey clearly had much she needed to learn. All of this was new to her, and she believed that Luke, if she'd managed to find him, would explain it all and help her understand what she was capable of. It was becoming increasingly clear, however, that if that day ever came, it likely was not going to be on Dathomir. The woman before her answered her question before she had the chance to ask.

There haven’t been Jedi here in many years now.

Which meant that the chances of Luke being here were slim to none. Rey's expression fell at the realisation. The Resistance's only lead ended up being false. Or perhaps they'd misinterpreted the information BB-8 had stored. Rey didn't have much of a chance to dwell on that when the woman continued to speak, going on to introduce herself before she asked an important question.

"I'm Rey," she replied, offering up an introduction of her own while taking note of the fact that she had called herself by a single name. Perhaps there was more to it, but for the time being, Rey didn't question it. She just considered how to answer Pia's question.

"And I was looking for someone, actually," Rey corrected her before glancing around at the area as if doing so might alert her to Luke's presence somehow. He wasn't here. But that din't mean that there was nothing here. Instead, Rey had come face to face with a young woman who was clearly more aware of the Force and all things related to it than she was. Yet she claimed to not be a Jedi.

Deciding to take a risk, Rey offered up a bit more information. "I came here to find Luke Skywalker." She figured she didn't need to explain how she now knew that Luke wasn't anywhere on this planet. That had already been made clear to her. While she was disappointed, it didn't make her any less curious.

"I didn't think anyone other than a Jedi could wield one," she said after a moment, gesturing to the lightsaber at Pia's side. Rey hadn't exactly tried to hide the one on her own belt, and it would have been much harder to explain if she hadn't been honest about her business on Dathomir. She didn't know enough about the Jedi or the Force to be able to lie and make it seem believable.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo had some ideas of what to expect, but not much. The Temple had been abandoned, and Luke hadn’t done much in the way of restoring it. The fact a transmission was going out from it was strange enough; that could mean plenty of things were amiss with it, and plenty of changes had happened. He wouldn’t put anything by the Resistance, or Luke, if this was some sort of trickery.

He gave a single nod to her note of meeting him in the hangar, “My shuttle is in hanger W-2,” he stated, so she could locate it, “I will meet you there shortly. Don’t delay long.” He didn’t know what she had to grab, and would just assume she knew, before he would turn from her and head down the path to his own quarters.

It wouldn’t take him long to reach them, and he’d send out a message from his datapad to alert those in the hangar that his ship needed to be prepared for a trip to Devaron. He received an affirmative shortly before striding into his quarters, where he threw his helmet at the bed. It wasn’t a good throw, too hard, and too fast, and it hit the wall besides his bed instead and fell to the floor with an irritating clatter.

He slammed the helmet right back into the wall with the Force this time, at least pleased that this time, it created a dent and didn’t fall right to the ground to annoy him.

He found his lightsaber and added it to his belt, as well as snatched another set of armor, and ration bars he kept in a drawer. Sometimes, he forgot to eat…he also just didn’t like dealing with people, or eating in the mess halls here.

With those things gathered, he thought he was sufficiently prepared. He wasn’t doing any of the transcribing, after all. He would make the walk to the hangar, hoping that Octavia would be quick enough to beat him there.

~***~

The woman introduced herself in a similar fashion – nothing that Pia was inclined to question, even if it followed the introduction of someone by their full name. Luke Skywalker. Pia nodded, signaling her familiarity with the name. She’d never met him. She honestly hoped to never need to meet him. Certainly, she could outlive him easily enough, and she didn’t imagine any Jedi who remained would be much of a challenge.

Rumor had it, not many remained, anyways.

“So you are a Jedi?” It wasn’t so much of a question, just taking from what Rey said about only Jedi having lightsabers. Nonetheless, she went on to answer, “Others have used lightsabers throughout history – the Sith, the Ordu Aspectu, the Inquisitors, the Knights of Ren,” she knew of them, though had never crossed their path, “Although I think only one of them does…they had a cult around a lightsaber.”

She remembered her master mocking it, absolutely disgusted by it, and how the darksiders were just like wild animals, nothing else, “Some Nightsisters have,” well, a fallen sith did, who became a nightsister, but details weren’t important, “As well as Mandalorians, and likely some other groups I am forgetting,” she shook her head, dismissing the topic since she’d made it clear enough the lightsaber wasn’t a Jedi-only weapon.

Far from it.

“I’m surprised your master did not inform you of its history before you had finished its construction,” she was making assumptions, leading Rey to negate information, or confirm it, so she would know a bit more about her.

 

[Cory]

Octavia merely nodded at Kylo's response and watched him turn and leave before she did the same, heading to her own quarters. She didn't have many possessions aside from the things that assisted her with her work.

She was a bit more paranoid than usual about making sure she had everything she needed since she hadn't been called away from her place on the ship for missions that took place on other planets. She didn't want to grab anything that was unnecessary, so after putting the things she required into a bag, Octavia made her way to the hangar Kylo had told her to go to. Though she didn't find much use for it with her job, Octavia also packed a blaster to be on the safe side. She didn't know what she was going to encounter so it was best to be on the safe side.

Octavia hadn't been waiting by the shuttle for more than a few minutes when Kylo showed up. The fact that he returned still without his helmet didn't go unnoticed. She straightened her posture a bit as he approached, and waited for him to enter first before she trailed in behind him.

She wasn't sure what to do, initially looking around and just setting down her bag. Then she approached the controls, but she didn't sit down just yet. Instead, she looked to Kylo. "You've been to Eedit Temple before?" Octavia questioned, trying to get out some of the things she'd wanted to earlier, outside Snoke's Throne Room. She didn't ask because she wanted to make sure they knew where they were going. She asked out of curiosity. Certain things about Kylo Ren were no secret, so she could only assume that he'd been to more than one Jedi temple in the past, if the way he'd asked her was any indication.

"Do you have any ideas on what we might find there?" She asked, just to get a sense of what they were heading into. It had come as a bit of a surprise to Octavia when she first learned that the map that supposedly led to Luke Skywalker was somewhere on Jakku, but Eedit Temple made more sense. There was a connection. She just had yet to determine if that was actually beneficial to them or not, or if it was just meant to be misleading.

~ * * * ~​

Pia seemed familiar with the name Luke Skywalker, which didn't surprise Rey much. What did surprise her was when her own question was tossed back at her. All Rey could do was blink for a moment, repeating those words in her head while she collected her thoughts and prepared to answer.

She didn't get to immediately though, for Pia continued to speak, explaining to her how various others had been known to wield lightsabers. People who weren't trained Jedi. She realised that Pia asked a fair question. Rey wasn't a Jedi either — nowhere close to it, in fact. She just needed answers, and some kind of guidance. Whether she'd actually find that here or not was something she didn't know yet.

Some of the terms Pia used already sounded foreign to her. Were all of them capable of using the Force? Was Pia? The questions kept piling up and Rey was so focused on asking and having them answered that it didn't occur to her that she was still standing in the same exact spot as when she got off the Millennium Falcon.

She eventually found her voice to speak toward the end, merely to point out some important truths. "I don't have a master," she explained, briefly glancing down at the lightsaber that hung from her waist. "This isn't mine, I didn't make it. I'm not a Jedi." Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she was.

"I just came here looking for one," Rey added, meeting Pia's gaze once again and studying her. "So if you aren't a Jedi, are you... one of those other things you mentioned?" She realised she wasn't exactly taking it easy with her questions, but Pia seemed to have the answers so far, and that was as close as she'd come to finding out certain things. She originally believed that would come from Luke, but she was beginning to think that maybe it didn't have to.

Her curiousness brought about yet another question before she could think to stop herself or even allow Pia to answer her initial question first, "Do they all also have a connection to the Force?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo noted Octavia was indeed there. This meant he wouldn’t need to wait for her, which was a good thing. He offered barely a glance of acknowledgment as he strode up the ramp to his ship, and she diligently followed behind. At least so far she wasn’t acting too defiant or trying to take charge of the situation. She wasn’t even being bothersome with too many questions.

He made his way to the cockpit and took a seat in the pilot’s chair. He didn’t need to ask the Order for pilots, he was able to manage this on his own, after all. He was a better pilot than most of the First Order’s TIE pilots, and he didn’t think that was just a personal bias.

‘May have thought that too soon.’ He shifted his gaze up to Octavia as she stood in the cockpit and finally started to breakdown and ask some questions about where they were going, and what he knew of it. Prudent, at least. Her tone didn’t indicate any desire to clash, or try to call any shots based on what he might have to say.

He wouldn’t answer immediately, getting the ship started first, before he began to speak, “I have been there in the past,” he said, “It’s a mostly abandoned structure. Devaron itself is a forested planet that is sparsely populated, so it’s unlikely we’ll run into trouble from any of the locals,” at least, he hoped not to have to deal with that kind of nuisance.

Most of them avoided places like this.

“It used to house Rebel Alliance outposts. We’ve checked it out before. There’s not much actual danger on the planet from even the wildlife,” he shook his head, “that makes this situation unusual.” That any transmission whatsoever was coming from the Temple was strange. No one would go to it. No one would have reason to activate it.

It felt like a trap.

But it also felt like a lead.

He got the ship up above the hangar floor, and flew it out. He began to bring up the coordinates for Devaron to send them into lightspeed.

~***~

Not a Jedi.

No Master.

Yet she held a lightsaber. ‘Luke’s lightsaber.’ Pia’s mind filled in the blank, given she was looking for Luke Skywalker. Someone to help her, then, with what power she had discovered in herself. “Yes, I am one of those things,” there was a playfulness to her smile, to her answer, amused that Rey would ask it in that fashion.

She didn’t clarify which of those things.

Better not to lie where it wasn’t needed.

“Everything has a connection to the Force, Rey,” she added, “not everything has the ability to enforce their will on the Force, if that is what you are trying to ask. Most of those I mentioned, do have the ability to do that, to some degree, but not all of them.” Not every Nightsister could learn the magick, not every Mandalorian used the Force, either.

Most didn’t.

“If you are looking for answers about the Force, I am sure myself and the others here could aid you in that,” she offered, making no demand of it lest that be a bit too much. It was simply an open offer, to be rejected or refused with no issue. “But I understand if your need to find Luke is a bit more pressing.”

 

[Cory]

Octavia nodded slowly as Kylo answered her questions. If the place they were going had been checked out before, she couldn't understand why it was suddenly popping up on their radar now, after so long.

Something was probably wrong. Perhaps the other lead that the Resistance had been following was not going the right way, or perhaps there was more to it than a single part of a map. She knew the one that the First Order had was missing one piece, but there was probably some bigger picture they were missing. Octavia had been trying to figure it out herself, to no avail. Hopefully Eedit Temple would hold more answers instead of misdrections.

As the ship rose into the air, Octavia took the second seat in the cockpit, knowing they'd quickly jump into hyperspace. She was a little distracted by her own thoughts but worrying about what she'd find — or not find — before actually getting there wasn't going to do either of them any good so she tried to push her concerns to the far back of her mind for the time being.

Instead, her gaze focused on the controls, but she was very aware of Kylo's presence in the seat beside hers. The meeting with Snoke had alerted her to a few things she never noticed in the Commander before, and with his helmet off it was a little easier to get a read on him — though still probably not nearly as accurately as he'd be able to sense her own emotions. On the ship she could blend in and disappear among the other officers. Now, alone with Kylo, she knew she had to try hard to keep her guard up the entire time.

"I know you don't want me here," she spoke up, still keeping her gaze on the controls instead of looking at him. Had she been in his place and Snoke told her she needed assistance after failing the first time around, she'd probably feel a little more than just rage. "But I'm here to help you. Not the other way around."

Octavia realised she probably should be careful about what she said because being chosen by Snoke himself for this task didn't change the fact that she was still only an officer, but she'd always had a little bit of trouble when it came to holding her tongue. She'd also noticed the tense air that existed around Kylo and General Hux. Octavia had no desire to climb higher, however. All she wanted was to see a change, and for the Order to fall.

~ * * * ~​

She noticed that Pia didn't specify which of the things she'd mentioned applied to her but for the time being, Rey chose not to question that further. Her plan of action had yet to be determined since Luke wasn't here, but going back to the piece of the map that BB-8 had wasn't going to lead them anywhere else. It was a dead end, a false trail. Luke hadn't even been here, if what Pia was telling her was the truth.

"You do, though?" Rey asked when Pia explained that not everything or everyone could use the Force the way she knew the Jedi could. The way Kylo Ren could. The way she apparently could.

The offer to stay and learn more, finally get some answers to all the questions she had, was a tempting one. The search for Luke Skywalker was important. The Resistance managed to get away for now, but they may not be so lucky a second time. With Luke Skywalker helping them, perhaps it'd be different. They needed him.

Up until now, she believed she needed him too.

But with the presence of alternatives, Rey realised she could make a choice instead of being forced to fall in line with one. Leia said they were following other leads in case this one didn't work. She knew she wasn't the only one searching for Luke.

And maybe, just maybe, if she could actually learn more about what she was capable of, then she'd be able to offer more help to the Resistance. She'd bested Kylo Ren in combat without any training, and that might have been pure luck and a rush of adrenaline, but with a better understanding her performance could be improved. She had a feeling it needed to be, for the next time she encountered him.

"I want answers," Rey eventually told Pia, coming to that decision after a bit of hesitancy. "I just... I need a moment." The Resistance needed to know that Luke wasn't here, that the information they'd gone off of hadn't led where they'd hoped. It meant that they needed to continue searching hard, and Rey hoped that this other lead would prove to be more useful in finding the lost Jedi.

 

[Lucyfer]

As the ship launched itself into lightspeed, Octavia started to speak again. Kylo didn’t look towards her at first, checking the coordinates, and diagnostics of the ship to make sure he wasn’t going to run into any surprises on this trip, like not enough fuel. It didn’t seem to be the case, and so he let Octavia’s false words register.

He doubted them immensely.

He was certain he didn’t imagine the duplicity, but that wasn’t a surprise. Everyone in the First Order was competitive. Everyone in the First Order was trying to outdo everyone else, to steal rank, and prove they were better than everyone else around.

He lifted his dark eyes from the panel to Octavia, “Spare me your lies,” he said, the blunt delivery offering little room for argument. “I know you’ll do your job because you don’t want to face the consequences. That’s all I care about.” That she did her job, and that she did it efficiently. Then she could go brag and play things up for rank amongst the others, indicate she was favored by the Supreme Leader.

She wasn’t a real risk to him.

She wasn’t a Force user, nor was she high up enough in the ranks to be worrisome. The only one close to that was Hux himself, but Hux would never replace him. At least, Kylo had to believe that. Hux didn’t have the Force – and Snoke needed that.

“That’s all you should care about. The results of failure won’t be pretty.” Not for him. Not for her. She should be more than aware of that now, having seen how little regard Snoke held for him. Snoke wouldn’t bat an eye if he had to get rid of someone like Octavia. It would barely even register.

~***~

‘Good.’

This was a way to start to get a look at what the Resistance had, what they knew of Luke, and what the situation with the galaxy was, before picking a side. This was also, potentially, a way to start to bring others to her line of thinking that had influence. Without Velroz, some of her influence had been lost, and what was a Sith without influence?

Perhaps this girl was young, and confused, but if she was tasked with finding Luke Skywalker in the Falcon, then she was someone important.

So, Pia smiled and gave a nod, “I understand,” she no doubt had to tell people the situation, and she wasn’t alone on the ship, either. “You can find me towards the mountain,” Pia gestured, “there’s a…well, a village below it, and up a ways there’s some doorways carved into the mountainside, where the living remain.”

Most didn’t live within the ruins of the village outside. They’d spent their time instead restoring the stone buildings within the mountain. It was better protection against the weather, after all, and it was easier to stay unknown within a mountain, as well. “I will let my own know we’ll have guests so we can prepare.”

Food, quarters, and just to make sure they were all on their best behavior. She didn’t imagine any would be calling her ‘Darth’, she didn’t go by it amongst most she encountered, but some of the things they held should at least be out of sight for a bit. There were a few Sith holocrons and books, after all.

 

[Cory]

Octavia didn’t look at Kylo. Not at first. She didn’t expect her words to be met with understanding. Part of her wondered now why she’d bothered to say anything at all, but she couldn’t exactly keep quiet. Not about everything. Her words had been truthful though.

There may have been much beyond the surface that she was trying hard to hide, because exposing those parts about herself was the quickest way to get herself killed. But where she could, she spoke the truth. It was the best way to avoid being looked into.

When he finished speaking, Octavia finally looked up from the controls, glancing over at the man who sat beside her. “I thought you’d be able to tell if a person was lying to you or not.” Though she blurted the words out, her tone, when she spoke, remained as calm as it usually was. “With all due respect, Commander, I’ll do my job because I have something to believe in. Not out of fear.”

It was the truth, though a bit muddled. She had something to believe in — it just didn’t side with the First Order. Finding Luke Skywalker was something she knew needed to be done. Kylo just didn’t know why she believed that. Not beyond what she’d alluded to so far, anyway.

“And the fact that I believe in something is what will make sure I don’t fail,” she continued, leaning back in her seat and looking back out as they continued to travel at lightspeed.

~ * * * ~​

Rey nodded as Pia gave her an idea of where she could be found again, once she’d taken care of all that she needed to do. This wasn’t exactly how she pictured things going but Rey wasn’t disappointed. She was finally getting some answers, and ultimately, that’d allow her to help the Resistance. That way she’d be ready by the time Luke was found.

If he was found.

Rey wanted to remain hopeful but for now, she wanted to learn.

“Thank you,” she told the pink-haired woman with a small smile. “We’ll stop by shortly.” The hospitality was nice, and Rey thought it was extremely thoughtful of Pia to offer to help her find the answers to the many questions she had in her mind. Based on her initial assumption of the planet Dathomir, Rey wouldn’t have predicted it.

Allowing Pia to return to her people, Rey turned and boarded the Falcon again where Chewie waited, clearly a mix if several emotions. He wasted no time beginning to ask her questions once she was close enough to hear, and Rey did her best to explain as she made her way to the controls to send a transmission across that detailed her current situation.

“Luke isn’t here, Chewie,” she told her larger friend as she rose from the panel after sending the transmission. “But there are others. People who have answers, who know about the Force. If I can learn those things right now rather than later, then I need to.”

Chewie’s response didn’t make it seem like he was entirely convinced, but he agreed with her nonetheless.

“We won’t stay any longer than we need to,” she added as a promise to him. With that agreement in place, the two of them made their way toward the mountain to find Pia.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo Ren could, and as Octavia challenged it, he arched a brow. ‘Is that a challenge?’ If she wanted to exposed for the liar she was, he had no problems tearing into her head and spouting her own words back at her as she thought them. He felt the tingle of desire to do so under the threat that he was wrong about his assumption, and he balled one hand into a fist against his side, not rising, nor moving it to begin that process.

It would be nice if people actually did what they wanted because they believed in it. There were people in the Order who certainly did believe in things, but unfortunately they were often too ambitious, and tried to reach beyond their means, thinking they knew better. Fear was what kept them in line, and fear was what kept the organization running. Otherwise, too many people would overstretch in their foolish games for glory, and bring everything crashing down around them.

“If you would prefer, I can open your mind and prove you a liar, Octavia.”

Her impassioned words had no bearing on him.

He didn’t believe in words.

He questioned actions, as well. He did not have much faith in people, in general. He hadn’t had good experiences with them, even prior to the Order. It wasn’t as if Leia or Han had given him much to rely on, or many good stories.

His smuggler father was really just an example of how everyone in the galaxy was out to destroy you. And also how everyone in the galaxy, even those you should be able to trust, and love, were liars who didn’t actually give a damn what happened to you, either. ‘If you had gone with Han….’

He shook the thought from his head.

He would have been put in binders, and tried for the acts of the First Order.

“Unless you’d like to recant that statement?” She might recant even if she was telling the truth. The process was painful, and quite revealing.

~***~

Pia made her way back into the mountain quarters, quickly sending the togruta Laksmi to gather the others. It was a small group, admittedly, containing herself, Laksmi, the human Felicity, twi’lek Cari, three Dathomirians – Morgena, Vimue, and the male, Myrridan, the other human Ivan, and the near-human valha, Agna, who stood taller than the others, and stood out notably with her fiery hair, shorn short as it was.

“We will have a visitor shortly, by the name of Rey, along with her crew. They did not seem great in number,” certainly not enough to threaten their space, “I would like four rooms prepared, just in case,” she had not felt that many, but things happened, people could arrive looking for her when she reported in. “And food made for an additional four. If there are leftovers,” a light shrug, “we will simply feast.”

No one would argue with that.

“Who is this Rey to us?” Morgena was the one to ask, ever the more paranoid. She came from another clan on Dathomir that had been impacted by the Nightsister purge, along with Vimue, and Myrridan.

“A Jedi.”

She could see the tension run through them all.

She could feel it.

Pia lifted her hands calmly. “I know,” she said gently, “but she is young, and unaware of what the Jedi have done. She can learn, and perhaps in turn, make changes for the better with the Jedi.” Or perhaps get rid of them once and for all. Morgena hardly looked satisfied. “Keep your hatred to yourself.”

“You say it so easily,” she snapped, “you did not have to deal with their slaughter.”

‘Nor you.’ Not directly, though Pia would not say that. “I know I am in the privileged position, and it is why I ask your patience. No one will learn through hatred. No one will learn without patience, and this is a rare opportunity.”

“I will grant it. For now.” Morgena said, tossing back some of her black hair, before turning off, “I’ll prepare rooms.” Others began to divide duties, with Felicity held back for just a moment, to be given the instruction of moving everything Sith out of sight, before Pia would leave the stone house within the mountain, to enter the more public spaces, and seek out Rey once more – or await her at the entrance.

 

[Cory]

What was she doing trying to challenge him?

Octavia stared at the white strips of light that passed them by, forcing her to think clearly. It was the easiest way for her to end her own life. The moment he looked into her mind he'd find things beyond what she told him, and that'd be the end of things. As much as she would have liked for him to just believe her, that wasn't going to happen, and she wasn't going to risk exposing herself to prove a point.

She swallowed, contemplating how to answer Kylo. "That won't be necessary," she told him eventually, still staring straight ahead instead of looking at him. She knew he could still do it if he truly wanted to, and as an officer, she should probably be more careful about what she said, but Octavia certainly had her moments. She'd made it this far. She had to make it a bit longer.

Maybe she wasn't doing her job out of fear, but there was certainly a fear that accompanied the possibility of Kylo reaching into her head, and it was something she hoped he wouldn't sense. Then again, everyone had that fear, regardless of whether they had anything to hide or not. The process wasn't known to be a very pleasant one.

Octavia tried to choose her next words a bit more carefully. "Though, is it really that hard to believe that someone might be doing something for reasons other than fear?" At that, she looked at him. "Not me specifically, just... anyone?"

Within the First Order, there were plenty of people Octavia knew she couldn't trust. In fact, she'd yet to come across someone she could trust, so in a way, it made sense that Kylo was so quick to dismiss her words as lies. Everyone wanted to look out for themselves and make sure they were recognised.

But those were assumptions based on limited interactions. The fact that he still refused to believe her after trying to explain herself made her wonder a bit. Perhaps it was just easier that way.

~ * * * ~​

It hadn't been very hard to find the village that Pia had spoken of. The journey there wasn't a difficult one, and Rey spent it lost in thought. A transmission had been sent, which meant the Resistance would soon know that she had failed to find Luke Skywalker. Or, more accurately, that the map they'd been given hadn't helped. Not in the way that they'd hoped, at least.

It had helped in other ways though.

The prospect of getting answers and learning about the Force, and what she was capable of, was an admittedly exciting one. She didn't have too much time to spare, with the First Order closing in, but there wasn't anything else she could do to aid in the search for Luke. Not unless they had a map that they knew led to him. Till that was found, she could make use of her time with learning and hope that it would aid the Resistance in other ways.

There didn't seem to be many people on Dathomir, but Rey noticed Pia almost immediately. It was hard to miss the tone of her pink hair, which she assumed looked a bit darker because of the way the planet seemed to be surrounded by a reddish hue.

She approached with less caution than she had earlier and gestured to her companion to make the necessary introductions. "This is Chewie," she explained, glancing back at him since he still seemed to hold some reservations about this place. That was understandable though.

"It's just the two of us here," Rey added, glancing back at Pia. "I hope it's not too much of an imposition. I appreciate that you're willing to help me find more answers. I promise we won't be in your hair for too long."

 

[Lucyfer]

Octavia’s denial was expected.

So was the more obvious fear that followed it, no doubt concerned that Kylo would take initiative anyways to prove the point. However, he felt his point was proven by her denial. Octavia didn’t want him to see what was in there, because she had things to hide. Petty, stupid, inconsequential things, no doubt, but things she thought were important enough to protect, either for her position in the Order, or for her own sense of dignity. He wouldn’t press it, although she did have further questions.

He considered it a moment. He wanted to deny that he didn’t act out of fear, but he knew that was a lie. He couldn’t deny it in front of her, though. She’d seen how Snoke behaved. “Fear is what keeps the systems in line. Fear is what keeps everyone in their place. Without fear, people would bring everything crashing down based on their own egos and petty desires.”

Fear also showed people what it was they needed to overcome, and Kylo knew he needed to overcome Snoke one day. He needed to be better. He needed to take control over things, but he wasn’t there yet. It was infuriating. “The lack of fear in the Core was what was causing so much of the chaos in the galaxy, but they know now….”

Now that the Hosnian Cataclysm had happened. Even without Starkiller, the New Republic military had been devastated, and the Order would take over with ease, bit by bit, until they had taken over all of it. If the New Republic had focused more on those fears, maybe they would have stood a chance, but they hadn’t.

They wasted their time, and their money, on doing things like building a statue to Bail Organa.

Now that statue was gone.

Along with their military.

~***~

‘Chewbacca.’ Pia filled in the full name for herself as Chewie said something in shryiiwook. It was unfortunately not a language that Pia was familiar with, “It is good to meet you, Chewie,” she wouldn’t make it obvious she’d heard of him, or knew who he must be from the ship that had arrived, “I’m afraid I don’t understand shryiiwook. I’m sorry,” she inclined her head in apology to the wookiee. “You are both welcome to stay a bit, we have plenty of space, as you can see.”

From the village alone, but as Pia would move into the mountain, Rey would see even more – stone structures, illuminated by green lights that floated around the area, created by the Force Magick of Dathomir. They cast everything in an unnatural tint, but it was no worse than the red outside that Pia had grown so used to.

“Dathomir has a long history with the Force,” she said to Rey, though not excluding Chewbacca as she gave him a glance, as well. “Let me show you around here. I’ve asked that enough food be prepared for you both,” she added, “I can show you the area, and you can ask whatever questions come into your mind about Dathomir, or the Force. You can determine from my answers if you wish to stay longer to learn more.”

She thought it was fair.

They’d see the area, learn how it was notable, and have a meal. If they felt like staying after that, Chewbacca could go his own way, and Rey and she could actually dive into some teachings.

Again, Chewbacca seemed to say something, and though Pia did not understand it, Rey would. It was a comment on Dathomir’s history, as he knew it – that it had been home to witches, and Han never wanted to do business on or with Dathomir.

Pia wouldn’t move beyond whatever Chewbacca said; she might not understand, but she wasn’t going to be rude and assume his growls were utterly meaningless. She’d let Rey choose to translate, or not.

 

[Cory]

There was a moment of silence that followed her question and Octavia wondered if it was time for her to really keep her mouth shut or not. She’d never actually shared this much time with Kylo Ren and naturally, there were a lot of things she was curious about.

More questions lingered in her mind and she debated with herself over whether to ask or not. Instead of saying anything else for the time being, however, she listened as Kylo eventually answered her question.

He wasn’t wrong. Fear could be a great motivator, and most of the First Order operated that way. It wasn’t necessarily how Octavia had operated though there was a different kind of fear that seemed to drive her. She didn’t care about ego and petty desires.

Perhaps there were flaws, but the idea that everything in the galaxy needed to work based on fear wasn’t something Octavia could agree with.

After all, what got her this far was the need to see the Order fall. If she’d allowed herself to remain scared, she’d have become a mindless follower.

Still looking at Kylo, she studied him for a moment. “And what do you fear?”

~ * * * ~​

Rey offered a small smile when Pia greeted Chewie and then proceeded to apologise for not being able to understand whatever he’d say.

She figured she could translate when necessary — if she remembered. She had a habit of assuming people could just understand the wookie and she made that ckear by often replying to him or picking up certain things that he said instead of actually translating the whole thing aloud.

For now, Rey focused on following Pia, keeping sight of her through her peripheral vision while she took in more of her surroundings. She was fascinated by the stone structures, and even more so by the floating green lights.

“Thank you again,” Rey said, Extending her gratitude once more, though while partially distracted by everything around her.

There was more on her mind that she considered asking but she stopped herself when she heard Chewie speaking.

As she often did — despite Pia making it clear she didn’t understand Chewie — Rey assumed Pia knew what he was saying and she looked to the pink-haired woman in slight surprise. “There are witches on Dathomir?”

 

[Lucyfer]

There were certainly people who would have argued with Kylo Ren about his views on fear being a useful tool to utilize with the masses. He had heard plenty of ill-informed opinions on the topic, usually from the higher-ranking. They learned quickly why fear was useful for them, individually, as they stepped out of line. Fear kept them from their own death at the hands of those more powerful, who hardly needed their presence or continued existence. If they couldn’t see the use of fear, they were useless.

“Failure.”

It was a simple and concise answer, though he knew it was also the kind of answer that spurred more questions. He thought it said it all. Failure would mean galactic chaos. Failure would mean the death of billions. Failure meant so much that he had every right to fear it, when so much was on the line for the Order’s success. He couldn’t fail. He couldn’t let the Order fail. There was too much that hung in the balance.

He was certain he shared this fear with his mother, even if she was on the wrong side, fighting for the wrong things. She thought she was in the right; he knew better, now. It was a shame she had never learned, even after seeing how the New Republic worked, even after abandoning the New Republic when they smeared her name for being related to Darth Vader.

Kylo knew.

Kylo understood things couldn’t go back to how they were.

He wouldn’t speak of these private thoughts, though. He would fall silent, and hope this time the silent remained until their arrival on Eedit Temple, and Devaron. It was likely too much to ask for, but he would at least encourage nothing else.

~***~

Pia led them down into the stone village, and would continue to lead them towards the more interesting of things, which was the pools of water that were isolated in another part of the large lair. It was, after all, one of the sources of power on Dathomir, used in ritualistic practices of the Force, and magic unattainable to those who strictly followed Sith or Jedi traditions.

Pia had been fortunate that her master came from this, before becoming a Sith. She had learned much about using the Force from her because of that, and traditions that would have been closed to her otherwise. No doubt, it also played a role in her curiosity towards a Jedi, rather than outright hostility, as many other Siths would have preferred to have nothing to do – let alone offer much to a supposed enemy.

She heard Rey’s question, and glanced to Chewie to see him nodding to her unasked question, if it was something he had said. “The Nightsisters were called witches, and other clans on Dathomir developed that reputation,” Pia clarified, “Of course, Darth Vader was called a sorcerer in his time, and other uses of the Force were often compared to such things by people who could not understand what it was they were doing.”

Pia lifted her arm languidly up, and one of the green wisps of light came at her call, and the fiery light wrapped around her arm, “It’s for this that they were seen as witches, their powers take on a distinct hue that is quite visible, and seems less like the Force as the galaxy usually understands it,” as she bent her arm back down, the wisp slithered off her arm, and went back to its place, as Pia went through an arch that led into the pools area.

“This is why the Nightsisters chose this location,” she said as she would step aside from the entrance to let Rey through, and to see, “This area is a potent nexus of the Force,” and indeed, it did thrum with life, with energy, pure and simple, “The Nightsisters would use it in rituals, granting those who could not use the Force naturally some form of protection or power, as needed. Dathomir is a wellspring of power in and of itself, this is just one such example.”

 

[Cory]

Failure.

Octavia didn't speak, but she nodded her head in understanding. She supposed she should have gathered that much after seeing Snoke and him together but the thought never crossed her mind. Part of her hadn't expected Kylo to even answer her, because he had no reason to. She wasn't anybody important. The fact that she'd been selected for this task didn't change that, but he'd told her anyway.

She got the sense that he wouldn't elaborate, and he didn't need to. While she did have more follow up questions, Octavia ultimately decided to stay quiet for the rest of their trip to Devaron. She allowed herself to be distracted by her thoughts. Thoughts that surrounded Kylo and his fear, and finding the map to Luke Skywalker.

No words came from Octavia again till they exited hyperspace. She sat forward a bit, taking in the sight of the green coloured planet before them. It seemed to be heavily forested, and Octavia expected to be met with nothing less once they landed. She'd never been to Devaron. She'd never really been to many other planets unless work for the First Order took her there, but it rarely did.

Now that they were beginning their descent, there were other important things to consider. The transmission was coming from Eedit Temple, which meant there could be some clues around, something to find that might lead them to the map or give them more information regarding it.

"Who'd come all the way here to send a transmission?" Octavia mainly wondered it aloud because, as she recalled, Kylo said it was sparsely populated and that the Temple was mostly abandoned. She still couldn't tell if this would help them or if it was meant to be some sort of trap.

~ * * * ~​

Rey had asked a question but she continued to look around in wonder at things that passed her by while she waited patiently for someone to address her question. Chewie had only nodded, but she half expected Pia to respond with a bit more of an elaborate response since she'd clearly been here longer.

Rey was well aware of Chewie's apprehensiveness, and while she'd initially been cautious, she had no reason to believe any harm would come to them there. Not when Pia had been so hospitable so far. Dathomir wasn't full of tons of people either.

The term Nightsister wasn't one Rey recognised, but she listened to Pia's explanation with great interest. It made sense. Rey was capable of wielding the Force, something she only recently discovered, but she could understand why people with no idea of what it was would see people who used it as unnatural. As a witch or a sorcerer.

Rey watched as one of the green lights came toward Pia, before following her past the archway that led into another area, Chewie not far behind. She could feel the energy. It was strong. Powerful. Even more so than what she felt when they first landed on Dathomir.

"And what happened to them?" Rey asked, looking around before she turned to face Pia again.

"The Nightsisters, I mean. How come their powers took on colour like that?" It was fascinating to learn about, and Rey was trying hard not to ask all of her questions at once, to give Pia some time to actually respond.

 

[Lucyfer]

Devaron eventually came into sight as they exited lightspeed, the verdant green visible even before they hit the atmosphere of the planet. Kylo knew where Eedit Temple was, and followed those coordinates down to the temple, where there was at least a landing pad to land on. Overgrown with foliage but nonetheless useable, and no other ship was waiting for them there. Kylo hadn’t expected it.

Whoever had chosen to do this, had no doubt fled shortly afterwards.

He shook his head, “Hopefully we can figure that out,” though he wasn’t sure about that, either, as he landed the ship and started shutting her down so they could leave. He rose from his seat, and moved to the ramp to get off the ship, and look up at the temple, with its two asymmetrical towers. Or rather, what remained of them.

It was no surprise the temple had been all but destroyed, and abandoned. Palpatine wasn’t much into restoring Jedi temples.

Nature had begun to reclaim the features, which wasn’t hard with the destruction. Vines wove around the open walls and over the debris. The stairs were still there, for the most part still usable, and Kylo began to walk towards them. “The courtyard branches into the other areas of the temple,” Kylo said, expecting Octavia was following behind, “most of it was destroyed years ago, but there was a caretaker’s office, and some classrooms, that may have computers able to send messages out from.”

They’d find out soon enough.

~***~

Pia didn’t immediately walk on from the pools as Rey asked about the Nightsisters themselves, and what had happened. “They were killed,” she answered, as if it were that simple, although she did choose to elaborate, “It was during the Clone Wars. My master was one of the few who survived, though she did not choose to stay on Dathomir after everything,” although Pia found her way here to try and learn those things she had not known.

“They were discarded by the Jedi years ago for their magick, used by the Order only when something was required and otherwise condemned as heretics,” Pia sighed, “and then in turn, abused by the Sith, until they lashed back against the Sith and were destroyed by them in the Clone Wars by the Separatist armies.” Pia shook her head, looking out at the pools of water, “I cannot say why their magick takes on the hue it does, I only know that it does. The way the Nightsisters use the Force is different from the Jedi.”

She took in a breath, and again with a wave of her hand, pulled at the green-tinted water, which flowed to her like the wispy mist, and began to form into an orb of energy, “They pulled the Force not from within themselves, but from Dathomir itself, and it seems Dathomir likes green,” a smile touched her lips, “they also did more ritualistic magick with the force, to imbue power into things, as a Jedi does with a lightsaber’s crystal.”

They raised the dead with it, but Rey didn’t need to know that detail right now.

 

[Cory]

The temple... didn't really look like a temple. In all fairness, Octavia hadn't seen any other Jedi Temples to compare this one too, but the abandoned structure had been taken over by nature, making it clear that nobody had been here in years. The fact that a transmission was coming from there now was just odd. If it led them on the right track though, Octavia would stop asking questions because that mattered less than actually finding the map.

As Kylo rose from his seat, Octavia did as well, stopping by her bag briefly to pick up her datapad, as well as her blaster to be on the safe side. It didn't really look like anyone was around, and Kylo would probably be able to tell if there were, but it was better to be cautious and she didn't really want to go somewhere she'd never been before while completely unarmed.

She let Kylo lead the way. He knew the place much better than she did.

As she followed behind him and climbed up the stairs, she glanced around, taking it all in. It probably would have been quite a sight, years ago. Now, overgrown vines seemed to cover most of it.

The upper level had several more rooms, as Kylo said it did, and Octavia wondered where to begin. She wandered toward one of the classrooms and peeped inside to see if there was a computer she could take a look at.

"Can you tell if someone's been here?" Specifically, where they've been? Octavia didn't know too much beyond a general understanding of what the Force was. As for how it was used, she understood that there was much about it she didn't know. If it worked the way she thought it did, then it'd help them identify if this lead was a legitimate one, or if it was simply misdirection.

~ * * * ~​

Rey listened to what Pia was saying, taking in each bit of detail that came her way.

She noticed that Pia words alluded to the fact that she hadn't lived here forever, and it made her curious about where the woman originally came from and what led her to settling down on Dathomir, especially if her master chose not to stay.

She held back her questions for now though, choosing to instead hear Pia out as she continued to explain.

Rey didn't realise there was so much more to this than she originally thought. To now know that there were others besides the trained Jedi who could wield the powers of the Force, and even in unique ways like the Nightsisters did... it only made her want to learn more.

She watched the water flow toward Pia before she met her gaze. "Are there other planets like Dathomir?" Rey asked her curiously, nodding to the now glowing orb of energy in front of her. "Places where you can pull the Force from the planets themselves, I mean."

She always thought that was something that came from within but clearly there was much more to all of it than she thought she knew. The energy on Dathomir was strong, and Rey felt it the moment the entered the planet's atmosphere. She didn't know if that was unique to Dathomir, or if, to an extent, it was something that existed on all planets. She'd never felt it quite like this before though.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo looked over his shoulder at Octavia, mask not able to hide the dull, unimpressed look as she asked her question about whether or not he could tell if someone had been there. Perhaps she assumed it was a talent of the Force. How he wished it was. He knew some were born with psychometry, but that was no skill one could learn. Even then, it was quite unreliable, One didn’t get to dictate what they saw.

“No.”

Even if he could, such a thing would have been obscured by the animals who passed by, by wind, water, and weather in general. He didn’t know how long ago this transmission truly began, after all, or what kind of weather Devaron had seen in the meanwhile. “The Force doesn’t work like that.” He clarified that much, so Octavia wouldn’t ask that kind of stupid question again.

He tended to forget how little other people understood of the Force. It made it a potent weapon, as a mere threat, but it also led to…well…stupid questions in the ranks. He turned away, and began to lead her towards the side of the temple that was home to the caretaker’s quarters. It had been on an upper level, so he did have to go up some of the stairs that were still standing, and make his way across the crumbling hallways.

That would mean a bit of a jump across one, where a hole had gone entirely through the floor to the lower level. He paused on the other side to look back and see if Octavia was going to need help getting across.

~***~

“There are,” Pia answered, “Coruscant, Lothal, Tython, Moraband, all of these planets have powerful connections to the Force, some in certain locations, some all around. They’re known as vergences.” They weren’t the only things that could be vergences, Pia had already studied a bit of the shatterpoint theories to know that.

In fact, that had been her current study.

“Although you can pull the Force from anything living,” Pia said, letting the energy dissipate. It didn’t return to the water as it was simply waved away, vanishing like air breathed out on a freezing day. “It’s just much easier on planets or in places like these, because it’s much easier to feel it, and there is little harm in doing it.”

Doing it elsewhere did have the potential to cause harm or distress, not that Pia often cared when she had a need for it, but one with…Jedi leanings should be warned, she supposed. Pia rather preferred drawing on other things instead of herself; she’d seen the damage she could cause herself by doing that.

“Let me show you a few other places here.”

 

[Cory]

Octavia pursed her lips and continued to follow behind Kylo, deciding in the moment not to ask anymore questions. Not till she finally located the computer that was used to send the transmission.

Despite proving to be exceptionally bright among her peers at a very young age, there were things she didn't know much about. The Force was one of those things, and with Kylo being the only force sensitive person she knew, Octavia doubted she'd get many answers soon. It wasn't something that she could learn in a matter of a few hours, or even a day. There was a lot more to it, and she knew that.

The climbed to another upper level, leaving some of the classrooms behind and heading to what she assumed was the caretaker's quarters. If someone was going to send a transmission, it made sense that it'd be from there.

What Octavia hadn't expected was to have to navigate crumbling hallways. Parts of the floor looked like they could give away underneath her weight, but with Kylo going first and seemingly managing, she did her best to follow his footsteps and stay closely behind. The real challenge came when there was a hole in the floor that she was meant to jump over.

"That's tricky," she muttered under her breath. It was a bit wide, and she admittedly didn't have much experience with crumbling hallways. From where she was standing, it seemed like she could make it, so she took a few steps back to get a bit of a running start before she leaped over the gap beneath her.

Octavia's feet brushed the floor on the other side, but she was too close to the edge to stand properly balanced. Reflexes kicked in and she reached out to grab whatever was closest — and that just happened to be Kylo's arm.

~ * * * ~​

Vergences. Rey kept that word in mind as Pia continued to speak, explaining how the Force could be pulled from any living thing beyond just herself. She supposed that made it easier, less tiring, than drawing on her own energy. It was something she was curious to try, now that she knew a little more about it.

When Pia offered to show her a few more places, Rey nodded and followed behind her, glancing back for a moment to check on Chewie. He still seemed a bit uncertain, but it also seemed like he was learning a bit too, just like she was.

Only with Rey, it just made her more and more curious.

Allowing Pia to lead the way, Rey thought back to an earlier part of their conversation, and a question that had stuck around in her mind since then.

"So, you weren't raised here?" She asked her curiously, realising only after she asked it that that question deviated a bit from the general tone of their conversation regarding the Force, and delved into territory that was a bit more personal.

"Sorry," she added after a moment. "I know I'm asking a lot of questions." Rey rubbed the back of her neck a bit sheepishly. "This is all just... very new to me." She wondered if Luke would have told her the same things since so far, nothing she'd learned related to the way of the Jedi. Not really.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo saw Octavia assessing the situation, and she quickly moved backwards to get a running start. A smart idea, though Kylo knew he’d made it look much easier. The Force had helped, one of those things he did without thinking in situations like this. It always just came to him as needed.

He could have used it to just float her across, too, but it seemed that wouldn’t be needed.

Octavia was able to get across, but just barely – and then she nearly lost it. As he started to reach for her, she reached for him, and her hands wrapped tight around his arm. He threw out his other arm to hep steady her, and stepped backwards to pull her up onto the platform on the other side, releasing her once they were on stable footing.

“You can tell me if you need help,” he added then, “I’m not here to see you get killed,” he couldn’t figure out the transmission on his own, he knew that. He also knew he wasn’t always aware of what those without the Force could or couldn’t do. Having had it his entire life, he was blind to some of the physical aspect of it, and what people couldn’t do without it, at times.

He knew she wasn’t going to be able to Force choke anyone.

He also knew she couldn’t keep up with him in a race – but how slow she was, he didn’t fully grasp.

~***~

Rey’s query was more personal, this time, and she realized it as soon as Pia glanced back, her own expression curious, rather than angry, as to why it had slipped Rey’s lips. Of course, Rey was quick to apologize. Pia chuckled and shook her head, “There’s no need to apologize, I don’t intend not to answer your questions, even the more personal ones.”

She looked ahead again, “I traveled. It’d be more accurate to say I was a spacer than that I have anywhere to call home. My master lived in fear after the Empire, and what they did with Force sensitive children. Even with the Empire defeated, she was still afraid.” Not the whole truth, but not a lie.

Fear had guided much of her life, and her actions. Fear of discovery weighed heavy on her mind. “Where are you from, Rey?” She returned the personal, as they stepped out of the mountain once more, to where a monolithic structure was outside, a towering temple on Dathomir.

Pia would not speak to it immediately, waiting for Rey’s answer, only gesture to it so Rey knew why they had stepped outside again, from another direction. It was also from this direction that broken burial pods could be seen, cracked open long ago, and not resealed; there were no bodies left to put into them, and so the egg-like structures just hung, open to the elements, but never fully falling to the ground.

The structure before them was not Dathomirian in nature, but that was all the more reason to show it to Rey, really.

Dathomir had seen much when it came to the Force.

 

[Cory]

For a moment, Octavia had been convinced that she'd fall through that hole and likely end up with a broken bone or two. Or maybe more. She didn't exactly notice how far down it went because it would have made her more reluctant to try jumping across.

While she knew she could have just asked Kylo for help, it wasn't something she was used to. Not from anyone, and certainly not from Kylo. It just felt odd to be doing so, though she found some comfort the moment his hand shot out to help steady her.

Octavia didn't feel herself relaxing till she was a few steps away from the drop to the hallway below, and standing steadily on her feet. Only then did she let go of the firm grip she had on Kylo's arm, not truly realising how tightly she'd clutched at him till let her arms drop back to her sides.

"That's always been a little difficult," she admitted, pursing her lips. "But I will." Octavia eventually nodded, though she knew actually asking for help would still be a little difficult. "Thank you," she told him, glancing behind her for only a moment, as if to digest the fact that she hadn't fallen through a hole in the floor. She figured that there'd be more of such instances, and she couldn't rely on luck for all of them.

"Come on." She nodded down the hallway so they could continue moving onward. "The sooner we figure out what this transmission is, the sooner we can get off of this planet and get that map."

Octavia didn't fancy walking through any more crumbling hallways than she needed to.

~ * * * ~​

A relieved smile touched Rey's lips to hear Pia say that she intended on answering all of her questions, even if they were more personal than general. She didn't intend on taking advantage of that though, and made a mental note to stop and consider her questions before asking them.

Or to try to, at least.

As Pia explained, Rey continued to follow, noting that Chewie stayed silent for the time being, likely listening to Pia's explanation just like she was. Her answer yielded more questions — what led her to dathomir? What came of her master?

Rey never got to ask those questions though, because she was asked a question in return.

That, and she was momentarily speechless as she came out of the mountain, only to stand in front of a large structure. It took her a moment to remember that she'd been asked something, and Rey turned to face Pia once more.

"I'm from Jakku," she answered, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I've never really been anywhere else." Not up until recently. There had still been some reluctance to leave. A hope that she'd still been holding onto despite years having passed. Rey wasn't about to dive into those details though. Not yet, anyway.

She nodded toward the towering structure in front of them before fully turning her gaze toward it. "What is that, exactly?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Once she was steady, Kylo was prepared to move on. It seemed she wasn’t the sort to ask for help, either. He wasn’t surprised, it seemed par for the course with the Order, creating a group of assholes who just wanted power and authority. Asking for help would always be viewed as a weakness in their ranks.

So was admitting to taking it, in a way. She could have brushed it off as not needing his help, that she had things covered, but instead, she thanked him. It gave him pause, and he arched a brow, canting his head slightly as well. The head-gesture would have at least been seen even without the helmet, but the eyebrow was one of those things usually hidden.

And he was still so used to that mask.

He continued down the hallway as she insisted on it, not responding to the gratitude that nagged at him. There were a few rooms along the way, some completely destroyed and fallen through to the next level, others seeming to barely hang on. The caretakers was one of those that had been pretty battered by the assault, but there was something of a floor, and monitors still within the room.

However, they all seemed to be down, inactive.

“Kriff.”

These weren’t the monitors they were looking for, then.

“The basement levels, then,” that was said more to himself, and again without much thinking, he just hopped down the hole to the lower level, landing atop the debris pile without any issues.

~***~

Jakku – the name was familiar, although Pia could not place it immediately. Her master must have mentioned it once, but why, Pia couldn’t recall. She certainly didn’t know what sort of planet Jakku was, and they had never visited Jakku, so Pia could only nod, and answer, “I’m not familiar with Jakku,” which was true, as she wasn’t immediately recalling anything.

She turned her attention to the structure, and gestured languidly towards, “This is the tomb of the Zeffo sage, Kujet. The Zeffo civilization is now extinct, abuses of the Force which they called ‘Life Wind’ led to the collapse of their society. They have tombs and ruins scattered across the galaxy.”

Chewbacca interjected then, stating that the wookiees knew of the Zeffo – there was a tomb on Kashyyyk, though he knew not which individual may have built it, or who it was for. The wookiees told stories of it being haunted, but beyond that, he knew little – certainly, he didn’t know much about the Zeffo themselves, and seeing as they were long extinct, not much had been persevered in his own culture.

Of course, Pia didn’t know what was said, and her brow knit together as Chewie seemed to be saying a lot this time. She canted her head, curious, wordlessly asking to know what it was Chewbacca was saying about things. She was aware of the Zeffo on Kashyyyk, but she didn’t know if Chewie was adding anything about that.

 

[Cory]

It was strange to see Kylo without his mask for this long. It wasn't necessarily a bad kind of strange. Most of the time it was impossible to get a read on him, and while it wasn't that much easier with the mask off, it at least allowed Octavia the chance to see some real expressions. It'd keep her guessing, but it also made him seem more human.

She put the thought aside for the time being, focusing instead on continuing forward. The rest of the place seemed to be in just as bad shape, but at least there were no more large gaps in the floor that she needed to jump over.

Once they finally arrived at the caretaker's room, Octavia prepared herself to deal with the transmission, but the sight of the inactive computer monitors caused her expression to fall. Great. She was about to suggest scouting out the classrooms since one of them was bound to have a computer that worked, but before she had the chance, Kylo suggested the basement levels.

"More crumbling hallways," she stated before nodding. "Okay." More crumbling hallways wasn't exactly something she looked forward to, but it didn't compare to the way she felt when Kylo simply dropped down to the floor below with ease — something she knew she couldn't do.

Octavia didn't think that so quickly after agreeing to ask for help when needed, she'd actually have to do it.

Walking over to the edge, she peered down at him and bit down on her lip as she surveyed the distance. Ask for help. After a moment, Octavia crouched down a bit and did just that. "I think I need help getting down there."

~ * * * ~​

Pia's response to Rey stating that she was from Jakku didn't surprise her much.

"It's not really a place worth remembering," she replied with a small shrug. "That's what most people say, anyway. There isn't really anything there worth much interest."

Despite her words, there was some longing in Rey's tone. Jakku may not be a place worth remembering for most people, but it was a place Rey could never forget, especially after spending so long waiting to see her parents again. Deep down, even if she'd been afraid to confront that thought many times, Rey knew the truth.

For now, she turned her attention back to the structure and listened to Pia as she described what it was. Chewie's interjection had her shifting her gaze to look at him, and this time around, she was able to recall the fact that Pia wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying.

"He says that he's heard of the Zeffo," Rey explained, glancing back to Pia as she did her best to translate all of what Chewie had just said. "And that there was a tomb Kashyyyk?" She looked to him briefly for confirmation and received it in the form of a nod.

"Apparently it was haunted," Rey continued. "At least, that's the story the wookies told. Chewie doesn't know much about the Zeffo other than that." And neither did she.

"Is that true?" Rey asked, looking up at the large structure before her. Dathomir clearly held a lot more than she originally thought it did. "Are the tombs haunted?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo looked up as Octavia indicated she would need help. He could suggest she jump down and he’d catch her, the drop didn’t seem that difficult. It would be the easiest way, but Kylo was not one to encourage physical contact. He wasn’t used to it meaning anything good since he’d joined the order, and his arm had yet to forget how it felt to have her gripping it so hard, she might have broken it if she had that sort of strength.

Thankfully, she didn’t have that kind of strength.

So, instead of suggesting he would catch her, he called up to suggest, “Jump. I’ll slow the fall.” That was likely more dignified than anything. He didn’t really think that Octavia would protest it, either. She couldn’t be more interested in being held by him, than he was interested in holding her right then.

He would step aside from the hole in the ceiling so there was space for her to land, and he’d prepare himself to reach out with the Force to catch her when she did finally jump, adding, “It’ll be with the Force,” so she understood why he was moving and not staying to actually catch her. That kind of contact wouldn’t be necessary, likely to both of their relief.

~***~

Pia heard that longing. She didn’t need to ask for clarity. Home, was home. Pia did not know how that felt, really, but she had felt it through others, the Force allowing her to touch their sadness, their longing, and taste it in a way that wasn’t true, but gave her an idea, at any rate. She would likely never know that feeling.

Home was a weakness, in the end. An attachment that was meant to be lived without. Her master had done her a service in finding her so young, and making sure she formed no such things.

“Ah,” Pia nodded, familiar with things on Kashyyyk, “They aren’t haunted, exactly. There is old technology within the tombs that comes to life, activated by movement, it seems,” Pia answered, “it can give the impression of being haunted, ghosts in the machines, or something of that sort,” she smiled, “though, they can cause harm. It isn’t a good idea to go traveling through one without preparation.”

Pia had gone through the one here, and had found some interesting things, knowledge of the past, and how the Force and use of it, understanding of it, had changed with time, through different cultures. It was fascinating, really. “There’s not much else to see so far as features of Dathomir in this area,” she said. There were more things she had to show, of course, from holocrons to books, but, “let’s go back inside. I have an archive.” Which should now be cleared of Sith things.