Mission to an Abandoned Planet

The smell… the smell was the worst part.

Putrid, like the insides of a jubba left to rot on the hot sands of Jakku, invading her senses, weakening her focus…

Rey breathes in sharply, holding it for a moment before releasing. She can't allow herself to be distracted.

She walks carefully along the damp, uneven ground, her arm extended and her hand stretched open just an inch from the curved, wet surface of the cave walls. Everything around her is shrouded in darkness, but it does not matter to Rey. Her eyes are closed. Her mind is calm. She relaxes her shoulders and lets her head tilt back slightly, feeling The Force course through her…

She moves carefully. One foot forward, and then the next, with her outstretched hand still hovering an inch from the thick, layered rock of the wall.

It's close. She can sense it.

She continues forward methodically, one step at a time. She is determined to find it—she cannot fail. If another artifact falls into the hands of the Knights of Ren…

The Resistance, broken and bereft of allies, had not discovered what the Knights were up to until it was nearly too late. For the past several years, they'd been scouring the galaxy for the most powerful Sith artifacts known to exist, only to hoard them in the First Order archives. But to what end…?

The question has loomed ominously over Resistance leaders since they received the intel. General Leia warned Rey that these artifacts were infused with centuries of dark power and could enhance one's ability to use the Force in a variety of unsettling ways. It's even suspected that some can be used to commune with the Dark Lords who created them. The possibilities are disquieting…

When Rey's struggling to fall sleep at night, she can't stop the question from gnawing at her… Why does he want them so desperately?

"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to," the low voice intones in her head. For just a moment, she can see the image so clearly. Gloved hand extending, dark eyes fixed on hers… unwavering… pleading…

She hangs her head instinctively. For a moment, a complex wave of emotions washes over her. Then, her head snaps up. She takes another deep breath and exhales slowly. She must clear her mind and focus on the task at hand.

She steps forward. Then again, and again. With each step, her foot sinks slightly into the cave's muddied floors. The scent of rot lies thick in the air. The cold wind whips through the cave's winding corridors. But Rey feels none of this. She only feels the Force…and through the Force, she senses it… buried deep in the walls, crying out to her like a lost and frightened child.

She takes another step, then stops. Her eyes are still closed; her mind still calm.

It's here.

She adjusts her body to face the wall directly. Her palm tingles as she senses the power of the artifact calling. The wall is hard and thick.

Rey stands, light and unmoving. She senses it all around her, expanding infinitely. The rhythm and hum of life and death, gain and loss, joy and sorrow. She opens herself to the Force, allowing it to flow through her. The artifact reaches out to her through the depths. She hears the faint echoes of screaming in her mind. She channels the Force to tease the artifact towards her, inch by inch. As she does, the screams grow louder, hollow and reverberating.

Closer. Closer. Closer she draws it to her.

Rey snaps back suddenly. The sound of a small avalanche of rocks hitting the cave floor behind her jerks her out of her trance.

Something screeches in the distance. Is it the artifact? Is it just in her mind?

She turns back to the wall, closing her eyes. She hears the screams in her head again. They sound like the screams of children. A chorus of screams, growing louder and louder as the artifact draws nearer.

Rey begins shaking violently. Her whole body, from her outstretched hand, her extended arm, her head, her shoulders, her very core. She can feel their pain ripping through her, crippling her...

The artifact begins to slow down.

She breathes deeply and tries to reconnect with the thrum of energy around her. But she can only feel the rising panic of the screams… Suddenly, her body grows cold as the Dark power of the artifact surges through her, pushing her back from the wall.

"No." The words barely escape her mouth in a whisper.

Determined, she steps forward, straightening her arm. She concentrates on this intruding coldness. Gradually, the cold grows warm, as though a spark ignited in her chest and began to blaze upwards, into her neck, her face, her skin. And suddenly she feels in control. She feels strong.

The artifact continues along its course; the screams roar in her ears as it does, and yet she feels strangely steady as the fire burns hot within her. Suddenly, the artifact bursts through the stone directly into her hand. It is a large crystal, pulsating with a deep red light, cool to the touch. The moment it reaches her fingers, the screams die away.

For just a moment, everything is still as Rey stares transfixed at the crystal.

Then she hears it. The screeches. And not in the distance.

Rey turns towards the sound, and in an instant her body freezes in fear.

Creatures… she cannot see them well in this darkness, but she can vaguely make out the shape of them as a herd charges towards her at full speed, snarling.

In one motion, she shoves the crystal in her pouch and takes off in the opposite direction. She jets out of the narrow corridor into a wider expanse of the cave, her heart pounding in her chest. A faint stream of light from high above the cavern's depths casts shadows on the rocky, uneven earth before her.

"Don't look back. Don't look back, Rey," she thinks to herself. "There is only one way—forward."

The creatures shriek and snarl behind her. She can hear the heavy, pounding sound of their claws on the ground getting closer, closer…

Feeling the Force well within her, she leaps up and pivots one foot off the wall to the right, then the other off the wall to the left, landing with both feet onto a smooth, higher level of the cave.

The creatures follow her. She can see them better now. They are the size of zillo beasts, four-legged with matted brown fur, hunched backs, and large pointed heads with two pairs of fangs the size of knives shooting both downwards and upwards out of their mouths. They leap nimbly, following the same path as Rey, claws digging into the rocky cavern walls as they hop from one side to the other, then up to her.

She runs with every ounce of energy she can muster. Panting heavily, she turns sharply down another dark, narrow corridor.

The creatures are still close on her heels, and now it's pitch black. Rey runs with her eyes closed, allowing the Force to guide her through the darkness. She emerges out of the corridor into the faint light once more.

A wall. Just ahead. Tall, impossibly tall, and made of a smooth, black surface unlike the rocky, earthy walls below.

They won't be able to sink their claws into it.

As it draws closer, she focuses. They are right on her heels now. She can feel their hot breath on her skin.

When the moment arrives, it's as though time slows down around her. She closes her eyes and concentrates on the power of the Force rising in her core. She bends her legs then propels herself upwards, high… higher than any average humanoid can leap.

But not high enough.

Her right hand catches a slight indention in the wall. She hangs on, swinging precariously above the creatures who jump up, snapping at her feet. They are just out of her reach. She flings her left hand upwards, catching another indention in the wall. As she prepares to pull herself up, all at once, a sharp pain explodes in her thigh and a heavy weight drags her downwards.

Rey lets out an anguished roar and without thinking, immediately releases her left hand and turns an open palm to the beast. A wave of power knocks it back to the ground with a thud. The fang lodged in Rey's thigh snaps off.

Quickly, she turns back to the wall, pulling herself upwards with both arms and her right leg. Her left leg dangles like dead weight, throbbing. She tries to ignore the pain until she feels herself crawl over the edge of the wall onto the wet stone above.

She lets out a great exhale and lies flat on her back, panting. She listens to the screeches of the creatures as they slowly die down, die away… She is still in the cave. She can see the faint light of the planet's suns above her, closer now than before, but still just a small ray of hope towering high in the distance.

The next wall she must climb is ten times higher. And now she's injured.

Rey carefully sits up to inspect her leg. The fang is still lodged in her thigh, long enough for a sharp end to poke out of each side.

She grabs the base of the fang and pulls. She lets out a guttural groan as it slides slowly out of her. Her leg begins gushing blood. She quickly takes off her jacket and ties it tightly around her wound.

She's slowed the bleeding for now. But she does not have long. She can feel it. The creature's fang pierced something vital… she doesn't know how long she has before she bleeds out on the floor of this cave.

She reaches into her pouch for her commlink. She must contact Poe. He'll come for her. She feels around in the pouch for a few moments, but to her panic, feels nothing but a water canteen, a few quarter portions and the crystal. No commlink.

Suddenly, she sees it in her mind's eye—in pieces on the cavern floor below.

Her head hangs down and her shoulders drop. She lets out a slow sigh and looks upwards. The wall looms high, towering above her. A grim but determined look registers on her face. She knows what she has to do.

She will not be defeated.

Rey drags herself over to the wall, rocks scraping against her bare arms, and begins hoisting herself upright by hooking her hands into small indentions along the surface. She stands on one leg now. She looks briefly down and then up again. The ray of light gleams faintly above.

Very, very carefully, she lets a little of her weight fall to her left leg. She winces and hisses in pain. Quickly, she pulls her body weight off the ground by planting her right leg in the wall and thrusting upwards. Her left leg dangles freely as she begins pulling herself up with her arms and good leg. Slowly, methodically… she cannot misstep.

Her progress is steady. She does not once look down, and yet she can sense that she is just over ten feet off the ground. She keeps her eyes trained on the ray of light whenever she can. She has a much longer way to go.

She continues upward, silently except for her breath and the occasional muted grunt of pain.

She extends her right hand and clasps another indention. She feels it… too late. The sweat of her palms slipping against the smooth surface. She loses her grip and the dead weight of her injured leg pulls her down, causing the other hand to slip.

Rey crashes to the cavern floor with a violent crack. She howls in pain, turning carefully to her right. Tears are streaming down her face as she drags her broken body back to the wall. When she gets there, she turns and lets her back rest against it. She unwraps her pouch from her waist and lays it to the side. Her injured leg is throbbing and stretched out before her. Her good leg is bent, with her forehead resting gently on it.

She still feels the blood slowly seeping from her wound. Now her whole body is aching from the fall. Exhaustion overtakes her, energy completely spent. Then the realization hits her, and when it does, she can barely breathe.

She is going to die here… right here… bleeding out in this cold, dark place, utterly alone… this is how her story will end.

She leans forward, breathing heavily… and lets out a sob. She tries to take a deep breath, but another sob escapes. Finally, she gives in as sobs violently wrack her body.

There… just for a minute, in the depths of a cave on an abandoned planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy, Rey gives up.

She feels her failure bitterly. Her body collapses on the cave floor, and she crawls forward, still shaking with sobs. She places her palms on the earth and presses upwards, pulling herself to her knees with her weight on the right. Facing the earth, she rests her forearms on the damp ground and releases her forehead to rest between them, as if she's in prayer.

Tears streaming down her face, she squeezes her eyes shut and cries.

Then, without warning, she feels it. Creeping in like an unwelcome memory…

"No," she whispers softly, shaking her head.

"No, not now. Please…," she whimpers.

The feeling grows stronger. Rey keeps squeezing her eyes shut, keeps shaking her head. She rocks gently forward and back. She tries to concentrate… to block him out…

"No… please. Not now, No!"

Suddenly, her eyes snap open as soft sobs escape her. With her forehead still pressed to the ground, she leans into her forearms, trembling. She senses his presence.

She does not look up, so she cannot see him, his dark figure standing tall and staring silently over her shivering form.

Her breathing shallow and labored, she says quietly but firmly, "Go. Away."

Seconds pass… She tries to compose herself, to steady her breathing, to calm her shaking body. The cave is eerily silent. She still feels him watching her.

"GO AWAY!" She sobs loudly, tears streaming down her face. She can't bring herself to look up at him.

"Please… please… just go away."

She begins to slowly crawl backwards away from him towards the wall. He still watches her. Silently.

She stops and lets out a gasp, falling to her side. Her breathing is uneven. She can't seem to get enough oxygen. For a moment, she hears nothing but the sound of her sharp, short inhales. Then, she hears the click of his boots on the cavern floor walking towards her.

He stops right next to her, just at the wall. He pauses, then he slowly kneels down and sits next to her, resting back on the cave.

Rey stares at the ground, focusing on the sound of her own breath… and his. She's unsure what to do. She can't seem to make herself move. She still can't look at him.

She feels his hand reach out… tentatively… then rest on her shoulder. He grips her skin softly, slipping his other hand underneath the crook of her arm on the opposite side and pulls her towards him.

His feet are planted on either side of her, legs bent, as he brings her body into his chest. They've never done more than touch fingertips through their Force bond. She didn't even know this was possible…

She feels the warmth of his body envelop her as his arms wrap tightly but gently around her, pressing the right side of her body firmly against his. Her head rests in the middle of his chest, tucked just under his chin. He cradles the back of her head with his hand.

She curls into him and, once again, lets herself sob, trembling against him, tears flowing damp on his black uniform. As he squeezes her tightly, her trembles gradually die down. She rests against him, surrendering completely, and stops thinking about anything else except for this feeling of tenderness and belonging. She wants to hang on to this moment for as long as she can…

Eventually, her tears stop and her breathing begins to steady. She still rests her body on his chest, and rolls her forehead towards the center. His arms are still wrapped around her. They feel each other breathing softly, soon in synchronicity.

Though their Force bond, he can feel her pain… her despair… her fear of failure… of death. He also feels how at peace she is in his arms, content to melt into him, to escape into his warm body and deep breathing.

She can feel his conflict… that gnawing paranoia and lack of resolution raging just beneath the skin… his regret… his longing. She feels how much he wants this, how desperate he is for tenderness, for intimate human connection.

He holds her close and she lets him… for how long, neither of them know.

Her eyes are closed. She doesn't feel the pain in her leg anymore… only the comfort of his warmth.

"Where are you?" His deep voice intones quietly.

In an instant, Rey snaps back to reality. She jerks away from him suddenly, scooting her body back away from his. Finally, she brings herself to look him in the eye.

This has always been dangerous for her. Since the first time he removed his helmet in the interrogation room on Starkiller Base, she's had difficulty looking past the humanity brimming in his eyes… his irresolution… his… instinct for compassion? How can that be?

He gazes at her steadily, unblinking. Sitting upright with his legs still spread wide, he scoots his lower back to the wall and leans forwards with an elbow resting on his knee. His gaze intensifies. He repeats his question.

"Where are you?" His tone is soft, but firm.

"I'm sure you'd love to know," she says defiantly, staring intently back at him.

For a moment, her mind wonders to the crystal in her pouch. It's only a few feet away from him. She quickly tries to regain control over her thoughts. Their Force bond… If she knows it, he'll know it… Or maybe it doesn't matter? If this artifact is truly so powerful, can't he sense that it's here, this precious thing he and his Knights are so intent on finding?

If he knows the artifact is here, he doesn't let on.

He never breaks eye contact. He leans forward a bit more, placing a hand under her elbow and another at her waist, pulling her back towards him. Her body presses against him. He brings his lips close to her ear. Her heart is pounding. So is his.

"You know I would come for you." His breath tickles her skin.

"I know," she answers in a whisper.

She still feels his hot breath on her neck. Her emotions well up and wash over her. A few more drops of tears escape her. She looks up, locking eyes with him briefly, then looks away, shaking her head. She's done asking this man the question "Why?"

She begins scooting away from him again, but again he reaches out and pulls her closer. He brings her body back to his chest and turns her right side downwards. Then, he takes a hand under her left knee and gently bends her thigh towards his chest.

Rey winces a little in pain. She places a hand on his chest to steady herself and looks up at him with uncertainty.

He removes the thick black glove from his right hand and places it carefully next to him. He extends his hand towards the wound on her leg and stretches his fingers apart, hovering lightly.

He stares intently… not at her, but at her wound. As the Force flows through him, she feels it flow through her. It's as though, through the Force bond, she amplifies his powers and he amplifies hers.

At first, she feels nothing. Then… something.

The tissues in her leg. She feels them re-forming… mending… healing…

He still stares intently at her wound, his hand hovering above it, rebuilding her body.

Finally, once she feels whole, he brings his hand back and reaches for his glove. Rey sits up and stares at him silently as he puts it back on. He looks up at her. Their eyes lock. She stares inquisitively into those deep, black wells… and immediately she feels what he feels in that moment. He is vulnerable now. He can't hide it. Not from her.

He doesn't have to say it. Neither does she. They feel it together through the Force bond.

"Don't be afraid. I feel it too," the memory of his voice echoes in the back of her mind.

Their eyes linger on one another.

She blinks. Or maybe he does. Either way, in a moment he is gone, just as quickly as he appeared.

Rey stares blankly at the cave wall. All is silent except for the sound of her breath. For a few minutes, she sits on the damp floor in silence, staring into darkness.

Then, she slowly rises and stands straight, facing the wall. She stoops over to grab her pouch, briefly opening it to be sure the crystal is still there.

It is.

She wraps the strap around her waist and plants her feet firmly. She draws her shoulders back and down. She gazes up at the ray of light streaming onto her face from above. Once again, she begins the climb.

It goes much more quickly this time. Rey reaches out to an indention in the wall with one hand, then the other hand, then a foot, then the other foot…

She ascends swiftly, drawing nearer and nearer to the light. As she climbs, a thousand questions race through her head…

The Force can be used to heal?

Has it ever been done before?

Could Master Skywalker do it?

Could she do it?

Can the Force be used to stop death itself?

Can the Force bring someone back to life?

She moves upwards with strength and purpose. As she mulls over these questions, she finds no settled answers. Only more questions.

As her hand grips the top of the cave wall, Rey pulls herself up into the sunlight. Relieved, she lies flat on her back, with her face turned up towards the sky. She closes her eyes, and breathes a sigh. She takes a moment to feel how good it is to be alive. To be whole.

Then she stands up and begins striding confidently onwards, taking in her surroundings, remembering where she landed the Falcon.

As she walks, the questions still reverberate in her mind. There is only one thing she knows for certain.

Healing… that's not an ability that derives from the Dark Side of the Force. The Dark Side draws from emotions like anger, pain, aggression, and hatred. What Ben did… that was done out of love.

NOTE TO READERS:

Thank you for reading chapter 1 of my story!

Before deciding if you want to continue reading, I want to give readers a brief warning. Though I try to keep this story relatively close to Star Wars Cannon and Legends, I also take some significant liberties with the Star Wars universe for creative purposes, especially when it comes to Rey and Ben's Force bond, certain Force abilities like healing, the Sith artifacts, Snoke's master plan, Ben's ulterior motives, etc. If you are a casual Star Wars fan, I don't think I deviate so much from the universe that it will ruin the story. But if you are a diehard Star Wars fan that tends to be nitpicky, some things will probably annoy you (but hopefully not too much).