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Nocturne of the Winged Planet

Summary:

Kylo Ren rises and puts together a pack for an away mission. “I did not convince Snoke to use the weapon, Hux did...I will put an end to for as long as I live. But I cannot do it from the outside, I--I have to use the Dark Side of the Force to do it. It’s my duty. The Force chose me. I don’t know why no one understands me.”

Rey stands behind him and places her hand softly on his shoulder. “I understand. You want to be a Sith, so you are trying usurp power to control the First Order.”

“Hah! I’m trying to be on that island where we were, alone, enjoying ourselves, Rey.” He feels her hands and it is almost as if it takes him there. “I never wanted any of this. I couldn’t care less about the Force. But the nightmares, the constant family bickering, this government and military leaders, the criminals trying to kill me, the HoloNet paparazzi chasing me, and…I never wanted any of it! If I could learn how Uncle Luke hid for so long, maybe I could leave, and then…”

From Moonlit Reflections In Rapture

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Heretical Quatrains of The Great Doctrine - The Sacred Scriptures

Summary:

 

The history of the Yuuzhan Vong according to scripture in the Great Doctrine, but heretical. It is partially based from this story

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Long ago, the chief deity Yun Yuuzhan, who lived inside the planet, Yuuzhan’tar, came to the cruel realization that his children, his beloved creations of crechelings, would destroy him and their planet through war. Thus, Yun Yuuzhan created a seed from Yuuzhan'tar’s womb to birth a new homeworld for the “Seed Saviors,” the Faithful. The planet would later be known as Zonama Sekot.

Yun Yuuzhan commanded the goddess Yun Ne'Shel, the Master Shaper Physician, to chop his body into pieces and scatter them across the universe. Some parts would go to the  Yuuzhan Vong to become one with the Faithful. The body of Yun Yuuzhan would intercession for them during their “MAAFA,” the great disaster, as they crossed the lightless void in space between galaxies to their new homeworld for their penitent journey.

One piece of Yun Yuuzhan’s body manifested itself as a “living crystal” to be imbued by the raw power of Creation in the Force. Not just Dark Side or Light Side, but an enveloped newness into the Cosmic Force. This crystal responded to the call from the Faithful. Yun Yuuzhan messaged the caretaker, Pomojema, who resides on the planet, Mimban in another galaxy, about this “living crystal.” Pomojema agreed to keep his “Seed” and his Faithful safe. He commanded the goddess of redemption, Yun Shuno, to race in time and space with the comet, Ganapati, to deliver the crystal. But Pomojema failed to appear, and she failed Yun Yuuzhan. Yun Shuno named the “living crystal” Asili Aikste on an icy planet called Khar Delba.

The Asili Aikste remained hidden for millennia until Sith Lord Naga Sadow discovered its presence through the Force. The crystal gave him a more profound sense of the Force, unlike that he had ever experienced by meditation alone. He thought it was a kyber crystal and bled it to unleash more of its power on the dark side.

The Asili Aikste unlocked the mysteries of the Dark Side of the Force; it realized that Sadow only wanted to serve himself and not the galaxy's inhabitants. It withdrew its power from him and refused to serve him. Sadow cast the living crystal aside.

By that time, his longtime rival, Sith Lord Ludo Kressh, heard of the crystal and its extraordinary powers in the Force, its mysticism and strength, and he stole and hid it on one of his holiest places on planet Rhelg in Sith Space. The Asili Aikste refused to serve either Sith and withdrew all its power, turning into an opaque white color. In time, Sadow vanquished Kressh in a monstrous battle, and the lackluster crystal seemed to have been lost in a jewelry box that was forgotten and lost to time.

Thousands of years later, a rupture in the fabric of the Cosmic Force caused the Asili Aikste to awaken. Believed the rupture was a call of the Faithful who entered the galaxy as their MAAFA tribulation was complete. The Asili Aikste rejuvenates with a bright light and returns the call through the Cosmic Force to its inheritors. But the understanding of the call had become lost in time. Only the Faithful could hear, understand and interpret the call of Asili Aikste to mark a new age in the Galaxy. ZHAELOR! ZHAETOR ZHAE!

Notes:

This section should be read like "Religious Scripture" for the Yuuzhan Vong, but it is heretical and only high ranking individuals are permitted to read it.

Chapter 2: First Order, First Contact

Chapter Text

General Armitage Hux stands on the bridge of his Star Destroyer, The Ravager , as they race at lightspeed to chase down a moving planet known as Zonama Sekot moving above lightspeed at a tachyonic level. A lieutenant hands him a datapad with the latest statistics. “Sir, the planet is moving at a rate faster than our hyperspace engines will allow. The trajectory is predicted to have us close to the Caluula system. All archives on this space artifact, including that of the Jedi have been erased. Sir.”

Hux turns to receive the datapad and scrolls through the calculations. “How can these be accurate? Our magnetic sensors are too noisy to calculate; the values cannot be trusted.”

“At the speed it travels, I can no longer sense its Force presence.” Kylo Ren states evenly. “This planet warps the Force.” Devoid of his mask, everyone can see his large facial scar sweat glisten in the lights of the controls. The scar left by the young Rebel Jedi, Rey. “I can sense that is it is minus 2000 Kelvin on the planet.”

“How could lifeforms survive there?” Hux announces. He watches a few of his frigates fly past the Ravager. Then as if the huge Star Destroyers were toys, they bounce off an invisible shielding on the planet and fling out of hyperspace with engines shutdown, completely. One Star Destroyer explodes in a brilliant light. The entire crew gasps, then he shouts. “Avoid debris and drop from hyperspace slowly from my mark. Now!”

The crew slows their hyperspace as the planet disappears in the distance. Conversations rumble as the bulky Star Destroyer remains intact from a strong tachyon field into real space. The other two frigates that were following them broke up into millions of pieces from leaving hyperspace too fast. The debris of the exploded frigates in real space were vaporized.

“Helm, activate tractor beam and lock onto any parts of the frigates you can identify. See if you can reinitialize parts on the ship,” Hux commands and looks at Kylo Ren standing next to him. “Well, if you can’t use the Force, then Kylo Ren, get off my bridge.”

“I will share my studies on that planet I retrieved from a Sith holocron.”

“Sith holocron. Are you sure you don’t mean, Jedi. There have not been any Sith since--” Hux felt his throat tighten slightly and wanted to cough but was unable to breathe.

“If there are Jedi, there are always Sith, General Hux.” Kylo Ren calm but stern in his voice. He lets go of his strength in the Dark Side of his Force powers and releases Hux. “Your father made similar ideological mistakes, do not make this consistent for your bloodline.”

Hux drops huffing for air as his face turns from a purple back to his pale complexion. He rises slowly from the floor and straightens his attire. “Yes, Lord Ren.”

“Zonama Sekot is traveling its reported trajectory to the planet, Caluula. The way the Caluulans speak of it, the planet is the reason Caluula remains a lush environment than a vacuum space dirt ball. Zonama Sekot moved the axis of rotation of the planet to match a living environment from its sun.” Kylo Ren paces in thought. “The Caluulans say that Zonama Sekot moved the planet through the Force.”

First Order officers slowly back away from Kylo Ren, except for Captain Phasma. General Hux ventures to ask. “How does a planet have the Force?”

Kylo Ren looks at the crew. “They have it as much as any living thing has in it. Includes the Force.”

Hux coughs. “We need to determine if it is a threat to the First Order.” He is handed another datapad by a different Lieutenant. “Well, cut through the hull of the Frigate’s hyperdrive! I don’t care if it is welded shut.”

Kylo Ren looms over the datapad and to view the images. Mucus covers the doors and windows of all the exits including the escape pods. Then the mucus moves to cover any cuts through the doors. “General, jettison this hyperdrive and destroy the remaining pods. Quarantine these space coordinates, immediately.”

Hux’s eyes widen in horror. “Lord Ren, we must learn what happened.”

Captain Phasma complies with Kylo Ren’s orders. “Done, Lord Ren.”

Dumbfounded, Hux sees everyone not bolted to the ground sent out into the vacuum of space. Kylo Ren looks at the large screen and exits the bridge as he activates his lightsaber and destroys the remaining gooey debris along with anyone with the mucus on them. He twirls his hand to cut off the evacuation and re-enters through the decontamination entrance to return into the ship and the bridge.

“I believe it is called fire-jelly. One step and it takes over your body. Then it infects the metal on the ship, the wires, every living organism until it becomes jelly. Once ignited, a bomb is set off and blasted. Plasma kills the jelly.” Kylo Ren turns. “So does methane gas like the Chiss scientists told me. Hux you should know that since you’re a fan of Grand Admiral Thrawn.”

Chapter 3: Caluula Spring Renewal

Summary:

A time of renewal often in the spring in the dominant hemisphere. Unfortunately, Caluula's native renewals failed due to climate change with sentient being pollution. The only hope the planet had was the "Nocturne of the Winged Planet" to correct the wrongs of the people. But would the planet help?

Chapter Text

Mornings on Caluula were thought to be the prettiest in the galaxy. Lately, the planet has undergone rotation effects, climate shifts, electromagnetic dysfunction in the atmosphere, and several decomposing planetary problems. Caluula was dying, and no single factor could be identified as to the cause of it until the scientists discovered the planetary core was cooling rapidly. The importance of Caluula to the Galactic Empire and First Order were the several mining prospects, such as vast quantities of liquid acid Phrik, which was more pliable than the ore form of the metal. Battle armor and ships resistant to plasma cannons made from this form of Phrik are virtually indestructible. But the ground quakes on the planet from the fault lines and sinkholes made mining practically impossible.

Some natural plant life thrived for a short time, but the lack of surface moisture would cause the plants to wither and die. It would make agriculture impossible to sustain. Natural living organisms would die. The few living species that were eons old would suddenly suffer from mass extinction. Caluula had no oceans, and the natural lakes were dry. There was hardly any snowfall in the polar regions. But the planet was not a hot desert; it had become a barren pile of dust.

Early spacefaring people lived under shield generators with air producers. Each municipality started decades ago with its energy production. Of course, the powerful galactic governments throughout history had the best energy production. Other groups scavenged from the black market or stole it from equipment cobbled together. Stolen Phrik sold on the black market would net the criminals millions of credits.  Criminal organizations and gangs would fight planetary forces to mine the metal illegally.

The dust has pharmaceutical properties when baked on one of the quintet of moons that rotated around Caluula. The pharma paste was made into a soothing pain killer with one side effect; it drives 90% of its users psychotic.

Then, every ten thousand years, the gravity of the entire system shifts towards a moving planet, Zonama Sekot. Somehow, the planet rejuvenates back into a lush green environment with all kinds of jungle plants and lifeforms. As for the Phrik, it moves to the core, and mining it in its liquid acid form becomes impossible.

Ancient hieroglyphics from unknown sentient species on Caluula speak of a belief about Zonama Sekot and exult during her passing, “She will renew….”

 

***

 

Rey clicks a few buttons in the pilot’s seat of the Millennium Falcon, a frigate starship, as it waits for her Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.  The lights blink as the start-up programs initialize, and Rey contemplates her time on the planet Ahch-To and her new knowledge about the Jedi, the Force, and the galaxy at large.  A remote part of her mind dwells on her loneliness as she recalls what Kylo Ren said to her on Starkiller Base, “You’re so lonely. At night, desperate to sleep, you think of an Island.”

“What island?” Rey whispers to herself as Master Luke jumps aboard the co-pilot’s chair.

Chewbacca staggers in, howling for Master Luke to exit the chair.

But Master Luke speaks evenly under his breath. “Rest, Chewie; I need to speak with my Jedi.” His hand curves in the air upwards to Rey, who snaps out of her daydream.

“Master?” Rey exclaims. “Still working on my focus.” She chuckles to herself. “What are our coordinates?”

“Caluula system.” Master Luke announces. Through the Force, he moves the numbers to the coordinates.

“KALE-LEW-LAH,” Rey sounds aloud. “Caluula it is.” She pushes the knobs forward, flies out of the atmosphere, and then into lightspeed.

***

As they travel, Master Luke watches Rey with admiration. Rey notices his observation as the hairs rise on the back of her neck. She found him to be a hard taskmaster at first. But one day, she probed his mind and noticed his fear of another Jedi Padawan who chose the path of the Dark Side.

Her mind wanders as she daydreams. She does not see herself as dark. She is nowhere to be found in this foresight. But Kylo Ren is. Alone. Tearful. Isolated. He holds a red lightsaber that turns into a charcoal wooden stick. He looks up to Rey, and he smiles for a brief moment. Then his expression turns to rage as she swings her lightsaber, and his stick turns back into a lightsaber, swinging wildly. Rey shuts down his lightsaber’s plasma blade to the hilt with a power not practiced by Jedi since the Old Republic. Then she turns her blade to block him from taking hers and holds it back from him in a reverse grip. She stares deep into his yellow-red eyes, seeing only sorrow, and in his mind, a young boy begs, “Please, I must go quiet in the Force.”

Thoughts swirl in her mind. Is that possible? Can the Force go quiet?

Then Master Luke places his hand on her forearm to ease her mind. “Yes, the Force can go quiet. It can go absent. It does not have to be wielded when it is not balanced with the Light Side and the Dark Side. For so long, Rey, there have not been enough Jedi. My father, Darth Vader, killed the Jedi at the start of the Galactic Empire.”

Rey absorbs this information and stares into his eyes. “Is Caluula our portal to another facet of the Force?”

“Your insights serve you well. Yes, Caluula is a portal to another facet in the Force, another location toward a living planet, Zonama-Sekot, that travels beyond hyperspace. Your mission is to get onto the planet, find Sekot, and ask her for help. She will help you.”

“Wait! You’re not going with me?”

“No. My path diverges from yours. You will do fine. The First Order is also trying to chase down the planet based on the information my sister, General Leia, has given me. We need to remain hidden during this mission.”

“What if I encounter the First Order there?”

“Are you not on Caluula to celebrate the Nocturne of the Winged Planet?” Master Luke smiles. “Let’s hope the First Order is there to do the same because typically, Sekot does not host hostile intruders.”

Rey rolls her eyes slightly and then changes the subject.  “This Sekot, she has a consciousness like organic living beings and is of the Force?”

“I don’t know.” He sighs and holds his hands together as he clears his mind. “I’ve sent one ahead of you to help you contact Sekot.”

“Who?” His comment perplexes her as she cannot sense who it may be.

He rises and walks to Chewbacca to pat him on the shoulder. “You will know when you meet….”

 

 

Chapter 4: War Pollutes

Summary:

Caluula keeps its neutrality by allowing all government factions and criminal enterprises in its free market economy. There are also space skirmishes. Seldom does a larger power stop these skirmishes. But when an entity insists and has similar battle power as the Caluulans, the planet's ground-forces defend the planet..

The celebrations for the Nocturne of the Winged planet have begun. The nights before, most participants imbibe on recreational euphoriants, which cause combative behavior. The Caluulan police force does nothing for any victims. This particular celebration is more rowdy than previous ones.

Chapter Text

The Millennium Falcon drops out of lightspeed to the Caluulan system only to see Guavian Death Gang starships fire on Caluulan planetary stations in a losing battle. The Caluulans locked down the entire planet for the Nocturne of the Winged Planet Celebration as their land-based anti-starship laser cannons fire from ammunition of long lost war - the Sith War. Rey flips through the communication channels of noisy from chatter for any information on the battle. She hears the Guavian Death Gang Forces want to land on Caluula to celebrate the Nocturne of the Winged Planet, but Caluula Intelligence yells back at the gang of their discovery of a meeting to take place with the First Order to buy bootleg Starkiller Quintessence Technology. Caluulan government voted to revoke the Guavian Death Gangs’  invitations. It has gotten out of hand. Rey and Master Luke could see the battle and the imprecise moves of the ships versus the ground forces. No net gain for either party. The entire planet would be destroyed with their battle. Caluula had already been compromised by an unstable atmosphere with groundquakes destroying buildings. There were also living die offs. The Caluulans accept that it was the curse of over-mining the planet. That they allowed nefarious governments, corporations and gangs to destroy it for a long time.

“They’ll be at it when Zonama Sekot arrives,” says Master Luke.

Rey nods and moves to the night side of Caluula with its quintet of moons that shine bright on the hilly knolls of the planet. “That will be a sight.” The ship is hailed and Rey answers. “This is the Captain, my call id is 92-120, request for landing.”

Noise rolls through the commlink and a male robotic voice speaks. “92-120 unregistered CEC- YT1600 model freighter what is your destination?”

Rey speaks. “Celebration of the Nocturne, over.”

“All landings for the Celebration are complete, unless there is an invitation, over.”

Rey looks at Master Luke for permission to bypass the droid. Master Luke nods. Rey in a soft voice speaks clearly. “You have our invitation on your screen, Droid K-SO2. It has been there the entire time.”

“Apologies, Captain for the atmospheric electrical disruptions. It is Cyclonic season here. Our systems are slower due to this interference.” On the comm channel there were clicking noises. “Your invitation has been on my screen the entire time. We’ve experienced lots of counterfeits, lately, we have to check. You are cleared to land at hangar 49. Thank you for your patience.” The droid logs off.

Rey eases the Millennium Falcon into the hangar bay 49 and lands. Everyone exits the ship and walks through the corridor where there are loud, jubilant shouts of a parade through one of the streets. The participants are watching the floating screens of a replay of the ground forces cannon fire at one Guavian Death Gang ship and destroying it. Rey feels uneasy by the entire display. Master Luke looks over to her. “Mind your feelings. I can sense them clearly.”

“Yes, Master.” She refocuses and attempts to connect with one of the partygoers as to why they feel jubilant. His feeling makes no sense and fills her with disgust and hate. She breaks off her telepathy when the man glares at Rey and Master Luke as late newcomers to the party.

“Did you see what those Pynko gang thugs did to my planet! My space?” He snarls at Rey.

Master Luke intervenes with an even voice. “It’s her first celebration, go easy on her.” He stares at the crazed man’s wiggling eyes. “Now, let me buy you something to hydrate, these parties can be exhilarating.”

The man flinches out of Master Luke’s stare and snarls. “KRIFF YOU, MAN! You look like that Pynko gang thug, too.” He moves to tackle Master Luke, the mob behind him paying attention to the scene.

Then Master Luke activates his green lightsaber and waves it carefully to see if the drugged out celebrants understand what it means to tangle with him.

Rey activates her blue lightsaber and takes a fighting stance to back up her master.

The crowd held back as they snarled and spat at the Jedi. “All will change when the Winged Planet arrives,” the hateful crazed man says. “You’ll see!”

They glare at each other as Rey senses every hateful, ignorant emotion of the fight. She sees the connection between the celebration of vices on Caluula and a belief that Zonama Sekot   will clean their sins. The emotions from the crowd that are less jubilant and ready for a fight halt when another dark entity strolls into their group. Her skin freezes from the familiar feeling. Luke stands off before the crazed man in preparation to fight. Then she sees the top of the hair of a tall figure. The moonlight glistens around his silhouette as his hand reaches around the craze man’s throat silently. Rey hyperventilates vicariously suppressing her emotions to no avail to avoid him sensing her.

“Too bad you will not witness this,” the figure says as his red lightsaber impales through the man. The man collapses to the ground, and the crowd disperses immediately. On the floating holoscreens, the First Order has arrived with a small fleet destroying both Guavian Death Gang ships and the land-based laser cannons on Caluula. After a long silence, Kylo Ren speaks. “Uncle, could you have been more obvious with your landing and Jedi mind tricks? I gave you the required access codes as there should have been no hassles.”

Master Luke deactivates his lightsaber and draws his energy with a breath, staring at Kylo Ren. “You gave them to General Organa. Not me, directly.”

Kylo Ren closes his eyes in frustration for a moment and deactivates his lightsaber. Then runs over to give his uncle a hug. “Uncle Luke, it’s good to see that you’re still alive and a nasty Jedi.” The laughter and camaraderie between the two was as if they had never been apart.

Rey deactivates her lightsaber with a very confused crumple on her face. She stays silent as she watches the jibes Kylo Ren takes with Master Luke. Then Kylo Ren turns his focus on her in a way that freezes her skin again.

“So, Rey will get me to Zonama Sekot, eh? How’d you connect that up in the Force?” Kylo Ren strolls to Rey and casually puts his heavy arm around her like they have been longtime friends.

“You cannot use the Dark Side in any way to help you, Ben” Luke replies. “I trained her in the ways of the Aang-Tii, as I was, to heal. She did something you hate to do – study - as read of Mortis and your grandfather’s account of it”

“Oh please, I read that as a child for a bedtime story.” Kylo Ren scoffs, and then he looks at a confused Rey who he senses hates him. “Hey, after you ‘kissed’ me with this scar on my face, I just figured you and I could get to know one another better. But I can leave you alone, Jedi Princess.”

His enunciation of princess gnaws at Rey’s core of disgust. But then this entire planet gnaws at her and makes her irritable. She wants to gouge Kylo Ren’s eyes out for leaving her without Han Solo or her friend Finn. “Celebration, my ass. What are we celebrating here? Family reunions with bad Force connections?”

Kylo Ren smirks at his uncle over how easy it is to sway Rey into angry tapping of the dark side Master Luke races to his pupil and grabs her shoulders begging her to snap out of it. “Dammit, Ben, you can’t get on Zonama Sekot as a Dark Side user! You know that.”

“So why put her on a planet that needs that negative Force energy to die before Zonama Sekot arrives?”

“You are not like Darth Vader. The Force is not benevolent with you. The Dark Side did not choose you. You are no different from that drug addict you killed.”

“Alright, uncle. Geez, let me take her. I’ll return her happy.” Kylo Ren rolls his eyes and starts to trudge off and carries Rey to his hangar bay, where his Upsilon craft is.

“You know, Kylo Ren, your way is a path that won’t work, because your way requires love. What have you ever loved more than yourself?” Luke stares at him.

“Yeah, something you taught me, Uncle so well. Thanks.” He turns back to his uncle with Rey in his arms, again. He mumbles to himself, “Why no one believes me is beyond me and the Force.”

Chapter 5: The Force Shifts Like The Wind and Bends Like A Reed

Summary:

Zonama Sekot makes it to Caluula and decides the planet's fate.

Chapter Text

Kylo Ren stood at the hangar bay balcony overlooking brambles of vegetation infected with brown spots that move like corpuscles along its vines.  There are no insects to pollinate the fruit bearing trees, even those from other planets. He sighs from frustration from his inability to keep his focus. The dust got to him worse than it got to Rey. His eyes did not shake, yet. His happiness supersedes his anger when he saw his Uncle Luke and heard about his mother. He crosses his arms to relish in that memory when he senses Rey behind him. “Jedi Princess…” He smiles at that  joke.

“Will you please not call me that?” Rey responds flatly.

“Alright, Rey.” He turns to her towering her. “Beautiful morning, I guess.” He sees her cross her arms with unease. “I see the bariatric chamber helped. I can’t sense much rage in you.”

Rey’s eyes bore into his. He uncrosses his arms and stands back from her. “You will stop probing me with the Force,” Rey says. “I don’t like that. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“Yes, Milady…” he says. He grabs the back of his neck with his hand. “What did Unc—I mean Luke, tell you about this mission.”

“That I’m to transfer to Zonama Sekot when it flies by. Not sure how that is supposed to happen.” Then she stares at him. “How do you travel to another planet without a ship. Are we supposed to use yours?”

“Well,” Kylo Ren says with a frown. “You just take the plunge.” He chuckles.

Rey watched him walk to the balcony to gaze out upon the dying vegetation with the brown tree spots. As her eyes look off into the distance, there were brush fires with whirls of black smoke rising. She sighs as she exhales, then a flashback enters her mind that she has not seen. She looks at Kylo Ren in fear as her breath becomes rapid.

“Rey, Rey…” Kylo Ren grabs her and holds her tightly absorbing what is happening in her mind. “Rey, you have a psychometric memory from the past. I know, I have them often, too. Breathe through it.”

Rey tries to catch her breath. She listens to his voice as it soothes her and relaxes into his arms. She looks at him and cries. She feels his hand on her head as he strokes her hair. “Why do you want to be like Darth Vader? He destroyed my family’s home. That is why they left me on Jakku.”

Kylo Ren looks down at her. “I want to be like my grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. But the Dark Side consumes us both.” He lets go of her and places his hands on the balcony railing. “I chose this route because I wanted to save my family, but…”

“—But you need to save yourself.” She stands next to him. “Will Zonama Sekot save Caluula?”

“What does the Force tell you?” Kylo Ren asks earnestly.

“Caluula will start over.”

“Can we? I mean – can it?”

Rey pulls back on the rails and grins. “Sorry for your scar.”

Kylo Ren grins. “A permanent kiss from Rey.”

“I didn’t kiss you—“ Rey pushes Kylo Ren’s shoulder when he grabs her tightly and plants a sloppy kiss on her lips.

“Oh, I think I did,” he says, holding her close.

Rey smiles, holding his face and they kiss again with much more passion and, eventually, race off into his ship to his private quarters.

 

The Upsilon Battle Cruiser shakes violently waking Rey and Kylo suddenly in fear. He holds her body close until a massive migraine sears her brain. Her eyes glow with light and she speaks in several voices to Kylo Ren. “We must leave, now.”

Rey puts on her clothes and boots, as Kylo watches. She grabs her lightsaber and leaves the Upsilon ship. He quickly assembles himself and races to reach her at the balcony. Rey flips over railing and jumps the 2000 meters down to the ground.

Monstrous wood vines from space slam into the Caluulan ground and beasts follow the vines that till the dead Caluulan soil. Zonama Sekot bumps the planet and the ground quakes as light shines with from each fault. A huge wood vine grabs Rey as she seems to traverse them with ease.

Kylo Ren yells. “REY! WAIT!” A vine grabs him and throws him across kilometers within rapid succession until he passes her and her eyes are still lit. “REY!”

Rey stops and finds a vine to get Kylo Ren. “Yes, he will go with us. You know him already.”

Kylo Ren grabs and pulls himself up and races toward Rey and hugs her waist. Her eyes still filled with light do not recognize him. He lets her go in his confusion.

“Are you promised to this host, Kylo Ren?” Voices speak from Rey’s mouth.

“Yes. I am.” He sees she is not convinced. “I am the last scion of Anakin Skywalker.”

Her eyes scroll to new data and confirms his relationship. “You cannot participate in the ritual. You have the Dark Side.”

“I accept.”

“We cannot remove your Force preference, but we can sever it.”

“What?”

Rey and Kylo Ren are pulled from the old atmosphere into the new atmosphere, that smells clean and fresh. They fly down on vines in a freefall into the known city, Middle Passage.

People with green complexions capture the freefallers in their ships and glide down into hangar bays left over from the Clone Wars. The golden gilded opening places the ships into the area as if they are birds in a nest. Water in fuel tankers and plant matter seed materials were stored next to it in large tubes.

Kylo Ren senses a huge planetary presence to utter the words, “Zonama Sekot.” He senses the plants and the green complexioned people, but he could not sense the beasts that flew, drank the water and the seed. His brow furrows in confusion.

Rey meanders to a small green complexioned girl with a gold crown and transfers the Force energy contained in her to this girl. Rey closes her eyes and breathes. “Thank you, Jabitha.”

Kylo Ren stumbles toward the two and stands next to Rey as Jabitha moves back from him.

Jabitha exclaims. “You’re too large to be Anakin Skywalker.”

“I am his grandson.” He smiles.

“You have the Dark Side. We cannot remove preferences. We can sever your Force.” She opens a hologram of sorts that exists as a floating bubble.

The First Order ships fly toward Zonama Sekot with weapons armed. Jabitha looks at Kylo Ren and Rey. “Did you order them to come?”

“What? No!” Both exclaim dumbfounded.

With a surge in Force powers from the planet, all the First Order ship lights extinguish off with a flicker. Suddenly, the hyperdrive engines completely shut down and the ships became derelict in space. Jabitha flattens her lips as she presses petals of a flower that shift in luminescence like a datapad. “They will never land on Zonama Sekot.”

Zonama Sekot finishes with Caluula and sends a large gooey ball that drops on the highest planetary peak and clouds form into a downpour rain. Then the planet disengages from Caluula and leaves. “The First Order was created by the Dark Side. You were not because of your family.” Jabitha spoke to Kylo Ren.

“You just killed the population on Caluula. How is that different from the Dark Side?” Kylo Ren replies.

“Caluula is now in a stable gravitational orbit for a healthy livable atmosphere. Life can live there freely.” She searches Kylo Ren’s mind and then stares at Rey. “Your uncle left you when you took your betrothed.”

“I’m not married to him!” Rey in surprise.

“You are filled with his genetic material from mating.” Jabitha answers.

Rey and Kylo Ren both blush at this statement.

After a long moment. “You will meet Sekot after a brief respite.”

“Who is Sekot?” Rey asks.

“You should know, Rey, your grandfather was here, too. We may not need to build seed partners for either of you. We have what we need.” Jabitha answers.

“It is a planetary consciousness. All that is living, Sekot controls, through the Force.” Kylo Ren answers.

“My grandfather?” Rey answers.

“Yes. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Jabitha answers plainly. Then she looks to Kylo Ren. “Snoke tried to land here to be cured from the Force, but his desire to keep the Force overrode his need to have a cure.”

“Yes, well, I only know my grandfather as Darth Vader until my Uncle Luke saved him.” Kylo Ren laments.

“We know.” Jabitha replies. “The Force in your grandfather was unstable. We do not stabilize the Force.”

Rey grabs her head in confusion. “Obi-Wan? And you’re named after him, Kylo Ren! I am not a part of this. I can’t be.”

Jabitha places her hand on Kylo Ren. “You love her, don’t you?”

“Yes. I am weaker than her in the Force.” Kylo Ren sarcasm kicks.

“You are far from weak in the Force. Your grandfather thinks better of you. And love is a much stronger ally.” Jabitha voice changes to a soothing older woman’s voice.

Chapter 6: Force Ghosts Convocation

Summary:

Luke Skywalker convenes a Force Ghost convocation.

Chapter Text

Luke sat in the middle of the Millennium Falcon to meditate. Chewbacca or any of the droids disturbed him. He lost awareness of the ship and walked into that filled with space and time. Stars surround him as he his footing lands on a muddy planet of his familiarity, Dagobah. There he fireflies bunched together to form corporal forms of his Jedi family: Obi-Wan, Yoda and his father, Anakin Skywalker.

“I know I told Rey that the Jedi should end. But that was the organization of the Order. Not, the Force.” Luke spoke.

They nodded in agreement when another corporal form joined them, Tahl, a Noorian Jedi he never met. “Your nephew is a quite a mercenary. His redemption is questionable and now, the very fabric of the Force may change with his interaction with the planetary consciousness, Zonama Sekot? Will he do the right thing?”

“Yes.”

Anakin Skywalker spoke, “How do you know, Luke? Do you trust he will do the right thing?”

“Because father, there are far more powerful entities out there other than having the Force, such as being absent from it.” Luke looks to his father’s image. “And he loves that girl, Rey. I sense it. Ben, you always told me to be mindful of these things. Rey is loved.”

“Only love defeats hate.” An old Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke.

“Masters, did we not say that what they are doing is a trial of the Force?” Luke looks around the area as many old Jedi ghosts started to appear in the space as a choir.
“Our test is the very presence of the Force, and to limit its absence. The Dark Side will bring destruction, but it will be in the absence of the Force. That is why we appeal to Zonama Sekot. She is the harbinger to the presence of the Force.” He pauses opening his hands. “And these young people are our future.”

Notes:

This work is modeled after Star Wars Legends:

Series this work belongs to: