Yavin Four, one of the satellites of the inhospitable gas giant Yavin, was a lush jungle. An ancient race had once risen only to disappear quietly long before humans, and the Rebellion had found this planet. Its colossal pyramidal temple had once been a Rebellion base and now served the Resistance. The jungle surrounding their base was never quiet, barely perceptible moans, hoots and cries and strange mutterings issued from concealed creatures hidden amongst the dense undergrowth. Dawn on this planet was beautiful as the sun broke the thick mist to a feral chorus of shrieks. Zorii steered her shuttle to follow Poe with the Falcon towards the large pyramidal structure breaking above the trees towards the heavens. The trees around the temple thinned to allow the ships to enter the docking bays of the Resistance on the lower levels. With her craft safely landed Zorii exited her craft without her helmet and was greeted by several familiar faces, a few of which were not human- Leia Organa, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca and Maz Kanata. They were all very much as she remembered though a little older, though with Chewbacca and Maz the years she'd been gone had made no substantial change to their appearance. That happened when your life was so long, it always impressed her how much Maz cared when she'd lived so long. Calrissian stood, an exuberant mustard coloured cape lay upon his shoulders ending at his waist. His charismatic smile was on his face as it always was though accompanied by a few more wrinkles. Chewbacca's giant hairy form stood arms crossed, and next to him the diminutive Maz Kanata seemed even more absurdly small, and her viewing lenses seemed even more prominent. Leia Organa looked as regal as she ever had, her face lined with sadness and loss in a long purple gown and grey robe pulled high up around her face. It was Leia who spoke to her first.

"Zorii Bliss."

"Leia Organa, I like the hair."

Leia smiled, "It's new," she then stepped forwards her hands outstretched to Zorii in greeting and she took them. "It's been a long time old friend; you are most welcome."

Zorii and Leia walked together for a while discussing what they had done since they had last seen each other. Each other's tales of adventure filled with love and sadness. Leia's sadness heartbreaking, Zorii admire her inner strength to keep going despite it all. Her son, Kylo Ren, was leading the First Order having turned to the dark side; he'd murdered his father. Leia had finally found Luke after his shame and guilt had caused him to go into hiding, but she had almost immediately lost him. They sat in a clearing not far from the base listening to the native wildlife's bizarre chorus.

"I'm so sorry about Han, Leia and Ben. All of it. "

Leia turned and smiled at her, "My son isn't gone, I have hope."

Zorii returned her smile; she'd forgotten Leia's boundless hope. Within her hands, Leia stroked a smooth metal disk with her thumb, Zorii recognised it, immediately.

"Han's medal, the one you gave him all those years ago."

Leia opened her hand to show Zorii the medal, "This is all I have left of him."

"That's not true Leia, he's in here," Zorii touched Leia's head, "and in here", she said as she reached for Leia's chest where Zorii could feel Leia's heart lightly beating beneath. Leia nodded with a sad smile. Zorii allowed the moment to linger for a while before speaking again, "come there is much to discuss."

Within the mains operations room within the depths of Yavin Four's vast stone temple, the leaders of the Resistance now sat in a circle- General Organa, General Calrissian, General Ematt, Admiral Statura, Admiral Nunb, Lieutenant Connix, Commander Snap Wexley, Commander D'Acy, Commander Dameron, Captain Finn, Chewbacca, and Maz Kanata. Rey had not returned from Endor, but Leia had assured her friends she was alright, she'd have felt a disturbance if something was wrong. Countless others stood on the edges all eager to see what Zorii who stood at the centre of this meeting, had brought them in this fight. First, however, it was General Leia Organa who spoke, placing a hand on the bounty hunters shoulder as she stood and took centre stage.

"It's been confirmed the First Order destroyed planet Kijimi, shortly after we meet there. At this time we're unsure how, we do know, however, that it's not another battle station. No Death Star or StarKiller base."

A palpable silence followed, what new monstrosity had the First Order created to destroy them all?

Leia motioned with her hand to allow Zorii to share her information and Zorii opened the satchel in her hand cautiously placing a small glass object with metal sides on the table in front of her and taking a step back. Around the assemblage followed an array of gasps and mutterings. Gasps from those who knew what this object was mutterings of confusion from those that did not.

Finn spoke first never being one ashamed of his own misgivings, and still as clueless as he'd been when Zorii had shown Poe within her shuttle on Kijimi.

"So what is it?"

Rose Tico, who was sat at his side, gently smacked him about the back of the head.

"It's a Holocron, you dummy!"

"Hey, ow!" Finn exclaimed while rubbing his head, "I know it's a Holocron, but what is a Holocron?"

"It was used to store secrets, information about the Force, usually in the form of a hologram," Rose told him and when she realised the entire circle was listening she said it a little louder and to the crowd at large.

"Cool, so we can use this to defeat the First Order, Kylo Ren?" Finn queried.

"No!" Maz exclaimed taking a step into the circle to inspect the delicate object upon the table.

"Why not?" Finn asked innocently.

"Because this is a Sith Holocron," Maz said, placing her enlarging spectacles over her eyes to get a better look.

Several, mostly younger members of the congregation gasped.

"How do you know that?" This time it was Poe asking the questions many wanted to ask.

Zorii gave Leia a condoning look before answering him.

"As a Leader, you should know your history if you're to avoid the mistakes of our past. This Holocron is pyramidal, Jedi Holocrons are cuboids. This is what the First Order is looking for. The only Holocron that really matters."

"Why?" this time it was Connix that asked.

"Because it belonged to Palpatine," Rey answered, and the circle turned to her shocked; shocked that she was back and shocked at her answer. Poe, Finn, and Rose jumped to embrace her, and she smiled, enjoying being encircled by her friends. Finn pulled back, holding her at arm's length afterwards looking for signs of injury.

"Are you ok, where have you been? What happened?"

She tried to smile reassuringly; she wasn't sure she succeeded. Finn at least seemed accepting. Poe and Rose she knew weren't so easily convinced.

"I'm fine honestly; I'll fill you in later."

She sat, and the others returned to their respective seats around the circle.

"Palpatine is dead. Why would anything he owned be anything to worry about now?" Snap Wexley asked this time, getting everyone back to the matter at hand.

Rey tried to remain calm. She knew she had to tell them everything, and it was not going to be easy. For now, she'd inform them about Ben, the truth about her association with Palpatine could wait, perhaps permanently.

"He's returned, or at least his essence has. He never truly died."

"How can you know that?" Finn asked her.

Rey spoke again, "I can feel it in the Force" She looked at Leia, "The darkness we felt it's him."

Around the room, she could see disbelief, or at least a desire to wish she was wrong. She needed more proof than just a feeling, even if Leia felt it too, she paused apprehensively before continuing, "But I know it because Ben told me."

Rey now looked guiltily at the floor around her feet, focusing on the different hues within the dirt. She sensed all eyes on her.

"What?"

Rey looked up sympathetically towards Poe who'd spoken, an angry betrayed look upon his face. He hated Kylo Ren and with good reason. Poe's memories of Kylo's power, the mental pain he'd endured at Kylo's hands as Kylo had callously rifled through his mind. Poe's secrets, sacred family memories and most profound fears they had all been discovered as Kylo had rummaged around indiscriminately.

"Ben told me," she repeated, attempting to sound calm, trying to avoid a confrontation with everyone in the room.

"How? How did he tell you, when did he tell you? Poe asked.

"On Kef-Bir."

"Why would you believe him? He's our enemy, a member of the First Order and a Sith!" Poe was standing and looking at her angrily.

"He's not a Sith. He wants to destroy the Sith." Rey had turned from Poe to look at Leia.

"How can you know that?" Maz asked curiously, stepping towards Rey. Rey allowed Maz to peer at her with those magnified glasses unsure of what she'd see, hoping it wasn't the full truth, but she was tired of keeping her connection with Ben secret, and at any rate, she believed they had to work together to bring Palpatine down, so they needed to know the truth.

"As I said he told me," she said calmly as she looked into Maz's mesmerising magnified eyes.

"Rey?" now it was Leia asking as she stepped towards Rey, searching for the truth as of yet unspoken. Rey breathed nervously concerned by the confused faces of her friends about her. The eyes of the gathered Resistance were all on her all asking her the same silent question- was she a traitor?

"We... we have ... a connection through the Force. We can see each other, talk to each other."

"You can see Ben through the Force?" Leia asked calmly.

"As clearly as I'm seeing you."

"That's not possible, only a master and their apprentice can have that kind of Force link and never between opposing sides of the Force," Maz said.

"I can't explain it, and I don't understand it, neither of us do. We couldn't control it when it started, but we can now. We can see each other, talk and touch each other through the Force. Snoke said it was him, but it has remained since Ben killed him. It is us; we are connected, bound."

Leia knew what this meant, she'd heard of it before. A bond between two living beings was not something easily broken. It was not a choice. It was like breaking a feeling. Like turning away from the Force. To break a bond, the feelings of the individuals would have to change, or one of them would have to die—but even then, the bond wouldn't go away, it would simply be an empty wound. The realisation gave Leia a cause for concern her apprentice was bound to the enemy's dark Force user, the leader of the Knights of Ren, but it also gave her a spark of hope. Her apprentice was bound to her son. There was a reason the Force had chosen to do this and Leia knew that such bonds within the Force often only ended one way.

"Touch!? Connected?! Bound!?" Finn exclaimed.

"What exactly was it that he said about the Sith, about Palpatine?" Leia asked, attempting to get the conversation back on track, ignoring Finn's exclamations. All these other revelations could wait.

"A dark acolyte leads the First Order, the apparition of Palpatine until he can find a way to rise. It was he who ordered the destruction of Kijimi. Ben wants to let all old things die, the Sith, the Jedi; let all of it die. He plans to stop Palpatine rising, and I plan to help him to do so."

Silence followed until Poe guffawed.

"Whether Kylo Ren said that or not he's a member of the First Order. We would have no idea if he wasn't just manipulating you, lying to you. We can't trust him; we need another solution." Poe was angry, angry at her for keeping this to herself but also that it had happened at all. Rey felt guilt, and shame course through her, not one of her friends deserved this. She had known on Ahch-To when her connection with Ben would spark into place, that the relief she'd felt was wrong, that it would hurt those she cared about, but she couldn't help how she felt. A secret relationship with her enemy was only ever going to be interpreted one way, the way Luke had seen it; that it was a betrayal.

"He's never lied to me," Rey stated knowing defending Ben was not really helping the matter.

"He will help us."

"I'll believe it when I see it. It still doesn't answer what we do right now," Poe answered hotly.

"I went to Ahch-To after Kef-Bir and Master Luke came to me. He told me to go to Pasaana, the Shaman of the Aki Aki may be able to help us, they are Gatherers," Rey answered.

"Then we go to Pasaana," Poe declared, clearly happier with a solution not involving Kylo Ren.

Everyone at the circle turned to Leia for confirmation.

"What you looking at me for? Follow him."

Everyone smiled and vacated all but Zorii and Leia.

"Where's the girl Rey from Leia?" Zorii asked

"Jakku."

Zorii grimaced disbelieving

"I know no-one's from Jakku, but she is," Leia confirmed.

"Does she have any family?" Zorii asked

"No abandoned there. We're her family now. I've been training her as Luke trained me."

"She's strong in the Force?"

Leia looked at Zorii now, and Zorii wasn't sure if what she saw behind Leia's eyes was fear or regret.

"As strong as Ben."

Zorii nodded in understanding.

-X-

Finn, Rey, Poe, Chewie, BB8 and C-3P0 were preparing to leave for Pasaana. Given that no one had ever been to Pasaana, or even heard of it, it was unlikely that communication would be easy so the protocol droid would come in most useful. Tension seemed rife amongst the group as they gathered what they needed; only C-3P0 was oblivious to the awkwardness between the friends. Leia approached to wish them well and to hand the Holocron over. Rey saw her approach and walked over. Leia didn't seem like everyone else regarding Rey's revelation; she stood calm and smiling.

"Leia, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"When did it start?" she asked no accusation in her question.

"On Ahch-To, we spoke, and then we touched hands- Luke saw. I saw a vision when our hands touched, where Ben turned, and I thought if I went to him, he would. I thought he was our last hope. Ben was there for a moment, he killed Snoke to save me, but it was also to replace him. He asked me to join him to rule the Galaxy with him. I couldn't. I should've told you after Crait. I'm sorry."

Other than the occasional disbelieving eyebrow raises, especially around hand touching and Ben asking Rey to join him, Leia remained calm to all Rey had just told her.

"You saw Luke?" Leia's question took Rey a little by surprise. "I knew he wasn't gone. He said so himself no one's ever really gone. Just as I know, my son isn't gone. This connection to you gives me hope that you've seen the boy I knew, my son, gives me hope that I will see him again."

Rey embraced Leia as her master and mother, Leia, Luke and the Resistance were her family now and always. No matter her past, where she'd come from, and the truth of her creation at the hands of Darth Sidious Rey knew where she belonged. Leia held her tightly, and Rey felt a tear trickle down her face as she whispered to Leia.

"You'll see him again, I know it, I just can't promise he'll come home."

Leia squeezed a little harder, an acknowledgement that she'd heard and understood and then Rey headed to the Falcon. The hatchway opened the gangplank down, waiting for her to board.