WHO: Rey Dameron and Anakin Skywalker WHEN: Pre-Maleficent... and that's as specific as we can get! WHERE: Ark Angel II WHAT: Rey has questions for Anakin following her memory update about their mutual favorite topic: Emperor Palpatine. The players have a headache when the novelization contradicts some of what they wrote and they have to edit.
Rey had come to Anakin Skywalker's residence only once and it hadn't been that long ago. Digital copies of the Sacred Jedi Texts had been gifted to him, transferred by BB-8, and she'd brought the physical copies with her on that day as well; though she'd taken those back with her when she departed. Now, she stood in his home once again, after having found her way to his residence unannounced. It hadn't really been an intent of hers to come and she'd not realized she was doing so until she was nearly there.
Now, she was here again, hands worrying together in front of her form. "I -- I have more to add to the translations," she began. This was true. A year on Ajan Kloss, focusing on her studies, was now a memory she had access to. It was a clear example in the difference in her priorities between 'home' and here. Back home? She was dedicated to her training, to the point where it was creating tension between her and members of the Resistance, specifically Poe. Here? Her training was non-existent. She'd stopped pursuing the attempt and instead learned what she could, however she could, when she could. But more importantly? When it was convenient. She wondered if that had been a disappointment to Leia once upon a time but, no, she didn't think so.
Her gaze darted down for a moment. She hadn't really come here to talk about the translations. She knew it. He would too.
"I got new memories. From home." A beat before she glanced upwards at the Skywalker that was certainly the most constant in her orbit but of whom she barely knew. Leia? Luke? They never stayed. But Anakin? He'd been here well before Rey had and he'd never left, and yet he was not one she'd ever felt a need to become close to. She exhaled. "It'll take me a few days but I can go through the digitizations and make notations of what I know." She was already planning to do this, regardless of whether Anakin wanted it, but she figured it would be beneficial to let him know. She'd just been sidetracked with everything else.
"Ah." Anakin knew how that was, though he probably didn't have to worry about 'memory updates' any more himself since there was nothing left to remember. They almost always threw people off for awhile; how often did anyone get purely happy memories? "There's no rush on the translations. Whenever you're ready."
They hadn't spent much time working together yet, but he'd been able to contribute his perspective as someone with traditional Jedi training, and knowledge of some of the languages used in the text. Threepio could translate the plain meaning of the words in languages he knew but didn't have all the context of what they meant from a Jedi point of view. References to other Jedi theories, for instance, or discussing how things felt in the Force. Anakin's own notations were becoming lengthy on some of those parts.
It was strange to be recreating knowledge of the culture he'd helped destroy.
"Memories can be... difficult. Are you doing okay?"
Rey gave a nod. She could take her time, provide it whenever opportunity allowed her to do so, but there was a novelty to the idea of a project to focus on. She was fairly confident that she wanted that at the moment. It was a better alternative than what she had been doing since the night she'd woke with grief and memories of Exegol.
Memories were difficult. In response to the question, there was a flicker of a frown and it was this that was likely more telling than the words she chose. "I'm fine." The last time this had occurred, she'd barely spoke about it with anyone. Leia and Ben. Margo over a year later. She was used to processing things alone, even if she was trying not to do so as much these days.
"But..." She began, because she assumed he'd know there was another reason for her visit, "...I was hoping I could speak to you." No one else in Tumbleweed would know about Palpatine to the extent that Anakin Skywalker would.
'Fine' was a very good way of saying nothing, but that was all right. They weren't close, they didn't confide in each other, so he didn't expect Rey to suddenly unload on him whatever she now remembered. He wouldn't pry like other people in her life might since it didn't affect him like it would them.
But why come to see Anakin?
"About what?"
'About what?' was the difficult part. No matter how she presented her questions regarding the Emperor, it would likely circle back to two revelations. One that she wasn't certain she wanted to reveal about herself and one that would be devastating to any from her Galaxy. The news of the Emperor's return had been met with fear by most who had memory of the Empire or who had heard the history. Was it right to burden him with this just to seek answers to the questions that were now planted inside her?
She wasn't so certain, even though she'd felt compelled to come.
"The Emperor. Do you...have memory of him once he was such?" She asked this cautiously. She'd known Darth Vader had once taken Anakin's place, for Leia had gone to meet him and Rey'd been entrusted with guarding Ben in her stead, but she didn't know if he'd retained any of those memories. But even if he hadn't, well, perhaps he could tell her something of use.
"... Yes." Why would Rey bring up him? Some leftover relic, buried secret emerging, old machinations coming to fruition in her time?
She stilled. Even though he was the one who would have the closest thing to answers for her, it almost seemed as though a part of her been hoping for 'no.' The 'yes' meant there was no turning back, not really, and it was bringing her closer to answers she'd once told herself she no longer needed. She'd abandoned the frantic desire to find information about her family long ago.
She'd found them, after all. Finn, Poe, Leia.
"Oh."
"I remember the entirety of my life," he added. "Is that what you wanted to know?"
"No." It gave her a better picture of what Anakin might be able to provide. Afterall, her Father would have had to have been born prior to the Battle of Endor. She was certain of this much. But how much prior and would that have even been knowledge Vader would have been privy to?
She decided it was better to shift tactics. "Exegol. Do you know about Exegol?"
"What?" That actually startled him, had him taken aback and staring at her. "How do you know about Exegol?"
"The Resistance gained intelligence of an armada on Exegol," she stated, matter of factly. It was cutting out a significant amount of explanation but it was how the planet had come into the knowledge of the Resistance at large. "A wayfinder was utilized to find the location. I transmitted the coordinates so the Resistance could try to prevent the armada from leaving the planet."
"There weren't many wayfinders to find." What wasn't she saying? There was clearly a lot she wasn't saying. There were only two, one for the master and one for the apprentice, but how did she even learn they existed? (He had more reading to do of the Sacred Texts.) His eyes narrowed slightly. "An armada. On Exegol. That's... Anything could remain secret a long time, if it was based there. Did the Resistance succeed?"
"Two, yes?" That was probably unimportant. She knew of two. And, technically, it was down to one now. There was a nod of understanding and agreement in regard to the notion of secrets. She knew all about them, after all. "They do. The fleet will not be able to leave the system. The communications were completely wiped out."
None of this was what she wanted to talk about though. She glanced down.
"I don't want to burden you. If Leia was here..." She began, before sighing. After a moment, she looked back up to him. "...There is something I'm trying to understand but you can't help unless I explain." She'd tried so hard to not burden those from the prior eras with the worries of her time. It had damaged her relationships in Chicago and had been an important lesson.
"In keeping with Sith tradition, yes." That was a tangent, though, probably not really relevant to her right now.
"But she isn't and I am. And if it was something anyone else could help with, you'd have gone to them."
She would have and there was no point in affirming an agreement. They both knew it to be true. "Palpatine returned." It was critical he knew that for any of her questions to make sense but she knew she couldn't press forward with asking until she gave him a moment to ask his own.
"... No, that's... that's not possible... I killed him."
His face went pale and his hands clenched into tight fists. Objects rattled and fell. He could see the Emperor falling, feel the fatal lightning in his bones, but it was worth it to save Luke, he felt that constant dark presence snuff out, and there was no way to survive the explosion, the Emperor was dead and anything he'd said about preventing death or somehow undoing it had been lies, manipulations.
He nearly lost control, almost lifted a hand to lash out at Rey, but he pulled it away from her. "I killed him!"
Rey's gaze bounced from Anakin, moving towards the objects that were rattling. An instinctive step was taken backwards when an object near her fell. And this was not necessarily unexpected. The guilt of her earlier concerns was pushing back to the surface now, only to be thrown back as a priority when she saw Anakin's hand raise.
Immediately, her own went up in caution, as if ready, with the alarm evident. "I know," she agreed, eyes fixed ahead on him, not daring to say anything else just yet.
Anakin needed somewhere to focus his anger and horror at the thought of Palpatine surviving. He grabbed his lightsaber hilt from his belt, but he did not ignite it. The kyber crystal inside had been bled long ago with other emotions; it would amplify them, too, if he didn't get them under control. The dark side fed on itself like that.
He hurled the lightsaber across the room, using the Force to push it further and further away. Having it nearby would just make it harder to calm down-- not that he could get truly calm with something like that, but at least not radiating the anger any more.
"How?" He spoke with clenched teeth.
She didn't lower her own hand. Her -- his -- saber was presently not with her, thought this was a rarity in itself. She'd left it and her blaster safely in her quarters. Her gaze was fixed upon his movements now and there was silent gratitude of seeing the lightsaber hurled afar. And it was only then did she slowly lower her hand, though it was still stretched in front of her.
And instead of offering an answer, she shook her head. Would it benefit Anakin to explain 'how'? When it was so monumental to him that Palpatine had been seemingly destroyed and Rey had just revealed a truth to him that took away that peace? She did not think so. But she did offer a small piece of explanation, sparing him the knowledge she'd received in her visions, "He wanted to transfer his life force to me and use my body but I know that was not how he survived initially."
Feeling it important to say she added, "He's gone now. For good."
Anakin listened carefully to her. He wasn't offended by her defensive posture; he was reacting aggressively, after all. His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered.
"How can you be sure?" If Palpatine could do it once, what would stop it from happening again? "He had no opportunity to save himself when I killed him… I watched him fall until he hit the reactor. I felt his life leave his body." And then he'd collapsed himself, sure that his son was safe with the Emperor dead.
It had felt… different, though, from other deaths. He'd assumed it was the Emperor's sheer power in the dark side as it dispersed, unwelcome to join the Force. What if that was something else, and not death?
Conversations, readings, old bits of rumor and lore came back to him, but they weren't really answers.
"I suppose I can't be..." She began to offer, "...but I watched his body disintegrate in front of me." She didn't pull her eyes from Anakin but it was clear she wanted to look away at this, as though the memory was painful. She pulled in a breath, "I had help...from every Jedi of old," she started, her voice growing quieter. "You helped me. And I gave everything I could to stop him."
She'd...
Her breath caught and she bit down on her lips. His final question went unanswered for now.
"That wouldn't be his first disintegration," Anakin pointed out. Unless... had he been wrong before? Had Palpatine somehow been alive through the explosion, using the Force to shield himself? Anakin had been so sure, though in no condition to confirm the Emperor's death. Or had it only been the Emperor's body that died?
He listened to Rey carefully and with surprise. He knew from the 'stories' and his son that a Jedi's personality could remain in the Force, but it required special techniques (or, apparently, being the Chosen One). Perhaps those that retained their awareness could help those that did not? Or perhaps it was something special about Rey?
"Then I hope you succeeded." He could tell there was something Rey wasn't saying, but he didn't know her quite well enough to know what. It sounded bad, though.
"I watched him," she repeated, but this didn't sound as though it was said as a defense. It was more for herself. She'd seen his form disintegrated in front her. And she needed it to have been a success. She didn't want to think of what further destruction could occur if she were wrong.
Nodding her head in agreement, "I hope so, too."
But she'd come here for two very specific question in mind and she'd not gotten to the other. Given how he'd responded to the knowledge of Palpatine's survival, she wasn't sure if now was the right time to ask him. And so she decided against it. "I'm sorry to have brought you this news. Thank you for speaking with me," she said as a way of closing the topic now.
He drew a deep breath and nodded once to her. He wanted to snap I watched him, too but it was hardly Rey's fault if she'd also gotten it wrong. He wasn't sure what she'd come to him to learn, exactly, and it didn't feel like he'd really answered her— but he wasn't feeling especially conversational after that news. He needed to think, process, not take it out on her or anyone else. Maybe throw himself into the translations.
But he'd leave his lightsaber where he'd thrown it. The one that had fallen down the same shaft as the Emperor.