Chapter 34: A Friends Support

After traveling to a few pit stops to throw off any suspicions, their transport arrived back at the hotel. Having already completed her lesson for the day, as well as attending a major social event, Rey was given the evening off. The Jedi was pleased by this, having much to think over, and returned to her room to meditate.

Her mind was still wrestling with processing the Admiral's background and his behavior. They didn't seem to match at all. A loyal and trusted follower of a Sith willing to do anything for peace in the Galaxy. A man who had appeared from nowhere didn't seem to age and had close ties with both Palpatine's son and clone. A person she could not read through the Force. Someone that all the evidence pointed to being a servant of the Dark Side, yet appeared so calm, wise, and compassionate.

Rey was left feeling lost, so she resolved to put forward her best effort. She sat on the luxurious floor of her bedroom in a loose shirt and pants. Her legs were crossed, and she straightened her back, resting her hands on her knees. After calming her breathing and clearing her mind, she began.

Meditation for a Jedi allowed them to be in tune with the Force. It elevated their thinking and even could butter their strength. It could grant some a third sense, precognition, insight into the past, and other strange abilities. Different people were born with different gifts, Rey's own being primarily that of Battle Meditation. However, this was only the beginning.

Through training, one could use meditation to not just sense the Force but actually access it. This was called Submergence and was different from force abilities like levitation, lightning, and healing; these were performed by allowing the Force to flow through one's body like water flows through a stream. Meditative Submergence wasn't where a Jedi let the Force flow through them, but we're the ones who submerged their consciousness into the Force. Being a network of energy that bound the Galaxy and even the universe together, the Force contained all the knowledge in the cosmos. Through Submergence, a Jedi could access this knowledge, or at least try to.

However, the technique came with terrible risks. One could lose themselves in the Force, entering a coma forever. It was also possible for one's consciousness to be injured, causing one to go mad. In the end, even if one managed to achieve the proper state of mind, Jedi had very early gained any useful knowledge from it. Thus, it had been considered a forbidden technique that was reserved for only a select few Jedi Masters.

Rey had learned about it from the Sacred Jedi Texts and had dabbled with it over the last couple of years. Her results had been almost non-existent, but at the moment, she was willing to try anything.

She steadied her will and closed her eyes before taking in a breath. She let the air out slowly and let her mind escape the confines of her body.

When Rey opened her eyes, she was in an ethereal landscape of blue and white shadow. A whirling pressure like the winds of a hurricane pressed against her mind. Pain arched through every neuron in her brain as the purest form of knowledge in the Galaxy sank into her mind. Unable to stop herself, she grunted in pain as the stress began to build throughout her entire being. Her face grew red, and her body began to heat up as though electricity were being conducted through it.

It was an agonizing and brutal process, but she managed to raise her hand as if grasping for something far off in the distance. Rey envisioned Admriel as clearly as she could, and the plane around her shifted and morphed. She arrived in a plain office with no decorations and a window that looked out over a vast horizon. Primidian sat in a grey imperial uniform at a grey desk with a holo screen before him, looking focused.

Being able to use Submergence to seek out people and places was already as far as most Jedi Masters managed to reach in their training. Rey knew she was far from being as skilled as the Jedi of the past, and yet she steeled herself to take a step deeper. She closed her hand, sinking deeper into her trance by Force of will as the billowing wind began to feel like a riptide. Blurry images began to appear around the man.

Various shadowy people entered and exited the room to deliver or take away reports. Droids came and left periodically as well. The light from the window both waxed and waned chaotically. Meanwhile, the Admiral's body shifted about slightly, blurring together as images overlapped. She was seeing flickers of both the past and the future, though it was all overlapped and muddled together.

By this point, the pain in her mind and the strain upon her body reached an apex. Sweat dripped from her brow as Rey let out a shot, trying to see more. Not just a small window of time in an office but the truth that lay behind the man's motives.

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The Admiral's image grew clearer and soon vivid; behind him, shadowy images began to emerge. Rey had pushed herself way beyond her limit but was unwilling to back down. This man could have something to do with Sidius, and if he did, she was going to find out. To protect herself, her friends, and the Galaxy.

All the answers she sought felt so close. With just a little more focus, a little more power, she could see it. Rey was caught in this fever even as she felt her mind begin to crack under the stress of the Force. However, whether she would have found her answers before her mind shattered would forever be unknown because, at this point, the Admirals' eyes moved. From an inanimate being fixed in a place, he seemed to grow alive.

His golden eyes met Reys, and the man smiled; his mouth opened, and he began to speak. Rey was stunned and terrified by this, but what truly confused her was that the words that came from him were not his own. Rather, it was a familiar voice shouting out, “Rey, wake up!”

Suddenly, her trance was broken, and the pressure of the Force forced her back to reality. Upon opening her eyes, she found her outfit soaked in sweat. Her every nerve felt as though it were on fire. Her brain felt like it had been hit with a hammer for several hours. She slumped over, without an ounce of strength in her body, fainting where she sat.

When she awoke, she was in her comfortable bed and still felt all kinds of terrible. The Jedi could feel numerous drugs flowing through her body and could only imagine what she would feel like without them. She noticed her room was now much darker, implying that hours or even days had passed by.

The wiggling of her body gave away her regaining consciousness and a voice, the same voice that had called out to her during her vision, spoke out, “You sure do know how to make us worry.”

Rey tilted her throbbing head to see Poe walking overdressed in a white button-down shirt that looked like it belonged under a suit. The Jedi found her mouth was dry as sand but managed to get out, “How long?”

Her old friend knelt by her bed and took one of her weak hands, his eyes filled with brotherly concern, “About six hours. You're lucky I stopped by when I did. You looked like you were going to shatter.”

Remembering the white glowing lines that had covered Rey's skin, moving along her veins caused him to shiver. The Jedi let out a sigh of relief, happy Poe was here to look out for her. He had always been like the older brother she never had growing up. At first, he was wild and untamed, a loose cannon who had almost gotten court-martialed during the fight against the First Order. Still, he had taught her so much about flying, trickery, and life. Then, after Leia died, his maturity curve began to set in. He had become responsible, calm, and diligent toward contributing to the New Galactic Republic.

She winced as the pain flared up inside her and managed to respond, “You couldn't have come by a little earlier.”

Poe smiled at this and shook his head, trying to remain serious, “Once in a millennium, Jedi genius or not, you need to be taking care of yourself.” His eyes were focused as he added, “What was that even?”

Rey had to wait a couple seconds for the pain in her body to subside before responding quickly, “I went looking for information.”

The younger man smirked and asked accusatorial, “You couldn't have used this during all those recon missions.”

The Jedi glared back and grumbled, “It's not as useful as you think. Those Sacred Jedi Texts must have been written by wackos.”

Poe chuckled at this, though they grew concerned as Rey's face contorted with pain. He waited for her to recover before asking, “What were you looking for?” The Jedi's eyes betrayed her weariness, so the man went on, “It was about the Admiral, wasn't it.”

Rey's eyes went wide, and she blurted, “How?”

He made a gesture for her to stop, before continuing, “I have my own ways of getting information.” Poe let her hand go and felt her forehead for a temperature before adding, “He's certainly a dangerous and mysterious man. But…” He retracted his arms, looking relieved, “I trust you know what you're doing.” Rey opened her mouth, but he then added, “Even if you can't tell me everything that's going on.” His eyes grew knowing as he finished, “I got an earful of it from Finn and Minerva.”

The Jedi deflated, feeling both relieved and ashamed before getting out, “Thank you.”

Poe smiled and nodded before adding, “Also, Fama’s asleep in her room. She got back from daycare while you were in the infirmary. The tyke threw a fit when the doctor said she couldn't visit, but Emi calmed her down.”

Rey felt relieved by this, having momentarily forgotten about the Padawan. She then perked up and asked, “What about Finn.”

Poe’s face grew grim at this; he crossed his arms and sighed, “He doesn't know.” Rey's expression grew perplexed, but her friend soon continued, “Finn has been under house arrest since your videos started to circulate. He went ballistic. Even Marcus agreed to keep him out of sight till he calmed down.”

Rey now felt pain not only in her body but in her heart; she looked away from Poe and managed to get out, “I'm sorry.”

The man rubbed the back of his head and responded, “Well, I can't say I agree with what you did. I think it was stupid and a betrayal of the truth…” He let out a breath and went on, “But I can see where you're coming from.”

Rey looked back at him and blurted, “You're not mad.”

Poe clenched a fist at this, an eyebrow twitching, and responded, “Oh, I'm mad.” He then sighed and let the anger leave him, “But Jedi Business is not my concern.” He met her gaze, appearing calm and faithful, “I may disagree with your politics, but we'll still be friends no matter what.”