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The Shadows Inside
is a Star Wars sequel trilogy/Knights of the Old Republic Fusion Fic by nixcomix, written as a gift for sleeping_kitten and TristenCrone. It ran for 29 chapters (plus an afterword for 30 chapters altogether) from 22 May to 18 November 2021.The story starts starts much like The Force Awakens, with Kylo Ren leading the First Order on the hunt for the map to the exiled Luke Skywalker's hideaway. In this version, however, Kylo personally follows BB-8's trail across the deserts of Jakku after destroying the village, and discovers the orphaned Rey scratching out a living among the wreckage of the Galactic Empire's death throes.
Looking on this dirty scavenger, all he can think of is an unknown name that leaps to his mind from nowhere: "Bastila."
And when he touches her, memories flood into them both and another name leaps to her lips in reply: "Revan."
Tropes:
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Kylo unceremoniously kills off BB-8 in the first chapter by tearing its head off its body, knowing not to underestimate a droid from having grown up with the likes of R2-D2.
- Dual Wielding: In addition to his cruciform-hilted lightsaber from the films, Kylo builds a second lightsaber with a purple blade and begins practicing jar'kai under Revan's direction, matching Revan's canonical fighting style in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
- Fusion Fic: Knights of the Old Republic is one of the core works of the Star Wars Legends continuity, whereas the sequel trilogy is part of Disney-era canon, and at time of production all that remained of KOTOR's story in Disney's continuity was that Darth Revan at one point existed (his name is in a couple of Cryptic Background References in the new Star Wars Expanded Universe). This story recasts Kylo and Rey as the reincarnations of Revan and Bastila and goes from there.
- Not Safe for Work: Downplayed. The fic is marked Explicit on Archive of Our Own, but actually only has one sex scene very late in the story.
- Reincarnation Romance: The story casts Kylo Ren/Ben Skywalker and Rey as the not-quite-reincarnations of Darth Revan and Bastila Shan, reunited four thousand years after they separated when Revan left to challenge the Sith Emperor again.
