Kylo Ren had sensed a disturbance in the force as hestood in the vacant throne room staring at the empty air where his Master's hologram should have been. General Hux had left some 10 minutes ago once they were certain Snoke wasn't going to appear. Something was wrong but what could he do from here? He had left in a flurry of dark robes trying to bury the feeling of panic rising in his gut. It wasn't until the next night that his intercom had blared to life, pulling him from his deep sleep. His immediate presence was requested in Snoke's chambers. Clad in his dark robes and helmet Kylo stormed through the halls of the base. The few Stormtroopers moved from his path, saluting as he marched down the corridors.
He stopped short of the door to compose his mind quickly, he didn't want to warrant any suspicion of his unrest. Hux was already present, his broad shoulders tense and clasped hands white at the knuckles behind his back. He didn't acknowledge the younger man's presence until Snoke regarded him with a look of disdane.
'Now that my apprentice has joined us we can begin," tendrils of Snoke's voice reached out to Kylo, "Last night the resistance orchestrated and initiated an attack on Bosthirda," He paused to breath letting a pregnant silence envelope the room before continuing, "We have been forced to relocate to Krayiss Two to rebuild what we have lost."
It seemed neither Knight nor General was willing to voice their thoughts. After some time Hux spoke, "Do you know the full extent of the intended damages Supreme Leader?".
Snoke avowed, "An assassination attempt was made on both my own and the life of the Supreme Prophet," Kylo swallowed a lump in his throat, "My personal Sentinel was able to disarm and kill the resistance scum however Ayala was near fatally wounded in the attack." The pointed look Snoke gave Kylo did not go unnoticed by the Knight who clenched his fist tightly. Of course Snoke had been aware of his adolescent attraction to the Supreme Prophet.
The Supreme Prophet Ayala was one of Snoke's eldest surviving Apprentices. She held an uncanny resemblance to Darth Gean and like most Twi'lek women she was often depicted as having an exotic beauty. Her robes were regal and long, cascading around her in a waterfall of fabric. Underneath she wore a gown with billowing sleeves. Ayala was Kylo's teenage dream and in his defence she was far younger and prettier than any Sith Lord of the past he had studied. He cherished their lessons and meditations, something he had grown to miss at the Jedi Temple. Their reflections had helped ground him to their cause, strengthening the darkness and supressing the pull to the light. There was no struggle with her guidance she guided him towards his destiny with ease.
He now knew that Ayala had been the one to prophesise his birth, foretelling the destiny of a strong force user who could tip the balance between light and dark sides. Once she was in Snoke's possession her regular visions of Ben Solo, a fact he found mildly unsettling, had allowed Snoke the perfect platform to groom his young apprentice to betray his fellow Jedi and fall from grace. Her abilities with the force had led to her ascension of Snoke's favourite apprentice and Kylo often wondered if the two shared an intimate relationship, he shuddered to entertain the though further.
He steadied his thoughts back into the room he stood in to concentrate on Snoke's speech. He detailed the attack and divulged the extent of Ayala's wounds before concluding, "I feel that your life too may be in danger and for this reason I am sending you a gift. I am entrusting you with one of my highly trained personal guards, tasking SL-04 the important task of guarding your life. As one of my past apprentices I can assure you, you are in competent hands." Before Kylo had a chance to question his Master the hologram deactivated. Without a dismissal Kylo Ren was once again left standing in an empty room as General Hux left him staring at vacant space.
Although SL-01 had warded off the resistant attacker SP-03 failure had led to the brutal maiming of The Supreme Prophet. The incompetency of such a high ranking sentinel had led to his swift execution and if it weren't for the quick actions of a handmaiden Ayala may not have been alive. Although Kylo knew realistically it was not fair to pass to transgressions of one sentinel onto another he held little confidence in the abilities of the guard he was being gifted. He even felt a slight dent in his Ego at the thought he needed anyone to protect him.
The cargo ship would arrive within the week carrying a man who no doubt would become a necessary shadow to the sullen Knight. He contemplated the penalty for dismembering Snoke's trusted sentinel but quickly abandoned the notion. No he would truly have to grit and bare this experience until Snoke saw it fit to fire his babysitter. A babysitter? Hah! That's all he was.
Half way across the system Sentinel SL-04 was hurtling through space towards The First Orders remote base. With the task of guarding a top priority VIP who happened to be one of the Knights of Ren, Kylo Ren no less. With years of experience this task was not as daunting to SL-04 as it may have been to others. Kylo Ren was a step down from Snoke and Snoke had not been a trigger for fear in some time. No, SL-04 was not scared but rather excited at the opportunity to get some work experience. Kylo Ren's life was no doubt in danger and this excited SL-04. Would SL-04 even be an applicable name? KR-01 sounded ridiculous. Maybe a request to be called by a less formal name? Sentinel perhaps or maybe even Snoke's bestowed Apprentice title.
The night cycle on the ship had begun signally it was time for SL-04 to lay down to sleep. Tomorrow he'd be ready to face the fearsome Knight. This would be the most challenging field exercise yet.