-Ghost-

Prologue

"Ben! Let me out!" I slammed my shoulder as hard as I could against the cold door in the sterile room. "Ben!" My throat was on fire from yelling until my vocal chords were raw. I knew he was livid at me for what I had done but I had run out of options. Kylo Ren was going to kill us so I made my choice. I had to live with it and I was more than willing to accept the pain and blame that accompanied it.

I hadn't been expecting an act of kindness from the chrome stormtrooper. If he knew what she had done he would no doubt condemn her also, so I pretended I had acted alone. It was a small price to pay in return to her. I wasn't delusional however, I knew that would be the only act of kindness afforded to me as a key member of the resistance. I suspected she had done it more for Kylo Ren's sake than my well-being.

I briefly chuckled to myself in bitter annoyance at the fact that I somehow still subconsciously made the distinction between Ben Solo, my best friend of ages past, and Kylo Ren, a mass murderer hell-bent on using the forces of the dark side to finish what his grandfather Darth Vader had started. I knew what he had done and yet still in the most vulnerable moments- mine and his, he was Ben.

It was easier to defer to the name Kylo Ren when the darkness that raged inside him consuming the light was nearly palpable through the despicable acts that he committed. That distinction was a double edged sword. As it wore him down I could feel it doing the same to me. "Ben" would surely be the death of me.

Being here, seeing Ben, made it easy to forget and even easier to remember. I hated myself, him, even General Leia Organa for what had become of us. I knew that I shouldn't, but I did with my whole heart. It seemed that my life life thus far had been nothing but broken promises and a war that raged so long and deep into the skies that no being could remain untouched. I hoped that I was wrong and that there was at least one small corner that was peaceful.

I collapsed onto the floor with my back against the door and leaned my head back. My whole body was sore from the toll it had taken in the last few days and I wasn't sure how much more it could take before giving out on me completely. It was no use calling out to my lightsabers. They had no doubt been looked away deep within the recesses of the ship somewhere where my abilities with the force could not reach. Kylo Ren would have made sure of that.

I thought of all the friends I had made working in the resistance, both old and new: Chewie, ever loyal and strong, I never even got to console him in the wake of Han's death. Much like General Leia, I knew he was enduring greater pain than most could imagine. Rey, an incorruptible spirit, brave and kind and strong, everything a jedi should be. Her potential was off the charts and I hope that if, no, when they find Luke, he will train her. Finn, witty, caring, and braver than he believes, willing to go to the ends of the galaxy for his friends. BB-8, ever lovable and Poe…

Thinking of Poe brought a pain to my chest that no amount of time or medicine could fix. Poe would never forgive me for what I had done. In fact, I'm not sure I would ever be able to forgive myself. He had no way of knowing where to find me and in the same way, he was lost to me. A string of miracles and lucky breaks had led me to him but now...I should be so lucky to leave here in death. Kylo Ren haunted us for years as a shadow and now here I was, caught in the darkest of night without Poe, my light to guide the way.

I had officially lost everything and there was no conceivable way I could get any of it back. I was trapped and so alone and so incredibly tired. I attempted to wrestle my arms into a more comfortable position but with the cold metal cuffs around my wrists as tight as they were, there was nothing I could do. Exhaling a slow, shaky breath, I hazily recalled to mind a passage from an old relic lost long ago on my home planet, when I was a girl.

"These woods are lovely, dark and deep,"

Tears slid down my cheeks and my vision blurred.

"But I have promises to keep,"

I choked back a sob and settled into the corner behind the door.

"And miles to go before I sleep,"

Closing my eyes I relinquished myself to utter darkness, finally giving in to the exhaustion that plagued me.

"And miles to go before I sleep."

Author's note: Hello everyone! I'm just going to come out and say that I wasn't really into Star Wars until The Force Awakens came out. I fell in LOVE. I wanted to make this story as canonically accurate as possible so I've literally done hours of supplemental reading and research for this. If any of you are experts and you see something wrong please let me know. I've been using Wookieepedia as my main source of information. This first chapter is a little shorter because it's just a prologue really but I also wanted to use it as an exercise of character- especially since Asha is the only one featured. This and the next chapter give you an idea of who she is and what motivates her actions. This story will follow the movie pretty closely and I'm looking forward to reading the novelization of the movie to get a clearer idea of things since there's more detail and it covers a few plot holes the film had. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review! Until next time!