Disclaimer: I own nothing except the original character.

The Artifact

Chapter 1: Good Evening

Sarna hunched over the table and tried to keep her eyes focused on her plate. The cafeteria was always such an uncomfortable place. She silently stuffed spoonfuls of gruel into her mouth hoping to fill her stomach and leave as soon as possible. It was almost eight o'clock in the evening, or was that considered night? She shrugged off the thought, scrambling to get every miserable drop down before the cafeteria closed.

Rushing was stressful but so was being in a crowded cafeteria of strangers so she chose to come at unconventional hours for her mealtime to avoid the biggest crowds. It's not that anyone was mean to her but the less people, the less chance for something bad to happen. She inwardly scolded herself. Stop thinking so negatively. I am grateful for this food. I am grateful for this shelter. I am grateful for having a purpose. I am grateful for my solitude.

She continued to go down the list of simple things she was grateful for to redirect her thoughts on an upward spiral. Positivity had kept her alive and untouched in a cruel world for a long time. Being grateful as a working slave afforded her certain privileges among the First Order.

She looked up from her plate, unsurprised to see that she was alone in the cafeteria besides the guards that flanked each door. She released a breath and softened the rigidity of her posture upon realizing that the few other late evening diners had vacated. Alone was always better. She held the last spoonful of gruel up to her mouth. It looked to be some sort of oat or grain, odorless, nearly colorless and almost a paste. The taste was not much to write home about either.

The idea of home crossed her mind rarely. Sometimes she would wonder where it was, what it was called and what it was like but she was too young to remember much detail. Starkiller Base was her home now.

She shoved the last tasteless helping into her mouth and chugged the water that was left in her cup. At least it's clean. Standing up, she hurried over to the sink and placed her dishes within before exiting the room in haste to get back to the private hollow she called home.

Walking anywhere on the base, she kept her back straight and her head held high but refused to make eye contact with anyone that she passed. Sarna declined the idea of walking hunched over and staring at the ground like some depressed weakling. She was strong. She was a good person and her general confidence had earned her some respect among the guards and stormtroopers. She only spoke when spoken to and remained civilized in her response.

Some people whose paths she crossed, seemed like they were looking for a fight- for some weakling to torture but she refused to let them win. Her kindness often took people off guard and she would walk away smirking, knowing that it was not an answer they expected.

Sarna hurried towards one of the elevators. Other staff members knew better than to question her by now. Though she wore the rags of a scavenger, she was the only person they could find skilled enough in herbology to tend to the plants and harvest their medicines and ointments. Her clothing and quiet confidence wasn't the only thing that made her stand out, but rather her icy white hair that hung in waves towards her shoulders. For someone so young, it was a peculiar feature to have a head full of hair that color.

Stepping into the elevator as the doors swung open, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was empty. She often chose this elevator because of its distance from everything important. Rarely had she had to ride in awkward silence with others but it had happened so there was always that slight fear of having to socialize.

She relaxed as the door began to slide shut but it stopped suddenly. She looked towards the entrance of the elevator in confusion. There was nothing obstructing its closing. The sharp click of boots grew in volume until they turned for the elevator. It was him. He must've used his powers to hold the door. Why did it have to be him? The leader? Kylo Ren. Why couldn't it have been a random stormtrooper of fellow staff member?

In all her years as a working captive, she had never been so close to him. He seemed startled that anyone was in the elevator at first but then carried on as though it didn't matter. Sarna had half the heart to think of exiting to escape impending death. She'd heard rumors of his temper.

The elevator door shut, the force of it seeming harder than normal. She kept her hands folded in front of her and her shoulders back, choosing to stare at the buttons ahead. He hadn't picked a floor which could only mean that they were getting off at the same place.

Hair standing on end, her senses were certainly piqued. He was taller and more broad-shouldered than she expected. Emotion poured off of him in torrents and she could feel waves of it being directed at her. Is he angry that I'm riding this elevator? Should I say something to acknowledge his presence? Should I bow or something? Should I let him leave the elevator first? I hope that if he wants to kill me he realizes that I'm not just some slave. I have purpose. There will be no medicine without me.

Sarna jumped as the door sprang open. She could feel Ren's eyes upon her. She waited for him to leave first, choosing to keep staring ahead at the buttons instead of anything else. The silence seemed to drag. The hallway of freedom was a mere few steps away. She took a chance a raised her gaze towards his lofty black helm.

Kylo Ren's head tilted slightly to the side. Without a word, he raised the palm of one hand towards the door as if to say 'after you.'

Sarna nodded. "Good evening to you, sir," she said in her soft voice as she turned to exit the lift.

If at all possible, the hair on the back of her neck spiked higher. Her heart raced as she heard the click of his boots follow her down the passageway. He kept a safe distance but she could still feel his eyes and hear the echo of his boot heels through all the twists and turns. His stride stopped when he realized where she was headed.

Sarna paused at the door to the inside gardens. She had to punch in her code and endure a swift retinal scan before the door opened. Once inside, she turned to see the figure of Kylo Ren at the end of the hall, staring back at her as the door to the gardens closed.

Great. Attention is the last thing I want and of all people to garner it from… Maybe he just wanted to know where I came from. Where my First Order cage was.

She piddled about the gardens as she readied for bed, making sure that everything was in its rightful place for a fresh start in the morning. She kept replaying the brief encounter with Kylo Ren in her mind, hoping against hope that she hadn't done or said anything wrong, anything to attract negative attention from him. She told herself that she'd probably never see him again as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

A/N: I got the original idea for this fic after watching the SNL skit where Kylo Ren does the undercover boss thing…so in the next chapter…expect to see Matt, the radar technician. If you haven't seen the skit, it's on YouTube and I highly recommend it.

I was actually really nervous about coming back to the fanfiction world after so many years. It's a little daunting. I first started publishing stories in 2003-2004 until my account was compromised and I had to create this one. I transferred some of my old stories and created a few new ones that were never finished. I have no idea where this one is going but I love interacting with the readers. I am no expert on the Star Wars universe so if I get something wrong, I apologize in advance.

I'm currently working on a serialized story called In Articulo Mortis that will be published on Amazon. I'm choosing to serialize it because of its length and it will also allow me to interact with readers during the process. Thank you for reading and please stay tuned for more.