The four stormtroopers entered the cold, spare space of the throne room, a withered crone in binders in their custody. The Supreme Leader narrowed his brown eyes, confused at the sight of an elderly human woman whose presence in the Force was unlike any other he'd sensed before. She was not powerful like he was but both the light and the dark mixed and flowed through her like waters in an estuary. There was something else too; dark magic. She had somehow found her way aboard the Finalizer; the officer who had reported her to his chain of command believed she had stowed away aboard a shuttle from the planet they were now orbiting.
A mere stowaway was no concern for the Supreme Leader of the First Order. It was what had happened after she had been apprehended that brought her into this inner sanctum. The reporting officer, a hardened man of war, had been in utter tears when speaking to his commander. When the troopers seized her and reported her to the deck officer, she had looked upon him with her cataract-hazed eyes and with a smirk, spoke of his deceased wife who had taken her own life, succumbing to inner demons not even the best specialists in the galaxy could heal. She had even known how the wife's body had been found when there was no possible way for a peasant woman on a backwater world could've known. The commanding officer knew this was no matter for the likes of General Hux, who had no understanding of these things.
"Leave us," Kylo Ren commanded the troops. He had his own guards, four members of his Knights of Ren, in place of the Praetorian Guards he and..she…had decimated after slaying Snoke. They hovered in the shadows, ready to protect their master.
When the four stormtroopers left in the lift, Kylo boomed, "Come forward," drawing up his full height upon a throne that was itself large and imposing. The tiny old woman walked alone, still in binders, her head up and her cataract stare unwavering. "Stop." She froze in place, unblinking. "Who are you?"
"Ganusha," she said in a strong, clear voice that belied her aged appearance. "I am a seer and a witch."
"Like the Nightsisters of Dathomir?"
"I know of their traditions," Ganusha said. "My mentor once learned from Mother Talsin herself."
"I could sense dark magic around you," Kylo confirmed. He leaned forward, rubbing his chin. He did not fear this woman. Dark magic or the Dark Side of the Force, he was more than a match for anyone. Unlike the Jedi or the Sith, Snoke had permitted Kylo to study the occult as well as the Force. "So, why are you here?"
"I have come to request favors of you, my lord," Ganusha said.
Kylo huffed. As Supreme Leader, people were always asking things of him: the First Order's leaders, diplomats, business and banking leaders, crime bosses, tribal chiefs, planetary monarchs, and so forth. No wonder Snoke hid himself away most of the time. Mere civilians like this woman rarely ever got through to him, and that was generally to beg for mercy. Was this Ganusha seeking such mercy for herself or a family member? "What is it?"
"For starters, remove these from my wrists," Ganusha said, lifting up her bound arms. "I will do you no harm."
"Fine." Kylo gestured casually and the binders clattered to the floor. A deeply-pleased smile creased Ganusha's weathered face. "What else?"
"The local chieftain wants to fine me 500 credits for an unkempt garden. I am a poor, old woman and cannot afford the fine. It could cost me my home. Will you help me get the fine waived now that the First Order is the overriding authority now?"
Kylo was incredulous. A woman who claims to be a witch, who at least has some power in the Force, went through this trouble over 500 credits and a simple local dispute? He glowered with contempt, ready to have stormtroopers drag her out and air lock her just for wasting his time. But with a deep breath, he realized there had to be something else at work. As he had been taught as both a Jedi padawan and as Snoke's apprentice, all is never as it seems. He had no idea what her true agenda was but in order to find out, he had to play along. "Consider it done," he said.
"Thank you, my lord," Ganusha said, tears streaming from her eyes as she fell upon her knees, her withered thin hands clasped together. "You have my eternal gratitude."
Kylo kept his expression the same but he was shocked to find Ganusha's display…touching. No one had ever thanked him this much before for anything, much less from a stranger. All he had seen from others was fear and hatred. Well, except from one other…
Kylo banished the thought. He still didn't trust Ganusha but she did seem in the moment completely sincere. Snoke would've berated him for this cheap display of compassion to a nobody but Snoke wasn't alive anymore. Kylo was Supreme Leader, guided his own conscience now and as far as he was concerned, this cost him nothing and there was possibly even something to be gained out of it. If he was careful, of course. He pressed a button on his throne, signaling for waiting stormtroopers to escort Ganusha to a shuttle back down to her planet. "Good day, Ganusha. My men will escort you back home while one of my diplomats will speak with your chieftain."
"Thank you, thank you my lord," she sobbed with a broad smile that exposed her crooked teeth. She willingly turned and walked back to the lift with the stormtroopers. "I will not forget this act of kindness!"
The throne room was silent once more when the lift doors closed. He summoned via hologram one of the Finalizer's diplomats, instructing him to order the chieftain to waive the fine, or paying it for the old woman if necessary. While shows of intimidation and force were often necessary, he wasn't going to waste a drop of blood on this.
Later, Kylo retreated to his private chambers to go through his regimen of meditation, training, studying yet more debriefings left for him, and a meal alone in his private dining room.
He was reading yet more debriefings of a raid on Resistance forces in the Chommel IV sector when he felt the room suddenly grow very cold, as though someone had turned the air conditioner to arctic levels. Kylo rose out of his chair, perplexed. He felt something similar to the presence of the Dark Side but not like himself nor that of the deceased Snoke. And then, before him was Ganusha.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded, reaching for his lightsaber.
"I told you, I am a seer and a witch. I got here the same way I did before; I used my magic." She pointed a crooked finger at Kylo's hand on his lightsaber hilt. "Your kind, always reaching for your laser swords," she said dismissively. "I am not here to harm you. In fact, I am here to offer you a gift to repay you for your kindness."
"There's nothing you have that I would want," Kylo said.
"Is that so? You may be Supreme Leader, but you don't have all that you want. I don't have to see into your soul to know that you carry so much pain but there's something else that is causing you torment, something that came along recently."
Kylo frowned. He would've known if she was trying to peer into his mind and he was more than adept enough to block this little crone.
"Someone broke your heart, my lord," she continued, her cataract stare boring into his brown eyes. "I offer you a gift. Two ways to heal that wound and make you whole."
The young man gaped at her. His entire being screamed, "Yes, please, help me!" But he had to remain skeptical. After all, he didn't trust her. He swallowed and said, "What do you know of my so-called broken heart? I am powerful already. I am practically master of the galaxy. The Dark Side sustains me. My only concerns are the Resistance and treason within my ranks. I no longer have a heart to break."
Ganusha burst out laughing. "Do you realize how ridiculous you sound, my lord? You are a poor liar!"
Anger boiled in Kylo's veins. He was not going to be mocked by this hag. He lifted his hand to choke her but she laughed even harder. "I found a sore spot, didn't I? You don't like that I've seen your deepest secret or that I'm not cowering in fear before you! Control your anger, my impulsive lord. At least long enough for you to hear what I have to say."
Gritting his teeth, his lips trembling, Kylo dropped his arm back to his side. "Get on with your business then. What is this gift you're offering me?"
Ganusha smiled knowingly. "Who troubles you the most, my lord? It would be one Rey of Jakku, the last Jedi, heroine of the Resistance, yes?"
His breath caught at the mention of her name, a shiver going down his spine. "The scavenger girl from that dirty backwater planet? She is an enemy of the First Order," he said, lifting his head imperiously and setting his shoulders back. "A threat to peace with her dangerous, outdated religion."
Ganusha wryly lifted her wiry gray brow. "Is that all? I get the feeling it's much more…personal."
Kylo struggled to maintain his calm façade. She can't possibly know about the Force Bond or the complicated emotions roiling in his gut ever since the battle at Crait. But she'd just said he was nursing a broken heart… "She injured me. She killed my master," he said, cursing himself for the slightly defensive tone of his voice.
"You don't miss Supreme Leader Snoke any more than I miss the wart that had been on my arse," Ganusha said with a dismissive wave of her withered hand. "The only place she truly injured you was in there," she said, pointing at his chest. "It's all over your face, my lord. In those haunted eyes." She stepped closer to Kylo. "I offer you the choice of one of two gifts, either of which will solve your scavenger girl problem."
He looked down at the crone quizzically. "Solve it?" He leaned in closer to her. "What are they?" he said, just above a whisper.
Ganusha grinned at him as though he was the fly that just landed on her web. "Sit, my lord, and I will show you."