In his mind, he saw it. FN-2187 had been nothing. Pounding at the wound given to him by— no, he couldn't think about that right now— he quickly dispatched the traitor with a slice up his spine. The lightsaber had been there, then, just within his grasp. He could see it….His lightsaber…and as he called to it, it had trembled, but the girl…it had gone to the girl instead.
"Rey…"
Fury seemed like a poor adjective. He stood there, blood dripping as if in humble sacrifice, and it had answered her, not him. 'You cannot betray me, too…' But as they danced in that clearing in the forest, he with as much skill as he could squeeze out of his condition and she like a poker-wielding simpleton, watched as before his eyes this simpleton seemed to gain skill with the ancient weapon with every second that passed. It was truly insane. When he'd pursued her in the forest, he'd felt it then, the garbled chaos of a mind unknowingly drowning in the Force, and her almost tangible fear as he closed in had sullied her shots and made her easy to subdue. Since then, she'd flexed her claws with the Force, and whether she knew it or not, she was flexing them again now. It was rare, so rare…he'd been inside her head. He'd felt the pulse of her life, the drastic extent of her loneliness. But when he was near her, it was like tactile contradiction- everything about their mutual situation suddenly felt wrong.
'Don't be afraid, I feel it, too…'
She'd looked up at him, but then took advantage, exploiting the moment they'd shared, and used it to throw it back in his face.
Yes, it was rare. To be as such, and then to have that strength in the Force….he took his chance.
'You need a teacher!'
She looked almost shocked. Insulted?
'I can show you the ways of the Force.'
Her face had calmed. No, this was not advantageous.
In her focus, she'd found renewed strength, swinging blow after blow, she'd given up trying to stab him, until she landed a hit, and another, and another…his very being seethed over his wounds but his mind was on fire watching her mind at work behind such steeled eyes. A moment, a distraction…. "Is she….stronger than me?"
That was all it took. Intuiting the opening, she'd taken it, slashing at him, and it was over. He laid there, bleeding in the snow, looking up at her as her face melted back to normal before the earth viciously forced them apart and she ran.
"Rey…!"
He jolted awake. He tried moving to sit up, but it was impossible. Panic started to set in. Why couldn't he move? He cracked an eye and saw the padded straps holding him to the med pallet. In their infinite foresight, the med staff had decided to strap him down, either to prevent him from causing further injury to himself or to prevent him causing injury to them. Inwardly he smirked. He didn't have it in him to carry through with the smirk outwardly.
Stilling himself, he let his eyes roll back as his lids flickered closed. Tightening his fists, he felt the pull of his wounds as the straps slithered out of their buckles and freed their prisoner. Gingerly pushing the restraints away, a voice called out over an intercom.
"Lord Ren, we strongly advise you to take your rest. The webbing over your wounds has not had enough time to properly adhere."
There was a pop as the voice ceased. Kylo swung his feet off of the pallet and, bracing himself on the edge, turned his head to look in the direction of the two-way glass, courteously backlit to allow him to see the silhouette inside. He turned away again, eyes locked firmly on the floor. He licked at a cut on his lip.
"How long has it been?" he asked quietly. He felt the hesitation in the med worker. There was a pop again as the intercom key was pressed. A pause.
"Roughly eleven-point-three hours." pop.
He growled, his eyes hovering over a specific speck in the floor. Tension, his feelings told him. The worker was anticipating his reaction. But the worker was safe in their little box. This time he did smirk.
It'll always be like this….but this is what you wanted. To be feared…..to be left alone.
Compatriots were good for one thing- achieving a purpose. After that, why keep them around? Camaraderie? What purpose did that serve?
Weakness. People are weakness. And that is why they all have to die.
The muscles in his arms tensed as he slid himself down to the floor. pop.
"My Lord?"
He snapped his head in the direction of the coward in the box. He felt their mind go blank before forming the words, 'Well I tried.'
Kylo's lip arched. "No you didn't," he replied aloud, and watched from the corner of his eye as the figure backed away in fear and promptly exited the box.
He shuffled across the floor and pressed a panel on the wall. A sink pushed forward and the area above it blended into a mirror. Without looking up, he washed his hands.
—
General Hux looked down at his wrist as a message flashed across the screen. 'He is awake, and he has left for his quarters.'
He huffed and pursed his lips. Exasperation was too good to waste on the likes of Kylo. He turned on his heel. "Officer of the Deck!" he called in clipped tones. Suddenly a woman in a slightly less dapper uniform was at his elbow standing at attention. He looked her over. "I leave charge of command to you. Inform me immediately when we enter planetary orbit."
"Yes, sir!" she enunciated, clicking her heels together throwing herself rigidly into position. He nodded and walked briskly for the doors, hands folded behind him.
When he arrived at Kylo's quarters, he found the man in fresh attire, attentively examining his face with gloved hands in a mirror. His old, battered gear lay strewn across the floor. Hux arched a brow before clearing his throat to look at him. Kylo continued to inspect the mesh that covered his face wound, unmoved.
"I see you are in one piece," the general began. Silence. Hux's cheek twitched in annoyance. He glanced again at the mess on the floor and as his eyes wandered back to the man he had to work with, he caught sight of a battered shining at Kylo's waist. Hanging from his belt, as if utterly normal, was a lightsaber cut cleanly at the handle in a neat diagonal. Only one of its handguard blade emitters remained.
"And I see they managed to destroy your toy," he smirked.
Kylo paused. Lowering his hands, he turned and faced Hux, his features devoid of expression. Hux's head tilted back, and he swallowed hard despite himself.
"Not destroyed," the Ren said evenly. "Merely scarred." He paused. He turned back towards the mirror and raised a hand to trace the edge of the webbing adhering to his face. "It is fitting…..perhaps."
Hux's brow flickered. "They say you're lucky to be alive. Whatever that Wookie hit you with should have killed you."
Kylo paused again and, gripping the edges of the counter in front of him, his mouth began twitching. Hux could hear the creaking of leather as his counterpart held the piece of furniture in a vice.
"No," he said.
"No?" Hux responded by reflex, snapping back to attention.
By the door, a lighted alarm beeped loudly. Hux's brows slightly knit together as he looked at Kylo, half waiting for him to finish and half wondering if he would answer the call. Seeing that neither was going to happen, he turned away and answered it himself.
"Yes, what is it?"
A pause. Hux swore he heard a stifled snicker coming from Kylo's direction.
"General Hux, sir, we've just entered orbit."
Hux nodded despite no one there to see. "Very good. Prepare my ship."
"Yes, sir!"
He stood in front of the intercom for a moment before turning to Kylo.
"I don't appreciate you picking at the minds of people coming to report to me. It isn't conducive to efficient operations," he said with a frown.
The corner of Kylo's face turned up in a slight smile. "Then train them to be less weak," he retorted and, grabbing his helmet, he forced the door switch open and walked confidently out of his quarters, leaving Hux behind.
—
Stormtroopers lined the path that led to the temple Supreme Leader Snoke resided in, a mix of Snoke's own reserve and their escort. As General Hux deplaned to quickly gather a routine report of the perimeter, a helmeted Kylo evenly glided down the gangplank, conscious of not twisting his torso more than was necessary. His arms and the singes on his legs, he concluded, would rapidly heal, but his abdomen…it would take time. The thought alone was enough to make him do something that would undoubtedly double his healing time, but none the less, as he neared the bottom, his gloved fingers brushed against his broken lightsaber. Subtly, as if purely procedure, the stormtroopers within twenty feet of him backed slowly away in unison. His steps slowed and, with a twitch of his lip no one could see, he moved his hand away and walked quickly down the path despite every ache in his body. The bubble of space followed him as he made his way to the entrance of the temple.
—
"You are on your feet, despite medic orders. This is well," Snoke's voice echoed through the chamber. Despite residing within the structure, he never actually showed himself. Only Kylo Ren had ever actually laid eyes on the Master of Ren, something Hux rather resented. As soon as his thoughts turned in that direction, though, he cleared his mind entirely.
Kylo bowed his head and Hux watched as he tried to bow the rest of him as well. "It is by dint of your training that I survive, Supreme Leader."
Hux pressed his lips together, determined not to think anything.
The towering image of Snoke nodded. "Indeed. And when you have completed your training, not even a scratch will you abide."
Kylo's fist tightened. "Even with the wounds," he continued, voice distorted into low tones by his helmet, "I chased them. Killed one of them...I killed—" Snoke cut him off with a hollow laugh.
"Yes, it seems you indulged a bit. But your failures will not recur. Not once you have fully stepped into the Knighthood of the Ren," he wheezed out.
Inside his helmet, Kylo bit at the scab on his bottom lip, bit at it until he could taste blood, and stifled a snarl. Snoke turned to General Hux and Hux immediately stiffened to attention. Kylo hated him.
"And you, General…"
The general raised his chin, looking straight ahead of himself.
"…what have you to say for yourself?"
The image in the chair wrapped its fingers around its stony seat.
"Supreme Leader," Hux began. Kylo rolled his eyes from inside the safety of his guise. "if it were not for the necessity of exhaust ports for everything we build," he said, the volume rising in his voice as his frustration played out in the form of him spitting out his words, "we would have no weakness, no means by which anyone could infiltrate our structures!"
Snoke laughed again. This wasn't looking good for either of them. "Well then, General. I would recommend a turn of innovation. Recruit whoever you need to ensure that this petulant, incessant problem does not recur."
From the corner of his eye, Hux could see Kylo stiffen and he steeled his expression, making sure to leave at least his eyes reflecting his determination to succeed as he saluted his leader. "Understood!"
Anticipating his dismissal, Hux turned to leave them to it, when he felt a pull at his back. "No, you are not dismissed yet, General."
Hux paused and casually turned on his heel to see Snoke's outstretched hand reaching for him. "Kylo Ren," he continued. "You may leave."
Kylo started forward and a twinge of pain shocked his side. "Master—"
Snoke's eyes flared and he shook his head. "You will leave. And you will prepare yourself for tomorrow. Your wounds are of no consequence."
Kylo seemed frozen.
"Go," the voice echoed back at him.
There was a pause, and then he turned to leave, his robes billowing out defiantly behind him. The door crashed shut in his wake.
Hux turned forward again, unable to hide his trepidation at being left alone with their leader. In silence, he bowed.
"General, I have some information to share with you that I cannot yet tell our young Ren."
Inwardly, Hux was amused, but half hated himself for the lapse in professionalism.
"Don't get too excited," Snoke said, leaning back in his seat. Hux reflexively cleared his throat, maintaining the depth of his bow.
"It would seem FN-2187 did not perish," he informed him. "And the girl has utterly vanished."
Hux felt his jaw slacken. "Does this mean—?"
Snoke leaned to one side. "It is very likely she has made contact with Skywalker, and he is shielding her."
The general stood upright and looked almost pleadingly at the image. "Supreme Leader, if I had known she was—"
Snoke waved his hand. "I did not tell you. How were you to know."
Hux's jaw clenched. I should have known!
Snoke's expression changed into what Hux could only assume was a smile as he rested his hand back upon the rock.
"Regardless," the voice echoed. "These are not things to tell your counterpart yet. When I have finished his training, then he may act as he sees fit."
Hux pressed his hands to his sides. "Yes, Supreme Leader."
With a lazy flourish, he was dismissed.
A/N: Well, my eye has stopped trying to claw its way out of my head, and while I've had a pretty terrible time today, I present all you lovely people with this. It's a bit of exposition, but I'm not interested in this taking too long. A very big thanks to TheArgentMoon, California Mountain girl, MoonMoon91, bluejustice13, Azera-v, and lost2darkness despite ff being incapable of actually showing said reviews right now. I've definitely read them, and thank you, to all 15 of you wonderful followers and 7 beautiful favoriters for your support as well. See you in chapter 3!
