A/N: We're back for Chapter 2 :) Just a quick note: I will be combining the cannon with some parts of the EU just to make my version of the story flow better. Anyway, enjoy!
Ren felt the world fall away.
It's a dream. His mind faltered, his chest constricting painfully. It had to be.
For a beautiful, fleeting moment, it was just the two of them; standing several meters across from each other on a grassy lawn near the lake...An impossible, perfect dream.
If her goal had been to give her companion time to escape with Toth Daa'r, it had worked. But Ren didn't care. The only thing that interested him at this moment was the person in front of him.
How? After all this time…
He shook the shock from his system. Vehemently reminding himself that he'd watched her die. That'd he'd felt the sudden pain of her presence vanishing from the Force. Mourned her.
He blinked to clear the vision of her from his eyes, but when he opened them again she was still there. Again, he searched the Force for her. Again, there was nothing.
Either ghosts were real and he was finally suffering the consequences of his actions; or somehow, she'd managed to hide from him. Neither one seemed possible.
From behind the protection of his mask he let his eyes rove over her, searing every detail to memory. Time had taken the girl he remembered and turned her into a woman. The soft layer of fat that came with youth had given way to strength and muscle. She'd lengthened and narrowed, no longer a short, gawky teen. Curves he didn't remember seemed to demand his attention; and required effort when he tried to move on from them. But it was her face he studied most, fascinated. Familiar and new. Freckles he'd never seen before smudging the bridge of her nose. A familiar crease between the brows as she focused, calculated her next move. The green glow of her lightsaber casting shadows across her face as she slowly rotated it around, impatient, watching him for cues.
His Knights of Ren and a seething General Hux came to a stop behind him, awaiting his instruction, but he ignored them. Instead, he mimicked her; matching her step for step, as she slowly inched backwards in the direction of her ship. It was as if she knew the effect she'd had on him and didn't want to break the spell.
"A Jedi Knight?" General Hux sneered, demanding attention. "I thought you all died ages ago?"
Like the shattering of glass, the spell broke, and chaos erupted. Lira threw out a hand and sent everyone but Ren crashing backwards to the ground. Ren hadn't expected such strength from her, but his own skill had kept him standing, and he bolted after her when she turned and ran. They were still far from the edge of the water, meaning they both had a chance of success - his in capturing her; and hers in escape. The engine of her ship roared to life, suddenly visible on the abandoned dock. Her companion, a man Ren was interested in interrogating, yelled at her from behind the windshield to hurry up. His hands dancing over the console as he tried to prepare for takeoff.
No! Some inner demon snarled, filling him with fury and adrenaline. I won't let you get away. I won't let you vanish again. They were far enough from her ship that he could catch her. He would catch her.
Behind his mask, he smiled. His legs were longer. The distance between them closing. Wildly, he wondered if sheer force of will would allow him to catch her. After all, his surprise at seeing her alive had filled him with a toxic mix of emotions, and he refused to let her escape until his questions had been answered. He refused to let her escape at all.
"Shoot her!" General Hux yelled from behind him. His face red and blotchy, furious at having been tossed about by a girl.
"No!" Ren bellowed, distracted enough to turn and stop his men. He would take her alive, damn it. And he learn just how she'd managed to hide from him this whole time when he was certain he'd watched her die. He gestured to the pier. "Stop the ship!"
Lira's legs protested as she whipped around, turned off her lightsaber, and sprinted for the Reaper. Her earlier injury flaring to life. It wasn't that she was out of shape, per se, she just hated running. If there had been any other way out of here that did not involve running, she would have taken it. Ahead of her, Jae yelled for her to hurry, his hands furiously running over the console as he tried to get the autopilot going so he could help her. Toth Daa'r was out of sight, and she wondered for a moment if Jae had shoved him into a smuggling hole.
Her legs did their best to propel her, but she faltered at someone's screeching command to shoot her. A quick glance back told her it was the twit in the uniform. She'd return the favor to him one day. Right now she had bigger, darker problems. Ren's command to stop had surprised her, and she thought for a second that she would make it…until he instructed his men to attack the ship.
Son of a shit!
Thoughts, calculations, and various different scenarios flashed inside her mind, none of them with a perfect ending. All she needed was a viable plan that wouldn't get her and Jae killed – or worse. The only plan that came to mind was one she knew would cost her. Running and using the Force at the same time was something she sucked at. It required focus on two different tasks that usually ended up with her botching something up.
Choose! Her mind yelled at her. Fight or flight. Fight or Flight?
She shook her head. I can't give up without trying.
Tossing her doubts aside, she threw out a hand to deflect some of the blaster fire raining down on Jae and her ship. Slowing down as she did so.
The air around her crackled with energy and she knew that Kylo Ren was about to use the Force against her. Dread coiled itself into knots in her stomach. There was no way for her to honestly know who was stronger. Although she was certain that in a fair fight, she could beat him. Except there is nothing fair about that man, her mind hissed back.
She felt the rush of the Force as he tried to Push her down. She turned, trying to deflect some of it away with her own use of the Force, but he was much stronger than she'd anticipated. She staggered but kept her balance, and continued running.
Too close. Much too close.
Her legs were beginning to ache and she begged them for just a little more. They ignored her. And worse, began to slow. "It's not that far," she grunted, willing them forward and ignoring the way fire licked at her right ankle.
I swear if I make it out of this, I'll take it easy for a month; nothing but hot baths and massages.
Her psychological bribery failed. She could feel her muscles tighten, reminding her that she'd free climbed a three story wall, broken a window, then jumped out of said three story window, landed poorly, and then hauled ass with Toth Daa'r fighting her the entire time as they ran from the First Order.
Without warning, she felt another Push; and this time, she hit the ground. Hard.
She swore.
Kylo Ren was much closer than she'd realized. He'd always been taller, and therefore, faster; and maybe, just maybe, he was stronger than her. But I'll die before I tell him that. In moments he shortened the distance between them to practically nothing.
She couldn't see his face behind that stupid mask he wore, but she could feel the emotions radiating off of him in waves. Anger, excitement, and something she couldn't identify. A shiver raced up her spine. Bounty hunter Lira James would die before she ever again admitted that she was afraid of a man, but the feeling Kylo Ren's approach stirred in her was close to it.
A part of her wanted to laugh at her stupidity for taking the job; and her horrible luck that he, of all people, had been waiting.
The greater good be damned. I'm about to get my best friend caught and probably killed.
Her mind rallied, reaching out for the familiar trace of her Master as she scrambled to her feet, still intent on running or fighting – whichever was the best option. The Reaper was closer than before, so there was still a chance she could make it; but Jae was taking on heavy fire from the Stormtroopers and she knew their shields were beginning to weaken. In a heartbeat, she made her choice.
Master Luke, Jae needs you. No time to explain. Meet on Takodana.
She turned away from Kylo Ren and focused on using the Force to close the boarding ramp. There was no way she would let Jae suffer for her mistakes. This way, at the very least, one good thing can come of this mess.
It took a second for Jae to realize what she was doing. As soon as he did, he leapt from his seat and ran for the ramp, screaming her name. They both knew that as soon as the ramp closed, the autopilot would initiate take off, and he wouldn't have time to stop it.
I'm sorry Jae.
Behind her, the air rippled with Ren's energy. "Stop running, Lira." He whispered; his mechanical voice silky and smooth. "You can't escape." He was close. Hardly a foot away.
Lira turned; her saber alight when she faced him. "Maybe not, but I can damn sure fight."
If his features hadn't been hidden from her, she was sure he would have frowned. Keeping her eyes on him, she slowly circled him, trying to get a better view of Jae and see if he'd cleared the lake. If not, he would still be vulnerable to the blasters.
She glanced over the Dark Jedi's shoulder and felt a small measure of relief. The Reaper was gone. He must have turned on the cloaking device. It didn't matter. At the very least, Jae was safe and he had the package the Resistance had requested, which hopefully would prove to be useful.
Ren waited, watching her. Knowing exactly what was coming, not because he used the Force to see it, but because knew her.
The moment her green eyes strayed from his mask, he made his move.
Harnessing his anger, and a darker, hotter emotion, he used as much of the Force as he could without killing her, to lift her from her feet and launch her backwards into a nearby tree. A crack ripped through the air when she collided with it. It snapped and fell with her to the ground. With a flick of his wrist, Ren made sure it didn't land on her.
He expected her to remain still, unconscious; but she surprised him again by stirring.
Stubborn as always. He mused. Anyone else would be unconscious, but not you, Lira. Not you.
He stalked her, stretching his hand to her as she sought support from the trunk of the tree. Despite the strength of her mental walls, she was weak. It was easy enough for him to render her unconscious. When she slumped back against the ground, he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Lira." He whispered, keeping his back to his men as he picked her up. Gently, he sent her deeper into unconsciousness, hoping it would buy him some time before she woke and let loose her fury.
When he rejoined them, he was ready for the verbal tirade General Hux launched at him. "Why did you stop us from killing her?" he demanded "We don't need any more Jedi Knights running around the galaxy than there already are! And now the Resistance has Toth Daa'r! Preventing that was the whole reason we were here in the first place! You can be sure I will report this to the Supreme Leader, Lord Ren!"
Ren ignored him, for once not caring about the threats and insults General Hux had dancing around in his mind. His men silently followed him back to their own ship, and though they didn't voice any questions of their own, he could hear their thoughts wonder about their new prisoner.
Glancing down at the ghost in his arms, he tightened his grip; afraid that if he didn't hold on properly, she would vanish from him once more.
As soon as they were aboard his command shuttle, Ren gave the order for them to return to the Finalizer. He needed a proper place to interrogate her where her means of escape would be limited, if not impossible; and where he could spend time with her away from Snoke.
"General Hux, a word, if you please."
Hux glared at him. His blue eyes frigid, a sneer ready on his lips.
Ren could easily see the mental images that played out in Hux's mind of refusing his request, or throwing more insults at him in attempt assert his own authority. But they both knew it would be a mistake for him to do either of those things. For the time being, Ren was still Snoke's favorite.
Agitated, Hux nodded and followed Ren to the prison cells at the back of the ship.
"I understand you're upset with me." Ren stated blandly, laying Lira down on a cot and closing a small set of shackles around her wrists.
Hux faltered; unsure of whether he should admit his true feelings to Ren or placate him if it meant keeping himself in Snoke's good graces. The internal debate took longer than Ren expected, and what little seed of tolerance he felt for the man withered and died.
Pathetic.
Finally, Hux opted for the latter, thinking it would eventually lead to more power; and then the ability to truly let Ren know how much he hated him.
So predictable.
Ren sighed, closing the cell doors behind him as they returned to the corridor.
"Not quite, Lord Ren. I simply do not understand why we weren't allowed to kill her – if it meant preventing the kidnappers from escaping with Toth Daa'r. By now they must have alerted the Resistance to his capture."
Ren nodded, as if he believed a word Hux said. "I see." He turned to face the other man. "It's all right, General Hux. There is nothing to worry about." He let his voice slip smoothly from his lips, slow and soothing, as he performed one of the earliest techniques he'd learned. He'd become so adept at it, he no longer needed anything but the power of his will and a soothing voice to accomplish it.
Hux's blue eyes glazed over, his jaw slacking. "I don't understand." His body was stiff. Somewhere inside his mind he was trying to fight with Ren.
"It's true the kidnappers escaped with Toth Daa'r, but I will take the Equalizer and my crew to find them, and stop them before he is able to give them any pertinent information. You can return to Starkiller Base. Don't worry. You'd rather be there anyway."
It required a little more effort than he'd anticipated, but eventually Ren felt Hux's mind cave under his will, and he was able to wipe all the memories of Lira and the Jedi Knight from his mind.
"Why don't you go to the bridge and alert Captain Phasma that you'll need a team, so they can be ready for your departure when we land?" Ren asked. His voice smooth, melodic. He placed the thought so firmly in Hux's mind, it was as if it had been his idea all along.
The arrogance and rigidity of Hux's posture returned immediately. "I'm going to alert the Finalizer to have a crew ready to take me to Starkiller Base. There are things I need to finish there while you try to catch those Resistance kidnappers and minimize your failure."
Behind his mask, Ren smirked. He could sense no memories of Lira or a Jedi Knight in Hux's mind, let alone any doubts about his purpose. When he was certain the other man had gone, he changed the passcode for the cells to his private combination so that no one else could enter the rooms.