Even with their possessions stowed, the cockpit was tiny, and cramped. The ship, which could normally hold a pilot and a droid, or a pilot and a co pilot, had been modified to fit all three, at the expense of any degree of comfort.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Poe asked. Rey glanced up at the window of the closed hatch above them, seeing the blackness of space as the planet fell away beneath them. She was silent for a moment, thinking the question over carefully before answering.

"No turning back now," she said, feeling an unexpected twinge. Would Luke be alright without her? He had always been mostly solitary, but without her, all he had was the company of the Lanai caretakers.

"Alright," Poe said. "Time to make the jump. BB-8?"

The little droid beeping in confirmation and Poe pressed forward on the hyperdrive switch. The stars in front of them stretched into long lines, and Rey was momentarily pressed into her chair by the forward surge of the ship as it made the jump.

Rey spent much of their time in hyperspace dozing. The night of working on the Sleuth had left her exhausted.

"I'm not getting any responses from the base."

Poe's voice dragged Rey back from the edge of sleep, and she shook her head to clear away the mental cobwebs.

"Could they be being jammed?" she asked. In front of her, Poe shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. There's just… Nothing. We're gonna come out of hyperspace. Sensors aren't picking up any ships, so either we beat the First Order here, or we are late to the party."

He began to pull the lever back towards himself, and the stars slammed back into their solitary positions in the sky. In front of them was a massive planet in varying shades of green, with one notable exception.

Even from space, the black column of smoke rising from the planet's surface could not be missed.

"No," Poe whispered. It didn't take much to realize what had happened. They hadn't beaten the First Order. They were too late.

"That was the base?" Rey asked hesitantly. Poe nodded and continued to stare intently out the front viewport of the Sleuth.

"Where would they have gone after this?"

Poe swallowed hard and took a deep, steadying breath.

"There's a few places. Not enough debris around here for them to have gotten the whole fleet. At least some of them got out."

His fingers danced over the console in front of him. "We better get out of here. No telling wh-"

The ship gave a sickening lurch, and BB-8 started to trill frantically.

"What the-" Poe craned his neck for a better view outside, in time to see a massive object materialize from nothing. A cloaked Destroyer.

"We gotta get out of here, BB-8. Plan a jump! Anywhere but here, before-"

Once more he was cut off as the ship jerked sharply.

"No, no, no." Poe pushed a switch and pressed forward on the ship's controls, but they were moving backwards, towards the Destroyer.

"What's happening?" Rey asked, feeling surprisingly calm.

"They've got us in a tractor beam."

The finality of his tone was impossible to miss.

"They're not trying to kill us. Isn't that a good thing?"

Less than a day off of Ahch-To and Rey was being pulled into the hands of the enemy. Some help she was.

"Not exactly. This won't be the first time I've been a guest of the First Order. Their hospitality is lacking." Poe unstrapped himself from his chair and pressed up to the window. "That's the Finalizer."

The significance of the statement was lost on Rey. A shadow passed over the Sleuth as they were drawn under the hull of the Destroyer, and then blinding white light broke in on them as they entered into the docking bay.

"Alright, listen. Tell them you were just some new recruit. Don't say anything about Skywalker," Poe said hurriedly. Rey nodded her head. Of course she wasn't going to tell them anything about Luke.

The ship was settled on the floor and in seconds the sounds of booted feet on the roof of the cockpit rang in her ears. The access hatch gave an angry hiss of air as it was forced open.

"Don't move, rebel scum." The voice was garbled through the stormtrooper's voice modulator as he looked down on them, weapon in hand and at the ready. "Come out slowly with your hands on your head," he ordered.

"Hard to undo my harness with my hands on my head," Poe said.

"Now!" the stormtrooper barked back at him, and Poe reached down, obligingly releasing his safety restraint. Rey did likewise, following him out of the ship into the expansive hangar. TIE fighters lined the walls and there were Ground Walkers, pallets of munitions, and cargo transports.

Hands on her head, Rey slid off the side of the Sleuth, landing on her feet next to Poe. Immediately, troopers stepped forward, binder cuffs in hand. The restraints were clamped on them and Rey's eyes locked onto a nearby figure that watched the proceedings.

The man stood, ramrod straight and hands clasped behind his back. Red hair severely slicked back and black uniform impossibly neat and smooth. Only when the pair were restrained and pushed to their knees did he approach.

"Seems we were correct in thinking there would be stragglers." His tone was thick with superiority, dripping condescension. Then, his eyes focused more fully on Poe and he barked out a short laugh.

"I know you. The Resistance pilot." He chuckled again. "So recently escaped from us, now returned. A trick you won't succeed at again." Shifting from Poe, he looked down at Rey. She kept her face neutral.

"And what role do you play for that doomed group of nuisances?" he demanded. Rey swallowed, trying to decide how to answer.

"I'm nobody," she finally said. The man smiled slowly, an unpleasant expression that spread across his face like oil on water.

"You are that," he said. "I am General Hux of the First Order. And you, the both of you, are to be questioned on your involvement in the Resistance and on their possible safe havens." He gestured at them with one hand. "Have them placed in interrogation cells and summon Ren. I want him to deal with this. Last time the pilot was with us he was the only one to get results."

Tightly gripped by the arm, Rey was hauled back to her feet and jostled out of the hangar towards the depths of the Finalizer. She could hear Poe chattering nonchalantly to his own escort as they were led through the halls to the detention level.

They passed a central chamber where two security officers sat at a round computer console set into the floor, and down a seperate hall of metal doors. Inside one, she was led to an inclined platform with heavy, metal restraints. On the walls of the room were shelves of instruments, no doubt for the use of dragging information out of unwilling captives.

The binder cuffs were removed and she was pressed onto the table and restrained anew. Was Poe getting similar treatment? Somehow she suspected his would be worse, since he had the reputation of an escapee. Not to mention his apparent habit of goading on his enemies.

Rey was left alone in her cell, lit by a single panel of lights directly above the interrogation platform. There was no way of telling how much time passed, but a sense of dread continued to grow on her when she thought over what Hux had told the stormtroopers. He wanted 'Ren' to deal with them. Was it Kylo Ren? The apprentice of the Supreme Leader of the First Order himself?

Fighting to steady her nerves, Rey tried to breathe calmly, closing her eyes to center herself. On the island it had been something Luke had taught her.

"You don't have to be a Jedi to practice meditation," he had said.

As she recalled what he had taught her, Rey's heart finally began to slow. Whatever happened, she would meet it with quiet calm.

The door to the room hissed open, and the light inside seemed dim compared to the illumination of the hallway. Rey squinted, trying to see the figure that entered with heavy, booted footfalls.

The door shut behind him, sealing them together in the room. In the sudden lack of light it was almost harder to pick out details. The figure was dressed all in black from head to toe, his face hidden behind a mask of black and chrome metal. He stood slightly hunched over, as though it was difficult to support his towering frame. On his belt, Rey saw what she knew to be the hilt of a lightsaber.

He didn't immediately speak. Instead, Kylo Ren, for it must have been he, circled the platform. Even with the mask to hide his face, Rey could feel eyes boring into her, assessing her.

Finally, the dark form came to stand in front of her, cocking his head to one side, and she heard him sigh through the voice modulator.

"A girl," he said, and the condescension in his voice rivaled that of General Hux. "Hux didn't trust his men to be capable of extracting information from a girl."

She wanted to stay silent, told herself she would be quiet, though something in her eyes apparently warranted additional comment from him.

"I didn't realize he would so openly insult me."

Through the mask, Kylo Ren's voice was calm. After what Poe had told her she had expected a creature seething with palpable anger. A being that would wear rage like a cloak. The thing in front of her was eerily placid.

"Where's my friend?" Rey demanded when the following silence stretched too long. Kylo Ren continued to stand, impassive.

"Ah, the pilot. I gathered from him you had only just met recently. But you're friends?"

The revelation that Poe had already been questioned made something twist painfully in Rey's gut. She clenched her hands.

"Where is he?" she reiterated.

"He's resting. It's not the first time I've had cause to question him. He held out longer this time. I think the effort was taxing."

As he spoke, something touched the fringes of Rey's mind. A gentle brush that she instinctively recoiled from.

"Monster," she hissed, trying to distract from the sensation. "Leave him alone, or-"

Kylo Ren straightened to his full height and her sentence cut off in a small gasp as she waited for some sort of physical rebuke. He walked forward, slowly, taking his time, moving in close until she found herself straining back against the table with nowhere to escape to.

"Or what?" he asked, and it sounded almost like there was veiled amusement in his voice.

When Rey did not offer another threat, he tilted his head to the side again.

"A monster," Kylo Ren said thoughtfully. Rey continued to do the only thing she could do; she stared at him, as unblinking as possible.

His hand came up and she closed her eyes, expecting him to strike her. Instead, she felt the gentle pressure of fingertips on her cheek. She tried to recoil again into the unyielding platform.

Once more, she felt the sensation of something brushing up against her mind.

"Is it worth it for me to question you?" the masked creature asked.

Rey gritted her teeth. "No."

With an accepting nod, Kylo Ren seemed to focus. Something shifted in the room, and this time, the mental probe did not vanish, but pressed deeper, beyond any defense she thought she had.

And it hurt. Rey's teeth ground together as she fought the invasion. Kylo Ren was unmoving.

"It goes easier if you cooperate," he said. Then, "From Jakku. A little scavenger mouse. A child. You have not lived there in some time."

Rey felt a surge of panic. She couldn't let him find out about Luke.

"An island," he continued to narrate his findings smugly. "You lived on an island. So lonely. Not alone, but lonely nonetheless." His voice had grew ever so slightly softer as he went along, and he leaned in closer, head bowed in concentration. "And," he paused. "Han Solo. You're thinking about Han Solo? The pilot told you about that, did he? The name was important to you, from your time on Jakku."

Rey could feel his hand start to tremble against her skin. Tears leaked from her eyes as she continued to fight him, to push him out, push him back.

Pain that was not hers lanced through Rey's chest, and her eyes flew wide open. The name 'Han Solo' was agony, tearing at her. Uncertainty. Fear. Weakness. Terrible, terrible weakness where there should have been new strength. And...

"He was your father," she murmured, fighting back the crushing fear, unsure of how she suddenly knew this with such certainty. "You killed your fath-" Her voice broke off as Kylo Ren jerked away from her with a hiss, visibly shaking.

"You killed your father for power?" Rey's voice was stronger now, with her mind to herself again, and she shook her head. For a moment the only sound in the room was their breathing. Hers, heavy from the exertion of the mental battle, and his shallow, haunted, shuddering breaths.

"I did," he said, searching her face. "You want to kill me. Avenge a fallen hero, a man you never even met. Strike a blow in favor of the Resistance?" He continued to stare at her through the mask, waiting for an answer Rey would not offer him. When she remained silent, Kylo Ren reached up to grab at his mask, pressing at some release she could not see. With a hiss it was pulled away, revealing his face.

It was not a monster that stared back at her, but a man. He bore a narrow, regal face, framed in waves of thick, black hair. His mouth was set in a stern line, and his eyes were intense brown orbs that flickered with a burning flame of conflicting emotions. It was no wonder he wore a mask, if his eyes spoke so loudly.

Parting his lips, Kylo Ren drew in a deep, steadying breath, not unlike the meditative breathing Rey had done earlier.

"I won't be called a monster by an ignorant junk trader," he said. Coming forward with purpose, determination written on his features, he put his face inches from hers, staring her down.

"Enough of this. You'll tell me who you are and where you come from. You're hiding something, or you wouldn't fight so desperately."

His hand came up again to rest against her face as he pressed in, pulling at her mental walls, searching.

"What's…" he trailed off, looking suddenly perplexed. "What is this?" he asked. "A cage. What have you locked away?"

As he continued trying to find the information he sought, an ache started behind Rey's eyes. This was not the pain of resistance. This was something she didn't understand.

"The Force," he whispered. "In you?" Kylo Ren's eyebrows drew down and his eyes rose to meet hers. The words made something shatter, and Rey felt a rush of energy surge through her.

Her eyes closed and her mouth opened to cry out. Kylo Ren's hand left her face as he was flung into the far wall. Instruments fell from shelves, the light above her flared and nearly vanished, and the restraint table shorted out, the bindings on her wrists and ankles fell away.

The silence that followed was deafening. Rey panted and nearly collapsed. She brought a hand up to her forehead, though it did not ease the pain throbbing in her head.

"What…"

She stopped when she spotted the form laying half propped against the wall by the door to the cell.

Kylo Ren had been knocked cold by the blast of energy. Even without being able to see the rise and fall of his chest, somehow, Rey knew he was alive.

Cautiously, she climbed down from the slanted table and approached the still form, feeling anger building in her at this taker of lives. Kin-killer, hope crusher, murderer, monster. Her eyes found the lightsaber, still belted at his hip. A weapon. Rey could make sure he never woke up again.

Kneeling down at his side, she reached out, keeping her eyes locked onto his face, watching for signs that he might wake up.

A phantom flicker of pain brushed against her heart. This wasn't her pain. It was his. A remnant of the agony she had witnessed when she had entered his mind. "The Force," he had said. In her? She stopped, hand shaking. Luke had never hinted to her that she might have any kind of connection to the Force. And, Kylo Ren had said it was caged. His attacks on her mental barriers must have broken that cage, but how had it gotten there in the first place?

Shaking away the troubling thoughts, Rey reminded herself that she had much more immediate concerns. Her fingers brushed the saber hilt and she pulled it from the clip on his belt. It was heavy, and much too big for her, but it would have to do.

Thumb on the ignition, Rey looked down at his face and paused. He had not denied any accusations he had found in her. He was a monster, so why did she hesitate?

The door next to her hissed open, and she jumped, eyes flying up to land on the masked face of a stormtrooper.

"Drop the weapon. Hands on your head," he barked.

Rey stayed frozen where she was, searching her mind desperately for something to do, anything that could get her out of this.

The Force?

Kylo Ren's confused voice echoed in her thoughts. If she could use it to see his thoughts, then…

"There has been an incident. You will escort me to the cell of the Resistance pilot," she said as calmly as possible.

When Rey had been small, she had heard stories of Jedi who could make people do what they wanted by using the Force and suggestion. She had always wished she could do that. She would have made Plutt give her all the rations she wanted.

But, now…

The trooper stood still, as though dazed, neither moving to attack, nor to comply.

"Take me to the Resistance pilot," she said again, trying to put force behind the calm order.

The stormtrooper lowered his weapon and nodded once.

"I will take you to the Resistance pilot," he replied, his voice eerily dead of emotion.

With once more glance at Kylo Ren, Rey climbed to her feet, still holding the lightsaber. There was no time, she told herself. No time to deal with him now. Instead, she left the cell and closed the door behind her, leaving him sealed inside.