"Godspeed, Rebels," she said before launching the Raddus towards the Supremacy and the rest of Snoke's fleet, allowing the last survivors of the Resistance to escape on small transports. The remaining First Order ships were heavily damaged by the impact, leaving them unable to scan the perimeter and read the Rebel transports' course.
Kylo and Rey survived the attack—they took Snoke's personal craft, were they sent an urgent transmission to the nearest First Order convoy. Kylo presented himself as the new Supreme Leader to the Resurgent-class Battlecruiser that received it, which made Rey regret her decision to join him almost immediately. Leia and the rest of the Resistance landed on Crait, a nearby mineral planet with an abandoned Rebel fortress.
Kylo was provided with the Supremacy II (another Resurgent-class Battlecruiser formerly known as Colossal), which would serve as the new First Order headquarters. By the time Kylo's fleet regrouped, the Rebels had vanished without a trace.
A month had passed—the First Order still relentlessly scanning for any transmission that would give them the Resistance's current position. Kylo and Rey have been together for 3 weeks now, they still have doubts about each other's intentions. Their feelings are starting to cloud their judgement as the relationship grows more intimate and physical.
"General Hux," Kylo contacted the Finalizer, one of his escort ships.
"Supreme Leader—" Hux saluted, "we've stablished multiple blockades as you requested, my lord. Passing ships have been called out for inspection but we've found nothing so far."
Hux and the rest of the personnel in the command bridge awaited an answer. It was no secret the General and the Supreme Leader didn't get along—their motivations clashed very frequently. Hux was constantly going on about Ren's inability to lead the First Order and his lack of military experience—he was sure the Supreme Leader was being deceived by that scavenger girl. He would never lose the opportunity to make Kylo Ren look bad in front of everyone.
The General stood proud and held his gaze towards the Supreme Leader's holographic projection, making an effort to look confident. He didn't agree at all with Kylo Ren's plan. Hux wanted the First Order to occupy every system, every planet and every moon—bring the Resistance to their knees by fire and blood.
Kylo was starting to grow impatient as the days went by and no one had seemed to hear about the whereabouts of his mother and her band of traitors, liars and thieves. Either they were so well hidden or Hux was using everything in his power to sabotage his strategy.
The personnel gasped in horror as the General brought his hands to his neck.
"The Resistance is bleeding, General. They won't come out of their rat hole—they are regrouping, calling out for help, searching for allies as we speak."
"W-w-we'll double our efforts, Supreme Leader," he said—pausing between words. Hux's face was turning purple, the rest of the personnel in the command bridge watching the scene in awe.
"Any further delays will cost us the war," Kylo continued, "–and your life."
"There she is."
Rey turned at the sound of his voice—she didn't sense his presence as she was immersed in her own thoughts.
"Hey," she closed the book in her hands and walked to his encounter.
He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her figure. Her hair was slightly wet as she had just returned from her bacta session at the ship's medical facility. The wound didn't cause her any pain now—a scar spread from her left hip bone towards her sixth intercostal space on the axillary line.
"I thought you'd be at my quarters."
She sighed—she had been unable to train for a whole week now. She had spent her days in silence, meditating at the library near the common dinning room. It was originally intended for the personnel aboard the Supremacy II—however, it was empty most of the time. It seemed she was the only person who didn't have better things to do than reading old books.
Rey was wearing loose hair and clothing made from ice scrabbler fur—she was given nice expensive coats and dresses when she arrived at the Supremacy II. Kylo still counted on the possibility that she would eventually change her mind and agree to rule the First Order by his side. He gave her a closet worthy of an empress, eagerly waiting for the day to make a public appearance as the new owners of the galaxy.
Rey preferred to wear her training clothes (she was given new outfits for that too), but it seemed a bit silly to use them for a quiet evening at the library. The room was spacious—white flooring and tall walls filled with books surrounded some lounge styled couches and coffee tables. She specially loved the view—an enormous window allowed her to see the Jinata system. She was standing in front of the glass before Kylo arrived.
Kylo had just returned from Kaestro—capital city to the planet Vardos. He seeked to end the tumultuous relationship between the vardosians and the First Order by rebuilding their capital city. He met with the leaders of Jinata Security and offered them a renewed alliance. He was pleased with the negotiations—the First Order was now able to occupy their system and use their resources and military technology. The Supreme Leader was wearing a black tunic and cloak embroidered with gold and silver thread—a belt adorned his waist.
"I wanted to be alone."
"Want me to leave?"
"No, stay," she held his hand and guided him to the nearest couch. She hadn't seen him during the whole day—or the day before.
"What were you reading?" he asked as he sat next to her.
She handed the book to him—It was The New Republic: Restoring the Senate after the Galactic Empire. He frowned immediately, which made her chuckle.
"I know you don't approve."
"I don't even know why we have this type of books inside this ship," he said contemptuously.
Finding something not related to the First Order was actually hard—the whole library was filled with history books written by supporters of the Galactic Empire or the First Order. Most of it was war propaganda, only a small section included neutral history books—she had read them all already.
"I bet my mother is mentioned on this."
"She is."
Rey had never heard Kylo acknowledge his mother before. As the last Princess of Alderaan, Leia played an important role in the restoration of the Galactic Senate, where she later served as a Senator in Hanna City—where Ben was born.
Rey couldn't help but wonder what was of Ben Solo before Kylo Ren. She felt the conflict inside him—just the mere mention of his mother had made him uneasy.
She was desperate to know about the Resistance. She had found a way to stay informed about the issue, despite Kylo's attempts to keep her away from the command bridge. Kylo had little control over his emotions—anything related to his mother caused chaos inside him. If Leia's whereabouts were known, he wouldn't as calm as he was in that moment—she knew that by now.
"What are you thinking?" he pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Nothing."
"I know 'nothing'—I bet I can make you forget whatever is troubling you right now."
"Here?"
"Yes, here," he found her lips and pulled her closer.
Rey didn't deny the kiss—she wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up to place her in his lap. He kissed her fiercely, tasting every inch of her mouth and tongue. She felt breathless as he moved to her neck, tracing a small trail of kisses.
Right in that moment, she forgot about everything—all her doubts about Ben Solo were gone. She could have swore Kylo Ren never existed. She felt love, kindness and compassion within him. His lips were soft—they caressed the skin on her neck while the smell of his hair reached her lungs.
An unpleasant feeling suddenly attacked her—Rey wasn't certain Kylo would choose her over the First Order. She was hoping he would when the moment came, but the truth is she wasn't sure the thought would even cross his mind. She wanted him to come back with her and reunite with his mother, help the Resistance bring peace to the galaxy once again.
No matter how much she cared for Ben, she would support the Resistance no matter the cost. She didn't even know the man—Kylo's intentions with her were never clear. He promised her a new order for the galaxy—and yet, he had just returned from a military meeting with the sole purpose of destroying everyone she cared for.
"Ben?"
"Mm-hmm?"
"I'm waiting on you to fulfill your promise."
"What promise?"
"To share your mind with me."
He stopped kissing her, meeting her eyes at last. Confusion was painted all over his face—she saw some hints of fear too and it made her feel more curious about what he could be hiding.
"I never promised such thing."
She gave him a piercing gaze. Kylo was terrified at the idea—he had looked inside her mind many times before. He still hadn't found the answer he was searching for—it was clear to him by now that other means were necessary. But his mind? He was plagued with lies, deception and hate.
"I don't think we are ready for that."
"I think we are."
He sighed, a clear hint of surrender. "Right now?"
She nodded, and the Ben Solo that was there a minute ago was nowhere to be found now. A huge turmoil of emotions invaded Kylo's body—fear, shame, confusion, resentment and loneliness.
"Rey, I've—" he struggled to find the words, "I've done terrible things."
She knew that. She knew that all along—and still, she was hopeful. Ben Solo was buried deep inside Kylo Ren, but he wasn't gone—he couldn't be gone.
"Trust me," she said and grabbed his hand.
He did trust her, he trusted her blindly—but the shame he carried weighed a lot more now. Kylo felt the room was narrower than before—he feared what would come after. He didn't want to give away his darkest secrets to her, what would Rey think of him?
Rey was anxious at the possibilities—she wasn't sure what would happen if she didn't like what she was about to witness. Could she leave him? Would he let her go? Of course not—she would become his prisoner as soon as she turned on him. Perhaps she was already a prisoner—she had allowed her feelings for him to grow to the point she wasn't strong enough to leave him behind. What would Finn think about her choices? Hey Finn—I've been sleeping with Kylo Ren in a desperate attempt to redeem him and save you all. He gives me nice dresses so I will look appropriate when we finally tell the whole galaxy they will bow to us.
As insane as it seemed, that was her plan. Rey wanted Ben Solo back, bring him home. She knew it sounded crazy to hold onto a person whose choices seemed to be made—the problem was Kylo Ren's weren't. She felt it—the conflict was there, the pull to the Light haunted him day and night. Ben Solo was there every time he kissed her—he was full of compassion and love. Would she be the one to redeem him?
Fear shone through Kylo's eyes, chills roaming his body. He caught himself wishing for someone to burst into the room—but the corridor was empty, no one would interrupt them. He found her gaze—Force, she looked pretty that day. He tried to memorize every aspect of her face, in case that was the last time she looked at him that way.
She reached out.