Chapter 4

Rey rose an eyebrow, facing him unafraid. Is that what you tell yourself at nights?

His reaction was instant. He pushed her against the sink, fury dancing in his dark eyes and she regretted her words.

A pipe burst from somewhere near her but she barely registered the event. Only when water fell on them did she notice and this was mainly because it made her clothing material stick to her skin. Goosebumps formed on her arms where Kylo's hands were holding her captive.

Is this making you uncomfortable, Last Jedi?, his deep voice asked her but his tone was caustic.

It was no longer the sound of smooth velvet on rose petals but prickly thorns. She registered the change instantly because she was no longer talking to Ben but to the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

What he did next, however, caught her unawares. He brought one of her hands to his lips, without breaking her gaze and placed a featherlike kiss on it. She shouldn't have reacted the way she did but her blood pumped faster and she felt a tremor going down the back of her spine, a clear sign of fear or arousal.

Embarrassed, she tried to look away from him but there was no point in trying to hide it. Kylo had felt it, too.

Is physical contact with me what you crave?, he asked her and he laughed humorlessly, his eyes dark and sad.

Rey felt resolution forming within her and she broke away from his grasp. Not like this.

He stared back at her in shock. He must have been surprised to find out she was not lying.

Kylo pulled back. Do you wish to touch me when I am angry? In pain? When I am weak? In pity?

A knock on the door forced them to pull back further. "Rey, you okay?"

She could feel the hurt in his voice through their connection but his image was wavering. No! I simply want the man I have been conversing with recently, not this altered version of him!

"For the love of the stars, Rey open the door!" Finn commanded and she heard a thump against the door.

She closed her eyes briefly hoping her words reached him and when she next opened them in Kylo's place stood Finn. She tried to hide her disappointment.

He looked irritated and he was tapping his foot on the ground while staring at the burst pipe.

"Really, Rey? Your control of the force is that poor? Man…" he said, shaking his head. "You look ready to explode by the way. And this is coming from me! You know how long I have been waiting outside the toilet?"

He held his hands over his stomach as it growled loudly.

They stared at each other and Rey blinked while Finn turned into a deep shade of crimson.

"Out!" he bellowed and closed the door with force.

Rey didn't need to be told twice and she ran to the storage area, wishing for some privacy. Since their provisions were low some space had been freed and she decided to stake her claim on it. Without asking for permission she moved the food pills and water tanks to the outer corner and slumped against the cold metal, listening intently to the buzz of the air systems.

That night when everyone had gone to sleep she waited, wide awake, connecting to the force and wishing for Kylo's presence.

He did not come to her. Neither the next day or the following week or the following month. With their food supplies exhausted and a restless crew running around aimlessly Rey was beginning to lose every ounce of calmness. She almost fought against poor innocent Rose for no reason other than the fact she had thought the girl touched her belongings. Not that she had a lot to boast about. The misunderstanding had cleared quickly leaving Rey to wonder whether this had been due to her contact with the dark side of the force. But no, the reason was far simpler. She hadn't had enough contact with the dark side of the force, she mused as her thoughts returned once again to Kylo Ren.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only restless member of the crew. Everyone was in a bubble ready to burst and with constant denials and ignores from their former allies they were beginning to lose hope. The Resistance currently boasted less than 100 seasoned fighters, 50 of them being pilots and the rest mechanics and engineers. In terms of weaponry, they only had the Millenium Falcon plus 3 humanoid robot and 60 guns of various sizes, shapes and uses. The only useful cargo was the bombs though a more imminent problem was the lack of food. The Falcon was not designed for long galaxy cruises. Additionally, it was not designed to carry 100 people. In the past, there had been 5 or 10 in there and it had felt packed.

"We are screwed" Poe announced when he next came upon Rey.

His eyes were darting in all directions and sweat was running down his forehead. Somewhere amongst the people, Rey could see Rose and she rose an eyebrow to Finn. His eyes grew large and he shook his head intently before darting off again to the opposite direction of where Rose was.

"Have you seen...?" the girl began but Rey started shaking her head.

"No. Oh, no. I am not doing this any longer" she said and with a steady quick step which showed she meant business, she cleared a path amongst the crew and headed towards the cockpit.

She went to knock on the doors but they slid open before her and she was left with her arm in the air.

General Organa had her knuckles underneath her chin while Poe was talking animatedly to her. She rose her head instantly upon watching Rey enter.

"Oh, splendid! How nice of you to join us, young Jedi" she said as if in dismissal.

Rey's eyebrows pulled together as if to reply but the Princess waved her hand in the air. "I know what you are going to say. Its what this pilot has been torturing me with these last few weeks"

"Much good it has done. You have ignored me!" the pilot exclaimed.

Leia's brows pulled together and feighed being insulted. "Ignored? I would never! I merely took whatever you said into deep consideration"

Having run out of patience Rey slammed her hand on the cockpit's instruments and a red light went off, signalling an alarm.

"I am listening," Leia said and gave Rey a smirk while Poe rose his hands in exasperation.

"If I knew this was the way you would listen to me I would have done this two weeks ago," he said.

"We need to land and soon. There is no food left and this ship was not built to house one hundred of us" Rey said, her hand still on one of the instruments.

"Oh, I most definitely agree with you. Luckily for both of you, I have found just the planet" Leia said.

"Whaaaat?" Poe said and shot up. "Did you not think to mention it to me during all these countless time I tried to persuade you to land?"

She rose her shoulders. "A leader must have patience and this is what you both lack"

Rey sighed in exasperation. "Though I do not disagree, we currently need food and a shower more than we need a life lesson"

Leia nodded.

"So where are we landing?" asked an excited Poe.

The Princess was silent for a moment.

"Canto Bight"

...

"She is mad" Finn proclaimed upon hearing of the General's plan. "Does she not know what happened to us last time we were there? Does she think they will welcome us with open arms? Those men are traitors. They sided with the First Order last time; what makes her think they will side with us now?"

Chewbacca growled deep in thought but it was Rose who offered the counterargument.

"They do not know of our involvement though. They only knew some prisoners escaped and DJ, a known weapon merchant struck a deal with the First Order. A merchant who was in jail for crimes he had already committed against them"

"They are traitors!" Finn continued, looking at Rose with an open mouth.

The girl shook her head. "No, they are dealers"

The ex-storm trooper was left gaping at her. "Really? After their wonderful hospitality, you want to go there? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Rose shrugged but Princess Leia came to offer her support. "They are high society, the lot of them who send their gangsters to complete their shady deals. They would not deny the chance to help the Princess of Alderaan. If only to show me off to the highest bidder"

There was contempt in her tone, disgust as well as surrender.

Rey had been silent all this while but she felt the Princess's eyes on her.

"They may want to meet the Last Jedi also" she added and waited.

Her brows pulled together and her lips tightened. "You want us to be... Spectacles?"

"Think of us as trophies, war heroes. Let us give them the show they want while we load our ship with cargo"

Finn looked from Rose to Leia and then Rey. Finally, his eyes rested on Poe.

"Please tell me you disagree with these women"

"Their plan makes sense. Besides what's the alternative? We die on the ship. Apart from Rey, Chewbacca and the droids that is. But the Resistance will disappear and the First Order will win"

"Fuck, what happened to you guys after the battle in Crait? You are all mad"

His footsteps echoed throughout the ship as he walked to the other end.

"So... Everyone else on board?" Poe asked. It only took a second before the rest of the crew nodded their approval.

Preparations soon began but Rey excused herself and headed to the storage room. Nearby, Finn had slumped on the floor but she had no energy to comfort him.

She was happy to be heading to land and terrified that Finn's suspicions would come true. Canto Bight was not a friendly planet. It was famous even in Jakku for all the bad reasons. And that said a lot considering Jakku was practically a slave planet. She cursed under her breath and wished for her confidant. But what would she share with him even if he was present? She could say nothing of import.

At the same time maybe Kylo Ren was preparing to strike a deal of his own with Canto Bight. It would be so useful if she knew his plans. She could very easily warn the others, think of an alternative planet to land on...

Rey heard the soft tap of water and felt the warm steam on her face. Droplets as large as her fist surrounded her and the heat made her palms sweat in perspiration.

I would rather not do this now, she heard a whisper in her mind but was unable to locate him.

She looked at the floor embarrassed and felt her cheeks flaming up. Trust me, neither do I.

An exasperated sigh was heard in the room and when she looked up she saw his figure towering above her. He wore a loose dark robe with creases on its edges, a sign of his haste to put something on. His hair was wet and water droplets fell from it only to rise in the air and grow in size.

You have relocated, he said examining her surroundings.

Rey gulped.

Does that mean you have landed somewhere?, he asked but she remained stoic and he shook his head. I will not ask for further information. It is only a matter of time before I find the resistance. I was simply curious.

Rey studied him, his stance, his pose. His words and his emotions. Her instinct told her he knew nothing and was instantly relieved.

You look calm, she noticed and was surprised to see this change in his behaviour.

He nodded. Nowadays, I only get mad when I encounter people who use the force. Besides, I have decided to take your advice and control my emotions better.

At those words, a grey mist began emerging from his fingertips. It spread to the walls of the bath chamber, popped the droplets of water still floating and headed towards Rey's direction.

She gazed at it terrified and took many steps back. The mist stopped and when she looked up a smile was playing at the corners of Kylo's mouth.

I always wondered if there was something you were afraid of. It seems I now have my answer. The question still remains, however. Are you afraid of the power itself or what your reaction will be to it?

With this, the tentacles of darkness sprung out of their original position and grazed the inside of her left arm, just below her elbow. She wanted to fight against it but when she tried to grab the force it disappeared into the thin mist.

What did you do?, she asked, staring down at her arm in fear.

Something I should have done since the time we met, he replied and grabbed her left arm forcefully looking down at the mark.

Let go, Rey warned.

Kylo Ren ignored her. This is where I burnt you last time, is it not?

He traced the faint outline with his fingertip while she stayed silent. The air between them was charged but the difference was that Rey was angry now.

Let go, she repeated.

Once again, he ignored her half plead half command. I am only trying to heal what I have damaged.

She did not warn him before she attacked. The force which exploded from within her took her by surprise. Kylo was knocked to the floor, hitting his head on the marble floor. Rey had no room for pity or compassion.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" she screamed.

She desperately wanted a reply but there was fear in Kylo's eyes and his image was wavering, his voice lost.

Before he disappeared into nothingness Rey managed to close her fingers around his neck and pushed tightly as he gasped for air. She continued doing this movement even after his image was lost and she threw a punch at the nearest wall, leaving behind her a dent.

Kylo Ren unsettled her in every way possible but even worse was how easily she was manipulated by him. She stared down at her arm again, horrified at the new grey indent just below her elbow, the only sign she had been touched by the dark side.

Finn was the first to see her in this condition and he gulped but luckily for her he wasn't completely aware of what had happened.

"Phew, and I thought I was having a bad day. Better calm yourself down, Last Jedi. Our guests are expecting us"

Thank you for all your reviews! Tweetie Pie I corrected my spelling in terms of character names! duke15stam that was the plan anyways! beats4justin and siranai atsune thank you very much! I will continue to write and see where this story goes !