"So...Skywalker has been on Ach'To all this time." Snoke droned, contortions his ruined face with mixture if anger and frustration.
"Yes, Supreme Leader." Kylo Ren said, his filtered voice echoing through the audience chamber.
"And you have begun our preparations to turn the girl?" Snoke leaned forward.
"Yes, Supreme Leader," Ren said, "but there was a problem." Snoke looked intently down at Kylo Ren from his holographic perch, beckoning the younger man to continue, "Skywalker sensed my presence and has since blocked me from her."
"But he won't be able to restrain her mind forever." Snoke said, deep in thought. "Prepare to go to Ach'To and retrieve the girl. Kill Skywalker."
"Yes, Supreme Leader." Ren said. Ren thought of the girl, unable to suppress the thought of that night at the Jedi Temple. He was weak that night. Weak and foolish. She should have been easy to kill. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. She either turned or died.
"I sense something in you, Kylo Ren," Snoke said, interrupting Ren's thoughts, "this connection you have with the scavenger is strong. I feel it is distracting you from our mission."
"It helped me find the girl." Ren said, hoping to avoid the truth.
"I hope this is not the beginning of the resurrection of Ben Solo." Snoke hissed. Ren felt his insides clench as the name passed Snoke's withered lips. He knew Ben Solo wasn't dead. Just gravely injured and imprisoned within Kylo Ren. He had tried and tried to murder what was left of that poor, pathetic Jedi, even killed his father. But the pull to the Light grew stronger with Han Solo's death. And every passing day since, Kylo Ren could feel it grow. Just as the scavenger's powers grew.
Just as their bond grew.
Kylo Ren chose his words carefully, "Ben Solo died fifteen years ago and to this day, he remains dead." Snoke remained silent, only staring long and hard at the black-cloaked man. Kylo's insides twisted tighter as the dark eyes of the old creature bore into him. Not even his mask could shield him from that skeptical gaze.
"Prepare yourself. You are to go to her and bring her here to begin her training." Snoke ordered. He dismissed Ren with a wave of his hand. Kylo looked up at Snoke, trying to read his expression for at clue as to his intentions, but found nothing. He turned on his heel and began to walk away, "Kylo Ren." Kylo turned back to Snoke, "If the girl defies us, or the girl becomes a distraction to you, she will be destroyed the first sign she gives us of problems," the creature leaned forward and the corners of his mouth turned up in a sinister smile, "protect her in any way, and you too shall be destroyed," Snoke paused, studying the masked man, "just remember. The death of the scavenger will bring unimaginable pain to yourself, but unimaginable power. You will be forever submerged in the deepest, darkest depths of the Dark Side only the most powerful of Sith know. Just like your grandfather knew. Think about it the next time you let the girl live."
The hologram of Snoke dissolved and the space where he sat now was in darkness.
Kylo Ren clenched his fists tight. His mind raced. How much did Snoke know? He knew about Ren's defeat on Starkiller, but did he know more than Ren had hoped?
Kylo Ren rushed from the room, anger boiling over. He needed to be in his quarters, alone. He crashed out the door with long strides, but halted immediately when he saw General Hux, smirking. "In a hurry, Ren?" He jeered. Ren fought the urge to whip out his saber and take his volcanic anger out on Hux.
"It is none of your concern," Kylo snapped. Hux's grin deepened as he took a step closer to Ren.
"You know, I couldn't help overhearing your discussion with Snoke," Hux said, "It seems you have a weakness, Kylo Ren." Hux said Kylo's name forcefully, each syllable dripping with distain. "Now, I'm not a practitioner of your little magic tricks nor do I know anything about them. But, it would take a fool to not see the influence the girl has had on you," Hux stepped even closer until he was an inch away from Kylo Ren's mask, "I know you're hiding something," He whispered, "and when I find out what that is, I will make sure it destroys you. It would be worth it even if it destroys me as well."
Kylo Ren pushed past Hux with a huff. He didn't want to listen to his taunts. He could still feel the sick, sinister smile on his back as he rounded the corner. He barreled past various Stormtroopers and officers, each one moving out of Kylo's way promptly. He came to the door to his quarters, hurled his fist at the buttons to open, and stomped into the to home before the door shut.
Kylo Ren unsealed his helmet and flung it onto his bed. Rage. Hate. Suffering. He felt his insides shred. He head pounded and ears rang. Too much. It was all too much. Then he grabbed for his belt, igniting the unstable lightsaber and swung it wildly. Sparks flew as the saber sliced through the nearest table, splintering metal. He pounded and pounded the heap of metal until it was unrecognizable, then he slashed at it some more.
Anger suited him well. It helped him focus. Gave him strength.
He swung once more, the crackling blade slicing again through thr tangled metal. A sharp pain shot through his side. He howled, collapsing to the bed and disengaging his saber. He held his left side, the side shot by Chewbacca with the bowcaster. It was healing too slow for his liking. It was a reminder of that night on Starkiller he would like to forget.
He had been too weak to focus his energy on healing his wound. He needed to find the girl. But now, he could feel his power rising within. Even if his strength hadn't fully returned, at least he could heal himself and get rid of this distraction.
He removed his robes and tunic and peeled the bandages off his side. They were sticky with blood and medication and charred flesh, but the wound was clean and the edges smooth. Every movement he made stung and he winced as he finally pried the rest of the bandage off. He studied the wound for a moment. This was all her doing. Hers and FN-2187. And Chewbacca. His anger rose as he ruminated over what happened in the oscillator. In the snowy forest. And then having to be "saved" by Hux.
He placed a hand over the wound, focusing that anger and hate to healing himself. He could feel the crackling energy in his veins, scorching every molecule in his body as it formed deep within and traveled to his hand. The pain was unbearable and he fought to keep focus. His hand shook as he felt the energy exit his hand and into his wound, stabbing into his flesh like thousands of rusty needles. Don't lose focus, he thought to himself. Sweat poured down his forehead as the pain became more and more intense, as if he were being impaled by a thousand small lightsabers. Slicing through his skin. Excruciating. His skin a blazing fire.
Then it stopped.
Kylo Ren opened his eyes, panting. Salty beads of sweat had ran to his lips. He removed his hand and looked down at what was his wound. It was now a pink patch of fresh skin and painless.
Then he thought about what Snoke had said. He was bonded to the girl in such a way that her death would mean pain far greater than what he had felt in that wound, but much different. Heartache. Even if he felt hate for the scavenger, he was Force-bonded to her and he would forever be in pain, but have unlimited power. Power. It's what he always wanted. But was he prepared for the pain? The emptiness. He didn't know the full extent of their bond or why they were bonded, only that it grew stronger every day. What was he not seeing?
Kylo Ren put his tunic and robes back on and lifted his helmet onto his head and sealed it. He had a mission. He needed to turn the girl or destroy her. But could he kill her if turning her failed? His one secret he locked away suddenly was freely roaming his mind. It was the one thing he hid from Snoke. Only his Knights of Ren knew. They were under strict orders to never mention the girl or that Kylo Ren killed one of their own to save her. He trusted his Knights, but still kept watch over them because this was one secret he couldn't let slip.
Ren focused his mind to Ach'To. To the island. To...no one. There was no one on Ach'To, though he could feel traces of their presence still left, but there weren't two, clear Force signature on that island. He frantically searched the planet for the signatures, but did not find them.
And then came the anger. The rage. It never stopped. He needed to see for himself.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind on that island on Ach'To. He could feel the sun beat down on his dark, thick robes, smell the salty sea crashing below. He imagined he was there.
And then he was.
His body dissolved from his quarters and materialized in a dark abyss on the island on Ach'To. The pain from his teleport seared him to the core, but he ignored it and instead focused on the building rage within.
The island was abandoned.
He saw the remnants of a fire. A couple huts. An empty cot. He could still sense her. He could smell her. He felt where she collapsed when he showed her the images of death and chaos. He felt Luke's panic, and then they were gone.
Anger. Not only for them escaping his grasp, but for himself. For being too late. For causing a panic too early. He clenched his fists around his saber and ignited it before he had it off his belt.
And he destroyed everything.
"General Hux, your presence is requested by Supreme Leader Snoke," Captain Phasma said from behind. Hux looked up from the records of the reports from the day Kylo Ren massacred the Jedi Temple and motioned with his hand he would be there shortly. There had to be something in the report that didn't add up. Something he overlooked.
He closed out the report and went into the audience chamber where Snoke's hologram waited.
"General, I need to complete an important task." Snoke droned.
"Yes, Supreme Leader?"
"Kylo Ren is in search of the scavenger. He intends to bring her here to complete her training under him, but I need to ask something of you," Snoke leaned forward, "Kylo Ren is on Ach'To as we speak, but I sense the girl is no longer on the island. I feel his rage. He will be returning shortly, so I must make this short. I will instruct you on the matter once we have plans to extract the girl. Are you willing to complete this task for me, General?"
"I am, Supreme Leader." Hux said, looking into the withered face of Snoke.
"Good. What I need for you to do is simple. You will accompany Ren when he does find the girl. And when he does," Snoke lowered his voice to an almost inaudible growl, "kill her."
