Invisible Light

Chapter Eleven

Rey slept poorly that night, haunted by nightmares. She dreamt of the forests on Takodana, but as she ran from an unseen threat, deeper into the trees, the air around her grew frigid. Snow fell softly, illuminated by the blue blade of her lightsaber. Then the atmosphere changed—suddenly she was laying chase, darting between the trees and swinging her weapon high over a man lying defenseless in the snow—

"Rey?"

Rey snapped out of her reverie, her eyes searching Luke's face. She swallowed hard, determined to set her features into an expression of sleepy neutrality.

Luke hesitated, searching Rey's face for a long moment. His blue eyes were careworn, worried… He sat down heavily across from Rey. "We need to discuss our plan to find Ben."

Rey took a bite of her breakfast slowly so she didn't have to speak.

"Leia will supply us with every map and rumor she knows of," Luke continued, picking up a few fish from the pan with his fingers and adding them to his bowl. "But to find him—really find him—you will need to open up your mind and allow the connection you share to guide you."

"I'm not letting him anywhere near my mind," Rey replied sharply.

"You won't need to—it is his mind you are trying to access," Luke told her with his usual patience. "You must let the Force be your guide… Leia has a few people in mind for who can accompany you—"

"Wait," Rey interrupted. "You're not coming with me?"

"I am not," Luke replied simply.

Rey's jaw dropped. Before she could protest, Luke added, "I am needed here—besides, Ben might be more easily persuaded if he doesn't feel…cornered. He might mistake our intentions as something other than peaceful."

"Is that right," Rey muttered mutinously, stabbing at her food.

"Unfortunately you cannot take the Falcon," Luke continued, pretending not to hear Rey. "It's too obvious—too easily tracked by First Order and Resistance alike. Our friend Nomi Sisk volunteered to take you, though the rest of her crew preferred to stay behind on Dantooine and D'Qar. And Leia tells me your friend Finn insisted on accompanying you no matter what."

Rey's heart lifted a little at that. If she was going to search the far reaches of the universe for a man who didn't want to be found, then some pleasant company would certainly make it more tolerable.

"You will also need a weapon," Luke continued, reaching into his robes. "Tradition dictates you build your own, but seeing as this one called out to you…" He withdrew the lightsaber from Takodana.

Rey's eyes widened in surprise and excitement. Slowly she reached out for it, her fingers wrapping around the cool metal hilt. It felt electric in her grip, and Rey had the sudden urge to ignite it, to verify it really was the same lightsaber.

"I certainly hope you will have no need for it," Luke added. "But a Jedi apprentice should never go into the galaxy unarmed."

Rey's gaze turned back to her teacher's face. "I can't leave you unarmed."

"I'm not," Luke replied cryptically. "Besides, you are the one walking into danger—Poe Dameron is picking you up in an unmarked vessel and flying you back to Dantooine. You will regroup with the rest of your crew, and fly to Sullust to purchase a new ship—it cannot have any ties to the Resistance. Leia has already arranged a contact with you on Sullust."

Rey set the lightsaber carefully on the table, the dark cloud returning to her mind. "What if… even if I find him, what if I can't convince Ky—Ben," she corrected herself. "to come back here?"

Luke let out a breath slowly.

"Above all else, Ben is a soldier," he finally said. "He knows that Snoke must be destroyed. He will be reluctant, but in the end I have faith that he will come around."

Rey had a sudden mental image of herself somehow trying to kidnap Kylo Ren. It was not going to be a pleasant reunion.

Ren worked at the headache forming behind his eyes with his fingertips, taking in his surroundings with quiet interest. "Where did you get this ship?" he asked.

They were seated in the cramped galley on either side of a plain metal table; Samden, the youngest of the Knights before Ren, was cleaning sand out of his blaster while Darin poked at the instant food rations with a fork and a frown. Their armor and heavy layers had been tossed aside in a heap, and Darin's blaster temporarily forgotten on the end of the table. Nearby were crates of stolen goods: blasters, cloaking armor, tracking equipment, and food rations.

"We… intercepted it," was Darin's vague reply.

The corners of Ren's mouth twitched toward something almost like a smile. "The First Order's been searching for an RK-720 Freighter prototype just like this one."

Darin snorted. "It's been sitting in a junkyard for years. They call it the Sivulliq. Soro Suub should be more careful where they leave their stealth prototypes… Not that I stole it from them—We found it in Jakku of all places."

A vice seemed to squeeze ever so slightly around Ren's windpipe, his mind falling toward the Scavenger once again. He had been careful not to think of her in ages, afraid of the connection that had formed between them.

"That Unkar Plutt—such a moron," Darin continued, portioning out the food and sliding a plate toward Ren. "He had no idea what the ship's value was—we traded it for an ancient Q-ship and half a thousand portions. He's still pissed he lost that Corellian freighter to a defecting Stormtrooper." Darin's eyes met Ren's for a moment, and reading his dark mood, changed the subject. "We should discuss our plan."

Ren poked at his food. "What plan?" he asked quietly.

"Revenge," Samden spoke up.

The idea burned white hot inside of Ren. For a split second, he felt himself give in to the mad desire. A small, rational part of him knew destroying Snoke was impossible… but the need for retribution was overwhelming, a wildfire coursing through his bones and consuming every logical thought in his head. "It would be suicide."

Darin wasn't perturbed. "Remaining behind would be worse."

"Snoke appointed Judro the Master in your… absence," Samden added with a scowl. His food was sitting forgotten next to him. "But a new leader only succeeds the old one in death—Judro is no Master."

Ren didn't reply.

"He's trying to find that girl from Starkiller Base," Darin added. "He doesn't care about the First Order or the planets he governs—it's just a tool to him. Anything that gets in his way has to go—except for you, of course."

Ren's eyebrows pinched together.

Darin waved him off. "He may have abandoned you on that backwater shithole—but he would never kill you. You're far too valuable."

"But less and less," was Ren's dark reply.

Darin let out a heavy sigh through his nose, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "What do you want to do?" Darin asked after a long moment. "Go after Skywalker and fall back into Snoke's good graces? Or take out Snoke?"

"There's no honor in asking you to defect from the Knights for my sake," Ren replied.

"We didn't," the two replied in unison.

"They are the traitors," Samden said with barely-concealed disdain. "Judro, Cassius, and Horvath know the same code we do, and the hundreds of generations of Knights before us knew it, too. We follow the Master. No one else."

Ren rubbed at the headache forming behind his eyes. He suddenly felt like a very poor excuse for a Master.

"Snoke is not to be trusted," Samden continued passionately. "It is a dishonor to the Knights that the others even presume to follow him."

"It's your choice, Kylo," Darin added. He pulled out his holopad and brought up the projector. Between them, a glowing map of the galaxy suddenly flickered into life.

Ren sighed, looking up at the twinkling 3-D map of the galaxy. He knew nearly all of Snoke's secret bases, the locations of his arms dealers, his most valuable production plants and mines… it was a suicide mission to take out Snoke, but not an impossible one. "SoroSuub is Snoke's most valuable company," he finally said. "Their sabotage would cause the most damage... But I won't target the First Order, even to destroy Snoke."

"There's no other way," Darin replied. "Snoke controls everything—it would be impossible to turn the First Order against him."

"What about… that Scavenger girl?" Samden suggested.

"What about her?" Ren asked, a more sharply than he intended.

"The Supreme Leader's looking for her—Judro was assigned the task of hunting her down."

"He'll never find her."

"But she's valuable. You hand her over to Snoke as some bullshit peace offering, and we kill him before he kills us."

"No."

"Or we kill the girl, and then Snoke has no choice but to use you—"

"I'm not involving the girl at all," Ren said sharply. "I don't want her anywhere near this—"

The two Knights exchanged a look.

"Then we have to target Snoke's military," Darin replied firmly. "I'm sorry Kylo, but you know as well as I do that those are Snoke's only weaknesses."

Ren pushed his half-finished plate away, his stomach suddenly sour. He racked his brain for another solution—literally anything else would do. It was true that Snoke needed to be removed, but not at the cost of the First Order… and the idea of dragging the Scavenger into the mess made Ren's heart seize up. What he really needed was more time… he needed to distract Snoke long enough for Ren to get close to him…

"Does Lothal still supply the First Order fuel?" Darin asked.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"How much of it?"

"You want to cut off his fuel supply?" Ren said, reading the other Knight's thoughts easily. "That won't stop him—"

"We just need to slow him down," Darin replied. Samden looked between them with great interest. "We have to get Snoke to rely on Lothal for all their fuel—just for a moment. Lando Calrissian is a friend of the Resistance Leader—we may be able to convince him to sabatoge the fuel, grounding all First Order ships for at least half a lunar cycle… Snoke will divert all emergency resources to himself—that's how we find him. Their sensors can't track this ship."

Ren and Samden exchanged a look. It was by no means a perfect plan—there were far too many variables that could go wrong—but there simply were no other options.

"It's the only way of getting to him without attacking the First Order or using the girl," Darin said. Even without the other man's earnest tone, Ren knew he was right.

"We need to go to SoroSuub first," Ren finally said. "And get all the weapons that will fit on this ship, because we're going to need them."

Sullust was a volcanic planet located in the far reaches of the Outer Rim. Despite its tumultuous history with both Empire and Republic loyalties, it had managed to remain somewhat stable and vastly productive. It was the home to one of the galaxy's largest suppliers of ships and weapons, SoroSuub, and an elite piloting school. Over eighty percent of the planet's native population worked in the production plants that serviced SoroSuub, living in intricate and advanced cities deep underground and commuting to the planet's surface for work.

"I've always wanted to go to the Sullust Academy," Nomi Sisk told Rey. They were over eight hours into spaceflight with ten more to go. They were in a Republic vessel, an ancient freighter that struggled to engage its hyperdrive unless the fuel cells were primed for at least twenty minutes. It was Rey's turn to rest while Nomi manned the cockpit, but Rey couldn't sleep. She couldn't fight the overwhelming sense of dread that was brewing in the pit of her stomach. "But I couldn't behave myself long enough to keep up the grades—so I learned to fly by racing on Corellia."

Rey was listening, but couldn't bring herself to reply. There was a moment's awkward silence.

"What about you?" Nomi continued, obviously trying to jar Rey out of her silent brooding. "You're a pretty good flier yourself."

"I was a scavenger on Jakku," Rey replied flatly.

Nomi frowned. "Not much flying to be done on Jakku, though, right?"

Rey shrugged. "I'm a better mechanic than a pilot—flying was just to test my work."

Another stiff silence.

"Look," Nomi said sternly, turning the ship to autopilot and facing Rey directly. "Don't worry yourself about the mission—we'll take it one step at a time."

"You don't know what he's capable of," Rey said, a little too sharply, unable to fight the mental image of Kylo Ren driving his lightsaber through Han's chest.

"Actually, I do," Nomi replied coolly. "You forget he interrogated my crew the day Cal died."

Rey's eyes widened. How could she be so stupid as to forget? She opened her mouth, an apology already halfway out, when Nomi waved a dismissive hand.

"No, don't apologize—what I meant was that I get it… but maybe you don't need to worry as much as you do."

Rey's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Nomi replied, running a hand through her cropped hair and sighing. "But Leia and Skywalker are convinced we all have the same ultimate mission… the enemy of my enemy is my friend, that whole thing…"

"You could be killed," Rey told her seriously. She couldn't fight the urge that she had somehow made a mistake. "We all could—"

"I'm just as likely to be blown out of the sky smuggling as I am doing this, but at least this mission gives me a ship that's armed with ventral cannons—I'll never fly anything cooler for the rest of my life. Don't ruin this with your annoying need to protect everyone else."

Rey let out a feeble smile at Nomi's attempt to lighten her mood, but it didn't last long. The rest of the flight was silent and tense, and Rey's nervousness increased as they got closer and closer to their destination.

The air on Sullust was disarmingly thick, a sharp contrast to the dry desert heat of Jakku or the cool breeze of Ahch-to. Mountains higher than any Rey had ever seen before rose from the seas, lush and dense with a jungle even greener than that of Takodana adorning its peaks. Black cliffs fell sharply, hundreds of rivers and streams falling into sinkholes below. Eventually the dense green forest gave way to dark rocky mountains and even blacker sand—mines dotted the landscape in between steaming lava vents. Further along the continent, the first signs of the underground cities could be seen.

"The air borders on poisonous, by the way," Nomi told them as the vessel docked in the shipyard. "Try not to breathe too deeply. Once we get underground it gets better—they filter out all the crap in the air."

"Great," Rey mumbled to herself. She pulled her cowl more tightly about herself, pulling the fabric up over the lower half of her face.

The three exited their ship, half-expecting to be intercepted by the First Order army. Nomi, perfectly confident in her abilities to blend in, led the way. Rey followed in close proximity, clutching the fabric to her face—Nomi had been right about the air being toxic, but she had done nothing to warn Rey about the noxious smell of burning sulfur.

They exited the shipyard gates and joined the crowd forming around a train station platform. An intricate series of glass tubes led in a dozen different directions, overlapping one another and disappearing into the mountainous terrain. At the platform, an enormous computer detailed the exact arrival and departure of the various trains, complete with a labyrinthine map showing spots of heavy traffic or construction. All around them were people politely elbowing their way to their preferred platforms, all dressed in the same soot-covered uniforms adorned with the SoroSuub logo.

"We need to get there," Nomi said, pointing toward a part of the computer-generated map. "The blue route. That should take us to SoroSuub."

Finn was scrutinizing the crowds around them with a watchful eye. Rey tried to follow his gaze, but she couldn't see anything of interest.

"Right," Nomi continued, leading the way. "This should be it—"

The platform was a mix of stone and steel. Advertisements for SoroSuub were plastered over the walls, once-bright colors dulled by a thin film of soot. The lights overhead were partially exposed and flickered each time a train departed. Rey was fascinated by the odd platform—it had the off appearance of having once been an expensive station that survived a handful of volcanic explosions, stubbornly clinging on. The train itself—though rusty and rather dangerous looking—operated smoothly. Rey and the others boarded the car alongside the crowd, clinging to the railings for stability as the train lurched into life. Nomi was watching the scenery flash past the windows with mild interest, but Finn still wore a look of cool suspicion.

The train took them through a series of tunnels and bridges traversing lava fields before finally plunging below the surface. Tunnel lights flashed past as a woman's voice spoke over the loudspeaker: "SoroSuub Facility… next stop, Keff Base…"

The train doors slid open and a bulk of the crowd departed, scattering like flies across the brightly-lit platform. The station here was built with the same concrete and exposed wiring, but it was far less damaged than the shipyard. Television screens were affixed to the walls, playing an endless synchronized loop of SoroSuub advertisements and quips about the climate conditions on the surface.

"Keep your head down," Finn muttered in Rey's ear as they joined the throng traversing the grated walkway. "There are cameras everywhere."

Rey did as she was told, but her gaze still flickered up, peering out of the corners of her eyes. Sure enough, nestled in every corner of the train station were little black orbs with tiny blinking lights.

The city outside the station was remarkably cool, a civilization in perpetual night lit only by the buildings and streetlights around them. Most people traveled by foot, but a handful of hovercrafts darted between towering buildings and a monorail glided gently above them. The roads were smooth, carved directly into the cave floor and looping around underground waterfalls and giant walls of solid basalt. The city's occupants were more varied in town, dressed in everything from miner's jumpsuits to expensive fabrics and fine jewels. No one paid a second look to Rey and the others, preferring to continue on to their destination.

Up ahead, the bright lights of SoroSuub's headquarters could be seen. It was an expansive building, far sleeker than any other piece of engineering they had seen thus far, towering several dozen meters above them.

"Rey, you wait out here," Nomi ordered as they approached the entrance.

"What?" Rey exploded. "No—I'm coming with you—"

"No, because if the whole thing is rigged, you're too valuable," Nomi told her. She gestured with her head toward the opposite side of the street. "Go. Wait for us."

"They've got cameras in all the stations and every street block," Finn added. "So you can bet that there's even more inside the facility—SoroSuub's even got their own police patrolling—"

"How d'you know that?" Rey asked, taken aback.

"They're easy to spot if you know what you're looking for," Finn told her. "Nomi's right, Rey—you'll blend in better out here."

Rey opened her mouth to retort, but the stubbornness of her companions won out. "Fine," she snapped, unhappy.

"We'll be quick," Finn promised her, though none of them had any real control over the situation.

"Just come back in one piece," Rey told them seriously, looking from Finn to Nomi. She took a steadying breath as the others marched up the high steps toward the front entrance of SoroSuub headquarters. She watched them disappear through the doors, her heart beating furiously as she waited for the first signs of a commotion.

Minutes passed, and Rey realized she would need to do something other than stand in the middle of the courtyard if she was to go unnoticed. She glanced nervously over her shoulder, unable to fight the strange feeling that someone was watching her. Unconsciously she reached to pat her vest, making sure Luke's lightsaber was still tucked away. She sat down on the wall's edge, looking around the courtyard, watching dozens of people go about their daily business. They were all dressed in smart attire, faces buried in holopads or else chatting animatedly on their mobile devices.

Rey turned back toward SoroSuub; there was no reason to believe that this part of their mission would fail, but Rey couldn't fight the paranoia. She adjusted her weight, leaning back with forced casualness as she looked around her. The cave was illuminated by thousands of city lights, a contradictory world of perpetual darkness and constant activity. As Rey's eyes scanned the street around her, a pale face suddenly caught her attention.

She only saw it for a split second, but something in her stirred at the sight. Rey got to her feet, watching the man's back disappear into the crowd descending the steps toward the train. Without knowing why—other than the sheer fact that something silent was telling her she must—Rey followed. There were dozens of bodies around her, all humanoid and dressed in equally dark clothes as the figure she had seen, but Rey didn't allow them to distract her.

The crowd piled onto the awaiting train, but Rey knew he wasn't among them. The train doors beeped and slid shut.

The platform was practically deserted—overhead, the lights flickered as the last train sped away. Rey tried to open her mind, to sense where the man had gone. She ascended a series of steps and traversed a grated walkway, approaching the far side of the train station. A faint breeze blew through the cave, making the hair on the back of Rey's neck stand up. Rey moved slower, her footsteps lighter, following an invisible signature as she rounded a corner…

They both reacted on instinct, drawing their weapons in half a second. Their lightsabers were held between them defensively, red and blue.

"Why are you following me?" he demanded.

Rey had dreamt of this moment for months, had often wondered what their meeting would look like. She had imagined being stalked through space by a black, faceless monster, had dreamt of a crackling red lightsaber being driven through her chest… or of pushing her own through his.

But Ren looked nothing like her dreams. He was taller than Rey's memory of him, and his dusty change of clothes were less menacing than the black robes, but there was no mistaking that pale face or the long scar Rey had given him. The low light of the cavern cast half of Ren into shadow, stopping Rey from getting a clearer view of him. They were standing in the open platform, near the street and visible to any curious spectator, but neither seemed to care…

Rey knew what Luke would tell her: lower your lightsaber, de-escalate the situation… But Rey wasn't about to lower her weapon when there one was in the hands of her most dangerous enemy. Instead she raised it half an inch. "Because I've been trying to find you," was Rey's sharp reply. Her fingers gripped the hilt of her weapon more firmly, every nerve in her body ready to fight. She had only to give over to the suppressed rage she had been suffering for months…

"For revenge?" he guessed, an almost taunting note in his voice.

The gloating sent Rey over the edge; not because his smugness was itself maddening, but because the way he spoke reminded her of Han—and Kylo Ren had no business possessing any similarities to the father he murdered. Rey swung her lightsaber sharply, reacting without thinking, allowing her anger to dictate her movements.

Ren jumped back, dodging her blow as though he had expected her to swing—his own weapon rose in a sharp arc to meet Rey's, locking them in place. Between the glow of their lightsabers, Rey could finally get a clearer view of the monster's face. Dark eyes paired underneath a stern brow, a careful mask that betrayed nothing… but without knowing how, Rey could feel something creeping through her mental walls. She forced it out, focusing on pressing against Ren's Force-hold.

Suddenly Ren forced her back; Rey stumbled a few steps, nearly tripping. Around them, unnoticed, the computer screens built into the cave walls flashed advertisements for SoroSuub and alerts about the train schedule and the weather on the surface.

"You're wasting your time," Ren told her coolly, his weapon lowering. "Go back to Skywalker."

The callousness with which Ren spoke his uncle's name irritated Rey even further. She was well past trying to negotiate with Ren. She raised her lightsaber again. "We're not done yet," she hissed, using Ren's own words from their last encounter.

Ren stopped mid-step to look at her; his lightsaber was still held low, but Rey sensed his fingers tightening their grip. There was an unreadable expression on his face. "Do you think you can defeat me?"

"I did once before." Rey taunted. Then, allowing anger to course through her, she charged at Ren with full strength, swinging expertly as the Force gave her power. Ren defended himself, but something potent and invisible was coursing through Rey's veins. Their lightsabers were a blur of color, marring the ground between them. Rey could feel her hatred drowning them as she spiraled further into the Dark side, slipping over the precipice. Once or twice she nearly disarmed Ren, her lightsaber inches from cutting out his throat. Backed into a corner, Ren pushed her back with another Force block, using the split second advantage to dive into Rey's mind.

Hatred bubbled at the surface, fueled by her desire to kill him. She could feel Ren push past it, searching deeper for her weakness. Beneath the anger was fear; fear for her own life and that of her friends. Sadness over Han Solo's death and unexplainable loss… abandonment. The cloying pain of loneliness.

"Stay out of my head!" Rey roared. Something like fear softened the anger in her voice. She took a few paces back, her lightsaber held in front of her protectively, as though she could block Ren's mind probe with her weapon.

"You came all this way to kill me," Ren said breathlessly. His lightsaber remained lit in his hand, but he held it at his side with disarming ambivalence.

"You're a murderer," she spat, her voice heavy with the weight of accusation. It echoed in the empty space around them. "I should have killed you the night I had the chance."

Ren took a step to the right; she countered with one to the left, her lightsaber held out threateningly. "Then why didn't you?" he tested, his face back in partial shadow.

She hesitated for a second, then suddenly sprang forward, her lightsaber clutched tightly in her hands. Ren countered it easily.

"You came all this way," Ren provoked, his voice tired and heavy with irritation. He was openly taunting Rey, inviting her death blow with open arms. "How long have you hunted the galaxy for me?"

She swung again, nearly missing his heart. Their weapons were a blur of red and blue, slashing violently into the pillars and ground around them. This time, however, there was a hesitation in Rey's movements. She was distracted, losing her connection with the Force. Ren's goading was having an effect on her.

"How many nights did you dream of killing me?" he continued breathlessly, forcing her back. His movements became more forceful, more controlled as a familiar shadow began to work its way in. "It eats you from the inside—it's all you can think about—"

Rey dodged his blow; she ducked behind a stone pillar, trying to catch Ren from behind. He forced her back, and she tripped. Instead of dropping her weapon, Rey rolled with the momentum and scrambled back to her feet. Her elbow smarted from her fall, but Rey ignored it.

"I've seen your dreams," Ren told her coldly. "You think your anger—all of your suffering—will come to an end if you destroy me."

She was crouched in a defensive stance, her weapon held out in front of her. Tendrils of hair had worked their way out, sticking to her damp face. Her arm was scraped from her fall, but Rey ignored the blood trickling down her elbow. While she had anticipated Ren's attack, she wasn't quick enough to return the blow. Ren dodged her easily, swinging with such force that sparks flew from their lightsabers. In seconds Rey was knocked to the ground. Ren waited for her to jump to her feet before pushing her back again, holding her there.

"So go on, then," Ren goaded, approaching her slowly. "Take your chance and kill me. Get me out of your head."

Somewhere in the distance another train whizzed by, a rush of wind and noise enveloping them.

For a split second Rey was utterly convinced Ren would kill her. She reached out to the Force desperately, frantically searching for any connection to the Light, but Ren was more powerful.

"I don't need the Dark side to kill you," she gasped.

Suddenly the Force holding Rey relented. Ren extinguished his lightsaber, reattaching it to his belt. "No," Ren agreed slowly. "The Darkness is so out of place in you."

Rey sprang to a defensive stance as though electrified. In seconds her weapon was lit, held threateningly high. Ren caught her before she could swing, freezing her in place with one hand held out. He stepped closer until his face was only inches from hers, bending down so they were eye level. Rey could see him struggling to hold her in place, and was secretly pleased he at least had to work for it. He was close enough that Rey could hear her enemy's heartbeat as clearly as if it were her own. Her lungs were raw with exertion, but they shared the same breath... Rey felt herself reach toward Ren's mind, their mental walls colliding; she could resist his invasion, she had only to reach into his thoughts… the invitation to enter was beckoning her softly, and Rey almost allowed herself to collapse into his pull…

Slowly, Rey's dreams were in the forefront of her mind. The blinding anger returned, but this time Rey was a passive spectator. The nighttime visions of destroying Kylo Ren played across her mind's eye, but this time, Rey was horrified.

"Snoke is giving you those visions," he told her softly.

Rey adjusted her grip on her weapon, suddenly realizing that Ren was no longer holding back her hand. She allowed her arm to sink to her side slowly. Her brows were knit together in a frown. She took a step back from Ren, breaking the spell between them.

"He's trying to use you," Ren continued, an odd look on his face. "Just like he used me… Go back to Luke. Stay as far away from me as you can."

"And leave you to do what, exactly?" Rey asked suspiciously, her senses returning. "You're a murderer."

Something flickered across Ren's pale face at the accusation, too quick for Rey to recognize it, though it did give her pause. Was it grief?

"You know nothing." Ren turned his back to her and began to walk away. It would have been so easy to aim her blaster between his shoulders, but instead of entertaining thoughts of his destruction, Rey remembered why she had come all the way out here.

"Luke sent me to find you."

She had rushed forward, not expecting Ren to actually stop in his tracks. They nearly collided as Ren turned around, open surprise on his face. Rey took a few hasty steps back, unwilling to be so close to her enemy.

"Why?" There was no carefully-constructed mask on his face; from the glow of the platform lights around them, Rey could see that Ren's eyes were actually a very soft brown.

Rey was torn between the truth and a sarcastic remark. "Because…" she trailed off, trying to find the words. The Origin Story just sounded so absurd, and it did nothing to explain the sheer complexities of the situation. "Because he knows you're trying to defeat Snoke, and you can't do it alone," she settled on lamely.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "What, he proposes to help?" he asked, confusion in his voice.

"No," Rey replied sharply, irritation evident. "He just—look, we can't discuss it out here."

"We don't need to discuss it at all," Ren replied dismissively, turning on his heel again.

It took a great deal of patience to follow him again. "Would you just listen?" she demanded, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"You just tried to kill me—and now you want us to be friends?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. He pulled free from Rey's grip as though her touch burned him.

"I'd sooner watch you die," Rey hissed. "But Luke thinks you can be saved."

Ren snorted.

Rey fought the urge to reply viciously. "I don't agree with it myself, but since we all have the same enemy now, it doesn't hurt to do what Luke has asked," she said stiffly.

"Right," Ren replied, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Don't be a coward—"

"I'm not going with you—and you're not coming within a lightyear of Snoke—"

"You're afraid," Rey accused, her voice echoing across the empty platform. "Too afraid to face the man you betrayed."

Anger replaced the cool amusement on Ren's face. "You have no idea what you're talking about—"

"Luke told me," Rey interrupted. "He told me all about you—"

Ren took a threatening step forward. His features seemed to darken, his brown eyes losing all softness. "And what have you learned?" he asked coolly.

"Very little," Rey bit back. "And certainly nothing that could justify what you've done—"

"Then you will lose no sleep over the failure of your silly redemption quest—"

They were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. They both turned to stare across the subway platform as two dark figures suddenly appeared. They were clearly soldiers, dressed in similar garb as Ren. Rey felt herself reach for her weapon.

"Time to go!" one of them shouted. Both newcomers paused at the sight before them, looking between Rey and Ren.

"Is that—?"

Ren gave Rey a quick, unreadable glance before turning to his companions. "Don't worry about it. Let's go."

"Wait, wait," the nearest one spoke up. He was eyeing Rey like a fountain in the middle of the desert. Rey's fingers clutched around the hilt of her lightsaber, waiting for any excuse to draw it out. The man glanced at Ren before turning back to Rey. "We can't just leave her—this is perfect—"

"No—"

Rey's lightsaber crackled into life instantly. Her heart was beating furiously against her chest. While blind rage drove her to attack Kylo Ren, a nagging fear was clouding her senses—three armed people was a lot to fight off alone…

The two men approached. Rey adjusted her weight on her feet, holding her lightsaber at the ready. Just feet away, standing almost protectively next to her, was Ren.

"Think about this very carefully, Kylo," the other said, palms up as he approached across the grate walkway. "We may never get another chance—this is the surest way to draw out Snoke—"

"If this was anyone else," the other chimed in, almost irritated. "You wouldn't hesitate."

Before anyone else could speak, anxious footsteps could be heard, fast approaching them. The two dark intruders reached for their blasters, taking aim near the entrance to the station.

"What the hell are you doing?" shouted a female voice. A pair of feet appeared, quickly followed by legs and a torso. Nomi Sisk appeared on the stairs, Finn just behind her. They both had their blasters out, ready to fire. "There are cameras everywhere! The First Order is here—everyone can see you idiots!"

In spite of herself, Rey glanced toward the ceiling along with the others. Sure enough, nestled in the dark corners, spherical black cameras recorded their every movement.

"It doesn't help that the local police are looking for a couple of thieves who just broke into SoroSuub," Finn added, shooting a particularly scathing look at Ren. As if on cue, a whining alarm rang out from outside the train station, and the overhead lights suddenly brightened ten levels.

"Run!"

They all darted for the exit at once.

On the main street level, the crowd was as tick as ever. Rey hurried to keep up with Finn and Nomi, who were leading the way. Ren and his companions had disappeared in the crowd. Rey stuffed her lightsaber protectively into her vest, exchanging it for her less conspicuous pistol blaster. In the distance the sirens rang out, and a floodlight searched the streets from an overhead hovercraft. The crowds stopped in confusion, looking amongst themselves for the source of the commotion.

"In here!" Nomi shouted, turning sharply into an alley way. "We need to get back to the shipyard!"

"How?"

"I don't know!"

The streets and tunnels surrounding SoroSuub were labyrinthine and seemingly endless. Rey, Finn, and Nomi ran through them wildly, ignoring the stares they were accumulating as they darted across main roads and weaved dangerously between traffic. Behind them, the sirens and flashing lights were getting closer. Before long, they were blocked on three sides.

"We can't outrun them," Finn said breathlessly. They were tucked behind an air recycler, taking shelter under the enormous fans. "There's too many—"

"We can't fight them off, either," Nomi countered.

Rey scanned the walls of the cave. "What about the lava tunnels?" she suggested. "It'll be harder for them to follow—and they lead to the surface—"

"Yeah, to the poisonous air—"

"It's better than being captured!"

The three exchanged a look of silent agreement before darting toward the tunnels. They crouched as they ran, blasters held protectively against their chests.

The caves were dark and hot. Only once they were a good ways inside and the sirens died down did the three slow their pace to a breathless jog. Rey pulled out her lightsaber to illuminate the cramped lava tube. The ground was rough and uneven, and the tunnel carved wildly ahead.

There was nowhere to go but forward.

They followed the tunnel for the better part of an hour, sweating in the dark, humid air. Rey was beginning to feel lightheaded from the unfiltered air, and wondered if her companions were just as miserable as she was.

Eventually the tunnel widened as it neared the surface. Cracks in the high ceiling allowed filtered light through, offering just enough light that Rey and the others didn't have to squint to see. Occasionally other smaller tunnels appeared, narrow vents leading into the unknown. The cave was quiet and oppressively hot, and Rey decided she didn't care what waited for them at the surface, just as long as they were outside…

Perhaps it was the heat or the poisonous air muddying their senses, but Rey and the others didn't hear approaching footsteps. In fact, it wasn't until the three men were in plain sight that anyone had the sense to yell out and raise their blaster.

The two groups pointed their weapons at each other, but no one fired. Rey recognized Ren and his companions immediately; she didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed.

"At ease," Ren told his cohorts without any real conviction. They looked just as miserable as Rey felt, sweaty and exhausted. They lowered their blasters slowly. Rey and the others were less inclined to follow suit.

Ren ran a hand through his damp hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "Which tunnel did you come from?" he asked Nomi, who was standing nearest to him.

"This one," she replied, pointing behind them. "You?"

Ren pointed to the left.

"Okay," Nomi said breathlessly, wiping her brow with the back of her arm as she looked around. "That just leaves four hundred other options to the surface."

Ren gestured to the two nearest tunnels, including the one Rey, Finn, and Nomi had been heading toward. "Those don't lead anywhere."

"Well, that narrows down one," said one of the nameless soldiers. He nodded toward the only remaining tunnel, picking up his feet and walking toward it tiredly. "I'll lead the way."

The other companion followed him easily, but Ren hesitated, looking at Rey and the others. He sighed tiredly, resigning himself to some terrible fate. "You might as well follow."

Rey had no desire to travel anywhere with them either, but they had no other choice. She exchanged a look with Nomi and Finn, who nodded curtly. They picked up their heavy feet and continued down the new tunnel.