So the Sith are not big on consent where Ladies with the Light are concerned. Even impotent old Muuns. Be warned! This story is not for everyone.

Rey has been summoned by the Supreme Leader. Milo's message had worded it in the form of a polite invitation, but her acceptance was unmistakably compulsory. And so here she stands, garbed for an audience with Darth Plagueis. Her hair is loose and as it's as glossy as her lacquered lips. She wears the dark pink dress and matching cape that she wore to arrive on the Finalizer. Rey looks fragile, soft and girlish, as is his preference.

It's very not Rey of Jakku. But whatever. Today, she aims to please.

She is accompanied by a squad of stormtroopers for this trip to the hangar bay, so this time no one is shooting at her. Up ahead, Milo awaits. The Supreme Leader's personal representative bows to greet her. He has the same old school formal manners as his Sith Master. Then Milo waves her onboard the waiting shuttle. Rey takes a deep breath and marches up the ramp. Hoping for the best.

She doesn't see the Apprentice who looks on with much trepidation from afar across the hangar bay. Doesn't know that there are only two all black Upsilon class command shuttles in the First Order fleet and they belong to the Sith. So even without seeing Old Milo, Kylo Ren knows exactly who has fetched Rey and where she is going. If anything, he is more nervous than she.

This time the Finalizer's position happens to be quite close to the Leader's hidden command center. The shuttle ride is barely an hour. And then Rey is following Milo into the secret bunker of the Sith, then down deep underground to his private lair to be presented to the galaxy's sly Iago himself, the manipulative mastermind of the Clone Wars, the unaccredited architect of the Empire, and the Supreme Leader of the First Order, Darth Plagueis the Wise.

Always the gentleman, the cloaked and cowled Sith Master rises to his feet as Rey appears on the threshold of his beloved library. She has found Snoke at his studies. The table before him is strewn with ancient looking paperbound books. Each lovingly preserved in a protective cover. Mixed among them are modern datapads. It's an incongruous sight.

His eyes sweep over Rey and then linger. "Welcome home, my dear," Snoke intones softly after looking his fill.

Rey bows her head respectfully. "Supreme Leader."

"I am your Sith," he reproves her gently.

"Darth Plagueis." Rey hastens to respond to his prompt, coloring slightly at this lapse. Rey had given herself a pep talk during the shuttle ride to be on her best behavior. She will give Snoke no cause to find fault with her today. And, hopefully, she will be allowed to return to the Finalizer. To the relative safety of the medibay and Kylo Ren. Far, far away from this Muun.

"That's better." Snoke beckons her forward into the room. He's his usual mix of grave congeniality. "Our Chief Healer tells me that you are very diligent with your work. That you work every day, twice a day."

This is true. Rey doesn't take a day off. She spends enough time alone staring at the holonet in her quarters as it is. But she isn't one to complain. And compared to Jakku, the First Order flagship is paradise.

"Yes, I enjoy my work. I enjoy helping people," Rey says truthfully. And trying hard to please, she adds, "I am grateful for the opportunity to learn. And I do not wish to disappoint you."

He nods approvingly at this earnestness. "Come, sit." He motions her into the empty chair beside his. And this puts Rey slightly more at ease. It makes the conversation seem more like a chat and less like a formal interview. Her interaction with the Muun is always stilted and distant. It's hard not to be afraid of this man and what he plans for her. They have absolutely no rapport.

"Tell me about your progress," he invites.

Wary Rey wants to be careful here. If she wants to remain on the Finalizer, Rey needs to show progress. But not too much progress or he will recall her to him. So Rey equivocates.

"The Force comes faster now. Easier. And I can heal more complex injuries. But I still have little stamina. I cannot yet work a full shift. Healing is very tiring for me."

"Go on."

"The Chief Healer would like me to focus on trauma wounds. Punctures and saber wounds," she explains. "But there has not been much opportunity."

"Yes," he observes, "We have not engaged the enemy much of late. That will change." He looks to her now, imparting his wisdom with quiet pride. Rey is reminded once again how much this Muun loves to teach. "These things take time. The Force cannot be rushed. You grow into great power slowly. Often, in fits and starts. Rarely in a linear progression. Mastering the Force is a lifetime's achievement, not a matter of months."

She nods at this encouragement. It truly is heartening. For most days in the medibay, Rey feels like she is fumbling around, making it up as she goes along. Kylo Ren was right—she does need a teacher.

Then Snoke shifts gears and they are no longer talking of the Force. "Tell me, my dear, do you enjoy life on a warship?"

Rey thinks a moment how to respond. The truth is that the Finalizer medibay is a lonely place where people talk behind her back and give her unfriendly looks. Rey doesn't fit in. Because of who she is, how she looks, and what she does. Because she has a security escort to and from her quarters, because she shot two troopers and General Hux, and because she has the Force like the universally despised Kylo Ren.

Rey isn't ready to join the First Order, but part of her wants very strongly to belong as part of the medibay team. Whatever this Sith has planned for the future, the workaday stormtroopers and pilots she treats are not angry fascists. They seem like ordinary people who are fighting for something they believe in. And the medtechs, nurses and physicians who work for Chief Healer Smath all seem motivated to help people. In fact, most every regular person Rey has encountered onboard the Finalizer has been nice. Well, maybe they are not nice to her, but they are nice to each other. And quite a few of them seem to believe strongly in the moral high ground of the First Order.

At first, that had been perplexing and confusing to Rey until she worked that humanitarian relief mission and saw that the First Order does indeed do some good. It had taught her that there are people who see only the good of the First Order and overlook the bad. Just like Rey had seen only the evil of the First Order and been ignorant of the good. Your perspective depends on your experiences, she had concluded upon further reflection. And maybe that's the lesson to take away from it all: that the truth of the matter depends greatly on your point of view.

The disfigured Muun is looking at Rey curiously now. Waiting for her response. So she answers truthfully, if not directly.

"I used to explore wrecks of old Imperial star destroyers on Jakku. I never thought that I would ever get to see a real one in person." Not that she has seen much of the Finalizer other than the hangar bay, her quarters and the medibay. Rey would dearly love to explore the First Order's flagship. To explore the lower decks and the engine rooms, to peek into the bridge and the meeting rooms, to walk the length and breadth of the giant hangar bay. But that doesn't seem to be an option.

When Snoke remains silent, Rey continues babbling her non-answer. "They are such majestic capital ships. A marvel of engineering. Self-contained cities, really." And that's part of why the Finalizer feels especially lonely to Rey. It's one thing to be lonely because you're in an isolated desert and there is no one around. It's another thing to be lonely because you're surrounded by people and no one wants to be around you. At least on Jakku, she had never felt rejected.

Darth Plagueis is not fooled by her obfuscation. He raises one eyebrow now and it makes his grotesque face even more bizarre. "If you are unhappy there, you may always return home to me. You need only ask."

Home. He calls this her home. This is not her home. But Rey says nothing. She just nods.

"Force-users like ourselves tend to be solitary creatures. Lesser beings cannot understand our abilities or share the burdens that come with our power. Do not seek to find empathy among lay people. Always, they will fear and mistrust you. That is natural and prudent of them. But it creates barriers."

Snoke is looking at Rey now like he is looking through her. Looking into her. Like he sees all her loneliness and the insecurities it promotes. "Do not seek to be one of them, for you cannot. You are so much more. In time, you will see. The belonging you seek is ahead of you. And it is here."

His low, gravelly voice softens now as he confides, "I know what it means to be alone. Through the years, I have struggled with it myself. There was a time when the Sith lived freely in the open, but everywhere in disguise. I was not always the recluse you see before you. For many years, I was a very public figure. And usually, I had a wife waiting for me at home. My last wife was taken from me decades ago now. This is the longest I have lived without a companion."

Snoke was a public figure? Rey looks at him, wondering for a long moment what his face looked like without the injuries. Wondering who this man once was and how he ever ended up with a Jedi wife. Wondering too how he became the mangled half-dead monster who lumbers through these dim halls.

Again, Snoke repeats his offer: "My dear, if you are unhappy, if you are lonely, you may always come home to me. We can find other ways to build your skills."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," she dutifully responds.

"Yes, my Sith," he corrects her with a crooked smile. The old Muun rarely smiles and when he does the left side of his face is so sunken that it barely moves with his expression. But oddly enough, his half-smile has the same effect as if he were handsome and unharmed. This Sith was once a charismatic man, Rey thinks. And the vestiges of it still remain.

Studying his face, Rey blurts out, "How were you injured?" She has long wondered this. And wondered too about the hidden injuries beneath his robes that make the Sith Master plod along slowly.

"My family and I were attacked by my Apprentice Darth Sidious. Sidious knew he could not kill me, so he killed those closest to me. He beheaded my oldest boy in his sleep and then he hacked my wife to death."

Rey makes a face of revulsion at this sad tale. "Why?"

Snoke looks away and she can tell by his hard expression that her questions have brought up ugly memories. Instantly, Rey regrets asking. But when Snoke responds, his voice is as slow and measured as usual. But tinged with derision.

"Lord Sidious had many grievances. There is always conflict between a Master and an Apprentice. And it is the nature of the Apprentice to attempt to supplant the Master. For over a thousand years, that was the way of the Sith. It is a tradition best left to history, but Sidious wished to perpetuate the Rule of Two. He was a politician who loved the limelight. He lacked the fortitude to thrive among a team of rivals. His ego could not tolerate it."

"Are there more Sith than you and Kylo Ren?"

"Not currently. There might have been, but my grandson has denied me three times now. He forsakes his family. Prefers to hide and to brood."

Grandson? Rey blinks at this revelation. There's a story there.

"In due time there will be more Sith. There always are. Darkness is rising and we will once again reign supreme. There are cycles to the Force, like there are cycles to life. I have lived several lifetimes and witnessed the circle complete itself once already. And so it will again."

Fascinated, Rey asks, "How old are you?"

"Four hundred and twenty-nine."

Wow. Rey's mouth hangs open. "How?"

Her awed reaction seems to please him. There is pride in his voice as he explains, "I am an immortal Sith Master with the power of a god. I can create life, I can sustain life and I can resurrect life once lost."

Immortal? Did he say immortal? "How?" she asks again, still not understanding.

And the answer is, of course, the Force. Because all things are possible in the Force, as Darth Plagueis has taught her.

Again, his voice holds a note of pride for his accomplishments. "The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities that some consider to be unnatural."

"So, you cannot die?"

"No. But I can be hurt. My wounds cannot be healed through conventional means without extensive cybernetics. And I have no wish to be Darth Vader. Or Grievous. I refuse to be more machine than man." Snoke looks at her now with undisguised satisfaction. "Long have I waited for one such as you, Rey. Now, show me your skills. Let me feel your power." He gestures to his mangled gargoyle face. "Impress me."

Rey nods and stands close before him, reaching to cradle his head in her hands. Her eyes close in concentration as she reaches for the Force. She can do this, she tells herself. She has to do this. For if she cannot show progress, there is no reason for her to continue her work under Smath. The Force rushes up fast to answer her call. Her hands are pulsing now with the restorative magic of the Light.

He shudders at her touch, and it reminds her of Kylo Ren. "Yessssss. Heal me."

She feels his hands about her waist now, tugging her closer. She's leaning into Snoke now. Her body relaxing along with her mind. He is so tall that even though the Muun is seated, she barely tops him.

"Deeper . . . go deeper into the Force." His voice is an excited rasp now. So unlike his usual slow cadence. "Surrender to it! Submit and its power is yours to command."

Rey obliges. Then she sways and feels herself stumble. As her mind dissolves further into the Force, Rey's sense of her physical self retreats. Vaguely, she feels him pull her closer and lift her slightly. Now she's on her knees straddling his lap, still holding his face in her hands. Their foreheads are touching. Rey is focusing on the mighty scar that splits his forehead where long ago someone had split his skull.

"Good . . . good. Let go of your conscious self," he croons to her. "Drift in the Force. Be its tool, a conduit of life."

Part of Rey is panicking now. She's close to complete loss of control and that is frightening. Because then she will start downing in the Force like she had once before with Hux. This is where Rey has the most potent power. Where she had tapped into the primal lifeforce that had erased part of Snoke's mighty scar with a glancing, unintended touch. This is blazing, vibrant Light. It hums in her ears and vibrates through her body. Rushing over her, through her, and threatening to sweep her away with it.

"H-help!" she gasps aloud. The Light is blinding her mind's eye. Dazzling and confusing her. She is dizzy. Unsteady.

"Yesssss. Feel your power. You are so ssstrong . . ."

"H-H-help!" Rey stutters out, frightened now by how otherworldly and amorphous she feels. Like there is no her, there is just the universe.

"More." Is he begging or was that a command? Rey isn't sure. "Give me more. Show me your Light."

Rey feels his spindly fingered hands on her thighs. Yes, she needs that. She needs to feel anchored to herself physically in some way. "H-hold me!" she pleas. "Don't let me go!" She's so close to being swept away now.

And then, oh Gods! What is he doing? The Muun has his hands on her thighs but they are up under her skirt. And then up under her panties. And, oh Gods what the Hell is he doing? If Rey had any sense of control, she would jump off his lap and run for the door. But she doesn't. She's drunk on the Force and high on the Light and an utterly passive conduit of power right now. From the Force to her, and from her to him. Because you control the Force only up to a point. And then it controls you. The Force is tricky like that. It will control your actions even if it obeys your commands.

"Stay in the Force," she hears Snoke's voice purr. "Stay in the Light."

"Stop! Please . . . " Rey is not even certain that she says these words aloud. So distracted is she by Snoke's hands under her skirt. Because that feels amazing but she doesn't want it. Stop. Please, stop. He's got fingers teasing inside and fingers teasing outside. And, stop with those fingers! Well, stop in just a moment. No, don't stop. Don't stop.

"I want to feel your power. To feel your Light. It has been ssssooo long," he groans.

Rey is panting now, her chest heaving as she moans out, "Stop. Please stop."

"So close," he hisses. And she is close. Close to something she doesn't understand. It feels like she is dying. Her body is tense and she can't breathe and she is dying. But in the best way possible. Because whatever Snoke is doing between her thighs is absolutely the way she wants to die.

"Show me your Light!" Snoke growls and it's unmistakably a command. And Rey has no idea what this means. No idea what he wants her to do.

And, oh Gods, she is dying now. She is melting and exploding all at once, screaming out in the moment as she is swept into the oblivion of the Force. Eyes squeezed shut. Clutching tightly at his face and neck as the intensity of it all overwhelms her. Snoke is roaring in her face something about Light and power and balance and about how once she heals him he will fuck her every day, all day. And that can't be right because Supreme Leader Snoke is far too dignified to say the word fuck.

When Rey finally regains her wits, she is still straddling the Sith, collapsed on his chest with her head on his shoulder. She's alive after all. Alive and the Muun is stroking her back like he's petting her. Rey makes to squirm away but he pulls her closer. "Rey, you are lovely in the Force, so beautiful in your submission. So generous with your power."

Huh? "W-What was that?"

He chuckles at this question and she pulls back to look at him. "So young and so innocent," he observes, looking very pleased with himself. And with her. "So untouched. I will enjoy introducing you to pleasure. It has been many long years since I had a lady with the Light." He smiles approvingly down at her.

Rey looks at him blankly. She's still coming down from the high of whatever just happened. She feels so depleted now, so fuzzy and spent.

Darth Plagueis, on the other hand, seem elated and downright chatty. "You still do not understand, do you? But how charming. How utterly charming. My Shan came to me chaste as well. She was a Jedi, and had lived a celibate life. Unspoiled by any man until me. A virgin bride until I claimed her for my own."

Talk of virgin brides has Rey remembering her goal of getting back to the Finalizer. Snoke sounds like he's in the right mood for Rey to persuade him.

"I will do better," weary Rey promises. "I know that can do better. I just need more practice on battle injuries. Please let me learn under the Chief Healer so that one day I can help you like I help others."

"My dear, I can simply cut some troopers with my sword and let you heal them here. And then you can remain with me and be my Light."

Yikes! That's not an alternative Rey had considered. She hastens to counter, "It's not the same. I want to learn about conventional medicine too. To better understand about healing generally. Let me do this for you. Please, my Sith."

Her wheedling words do not convince him, but her results do. For once Darth Plagueis looks in the mirror to find that the scar on his forehead is practically gone, he agrees. Her work on the Finalizer is helping, and he will permit it to continue. Then Snoke hands her a glowing blue and gold cube he calls a holochron and tells Rey to concentrate and it will open. Inside is knowledge of the Force. It is precious, he warns. Do not lose it. Then he kisses her on the forehead and deposits her back on his shuttle and she is away.

Away to process in private all that has occurred. Rey is not ignorant of what goes on between a man and a woman. Well, not in theory at least. And she's had her share of passionate dreams. She knows why she is sticky and damp underneath her dress. And while the experience was not exactly unpleasant, it was unwelcome. And scary. She had been lost in the Force, unable to resist, and the creepy Muun had taken advantage of the situation. She hadn't understood what was happening and she had been unprepared for the intensity of it all. And befuddled by his reaction. In the aftermath, Rey feels like she has been groped by a dirty old man. Like she has been used. Abused. But really, what should she have expected from that creepy, leering old Muun who is obsessed with the Force. For even this had been about the Force for him apparently.

Monster that he is, Kylo Ren would never have done that to her. Rey feels certain.

At least she is away from Snoke, she consoles herself as she wipes at her eyes. Away to the relative and temporary safety of being a captive aboard the First Order flagship. Yes, it's not a good situation. But just survive one day at a time, she reminds herself. It's a lesson from Jakku but it applies now more than ever. For though her problems are no longer food and water, they are no less deadly. For, truly, there are few things more deadly than Darth Plagueis the Wise.

All too soon, tired and sullen Rey is back on the Finalizer. Pulling close her hood and staring at her feet, Rey trudges down the shuttle ramp alone clutching the little cube Snoke had given her. Lost in her thoughts, she looks up and nearly jumps in surprise. Kylo Ren and General Hux are waiting for her near the bottom of the shuttle ramp. And behind them are hundreds of First Order troops and officers. All standing at attention in neat uniformed rows.

For her.

"What is this?" she demands. She's more irritated by this ceremonial show of force than impressed. All she wants to do is get to her quarters and take a long, hot shower. To wash the day and that Muun's hands off her body.

Kylo answers gruffly. "Our Supreme Leader has decreed that you be received as befitting your status."

Her status? Rey looks at him blankly. "What status?"

"Your status as the Supreme Leader's special guest," Hux drawls. And he says the words 'special guest' as if they were a euphemism for whore. Rey blushes to the roots of her hair. Because, well, that comment is not far off the mark today.

Kylo seems annoyed by Hux's attitude because he gibes, "The general here even took off his sidearm for the occasion. Getting shot in the medibay is his only combat experience and he wants to keep it that way."

"Ren—" Hux starts to issue some reply, but Rey just sweeps past both men. She's not in the mood for their incessant bickering. Or for more of this showy First Order display.

As Rey strides through the corridor created by the assembled troops, it feels more like she is walking a gauntlet of jailers than being honored by these men. At the back of this ridiculous assembly awaits a squad of troopers. Here are her real jailers waiting to escort her to her quarters. Whatever. Frazzled Rey just keeps walking. She is impatient to be in her quarters. The trooper squad leader snakes out an arm to slow her, but Rey has the quicker reflexes. She throws up an arm and instinctively throws the man ten feet with the Force. Another trooper lunges for her and Rey throws him too.

"Don't touch me!" Rey screams at the top of her lungs. "No one touches me!" Then she whirls and stalks off to her quarters.