Finally I can tackle The Last Jedi! I should say that this chapter and the ones upcoming include dialogue from the movie of which I claim no ownership. This is a Kylo-centric chapter for sure, which made it super fun to write but also verrrryyy difficult. He's such a hard one to get right thanks to Rian, Lawrence and Adam. I can only hope I do him justice.
Revelations.
Bel's grip on the transmitter grew tighter as behind her, stars were racing. She looked over her shoulder, her mind a blur as she watched them shutter, then morph into lines of blazing light, far more brilliant and concentrated than that of a saber. The jump to hyperspace came unprompted by any command. It was something that, even after all her years of moving from destroyer to planet to stronghold and back again, she had never gotten used to. Swallowing, she set the transmitter down and it began to rattle against the glass tabletop, shifting closer and closer to her hand. Bel couldn't bare look at it. Not until she was certain that a return message from Poe came through.
We should have tested it. What if I'm too late? What if it doesn't go through at all? She stepped away from the table, stretching her head from side to side in an attempt to dispel her nerves. Far too quickly, the ship carried to a halt. The silence and stillness that followed a hyperspace jump was always alarming to Bel.
Too late. Bel thought, Too bloody la-
As if sensing the dangerously steady increase of her pulse, the small, rectangular screen flickered from gray to orange and began emitting a series of beeps. With a gasp Bel dove for it, her shaking fingers struggling to maintain a grip as vivid light gave way to text.
Hope you're there to see the show, Red.
The show!? Bel thought, the unease bubbling in her gut ony all the more stirred. As she read the message again, she could hear Poe's voice as clear as day in the back of her mind. It was distant, like a faint echo, but all too real. Her mind, unhelpful and spiraling, called up images of his feverish form, limp from exhaustion. Followed closely by others: his hands gripping the controls of the carrier, the wild and dangerous look in his eyes as he tried to guide them down to Craas, the radiant, roguish smile that sparked across his face before he plunged into the dark waters of the hot spring.
So just what is it you have planned now, flyboy? She thought, fingers enclosing around the transmitter before she stuffed it into a hidden pocket in the hem of her navy, high-collared tunic.
She didn't have to wait long. Captain Opan's voice, pompous and deferential all at once, sounded through the speaker on the table.
"We've caught them in the middle of their evacuation."
Oh no.
Bel stepped away from the table and back to the window, the heels of her boots clacking against the floor. With her quarters located portside, she had to press close to the edge of the window in order to make out anything of note. The Exalt had flown into the orbit of a vibrantly green planet, only just larger than Craas. Sure enough, in the distance she could see a string of small transports racing towards a larger ship.
Is this…? Bel thought, sucking in a breath. Is this all that is left of the resistance?
"I have my orders from Supreme Leader Snoke himself," There was a gleeful edge to her brothers voice, one that Bel knew all too well. Her upper lip curled in disgust; she could practically see the imperious smile that must have been gracing his face. "This is where we snuff out the Resistance once and for all."
Orders? But I didn't hear them come through… Could her brother have realized she was listening in? And if he had, why was he allowing her to continue on?
Unless he wants me to hear. She thought. She lifted one hand to her mouth. Her teeth gnawed at a nail as she tried to feel her way towards her brother's train of thought.
"Tell Captain Cannady to prime his dreadnaut, incinerate their base, destroy their transports and obliterate their fleet."
As if on cue, a massive Dreadnaut was flung from hyperspace straight into Bel's line of sight. They were predatory machines, designed to eradicate even the most dire of threats. Truly abysmal creations, absurdly armed and outfitted with enough power and men to destroy hundreds of planets should the need arise.
"General, Resistance ship approaching, guns and shields in attack mode."
Bel pressed her forehead against the glass, trying to approve her line of sight.
Please tell me that's not-
"Attention, this is Commander Poe Dameron of the Republic fleet. I have an urgent communicae for General Hux."
Of course it is. Bel lifted her head back and smacked it against the glass as a string of whispered curses escaped her lips. "Oh, you...you idiot flyboy.
"This is General Hux of the First Order." Armitage responded with his trademark serpentine decorum. "The Republic is no more. Your fleet are rebel scum and war criminals. Tell your precious princess there will be no terms, there will be no surrender."
Bel, along with the rest of the crew, waited for the response to come but for several seconds there was nothing but silence. Until...
"Hi, I'm holding for General Hugs."
Bel's hand flew to her mouth as a laugh forced its way out, her trepidation dissipating along with it.
"This is Hux." Armitage sniped. "You and your friends are doomed. We will wipe your filth from the galaxy!" Though his words were cutting, even the crew must have heard the tremor in his voice, signifying that his armor had been well and truly pierced.
"...Okay, I'll hold." Poe continued, chipperly.
Crazy, stupid - he's out of his mind. Bel thought, even as her smile grew beneath her fingers.
"Can you...can he hear me?" Her brother said, seemingly having forgotten his voice was still being projected across the comms. Bel bit down on her index finger as another roaring laugh threatening to spill out of her.
"Hugs? With an "H" ...Skinny guy. Kinda pasty." Poe continued, driving the knife in deeper.
"I can hear you." Hux responded, the rage and fluster now ever more apparent over the comms system. "Can you hear me?"
Oh brother. Bel mused, her eyes trained on Poe's light fighter. How easily vexed you are. Poe, what on earth are you planning?
"Look I can't wait forever." Poe continued, amiably.
Stalling. Bel realized. He's stalling.
"If he's not available, just put his sister on…"
Bel's head whirled towards the speaker, heat crawling steadily up her neck.
"I hear she's much easier on the eyes."
Pangs of heat shot through her, licking her insides like long-doused flames. She allowed, or rather she couldn't help but allow, a simmering smile to breach what was left of her well-practiced stoicism. Her fingers touched the chilled window, desperate to break through and reach for Poe. After all he was closer to her now than her had been these past five days.
Close but still so far, Bel thought; her feather heart feeling the ache of that chasm, that void of airless space that separated them, barren and perilous. How it mocked her. She turned, pressing her back to the window, her chin tilting up as her hand trailed down her face and to her neck. The heat was just as prevalent there, she could sense the color of it, feel it churning pleasantly in her stomach. Until it wasn't.
Quite suddenly, a flicker of shadow swayed silently in her peripheral and her blood ran cold. A warning. She was not alone. There in the doorway stood Kylo, his eyes fixed on her with a deadly precision.
Bel hurriedly pushed herself off the window, her body morphing into one of pin-straight posture. She could feel the radio in it's hidden pocket, a trick of her panicked mind made it seem heavier. So heavy it could plunge through the tightly sewn compartment and drop to the floor with a loud clatter for him to see. That is, if he hadn't sensed it already. She banished the thought into the dark halls of her mind and locked it away.
How long? Bel thought. How long was he standing there!?
Far too long. Something dense and static-ridden had begun to fill the room. Dark force energy. It leaked from Kylo like plumes of heavy smoke. Invisible, but deadly. It continued to expand, no corner and crevice in the room left empty. Before her attempted desertion, Bel had nothing to compare it to, but as it rolled over her, pressure steadily building, she was reminded distinctly of the crashing waves on Craas as they flooded the ship and swallowed her up. Locking her arms together behind her back, Bel gripped her right wrist with her left hand, squeezing so tightly she could feel her nails pierce through the thick fabric of her uniform and threaten to sink into her forearm. It was a ploy she had adapted early into her tenure as Kylo's physician; a reminder that there were worse things than having to swallow one's pride. She shifted her gaze down in a show of submission, waiting for what could only be the impending burn of a force mind invasion. But it didn't come. As the seconds dredged by her temptation to look at him grew more fervent. She pressed her lips together, her grip on her arm tightening, straining every muscle in her body as instinct implored her to run.
Don't be a fool. Bel reminded herself.
The silence guttered as Kylo stepped forward, closing the space between them with four unwieldy steps. Although he had always been lethal, Kylo had never managed to master stealth. His footfalls were always heavy, weighted down by the tension that seemed forever coiled inside of him; begging for release yet never receiving it.
"It was you." Kylo said, his voice terrifying low and oddly sedate. Nevertheless, against every ounce of will contained in her nerves, Bel felt her body jerk at the sound of it. Her mind was racing to settle on a response but nothing came to her and the silence swelled. It was the sort of silence only found in the eye of a hurricane. As still and as controlled as it seemed, it was surrounded on all sides by perilous, raging winds. "...who helped the pilot escape."
Eyelids fluttering, Bel let the answer slide from her on the tails of a single drawn breath.
"Yes."
There was no point in hiding her conviction. Nothing could be gained by feigning regret she did not feel. Poe was alive and (relatively) unharmed. What else could she say? A lie would be fruitless. An apology, foolish. He wanted an answer from her. He wanted the truth. It was all she had to give. So, with nothing left to lose, she tilted her chin upward to meet his gaze only to find it was looking past her to a faraway place she could not see.
Behind her an explosion of fire ignited, sending waves of amber light into the room. Bel was desperate to turn, to see if it had been Poe's ship or the dreadnaut to sustain damage, but Kylo's eyes, black like pits, drew her in. He looked as exhausted as she felt. Dark lines, swollen and flush, hung under his eyes. His hair was beginning to mat from the sweat and oils that covered his head and face with a faint sheen. In his eyes, storm clouds swirled.
"Why?" He said, breath quaking.
Bel shook her head deftly. She tried to swallow, but her mouth and throat had gone dry. She suspected the rest of her body would soon follow suit. She wanted to continue speaking the truth but how could she make him understand? It seemed impossible. And she was running out of time. The unyielding pressure of the force was beginning to seep through her skin, spinning and morphing into waves of dread that filled her stomach and made her queasy. All the strength inside her winnowed and her limbs went lax. She stumbled backwards, casting a glance at the window. The Dreadnaut. She realized, relief fluttering through her. A gloved hand caught hold of her arm just under her shoulder. She glanced down at it as Kylo's grip tightened and he pulled her to him with chilling ease.
"Serana," He was commanding now, having overcome the initial shock of betrayal. "Look at me."
Nearly petrified, it took tremendous effort to comply. But comply she did, vision blurring as water accumulated in her eyes. She was frightened yes, but something else was blackening her resolve. She had betrayed him a second time, willingly and without regret. At the time it had been so easy, but now that she was faced with him, with his anger and his pain, she felt those very emotions reflecting in her own heart. Since their first meeting, there had always existed between them a silent pact, a level of trust and understanding that was somehow able to cultivate even in the paranoiac, power hungry confines of the First Order. In two strokes, she had managed to destroy that which had taken years to build.
"Kylo, plea-"
Her belated appeal was swallowed up as he mentally redirected the simmering swells of energy. They carressed the walls of her mind like the froths of flames currently engulfing the dreadnaut, hot and hungry. There was no time, no shields she could summon to put him off. She hissed as they pressed forward. Her vision went black. Her knees quaked and she was certain she would fall. His other hand enclosed around her free arm, keeping her steady. Her head lolled back as the force filled her head, rifling through her thoughts and quickly doing away the present ones to delve into the past. She whimpered, mortified as visions of her time with Poe were unwillingly called forth. But relief came crashing over her as the pain and the fear of the force breach gave way to the strength of those memories.
They seemed more potent now, as if she were truly reliving them all over again. She could feel the chill of the waves, her bones turning to ice as she fought the current, the overwhelming smell of salt stung her nostrils, the exhaustion that accompanied the pathetic flailing of her limbs fell over her as she tried to drag Poe's limp body from the ocean's angry maw. The memory faded as another was conjured. Again, she found herself bent over the pilot, inspecting his head wound and trying to ignore the tumble of her heart when she noted how close they really were. It was soon followed by the pleasing spark that slithered through her each time they bickered, batting words back and forth as if they had known each other for years. The spark only grew, well and truly stoked by each roguish smile he sent her way. The strange, enveloping sense of peace that lulled her to sleep as she lay next to him on that broken bed, watching his chest steadily rise and steadily fall in a bath of clear blue moonlight. It grew and grew until it reached nearly stifling proportions, her heart blazing as she found herself sat once again in front of that dying fire, the embers pulsing with light in time with her heavily thrumming heart as her gaze narrowed in on Poe's lips, her mind focused intently on the timbre of his voice, the feel of his rough skin against hers as he pulled her up and into his arms-
As quickly as the rapture had come, it's end was somehow even more instantaneous. Bel gasped, air flooding into her starved lungs as her senses were relinquished. Spots of ink black light danced before her eyes as she felt his grip on her fall away. She teetered on tired feet but managed to keep from falling, fear creeping back into the forefront.
Shakily, Bel lowered herself into the chair beside her. She gripped one of its arms with both hands, panting as beads of sweat dripped down her temple towards her jawline. It was all she had been hoping to dream of. All she worried she would one day forget. She had experienced what it was to fall for him all over again with the swiftness of a single breath, each and every fraught feeling condensed into seconds...only this time, she wasn't alone. Kylo had seen it all, felt it all, right alongside her. Such was the nature of the force.
Kylo remained, frightfully still, where she had left him. She didn't know what to say, her words had been stolen. What was left?
"Kylo, I-"
Her words cut through the din and he pivoted, his heavy cape billowing back behind him. For several seconds he paced, flexing and clenching his hands, seemingly as speechless as she was. Finally he halted in front of the sink and mirror that had been built into the wall. He reached for his mask, but his hand dropped instead to the counter, clutching it as he doubled over. Bel watched him. She could make out half of his face in the mirror's reflection but couldn't read his expression. There was so much there, turmoil and confusion. She could sense his rage, feel it directed at her and at himself. Always at himself.
"I-I can't explain it," Bel tried, needing to combat the silence. When he didn't respond, she pressed on. If she was to survive this, she needed to make him understand.
"I wish I could. I...there's a part of me that wishes I felt none of it but-"
A light on the door's keypad flashed red, accompanied by a shrill voice. Her brother.
"Ren," Hux spat through the comms, his voice even more garrish thanks to the static. "The Supreme Leader has summoned us both to the Supremacy, a transport is being prepped now."
Kylo made no move to respond. It was doubtful Armitage expected an answer, anyway. Bel kept her eyes on Kylo, waiting and poised to rise. Several moments passed before he released a gust of air and pushed off of the counter. Bel rose to her feet. He can't leave. He has to understand. Kylo grabbed his mask and made for the door. Against all whims of self-preservation, Bel stepped into his path. He nearly collided with her.
"Wait," She said, breathless.
He opened his mouth to admonish her, but she pressed on. She lifted both hands and placed them on either side of his neck, her thumbs grazing his jawline before pressing into his skin so that she could search for his pulse. Just as she expected, it was erratic. His skin was hot, nearly feverish.
"You know you can't go to him like this." Bel said, her voice now quiet in an attempt to soothe him. "Take a breath."
His hand gripped her elbow and he made an attempt to brush her off, but Bel held her ground. She could see in his eyes that he knew she was right. But he was fighting it. His anger had not been given time to dissipate and she knew he had every right to resent her. She had been caught in a lie. It was a miracle she was still standing. He attempted to drag one of her arms down and away his grip turning vice-like and painful.
"Move." He seethed, refusing to look at her. "Now, before I-"
"Kylo," Bel implored, her frustration slipping through her defenses. "You know I'm right. You know what he'll do. Just...I need you breathe. Please."
She felt something, warm and wet, slip from the corner of her eye and slink down her face. She watched as Kylo's gaze moved to it, following it. Reluctantly, his grip loosened and his hand fell away. Bel allowed herself a sigh of relief, there was no point in holding anything back now. He had forced his will into her, into the very heart of her. What was left of her he had seen. And judged. She pushed those thoughts away and moved her hand back in place. Slowly and gently, she tightened her hold on him. Her palms were just like his, slick with sweat and uncomfortably warm.
"In," She breathed, a show that her instructions were not aimed solely at him. "...and out."
She repeated the words several times over, feeling his pulse, waiting for it (and for hers) to slow.
Once she was satisfied that he had calmed some she asked, "Better?"
He only nodded gruffly in a manner that was all but reassuring. Thankfully, most of the color had faded from his face, but Bel couldn't deny what she saw in the shadow of his dark eyes. The rage was still there. She was not forgiven. She wondered if she ever would be.
"Good…" Bel paused, then flinched. If her brother too had been called by Snoke, she knew what she had to do. "Then I'm coming with you."
She half expected him to argue with her or outright refuse. Instead he did something she wasn't expecting. He looked down at the mask still clutched in his hand...and considered.
"Well?" She said after too many seconds had passed.
He lifted his hand, offering the mask to her. Her lips morphed into a disapproving line. She knew how Snoke felt about the mask. If anything, it was the only she she and their wizened leader had ever agreed on, but she was in no position to argue. So she took it from him and rose up on the balls of her feet to affix the godforsaken thing to his head. Once it clicked into place, he brushed past her and headed for the door. Bel inhaled, readying herself, but her head at once empty and full. Nevertheless, she gathered her wits and followed in Kylo's footsteps.
The Supremacy was unlike any other ship in the First Order's once massive fleet. Stalked to bursting with the newest and most experimental tech, each room and every hall was painted over in sleek dark tones which, thanks to a peppy drove of minute drones was never anything but perfectly clean. The ship itself had traveled the length of the galaxy three or four times over in it's tenure but had spent most of its time in the Unknowns, floating like a predatory creature in a sea of stars.
It was the closest thing to a home Bel had known. She had spent most of her time on the ship, in the med bay, on the sidelines of the training docks, and in quarters she was fortunate to call her own; placed right round the corner from Kylo's. Only a handful of officers were granted their own quarters and though it was small, Bel treasured that private, surveillance-free, space more than she did her titles, her promotions or anything else. At least, she had. Until Poe came along.
She shook thoughts of him away, pushing them deep down into the lowest caverns of her mind and locking them away. It was in this moment, now more than ever that she had to be guarded. For if Snoke sensed even the smallest of anomalies in her mind, she was surely a dead woman walking. As per usual, she followed two steps behind Kylo and memories of her old life, ones that felt light years behind her, came floating back to the surface. It was far too easy to slip back into her old ways of life, but that was to be expected. Since birth she had been trained by her father in the ways of a high ranking officer. She held her head steady, her posture immaculate, her steps falling perfectly in line with Kylo's. She had pulled her hair back up, rolling it into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, careful to slip anything unruly back into place. Her uniform was navy in color, bearing the marking of her rank and department. She took sharp, swift breaths in and out of her nose; her lips pursed into a thin, impenetrable line. Her brow's tilted down, her eyes were like ice and steel melded together. In truth, her head was still reeling from the pressures of the force...and the tension that still hung in the air between them.
Close, Bel lamented. I was so close.
They arrived at a lift, the only one that led to the throne room where Snoke ruled. Shut away from all but those whose presence he demanded. For all the power he had amassed, the Supreme Leader was a fragile man. There was talk throughout the Order that without his hold on the force, Snoke's aging body would fail him and he would collapse to death. Leaving nothing behind but a sack of rotting skin and bones like dust. Travel was hard on him and even the jump to lightspeed seemed to irk him at times. It only made sense, then, to hoard himself away surrounded by a guard of viciously adept soldiers in a room nearly equal in its splendor and its duress.
Kylo stepped in first. Bel followed, shifting to reestablish her place to his right, but still very clearly behind him. The operator at the door, an officer Bel recognized but who's name she had never bothered to learn, shot a curious glance at the pair of them before the doors slid shut, sealing them in.
Gears turned and the lift rose steadily, it's speed only adding to the nausea that was enveloping Bel. She slid her eyes shut, breathing in deeply and focusing on the sound of her heart, holding the air in hopes the uneven beats would right themselves. She breathed out through her teeth, her eyelids throbbing and she pushed them tighter and tighter together.
"You know I can't protect you in there."
Bel's entire body lurched, any semblance of calm scattering. She could hear the anger still, but it was simmering just below something else. Something that sounded like honesty. And remorse.
I could very well be breathing my final breaths. She thought, a shiver cold as ice raking up her spine. But with Armitage there...I have to know. If there's even the smallest of chances to glean some information and survive to send it, I have to...
"I know." She said finally, winced at the raw, throaty sound of her own voice. A sure sign of fear. One Snoke would recognize.
"Kylo, I-"
The doors opened with a hiss, swallowing up her words. Kylo walked through and Bel could do nothing but follow.
The Supremacy was no Starkiller Base, but the grandiosity of the throne room, with it's vibrantly violent red walls and sleek black and gray finishes argued otherwise. To be called to the presence of the Supreme Leader was as much an honor as it was a call to agonize over the reasoning behind it. There was never a guarantee that, once you entered the elevator, you would ever be seen again. Upon first arriving to the ship, Bel was unwillingly treated to an array of hushed rumors over what had befallen the physicians that had come before her and it was those memories that flashed through her head now.
"Tied on a string, indeed General Hux. Well done." The Supreme Leader croaked, his voice a stone in the pit of Bel's stomach. To Bel's surprise he seemed...pleased with her brother.
But, that can't be. She thought, now following several steps behind Kylo. Starkiller Base was destroyed on his watch and the map recovered by the resistance thanks in part to one of Armitage's storm troopers. That cannot possibly be forgi-
Bel faltered, stumbling ever slightly on her feet as the realization panged through her. She trained her eyes on Kylo, on the stiffness of his shoulders. She could still feel the force radiating off him, like cooling tendrils of smoke.
Unless...that must be how Kylo was able to buy my brother's silence. Snoke doesn't even know what role a stormtrooper played in the losing of the map.
Her survival. It all depended on Kylo.
I can't protect you in there.
"The resistance will soon be in our grasp." Snoke continued, relaxing into his chair. The Supreme Leader had long ago abandoned more formal attire for the sake of comfort. He was dressed in a simple but immaculately gilded robe. It was a favorite of his and a stark contrast to the cold, unyielding industry he chose to surround himself in. And yet, even when hunched over on his throne like a cripple, Snoke commanded the room and always manage to seem larger than all who dared approach, even Kylo.
"Thank you, Supreme Leader." Hux said. Bel's eyes rolled back into her head. She never had been able to stomach her father and brothers penchant for groveling, something that simultaneously amused and annoyed The Supreme Leader. With a curt bow, Armitage spun on one slick booted heel, knowing he had been dismissed. As he passed by Kylo his pockmarked face morphed into a hideous sneer. Kylo, his form somehow no less a hardened shadow even in the presence of Snoke, didn't seem to notice, let alone acknowledge him. Decidedly snubbed, Hux turned his shocking blue eyes to Bel and as he passed her by his shoulder rammed into hers, throwing her measured pace off balance and knocking air from her lungs. Bel bit down on her lip, keeping even the smallest of noises locked inside her and quickly found her footing. She made to shoot a fiery glare over her shoulder but stopped herself, instead cocking her head back and managing a calm, cool smile instead. It would be foolish to attempt a retaliation...for now. Besides, nothing irked her brother more than her composure in the face of his needling. But there was no time to gage his reaction.
The room, as mightily crafted as it was, seemed to tremble and quake as Snoke emitted a rumbling chuckle. Her brother stilled for a moment, most likely struck by the same jolt of panic that all officers felt whenever called to the chambers of their high ruler. Bel too, found herself stumbling into motion and pivoted, halting next to the guard stationed nearby, some twenty or so feet from where Kylo had dipped down on one leg to kneel in front of his master. Bel had always thought it strange to see Kylo adopt a more submissive stance. Amongst all other company he emitted such strength and power it was an alarming about-face to witness, something she believed she would never get used to.
"You wonder why I keep a rabid curr in such a place of power." Snoke drawled, answering a question that had not been posed. It was no secret, however, that there was no love loss between Snoke's young general and his chosen apprentice. Bel was certain Snoke preferred it this way. "Because weakness, properly manipulated can be a sharp tool."
A heady beat of silence thrummed through the room and it's occupants before he spoke again.
"How's your wound?" He asked, all amusement sapped from his voice. His eyes, unevenly space on his putrid, bulbous head shifted momentarily to Bel, focusing on her stony features with his usual accusatory air. She met his gaze collectedly, almost uninterested, as was her way. Anything out of the ordinary would surely draw unwanted suspicions. Nevertheless, she gripped her wrist tightly behind her back, forcing all the tension roiling within her to a single, hidden point.
"Taken care of." Kylo answered, his words were clipped but assured. Seemingly appeased, Snoke's eyes shifted downward, all his attention returning to his student.
"The mighty Kylo Ren." He intoned, "When I found you…"
Snoke sucked in a greedy breath, tremors of static swelling around him. Bel's nostrils flared. The guard to her right, shifted on his feet ever slightly. Readying himself.
Not good.
"I saw what all masters live to see. Raw, untamed power and beyond that something truly special. The potential of your bloodline. A new Vader."
The name was like a balm on his ancient tongue and left his chapped mouth in a reverent purr that echoed ominously around the room, turning Bel's stomach. There was weight to it, even now. She kept her eyes trained to the ground, to the reflection she could see as still as stone against the mirrored tiles beneath her feet.
"Now I fear, I was mistaken."
Bel's eyes flew upwards as her heart plunged down. What is he doing?
Kylo was already unstable. This could very well push him over the edge.
Like the ache of an old wound, Bel felt white hot anger pulse through her veins. She had always been protective of Kylo and, because of her position, always been at odds with Snoke's constant machinations. In secret, when they were alone, she was desperate to derail the tracks Snoke so viciously laid, but was rarely as successful as she hoped she could be. Even now, even after Kylo had raided her mind and shattered her shields, she could feel those defenses were on alert.
"I've given everything I have to you." Kylo said, the tremor in his mask-mangled voice fretfully apparent. "To the dark side."
"Take that ridiculous thing off." Snoke ordered, no longer bothering to bridle his anger. Bel's grip tightened on her arm, she could feel her pulse beating heavily against her grasp, but she kept her head turned down. I shouldn't have come. She heard the hiss as the straps of the mask were loosened and it was pulled free.
"Yes, there it is." Snoke murmured "You have too much of your parent's heart in you. Young Solo."
"I killed Han Solo." Kylo insisted, but Snoke only turned away, seemingly unconvinced. "When the moment came I didn't hesitate."
"And look at you." Snoke, spat, rearing at Kylo once more. "The deed's split your spirit to the bone. You were unbalanced. Bested by a girl who had never held a lightsaber. You failed!"
Kylo leapt to his feet, a burst of raw force energy emanating from him like a dust cloud, his cloak slinking to the floor. Bel, against her better judgment, stepped forward and opened her mouth but Snoke was surprisingly quick on his feet. With a lazy wave of his hand jagged coils of blue light shot forth, hitting Kylo square in the chest and sending him sprawling backwards into a heap on the ground. Bel jerked forward, aiming to land at his side on her knees, but the guards were set on alert and the one by her side caught hold of her collar. Knowing better than to argue, Bel fell back into place, but her eyes were trained on Kylo, silently urging him to get up, less any delay anger Snoke further.
Snoke raged on, unperturbed by the commotion. "Skywalker lives. The seed of the jedi order lives. As long as it does, hope lives in the galaxy."
Thankfully Kylo, scrambled up and the guards fell back in line. Bel wrestled herself free and took a small step to the side. Anything to create a little bit of distance between herself and the guard.
"I thought you would be the one to snuff it out." Snoke grumbled, slowly returning to his seat. "Alas, you're no Vader."
He lowered himself uneasily into the chair.
"You're just a child. In a mask."
He turned his head, lifting on hand towards the back of the room. A dismissal.
Kylo turned, mask in hand, taking labored strides towards the door. Gingerly, Bel took a step forward, dipped down and grabbed a fistful of his cloak, pulling the heavy fabric up into her arms and turned to follow.
"Lieutenant Hux," Snoke called, before she could take a second step. Bel halted, her lips curling into a grimace. Shit. The guard beside her stiffened, then shifted slightly. With a near robotic cadence, he moved his weapon to his left hand so that it's point, throbbing with red bolts of energy blocked Bel's path.
She cast a helpless, pleading eye past the guard towards Kylo. He didn't stop, didn't even slow or look back, leaving her to reckon with Snoke on her own. She hoped to catch his eye when he turned, but his eyes shot right through her; lost to the dark. Dread turned to defeat and Bel's shoulders fell. Snoke's words had hit their mark. Whatever sliver of hope she had to cling to was dashed. How could she have been so foolish?
I had his trust. And now...
"We have much to discuss." Snoke finished.
Bel sucked in a breath and turned to face Snoke. She heard the doors of the elevator seal shut behind her. Her shoulders straightened and she did what she could to push the terror down, down, down. Her reputation amongst the officers was all she had now. So with a toss of her head, she imagined herself to be made of stone, hardened and unemotional. Quietly, with as much grace as she could muster, still clutching Kylo's cape, she knelt down one knee.
"Ah-" Snoke tutted, a terrifyingly amused ease returning to his voice. "No need, my dear."
He gestured towards the space in front of him. With a amiable nod, Bel approached. Snoke rested his chin on one hand, regarding her with his usual curious affection. Many officers in the First Order where the children of those that had fought for the Empire and had subsequently lost their lives in the wake of the death star's destruction. Bel knew that Snoke felt, in his own way, as though he were a parent to the thousands of orphaned souls. Some, like her brother, played to those notions. Others, like Bel, only allowed them so as to further their own paths.
"You disagree with my methods." Snoke said. It wasn't a question.
Bel's mind raced, sifting carefully through her words to craft the best response. She had found, after nearly eight years of service, that speaking in half truths and avoiding even the smallest of lies whenever possible was key to surviving an encounter with Snoke's discerning eye.
"My opinions are entirely inconsequential," Bel said, dipping her head low in a signed of feigned resignation. "...Supreme Leader."
Every muscle in her body tensed as she waited. She could feel his eyes on her, regarding her; waiting perhaps for her resolve to crack. Her eyes fluttered in her head as the seconds ticked by.
"What happened to your face, my dear?" He asked, lifting one gnarled finger towards her cheek, where a splotch of color, still stained her skin thank to her brothers fist.
Bel swallowed, a lump like stone forming in her throat and trapping her answer inside.
Shit. She thought, as his grotesquely pinched mouth spread wider.
"Has my apprentice-" He began.
"No," Bel interjected with a bite she couldn't contain. She flinched, realizing too late what she had done. Interrupting the Supreme Leader...it was a fledgling's error.
Against her better judgement, Bel lifted her chin up. Sure enough, surprise and ire now reflected in Snoke's gaze.
"I-forgive me, Supreme Leader." Bel scrambled, dropping to her knees. She dipped her head down low in a show of shame. "He has never had reason to-he would never-"
She could only hope that her stammering was enough to pull his attention in the direction she wanted it to go. If he thought her outburst was born of concern over her standing, well, that was in line with the character she had been carefully crafting since the job had been forced upon her by her overreaching father. Unlike her brother, she had never hungered for power but for the security that came with the skills she had honed.
"Ah but it seems someone has…" Snoke pressed, not bother to feign concern or hide his amusement.
Bel weighed her options with the sparse seconds she had.
"A...disagreement between siblings." Bel said, purposefully muddling her truthful response in hopes he would read into it further. "It seems my presence on the bridge is bothersome to my brother."
"Heh," Snoke chuckled. The feuds between Bel and Armitage were well known throughout the order. It was well within her brothers character to attempt to enact dominance over Bel whenever possible.
"Now tell me, Serana." Snoke said, her birth name rolling off his tongue with sickening ease. Bel's breath hitched in her mouth.
"What is the extent of the damage to my apprentice?"
Relief flooded through her like a shock of adrenaline. A report. That's all he wanted.
Bel rose to her feet, still clutching tightly to the cloak. "The wound at his side was concerning, Supreme Leader..."
She rattled through her report with practiced efficiency, but Snoke's gaze drifted away from her several seconds in.
He's already bored with me. Bel thought. That's good.
"Very well, Lieutenant." He said, waving her off before she was able to complete the report. "You are to remain here until the last of the resistance has been dealt with."
"Yes, Supreme Leader." Bel said.
"My apprentice will be greatly challenged in the coming days." Snoke said. "If he displays any...troubling behaviour…"
Snoke trailed off for a moment. Bel shifted uneasily on her feet.
"I expect an immediate report. Understood."
"Understood, Supreme Leader."
"Good girl." Snoke said, "That's all."
Bel didn't need to be told a second time. Her senses blurred as she moved swiftly towards the elevator. She waited until they closed, until several achingly slow seconds passed, before she allowed herself to breathe again. Her back fell against the wall as the car raced down closer and closer to relative safety. Somehow, by some miracle, she was still alive.
Now what? She thought, Kylo, I have to find-
Her boot shifted and something hard caught underneath it, scraping loudly against the floor. She looked down.
Oh no.
A chill mauled her spine as she took in the scene she had been too relieved to notice at first glance. Bits of metal and glass covered the floor of the car and amongst it...the remnants of the mask, now utterly destroyed.
Just as Bel knelt down to inspect it, the doors opened. She jumped to her feet and was met with the blanched faces of two officers, only one of which she recognized. They did not seem to realize she was there, however. Their eyes were trained to the right, mouths agape and faces drained of color. It was a look Bel had seen on many an occasion.
"Where is he?" Bel demanded. Both flinched at the sound of her exacting question.
"Lieutenant! I believe, I think he was heading towards his chambers, ma'am-." The female petty officer stuttered.
Bel made to breeze past them and make chase but the officer continued. "-the techs have already begun to prep his ship as requested."
Bel whirled on him. "What? Why? The Resis-the rebels jumped to hyperspace, did they not?"
The two officers shared a knowing look, the female beaming with pride. "It won't do them much good, ma'am. Now that General Hux can track them."
Track-?! No...no that's impossible.
"Excuse me," Bel muttered, pushing past them. They bowed attentively, boots clapping together as they allowed her, a superior officer, to pass.
Their uniforms...R.D. Techs, the pair of them. Bel struggled to keep a speedy pace, her mind racing to piece together what it all meant. Tracking them is no great feat, why should Snoke praise my brother through-
Snoke's words echoed in her head. Tied on a string indeed, General Hux.
If Armitage can track them through hyperspace-
Bel hit the corner and finding it empty, broke into a run.
I have to warn Poe. Now, before it's too late.
Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear from you.