Ben ran his hands through his hair as he paced across the console room on the Resistance base that had been torn apart since they had left for Naboo. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He knew what the queen had wanted and that was all fine and dandy, but Ben knew better. That was going to resort in the scene from the Netherwood to play out.

Queen Cordella was quite smart for her age. She had wanted Ben to send a transmission from Ajan Kloss so that the First Order would be sure to try to find him and then once the whole First Order was near the planet, she could have reinforcements come fight. It was a decent plan that Ben could see working. Especially if he provoked Wayzac enough. And he wouldn't have hesitated but there was one person stopping him.

Rey.

He couldn't put her in danger. He couldn't watch her be tortured. He wouldn't let her be.

There wasn't going to be a transmission. He was not going to give the First Order any reason to find Rey. And he was positive that Wayzac would be happily satisfied with only him in hand.

That settled it. No transmission, no future. He would protect Rey to his dying breath just as he had before. And if he had any say in any of this, Wayzac wouldn't have a single finger on Rey.

With his mind made up, he left the base and went back to his x-wing. When he had been with Finn on The Finalizer, the ship had been next to the Fanum Minor constellation. It was his best bet.

With the constellation on his navicomputer, he set off. For once he was grateful to his uncle for all of the lessons. Before now he had thought knowing the constellations had been a waste of time, as were many of the other things his uncle had made him learn, and Ben couldn't remember ever having used them before this point in time but at this moment... He wasn't sure if he would have been able to find The Finalizer without them.


Much to Ben's surprise The Finalizer had not moved from its spot among the stars. It still sat, hovering in the air, large and imposing. He could sense the guns trained on his ship as he flew towards the docking bay. Shots weren't fired as he had been expecting though. Instead when he landed, a ridiculously large amount of stormtroopers were waiting with blasters aimed at the X-wing.

He opened the hatch and climbed out onto the wing before dropping down and standing tall, hands behind his back. He could feel the room shift in tension as the stormtroopers stared at him, unsure of what exactly to do.

He glanced between all of them and when he didn't see who he was looking for, Ben took the chance of a strong stride towards the hanger bay's exit. The stormtroopers hesitated, but did part and let him pass without question.

His heart beat madly in his chest. This was going better than what he had been expecting, but somehow that bothered him even more than if they would have attacked him. He was sure that everyone had assumed him dead and he hadn't made contact with anyone in the First Order for months, not that he could have anyways. Did they know he was coming or was he really that terrifying that they didn't dare try to cross him? If it was the second, it was definitely going to make this much easier.

He could hear the material of the stormtroopers' armor behind him as they followed him to make sure he didn't do anything out of order. Not that he would. He knew better. And they should know better than to test him. Unless they could sense the way he held himself now as different. He would have to do a lot of convincing with Wayzac, but at least Rey would be safe.

He had to play the part. Once again, he had to be Kylo. He had to be the ruthless, tempered man that commanded the First Order with an iron fist. He was sure he could still do it. The world still hated him, Poe still hated him, those two girls were afraid of him. He could use that. Anything at all that upset him, he would use as fuel... He just had to try to remember what had made him so angry for so long when he wasn't angry anymore.

"Wayzac!" he yelled as he pushed open the doors to what used to be his room, the darkness greeted him. Her clear eyes met his and she plastered a smile over her lips, getting to her feet and stepping around the desk, not seeming shocked at his entrance in the slightest. "You've sure made a mess of things since I've been gone."

She tipped her head to the side innocently. "Kylo." Her voice was sticky sweet and it made the hair on the back of Ben's neck stand upright. "I'm so relieved that you're safe." No, she wasn't. "We've been trying to find you ever since the war on Exegol." No, she hadn't. "Where have you been?"

"I was being held in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center on Coruscant," he explained only to receive a sarcastic nod from her.

"Am I supposed to assume you escaped?"

"Are you suggesting I didn't?" he shot back, doing his best to keep his jaw tight.

"Not at all." She held her hands up in mock surrender. "I'm incredibly sorry that we didn't think to search there first. It seems fitting that you would have been taken there."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

Wayzac took a step back with a still growing smile. "Kylo, Kylo, Kylo." She clicked her tongue as she stepped around him, eyes wandering over his body. He shifted uncomfortably. "Always thinking there's some hidden meaning behind something or someone is out to get you." Her fingers trailed along the back length of his shoulders and his hands became fists. He seized her and pulled her back in front of him, his grip on her wrist much tighter than he originally meant it. Her eyes met his and there was some sort of smirk in them, her now close enough to him that he could see each one of her freckles clearly across the bridge of her nose. "We welcome you back with open arms, Kylo Ren." He dropped his hold on her wrist and she stepped back, a smile still bright in her eyes. "We have much to go over. Be ready in the conference room in ten."

"And where have you sent all of my things, Wayzac?" Ben demanded in a voice he hoped was convincing enough.

"I'm sure you remember fairly well where my old quarters were."

He didn't like the way she beamed at him over her shoulder as she turned and left the room, motioning the stormtroopers to follow her. He frowned and waited a moment for her to fully disappear down the hallway before he decided to go find all of his misplaced belongings.

He had thought that being angry would have been a challenge, but this one conversation with her had been enough to refuel a deep hatred he had towards her. There had always been something in the way that she could push him to the edge, taunt him mercilessly. He wasn't sure if he could name or place what it was about her, but the way she held herself, like she was better than him had always made his blood boil. And she had been better than him in most things. He could accept that. She just knew the best ways to hold that over his head and make him feel small and inadequate.

There were many things in Ben's life that he could see clear as day, each one more horrible than the last. And others were pleasant, newer memories that surrounded his walking sun. But walking these halls again just made him relive each horrible memory over and over. Each path he had taken to get to this place. And each horrible thing that had happened to him in turn.

Wayzac was one of those. A horrible thing that had happened to him that kept returning over and over again. She was the glue stat stuck to the bottom of his shoes and he wanted her gone. He didn't much care how it happened, he didn't need her to suffer, he just needed her cold eyes extinguished from this universe.

He found the room and entered it, stopping and glancing around. He absolutely hated how well he knew this room and wished he could tear it down, burn it to the ground. He couldn't bear to look at how the furniture was still all arranged in the same way it had been when he had shattered a mirror across the floor and Wayzac's amused and smug expression was echoed in every jagged piece.

He dug through several boxes of strewn items and slowly found his clothes. He didn't put much on, just the cloak that he knew would help hold his appearance up and then those gloves that were always a little too tight and slightly uncomfortable enough to make him hyper aware of everything around him.

He turned, eyes resting on his reflection in a part of that mirror that was still adhered to the frame. He hated this room. Hated her for making him like this room in the first place. Hated how she had turned it into a sanctuary for him to hide in before tearing it all down just to spite him.

He remembered long nights in that bed that were spent talking. Telling her absolutely everything about himself. She had made it so easy to say everything out loud. Very few select were allowed to know about his past. Very few knew who he really was. Wayzac was never meant to be any of those people. She was a squad leader. The very bottom of the barrel. Nothing important to anyone, not even The First Order. She could have easily been replaced, even with Hux as her brother. He never did anything for her, wouldn't have stood in the way if she needed to be rid of.

But that damned smile that had once been so kind and endearing.

For once he had someone. For once there was someone who wasn't afraid of him and who could challenge him without being a threat. She, for lack of a better term, was a friend. A close friend. Someone he let too close. Someone he trusted with his soul.

And she was such an amazing actress. She played him like a bandfill. It had been so easy for her. A scared little boy who had never had anyone. Inserting herself into his line of sight had been child's play. And that boy would leach onto any form of compassion that was shone. She had his heart wrapped around her icy fingers far too quickly. He fell too easily. Still far too much of Ben Solo than of Kylo Ren. Too much hope in those eyes that she had wanted to squash. Manipulating him was like she was writing a script for him to recite. And he saw it now. He saw it that night too.

That night that mirror had shattered. That night he had confessed his every last feeling to her. That night he had kissed her and she had laughed. Fuck that laugh. It chimed through this room now, tearing at his insides, making him wish he were still invisible. Making him wish there was that uncomfortable pull in the back of his ribs that would take him back home to Rey.

Wayzac had wanted to get to Snoke. She had tried getting to the position with her husband. He had been an admiral, but that didn't get her far. And even if the admiral had been messing around on the side, it still didn't change the fact that he had used up his usefulness and was going to be discarded. His secret boyfriend had just been the right... Motivation, she would call it.

And that was Kylo Ren to her. Just another stepping stone to get what she had wanted. She had never loved him, but she had played her part well. She hadn't even needed to undress to impress this broken man. She just had to listen to his pathetic sob story.

Ben regretted it now. He regretted ever letting anyone know. Regretted that he had wanted someone there so badly that he had spilled out everything at her feet. Everything that she could now use against him, that she had used against him then.

He had still come out on top though. Even if she was better than him at her job, made Snoke actually proud, had risen even above her brother, Kylo still triumphed. He had thought it was because of his ability to use the force, but now he wasn't so sure why Snoke had picked him over her to be his puppet.

Because she wouldn't have been a puppet, a small voice told him.

She would have done whatever she wanted and Snoke couldn't have that. He needed someone he could still mold and shape. He had needed someone broken and ready to be fixed. Ben had been the ideal choice all along. Wayzac had been too strong, too independent, too outspoken. She would have gotten rid of him, just as Ben eventually had. Only she would have done it sooner. She was cruel and efficient. She would do what needed to be done without the bat of an eye.

Ben also couldn't be sure, but maybe it had something to do with the dyad. Snoke had been bridging his and Rey's minds from the beginning. Maybe Snoke had always known that he would need one half to the dyad to control so that eventually he could have the other half. A power unto life itself to wield however he saw fit.

What an unstoppable force they would be in his hands. Ben had seen it as well. All of the visions of a dark queen on the throne with him at her side. And all of them had been Rey, but it seemed like a red headed woman sat there now. Her hair wild like brush fire, eyes dangerous. A dark smile on those painted lips and body shrouded in the darkest black. A queen to rule the universe. And Wayzac could do it. He had no doubt in his mind that she would be able to.

Without another glance at the room, he left and made his way to the conference room. With a deep breath he pushed open the door and strode in, doing his best to ignore all of the surprised eyes on him from the other generals and admirals. He took his seat and Wayac shot him another one of her smiles, this one more accepting than teasing.

She rose from her seat, calling attention back to a direct stillness from all of the small chatter that had quickly broken out. She glanced around the room and Ben's gloved fingers tapped on the smooth surface of the sleek black table they were all gathered around.

"As I am sure you are all now fully aware, our fearless leader, Kylo Ren has returned to us," she said in a voice that held just enough sarcasm for Ben to catch. He watched her carefully as she placed her hands on her hips. "As he was in prison on Coruscant awaiting trial, he has graciously agreed to allow me to run the next few meetings until everything is back in order."

He had never once said anything about a trial. What was she playing at?

"And as of this meeting, I will be stepping down as Supreme Leader and the position will again belong to Ren."

Ben's eyes narrowed as he watched Wayzac carefully. There was a glint in her eyes that he couldn't place, but he didn't like it. She was planning something. She wouldn't just let him rule the First Order again. He knew her far better than she would like to admit and knew how her mind worked.

It didn't sit right with the rest of the room either. Ben could feel the energy shift. None of them liked him. They never had, but it didn't stop the lasers that were being burned into the back of his head.

"We will still be working closely together," she continued brightly. "I will be second in command."

There was another drastic shift in the room that Ben couldn't name or place as good or bad. Maybe it was a relief that Wayzac would still be somewhat in charge. Ben wasn't blind to the captivation she had always had on the rest of the crew. He had just thought himself special, lucky.

"Now." She clapped her hands together drawing all eyes back to her and away from Ben, whose hand had become a fist on the table. He had never thought how easy it would be to slip back into old habits. He quickly released the strain in his knuckles and did his best to just relax his hand. "We have been patiently tracking the remainder of a pocket of Resistance fighters. We had previously located them on Naboo and they have currently returned there. We have sent a small group to take care of them there. The queen continues to be a pain. We are planning to take care of that as well. We believe that the queen is hiding the last of the Jedi there. She was the one who initiated the attack on our fleet on Exegol. Rebel Scum," she grumbled under her breath low enough that only Ben caught it. "According to new information, their main vessel is currently on its way to returning to their base on Ajan Kloss. Our-"

"How do you know this?" Ben asked, receiving a harsh gaze at his interruption. As far as he knew all of them were still on Naboo, but now he wasn't even sure if that was still safe enough for them. Maybe they all should have stayed on Ahch-To.

"We've been tracking them for quite some time," Wayzac replied, eyes leaving him and returning to the room. "Now-"

"With what?"

Wazac bristled and straightened herself, a now fake smile plastered on her face. Was it still that easy to get under her skin? Did she still hate him that much? Ben couldn't help but note the way her eyes wrinkled at the edges as she spoke in a strained tone.

"Since you have been away, more stormtroopers have been defecting. We have installed tracking devices in all of their suits so that if they defect and escape we can find them and if they are worth saving, we send them to conditioning. If not, then we dispose of them."

Ben opened his mouth to argue, but quickly closed it. Wayzac gave a curious look as she watched his reaction closely. He had to watch himself. That was perfectly in line for the First Order and it was definitely not the worst thing that they could be doing to those people. Ben figured, as sad as it was, that death was far better than any form of punishment that Wayzac could come up with.

"And how did they happen to obtain one of these suits?" Ben asked, hoping that that had been enough to throw her off his track. He didn't need her answer. He already knew. The scenario was clear as day in his mind. Finn.

"FN-2187," Wayzac started, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her normally tidy bun. "There was a breach in security. He snuck on board and commandeered another trooper's suit."

Ben did his very best to look and sound surprised. "He snuck on board? To what?"

"He stole something from my private quarters."

"What?" Ben pushed, sitting more forward in his chair.

Her eyes glanced around the room and she sighed before finally focusing back on Ben, who now wore a smug smile. He had messed something up for her. Made her look bad in front of the other officers and if he was going to have any shot at all of this insane plan to work, then that was exactly what he needed to do. Break her down into nothing and take control so he could end this once and for all.

"Just an old set of keys. I'm sure they don't hold any importance."

Ben chuckled and everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably. "A defected stormtrooper who is now one of the head generals of the Resistance snuck back on board our ship, broke into your room and stole a set of keys and you don't think it holds any significant importance?" Was he giving too much away? He had to. He needed to give them something to work with, something to not suspect him anymore than they already did. "They're searching for something, something important. Do you really think that they would risk getting one of their own caught for a pair of keys that aren't paramount?"

Her teeth were clenched tight and Ben swore he could hear her grinding them. "I can assure you that we are taking care of it," she finally said through her teeth.

"I expect to be briefed on that operation when this meeting is finished."

"Of course."

"What ship are we tracking?" another general spoke up. One that Ben didn't recognize. He must have been newly appointed.

Wayzac gave a relieved sigh and returned her attention to the group. "We are tracking the Millennium Falcon and as I have said, it is currently on its way back to Ajan Kloss."

Ben gave a confused look. Why would the Falcon be on the way to Ajan Kloss? There was nothing there for them anymore. Finn had told them that the base was empty. Was there something he just didn't know about that was still there?

He closed his eyes for a moment trying to think back to all of the exploring he had done those long nights when he was unable to sleep. Nothing stood out to him.

Poe and Finn had a meeting with the queen and those two girly girls were sure to be off doing something together with the rest of the Resistance that had all returned back to Naboo.

And Rey.

His eyes widened at the realization. It had been too much to ask to have her stay behind. He should have known better. She would always be so stubborn. He had to warn her, somehow tell her.

Ben wasn't sure how to though. He was certain that Wayzac would be keeping an extremely sharp eye on him.

Maybe he would have just enough time after this meeting to send her a transmission. Even if he didn't, he had to do something.

"We are planning to have a group ambush them and bring them to us. We'll find where the rest of their Resistance group is and take care of them. If we can remove this small pocket then we will have control once more," Wayzac explained. "That group will be setting out tomorrow. I have personally handpicked those troops."

Ben's knee bounced nervously and he didn't like the way Wayzac was eyeing him. She looked amused, as if she knew what was going through his head. There were some other trivial things discussed, things that didn't make much of a difference to Ben. What he couldn't get out of his mind was how absolutely headstrong Rey was. She had promised to stay in Naboo. He honesty wasn't sure why he was still surprised, but he was. Maybe he had been under the illusion of hope that she would listen to him, that she would understand why he wanted her to stay behind.

"Wayzac," Ben calls when she tried to follow the rest of the commanders out. He reached out and caught the hem of her shirt and pulled her back in front of him. She didn't look pleased in the slightest and quickly turned mostly away from him, still keeping him in her line of site, but her expression largely hidden. "I believe we have to discuss this security breach further. What happened was unacceptable." He dropped his hold on her and her hands rested on her hips.

"It is all perfectly in hand," she assured. Ben raised his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. "We let him go on purpose."

Ben couldn't hold back a laugh. He couldn't hide his surprise at the lie that she was trying to feed him. Did she really think that he wouldn't know? Even if he didn't know the surrounding circumstances, she couldn't possibly think that he wouldn't know that she was lying. He had grown close to her, far closer than he wanted to be now, but he knew her and she would do well to not forget that small detail.

"You did not let him go," Ben got out as he caught his breath. Wayzac was avoiding his gaze now and there was a blush to her cheeks as her eyes burned with anger. "It's not like he just disappeared into thin air." Her eyes widened. "He escaped."

"Were you there?" she demanded, arms now folded violently over her chest.

"I didn't have to be."

"We let him go. We knew that the suit would track him and that he was part of the Resistance. We knew that we would be able to find the Resistance through his mistake," she insisted.

Ben got to his feet and stepped up behind her, just close enough that she would hear his whispered words. "Bull shit." He didn't need to say anymore. He walked past her, feeling her dark gaze on his back as he left the room.

He didn't have time to dwell on the conversation though. He needed to get to a control room and send a message to the Falcon. Warn them. With all the confidence he could find, he passed through the doorway to one of the many control rooms and glanced around as people stopped in their tracks and stared at him.

"Get out," he ordered, moving to one of the consoles and looking over it. When there weren't any footsteps he gave a mocking sigh. "Don't make me look up or tell you again." There was a scramble as everyone hastily left the room and Ben let out a deep breath he didn't know he had been holding. His shoulders ached as if there was something physically resting on them. He didn't necessarily like the fact that everyone was afraid of him. It made him feel rather lonely. But it was useful for clearing a room if anything.

He pulled off one of his gloves and typed something into the panel, the holotransceiver now visible in front of him. He located Rey's transceiver that was on the falcon and waited for the signal to go through, but it didn't. She either wasn't on the ship or she had communications turned off so that Poe and Finn wouldn't bother her. He had realized that she liked to do that when she left without their permission to go do things.

He tried once more and ran a hand through his curls. He could always leave a message, but he had been hoping to speak to her directly. If she didn't answer now he had no idea when she would finally get his message or if at all.

He couldn't just sit here though. All of the crew he had kicked out were bound to tell Wayzac and she was going to use anything she could against him, especially now that he was Supreme Leader again. Anything that she could do to make him look bad and make others question him, she was going to do.

"Rey," he said as the message began transmitting. "You need to get rid of the stormtrooper suit you still have on the Falcon."

Wayzac hadn't been able to stop replaying what he had said in her head over and over again. How did he know she was lying? Disappear into thin air. How had he possibly known? He couldn't have. There was no way that anyone but her and that small group of troops knew what had happened. And she couldn't even explain it herself. FN-2187 had fallen through a wall. Just walked through the solid metal wall and was gone. How had he done it?

"Madam Irwilig," a voice said.

"What?" she shouted, looking up from the stark black conference table her hands were resting on. Her eyes met those of a young man who stood tall and straight, but had a startled look in his eyes.

"Kylo Ren has excused all of the staff in the North transmitter room. I thought that you would like to know."

Wayzac straightened herself upright and tipped her head to the side, working her jaw. Who did he have to contact? If he had been in prison, which she didn't buy for a moment, then he had no one to contact. Everything and everyone that he could possibly need to reach out to was on this ship. And even if he needed to contact someone, he surely didn't need to do it privately.

"Gather up the crew that was excused and have them return to their shifts. No one should have left that room." She straightened the sleeve of her shirt and went for the door, passing the man.

He bowed his head as she passed. "Of course, Ma'am."

She broke into a run the moment she was out of the council room and raced for the North corridor. She had worked too hard for this position, had so much blood on her hands and she wasn't about to give it all up so Snoke's perfect pet project could have his hands all over everything again. This was her position. She had earned it and she was not about to lose it, not by a long shot and definitely not to some snot nosed kid with daddy issues.

She stopped just outside of the open doorway and peered inside to see him at the holotransceiver console.

"The First Order has been tracking you through it. They know that you're going back to the base. Ditch the suit and go back to where you are safe like you promised. Please."

Wayzac couldn't help the grin that covered her lips. He was working with the Resistance. She had suspected it all along. She hadn't had the proof of course. And this wouldn't constitute as much. She knew he would wipe all of the information from the logs and there weren't any cameras to watch him in this room, which she would have to get fixed if he was going to keep sending messages.

She was patient though. She had waited this long to become the Supreme Leader, she could wait for him to screw up again. If she played her cards right then this would be over quickly. Cute little Ben Solo would be behind bars or dead if she had a say in it. And why wouldn't she? She was the Supreme Leader. The title might have been passed to him, but she would still run everything just as she had since the beginning. This was her ship, her fleet, her war and by hell or high water, she was going to see the end of it and come out on top.

"I will also be sending a message to Naboo to warn them of an attack that is going to take place there."

She turned back up the hallway, leaving Kylo to his secret message and went to the main bridge. It didn't take her long to find her new favorite toy and pull him to her. She straightened his tie and a deep blush rose to his cheeks, his blue eyes shining at how close she was during work hours. Wayzac had made it quite clear that they were a very private relationship, but if she wanted this weak spined man to do what she asked, sometimes she had to indulge him.

She brushed some of his blonde locks of hair out of his face and put on her best smile. "We had a change of plans. I need you and your group to leave tonight."

He cleared his throat and turned away from her. She smiled. His name was Krim or maybe it was Irek. She couldn't really remember. They were all blurs now. Just names with no faces. They served their purpose.

"I will have my team ready to move immediately," he said with a small crack to his voice.

"Perfect."


A/N: Hey peeps! Sorry it's been a while since my last update. It's been a really hard week. I am still not over that god awful cold or flu or whatever I have and I couldn't take any more time off of work, so no more days of writing on end in a day quill stupor. Now I'm writing in a notebook at my desk while I'm on hold with doctor's offices all day, as well as being in a day quill stupor. So I hope the length of this next chapter makes up for the time between the two. And it's time to finally fully meet Wayzac. I'm way excited. She has been a blast to write. I hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know in the comments if you did! I just want to give everyone a heads up. I do have the next few chapters written out, but I do have a surgery coming up at the end of March and I will apparently be on some pretty hard drugs that will make it so I probably don't remember the next two weeks. Haha. So, I go in on the 25th and I'm not sure what will be happening for the next two to three weeks after that. So we will have to see! No worries though. Maybe you will get some drugged out chapters or something. Thanks as always for the kind comments! Until next time, Happy Reading.