A/N: A big thanks to SirenBanshee. You are one amazing beta!
xXxXxXx
They sparred and trained until it was nearing lunch and Kylo had to leave so he could at least take a shower before the meditation session. Even after spending so much time with her, he didn't want to let her go.
Glancing at the path, he saw only Phasma's silhouette standing further down. Grinning, he finally did what he hadn't allowed himself to do earlier out of fear of being seen. It was one thing to be sparring in a strange way; it was something else entirely to be embracing air.
With a grin, he grabbed Rey's free hand and pulled her close before kissing her. Rey yelped in surprise, then answered with equal fervour.
"You've really improved," Kylo said as they finally parted. "You could easily stand up to some of my Guard. If you were to use the Force, they would be obliterated."
Rey beamed up at him. "You think so?"
He hummed, letting his fingers caress her cheek. "Definitely," he answered. "I wish you were here. I could properly teach you how to fight with your saber."
"I'm still practising those forms you taught me."
"I'll teach you new ones next time I can get away, okay?"
"I would like that," she said with a gentle smile. She suddenly pulled back, stepping out of his embrace. "Aren't you outside?" she asked, alarmed. "What if people see you? Talking to nothing?"
Kylo laughed and stepped into her space again. "I just checked. There's nobody here but Phasma and she's used to it."
"Hmm," Rey hummed.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again. Kylo eventually pulled away with regret.
"I really have to go. Any other day I would let them wait, but Rogue will be there and I don't want to risk it."
Rey gave him another smile and made waving motions with her hands. "Well go then," she said. "Shoo."
Kylo laughed. The sound lingered through their bond even after Rey had disappeared from view. With a sigh, he walked towards Phasma and then on to his quarters. His shower was quick and he thanked Phasma when she told him sandwiches were at his office so he could quickly eat before heading to the main training hall.
In his office, he was met by Derek. Kylo could see the man was slightly disgruntled but trying to hide it.
"Derek," he greeted, grabbing a sandwich.
"Supreme Leader."
"I figure I forgot to inform you that I wasn't planning on coming in this morning?"
"It is not my place to expect that you'd inform me of your whereabouts."
Kylo raised an eyebrow and Derek shifted.
"You can speak freely, you know," Kylo said.
"Uhm." It sounded slightly alarmed.
"Anything that can't wait until after meditation?" Kylo asked with mirth.
"Not really, sir." Derek hesitated. "You will be back after?"
"Yes, Derek," Kylo answered. "Unless Rogue causes problems." He shoved the last bite of the sandwich in his mouth and mumbled around it. "See you in half an hour or so."
He stepped out of the room and Phasma followed him to the training hall.
"Do you ever eat?" Kylo asked, teasing. He was feeling in a really good mood.
"I'll eat after the meditation, sir," Phasma answered.
Kylo shrugged. He steeled himself before entering the training hall. As with dinner the evening before, everybody was already present. Rogue was sitting on one end of the row, next to him Quicksilver and then Daze. There was a space in the middle of the row, separating them from Burman, Dot and Shadow. Ember was sitting off to the side, in her usual spot next to where Kylo would always sit.
Kylo decided to ignore Rogue for the time being. He had made clear the day before that he wasn't going to repeat what he had taught the others, so he would just have to follow along. He hoped, however, that Quicksilver and Daze had at least explained the basics to him and that he wouldn't disturb the others.
Settling down, Kylo observed the split row in front of him. They all seemed a bit on edge, albeit probably for different reasons. With a sigh, he decided on a little speech instead of his usual 'Let's start'.
"The same still applies," he stated. "I keep track of what happens both outside this room and in this room. Phasma is here to guard as well. Put your trust in me or her and relax."
The left side of the room glanced at the right side, and vice versa. Kylo sighed, feeling his good mood dissipate. Still, he figured this was better than them going at each other's throats.
"I will refrain from walking around today. Focus on your breathing. Become calm and at peace." He doubted it would work, at least not that day, but there was nothing for it. "Let's begin."
He took a deep, audible breath and sunk into his meditation. With the Force, he reached out to sense the others' moods. They were all tense, as he had expected and noticed earlier. It took a while, but it was Burman who first managed to relax. The Knight had been progressing with leaps and bounds, and Kylo figured that he would be ready to be reconnected with the Force before long. At least, as ready as anyone could ever be.
Much to his surprise, Rogue was exuding a sense of calmness as well, although it wasn't quite a focused meditation. Opening his eyes, Kylo looked at him. Either Quicksilver and Daze had managed to teach him a lot in only a day's time, or this wasn't the first time Rogue tried to meditate.
There was probably much more to the man than Kylo assumed. Still, he couldn't be bothered to care. He still viewed trying to infiltrate his Base as an insult, and his annoyance had to cool down before he could take even the slightest interest in the man. Up until then, Rogue was on his own, even for the meditation sessions.
One by one, he could feel the Knights relax. It still filled him with wonder that they trusted him or Phasma enough to leave so much of their guard down. Closing his eyes again, Kylo started monitoring for discomfort.
After the first week, he'd decided to not put a fixed time on their sessions but halt them when he felt the Knights turn restless. They were all progressing at roughly the same pace, so he didn't push anyone beyond what they were ready for, nor did it undertrain any of them. In the future, he guessed multiple training sessions would be necessary to cater to different skill levels. That, however, was a concern for far in the future, when more of the Knights would arrive.
As expected, Rogue was the first to lose concentration. Kylo ignored him in favour of the others. When they were about twenty-five minutes in, Dot started twitching. Only a minute later, Shadow did the same.
"Breathe one last time and slowly open your eyes," he said.
They all blinked and got up. Rogue, Quicksilver and Daze were the first to leave. They were flanked by Guards as soon as they stepped out of the door. The others were picking up their weapons before filing out as well.
"Rogue meditated?" Phasma questioned once they were all gone.
"You noticed?" Kylo asked.
"He seemed more tranquil than any of them did the first time you sat them down."
Kylo barked a laugh at that. "That's hardly a comparison," he answered. "They were all wary of me back then. Rogue merely needs to act the part and he knows he'll stay alive." Phasma hummed in response. "You are right though," Kylo continued. "There's more to this man than we know."
"I don't trust him."
"You don't trust anybody," Kylo answered dryly. "But I don't trust him either so I don't fault you. Now, let's head to Derek. I may have forgotten to inform him I was training this morning and he was not pleased."
"He told you?" Phasma asked in surprise.
Kylo chuckled. "No. But it was clear on his face. Either way, you go eat and I'll submit to doing paperwork."
Phasma shook her head slightly at his words, but answered with an affirmative and left him in the care of Blossom.
She returned some two hours later. By that time, Derek had informed Kylo about the footage provided by the crew of the ship that had brought Rogue in, and had discussed which punishments were specified in the laws and which would be more suited for the situation at hand. The crew would get its orders in the evening and they would be allowed to leave the next morning.
The tension between the Knights seemed to gradually diminish over the next few days. Rogue behaved. Quicksilver and Daze kept their heads down as well.
Kylo had expected the silence between the group to be broken by Shadow, but Ember informed him one morning that it had been Dot who had spoken up. Apparently, she had looked up and had said something in the nature of 'You. How do you fight?' The conversation had been short and stilted, but it had been a beginning.
Interest in Rogue was growing, but they were all too wary of him to make any further inquiries. Kylo figured that, if he wanted them to become a group that trusted each other, he should make the first move. It was obvious the others were unwilling to, and Ember simply didn't care.
So, one evening during dinner, he picked up where Dot had supposedly left off.
"You do close combat," he said, not looking up, tone disrespectful. "What else? Tell me you can at least still shoot a blaster? How long has it been since you … left?"
Rogue stared at him, the muscles in his arms twitching. Kylo figured he was clenching and unclenching his fists below the table. Quicksilver glanced Rogue's way. Daze seemed oblivious, as always.
"You think I can't shoot a blaster?" Rogue finally managed to ground out.
"I haven't seen proof of the contrary."
"I'm not even allowed to hold one!"
"A minor hindrance, no doubt."
Ember snorted and Kylo turned to her.
"You think he can shoot better than your friend the technician?"
"The purpose is clouded," Quicksilver muttered.
The entire table turned to regard him. Even Rogue desisted his glaring to give him a confused look.
"Oh! I see," Shadow exclaimed after a few seconds ticked by. "True, true. It is clouded. What do you think, Burman? Can he; can he not?"
Burman looked from Shadow, to Quicksilver, and back, brows furrowed. "I...don't know?"
Ember shook her head. "You never do," she said. "It's far from a surprise."
"Oh, there you go again," Shadow said. "You're really such a sweety underneath all that snark, aren't you?"
"I most definitely am not," Ember exclaimed. She turned towards Rogue, grumbling. "You. Answer the question and get her off my back."
"Can't stand your own?" Rogue smirked.
Kylo smiled when Dot stepped in with a remark of her own and they all started bickering. Quicksilver caught his gaze, but Kylo gave him a blank look. He now understood the earlier comment but was unwilling to admit he'd done it on purpose.
It had, however, met its goal and gone beyond. Not only were Rogue, Quicksilver and Daze slowly reintegrating into the group, but all of them also seemed less guarded overall. It was only a week after Rogue's arrival, and he was already contemplating to end their imprisonment. Rogue was still not to be left alone, but Kylo was willing to allow them to move about and use weapons within the training rooms.
He was contemplating the matter in his office when Phasma walked in. She had her helmet under her arm—a sign Kylo had learned meant she was about to tell him something serious.
"What is it?" he asked without preamble.
"Jessy is under suspicion of the other Guards," she answered.
Kylo frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Her state after she left your office the day Rogue arrived did not go unnoticed," she explained. "I've had Efren listen in on the Guards' conversations after I noticed there was some irregular behaviour towards her. I don't do that lightly, and it seemed I was right in my hunch. They have noticed that she is never near you, nor allowed to guard your office. I'm asking permission to change that."
He blinked and threw his mind backwards. It hadn't occurred to him that Jessy was never around him. He could understand why though. Despite everything, he still didn't quite trust her. That lack of trust could be detrimental if something were to happen.
He sighed. "Allow her a normal rotation," he answered. "Or remind the others that she's got a different job. Isn't it about time you go out for another so-called attack on the Resistance?" he asked.
Phasma hummed in contemplation. "In timing, perhaps," she answered. "But given the situation, I'd rather not leave you unprotected."
"Ember's here," he answered.
A grunt was all the response he got and Kylo gave her a scrutinising look.
"I thought you two were getting along better?" he asked, allowing a dangerous undertone in his voice. "What is going on?"
Phasma clenched her teeth and stared straight ahead.
"Commander Phasma, this is an order. Tell me what is going on."
Phasma glanced at him before returning to staring at nothing. "I believe she's been swayed by Hux, sir."
