He tilts his forehead down, pressing it into hers, shutting his eyes tightly. "You don't understand…" he breathes.

"I do," she insists. He's meant to get rid of her, to eliminate a weakness. And though the thought of it makes her chest clench painfully with anxiety, her intuition holds strong. Protectiveness and affection surge in her, overshadowing her fear for her own fate. She feels him reach out, his presence creeping into her mind.

Jeyna closes her eyes, and the connection strengthens. His energy is settling. It's still intense, but focused instead of erratic. Her lips part as she breathes in quickly, caught off guard by the high that buzzes in her veins, transmitted to her through the connection he's forged. It reminds her of what she'd felt in the tomb, but magnified a hundred-fold. Whatever Freedon Nadd had awoken in her, it was just enough for her to feel what surged steadily through Ren in the wake of his warring emotions.

A shaky breath exits his chest as he steps back from her. The connection breaks, and the power that he shared for just a moment is pulled away. She's left trembling at the absence, dizzy.

"You trust me." It's not a question, but a statement. She opens her eyes to meet his, nodding her affirmation. He turns, retrieving his helmet from where it's dented the wall of her living quarters. Without another word, he leaves.

Jeyna watches the door close behind him, still swirling from the taste of the force. She sits back on the couch, balancing anxiously on the edge.

She fights the urge to overthink the situation, which is quickly deteriorating into chaos. She knows what she must do, and she will trust her gut feeling.

Of course, ignoring her anxiety doesn't come easily. The thought of the Supreme Leader wanting her dead is not a comforting one. She eventually turns to a familiar habit of distraction, throwing herself fully into her work to keep the panicked thoughts at bay.

Jeyna thinks of the places they've already found pieces of the star map: Dantooine, Kashyyyk, Dxun…

Nar Shaddaa, the moon of the Hutt home world, Nal Hutta, does not seem to fit with the others. Nar Shaddaa is notorious for its crime, a haven for thugs, bounty hunters, and smugglers. Why would Revan choose such a place to hide something so valuable? How could it possibly be safe there?

Dantooine made sense. It was the place Revan was trained to be a Jedi, the location of the enclave where he was a padawan. Dantooine was important to Revan.

Jeyna realizes Kashyyyk was equally important to Jolee Bindo. But then who would Dxun have been important to?

She mentally reviews the list of Revan's associates before landing on the Mandalorian, Canderous Ordo. Dxun was a critical base of the Mandalorians during the war. After helping Revan, Ordo had claimed the title of Mandalore and rebuilt his people's home on the moon.

But that still didn't explain which one of Revan's allies would be tied to Nar Shaddaa. Frustrated, Jeyna thinks again about the list of people running through her brain, expanding it to include any acquaintances. She lands on Meetra Surik, the exiled Jedi who had fought with Revan in the war. She grabs for her datapad, researching more on the female exile.

Jeyna could laugh with joy when she makes the discovery. Meetra Surik had not only spent time on Nar Shaddaa…there are ample records of her, and several of her apprentices, on the moon.

She types what she has found onto the datapad in a hurry, thrilled to have finally solved the puzzle. Then, she resumes researching the region mentioned in the records, pausing only to order dinner.

Late

She's been asleep for hours, when she dreams that the door to her quarters opens. She hears the mechanical lock re-engage as it slides shut, but no footsteps meet her ears. Sleep tries to reclaim her more heavily, but Jeyna feels the weight of him join her in bed.

He pulls her to him, his arm locking her tightly against his chest. A sleepy, contented moan leaves her at the feeling of his warm body against her back.

"Don't tempt me," he warns lowly, before she feels him press a kiss into her hair. "Go back to sleep."

The black void that rises is sweet and warm, and she sinks into it.

Morning

Kylo is gone when she wakes up, and she almost wonders if his appearance was a dream. But then she rolls over in the sheets, and catches the faint scent of him. It is heady to her sleepy mind, lulling her back into dozing fantasies that she has to drag herself away from.

The comm panel near the door buzzes, jerking her fully into reality. Jeyna dresses clumsily before approaching the door to find Aleck waiting in the hall.

"Good morning, Miss Torre. May I come in?" he asks politely.

She nods, stepping back to allow him entrance. "Good morning," she adds as an afterthought, her brain still running slowly.

He sits a large bag down on the table, unzipping it to reveal what looks to be clothes. "I was told to prep you for the upcoming mission."

"Mission?" she repeats, confused.

Aleck smiles. "Ah. You haven't been told yet?"

"…No…" Jeyna sits at the table, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She pulls a garment at random from the bag, raising her eyebrows at the very fitted jacket. "What is all this?"

"You and the Commander will need to be undercover when you travel to Nar Shaddaa. The moon is far removed from the reach of the First Order, or the Resistance," he explains.

"Undercover as what?" She doesn't hide her disdain at the women's top, as she drags it away from where it's hooked onto a utility belt. It's clearly meant to be showy. She drops it to dig deeper into the tangled mess of clothes, searching for something more modest.

"Smugglers. We've obtained a small freighter with a docking code that won't track back to the First Order. You are to get in, find what you need, and get out. I'll stay on the ship as backup. The smaller the party, the better. Large groups will attract too much attention," Aleck explains.

"You don't think Kylo Ren will attract too much attention?" Jeyna asks before she can stop herself. "He's huge, dresses in all black, and carries a lightsaber that sounds like it might explode any second."

"I don't think he'll be waving the lightsaber around when you arrive on the smuggler's moon," Aleck says, a touch of humor coloring his tone. "It can be a dangerous place. He's asked me to train you properly with a blaster."

She nods, wondering if she can persuade him to stop for caffa before they begin, when the comm panel buzzes for a second time that morning.

Jeyna turns to the door, intrigued. Aleck motions for her to let him answer it.

She is mildly surprised to hear Hux's voice on the other side. "I need to speak with her."

"You have no business with her," Aleck states, voice cold and devoid of any respect, despite the other man's rank. Jeyna doesn't miss the way his hand drifts to his blaster.

"This might benefit her. You should at least allow her to hear me out," Hux argues. "We both know I'm not the type to get my hands dirty. If I still wanted her dead, I wouldn't be the one standing here."

Jeyna suppresses the hatred she's cultivated for the man long enough to acknowledge she's at least interested in what he is up to. She walks nearer the door, admitting, "He does seem kind of prissy. I doubt he could do much on his own."

Aleck shoots her a glare that suggests he dislikes the idea. "The Commander won't like this."

"The Commander doesn't need to know everything. And I've taken the liberty of arranging a few…issues, that will demand his attention while we speak." Hux leans around Aleck's body, still blocking the doorway, to give her a sly look. "Can I come in?"

She waves him forward, to the chagrin of her bodyguard. He lets the officer in, but draws his blaster menacingly. Hux surveys the weapon before rolling his eyes.

"Pet. How have you been?" he greets Jeyna.

Aleck gives a noise of irritation. "Cut to the chase."

"Very well," Hux begins. "I know we got off to a rough start, you and I."

"You tried to have me burned to death," she says flatly.

"I would apologize, but I'm not sorry. However I will admit, it was nothing towards you. I simply needed your body disposed of to ensure Ren's failure," he explains nonchalantly.

Jeyna finds herself flashing back to her vision from the tomb, the effortless way the knife had slid into the vision of Hux, as she fights back annoyance at his attitude. "Why do you want Ren to fail so badly?"

Hux splutters as if the answer is obvious. "If you haven't noticed, he enjoys choking me and flinging me into things…But less personally? He is a child. Petulant, irresponsible. He shouldn't be in charge of himself, let alone the might of the First Order."

"And you think you'd be better suited?" she asks, sarcasm weighing her words down.

He waves a hand dismissively. "That is besides the point. I have realized, I am approaching the situation entirely wrong. You are not my enemy. In fact, we may even be allies."

She doesn't stop her eyebrows from rising high in surprise and doubt at his statement. He seems unperturbed by her reaction. He continues, "I can't imagine you enjoy being the object of his affections. Confined to this ship as his concubine… I'm sure that wasn't your dream for life?"

She says nothing, narrowing her eyes, even as her mind is spinning to get ahead of him. What angle is he trying to come from?

"I do not need to kill you to stop Ren," Hux insists, twisting his mouth in what he must assume is a smile. "Don't you see? I can get you away from him. Away from the First Order. You can pick any planet that you want, I will arrange a new identity and enough credits to get you started."

"An offer from him cannot be trusted, Miss Torre," Aleck interjects, blaster still held ready. Hux shoots a calculating glance at him.

"I can extend the same offer to you," he says. "In exchange for your silence and cooperation. A true second chance, for a failed agent."

Aleck's face reveals no reaction, and Hux tenses before shifting his focus back to Jeyna. "You know the Supreme Leader rules Ren. He will find out about Ren's attachment to you, sooner or later, and force Ren to kill you. I've seen the control he has over his apprentice. You won't stand a chance."

Jeyna's composure falters, even as she refuses to acknowledge to Hux that he is correct in at least one thing. But she knows she can't trust him to live up to his offer. He'd more likely have her killed as soon as she attempted to leave, rather than waste resources actually following through on his word. "I don't think I'm interested, thank you," she bites out.

Hux's pale gaze surveys her, before he sighs. "I'm offering you escape. A life. I hope you will think on that."

He comes closer to her, ignoring the way Aleck's blaster twitches higher in response. She meets his blue eyes with her own, infusing as much anger into them as she can. "I keep my word. If you decide you want out, I will get you out."

He holds out a commlink, smaller and different than any she's seen before. She stares at it for a moment before taking it. "It's a direct line. Please consider my offer."

Hux's eyes linger on hers for another minute, before he throws a slight nod in Aleck's direction. Then he paces briskly to the door, slipping out into the hallway.

"Miss Torre?"

Jeyna ignores Aleck's questioning tone, staring at the commlink. For a moment, she wishes Hux's offer was real. Escaping the First Order would make her life infinitely safer, if she could bring herself to walk away from Ren. But she knows it is more than likely a trap, a way to bait her into walking into her own demise.

She throws the commlink onto the floor, before bringing her foot down hard onto it. It cracks underfoot, the sound strangely satisfying. She can understand why Ren humors his temper occasionally. Seeing the broken thing beneath her relieves her inner turmoil, if only for a moment.