Kylo knew the Resistance couldn't defend itself against an attack by the First Order. All they had were a few dozen members, the Millenium Falcon, and more hope than sense. The First Order would easily outclass them. Add in the Knights of Ren, and there would be no survivors. Not Rey. Not his mom. Certainly not any of the Resistance members who were brave enough to talk to him.
He tried to tell himself that it didn't matter – that he didn't care – but he knew that was a lie. If the Resistance was destroyed, there would be nobody left in the galaxy who saw him as a person. He would be nothing more than the monster the galaxy whispered about when they were far enough away that he wouldn't hear.
Being the Supreme Leader wouldn't change that. The way everyone spoke about Snoke… awe overshadowed by fear, it would be the same way they spoke about him.
Kylo had thought he wanted power more than anything, but he was now realizing that power was hollow. Sure, he would be safe, but what was the point? Being feared was only intoxicating at first. That type of fear – that type of power – bred a numbness that no amount of destruction or anger could overcome.
Rey was the first person to make him feel alive in such a long time. She reminded him that there was a person underneath his mask, and once she saw him, once she understood him, she didn't recoil from him. Instead, she reached out to him with her hand and their fingers met across the stars.
I am a fool, he thought. I left her. How could I believe anything was more important than Rey?
The market was busier than it was before he arrived. In the midst of the afternoon rush, he hadn't seen any members of the Resistance. Kylo pushed his way through the market and rushed towards the Falcon, hoping he wasn't too late.
A Rodian cried out in anger when Kylo almost knocked him over, but backed away once he was on the receiving end of his glare. He didn't have time for interruptions.
Rey, I need to talk to you, he projected.
I'm busy, she replied, sounding distracted.
It's about the First Order, he said, getting straight to the point. Where are you?
What about the First Order?
They know you're here. Tell me wh –
He saw her. She was with Finn, running towards the Falcon. He hoped that the Resistance was ready to depart.
"Rey!" Kylo called out.
Rey and Finn both stopped running. "Did you tell them?" she asked, slightly out of breath.
Kylo ran over to them. "I overheard a man admit he turned the Resistance in for the bounty," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Finn tilted his head. "So it wasn't you who told them?" he asked.
Kylo winced.
Rey's eyebrows lowered and pinched together. "Or was it?" she asked.
"I didn't tell anyone you were landing here," he said, not lying, but not being entirely honest. If someone like Hux – someone who loathed the Force – was alerted to the Resistance's presence on Iego, the Knights of Rey may not have been informed. But when had he ever been that lucky?
Rey and Finn shared a look. He couldn't tell whether they believed him or not.
Finn turned to Rey, "We need to warn the others," he said, his jaw tight with tension.
"You're coming with us," Rey said, looking at Kylo. Her tone left no room for argument.
Kylo opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Rey. "You need to tell your mom everything you know."
He swallowed, feeling an ache at the back of his throat. He had the irrational urge to escape, but he knew Rey was right – he had to face his mom. He hoped she would be too busy to press him for the full story.
...
His mom's eyes lit up when she saw him, but it fell as she took in the grave expressions on their faces. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"The First Order knows you're here," Kylo said, ripping off the bacta patch in the way his dad always used to. There wasn't time to dance around the point.
His mom's eyes widened, but that was the only sign of distress she gave. She issued orders, and everyone got to work. Kylo admired how collected she was.
...
The Resistance wasn't ready to depart. They had to finish fueling up, find a few members who hadn't been alerted of the need to depart, and load the rest of their supplies onto the Falcon.
Kylo didn't know if they would make it out in time.
He wasn't trusted to help, so he stayed with his mom while she led the evacuation.
Kaydel's eyes narrowed when she saw him, but she didn't say anything to him. She spoke to his mom like he wasn't there, and then she did her job.
He found himself staring at the Falcon. Who would have guessed all those years ago, when his dad won this ship off Lando, that it would be at the centre of so many events pivotal to galactic history? Here it was, all these years later, acting as the Resistance's only hope for escape.
He imagined that his dad would smile if he knew.
His dad would never have admitted it, but he knew that his ship looked like a piece of junk. A Corellian YT-1300f light freighter was nothing to brag about. It was the modification made over the years – some carefully and others not-so-carefully – that made this ship special.
He looked over at his mom and saw that she was staring at him.
"You warned us," his mom said.
"I did." It had been easy for him to make that choice. After so many years willfully making decisions that would help him more fully embrace the dark side, he finally made a decision that felt right.
"Thank you," she said, her eyes soft.
He couldn't stand the way she was looking at him. He didn't deserve it. "Mom, I –"
The sound of his commlink stopped him from completing his sentence.
"Who's that?" his mom asked loud enough to draw attention.
Kylo squeezed his eyes shut and took out the commlink.
Rey's attention must have been caught by his mom's question because she came over to find out what happened. He felt the moment she noticed the commlink in his hand. Her disappointment slammed into him with an intensity that caused him to jerk back.
He tried to apologize with his eyes, but neither Rey nor his mom were looking at him. They both were staring at the commlink.
It beeped again, so he answered. "Report," he said in a clipped tone.
"Ushar and I have landed," Trudgen said. "We can meet at the main landing bay."
That was too close to the Resistance. "No," he said, searching for a solution, "meet me at the eastern side of the market. We'll draw less attention there." And buy the Resistance more time, he hoped.
There was a long pause. "We'll see you soon," Trudgen said. It didn't escape Kylo's attention that he hadn't agreed to the change of location.
...
Kylo told them, Rey realized. He was the reason the First Order knew they were on Iego, so why did he warn –
"Who was that?" Leia asked sharply.
Rey looked at Kylo for his explanation. She needed to know how bad it was.
"One of the Knights of Ren," Kylo said, grimacing.
Rey felt a chill at that admission. The vision she saw on Takodana when she first touched her lightsaber showed her the Knights of Ren, and she sensed their darkness. She remembered how terrified she had been. "You said you didn't tell anyone we were here," she said, her nostrils flaring. He lied to her.
"I didn't," Kylo said, his denial sounding weak. "I told the Knights of Ren to meet me here," he explained, voice cracking. He dropped his chin to his chest and looked down. "But I didn't mention the Resistance, so the knights might not know you are here."
"How likely is that?" Leia asked, pressing her lips into a fine line.
Kylo looked up at Leia "Not very," he admitted, his shoulders slumping.
Because of Kylo, the Resistance had very little time left to escape.
"If they do know, whose side would they take?" Leia asked, staring at her son with her eyebrows drawn together. "Are they more loyal to you or the First Order?" she asked.
"The knights know my real name," Kylo said, tightening his hands into fists. "It wouldn't look good – us here together so soon after I killed Snoke. They wouldn't like it."
"What about the rest of the First Order?" Leia asked.
Kylo shook his head. "Snoke never let anyone speak about my identity, but I'm sure some of the generals are aware." He sighed. "They would use this as an opportunity to eliminate my threat to their power."
Leia gave Kylo a pained look. "You're not meeting them," she said.
"I have to," Kylo said.
Rey's stomach churned. "They'll kill you," she said.
Kylo shrugged like he didn't care about the danger. Rey didn't think he was arrogant enough to believe he could take on the Knights of Ren and the First Order alone, but maybe he was. She had foolishly believed him when he said he wouldn't tell anyone they were here.
"You've bought us some time," Leia said, taking a step towards her son. "Come with us and we'll drop you off somewhere else."
Rey felt Kylo's eyes on her. She bit her lip, while she waited for his answer.
"Fine," he said, still looking at her and not his mom. "I'll go with you."
Rey let out a huge breath at his agreement.
...
After the revelation of Kylo's lie, Rey left him and Leia to join the others in loading the last of the supplies onto the Falcon. She explained to their small group – Finn, Poe, and Rose – what Kylo had done.
Poe looked disappointed, but none of them looked surprised.
Rey wondered if they blamed her for the danger they faced. She was the one who brought Kylo with them.
...
Rey felt Kylo's distress. She looked in the direction the feeling was coming from and saw him running towards them.
"We have a problem," Kylo said, slightly out of breath.
His arrival drew the attention of Finn, Poe, and Rose. None of them looked pleased to see him.
"We know," Poe said, crossing his arms.
"Rey told us," Finn added, nodding in her direction.
Kylo looked at Rey. "The knights on their way over," he said, leaning towards her. "I can sense them coming. They must have found the Resistance."
"How?" Poe asked.
"They could be tracking the comm signal," Rose said.
Kylo nodded. "I'll lead them away, while you escape."
Rey's stomach sank at the idea of him going alone. "No –"
"They're here because of me," Kylo interrupted. "Let me do this." He took her hands in his. "Please."
It was the please that had her reluctantly agreeing to his plan.
...
She held herself tightly as she watched him leave. The first time she watched him leave today was agony, but this time was so much worse. This time it hurt to breathe.
...
Everyone had been found, the supplies were loaded and the sip had enough fuel. It was time for the Resistance to depart.
"I'm not going with you," Rey told her friends. "I'm going to help Kylo."
Finn was the most surprised. He was also the one who tried to change her mind. "It's not just the Knights of Ren that you need to worry about. The First Order is on their way," he warned.
"I know," Rey said. It didn't matter what the risks were. If she went after him, he had a better chance of surviving. That was enough.
"It's suicide," Finn said.
Rey shook her head. "I can't leave him," she said.
Finn deflated at her words. It was clear he knew that he wasn't going to change her mind.
Rose squeezed Finn's arm, offering him some comfort. "What's your plan?" she asked.
Rey took out her lightsaber. "I'll fight by his side."
Finn and Rose glanced at each other in a way that didn't fill Rey with confidence. She looked at Poe who had stayed silent.
"I'm going with you," Poe said.
Rey's eyes widened. "Kylo and I can handle ourselves," she said, declining Poe's offer. She appreciated the support, but she didn't want Poe to get himself killed.
"And then what?" Poe asked. "Say you fight the Knights of Ren and win, how are you going to escape before the First Order gets here?"
"I don't know!" Rey shouted. "We'll figure it out," she said, her heart racing. "There isn't time for this." Every second she delayed was a second she lost helping him.
"You help Kylo," Poe said, clasping her shoulder. "and I'll get us a ship."
"Are you sure?" Rey asked, hating how strained her voice sounded.
Poe gave her shoulder a squeeze. "We've got this."
Rey took strength from his confidence.
...
Kylo walked up to the knights slowly. He had his lightsaber out, but it wasn't ignited. He didn't want them to sense even a hint of anxiety from him.
"I told you to meet me on the eastern side of the market," Kylo said. People were everywhere, but they were smart enough to keep their distance from the two Knights of Ren. "Why are you going to the main landing bay?"
"We got some interesting intel on our way here," Trudgen said, the dull end of his vibrocleaver resting on his shoulder. "Do you want to know what it was?"
"If it was important enough for you to disobey orders, then you should tell me," Kylo said, hoping he could keep them talking for awhile.
"The Resistance is on Iego," Trudgen said.
Kylo tried not to react.
"You don't look surprised," Ushar said, leaning on his war club. "Why would Kylo Ren be on the same planet as the Resistance? It doesn't make any sense."
"I –"
"Don't try to come up with a lie," Trudgen said, swinging his vibrocleaver in front of him. "Kylo Ren wouldn't kill the Supreme Leader and run away with the Resistance, but Ben Solo would," he said, stepping towards Kylo.
"That's an interesting story you've come up with," Kylo said, trying to keep his voice light, "but where is your proof?"
"I remember the Ben Solo we first met," Trudgen said. "You weren't dark enough to join us. You got lucky by killing Ren."
"Are you still bitter that you aren't in charge?" Kylo taunted.
Trudgen charged.
Kylo ignited his lightsaber and easily deflected his swing. He wondered how much strength it would take to cut through his vibrocleaver with his lightsaber.
Trudgen was easy enough to defend against on his own, but then Ushar joined the fight.
Kylo blocked Ushar's war club, which left him open to Trudgen's vibrocleaver. He backed up, holding his lightsaber in front of him, waiting for one of them to take the next move.
He needed a distraction.
"Do you really want to answer to Trudgen?" Kylo asked Ushar. "Because that's what will happen if you kill me."
Ushar took the bait and ran at him.
Kylo dodged at the last second and made a run for it. Not wearing any armor had one benefit: it made him faster.
...
Kylo may have miscalculated.
While he got them away from the Resistance and helpless bystanders, he was cornered.
Behind him was a steep drop and in front of him two angry Knights of Ren. He glanced behind him and couldn't see how far down it was to the bottom. Jumping was too big of a risk.
Trudgen and Ushar moved towards him. Out of all the knights, they were the two who fought the most viciously together.
I might have to risk jumping, he thought.
Before he made his decision, something swooped down, causing Trudgen and Ushar to jump back.
A large winged reptilian creature made a hissing sound, and it flew back up into the air.
Trudgen slashed at him with his vibrocleaver, and he blocked it. Kylo knew the rest of the knights would be here soon, so he wanted to persevere his energy. He would stay on the defense until he had an opening or until he had no other choice.
The creature swooped down again, which gave Kylo an idea. He grabbed it by the foot, and it flew him away from the knights.
It didn't sound particularly happy about its passenger, but it was susceptible to Force suggestions. He told the creature to drop him off at the bottom of the cliff. It would take Trudgen and Ushar some time to catch up.
By the time they caught up with him, the Resistance may have escaped.
...
The creature stopped at the bottom of the cliff, and Kylo let go. It looked at him with its many light blue eyes, and then it looked at the large green vines that were everywhere.
"What?" he asked it, feeling silly about talking to a non-sentient creature.
It looked like it shook its head, almost judgmental, and then it flew away. Its sandy skin was easily camouflaged by the cliffs.
...
Kylo definitely miscalculated.
The green vines awakened from his presence. There were many heads, lots of teeth, and he must have looked like a meal.
No wonder the creature had judged his choice of destination.
One of the heads lunged for him, and he cut it off with his lightsaber. That made the other heads angrier.
Kylo ran towards the cliff and started climbing.
The vines didn't give up.
He swung with his lightsaber and cut two more heads off, causing it to finally retreat.
He took a steadying breath. This is not going well, he thought.
Kylo continued to climb up the cliff. Just as his arms started to ache from climbing, the sound of voices stilled his movement. It was the knights. He could either climb up towards them or climb back down.
He chose to climb back down.
...
Kylo hung onto the cliff, close to the ground, but not daring to set foot of the grown. He didn't want the attention of the vines.
But maybe they could take Trudgen and Ushar out for him.
...
He wasn't that lucky.
The vines found him again before his knights did.
He dropped to the ground and faced the plant. It attacked with one head, testing him, so he cut the head off.
The vines screamed, drawing the attention of Trudgen and Ushar.
He chopped another two heads off. The vines weren't attacking as aggressively anymore. They were either going to retreat, or they were readying themselves for another attack.
He was more concerned about how exposed his back was. His knights could attack from behind.
He chanced looking back to see where they were, and the vine attacked. It bit into his thigh before his lightsaber sliced into it. He took a grim satisfaction at the way the rest of the vines screamed and retreated when he cut up the one that bit him. It must have been the main head.
Now that the vines were dealt with, he could face Trudgen and Ushar.
He winced from the sharp pain in his thigh. He hoped the plant wasn't poisonous.
...
His knights hadn't arrived yet, and he had lost sight of them. Not knowing where they were they were made him uneasy. Every sound caught his attention, but none of them were caused by Trudgen or Ushar.
He leaned against the cliff and waited for them. There was nowhere for Kylo to run.
Where are you?
Rey? he asked, surprised to hear her voice.
Tell me where you are, Rey said.
You need to leave, he said, the First Order will be here soon.
The Resistance is gone. I'm coming to help you.
Kylo's stomach sank. Leave while you still can.
No.
Rey –
It'll take longer if you don't help me, she said, interrupting him.
Knowing she was right, he gave in. I'm at the base of the western cliffs, he said, projecting an image of where he was.
Thank you.
And Rey...
What? she asked.
He hesitated. If you see green vines, be careful of their teeth.
You're joking.
He smiled at the disbelief in her voice, even though he knew she couldn't see him. I'm afraid not, he said.
...
Voices caught his attention.
It wasn't only Trudgen and Ushar who were talking.
Ap'lek had arrived.