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The silence of the room was deafening. Its occupants sat in a circle, their eyes closed and so submerged in the Force that the world around them seemed like little more than a dream. Time didn't matter in this state. It seemed to stop, leaving a feeling of serenity in its absence. Dalia breathed, all thoughts of the First Order and the Resistance gone for the moment. Nothing existed but the Force. And it was beautiful.
And then it shattered.
The door to the meditation room was thrown open with a bang, rebounding off the wall. Dalia jumped, her eyes flying open as her heart beat skyrocketed.
"Lady Dalia." Jorah said sharply. "You need to come. Now."
Dalia exchanged looks of confusion with the other Priests and Priestesses in the room before scrambling to her feet. "Why? What's happened?"
"Kylo Ren has left the Temple." Jorah said. "The High Priestess Aketra has ordered you to follow him. She doesn't want him wandering around the city on his own. It's a security risk."
Dalia sighed, running a hand down her face. She wasn't dressed for the city; she was in training clothes. Somehow, she didn't think she'd be given time to change.
"Okay, I'm coming." She said, reluctantly standing up to leave the circle of Light Side meditators. There was nothing she wanted more than to stay; but Aketra's word was law. Her every wish was a command.
"You were supposed to watch him." Jorah snapped, the moment the door to the meditation room had closed behind them. "The High Priestess told you not to let him out of your sight. You could be endangering-"
"Did she do this to you last night?" Dalia interrupted, noticing a newly formed bruise on his face.
Jorah's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "That's none of your business." He snapped, turning to march towards the stairs.
Dalia swallowed thickly, following him down the stairs. She didn't even bother to offer to heal it; knowing full well that he would refuse. He couldn't afford to let her mother see him shy away from pain and even if he could, Dalia doubted he'd accept help from her of all people. It was no secret that Jorah hated her. It was a habit of Aketra's to compare him to Dalia, highlighting all the ways that Dalia was better than him. Despite Dalia's best attempts to smooth over the relationship, Jorah remained desperately jealous of her, resenting her with every fiber of his being.
They reached the main level and Dalia was immediately met by a servant, who handed her her coat. "Your ride is waiting outside, my Lady." The servant woman said, bowing respectfully.
Dalia said goodbye to Jorah, stepping out into the icy cold world outside. She walked towards the nearest shuttle, a servant opening the door for her as she approached. She thanked them and climbed inside, thankful for the warmth of the interior.
"Intelligence says he's near the water, my Lady." The driver said. "By the old factory."
Dalia nodded, looking out the window of the shuttle as they took off from the Temple, flying out across the city. It was bitter cold today - a day better spent inside, rather than running around the city tracking down wannabe Sith Lords.
The shuttle slowed as they approached the sea and Dalia reached out with the Force to locate him. He wasn't hard to pick out, the Darkness around him so thick that Dalia could feel it from a mile away.
"To the right and then down that street." Dalia said, watching as the city's buildings gave way to beautiful frozen beaches. A cold wind shook the shuttle and Dalia privately dreaded having to leave its warm interior.
"There. I see him." Dalia said, and the drive slowed, lowering the shuttle down to the ground. Kylo Ren looked up, watching the shuttle land with a look of irritation on his face.
Yes, I bet you're just as thrilled to see me as I am to see you. Dalia thought privately, climbing out of the shuttle.
"You can leave. I'll comm if we need a ride." Dalia said to the driver, who nodded.
Dalia walked over to Kylo Ren, the cold sea wind whipping through her hair and making her shiver. The shuttle rose back up into the air and left, leaving the two alone with no sound but that of the birds who cried out overhead.
"It's a little cold for a walk, don't you think?" Dalia asked, stopping a few feet away from him.
"What are you doing here?" Kylo Ren asked, an edge to his voice that confirmed he was not happy at all to see her.
"I thought you could use a guide. This city is like a maze. It's easy to get lost." Dalia said, forcing a smile.
"Are all my actions going to be monitored while I'm on this planet?" Kylo Ren snarled. "Do I have any privacy at all?"
"We only want to assure your safety." Dalia said, feeling his anger rise steadily.
"My safety?" Kylo Ren scoffed. "Of course. What other explanation could there be for you keeping such a close watch on me?"
"Well I can also show you around." Dalia said, gesturing towards the city. "I know the best places to visit."
Kylo Ren took a step closer to her, his anger palpable. Dalia refused to let herself be afraid. There was nothing he could do that she had not seen her mother do a million times over.
"It must be so tiring." Kylo Ren said after a moment. "Pretending all the time."
Dalia felt the ground fall out from under her and tried desperately to keep her expression neutral. Threats, she had expected. A violent outburst, she would have dealt with. But this was something different. He had somehow managed to find her most sensitive pressure point in less than 24 hours of knowing her and he was already trying to use it against her.
"Who says I am pretending?" Dalia asked, hoping he couldn't see how much his words had affected her. Did he know about her connection to the Resistance? To the Atoan Liberation Front? She couldn't afford to think about those questions now.
"You're being monitored just as much as me. Maybe even more." Kylo Ren mused, examining her face dispassionately. "You don't dare say what you really think. How you really feel."
Dalia swallowed, unnerved by just how right he was. It was like he could see through her as easily as if she were made of glass.
"And how do you think I feel?" Dalia asked, meeting his dark eyes with as much defiance as she could muster.
"You hate me. You hate the First Order. And you hate this alliance." Kylo Ren said, his calm voice totally at odds with the unstable torrent of emotions inside him.
"You think this because I'm of the Light." Dalia said, jutting out her chin defiantly. "My mother explained to you-"
"Your mother is blind to any threat to her authority." Kylo Ren snarled. "She's gotten so used to being in control she can't see what's going on under her own nose. But I can see through your perfect little act. I know you're not content. Inside you want to scream. But you don't, because you can't. You're trapped on this planet with an insane mother-"
"You will not insult the High Priestess Aketra." Dalia snapped. "It is forbidden."
Kylo Ren's eyes locked onto her face and Dalia realized too late that she had given him what he wanted. He had been trying to get a reaction out of her - to get her angry. And she had let him.
"Interesting you still protect her." Kylo Ren mused. "Even though she makes your life miserable."
"Interesting you killed your father." Dalia replied, as calmly as she could muster. "When, from what I've heard, he was a good man. A legend even."
Dalia felt a spark of vindictive pleasure as Kylo Ren's face paled noticeably, the Darkness around him increasing tenfold.
"He was nothing to me." Kylo Ren replied, his clenched jaw betraying how untrue this statement was.
"It must be so tiring." Dalia said, throwing his own words back in his face. "Pretending all the time."
She met his eyes, watching with a deep sense of satisfaction as her words sank in, infuriating him even further.
"I'll let you finish your walk alone." Dalia continued. "But you should know something. My mother doesn't need me to keep a watch on you. How do you think I found you here in the first place?"
Dalia turned to leave when she felt her movement halted. It was like she was frozen, unable to move. The air around her seemed to grow colder; the Darkness permeating through her winter coat.
"Tell your mother...the First Order is watching her too." Kylo Ren said, releasing Dalia from his grip.
Dalia stumbled as the hold on her body let go and she regained her freedom of movement. She turned back to look at him briefly, shocked he had dared to use the Force against her - however briefly and painlessly. He wasn't as afraid of her mother as he should be. Or perhaps, Dalia thought, a chill running down her spine, her mother wasn't as afraid of him as she should be.
Kylo Ren was furious.
He had let the Atoan girl catch him off guard - unbalance him. He's wanted to hurt her; to make her suffer for the lies that slipped off her sly tongue with such ease. But he'd stopped himself, knowing it would only create a rift between the First Order and Atoa. As much as he was tempted to forcibly occupy the planet, things would go much smoother with their cooperation. An allied planet was stronger than a conquered one and this planet just so happened to have enough Force sensitives to wipe out the Resistance for good.
The thing that unnerved him the most was how easily she'd seen through his own lies. They were lies, he couldn't pretend they weren't any longer. Not when the memory of his father's death haunted him day and night. Not when he couldn't sleep for fear of seeing his face in his nightmares. Not when the conflict inside him was so great that it threatened to tear him apart entirely.
Kylo Ren lit his lightsaber, striking it against the nearest boulder until the rock became scarred with dozens of blade marks and began to crumble. He just wanted it to end. Kill it all. Kill it. Kill the past.
Remembering Dalia's warning, Kylo Ren looked up, scanning the seemingly empty area for spies. Was he being watch right this moment? It didn't matter. He didn't care what they thought and he wasn't doing anything that jeopardize his relationship with the Caushan Priesthood. Still, he turned off his lightsaber and began walking again.
The beach ended at the entrance of what looked like a marketplace. Tightly packed and old buildings stretched inlands as far as he could see, most of them old and decrepit. Kylo Ren entered a narrow street, realizing these falling down buildings were more than just places of business - they were residences. Dirty children ran through the streets, entering small doors that led up to tiny dingy-looking apartments above the street. The snow on the sides of the street was black and brown from dirt - bits of garbage strewn throughout. The farther he ventured into the maze of buildings, the more shops, food outlets and vendors appeared. The smell of roasting meat and foreign perfumes mingled with the smell of rot that seemed to seep up from the gutters. Stray animals ran through the streets, ducking in between the legs of the people.
The people of Atoa hardly looked at him and Kylo Ren realized with a sense of shock that they likely didn't recognize him. If they had knowledge of the war outside the Ghost Nebula, they likely only knew him by name, not by face. Without his mask, he was just another man. It felt weird. To not be feared or even recognized.
Kylo Ren stopped in front of a vendor selling some sort of pastry. The man said something to him in Atoan that he didn't understand and Kylo Ren realized he had no Caushan currency. All he had were imperial credits and he doubted they would be accepted on Atoa.
"You will give me one for free." Kylo Ren said, waving his hand in front of the man's face.
The man blinked, looking confused for a moment, before beginning to yell angrily in Atoan. A crowd of people began to gather and Kylo Ren tried the mind trick again, realizing after the second time it was just not going to work. Many people were yelling at him now and so he turned to leave when he felt some sort of pull on his clothing.
Whipping around, Kylo Ren saw his imperial credits hovering in the air above a young boy's outstretched hand. The little boy grabbed them, his face frowning in confusion and disappointment when he saw them. A woman pulled the credits from the young boy's hand, examining them before looking back up at Kylo Ren.
"Imperial." She said, her Basic laced with a thick Atoan accent that did little to hide the contempt in her voice. Pocketing the credits, she quickly picked up her son and took off. Kylo Ren watched her go as the crowd slowly dispersed. He reached out with the Force, the true untapped potential of this planet sinking in for the first time. All of these people were Force sensitive. It was normal for them. Each one had the potential to rise to untold heights if they spent their days training rather than selling pastries on the side of a muddy road.
If the Empire had partnered with Atoa instead of destroying it, it may not have fallen. The First Order would not make the same mistake.
Dalia did not go home. As much as she wanted to, it would be a violation of a direct order from the High Priestess Aketra to leave Kylo Ren unsupervised. Instead, she gave him the illusion of being alone - the closest thing to privacy anyone on Atoa really got. She followed him from a distance, not always able to see him, but always able to feel him through the Force. The Force was all she needed to know if something went wrong. She hid her own Force signature so that he couldn't feel her presence.
A few times it did seem as if something had gone wrong. The first time, Dalia had seen him attacking a boulder like it had personally offended him in some way. The second time, she had seen him try to steal a pastry from a vendor only to have his own imperial credits stolen from him by a little boy. That had been entertaining. After that, however, his day had been painfully boring and Dalia had been overjoyed when he had finally returned to the Temple. She went on ahead of him so that it would look like she had been there the whole time and met him at the front door of the Temple.
"Welcome back." She said, smiling thinly. "I hope you enjoyed your walk."
Kylo Ren's eyes hardened as he saw her. "Did you get me a key to my own room yet?" He snapped.
Dalia nodded, rummaging around in her pocket until she pulled out the extra key. He took it wordlessly before continuing past her into the Temple.
"The High Council has been waiting for your return." Dalia said. "They want to get started on the negotiations. Are you ready to talk?"
Kylo Ren stopped, "Yes." He said after a moment.
"Alright, this way then." Dalia said, leading the way up a flight of stairs. She heard him reluctantly follow her, clearly not enthusiastic about beginning formal talks with the High Council. From what little she had seen of him so far, he didn't seem to be very much of a diplomat. He wasn't a politician after all - he was a warrior and military commander.
Dalia opened the doors to the High Council Chamber, holding the door for Kylo Ren. The High Council members sat across from one another at a long marble table, at the head of which sat High Priestess Aketra. Dalia and Kylo Ren took the empty seats at the end of the table, a hush falling over the room.
"Now there is no need to be so formal." Aketra purred, leaning forward in her chair. "How was your day? Did you enjoy our brilliant city?"
"It was excellent." Kylo Ren said, rather emotionlessly.
"I'm so glad to hear it." Aketra purred. "Lady Dalia will have to show you around one day. There's some interesting places only Atoans know."
Kylo Ren made no reply and so Dalia filled the silence before it got to be too long. "Yes, for sure. Whenever you like." She said, sending a plastic smile his way for good measure.
"Now then," Aketra said, clasping her hands in front of her, "I believe we should get down to business."
"About that, I have a concern." Kylo Ren said and Dalia ground her teeth together, trying to keep her face neutral.
"Oh and what concern is this?" Aketra asked.
"I don't believe the army should include Lightsiders." Kylo Ren said. "Their loyalty cannot be trusted."
Dalia turned to watch her mother's expression, trying desperately to decipher what she was thinking. Of course, it was nearly impossible to tell with Aketra. She was a master at hiding her thoughts and feelings when she wanted to.
"My dear boy, I thought we covered this last night." Aketra said after a moment. "On Atoa-"
"Lightsiders and Darksiders work together." Kylo Ren interrupted, causing Aketra to shut her mouth sharply. Dalia felt a flash of her mother's anger shoot through the Force like lightning but she remained silent, listening to Kylo Ren.
"I don't doubt that you can put aside your differences enough to live together on Atoa but I do doubt those who follow the Light will be able to feel the kind of genuine devotion to the First Order's cause that a servant of the First Order needs. In our quest for order, we sometimes have to resort to unpleasant means...means a follower of the Light may not be willing to accept." Kylo Ren said.
"I can assure you that any Atoan you train will be loyal to you because they are loyal to me." Aketra said, and Dalia felt heart pound in her chest, afraid of how this might escalate.
"You misunderstand me." Kylo Ren said. "It's not their loyalty I doubt. I know your people are loyal to you and if you tell them to fight for me they will. It's their devotion I doubt. I want an army that wants to serve the First Order - that believes in our cause. Only then will they give their all to bring us victory."
Aketra fell silent, his eyes fixed on the table, deep in thought. Dalia clenched her fists, unable to stop herself from speaking up.
"It would violate one of our most fundamental principles - freedom of religion - to force all warriors to use the Dark Side." Dalia said, unable to shake the creeping feeling that this discussion was not going to end well.
"Lady Dalia is correct." Sir Loren agreed. "To force the Dark Side onto one unwilling to accept it...this would be an act of violence."
"I fail to see how that is any worse than forcing one who serves the Light to fight in the name of the First Order." Lady Kaia said.
"There are too many Lightsiders anyway." Jorah mumbled, shooting Dalia a poisonous look out of the corner of his eye. She ignored him, focusing on her mother instead.
Aketra looked up at last, her eyes sweeping the room before landing on Kylo Ren. "What you say makes sense." She said slowly, and Dalia felt her heart sinking. As if sensing her daughter's distress, Aketra turned to look at her. "But I see your point Dalia. We cannot force the Darkness onto one unwilling to accept it. Those who have already chosen their side will be allowed to remain as they are...but Kylo Ren, you may create your army from whichever Atoans you choose. If you choose only those who follow the Dark or are willing to accept it, then that is your choice."
"He plans to expand the training program and train fund the training of those who couldn't afford it. You're saying all of the new trainees will have to follow the Dark Side?" Dalia asked, fighting to keep the panic out of her voice.
"My dear daughter, the poor on this planet already live in darkness, now those chosen by Kylo Ren will just live in darkness of another kind." Aketra said, folding her hands in front of her.
"Do they have a right to refuse to serve in this army at least?" Dalia asked, looking back and forth between her mother and the man who was quickly becoming the bane of her existence.
Aketra pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. "I would leave that question up to our friend here." She said, looking at Kylo Ren. "You may force them if you wish."
Dalia inhaled sharply, drawing looks her way. She quickly schooled her face into something more neutral and nodded. "Very well." She said, biting back the urge to argue further. No one questioned a final ruling of the High Priestess - not even her daughter had that right. In private she might raise her concerns...but here, at the table of the High Council...she had to be quiet and obedient. Any sign of disrespect could detract from the power of the High Priestess and her power was absolute. Aketra had made it that way.
The meeting dragged on for hours with no break as all the logistics of the army's creation were talked out in great detail. Kylo Ren could tell that Dalia was deeply unhappy with the plans, as were the other Lightsiders in the room, which further confirmed his belief that it was best to leave them out of this alliance as much as possible.
When they finally finished, Kylo Ren stood up, eager to retreat to the solitude of his room.
"Kylo Ren." Aketra said, and he froze, something in the Force around her making him feel uneasy. "Stay for a moment."
The others began to file out and Dalia hesitated, clearly unsure whether she was supposed to escort him out.
"You can go too, Dalia." Aketra said and Dalia nodded, leaving the room without another word.
As soon as they were alone, Aketra stood up, smoothing out her dress. "Come, walk with me." She said, leading the way out the door. He followed her through the halls, listening silently as she prattled on about the architecture of the building, the history of the Temple and other topics Kylo Ren could not care less about.
After a few minutes, they stopped outside two giant wooden doors and Aketra pushed them open, revealing a high-ceilinged library beyond. They entered the room, their footsteps the only sound in the eerily quiet space.
"Do you remember this place?" Aketra asked and Kylo Ren frowned, looking at her. He had never been here in his life.
"You don't remember it at all do you?" Aketra mused. "Funny. Dalia doesn't either. I suppose you were both just too young."
"Remember what?" Kylo Ren asked.
"Your mother brought you here as a child, not long after the Causha gained power." Aketra said, and Kylo Ren felt the world shift under his feet. "Senator Organa wanted us to join the New Republic but I refused. We'd just recovered from the destruction of one outside force - we weren't about to trust another."
"I have no memory of ever coming here." Kylo Ren breathed, trying to slow his heart which was now beating incredibly fast. He had been to so many planets, met so many diplomats and politicians as a child. It all blurred together. Only the feelings were left. The loneliness, the boredom...the anger at his mother for forcing him to come along only to leave him on his own while she did business.
"You were very young. Not older than five." Aketra said. "Dalia was four, I think. You tried to teach her Basic."
Kylo Ren racked his memory, trying and failing to remember this. A blonde girl. Had he really tried to teach her Basic? He had no memory of any of it.
"I could feel the Darkness in you then, even at that young age. I knew what you'd become." Aketra said, a satisfied smirk filling her face. "Your family sensed it too, I'm sure, but they didn't want to believe it. They'd just defeated the Sith. Won a war against the Empire. They couldn't face the possibility that you might undo it all-"
"Did you ever try to turn your daughter to the Dark Side?" Kylo Ren interrupted, really not liking the way the conversation was going.
Aketra stopped short, a laugh escaping her mouth as she looked at him. "My dear boy, she was born on the Dark Side."
Kylo Ren stared at the woman, not comprehending. It wasn't possible to be born on the Dark Side. The Dark Side was something you chose. Later in life. Wasn't it?
"Dalia was raised by me." Aketra said slowly, as if explaining a very basic concept to a child. "You really think I raised her in the Light?"
Kylo Ren frowned, "So then-"
"So then she turned." Aketra said. "She turned to the Light Side when she was fourteen."
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will. It was an old quote Luke had repeated to him and the other padawans at the temple over and over again. He had said it had belonged to a Jedi Master named Yoda. Kylo Ren had always taken it to mean there was no return from the Dark Side of the Force.
"Dalia was...she followed the Dark Side?" Kylo Ren asked dumbly, unable to believe his ears. Everything he had thought he knew about the girl was suddenly cast in a new light. He'd thought he understood her...could see right through her even...
"You will call her Lady Dalia and yes." Aketra said, raising an eyebrow. "That surprises you. Why?"
"I've never met anyone who abandoned the Dark Side." Kylo Ren said. To his shock and annoyance, Aketra burst out laughing.
"What about the man you so clearly strive to imitate?" She sneered.
"That was different!" Kylo Ren snarled. "He died shortly after-"
"And if he had not died you think he would have returned to the Dark Side?" Aketra asked. "I rather think he would not have."
"It was a moment of weakness." Kylo Ren said, "Nothing more."
"You think the Light Side is weak?" Aketra asked, and Kylo Ren frowned.
"It is weak." He said sharply. "You don't agree?"
Aketra laughed again, "No, I don't agree. Does it work for me, no? I've been in the Dark for so long that too much Light is just blinding. But for those who need it to see, it can be illuminating."
Kylo Ren frowned, something about her words making him feel deeply unsettled...like his entire world was being flipped upside down. Everything Snoke, and even Luke, had told him about the Force seemed to be contradicted by the way the Atoans understood the Force.
"I've seen the power of the Light Side in my daughter. You see, Dalia is not just good. She is perfect. And it is the Light that made her that way." Aketra said, her hand gripping Kylo Ren's shoulder as she spoke.
Kylo Ren stiffened under her grip. "I see." He said, something within the Force having shifted.
"You should be honoured to spend time in her presence." Aketra said, tightening her grip.
"I am." Kylo Ren replied, before his eyes widened. Aketra's grip on his shoulder began to spread, paralyzing his entire body even as the High Priestess removed her hand from his shoulder.
"Then I suggest that next time...you show her some gratitude." Aketra said, as the feeling of paralysis moved up Kylo Ren's neck choking him.
"Because if I ever catch you using the Force against her again." Aketra warned. "I will cut off your tongue and feed it to you."
Kylo Ren struggled to breathe, unable to speak as he choked on the air. He stared at the woman, his anger growing as he examined her face. He hated her. He hated this alien planet. He hated-
Aketra let him go and Kylo Ren collapsed to the floor, his hands tightening into fists as he regained his breath. He struggled to his feet as soon as he was able, fixing Aketra with a deadly glare.
"Atoa cannot withstand a First Order invasion. If this alliance proves to be too difficult, we are not opposed to using force." Kylo Ren snarled. "If you don't show me the respect I-"
Aketra smiled, but there was nothing pleasant about it. "Oh I am showing you respect." She said. "If you weren't Kylo Ren, I would have already killed you."
Kylo Ren opened his mouth to respond when the door to the library opened and Dalia walked in. He stared at her, struggling to reconcile her unwavering Light with what Aketra had told him.
"I hope I'm not interrupting." Dalia said, giving Kylo Ren the distinct impression that was, in fact, trying to interrupt. "I was thinking of going down to dinner. Would you care to join me?"
Aketra smiled broadly, glancing over at Kylo Ren before walking over to her daughter and putting a hand on her back. "What a wonderful idea."
So yes, Atoan society is CREEPY. It's meant to be a sort of police state, which is a large part of why Dalia is fed up with her mother's rule.
Also, since this might not have been clear, the Causha is the religious group of Force sensitives that controls Atoa. They are basically the government and Aketra is the head of the Causha. I didn't make up the Causha, it belongs to the Star Wars universe.