Enjoy the next chapter! I had planned on updating earlier this week, but time got away from me! Please review

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Story. Just a fan wanting to write.

Chapter 3

I swung my training saber hard enough to hit Vicrul so that he had to stop moving, gripping his left side. Fast approaching on my right, I sense Trudgen ready to swing with the enormous cleaver he brandishes. I step back avoiding his swing, feeling the wind from his blade that had been so close to my body.

I take another step back as he swings again. He is quick and brings his cleaver up above his head bringing it down on top of me… I adjust my footing and move sideways, narrowly missing his attack by inches.

His face may be hidden by that mask, but I can feel how determined he was to be swinging at me. He wouldn't mind landing a blow, and this awful training saber would do nothing against his weapon.

If he killed me, he would become the new leader of the Knights of Ren. Any one of these savages wouldn't hesitate to kill me. I wasn't sure why there was such resistance against my leadership; maybe it was jealousy over the power that I possessed. In all the leaders before me, not many knights had attempted to overthrow them, following every order and task without question. But with me… they were all so determined to undermine me… de-thrown me.

I clench my teeth and throw my hand out towards him, allowing the force to flow freely from my fingers knocking him backwards and to the ground. He is down, sliding across the floor and doesn't come back up. I know that I need to focus on my next combatant.

A sharp deep pain intensely radiates at my hip as Vicrul successfully slashes me with his scythe. The wound was shallow, but the blood still trickles down my exposed skin.

I flourish the training saber in anger and press forwards toward him. I strike at him and he blocks the saber with the handle of his scythe. I lift away from him pulling back my saber and flourish it overhead so I can strike him on the opposite side.

Ap'lek approaches me on my left as I continue to advance towards Vicrul. I throw my hand sideways to stop his advance while I continue my attention on Vicrul. Ap'lek is frozen in place, but I can feel him struggling. He is attempting to use the force to overcome me. Truthfully, he was coming close to pushing past my dull blockade.

I single hand swing my saber at Vicrul where it crashes into his body. I take advantage of this opportunity letting Ap'lek out of my grasp clutching my saber with both hands now and strike at him again. Every movement I let out an angry growl at my opponent.

Vicrul lands on his knees after the second blow, but as I turn my attention to Ap'lek it is already too late. He kicks my feet out from underneath me and I land hard on the ground. My head smashes into the hard cement and I am sure that I am concussed. He rushes close so that he is above me lifting his hammer above his head.

I wanted to scream at him to bring the hammer down onto me. End it. End everything. But Ap'lek releases his grasp and lowers his impossibly large weapon to his side.

"Again" Ap'lek yelled. He begins to walk away so that they switch out with the other three knights. It was there turned to have a go at me. It would be their third round, this training session having already gone on for a few hours now.

I push myself up and off the ground staring at the knight in front of me, glaring at the back of his head. I was breathless… winded from constantly fighting them in groups of three. The beads of sweat that fell down my back and face glimmering in the light. I needed a rest. I had been going for so long, fighting these ruthless opponents.

"No" I quietly say, I gulp against the knot in my throat that had formed during combat from the exhaustion. I let my training saber drop at my side and turn away from him. I was in no mood to do this anymore. I had done what Snoke wanted and trained with them. I was done with this.

Ap'lek rushes forwards approaching my back side so that I am unprepared. His hand grasps my wrist twisting my arm behind my back and I smash into the wall not far in front of me. My face is pressed up against the hard cold metal surface.

"Snoke says more" he whispers in my ear. I feel his grip on my wrist tighten and he twists my arm more. I grit my teeth in anger, feeling the rage flow through my veins like hot lava.

I use my body to push him back a little so I can get my free hand in front of me. Fingers outstretched I use the force to throw him backwards. Ap'lek crashes into the training equipment on the other side of the room.

"I don't care what snoke wants, I am your leader and I said NO!" I scream at him.

Ap'lek slowly pushes himself off the ground standing to face me. The other knights are standing in position ready to advance and attack… but they don't. Even as exhausted as I was currently, they knew they were no match for me. I would destroy every one of them if I needed to.

"Get out" I snap. None of my knights move, they still stood staring at me. They weren't obeying me, showing their resistance against my leadership.

"GET OUT!" I scream through clenched teeth.

I reach my hand out calling to my light saber. I feel the hilt land in my hand. I ignite my saber and bring it up in position to attack, ready to charge them. I wish I could have used this in training instead.

"We will be back later" Ap'lek says. He turns on his heels and the other knights follow him out the door of my training room.

Snoke also ordered them to probe my mind, similar to the way that I interrogate enemies with the force. The physical training was fine. I can handle any of their attacks or the wounds they inflicted. But when they probe my mind… six untrained dark force users at once… the wall that I built keeping them out falls.

I am always afraid that they will find my feelings of doubt around the First Order and go running to Snoke. If he were ever to hear of it, Snoke would break me… kill me, regardless of my heritage.

I feel the pieces of hair that have fallen from my two braids. The exertion and heat from my body must have caused them to come loose. I retract my light saber and crouch down and collect the training saber that I had used in order to put it away.

Your bleeding

I stand up quickly and snap my head around to see Ben Solo in front of me. I recall the last time I saw him; he was just as confused as I was, rigid and tight as I stood in front of him. This time he seemed more calm… relaxed. I still was keeping my guard up.

My hand goes to my side where I knew that Vicrul had slashed me with his scythe. The dark red blood seeped onto my hand. For what seemed like a shallow wound there was a lot of blood.

"Just a training wound" I blurt out.

He didn't need to know this, but for some reason I say it without thinking as if I were having a conversation with a friend, as if I had complete trust in this person, which I don't.

"Why is the force connecting us?" I question.

No clue

He chuckles slightly. I look down and realize I am still in what I was wearing for training, only a bandeau and training pants. My knights had seen me like this many times… exposed, but no one else. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. I hoped that my exhaustion from combat left my face already red hiding this from him.

I was proud of the way I looked; I wouldn't let Ben see me like this cause me to feel so vulnerable… embarrassed. I slowly begin to move closer to where he stood. I stop inches from him. I should come up with something witty to say but he speaks first.

You killed my father…

I take a deep breath hearing the words leave his mouth. I had killed his father… I had killed the legendary Han Solo. But this success has caused me grief. I have killed so many, and I didn't know this man… only tales about him, so why do I struggle with his death?

I look at Ben. He doesn't seem sad or even angry at the fact his father was dead. Surely saying the words would have cause him some kind of emotion, but he just stares back at me.

"Yes" I reply.

But you didn't kill me

He was questioning my actions in the forest. He was right to do so, I didn't kill him. A raging battle was occurring in my mind… screaming for me to let him go. I had felt that before, but I always was still able to strike down my opponent… but not Ben. I hesitated and allowed him to live.

"I know" I quietly say.

Why

"I don't know" I reply.

A long pause lingered between us. My surroundings begin to slow, and I can hear him breathing… I can hear his pulse racing beneath his skin. Ben was handsome, especially now that I was up close to him. His long dark hair fell down framing his face. He had such strong desirable features. The tingling sensation in my core was beginning to spread like fire throughout my body. Nothing like this had I ever felt before, all of this being cause by his presence… his appearance.

I can't dwell on this. I was empress Palpatine of the First Order. I am meant to kill him… I was ordered to kill him. Even though I failed the first time I wouldn't hesitate the next time. My own voice echoes in my ears telling me that I would hesitate… that I would not kill him.

Frustration washes over me and I clench my hands into fist that dangle at my sides. My head crooks sideways and I sigh out loud. His eyes are conspicuously looking at me, questioning my change in mood. He was the reason… but at the same time I was thankful for this odd and alarming bond between us.

I close my eyes and slow my breathing. I didn't want him to leave just yet. I craved this conversation, even if it was with him. It felt refreshing to talk to someone about something other than First Order business. My fists unclench and I bite my bottom lip as I take a final deep breath out.

"Where are you? With Skywalker?" I ask him calmly.

Yes, but I won't tell you where…

I scoff at him looking down at my feet, then glancing quickly back into his dark eyes.

"Figures" I laugh.

You think I would confide in my enemy

"So, I am your enemy?" I wanted to hear his response. It should be obvious… I was his enemy.

If the words that left his mouth were anything but yes, I would be shocked.

Maybe

A smile begins to form, the corners of my mouth turning upward. He rolls his eyes at me.

"Does he know about this connection?" I ask him.

No… he wouldn't understand… I don't understand it.

"That makes two of us" I say.

There were rumours… stories about the fallout between Luke Skywalker and his nephew… his Jedi apprentice Ben Solo. Some had said that Luke saw something inside Ben and tried to kill him, but all were just stories. Clearly, if it were true… there are no more hard feelings.

I wanted to ask him about it, but I hardly knew him. But this bond made It fell like Ben and I had been talking for years. This was strange, I felt so strongly attached to him when I shouldn't.

My mind drifts immediately to something more sinister.

"Why aren't you trying to kill me?" I blurt out.

I can't kill you like this

"But you will try to kill me?" I ask.

Maybe

He didn't smile. He didn't seem angry or agitated. He just seemed so calm. I on the other hand can't keep my composure together as well as he could. I was emotional and hearing these words have pushed me over the edge. I was full of hate and rage again. I had been so calm… so at peace, something I haven't experienced since I was younger.

I become more composed into my alter ego empress Palpatine. I feel the muscles in my face become more rigid as I stand up straight. I draw my mouth into a tight line, and I cross my arms at my chest. I had let my guard down talking to him. He just admitted that killing me wasn't off the table.

I turn away from him to go and place my training saber at the bench on the other side of the room. I set it down gently still hearing the clank against the metal bench top. I take a deep breath and turn around ready to converse more with him, but he is gone.

My mind races and reaches out to see if he is close, but I feel nothing. It was a brief moment, but I didn't feel lonely or cold like normal. I wanted him to come back, I wanted more.

Our conversation left me so confused… or conflicted as Snoke would say.

Was he angry I killed his father?

Didn't seem like it…

Was I, his enemy?

Possibly…

Would he try to kill me if battled again?

Seems so…

Would I let him because I was so tired of everything… the First Order, having to live up to being a Palpatine….

It was likely I would.

I hear the intercom buzz near the entrance to the training room.

Your presence is requested by Supreme Leader Snoke Empress Palpatine

I shake my head. Ap'lek had probably given him a report about my physical training. I clip my light saber to my side and grab my black long sleeve shirt that I had worn to training, slipping it overtop of my head.

My body unwillingly takes me to the entrance, preparing to go see Snoke in his throne room.