A/N: Guys. Life never goes the way we think it will and I guess I should start accepting that. I know an apology for my unannounced absence really doesn't do much at this point, but I'm hoping that I can make it up to you within the next few chapters. Thank you, as always, for your support and patience.

Chapter 16: The Red Comet

Kylo Ren


Fucking Quinn, I hissed as we hurried down the hall, my hand firmly placed against her back. I wanted nothing more than to watch his severed head roll along the ground, flanked by a trail of his blood.

I knew I could get away with slaying Quinn if I really wanted to. He was known for being a boisterous, pompous fool, and I could easily explain away why his throat met the end of my saber. But Pryde...I would have to be the new Supreme Leader before I could strike him down. Even then, many would likely question my loyalty. Few were as devoted to the Order as Pryde was.

And what does that imply for your loyalty? My subconscious sneered. I allowed my eyes to gaze out the corner of my helmet as Laina rushed beside me, trying to keep up with my furious pace. Her hair brushed against her shoulders and cheeks, hands clutching the beaded fabric while her eyes remained locked ahead of us.

I can be loyal to Laina without diminishing my dedication to the Order, I retaliated. Though, I was thankful that Master Snoke wasn't there to overhear.

"What's going on?" I heard her faintly whisper.

"Commander," a sergeant motioned for us to follow as we rounded the corner to the bridge. He directed us to the corner booth where another sergeant held out a holopad. I eyed them carefully until they took the hint to leave us. I turned to face the back wall, shielding Laina and myself from their prying eyes.

"Am I speaking with Commander Ren?" the gravelly voice asked through the device.

"You're late," I spat through grit teeth.

"Well then consider this the last time I ever do you a favor," Vicrul huffed.

Laina's eyes danced between my helmet and the holopad as she tried to make sense of the situation. "Laina sends you her appreciation," I informed him.

"Oh?" He perked up at this. "And just who did I save her from?"

"Quinn and his wife," I replied, taking the opportunity to look her over. She didn't seem at all flustered or battered after the exchange with Quinn. "Your timing prevented her from clawing his eyes out," I grinned.

I watched in awe as a soft blush rose in her cheeks.

"I would have paid to see that," Vicrul snorted. "You could have taken him," he noted to Laina. "As long as you left Elara for me."

I rolled my eyes. "Anything else you would like to report, brother?"

"Only that we are going to Canto Bight without you," Vicrul taunted. "I'm sure Mariam is going to miss your big, thick—"

Before he could finish I frantically disconnected the call, my thumbs fumbling on the holopad. Thankfully the heat in my face was concealed by the thick layer of metal.

"Erm," I stammered, trying to avoid her quizzical gaze. I cleared my throat and tossed the holopad to the awaiting sergeants. "Follow me."

"What?" Laina hesitated, puzzled. "Don't we have to go back?"

I looked over my shoulder at her. "I told you to trust me," I smirked, though I knew she couldn't see it. "Come, it's about to begin."

She took my arm again, wrapping her delicate fingers around me as I guided her to the center of the bridge.

"What's about to begin?" Laina asked innocently, her eyes sweeping over the bridge.

Before I could respond, the loudspeakers overhead chirped to life and announced the commencement of the processional.

My jaw clenched as I glanced at her, noticing the concern growing in her face with every moment I delayed my response. How could I tell her in such a rushed manner?

What if she doesn't understand? My breath halted in my throat. It has to be done; for the future of the First Order.

"It'll be alright," I reassured her under my breath, careful that surrounding ears wouldn't hear. You fool, I spat at myself as the commencement quieted on the speaker system. She will never trust you again.

We winced in unison as Hux's slimy voice boomed throughout the bridge.

"Today is the end of the Republic. The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder."

I allowed my eyes to peer out of the corner of my helmet, watching her reaction to his rallying address. What I thought would be an expression of surprise or even fear was covered in a shroud of indifference. She tucked her hair behind her ear, her eyes glued to the viewports at the front of the bridge.

Hux continued. "At this very moment in a system far from here, the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance."

My back stiffened as thoughts of my father flashed across my mind. Laina felt my arms tense and she gently placed her hand on my forearm. Perhaps I should have swatted her away; surely the generals and sergeants on the bridge were taking notice. But it pained me more to think about her letting go.

"This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand will bring an end to the Senate, to their cherished fleet. All remaining systems will bow to the First Order and will remember this as the last day of the Republic!"

I scoffed quietly. I figured he had practiced that in the mirror until he was red in the face.

Now, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as through the speakers we could hear the hum of a loud, metal machine while the bridge came alive, sergeants and captains alike straining from their seats to get a glimpse.

"FIRE!" Hux's voice boomed through the speakers.

Even I was impressed at how well it worked. Instantaneous from his command, a beam of blinding red light exploded from the center of the Starkiller base. It traveled across the boundless sky like a comet hurtling through the galaxy, but unlike a meteoroid, this had a predetermined target that it raced towards.

As it passed by the bridge, the entire room was bathed in the bright, red light, including Laina– whose eyes were unblinking as she tried to make sense of it all.

Fuck the formalities, I huffed as I wrapped my arm around her waist, trying to decipher what she was thinking. I wasn't about to invade her mind anytime soon.

She jumped at my touch blinking as she glanced back and forth from me to the firey blaze that erupted from the planet. All around us the sergeants and captains furiously tracked the beam, scurrying around like bothersome mouse droids.

"Laina–" I whispered, trying to get her attention.

"Destinated impact in 5...4..." a lieutenant announced behind us, interrupting me to my irritation. "...3...2...1..."

There was a sick stillness in the air, all buzzing ceasing to a halt as they waited in anticipation for the results. My heart began to thud in my chest as I watched Laina twist her fingers together as if she was trying to distract herself.

"We have a direct hit, Commander," the lieutenant confirmed.

I grit my teeth, kicking myself that I shouldn't have taken Vicrul's call in the bridge. "Which?" I questioned, continuing my duties in the public eye.

"All; Courtsilius, Raysho, Hosnian, Cardota, and Hosnian Prime."

Laina didn't move. It was as if she stopped breathing. This was it, any moment now she would storm away and insist that I escort her to the nearest transport off this ship, as far away from me as possible.

"Everyone is expecting you at the celebration, Commander," a measly Seargent saluted out of the corner of my eye.

My lip curled as I turned to face him. His confidence drained from his face as he stared into my visor. "General P- Pryde specifically requests a presence with you."

"Be sure to inform Pryde that while tonight proved to be a success, our war against the Rebel scum has just begun. I would rather spend the evening in preparations for their retaliation than waste it with frivolous festivities," I scoffed and grabbed Laina's waist once again before pushing her towards the exit. She hastily gathered her skirt in her hands as I drove her forward, frantically trying to keep up as we made our escape.


You need to say something to her, my conscience ridiculed as the sound of her heels striking the floor pierced my ears. With my every stride it took her at least two if not three to keep up with my rushed pace, desperate to get her back to the safety of my quarters.

I would be forced to face Pryde sooner or later. I could delay our interaction as long as possible but he would eventually find a way to corner me and surely have words to say about Laina's attendance at the demonstration. But now was not the time: I hardly had any patience left in me. His head would surely roll if I were to confront him tonight and I could not risk my position with Master Snoke over a vermin.

Say something for fuck's sake, I scolded before suddenly coming to a halt in the hallway. I glanced in both directions before turning to face her.

"Laina," I started, trying to read her blank expression. "Talk to me."

Her green eyes stared deep into my visor, trying to find mine. "What do you want me to say," her voice was low and even, perhaps slightly perturbed.

"Anything," I begged, stepping closer to her. "Are you alright?"

"Why would I be alright?" She returned.

Everything I feared was beginning to come to fruition. It wouldn't be long until she insisted on packing her things. Footsteps trudging down the hallway pricked my ears as I hurried her along, leading her to my chambers.

"Fuck," I huffed under my breath as we darted into the automatic doors that hissed shut behind us, reassuring me that we could finally speak freely.

"I should have told you," I lamented as she turned to face me.

"Yes, you should have," she agreed, wrapping her arms around her chest.

Shit, I cringed within the safety of my helmet. I wished that I could lie to her, it came so easily to anyone else. Those green eyes made the truth bubble up to my throat and pour out of my mouth before I could ever stop it. "I didn't know how to tell you."

She brought her hand to her mouth and pinched a piece of her lower lip between her thumb and index finger as she mulled over my pitiful attempt at an excuse. "Kylo," she shook her head, pondering what to say next. My stomach churned as I anxiously waited. "I'm not ok with this," she finally said.

I felt the sickening feeling inside me worsen. My heart began to pound in my chest, my gut clenched and my jaw tightened as I fought the urge to fall on my knees in front and beg her to stay.

"There was nothing I could do, Laina," I countered. "It wasn't my decision."

"Wasn't your decision?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow as her stare hardened. "What are you talking about?You had the power all along to do something about it."

My fists clenched at my sides. "It doesn't work like that," I returned. "I can't disobey my Master."

"So it was Snoke or whatever his name is? Does he make every decision for you?"

The overwhelming sensation that I was about to lose her was suddenly smothered by a surge of anger. "Snoke made the decision that was best for the First Order," I explained as calmly as I could, my upper lip curling.

"So it's in the Order's best interest to keep me in the dark?" She rallied, clearly exasperated.

"What in stars' name are you talking about?" I demanded.

Her eyebrows furrowed as a red tone grew in her cheeks. "Kylo you can't keep things like this from me! I'm not a child, I can handle it. I can understand if it's top secret or whatever but dammit everyone in that hall knew exactly what was going on, but you couldn't tell me?" She caught her breath, her eyes moving about me wildly. "You can't do that to me."

I blinked, processing her outburst. "You...you're not mad?"

"What?" She replied. "Of course I am."

"No, no," I stepped closer to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You're not mad about the Starkiller?"

I watched her eyes try to make sense of my question, surely desperate to see my face.

As if she read my mind, she lifted her hand and shrugged my grip away, placing her fingers on the side of my helmet. "Take this off," she insisted.

I hesitated for just a moment before the mechanism released with a hiss, as she took it in her hands, carefully pulling it over my head. I stared into her big, green eyes as she let it drop onto the ground with a heavy metallic thud that made us both blink.

"No," she said finally. "I'm not mad about what they did."

I inhaled deeply, a sigh of relief. She brought her hand up to my cheek as if to stop me. "But," she continued. "I mean what I said. You can't hide things from me anymore."

"Why aren't you?" I questioned, genuinely puzzled.

She blinked at this and I watched as her eyes fell off in the distance, searching for something in her mind. Laina drew back slightly and lowered her gaze when she found it. "I don't know..." She started softly. "The Senate promised peace. They promised to keep people safe, people like–" she winced, folding her arms over her chest. "People like me, like the others. We were kidnapped and smuggled into those houses right under the Senate's nose. And they never did anything to save us. Those houses have operated for decades and they've never been stopped."

My heart squeezed as I remembered the two girls I saw in her mind, little Laina and the blonde girl, abandoned by the regime that claimed to defend them.

"I don't know if they deserved it," she shrugged blithely. "But I don't care."

It was my turn to reach out to her, encapsulating her in my arms and pulling her close. She allowed me to hold her tightly as she rested her cheek on my chest.

"I am sorry, Laina," I murmured, her sweet scent filling my nose as I brushed my jaw against the top of her head. She fit so perfectly against my body, it was hard to ignore. It stirred the fire awake inside me, like fanning hot coals that had failed to go out. "From here on out, I will not keep anything from you."

She paused for a moment as I felt her slow and steady breathing under my hands. "I trust you, Kylo," she declared.

Something about her words made the inside of my chest fill with warmth. I trust you. The same couldn't be said of hardly anyone on this ship. But she did. My heart squeezed as before, but different, while I brought my hand up to her chin, tilting her head back. I paused for a moment, gazing into those luscious green eyes, wondering why in the galaxy this woman would put her faith in me of all creatures.

I have been quite fortunate in all of my tie-fighter flight experience to have never felt the smothering sensation that is open space. The way it maliciously steals the air from your lungs, organs, even bloodstream. I've seen many carcasses floating in the black abyss who had the very life sucked from them by the suffocating blackness, some I had even caused.

Laina was now that endless space; draining the air from my lungs as our lips pressed against each other, her soft, tender lips tasting like candied fruit. Hungry for her, I hastily breathed in before kissing her more, grazing the side of her face with my gloved hand as I felt her lean into me. She was different than the ruthless black sea that consumed anything in its reach: when you are sucked out to space, you fight it with everything you have, trying to savor your last moments before it's ripped away from you.

But Laina: I wanted to let her consume and engulf every inch of me, relish in her vast depths, and drown by her hand. I invited her in, closer than anyone had ever been before, ready and willing to let her ravage and destroy me.