Athena walked into the library. The sun flooded the wooden space. Her bare feet touched the ground. A green, beautifully draped dress covered her body. Athena felt no trace of the wound inflicted on her earlier.

"Granddaughter," a voice appeared.

A man approached from behind a shelf.

Athena recognized him immediately, even though she had never met him. His dark brown eyes observed her kindly, the shape of his face resembling her own. Sharp features and air of regality. He wore the clothes of a noblemen, expensive fabrics, and a long dark cape, held together by a silver clasp.

"We don't have much time," he announced.

"Count Dooku," Athena muttered in awe, recalling her manners, bowing her head.

He nodded approvingly. "I see you have followed in my footsteps. The work you've done with the ORA is impressive, I must admit. Your empathy for the people is quite touching, yet I fear it might blind you. It makes you soft."

Everything about him was poised and elegant. No one would suspect him to be a powerful Sith.

"How is this possible?" Athena whispered.

Count Dooku dismissed her question with a wink of his right hand. "Let us not waste time on such questions, granddaughter. We must talk about the path ahead of you."

The Sith Lord walked to her seat, the leather used from the number of times she had sat in there, sitting down and folding his hands in his lap.

"Will I become a Sith?" she asked, intimidated by her grandfather and the power he exuded.

"You will neither become a Sith nor a Jedi. The Force has chosen others to fight for balance. Ben Solo and the other girl are much stronger than you."

Athena felt strangely insulted. "This is incredibly helpful," she scoffed. Dream or not, she didn't need to hear that.

Dooku raised a finger to silence her. "Light and Dark are being drawn to you, yet you will never fully turn to one side. You'll stay in the grey."

"Does that mean I'll have to struggle with both sides my entire life?" Athena asked, having seen the turmoil Kylo was constantly in.

Her grandfather rose from the seat, walking towards her. Softly, he took her hands into his own. "Every single creature in the galaxy struggles with both sides their entire lives. Even the best Jedi will always have a hint of darkness in them. Your struggle to find the right path is your strength. And I promise, you will become stronger."

"I don't know what you're trying to tell me –"

"You can be the mother of a new system. Create a new path. Just don't forget who you are. The visions you saw… I showed them to you to teach you about the past. To prepare you for your future. I have been guiding you since your childhood."

"I don't understand…" Athena's eyes filled with tears.

"Learn from my mistakes, child."

Count Dooku faded, as the library around them did.

"Dooku…" she muttered.

The dream stuck with her the entire day.

She couldn't concentrate, even as she finally signed the brought peace to the Outer Rim, at least for a while. If the Supreme Leader respected the contract.

Commander Ren and General Hux signed the papers in his place, while she, Karelai Mokebla and the rest of the board signed on accords of the ORA. Karelai stared daggers at Kylo Ren, which made Athena even more nervous. She didn't see Kylo's face because of his helmet, but he didn't seem too offended by Kai's hostile glances as far as she could tell from his body language.

Athena forced herself to steady her hands as she signed the treaty.

She knew Kylo could feel her anxiety, even though he had no idea about her dream. Athena clenched her teeth, feeling the sting of a headache forming in the backside of her head.

Ben Solo and the other girl are much stronger than you. That other girl? Who was Dooku referring to?

"Are you ready for tonight?" Kai asked softly as the women walked back to their quarters. A ball would conclude the stay of First Order on Serenno to celebrate the peace treaty. Athena nodded, even though she didn't feel ready at all.

OoOoO

Kylo couldn't believe there was a situation he dreaded more than the assembly. A ball. His mother had brought him along to a couple of social events, but it was nothing he had ever enjoyed. It was all a pinnacle of hypocrisy to him.

Returning to his quarters, he found a black piece of clothing on his bed. Impatiently, he inspected it. It was some kind of simple black ensemble, tight black pants, a black shirt and a black coat with black geometrical embroideries stitched into it. The material was leather, even though Kylo could not tell what kind. He noticed a sigil worked into the fabric of the matching gloves, so small he had almost overseen it. It was the sigil of the House of Serenno. Although Kylo had no interest or knowledge concerning those things, there was no doubt the suit belonged to the most refined and expensive works one could get.

By now, he knew she had a sarcastic taste of humor. But he realized the suit was a gesture. A kindness. Kindness was the radical opposite to everything Kylo was supposed to teach her and yet he felt oddly touched.

Walking to assembly hall, he remained stern as everyone stared at him. He could feel the observant, fearful eyes of the Outer Rim representatives, and he realized Athena had given him more than a taste of her wealth. She had given him an armor.

He spotted her easily in the masses. Her dress consisted of a black seemingly see-through fabric, gemstones covering the whole dress. The silver headband adorned in pearls and purple gemstones in her long waves looked like a crown. She was smiling, talking to a few young noble women grouped around her, a glass of sparkling beverage in her hand.

"Love that outfit, commander. Thena has really outdone herself."

A Twi'lek woman with blue skin appeared right next to him. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, smooth perfect skin and proportional features.

"Karelai Mokebla," she presented herself as Kylo didn't answer, his attention returning to Athena immediately. He could feel the woman's skeptical stare on him, yet the commander had no nerves for politics and no interest in the Twi'lek's beauty.

"This woman right there is the Princess Temera of Lianna. Lianna provided the Empire with TIE-fighters and prospered even after its fall. And this is Fallon Sato, the owner of the third largest bacta corporation in the entire galaxy. I personally think Athena can do better than you."

The Twi'lek bold words made him turn towards her, raising his eyebrows at her. Her raised chin reminded him of Athena. Apparently, the women shared the same attitude. "What is it you want to tell me?" he snapped.

"We have powerful friends. Friends the First Order would not want to mess with," she smiled charmingly at him, although her eyes were filled with hostility.

"Don't push it," he growled, softly so that the people around them would not hear them.

Karelai Mokebla looked at him unimpressed."I sent the men to kill you."

I hope you had fun with this chapter!

Count Dooku makes an appearance. I just love Christopher Lee in this role, I had so much fun rewatching the scenes with Dooku and writing this chapter.

Also, Adam Driver in a suit.

Thank you again for your reviews!