"Her binders are on tight?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Rey sits on a bench in the small shuttle, beads of sweat running down her face. She is not the only one. Next to her Holte sits gagged and bound. The style similar to the one the Knights used on her during her time on Kylo's flagship.
"Do we still need him?"
"No. He served his purpose."
Rey senses Holte's stinking terror that he is about to be disposed of. His eyes dart in their sockets, silently begging for Rey to help him, to save him. Sweat soaks his uniform and he can't stop the muffled squeal in his throat.
Rey holds up her constrained wrists to him as if to say, Can't you see? We're both screwed.
A small hatch opens and Holte squirms in earnest now.
She hates to be a witness to this. Hates to watch a person, even one as rotten as Holte, in pain. One of the Knights - the one that wields a double edged saber - saunters over and gruffly lifts Holte to his feet. A small hatch opens and Rey sees only black sky outside. She can't sit back and watch this happen - watch someone be murdered without doing something .
"Don't! Don't kill him!"
Why is she begging for this man's life - what can she possibly do? Rey stands, chest rising and falling heavily.
The Knight laughs and kicks Holte through the hatch.
She closes her eyes.
"Sit down, Rey. We are about to enter hyperspace."
"Ren wants to patch through," the second Knight calls back from the cockpit. The fear in his tone does not go unnoticed by Rey. For all their taunting, the Knights are still afraid of Kylo Ren. She watches as the Knight in front of her removes his mask and tosses it to the ground.
"Tell him we will return her to him, one piece at a time, if he follows us. Tell him," the Knight walks over and tilts her chin up, "We will start with her pretty little nose."
Another laugh from the cockpit.
"No," the owner of the laughing voice replies, "I'll tell him you're holding her head down between your legs. Tell him it's my turn next."
Their cold laughter returns.
The face of the Knight threatening her is young - younger than she expects - he must be close to her age. His face is angular and sharp, his hair so light it appears platinum. Based on the slender build of his neck she assumes the rest of him is lean.
The ship lurches forward into hyperspace and the fair haired Knight paces in front of her.
"You will not contact Ren through the force. Or I really will be forced take you apart. Understand?"
Rey can't stop herself from spitting at this sadistic creature. Dead in the eye. He wipes her spit and sneers.
"Oh, you are feral. One of his favorite words he uses to describe you. During our daily briefings he talked about you for hours Rey. We had to listen to him drone on about you for years. You see Rey," he opens his arms in front of her, "We are practically family."
When he reaches to stroke her belly she gnashes her teeth, attempting to keep him at bay by any means possible. It does not work. He roughly seizes her face by her cheeks and squeezes.
"I can sense how strong with the force you are. It must take a substantial amount of effort to subdue you."
Rey's breathing snarls in her throat.
"What do you want with me?"
The Knight drops to his haunches so that he is at eye level with her.
"We want you to kill Kylo Ren."
Idiots, Rey thinks.
"You could have easily killed him at the Resistance base."
A small, fierce smile curls on the Knight's lips.
"Where is the fun in that? It will be far more satisfying at your hand. For all of us."
"You mean for both of you," Rey says, reminding him that two Knights remain. The rest of the Knights are dead.
At Kylo's hand...and her own.
"Admit it," he ignores her comment, talking quietly, "A part of you hates him. Wants to kill him. We can help you, Rey. We want to help you take revenge."
Rey's spine goes rigid and she looks ahead, straight through him. The Knight rises.
"You must feel so used, Rey. Max and I, we understand. We understand what it is to be at the whim of a petulant child. The First Order was nothing more than a front for his obsession with you. And how does he treat you?"
Rey's furious breath comes out in short bursts. She will not give him the satisfaction. He looks her over appraisingly.
"He defiles you, fills you with his spawn. You're meant to become his prop, a beautiful fixture in his throne room. He is not interested in sharing power, Rey. Not truly. He never has been. Did he tell you he loved you? More lies."
Rey wills herself to stay strong.
She recognizes this kind of talk - the manipulation, the cruelty disguised as sympathy.
Rey thinks Kylo has trained his Knights well. They might despise him, but they model his abusive behavior impeccably.
The Knight pulls her forward by her binders as they arrive at their destination: a large craft she assumes acts as their flagship.
"Welcome to the New Order, Rey. Max will escort you to your chambers - and again, do not think of running. Let's keep that baby alive for now. Yes?"
Rey grinds her teeth. The Knights are right about one thing - she is tired of being used - by everyone.
She will take these bastards on herself.
He turns her over to the Knight called Max. He leads her down the ramp and onto an old ship. Rey recognizes the atmosphere they enter - or rather - she senses it. They are back in the outer rim, orbiting Dathomir.
"You feel it," Max says, "Dathomir. It's darkness makes us stronger."
Rey knows. She felt it the first time on the damned planet. Someone else feels it too - the baby rolls in reaction to the change in energy.
Stay balanced, little one, she urges.
The ship is a hive of dark energy. Stormtroopers and life forms she has never seen stare at her arrival. A few of them nod in her direction, confusing Rey.
Max smirks.
"You arrive here as our ally. Our soldiers are excited to see you join us."
It is downright eerie as a trooper salutes her.
They turn a corner and Max enters a code outside of a door. The room laid out before her is empty, save for a mattress and blankets. The fresher has no door, and it is filthy.
"You will rest here until dinner. With us. We will discuss Ren's assassination. You know what will happen if you do not cooperate."
The doors slide shut and Rey looks around the space.
Rey.
His voice enters her mind.
Are you okay? Are you hurt?
She ignores him.
You cannot trust them.
She tries to shut him out.
I am sorry for everything I said. I will rescue you.
He's a fucking liar. Rey seethes.
She succeeds in shutting him out.
Scouring the room, she looks for a way out, but it is useless. Dining with Kylo Ren's corrupt Knights - the concept is laughable. What game can they possibly be playing?
The homing beacon flashes on her wrist and Rey thinks it is strange they do not inspect her for weapons or valuables.
It is only when Max returns and announces with a smile that she will be the entertainment at dinner that she understands. They were trained by Kylo Ren. They mean to humiliate her until she breaks, until she gives them what they want. They mean to goad her until she gives into her own darkness and becomes a monster like them.
Rey will not let this happen.
What if I told you this story has a happy ending? Lol.
Way to hang in for chapter 18 guys holy crap.