Sofie laid on the ground, only able to watch what was happening in front of her now. Ben made makeshift restraints from the jacket he was wearing. A bit of Force work and Ben could make sure she didn't go anywhere.
The unknown man who was talking to Ben came back. He glanced at Sofie, and then back at Ben.
"You keeping her for a reason?" He laughed at Ben and walked towards Sofie. "The face is okay, but the body…" Sofie glared at him and spit towards his feet, making sure that it landed on his shoes. The man scowled and lifted his foot.
"Snoke's orders, Ren," Ben explained.
"For what?" Ren sounded truly bewildered. He put his foot down on the dirt. There were normally no survivors on his missions, this one being no exception.
"She's pregnant," Ben stated without emotion.
Ren moved towards Ben, intending to intimidate him. "I know you're just figuring things out, but pregnant or not, there should be no empathy."
Sofie could see a pissed off expression appearing on Ben's face. Ben did not like having his authority questioned.
"I'm pregnant with his child, dipshit," Sofie spoke up to Ren.
Sofie and Ben saw the annoyance creeping up on Ren. Both of them were vying for a higher rank.
"Don't forget Solo, I'm the one in charge." Ren stood inches from Ben.
" Get rid of him." An unknown voice echoed in Ben's mind. " Who is he to question you? You can just get rid of him. "
Sofie nearly missed the small details that led up to their fight. She was impressed by Ren's swift reaction towards Ben reaching for his lightsaber. They took turns lunging at each other similar to how Ben and Sofie went back and forth.
Sofie gasped when she saw Ren slip and miss a subtle swipe from Ben. Ren stumbled backward and Ben finished him off. Sofie watched Ren fall lifelessly to the ground.
"Just so we're clear, that guy was a jerk, but I still don't approve of your murder," Sofie told Ben. She couldn't see it but Sofie could feel Ben's internal eye roll.
Ben quickly got into a defensive stance when noises in the mine came closer.
It was Voe trying to fend off the rest of the Knights. Ben Force Force grabbed her as soon as he saw her. Sofie assumed the worst had happened to Tai.
"Voe!" Sofie cried out.
But it was too late, it only took microseconds for Ben to send his lightsaber right through her abdomen.
Sofie was sure she felt her heart stop.
"VOE!" She shrieked. Voe's Body fell to the ground. The Knights looked at Ren's lifeless body as well and kneeled towards Ben.
Sofie's shock turned into sadness as she sobbed lightly. They had failed to help Ben and also each other. Could she even forgive Ben at this point?
The Knights finished the fanfare and Ben picked up Sofie. She contemplated throwing a fit but knew she didn't have the energy after seeing Voe die in front of her. They went back to the ship and began the ride back to Snoke.
Ben dropped her in a special compartment that would ensure she couldn't leave. He freed her legs and then began to exit.
"Ben-" Sofie started. Ben stopped but didn't look at her. "Do you even care that I'm pregnant?"
She felt Ben's mixed emotions. He said nothing for a moment.
"The old Ben does, but I know now that I can't," Ben answered. He turned to Sofie. "But there is another way." Ben turned towards her, Sofie looked at him curiously.
"Join me, Sofie." Ben stepped towards her. "I've seen what you can do. I know how strong you are. We can't live your idealistic life, but we can live a life of power." Sofie frowned.
"What's so idealistic about what I want?" Sofie questioned.
"It involves untrustworthy people. It assumes that I don't have a responsibility towards finishing what Darth Vader started." Ben said. "It's unrealistic."
Sofie sighed. She couldn't reason with Ben. She just shook her head at him.
"I can't, Ben. I'm a Jedi and I always will be." She told him.
"I know," he replied back. "But keep your life in mind and choose your decision wisely." Sofie glared at Ben. He left.
The ship landed on the planet Snoke was hiding on. The Knights and Ben unboarded the ship.
Sofie walked in with Ben and the rest of his followers to see Snoke. Upon seeing him, Ben and the Knights kneeled in front of Snoke.
"Very impressive, Young Solo. You have proven yourself well." Snoke bellowed. "I bestow upon you a new title: Master."
Ben stood up and faced Snoke.
"We forget the weak and powerless Ben Solo and bring a new, powerful Master," Snoke said. "What will you call this new Master?"
"Kylo Ren." Ben, or the new Kylo Ren, spoke commandingly. Sofie sadly watched the ceremony and felt like Ben's name was the last piece he held of himself. Now it had been thrown away.
Snoke directed his attention towards Sofie. "So this is the woman carrying your child, Kylo Ren? From the Jedi Academy?" Ben nodded.
"Great," Snoke looked at Sofie closely. "The child will make a worthy successor with training. They will one day take your place."
Sofie put her head down, trying to remove herself as much as possible.
Snoke instructed his guards to make sure that Sofie stayed healthy and safe so she could have the child.
Sofie wanted to kick and scream. She felt like a pawn in a sick game. She contemplated ending herself and the child if it made it harder for Snoke and Ben.
Sofie was taken to her new living areas on the planet, a jail cell. All she could do was lay down and think of how she could possibly get out of this place alive.
The days went by excruciatingly slowly for Sofie while she was in captivity. She could only think for so long and talking with the guard that checked on her occasionally was getting old.
Thankfully, fate decided to give her some entertainment.
Sofie finished eating her lunch one day and was surprised to see Ben standing at the door to her cell. Admittedly, she was a little excited to see him.
"Hi," she said to him as he entered. "Can I help you…?" Sofie asked somewhat jokingly.
"I've been training," Ben started, "And I need your help with something." Sofie gave him a suspicious eye. What could he possibly need her help for? She shuddered slightly as he stepped towards her and held his palm towards her. His appearance was so sudden and out-of-the-blue.
Sofie felt a sudden pounding in her head, She held her head as the pain increased.
He's trying to read me, Sofie thought to herself, What could he possibly want?
Sofie stared intensely back at Ben, resisting his attempt.
Hurting Ben was the last thing she wanted to do, but while in captivity, Sofie decided that she had to overcome her desire to help him. Ben saw her as an enemy now, and she needed to act like she was one.
Mustering the will to save herself, Sofie fought back against Ben's mind probe, and instead, attempted to probe his mind.
She was successful, but abruptly stopped when she found something that shook her. They shared a knowing glance.
"Ben, you're so afraid." She said to him.
He drew his saber, Sofie stood up abruptly.
"Call me Ben again and I'll convince Snoke to let me kill you!" He shouted.
"That's your name !" Sofie yelled back.
Ben swiftly sliced the chair and table in the room as Sofie stood a couple of feet away. Sofie gasped at the sight of his new lightsaber. It was an intense red and crackled unnaturally.
He destroyed every piece of furniture in sight. Sofie backed herself into the corner of the room, afraid and waiting for his fit of rage to finish.
She refused to look at Ben even after he put away his lightsaber. He left without another word.
Sofie looked around the room. There had been a bed, table and a chair, and even a ceramic toilet, but they were now damaged.
Despite his act, Sofie knew that he still had a piece of Ben Solo inside himself. In fact, he maybe had too much for his own liking.
After Ben's fit, Sofie decided that she had had enough. She pondered how she could escape and decided that she needed to use the fact that she was a pregnant woman ordered to be healthy by Snoke to her advantage.
She took a deep breath, ready to put on her best act.
"Hey! Over here! Please!" She yelled down the hall towards the stormtrooper assigned to guard the cells. They looked towards her but stayed still.
"Please! I'm pregnant but I think something's wrong!" She tried again and wailed out in pain this time to get her point across.
The stormtrooper finally walked over to her, confused by the state of her cell.
"What happened to your cell, prisoner?" The stormtrooper asked her.
Sofie realized that the state of her cell might have been odd.
"I was just trying to distract myself from the pain, I feel like I'm going to pass out," Sofie said, holding her stomach in pain and tears forming in her eyes.
She could sense the stormtrooper's conflict.
"Okay, I'll take you to the medic, but no funny business," he told her. She was handcuffed and they made their way to medical. Sofie made sure to cause a scene while on the way there with her voice.
The medical room on the ship was decently sized but completely empty. A man wearing a lab coat rushed over from a small room when Sofie and the stormtrooper entered.
"What's this?" The man asked.
"Doctor Gord, she's pregnant with Kylo Ren's child and is under orders to be kept alive from Supreme Leader Snoke." The stormtrooper explained. Sofie wailed and hunched over in fake pain.
"Please help me, I'm in so much pain, I think something's wrong," Sofie said. Dr. Gord nervously looked at both of them. The medical droids they had were usually for soldiers returning from battle and he was unsure of their ability to treat conditions related to pregnancy.
"Uh… ok. Well…" He looked around nervously. "I guess we can run a urine sample, maybe we should start there." He handed the stormtrooper a container, unsure of any other diagnostic tools they had.
Sofie resisted laughing as she watched Dr. Gord hand over a container. No wonder they usually used droids.
"Use that in the bathroom and I'll be back with a medical droid." Doctor Gord said, pointing towards an inconspicuous bathroom and disappearing into another room.
The stormtrooper walked Sofie over to the bathroom and undid her restraints.
"Remember, no funny business." The stormtrooper said again, but he wasn't particularly afraid of Sofie after seeing how she even struggled to walk.
Sofie took the container and weakly opened the door to the bathroom. "There's definitely no funny business happening with me like this ."
Sofie entered the bathroom and felt a wave of relief flowing through her. Her plan was in the works, and with a bit of luck, it could be carried through. The bathroom was surprisingly big and had a toilet, sink and full tub. She assumed it doubled as a general bathroom for the staff and patients.
Sofie touched the walls and thought as she looked around the bathroom.
Then, she looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. The room had a vent.
She stood on the toilet and pulled the cover off. The vent was high, and she almost had to stand on her toes to reach it. She shuddered slightly while looking at the size of the vent and imagining how claustrophobic it could be.
Sofie took a deep breath and tried to jump while pulling herself up. Her hand slipped slightly on the metal and she fell back towards the toilet. She landed partially on her feet but made a loud bang as she hit the ground.
Her heart dropped and she looked towards the door. The handle jiggled slightly but she had locked it.
"What's going on in there?" The stormtrooper said through the door.
Sofie's breath caught in her throat. "N-nothing! Just pregnant lady things! I'm on the toilet so don't barge in!"
Nothing happened after that, and Sofie released a sigh of relief. She looked at her hand and carefully touched the light cut she had caused. It looked like it was on the verge of bleeding.
She got up on the toilet again and thought through her plan a bit more carefully this time. She jumped again, but this time made it a Force jump. Sofie carefully lifted herself up into the vent and shimmied the rest of the way through.
She stopped for a moment just to appreciate that she had made it, then she quickly started to creep through the vent.
Sofie tried to move quietly, but the vent seemed to echo and clang with every move she made. She bit her lip and listened for any sign that she might have been heard.
Nothing.
She crept as quickly as she could, not caring about the noise and just wanting to get somewhere .
Then, she finally saw her first potential exit. She looked out the slats of the vent and saw a large room. It had a large cargo ship and many boxes surrounding it. She observed some stormtroopers in the area but noted that they seemed fairly occupied with their current task of unloading the cargo ship.
Sofie looked straight down and gulped. It wasn't a small drop, in fact, it was about a 50-foot drop straight down. She could probably land lightly if she did it properly, but that was assuming they didn't see her on the way down.
Suddenly, their leader called them all over to talk to them. The stormtroopers who were guarding and helping with the cargo ship huddled together with their leader.
Sofie guessed that they were being informed about her disappearance, but she spared no time with her chance.
She removed the cover of the vent carefully so as not to drop it and she placed it inside the vent with her.
Sofie looked down one last time, reminding herself that she had done similar things while training, just not as extreme.
Without another thought, she slipped carefully out of the vent exit. She concentrated on feeling light and tried to ignore the height.
Sofie landed with a slight plop but accidentally rolled her foot. She fell to the ground and looked towards the group of stormtroopers.
Ignoring the pain in her foot she dragged herself in between the large cargo boxes towering about 7 feet high. She winced and held her foot in pain.
Fuck , she thought, fuck, fuck, fuck, they're going to find me.
Not knowing what else to do, she opened the door to one of the giant cargo boxes and carefully stepped inside. It was dark even with the door open, but the light disappeared completely when she closed the door behind her. She couldn't tell what was in the box with her but knew that it was strangely shaped, allowing her to move between the pieces.
She adjusted herself carefully and found somewhere that seemed hidden but also comfortable.
Sofie didn't think she could run or attempt any other risky maneuvers with her foot, so she had no choice but to stay and wait. She was comforted by the assumption that if she was caught, they would let her live.
Sofie heard noises around the box, but they were short-lived and occasional.
At one point a stormtrooper opened the door to the cargo box, they shone a few lights lazily but moved on quickly.
They underestimate my maneuvering, I guess. Sofie thought.
It felt like she had spent hours in the box, and Sofie was beginning to go crazy from the lack of light. It didn't feel like her eyes were working right.
She decided to close her eyes, hoping she could sleep while waiting for things to calm down.
"Where are you?" She opened her eyes to darkness again upon hearing a voice in her head. She looked around only to see nothing.
She swore it was Ben.
"You're just imagining things, Sofie, calm down…" She said to herself, trying to get comfortable again.
" Sofie? " She heard it again.
It couldn't be a coincidence now.
Sofie froze in fear, unsure if she was imagining things or if she had actually been found.
"Ben?" She whispered.
" I-I don't know what this is, but if you can hear me, tell us where you are," Ben said. Sofie rolled her eyes.
"I'm not telling you anything. I've escaped and there's no point in looking for me." Sofie said out loud, she could feel Ben's frustration.
The voice stopped and Sofie settled in again, unsure of what their conversation was.
She fell asleep finally and let the hours drag on.
Sofie was certain it had been at least 24 hours since they had begun looking for her.
Admittedly, she had been in the box so long she was considering leaving just for some air.
Thankfully, this desire was cut short as she felt the box move. It was being put on a ship. She must have been missing for so long they decided that it wasn't worth waiting for her to make a move.
She waited patiently to see where they might take her, prepared to make her escape.
She felt the ship land and listened for activity. They moved the box somewhere off the ship.
Sofie listened intently for voices, and once she decided that it had been long enough, she opened the door carefully.
She looked out of the box but closed her eyes quickly. The light was painful.
Her eyes adjusted and she finally stepped completely out of the wretched cargo box. She looked around, captivated and intrigued, she wondered where they could have taken her. They ended up dropping the boxes inside a giant warehouse-looking building.
She looked around and determined that the boxes held equipment for battle. They had even put some fighter ships in the building.
"Are they preparing for something big?" She said to herself quietly.
Sofie had a terrible feeling in her gut. She needed to tell somebody, to warn them.
Ben was gone, and it was Kylo Ren on the loose now.