So I've had the worse writer's block and pushing myself to work on so many projects at once really isn't working... But nevertheless it always comes out. May take a little longer than I'd like.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the amazing characters

Please enjoy and let me know what you think so far.

Chapter 12: Reylo

Kylo

After the group finished eating, Falbell and Nikhoah showed Kylo and Rey to their communication's room. Rey had been dead serious about checking on the Resistance and the only way to do it from this range was through their comm's system. Before they were able to reach anyone, Kylo warned her that she shouldn't tell his mother and their friends that Zoroyais and the First Order more than likely knew where they were while in the crowded comm's room as it would more than likely cause mass panic.

While Rey did agree, Kylo knew that they needed to warn them about the possibility of an invasion but he had a feeling that they had nothing to worry for a little while yet.

While Rey chatted with the others back on Olara, Kylo took Bell and Nik aside. He had hinted at why they were there but he figured now was as good a time as any. So, they left her in the comm's room with one of the Vodran and went into Falbell's office.

Bell and Nik sat down in front of the desk and let Kylo take the chair behind the desk.

"It feels weird sitting at your desk," Kylo said as he settled into the chair.

"Well technically you are the boss, so if you all came to live here this would be your office. Therefore, it's your desk and you shouldn't feel weird at all," Falbell said with a smile.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about," Nik asked getting straight to the point.

"I know you guys are aware of the fact that Hux took over the First Order but were you aware that he had help from someone I could only describe as a Sith Lord," Kylo asked.

Falbell and Nikhoah both looked shocked. Anyone who knew Armitage Hux knew that he both hated and was skeptical about anything concerning the Force, so the fact that he would align himself with someone like Zoroyais was as shocking as Kylo leaving the First Order. Kylo let their shock subside before continuing.

"When I became Supreme Leader, my top priority was getting the First Order from under the thumb of IGBC. Once I'd generated enough money to pay back everything that Snoke had barrowed from them, I went to Niro to tell them in person that the First Order would no longer be their whipping boys. Before King Tiberius could agree to let us out of the contract that Snoke had signed with them a man named Ozoroth showed up. Little did I know at that Hux would soon partner up with him and his master to take the First Order from me," Kylo explained.

When the coup had first happened Kylo was so angry he could barely even stand to think about it but now he was just worried what Zoroyais was using Hux and the First Order for. When Zoroyais had entered his mind, he had felt darkness akin Snoke's own corruption.

He didn't know what his plans were for the galaxy because neither he nor Rey nor any of the so called expert interrogators of the Resistance had been able to get any information out of Zoroyais other than the fact that he wanted to enslave all those he found unworthy and that he planned to achieve this goal by creating stronger Force sensitive clones. Which just so happened to be everyone who wasn't under his thumb.

Kylo gave them an abbreviated version of the events that led up to the battle of Ilum.

"You fought him and lost," Nikhoah asked.

"He almost killed me and all that I hold dear. There is only so much I can do on my own as far as training our army and the other Force Sensitives. Zoroyais had clones before gaining all of the resources of the First Order. Rey and I are going to need all of the help we can get," Kylo explained.

"So, you want us to gather the Knights to fight with you and help you train the others," Falbell asked skeptically.

"Of course, we will try to reach out to the others but most of them took the news that you had defected to the Resistance rather hard. Most of them renounced anything to do with the First Order since they figured that Hux likely wouldn't have any use for them," Nikhoah said.

"And none of them went running to the Resistance because they didn't think they would be accepted there," Falbell said. "And with the way that Rey looks at us I am sure that your mother and her people would have been ecstatic to have a bunch of dark Jedi showing up on their door step. Not that any of us had any clue where to look."

"My mother threw me in jail when we first got there so I can't really say I blame you. But Rey was the only reason why they let me and Phas outta there," Kylo said leaning back in his chair.

"The only reason for that is because she loves you. She has no reason to fight for us," Nikhoah finally sounding as though she agreed with her lover.

"Well then why don't you make her love you. I mean I like you and I know for a fact that counts for something with her," he said with a smile.

"How about a dinner, just the four of us. Nikki can cook," Falbell volunteered.

Nik elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow, what? You love to cook," Bell said.

Kylo could tell by the look on her face that it wasn't something that she liked to tell people.

"A dinner would be perfect. It would give us a real chance to catch up as well as let Rey get to know you guys as people and not Dark Jedi or Knights of Ren," Kylo said.

He was beginning to get excited and he could feel Rey's curiosity.

"Okay. Give me a few days to get things together," Nikhoah said finally.

She rolled her eyes. Kylo nodded.

"Now if you will excuse us, we need to head into town for a few meetings and to gather some supplies. You and Rey are free to go anywhere within the compound but I would definitely suggest that you stay within the walls. While there are no stormtroopers here that doesn't mean there aren't bounty hunters out there who know what you look like," Falbell said.

While they were out Rey and Kylo used the free time to see if there was any reports about the First Order or Zoroyais. It wasn't long before Rey came across something that made Kylo stop her search. The holocast started off with two stormtroopers having their helmet's removed and then their heads were cut off by two beings in black armor.

Kylo felt rage begin to take over as he recognized two of his supporters.

"If you are seeing this holocast then you will be among those lucky enough to witness it first hand and then spread the word to those who missed it. This is the beginning of the endarkening of this pathetic galaxy. I am Zoroyais and I am the Supreme Emperor of the Neo Order, the Dark military force that has absorbed the First Order under the leadership of Supreme Leader General Hux," Zoroyais said.

The camera panned out so that you could see him sitting on a throne made of the same strange black metal that his armor was made out of. Behind him were rows upon rows of the Force sensitive clones in their battle armor, holding their lightsabers at the ready. There were more of them than the ones that they took out back on Ilum.

It explained the almost constant feeling of panic they'd both had since the battle of Ilum. There was no way they wouldn't have been able to feel the creation of such a large number of Force users. Not that it was a comforting thought.

It also let them know just how fast he was able to replenish his forces. He could literally just keep throwing men at the Resistance and anyone else who chose to stand up to him and his Neo Order until they were nothing but mountains of bodies.

Kylo didn't know if the scary thought came from his own mind or Rey's.

Rey slipped her hand into his as the blue hologram continued.

"I will do what the Empire and the First Order failed to do. I will bring order to this galaxy by first stomping out the Resistance and their dismal excuse for a Jedi order that they put together under the command of Ben Solo. And then my men will begin rooting out anyone who does not wish to conform to the new way that things will be from now on," the monster went on.

Next Hux came into view looking smug in his shiny new uniform.

"The basic rules of the Neo Order that our men will begin enforcing first in the core systems and then working our way out are as follows: Everyone over the age of 7 must have a Neo Order authorized job working at least 14 hours a day, 70% of every income will be paid in dues to the Neo Order every pay period, Families may not have more than 2 children; any children born after the second will be immediately inducted into the Neo Order's military forces, Anyone over the age of 5 can be punished by fighting in the Pits," Hux rattled off.

Kylo and Rey grew more disgusted the more Hux listed off their insane rules. They both knew there was no way that they could let them take over the galaxy. They wanted to enslave everyone and call it order.

"Do we know when this was shot," Rey asked.

Kylo began looking through other files to see if any core systems had been taken over lately. After a few minutes of searching Kylo found reports that the Neo Order had successfully taken over several core systems. He wondered why his mother hadn't told them about any of this.

His anger intensified.

"I can't believe Leia would keep something like this from us. Do you think the others know," Rey asked not wanting to believe the worse.

"I honestly don't know how we missed it. I am sure that the others know," he said, his voice strained. "I'm sure she thought she was keeping us from going to do something stupid and she might have been right," he said and sighed. "If we'd seen this we would have done something reckless."

"You're right, we aren't ready to face him. We need a plan and to gather the rest of our forces so that we can stand a chance when it comes time to stop him," Rey said.

"I know. I just don't know if I can sit here and watch as this monster takes over the galaxy," Kylo said.

"Is Zoroyais' vision for the galaxy all that different from what Snoke wanted," she asked.

"No but I'm not that impressionable young man who'd had his mind messed with for a very long time and now I have someone I care about who is being threatened by this vision," Kylo said as his love for her extinguished the last flames of his anger.

...

Rey

Rey didn't know how she felt about having this intimate dinner party so soon after learning of Zoroyais and Hux's plans for the galaxy. Nonetheless, there she was trying to pull her hair back into some sort of civilized style to go with the too fancy dress that Nikhoah had lent her. Rey had already decided that she wouldn't touch the make-up that she had laid out for her.

"Are you ready," Kylo asked startling her.

She'd been so focused on remembering just the right way to twist her hair so that it turned into something that resembled a braid that she hadn't heard him come up behind her. She looked into his eyes through the mirror and smiled. She tied the end of the braid.

"I guess I am. I hope this is a good idea, Kylo," she said.

She wasn't sure why she was feeling this way all of a sudden. She was nervous and something about the night just seemed off. Ever since they'd learned about the Neo Order things have seemed to go wrong for them and Rey was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It had been so quiet since they'd survived Ilum that Rey wasn't all that surprised about the holocast.

"Why wouldn't it be," he asked as he closed their bedroom door behind them.

Rey sighed as they started the five minute walk to the dining hall.

"I just think we should be getting back to Olara before things go wrong. Maybe we could even go and assist Essie and the others with their mission. I just don't feel right," she said, though words didn't even come close to what she was feeling.

"We aren't doing anything wrong. Just taking the opportunity for you to get to know our allies. Is it so wrong that I want you to like my best friends," he paused and asked.

"No, it's not but I think we should be careful before we trust anyone fully. It seems that we were so caught up in our own stuff that we totally missed something as important as Zoroyais and Hux announcing their evil plan to the entirety of the galaxy and we missed it," she reminded him.

"You are right. I shouldn't let our past together blind me to the fact that we don't know the scope of Zoroyais' abilities or how far his reach of influence goes. But at the same time, we have been here for over a week and there has been nothing to arouse suspicion. Just try to relax tonight," Kylo said pulling her to him so that he could lay a gentle kiss on her lips.

She nodded though she didn't look happy about it.

"Nik, this food is amazing," Rey said with a smile only two hours later.

The dinner was like nothing Rey had ever tasted. And the wine wasn't bad either. They'd finished off 2 bottles of the sweet, purplish red liquid. It tasted good and had certainly helped her relax.

"Thank you, Rey. It's easy to make good food when you have the best ingredients. Most of the stuff came from the farms here but there are a few things that we still have to import like spices and certain types of cooking oils and fats," Nikhoah said almost wistfully as she swirled the rest of her wine in her glass.

"It helps that you love to cook and it makes you happy to hear how good your food is," Falbell teased.

"I don't care to hear how good it is as long as it makes the people eating my food feel good, that's enough for me," she said back.

"So, you love to cook," Rey said looking at Nik before turning to Falbell, "but what do you do for fun?"

Falbell sighed and offered Rey a crooked half smile.

"Nothing much. I like to hunt but there really is no point here. Plus, I spend way too much time running this place and meeting with any world and system leaders who were loyal to you that were skeptical about keeping their contracts with the First Order," he said.

Rey was relieved to know that this was also news to Kylo.

"What are you meeting with them about," Kylo asked before Rey could.

"Well I've been convincing them, or trying to anyway, that they would be better off backing us and staying out of the war between the Neo Order and the Resistance until you officially come out and chose a side," Bell answered.

"Hux outing you as Leia Organa-Solo's son did hurt things for a while but once it was clear that he'd staged a coup and forced you out, those that were wavering now seem to be firmly on our side," Nik explained.

"I wouldn't tell any of them where you are but I think once you throw your support behind the Resistance, they will too. What Hux and this metal monster are proposing for the galaxy doesn't seem to sit right with them and they are willing to fight back," Bell said folding his arms over his chest.

Does this mean what I think it means, Rey excitedly thought to Kylo.

That we might actually get the help we so desperately need, Kylo said back with a smirk.

"Wait where were these people when the Resistance needed help before," Rey asked, shocking everyone at the table.

Nik laughed and shook her head before saying, "Loyal to the First Order, my dear. These are people who saw what Kylo was doing with the First Order after Snoke was killed. Which we know was you Kylo, not our lovely miss Rey. Anyway, the Resistance was still fighting like it was Snoke's First Order that they were taking on. You of all people should know that Kylo was taking things in a different direction and if he would have gotten the chance to complete his vision the galaxy may very well be at peace right now."

Rey shook her head. She hadn't known anything about what Kylo was doing until it was too late. Hux's coup had come so unexpectedly that she never had the opportunity to think about what things would have been like if Kylo were still the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

She knew he wanted to get away from being a war machine and to close down the Hux's recruitment centers but was just getting started when Hux used Zoroyais and Ozoroth to usurp the title of Supreme Leader from him by using his love for Rey against him. They were forced to flee and hadn't really looked back since.

Rey wondered if Kylo secretly missed being the Supreme Leader or if he resented her for being the reason that he no longer held that title. Tears stung her eyes and she suddenly pushed away from the table. She couldn't look at any of them as she took off running.

"Was it something I said," she heard Nik asked as she made it out of the door.

Rey was sobbing as she got outside. She had been so busy training and learning what her place was in the grand scheme of things that she hadn't even considered if loving her had cost Kylo everything he had ever wanted. She'd never thought of herself as selfish but now that she thought about it, she'd made things about her since she'd given in to her feelings for him.

He was so desperate to not be alone that he would give up everything he wanted and knew for her and she willingly let him because she thought she was saving him from his darkness but in a way, she knew he would probably would have gotten to this point once he actually looked inside of himself and accepted his own light. Instead she had cost him everything and was fighting him on getting his friends back. In that moment she couldn't see why he would want to marry her.

As she ran, she could feel Kylo calling for her but she closed off the bond tightly. She couldn't stand to know if she was right in that moment. She just needed some space to breathe.

She ran until she got to a small opening in the middle of the forest. There was a hot spring right in the center of the clearing and smooth flat rocks surrounded the pool. Rey sat on one of the rocks and just cried for a moment.

When she heard a sound behind her, she immediately knew who it was.

"Sweetheart are you okay," Kylo asked.

He sounded so very confused. She was still crying hard enough that she was shaking. She couldn't look at him and she couldn't even begin to tell him where this all came from. She just knew that she couldn't stop weeping.

She was barely able to shake her head no. He came over and knelt in the soft grass in front of her. He sat there for a moment waiting for her to collect herself enough to speak.

"For the love of the Gods Rey what is wrong with you," he asked sounding exasperated.

She took a couple of deep breaths and touched his face letting him feel everything that had been coursing through her head.

Kylo moved back from her so suddenly that he almost fell over. He looked up at her with so much love in his eyes that she started bawling again. He took her into his arms and held her to him.

"Rey, I didn't give up anything I needed to be with you. Hux taking over the First Order was bound to happen if I didn't kill him first. I was just surprised he was able to put something together so quickly. And you are more than perfect for me If anything it is I who doesn't deserve you, sweetheart," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"But," she started and he cut her off.

"Rey, I love you. You are what gives me the strength not to slip into the darkness that is constantly telling me to set fire to it all just to watch it burn. You make me want to be better, to embrace my light. Being the Supreme Leader of the First Order didn't mean nearly as much as to me as you and the others do," he said.

"But Nikhoah said," she started again.

"I am no longer the man that Nik and Bell knew. I've been telling them about everything and how you made me see that there was light in me and made me want to nurture it. Don't ever doubt yourself, sweetheart. Or my love for you," he said. "Okay," he asked wiping her tears away.

"Okay. I love you Kylo," she said kissing him.

"I love you too. Let's go back to our room. Don't worry about dinner," Kylo said lifting her up bridal style to carry back to the castle.

He's only saying that because he feels sorry for you, a little dark voice said in the back of her head.