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Chapter 13:

Kylo

Kylo tried to explain Rey's reaction to Bell and Nik but it was hard. He still didn't know if it was the wine, the darkness or something else. Every time he touched her, he would get this overwhelming feeling of despair and darkness. It really had him worried but then in the morning she was herself again.

Her thoughts were clear and surrounded by light. She also could only remember bits and pieces of the night. Apparently, alcohol and his sunshine didn't really mix. She needed a full day to recover so they spent it in bed. Kylo read to her from his data pad. She slept most of the day.

The next day when he asked Rey about it, she chalked it up to too much wine and being homesick. Kylo didn't want to push her but he would keep an even closer eye on her from now on. He left his end of the bond a little more open than usual so that it would be easier to read her emotions and watch for the darkness he'd felt in her.

On their last day on Vodran, Rey insisted that she and Nik spend some time really getting to know each other. Neither Kylo nor Falbell disagreed. Nik took Rey on the tour that she'd tried to give Rey the first time.

While they were gone Kylo sat down to talk with Falbell.

"So, who did you two go meet with the other day," he asked pouring himself a glass of wine.

"I met with a man named Tsunai. He claimed to be Zoroyais' third in command," Falbell said and Kylo spewed the wine he'd just taken into him mouth everywhere.

"What!? And you didn't think to tell me before now? We could all be in grave danger," Kylo snapped.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. The meeting was set up before you guys arrived and it would have been suspicious if I hadn't shown up. Besides it was a great information gathering opportunity," Bell explained.

Kylo couldn't argue with you. They needed all of the information on the Neo Order that they could get. No matter how that information was obtained.

"Okay. What did this Tsunai want," Kylo asked refilling his glass while willing himself not snapped at Bell again.

"He wanted Nik and I to gather the Knights of Ren and join the Neo Order," Bell said calmly as though he hadn't just confirmed one of Kylo's worst fears. "He also said that Hux wanted you dead but would promote anyone of us who could capture you or Rey for Zoroyais."

It was worse then Luke had said. Hux had obviously sent Tsunai to try and convince Falbell and Nikhoah to renounce their allegiance to Kylo and join the Neo Order because they were the captains and supposedly where they went so did the other Knights. And the fact that Zoroyais wanted them was equally predictable but sill unnerving to hear.

Zoroyais wouldn't have known where they were stationed. Kylo doubted that Zoroyais' Force sensitive clones were exceptional hackers so it had to be one of Hux's men. Cracking Kylo's personal datapad was probably the highlight of Hux's life even though Kylo was 99.9% percent sure that the ginger weasel had nothing to do with it.

"And what did you tell him," he asked.

"I told him that we hadn't heard from you since our deployment here on Vodran. And that we had no idea where you and the rest of the Resistance would be. He seemed to be suspicious already so I agreed to locate all of the Knights and bring them here. Which really was only a little lie; I do plan on locating them but I think it would be very dangerous for all us to gather in one place before we know for certain with this 'Supreme Emperor' wants from us," Bell explained. He sighed and said, "I told him that even though Nikhoah and I are the captains that we would out the question of joining the Neo Order to a vote and that we wouldn't force anyone who didn't want to join. Unfortunately, I have to tell you the same thing about the Resistance. While I'm sure everyone will be glad to hear from you, I can't guarantee that everyone will want to join the Resistance and we can't force them Kylo. I have a feeling that if you try, you'll push them straight into the open arms of the Neo Order," Bell explained.

Kylo hadn't really considered the fact some of his old friends might not want to join the Resistance. In the time they'd sent together when they were younger consisted of him complaining about his parents and their cause. Maybe he'd ruined the Resistance for them.

"Shit. I hadn't thought about that," Kylo said sitting back in his chair. "How worried should I be about this, Bell. We need all of the Knights to fight Zoroyais and his Force sensitive clone army. Even with eight of us we didn't stand a chance," Kylo said and he hated how desperate and weak he sounded.

He hated the fact that it was true even more. He hated to lose to anyone other than Rey and he hated that he couldn't really protect the ones he loved. He needed his Knights behind him. 16 was a hell of a lot better than eight when facing an army.

"I know. Nik and I are behind you 500%. And we will do our best to convince the others to join the Resistance before you even get to them," Bell said.

"How many have you been able to locate," Kylo asked.

"Only 2 so far. Kaithur actually is back on her home world and Ciesha was last seen on Ahakista working security for some high roller who's vacationing at the Daystar for 6 months. The others have scattered far from their posts. And we've all gotten better at concealing our presences in the Force so it'll be tricky to find the ones who don't want to be found," Falbell said.

Kylo finished off his wine as he thought about it.

"They aren't going to make this easy are they," Kylo wondered out loud.

"If they were easy to find don't you think Zoroyais or Hux would have found them already," Falbell said with a smile.

Kylo leaned back in his chair and tried to imagine what the others had thought when Hux announced that Kylo had fled from the First Order. He had to admit Hux had gone about this all in the smartest way. He used Zoroyais' men to muscle Kylo out of First Order by offering him and Rey up to Zoroyais and then when that didn't work out Hux all but told the world that Kylo had run off to the Resistance so he'd courageously taken up the mantle of Supreme Leader because who else would do. Then months later announce this 'partnership' with Zoroyais and the Neo Order who was the 'Supreme Emperor'.

Kylo had always thought that it was Snoke who'd come up with the title of Supreme Leader but now that Zoroyais was calling himself the Supreme Emperor, well after Snoke's demise, Kylo had to assume it was Hux's idea to use the title. No one else was that pompose.

"Have you two been able to dig up any dirt on the Neo Order? Like where they came from? How none of us not known about them before they revealed themselves? Zoroyais has enough pull that he's telling the IGBC how they should handle their business. He's producing clones faster than Kamino ever could and they're all Force sensitive. Who is the male in that strange metal armor," Kylo asked.

"As far as I can tell this being came from outside of our galaxy. No one had ever heard of the Neo Order before Snoke perished. There are theories that Snoke and Zoroyais had a deal so whenever Snoke expired Zoroyais could come to our galaxy and take over," Bell said.

Bell paused to pour himself a glass of wine. Kylo could almost smell the fear coming off his old friend.

"What is it, Bell? What are you afraid of," Kylo asked.

"Well there is another theory, a darker one. One that would mean bad things for you and yours," Bell said hesitantly.

Kylo looked at Falbell expectantly.

"Some say that Zoroyais is Snoke. That when you killed him you just released his spirit from that rotting old corpse of a body. They say that Snoke's had a vessel prepared outside of our galaxy where it would be safe," Falbell said.

Kylo shook his head and laughed.

"I don't think that's the case. I was there when Snoke died. I would have felt it if he'd become one with the Force or even if his spirit moved through the Force to find a new body. Is that even possible," Kylo asked.

"You're the master, not me. You should know these things, boss," Falbell said.

"I'm not a master of anything, Bell. And Snoke never told me anything about being able to cheat death. Not that he would. He was a selfish, power hungry old monster and I regret dragging you all into my mess with him. The power is the only thing we actually got out of it," Kylo said shaking his head.

"So, you're just going to ignore the ceremony we held when we became your knights. We never were Sith so you can't be a Sith Master, we aren't Jedi either so you aren't a Jedi Master but you are a Master nonetheless," Falbell said. "So, if you say Snoke is dead then I'll take your word on it."

Kylo nodded.

Kylo remembered the night Snoke had named the eight of them Knights of Ren. The ceremony that followed was nothing like what they'd held for Rey. The Knights of Ren had surrounded him with their lightsabers all various shades of Red and their colorful armor. They had acknowledged that Kylo was their superior, that they would willing give their lives for his and that he was forever their leader. It was more of pact among friends than a real ceremony.

"Even if you all don't want to join the Resistance what about joining this new group of Force users Rey and I are starting called the Grey Ember Order. We want it to encompass everything that made the Jedi, Grey Jedi and Sith great while also avoiding the mistakes that led to their downfalls. Right now, there are only 8 of us and we don't really have a clue what we are doing but it feels a hell of a lot better than being in the First Order ever did," Kylo said with a slight smile.

He sounded like Rey when she was talking about the Ember Order to her own knights.

"Our own Order, huh? With you and Rey leading it," Bell asked.

Kylo nodded and Bell grinned at him.

"I think I can spin that," Bell said with a thoughtful look on his face.

So we have the locations of two of the Knights; do you think Kylo, Falbell, and Nikhoah will be able to convince them to join the Grey Ember Order and help them fight Zoroyais? And has Hux gotten to any of the others yet? What about the rumors about Snoke and Zoroyais.