Star Wars: Division

I just posted the first chapter yesterday, but I'm going to be on vacation for the rest of the week, so I thought I'd post Chapter Two before I left. As I said previously, I've been out of the fanfiction game for a long time, so some of the new lingo and phrasing is stuff I'm learning as I go. I just wanted to note, in case it wasn't obvious, this will be one of those slow-burn type stories. I've actually got a lot in mind for this, so I wouldn't be surprised if it reached 30+ chapters. It will basically be a book - haha! - because I can't stop thinking on such a grand scale. The most shocking thing, though - 4 followers! Can I say I'm completely gobsmacked? Brand new person on the site, new account, just one story up, and I have 4 people following this project. I'm honored, truly - flattered! Thank you to my followers. It's appreciated. Enjoy, please.

Chapter Two

The Force didn't lie. It couldn't. Had he seen only what he wanted to see, like a waking dream? Had his soul been so desperate for her partnership that the Force took pity and gave it to him? No - the Force was an unbiased bystander. It cared not for the whims and wants of its wielders. It showed what was, and what could be, and personal desires had nothing to do with it. But she had turned away from him. As he reached out his hand to take hers and truly bind them together, she had reached out hers to take back the lightsaber. And if it had gone to her completely, as it had done on Takodana, what would she have done? Slain him? That would've been very un-Jedi like indeed. Perhaps she merely wanted it for defense so she could flee him without consequence. But there had been intent in her - he'd felt it. Disappointment and desperation that were churning together inside her to become violence. She had an alluring darkness within that he recognized.

Sometimes it was something he could lose himself in and savor, as his mother did in his childhood memories, sipping Coruscant Black after back to back meetings that took up all her time and energy. Slumped in some fashionably angled, modern chair, she'd sip and sip and sip with a glazed look over her eyes that had, as a boy, worried him. Now, it was a look he found himself relating to all too well.

Other times her darkness was something he found himself lamenting; he had accused her of lacking ambition, and he had spent his entire life climbing an abstract ladder of power and politics to finally reach the pinnacle, and yet he occasionally caught himself thinking about the simpler lives of simpler people. Rey had been one such person, eking out a life scavenging on Jakku, doing the best she could, hoping for the day her parents would return, and worrying about and knowing nothing else. The simplicity of such a mundane life did have - at times - its attractive qualities. Moments like when he felt impotent and furious after suffering punishment under Snoke's brutal tutelage, or when neither of his parents could be found at home, pulled away from their marriage and parental responsibilities by occupations that suited them better. A simple life. It was such an unimaginable thing to a person so chewed up in their own desire - and pain.

Rey had started out in that life, though, and had greatness thrust upon her by Fate. And she was powerful and had so much potential, and if she would just stop being so obstinate he could - But the point being, he had had small moments, no more than a flash of time, in which he pitied her for the twist Fate had placed upon her shoulders. Or was it Destiny? Either way, some small pity.

But it brought her to you.

He grit his teeth. During a one-on-one meeting with his General was certainly not the time to give in to these weak thoughts.

"So, what you're telling me, Hux, is that everything has been going according to plan in regards to our Senators?"

"Yes, Supreme Leader. As we speak, the - "

Kylo Ren raised a hand, and Hux quickly fell silent. "Is this the only news you can bring me, General?"

The color - if there were any to begin with - slowly drained from his face, starting from his hairline straight down to his chin. "Well, Supreme Leader, it's certainly good news, especially after the failure on - "

His fingers curled menacingly, and Hux swallowed; the pressure of Kylo Ren's fingertips pressed upon his windpipe. A threat. "Answer the question, General."

Hux quickly nodded his head in submission. "Yes, Supreme Leader."

"And the remnants of the Resistance, General," he said, uncurling his fingers and letting his hand return to rest upon the war room's steel table top. "Why haven't your forces located them, yet?"

Hux very much wanted to run from the room. In the past, Kylo Ren's outbursts of temper had been widespread occurrences. They could be provoked by just about anything that disappointed the Dark Force wielder, and often resulted in damaged equipment, walls, ship parts, and droids. But since having shouldered the mantle of Supreme Leader, he always seemed oddly cold and level and distant. It was the sort of stance Hux expected from a great leader like Snoke, not the likes of some impassioned fool who could never put a stop to his emotions. It was this change that scared Hux the most because he didn't feel like he could read him anymore, he didn't feel like he saw his weaknesses. Nothing was exposed. Kylo Ren had shut the doors and drawn in on himself.

"They are a small group, Supreme Leader. It can be difficult locating such a small band of scum when the Galaxy is such a large place to search. But my forces are doing their best, I can assure you. We all want to see the Resistance's final day."

Kylo Ren sat with fingers pressed to his lips in thought, his elbow resting on the table with his head leaned towards it. Again, Hux had the impression that the figure before him was changed, drastically so, and he may soon find himself completely under Snoke's ex-apprentice's thumb if he didn't quickly find a way to dispatch of him.

"That will be all, General," Kylo Ren said with a wave of his hand. "Return to me when you have real news."

"Supreme Leader," Hux said, chin up, arms straight down at his sides, and then he marched out to return to the bridge.

"Where are you," he said menacingly into the still air of the empty room. He didn't need to worry about the Senators and their respective planets joining the First Order when it had been orchestrated all along. To hear those plans were going accordingly was the same as telling him stormtroopers wore white armor - it was known fact, nothing new. What he wanted was the location of the band of misfits that had escaped Crait due to Luke Skywalker's absurd heroics. They'd foiled him again, those heroics. It would be so much easier if these fools would stop self-sacrificing.

"Supreme Leader," came a lieutenant's voice over the comm system. "Senator Sindian wishes to speak with you about going forward with preparations for military rearmament, and the trade routes she'd discussed with Supreme Leader Snoke."

Kylo Ren stood; he hated dealing with politics, Senators most of all. They had an annoying habit of reminding him of where he came from, and he hated re-visiting his past. And except for a rare few that legitimately cared about the welfare of their people, planet, and the rest of the Republic, they were all greasy, duplicitous, two-faced thieves, out to make deals behind the Republic's back and line their pockets with credits. The thought made him sneer; and his mother had given over her life to trying to combat that level of corruption, as if she could. Instead, all she'd combatted was her son.

"Patch her through to my private comm system in my rooms. I'll speak with the Senator there."

"Of course, Supreme Leader. She is on hold on your personal holo-display."

As much as he hated dealing with it, the politics had to be addressed to keep the fat Senators not just fat and happy, but stupid as well.

"See," came the irritatingly chipper sound of Poe's voice. Did he never quit smirking or grinning or bouncing about? "A bit of sleep did you good, huh?"

He sat himself down next to Rey, who was slightly hunched over her meager breakfast and exhausted. Sleeping hadn't "done her good" because all that sleeping had brought were whispers through the Force from people and faces she didn't know, images and feelings that didn't make sense together, swirls of color she couldn't identify. After tossing and turning for hours, she gave up and decided to at least do something about the empty pit of her stomach.

"Yeah," she said with a little nod. "It wasn't too bad."

Poe's shoulders relaxed a bit, and he clapped a hand on hers; it was as stiff as a rock. "Hey, I know you've been having a rough time. Finn filled me in on how you two met, and you getting kidnapped by Ren, and then Han - "

The mention of Han's name made her frown.

"Sorry," he said quickly, realizing bringing up painful memories during an inspirational pep talk wasn't the greatest idea. "The point is, Rey, try not to push yourself. The Resistance - hell, the Galaxy - is going to need you now more than ever. Jedi." The corner of his mouth pulled up in a charming grin.

Funny how a word could be both a blessing and a curse. From Poe's mouth, the word Jedi gave her pride and a sense of honor. It made her feel important, strong, and like she could actually fight in this war and do something good. From Kylo Ren's mouth, it had been belittling - condescending. It made her feel awful to associate with an Order that had so many faults and had never been able to admit to them. It made her feel like a villain, even with the dark, looming figure of Kylo Ren before her. The violence of his scar was so bright on his pale skin and it looked at her in accusation, the Jedi who had done it. Did she even want to be a Jedi?

"Poe! Leia wants to see us. Rey - " Finn said, holding up a hand as soon as Rey's head spun around to look at him. "She wants you to rest and eat. We'll fill you in later, okay?"

Poe clapped his hands on the table. "All right, buddy, let's go. See you Rey. Eat up!"

The two left her alone.

Alone. How could she be so alone, and feel so alone, on a ship nearly packed with people.

And you didn't fail Kylo Ren, echoed the words of a much more naive Rey in the back of her mind as she went through the motions of eating. Kylo Ren failed you. I won't. So confident, so sure. She had known nothing, then. Only hours later, Luke was telling her about his failure, about his near assassination of his own nephew. She stared down into her empty bowl, as if surprised it was empty. How had things gotten so complicated? In a burst of frustration, she sent the bowl flying across the room where it smashed against the wall. Disgruntled and confused and humiliated by her own words, she got up and retreated to her room.

Back in the cargo hold, sitting on the edge of the cot, she held the two pieces of the lightsaber in her hand and felt ready to cry. Even if she did want to be a Jedi, she had no weapon, and the texts she'd taken from the sacred Tree had nothing on lightsaber repairs, as far as she'd seen. It did mention the kyber crystals - crystals naturally attuned to the Light side of the Force which powered all Force-wielders' lightsabers - but it had nothing on the actual construction of it. Or else, she had been too impatient when flipping through the pages, panicking, to find it. She needed to go through them slowly, but her nerves were still on edge, and her mind always felt misaligned. Crait had just happened - it had barely been a day. She felt raw.

From inside one half of the broken lightsaber, the blue kyber crystal hummed and glowed. Curious, she carefully reached in and pulled it free to examine it. It felt alive. Seeing it before her, listening to its voice filled with hums and vibrations, she realized it was the crystal that had shown her the visions on Takodana, in Maz's watering hole. When she had gripped the hilt, it had spoken to her. It spoke to her now; it had a calming effect on her mind.

Then, the familiar rush of the sound vacuum snapped her focus away from the crystal.

Kylo Ren looked up from his seat at his desk. "I'm very busy," came his voice, grave with concentration.

"So am I," she said back, unphased.

He was sitting at an angle sideways to her, so to get a good look he had to twist his body a bit. But he did because her being busy intrigued him. "The lightsaber?" he said, taking an educated guess.

"How did you - "

"Because if I were you," he said almost lazily, "repairing my weapon would be my first priority, too. Especially with a monster hunting me."

"Don't do that." Already she was irritated.

"Do what?"

He stared at her.

She shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his eyes. "Stop it."

Amused, a huff of air came out his nose. "What am I doing?"

I don't know, but it feels like you're reaching into my soul and I - "Nothing, nevermind. You do your work, I'll do mine."

But neither of them made as if to return to their work.

"Why hasn't this stopped? I thought Snoke was the one doing this, and he's dead." Of course, she didn't want it to stop, but she needed to feign disinterest for decorum's sake.

There was a look in his eye, something she couldn't place. Curiosity? Mirth? "I wondered about that myself. I don't think it was Snoke who did this - not all of it. I think it started with you."

"Me," she questioned in surprise. "Me? How would I - " But then the scene came to her mind. Kylo Ren's outstretched hand pouring the Force bent upon his will into her mind to gain the location of Luke's whereabouts. How she had refused and resisted, and eventually there came unexpected thoughts and feelings that were not her own. How fearful Kylo Ren had looked, then - how sad.

"I wondered why the Force was connecting us. That night, when our fingers touched, when I saw the future, I thought I'd had my answer. To unite us in the singular cause of bringing peace to the Galaxy. And Snoke wanted to take credit for that," he snorted in bitterness.

"But we aren't united," she said stubbornly. "You chose the First Order."

"I didn't choose them," he continued, his temper rising, his words full of gravitas. "I chose a future in which you and I could lead this system to harmony. I asked you to join me. I chose you!" He'd risen from his seat and advanced towards her, and she'd stood up, instinctively, to try and back away, but ended up tripping on her cot and sitting right back down. He leered over her. "And you - " his lips twisted as he said the words. "You and your friends and that joke of a movement Leia leads!"

She stood, glaring at him. "It isn't a joke. Your mother is the only person left really fighting for the future of the Republic. I have to support her because without her the Galaxy would see the rise of another Empire, slaughtering people and exploiting planetary resources for selfish gain, while native peoples starve and become enslaved!" How she wanted her lightsaber; how she wanted to fight him and vent these nameless, rage-filled emotions! "Order through fear and domination. That's the joke!"

She stood huffing. All he did was stand there and watch with a shadow cast across his features.

"And I don't know," she continued, "how you can continue to defend the First Order after you murdered its leader! Why have you taken his place? You were free of him and his organization and all those vipers, and yet you assumed the leadership. To what end?"

He took a deep breath. "It's the way of the Dark Side. An apprentice's final test is always to kill their Master." He thinks upon the stories from his childhood - the stories of Darth Vader. "Darth Vader was never able to beat Sidious, and in the end he never truly achieved his aims. I did not want to make the same mistake. I had always intended to kill Snoke."

"But why? How does one gain anything from killing their own Master?"

"It's the final measure of one's dedication, purpose, drive, passion - " he paused with his fingers gently cresting over the curves of his lightsaber, latched onto his hip. "And hatred."

"But that isn't all you know. I've seen your mind. I believe you had always intended to kill him, but I won't believe it was for some Dark Side initiation." She took an urgent step towards him. "You can't hide from me."

It was true. She had delved into his mind in such a way that made him uncomfortable; a Sith's mind should be cloaked like an assassin, an unseeable, unknowable figure flitting between the cover of shadows. In his own crafty way, he had kept this between Snoke and himself. Like all Masters, Snoke was arrogant. As was the case for many Force users for the Dark and Light, his arrogance had been his downfall. But this veil had been pierced by the fiery reach of her own mind and powers, and it had singed the barrier he kept erected between the outside world and himself. A true Sith's mind was hard and black, but where she had touched - where she had burned - the embers lay there still, twinkling with reds and oranges and gold.

"It's true. I can't," he said honestly. What would be the point of lying? But - "The things you've seen, I could never hide them. But there's so much your Jedi touch did not reach."

She furrowed her brows, and he sees in her eyes she knows that's the truth. How could she know everything about him? His thoughts? His purpose? The time they had spent together was intimate, there was no questioning it, but it had been brief, as well. Time is the revealer of all things, and between them there was so very little.

"I know your feelings," she insisted. "They weigh upon me. I cannot give up on you."

"I will strengthen my resolve."

She shook her head confidently. Smugly. "You've had a long time to strengthen your resolve, a long time since you fled Master Skywalker. And in all that time you have stayed conflicted."

Her insight into matters she was only just becoming acquainted with irritated him.

She stepped closer, too close. With the barest moment of hesitation, she reached out to him, placed a hand on his upper arm comfortingly. "Let me help you."

But by some odd acquiescence of grace, he was saved further conversation as the link drifted and then ended.