Star Wars: Division

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Chapter Four

In his grasp - in his grasp and at his mercy, his weight pressed against her supple body, she had accepted him. Her skin and his skin both hot to the touch. She had not backed away, as he might have expected; she hadn't even been afraid. With their foreheads together, her words were said so intimately - just like words passing between lovers in the dead of night as they lay wrapped around one another. So soft, so tender, her concern for his well being had been there, in the spaces between her whispered words. They were all he could think about. What's the matter, she said in his ear, over and over as he lay in bed. It would be a sleepless night. All he wanted was to see her again, and not in his mind's eye, but standing before him. Would she let him touch her like that again? Would she let him do more?

Batuu was a lush planet characterized by the dense deciduous trees that filled the landscape with their dark green color. It also had a lot of mountain formations, looking similar to Takodana, except where Takodana was bright green, with rivers of twinkling blue waters, Batuu was dark and blanketed by mists and fogs that clung to the tops of the trees, its rocky, mountainous formations cutting the sky in jagged lines. It had an ancient feeling, old and mysterious like Ahch'To, as if some power lay dormant beneath the earth that was only waiting to be released.

More and more, Rey realized how massive the Galaxy was, and just how very little she'd known about it growing up on Jakku. Heat and grit and rusting metal were all she had known of landscapes. And now she was exploring worlds filled to overflowing with life and sentience. As the Falcon cleared the planet's atmosphere, and the sky stretched out before them, Rey saw the silhouette of so many birds off in the distance, flying up north for food, or perhaps water. They crested the tree tops and flew directly into the mist and disappeared from view.

"Have you ever seen anything so…," she licked her lips. "Alive?"

Chewbacca had heard her say something similar when she first caught sight of Takodana. He looked at his co-pilot and saw the same glimmer in her eye, that same brightness of color that wasn't merely due to the sun reflecting off the Falcon's viewport window. It was an inner energy that Rey possessed that lit her eyes from inside, so that the golds that made up her hazel irises always seemed to shine.

"You should see my home planet, someday," Chewbacca said in his usual Wookie roar.

Rey turned her youthful gaze upon him and he grew nostalgic for those happier, freer days before the Clone Wars some six decades ago. The Empire had ruined his homeworld, Kashyyyk, in its 30 years of rule. And in the last 30 years under the New Republic, it was finally returning to its full glory after being mercilessly mined and harvested. He often wondered, though, if it would ever be as it was in that era before the Empire. Would the Wookies recover? They lived long lives, and so they had long memories, and the memories the Empire had left were traumatic and twisted.

"Really? Is it like this?" Her genuine interest was endearing.

He nodded and rolled his vocals in assent. "Better," he said with a touch of smugness. Nothing would ever compare to the forests of Kashyyyk.

She smiled and showed her teeth. "Then you'll have to show me. You must."

He would try, certainly, if he ever got the chance. It felt like all Chewbacca had known for the last sixty years were his friend Han Solo and their ship the Falcon, and endless fighting, adventuring, and smuggling. Yes, he had returned to his home world for a time, reconnected with his family, but it didn't last long. Briefly, the memories of what he'd seen of Kashyyyk's enslavement under the Empire's cruelty came to the forefront of his mind again. How his planet and his people had been torn apart by that bastard Palpatine and his mindless henchmen. Thankfully, that was in the past. And yes, his world was recovering, even though it might be a long process.

However, with the rise of the First Order, and the New Republic's recent collapse, he feared history may repeat itself. And this time he did not have his old friend to help him.

He and Rey set the Falcon down in a clearing not too far from the outpost, but remote enough that it shouldn't be seen. Without a doubt, docking the Falcon at the outpost itself would be a risk, considering Docking Bay 9 was once used by the First Order for recruiting purposes. Having to walk to and fro between the ship and the outpost would be a drag, but then again none of them really felt put out; stretching their legs with some walking was a welcome change from the stuffiness on board.

As a group, they hiked their way to Black Spire, so named for the tall spires of rock jutting up from the ground that naturally surrounded the outpost. Everyone was relieved as they reached the edge of the outpost, happy to finally be on solid ground again and ready to look around. It's not that they weren't used to living aboard a ship - most of them had been living more on the Raddus, or some other ship in the Resistance fleet, in the past months than on a planet - but feeling solid earth beneath one's feet always brought a sense of ease and comfort. And yes, they'd all been able to keep their personal hygiene up to standard, but breathing fresh air, and having so much space one could swing their arms around, was an indulgence.

"Drinks?" Poe said, coming up behind her.

Rey smiled. "You're buying, right?"

"I said I would. Let's go."

The four friends all but bounced their way to the cantina, taking in their new sense of freedom and hope for the future.

"Supreme Leader," sounded one of his Captains' voices over his comm link to the bridge.

He had just finished slipping on his black gloves after freshening up. After not sleeping all night - whatever night could be aboard a ship perpetually living amongst the stars - it was at least nice to feel clean and put together.

"Yes, Captain," he replied.

"We have received a message from an old correspondence stationed on Batuu. She says she has information for the Supreme Leader as to the whereabouts of the Resistance."

Kylo Ren had been adjusting his cowl, but stopped at those last words. He knew Batuu. Snoke had used it for recruitment purposes once, but no longer felt it necessary to keep up a strong presence once the First Order was in full-swing. Of course, never one to sacrifice being thorough, he'd left a spy at the old docking bay just in case; the Resistance had also been known to frequent the outpost, a nice little hideaway at the edge of the Galaxy for when they needed to lay low and refuel. He knew his mother would have to land them soon to restock on supplies, but he hadn't been sure about where. The Resistance had many little holes scattered across the Galaxy it could slither its way into.

It seemed Snoke's foresight in the matter would pay off.

"She only wishes to speak with you, Supreme Leader. Shall I patch her through to your holo-display?"

"Yes, Captain. That will do."

He finished settling his cowl then turned and walked into the adjacent room where his personal holo-display was waiting, a red light alerting him to an urgent message. He pressed the button.

"So," he began, looking at the blue image of the holo-display. "What can you tell me, spy?"

Leia had given them their directives only minutes ago and Rey was, as expected, stationed to the Falcon. Her room was upgraded now that half their crew was moving onto the TL-1200 when it arrived. She was nearly to the entrance ramp when that tell-tale suction of sound made her freeze.

For a moment there was a look of horror on her face; she saw him, gazed around quickly, and then back again. He quirked an eyebrow. As ever, all he could see through their connection was her - the remaining space was just blackness and shadow. But her reaction was easy to read. The Resistance was no longer strictly on the Falcon - they had landed somewhere, and she was afraid he could see the planet. Too late, she also realized he now knew that because of her carelessness.

She swore under her breath.

Of course, he already knew they'd landed, and he already knew they were on Batuu, thanks to his informant. But she didn't need to know that.

"I suppose you won't tell me where you are?" He decided feigning at ignorance was the best course of action; if he indicated at all, in any way, that he knew where the Resistance was, she'd run off to her precious General and they'd be packed up and gone in the blink of an eye. He wanted them to have a nice long stay - long enough for his forces to be entirely assembled and prepared, and for his fleet to get through lightspeed.

"So, you can come over for a nice chat with the Resistance? Not a chance," she said sarcastically.

"No," he said, ultimately uninterested in Leia Organa's miscreant little band of do-gooders. They would need to be dealt with, yes, but they weren't his primary concern. "Just you."

Why did he always arrive at the most inconvenient of times? After some drinks at the cantina, and laughing and joking and talking - and forgetting about their problems, and living in the moment - her friends had separated. Poe went to impatiently wait for the arrival of the X-Wings, and was probably annoying Leia with incessant questions about their specs, though she doubted Leia would be able to give him many answers on that front. Finn and Rose had gone off to help in the restocking effort for the Falcon and their soon-to-be ship the TL. And it wasn't that Rey doubted their intentions; they tended to be very hands-on and helpful when it came to what the Resistance needed and asked of them. But she also suspected they'd gone together to get, ahem, a bit of time to each other without the prying eyes of everyone else in the organization. She'd noticed them on the Falcon together - the sideways glances when they thought no one was watching, the way they'd suddenly jump apart as she came around the corner, and how they sometimes smiled shyly at each other from across the mess table. Something was blossoming between them, and she was happy for them, truly.

But it highlighted her own loneliness.

And when she was alone, and feeling incredibly lonely, were the moments he'd appear.

Sometimes she was relieved. Sometimes she was irritated. Often, she was both.

She tried to pretend he wasn't there, stomping up the Falcon's ramp and to the cargo hold - him predictably haunting her steps. Silent, she started to collect up her things, but as ever the efficacy of his stare was difficult to ignore and besieged her mind with thoughts of their last encounter in the Force. His boldness. Her boldness. Touching. Pressing their foreheads together. His instability that worried her. The darkness around his eyes that meant he hadn't slept. How tormented he had looked. How unhinged it had made her feel. What was right and what was wrong? She just didn't know anymore. Everything about him and about her and about the Force and its intentions was one unreadable, unknowable something that felt so far beyond her depth. In Jedi terms, she wouldn't even be considered a Padawan, and yet everyone was hailing her as The Last Jedi.

There was so much she had left to learn. And the things she didn't know about the Galaxy, and about her abilities, were reflected in Kylo Ren's eyes every time they met. And he knew. He could read it on her that she was curious, and she could be seduced by his promise of knowledge if he whittled her down because she was so desperate to be better than she was, and to live up to the promise on everyone's lips when they whispered, across the Galaxy in secret and in hope, "Rey - The Last Jedi." She felt so responsible.

She felt ready to break.

"You're quiet," he observed calmly, but his eyes belied his inner intensity.

She sighed, her hands on top of the freighter box she'd been using as a nightstand and table. On it were the Jedi texts, which she'd been placing in a neat stack. Sighing again, with her arms stretched out across the box in a pose of exhaustion, Rey bowed her head. What could she say?

The ponderous sound of his footsteps, like nightfall as it casts itself heavily across the sky, approached her. "You're troubled," he said lowly, his brows just a bit furrowed.

She looked up at him, angry, as if he were the root of all her feelings of inadequacy and obligation. "Don't."

"Don't," he questioned, his gaze pensive.

She turned her back on him. "Don't read me. Don't look at me. Just-just go!" Not too long ago she'd been drinking to a toast made by Rose to happiness and the future and the Resistance, and she'd felt it, genuinely felt happy. And all her cares, and every burden she was carrying, had been left at the cantina door. Now, they were atop her shoulders like demons, pressing and pushing.

Far from going, he drew closer. His footsteps vibrated acutely.

"What's the matter," he whispered softly, an echo of the words she'd said to him, so full of concern.

He was insufferable. He never listened to her. Unsurprisingly, he was a selfish bastard and did what he wanted. She hated that about him. He was so intrusive. She thought back to their first real meeting, face-to-face, and how he'd delved into her mind for answers on Luke's whereabouts, but ended up reading her soul. Yes, she'd gotten her revenge, but it didn't feel like enough. He always knew more - he had so much more experience.

"Rey," he questioned into the air between them. "You're not alone." A careful hand came down on her shoulder, and without thinking she was grabbing it in her own, squeezing his fingers desperately. Why were they both friend and enemy? What were they supposed to do with this impossible situation?

Why was she unable to pull away from him?

Why was she turning and moving closer, wrapping her arms around him?

Why did it feel good?

He needed something - anything - Rey could give him to quiet her voice in his mind. Surely, if he could just taste her mouth then the incessant wanting would stop making his entire being ache. She was looking up at him with those same eyes that had once been full of disgust in the forest, and again in their bond when she'd said fiercely, "You are a monster."

Yes, I am, he heard himself reply in his memory. Yes, I am, he repeated then, as his fingers tightened around her. Why was the urge to crush her so prevalent when he held her, when she was so close and he could touch her? Crush her under his will - dominate her until she succumbed. But that was the Dark Side; an obsessive desire that had been eating away at him since the moment he removed his mask for her in the interrogation room and she saw his face for the first time with interest; he'd noticed how her face had softened for a moment. He noticed how she'd wondered how the vicious Kylo Ren could be so vile, and yet not look like a monster at all.

"What are we going to do?"

We, she said. It gave him a thrill to hear her say such a small word. Yes, we, just how I wanted it when you rejected me. "About what," he urged.

"About...this? U-u-us," she stammered, lowering her gaze to his chest, shy. The last time he'd seen her look so pliable was when she'd been explaining her experience in the cave, a tear spilling down her face.

"What should we do," he asked in return.

Her brow furrowed. "Stop answering my questions with questions. Is this a game to you?" She began to jerk free from his grasp.

"Not at all," he said, curling his fingers tighter. She would never escape him - he'd never allow it.

Not at all, echoed those deep, luxurious words, said with such intensity they moved up and down her body. She couldn't take it anymore; the constant wondering and wanting that tried to devour her at night as she lay awake in the darkness with nothing to protect her from wanton thoughts of his face - his lips, his eyes - or his body. They really hadn't known each other very long, but the Force had connected them, and the Force continued to connect them. And, she was beginning to realize, they were connecting each other. They were pulling the other towards them all the time in longing. What was going to become of this - Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer, and Rey, the Last Jedi, being...friends? Being...more? Weren't they enemies?

"Please - " he began, in that same low tone from the Supremacy.

She stopped him with a kiss. Standing to her full height, she pulled him down to meet her mouth. She wanted him, she wanted him so much it didn't feel real. He was so compliant under her hands as her mouth played against his, their tongues meeting and searching.

When they came apart their lips were flushed, eyes were glazed, and they panted softly from exhilaration.

"Why does this feel - "

"Right," he finished.

Their mouths met again, something overwhelming them both. He held her flush against his body, she pulled him to meet her - they stood wrapped together so tightly it was like they could melt into one.

She reveled in the way his body against hers was firm, but his lips and his tongue were soft, and careful, and full of questions. What kind of questions could the great Supreme Leader Kylo Ren have about a girl from Jakku? Such an unlikely pair, and yet they really weren't all that different from one another.

"Hey Rey!" someone yelled for her in the distance, the echo bouncing off the trees. "Rey! Leia said you were in the Falcon moving your stuff. She wants to talk to everyone. The delivery should be coming soon, and she wants everyone to be ready." The voice drew nearer and nearer as it yelled for her. It sounded like Finn.

Startled, scared, her hands let go of the back of his neck, of his hair, and she craned around to see if anyone was there. No, nobody was standing there, but they were coming. They were looking for her.

"What is it," he asked fervently.

"Someone is calling for me," her voice, her face, were completely stricken.

No, he growled mentally. Not yet. "Don't go," he said firmly, hands gripping her again with aggression - not affection.

"I have to," she hissed, craning around him to get a glimpse of the hallway.

"Hey Rey! Where are you?" The voice was closer, close enough she knew it was Finn.

His dark eyes searched her face as his mouth worked from side to side. In frustration? Disappointment? With stiff fingers, he unwillingly released her.

She took one last look at his darkened lips, full of warmth and her kisses, and walked passed him.

"Finn," he heard her yell jovially. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you."