As Tessa tried to remain calm, Kylo said to her,
"You are a woman who values honesty. You were truthful in your interrogation..."
"I had truth serum stick into me," Tessa replied. "I did not have a choice to lie. Otherwise, I would have been shocked."
Tessa dropped to her knees, a painful shock going through her body. She grimaced in pain. Ren held out his hand to help her up. As he did, she caught a small smile on his face.
"You did have a choice. You could have lied, and suffered the shocks. You could have tried to escape before the interrogation. You could have refused Hux's advances. But you didn't. You told the truth, submitted to Hux as his prisoner, and he repays you by planning to use you to kill me."
The tears formed in Tessa's eyes. Ren was right, and she knew it.
"If Hux is guilty of using me, then I am just as guilty of using him," she said, gazing at Hux. His eyes gave her a sympathetic look.
"There is a difference between what you did to him and what he planned on doing to you," Kylo countered. " He was going to use you to destroy life. You used him to preserve life, your own. He manipulated a young woman, which is evil in itself. But to manipulate a Force user, that is unacceptable."
His rage stirring again, Ren turned to face Hux. He grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it. Hux's eyes widened in horror as the fiery red blade went near his neck.
"Any last words you would like to say, General?" Kylo growled fiercely. Hux refused to speak, not wanting to give Ren the satisfaction of hearing him beg for his life. He closed his eyes and prepared to die by Kylo's lightsaber.
Ren raised his hand to strike Hux down. He was surprised when he could not give the death blow. He tried to move, but he couldn't. The girl has frozen him! He was angry and impressed at the same time.
"Release me," Kylo commanded her.
"Turn off your lightsaber, and I will release you," Tessa replied sternly.
"He needs to die, Tessa..."
"No, he does not! Be the better man. Don't stoop to his level!"
"Hey!" Hux complained, offended by what she said.
"You be quiet!" Tessa yelled at him. "You were going to use me to kill Ren. You... were going to use me to kill others, as well!"
"No!" Hux unsuccessfully tried to deny. His face went pale.
"Impressive," Kylo thought to himself about the young woman's power. "But you are no match for me."
To Tessa's shack, Kylo was able to break the Force hold on him. He went to swing at Hux, but stopped. Tessa had darted in front of his nemesis,
"Don't do this," Tessa softly pleaded. "You won. You're Supreme Leader. Hux is not."
"Tessa, don't waste your breath," Hux whispered to her.
"You are strong," Kylo confessed to Tessa. "But you need a teacher. I can show you the way to the Force. With my training, you will be very powerful, and we will rule the galaxy together."
"I don't want to rule the galaxy,," Tessa argued. "I just want to live a normal life."
"You were not meant to live a normal life. That is not your destiny. You were denied training, because your step-father feared your power. That's why he treated you the way he did."
When Tessa heard this, her heart shattered. It was hard to accept, but she knew what Kylo was telling her was the truth. Her eyes watered. The physical, emotional and sexual abuse she suffered was because she was Force Sensitive!
Ren turned off his lightsaber and knelt so that he could be eye to eye with Tessa. He put the lightsaber on his belt and said
"I understand your pain. My family, they hurt me as well. But I pressed on, and now, I am Supreme Leader. Let me help you fulfill your destiny."
"I can't. The Dark Side, it scares me..."
"Forget about choosing sides. The Jedi, the Sith, it all needs to die. We can rebuilt the galaxy to what is should be."
"And what about Hux? As much as you hate him, he has given his life to the Order."
Kylo narrowed his eyes, She had compassion for Hux. It boggled his mind. But then he had an idea.
"I will spare his life if you submit yourself to me," he told Tessa, his brown eyes staring deeply into her blue ones. Her heart raced as he extended his hand to her.