Kylo Ren both dreaded and yearned to be in the presence of the Supreme Leader. At once, he was filled with hunger and terror, each emotion holding in a precarious balance with the other. Though at the present moment, as he kneeled before his master's fury, he had to admit that his feelings currently leaned more towards the latter.

"-And now, I fear, I was mistaken." The pale humanoid's voice dripped with disappointment and malice, hollow eyes boring into the other's helmet. Kylo's head tilted upward, his shaking voice barely audible through the filter,

"I gave everything I had to you. To the Dark Side." Snoke narrowed his eyes.

"Take that ridiculous thing off." There was a pause. Kylo's blood pounded in his ears as he reached up, wrapping his hands around his mask, and disengaged it. With a hiss, it came off his face, leaving him exposed, vulnerable. Snoke smiled as the jagged line of his scar came into view, followed by a pair of hesitant eyes,

"Yes, there it is. You have too much of your father's heart in you,Young Solo…" Kylo's head snapped up, defiance flashing through his gaze as it darted to meet his master's,

"I killed Han Solo. When the moment came I didn't hesitate!" Snoke had begun to turn away, but at the last word he whirled back on Kylo,

"And now look at you, the deed split your spirit to the bone! You were bested by a girl who had never held a lightsaber. You FAILED!"

Kylo stiffened under the words, and all fear was replaced by a sudden, hot rage that flared within him. How dare he-

Before he knew it, he was rising up before the Supreme Leader- and then was promptly sent flying backwards by a wave of Force lightning that swept him cleanly off his feet. He skidded to a stop, his breath knocked out of him. Snoke looked down indifferently,

"You're unbalanced, tearing apart," he paused, head tilting slightly as he towered over the stunned man, "And from something else as well, I see. There is another matter on your mind, another seed of doubt. What is it?"

Kylo fought to quell the stammer in his voice as he replied,

"There was a man. A stranger. He appeared in my quarters last night, covered in wounds and on the verge of death. I don't know from where, or how-"

"Interesting. Then you will find out." Snoke turned back to his throne, eyes glinting, "And tell me what you discover." Kylo nodded, getting shakily to his feet. Silence filled the hall as master faced apprentice.

"I thought you would be the one to snuff out the Resistance and their foolish hope once and for all. Unless," he stabbed a finger in Kylo's direction, and he felt it pierce into his soul like a dagger, "You're no Vader. You're just a scared child, in a mask."

I am not my father. I am not my father. I am not my father.

Kylo's thoughts hammered in unison to his thundering heart, his glazed eyes illuminated by the light in the lift and fixated ahead towards some unseen point. He looked down at the helmet, which was clutched so tightly in his fist that it shook.

I am not my father.

All at once, he could take it no longer as pure fury boiled over from within, and he hurled his mask forward into the wall with a savage intensity. There was the screeching sound of metal against metal, and sparks flew backward into the enclosed space. However, it appeared to do little damage to the shell, which only appeared slightly more dented than it already was. Kylo lifted it again, feeling a quiver of hesitation that was quickly extinguished the next moment. As he beat the mask down once more, lights flickering under the assault, his mind screamed out with each recoil.

I'M. NOT. MY. FATHER.

Then the door opened, and Kylo paid little mind to the officers' astonished expressions as he shoved past them, leaving the smoking remains of his mask on the floor.

"Prepare my ship."

He knew what he had to do. He knew the price that had to be paid. He had to prove his allegiance, as if patricide wasn't already enough.

"Enough".

When was anything enough in the pursuit of power? Kylo's fingers tightened around the controls as he maneuvered his TIE Silencer away from the dock, flanked by an escort of three smaller vessels. The "last spark of hope" of the Resistance came wide into view, like so many sheep for the slaughter.

"Follow my lead.""

The heavy turbolasers had already begun the barrage on the fleet, searching for openings in their shields and weeding out the slower ships. Explosions and debris rocketed into space around him as a cargo frigate was all but split apart under the assault. Kylo piloted his fighter through without a second glance, his expression that of one with a singular intent. It would have looked no different if he had been wearing his mask.

Soon the thrusters of their target yawned before them: an MC85 Star Cruiser. The flagship of the Resistance. Of Mother. Kylo pushed down the sudden flicker of doubt that sprouted involuntarily within his chest, instead breathing anger into it until it became a raging inferno. Kill them all.

One of his TIE fighters to the right was blasted apart as a beam caught it in a direct hit. He didn't flinch away from his focus, surging forward and jamming down on the toggle as his ship soared over the back of the larger one. Missiles rained down from his vessel, strafing the hull with cold precision, then fell away as Kylo tilted into a tight, evasive spin. Laser fire ripped past him, but he only pressed down harder on his controls, his goal coming into view; the glowing, exposed belly of the ship's main hangar.

Kylo could almost see the faces of the rebels inside as he loosened fire.

The ensuing eruption blossomed before his eyes like a monstrous flower, and he took in the sight with grim satisfaction. Now that the rebel X-Wings were eliminated, he could finish his work and prove his worth. Veering his fighter away from the havoc, Kylo headed for his next target. The two remaining TIE fighters rejoined his side, circling the cruiser in tight formation. The dented hull shone dully under the light of cannonfire as they sped over it.

And then-that soft tug again, deep within him. He thought he had killed it; and yet, there it was, whispering, incessant. The light.

A part of him wished that he could crush it. But as he hovered there in the emptiness of space, the sounds of chaos around him fading and the bridge shining below him like a beacon, some of the darkness in Kylo Ren died instead.

And back in the medical bay, Severus awoke.

"Stop."

That single word- not his own, it couldn't have been- cut through Kylo's mind like a lightsaber and broke him from his turmoil. In the moment of clarity, his finger lifted from the control, and for a single beat there was peace in his heart.

Then the two TIE fighters burst forward from behind him, cannons taking the target he did not claim. He felt a numbness creep over his soul as he surveyed the wreckage for his mother, but it was done. A hologram of General Hux blinked open on his screen, voice commanding through the intercoms,

"The rebel ships have pulled out of reach. We can't cover you at this distance. Return to the fleet!"

Kylo breathed out sharply, casting one last look behind him before swinging his fighter around the wreckage of a second destroyed TIE fighter. The same word rang in his ears as the Resistance and battle sounds dwindled into the distance: "Stop".

Deep inside, he knew who had spoken it.

Author's note: You don't know how many times I had to look up Wookipedia for all these terms, haha...