For the third time today, Kylo Ren found himself walking away from his sworn enemy, leaving her without a scratch. What had come over him? He arrived on D'Qar yesterday with the intent of killing her. Turning her to the Dark side proved to be too great a challenge for the Order. She was too deeply set in the light.
He walked briskly through the familiar open field, the wreckage now dormant and faintly pungent with the scent of death. As he looked upon the scene, he reflected on the odds of the wreckages—the TIE fighter in front of him, as well as the X-Wing in the treetops—occurring in such close proximity to each other.
The Force works in mysterious ways, Rey encroached. Kylo did not respond to her, but instead continued making his way toward his vessel.
Twilight slowly blanketed his surroundings, gradually lowering his line of sight. Frustratedly he slumped against a fell tree, the moss draping over it working as an efficient back rest. Recalling his ownership of a holoprojector, Kylo Ren slipped it from his pocket, quickly displaying a map of the D'Qarian wilderness. He was not far from his ship now; a six-hour trek would land him at his destination.
He reached up and popped off his helm after listening meticulously for movement. His tufts of black hair fluttered to frame his jaw after being confined for a few hours; he let out a heavy sigh. Beads of sweat had begun to accumulate on his forehead which he quickly swiped away upon removal of his helmet. Taking a rest wouldn't be so bad, would it? He removed his gloves as well, absentmindedly cracking his knuckles.
At least you get to catch a break. He jumped at her intrusion, still not entirely accustomed to having a second conscience.
Well deserved, Kylo curtly replied, slipping his gloves back over his hands. This is one of the few instances in which I am not being carefully observed.
I see. There was a less-than-vague disinterest lacing Rey's response.
She briefly projected the battle she was currently overseeing through the bond. Bright streaks of red and blue sped through the air, occasionally meeting their targets with a sickening hiss. He could see Rey's own purple saber dancing through, deflecting and sometimes returning shots. As quickly as the vision appeared to him it vanished. He drank it all up, invigorated by her determination, her clear mind.
Well. Somewhat clear. There was a certain Sith lord intertwining himself within her subconscious.
Perhaps you could use a break as well, he responded after a few minutes. He was beginning to doze off despite himself, but he stopped his drowsiness from spilling through the bond. Suddenly he felt their connection grow cold, feeling as if she was now totally shutting him out. Maybe she could sense he was close to falling asleep after all.
After checking his surroundings once more, he allowed himself to drift into sleep.
As he expected, he was roped into another nightmare. It was the same one he had every night for the past month. He started awake in an impossibly dark room, pulling himself from the floor. It was freezing cold, his breath puffing into the air.
Whispers floated into his ears, telling him there's no way out, you can't save yourself, there is no hope. They were standard. Despite that, they still chilled him more than the frigid atmosphere.
A bright red light ignited several feet away, followed by familiar cross-guards. He recognized it to be his lightsaber. He began to sprint towards it, feeling as though it was his only salvation from himself. He felt like he was running through water at first, but as he got closer it became more like quicksand.
The sparks from his saber now trickled around him, closer than ever before. This part of the nightmare was the part he dreaded the most. He would reach to grab the lightsaber. His vision would fade in from the darkness to see his father speared on the other end. It happened every night, and every night he would have to endure murdering Han Solo in order to awaken.
He mentally braced himself. After a moment's hesitation, he extended a gloved hand to wrap around the hilt. The whispers grew louder and louder, this time speaking in an unknown foreign tongue.
As the darkness whisked away, his heart ached more and more. After a moment he noticed that the scene playing out before him was not his father's murder. His eyes grew wide and immediately began to sting as he found someone else grasping his hand, tears spilling over their cheeks as they screamed his old name.
Rey.
He immediately snapped out of his dream, now drenched in sweat. It was now the middle of the night, and there was not a cloud in the sky. His chest was heaving as he pulled himself up against the tree as he had earlier that night.
The bond was no longer cold. He could feel her presence there, looking upon the dream he just had with some odd form of consolation and confusion. Ashamed he pressed the connection shut as best he could, but she still seeped in through the fringes.
Why does that worry you? Her incriminating tone lashed at him. He filled in the fringes and completely shut her out as he began to calm down, rapidly recollecting himself. Why did that worry him? Wasn't killing her his ultimate goal?
He jumped up rapidly, snatching his helmet and pulling it on. The Light was tantalizing him once again. He gripped his lightsaber tightly as he chopped through the trees around him, letting his anger out through the beam of his blade. They fell slowly on top of each other, and soon he was standing in a ring of fallen trees, breathing heavily, the hum of his blade and ringing in his ears drowning out all other sound. He quickly retracted his blade and started off toward his ship.
Kylo Ren could not afford to be weak. Ben Solo was dead, but it appeared having Rey in his mind at all times was going to revive him. This was unacceptable.
It's plenty acceptable. Rey broke through the block in the bond, filling his cold thoughts with her naturally warm, light presence. Ben might end up killing Kylo if you aren't careful. She was joking, but he took that statement to heart. She wasn't wrong.
I can't let that happen. He was so adamant he nearly said it aloud. I must remain loyal to the Dark side of the Force.
Must you truly? What of your desire to learn the Light again? Rey pulled no punches.
It is despicable and I hate myself for showing such weakness. His matter-of-fact tone struck her slightly.
The Dark side is weak. She paused. The Light will always blot out the Dark. It is blotting out the Dark in you as we speak.
Is that so? He mewled, pretending to counter her statement. Unfortunately she was correct. There was a pit in his stomach as he imagined ascending from the Dark. What kind of severe torture he would endure from Snoke. How he would be hunted by the Resistance and the First Order alike. It sent shivers up and down his spine. He could not afford to be in such danger.
His fear made its way to Rey and he could feel her disappointment. Really? You're scared of change. That is laughable. He pushed a pinch of resentment through to her, which shut her up.
I am not afraid of anything, Kylo Ren hissed. He knew he was lying to himself, but he did not let her know that.
Everyone is afraid of something. For example, you seem to be afraid of your own capability. Of being freed from the Dark side. Of Snoke. Of killing me. As she listed these off he grew more and more agitated. Fine, fine. She felt his agitation burn through. I'll leave you be. The bond fell silent and he found himself alone in the woods again.
The sun peeked over the horizon as Kylo arrived at his vessel, the ramp descending and touching the ground as he approached. Gratefully the fighting had not come near his secret landing place; the scenery was just as untouched as he had left it. He stepped up onto the platform and closed it as he arrived at his seat. Hux hissed into view on the comm link, saluting as he began to speak.
"Commander Kylo Ren. I have a status report." Kylo nodded, allowing him to continue. "We have suffered many casualties and lost most of the TIE fighters we sent on this expedition, sir."
"What of the ground troops?"
"It appears we had similar tolls on the ground. Your little Jedi saw to that," Hux responded snarkily, much to the disdain of Kylo Ren.
"Any notable prisoners?" He chose to ignore his statement about Rey.
"Just one. Sending profile in now." General Hux tapped at a console offscreen and Kylo's holoprojector buzzed in his pocket. "Hux out."
Kylo reached for his holoprojector, opening Hux's message. An unfamiliar face flitted out in front of him.
The nameplate that buzzed underneath the projection of his face read "Poe Dameron."
A/N: I tried to include more dialogue and stronger plot development in this chapter. Leave a review!