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Taka was quickly removed from the scene of the event and taken to the medical bay. Ashlyn didn't follow, how could see follow after all that happened? By that time the maintenance crew had heard the news anyway and made their way to the medical bay; everyone but Sid. He stood with Ashlyn outside his office, the two not saying anything until Sid sighed. "When I tell you to be careful-" He started.

Ash shook her head. "I don't know what we did." She said quietly, still a little shaken from what had happened. "We were talking and then Commander Ren-" She couldn't finish the sentence. "Sid, I'm so sorry."

Sid frowned slightly. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." He said with a sternness Ash was not used to hearing from the normally calm man. "You need to keep the Commander away from Taka. That's how you can make it up to him." Sid shifted on his feet, crossing his arms across his chest before continuing. "As for the Commander-"

"I won't go near him again." Ash said, her words sounding more like a promise than compromise.

"That won't do. If anything, it will only make matters worse." Sid explained; Ash knew he was right. "You have to continue as though nothing happened."

"Sid, he almost killed Taka." Ash objected.

"And I don't need him almost or actually killing you. Not again." He said. "Not you, not Taka, not any of the team. I have a duty to protect all of you and if it means letting Kylo Ren have his way to avoid any more tantrums, then so be it."

Ash was frustrated; every answer was the wrong answer in her mind. She didn't want to be near Kylo Ren after what he had done and what he had continued to do. The realization that he wasn't a good person kept coming back over and over in her mind. Lately, it was hard for her to remember that little detail. Kylo Ren was almost split into two people when it came down to it; the Commander and Master Ren. They were two different entities and Ash hated every second of it.

Yet, Sid was right. In some sick capacity, Sid was right about what needed to be done now. If she did back away that could have an adverse effect and ultimately the demise of the entire team. That trapped feeling quickly returning to her as she swallowed harsh. "I have to get away from all this right now." She wasn't lying. Ashlyn was very overwhelmed, from the sudden spikes of emotions to what happened, it was a lot.

Sid agreed. "Rest up, it's the only thing you can do right now. Rest and get ready to continue your fight for survival." He offered a somewhat sympathetic smile that Ash couldn't bring herself to return. Instead, she nodded and excused herself. Suddenly, going to her room and resting seemed like the best idea she had ever had

She fought sleep for what felt like hours. Her mind battled with the idea of staying awake and just simply being miserable and tired for the next day rather than dealing with the dream world. She'd have the awful gamble between a nightmare and seeing him. Either way, she was going to lose. Yet, in her dreams she had a new pent up anger and could feel it surging through her being, especially when the man in the black robes appeared.

He turned, looking at the five feet of fury before him. She practically radiated anger and her expression only confirmed it as she came towards him. "The hell is your problem?" She shouted, without thinking as she reached forward and shoved him. He barely moved, but the contact made her feel somewhat better. "What the hell did Taka even do to you?" Now it was his turn to get angry and boy, did Ashlyn feel it.

"Have you forgotten who I am?" He spat. "I am your Commander and your Master, whom is so kindly training you in the ways of-"

She dared to scoff. "Kindly? You so kindly are training me?" That helped neither one calm down as Ash continued. "You've forced me into training, went out of your way to ruin any control I had over my life and then tried to kill not just me but one of my coworkers. Please, tell me again how you're so kind!"

He raised his arm sharply, it stretched out before him as his hand imitated that of a choking motion. Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. As much as he wanted to choke the life out of her for her insubordination… he couldn't. No, he could. He just didn't. Kylo's decision only being justified when he watched Ashlyn flinch, ready for whatever harm to come her way only to have a look of confusion on her face as he lowered his arm. "I'm sorry." He muttered. The confusion only worsened as he continued. "As you know, I have a temper." She snorted, only to receive a glare in return. "Your co-worker-"

"Taka." She corrected sharply. She wouldn't let him forget the man he almost killed so easily..

Kylo rolled his eyes. "His thoughts about you were improper. I'm surprised you didn't hear them."

"I can't hear thoughts, we haven't gone over that yet-" She paused. "Wait, you were listening in on his thoughts?"

"It was hard not to." Kylo admitted as he grow more visibly agitated. "I came to find you, as per your invitation." Ash remembered and immediately sank in her posture. "And all I could hear, the closer I came, was his-" He paused. "I don't like the way he was thinking about you."

Ash exhaled sharply. "You can't just attack someone for their thoughts."

Kylo Ren scoffed. "Can't I?"

She glared in reply. "No, you can't. It's an-"

He quickly interrupted as he glowered menacingly. "Do not say it."

She didn't. "Regardless, his thoughts are his own and if he wants to think of me a certain way, he can. It's not my right or your right to change that."

"You might be okay with it, but I'm not." Kylo said waving her off.

Ash folded her arms over her chest. "I didn't grow up knowing I had the ability to be so in tune with others." It wasn't a shot at him necessarily, it was truth. "You just don't understand how to not listen in, I guess."

He narrowed his eyes. "I have discipline, if that's what you're inferring to."

"No." She said. "You don't have manners."

Kylo huffed, running his hand through his always unnaturally perfect hair as he turned away from Ash, unable to look at her. "Understand this, you're my apprentice and as my apprentice my job is to keep you safe. Regardless if you think it's an invasion of privacy to listen in on another person's thoughts and regardless if you think the exact opposite and that I'm actually here to hurt you." He said. "I'm still in charge of you, whether you like that fact or not. When you are under my command, you are my responsibility and that means keeping you safe even if it's just thoughts that concern me."

Ash hadn't thought of it that way. Perhaps some dormant part residing within Kylo Ren really was concerned for her well-being. Perhaps maybe there was some good hiding somewhere in his intentions. She had been burned by these conflicting thoughts before and Kylo was beginning to see her over analyzing everything. "While I appreciate the sentiment-" She finally said, hoping to distract Kylo from wanting to pry further into her mindspace. "I'm still really unhappy with you."

He rolled his eyes as he returned to his original position, looking at the infuriating girl. "Naturally."

"I don't want to train with you." Before Kylo could protest, she continued. "I made a promise to you and I will keep that. However, now I need a promise from you. My guys need to feel safe, and if that means putting my foot down then fine. You can't come around maintenance anymore."

"You are not in a position to make demands, Ash." Hearing her name coming from him still felt weird for some reason.

"Listen, you said I was your responsibility to keep safe right?" He hummed in reply. "Well, it's my responsibility to make them feel safe. If we can keep that agreement, then I will keep training with you."

Kylo glared. "Then you have to train more, I want morning sessions as well."

Ash returned his gaze. "You're giving me little time to work on StarKiller."

"This is our deal, Ashlyn." He said. "You either train more with me or I cannot agree to your terms."

She groaned in frustration. "Why is it whenever I get one foot ahead of you, you immediately find a way to turn this into something to benefit you in the long run."

He smirked. "I'm a better negotiator than you."

"This seems more like a hostile takeover."

"You've discovered my overall plan; I'm proud." He mocked. "It only took you nearly four months." Against her better judgement, she laughed. That quick flash of a smile; the small feeling of her relaxing in turn brought Kylo to relax in some capacity. He hated it yet also relished it to some extent; an extent he'd never admit aloud of course. "I will stay away from your little group of misfits." He said trying to sound as though he were giving up so much in the process.

Ash pursed her lips before reaching her hand out to the man in black. "And I will train more with you as long as it doesn't interfere with my work, otherwise it's back to my normal schedule."

He looked at her warningly. "You can't just alter the deal."

"I need some flexibility here. Work with me, Kylo."

"I am by letting you have any demands at all." The two stared each other down before Kylo finally groaned as he somewhat reluctantly reached his hand forward and shook Ashlyn's. "Fine. I promise I won't take you away too often from your precious StarKiller."

Ash beamed. "Then we have a deal, Commander."

He frowned. "I cannot wait for the day when you're finally out of my dreams."

"You'd miss me."

"Never." He was unwillingly grinning.

That sudden waking feeling was never something she was prepared for. It was jarring sometimes and some of those times she wasn't ready to leave. However, it was probably for the best after everything that had happened the day before.

With a slight headache, Ash forced herself out of bed. She knew her deal with Kylo Ren would not take effect just yet, instead, she still had her freedom working with the maintenance crew. Her hesitation was not something she prepared for as she dressed and stared herself down in the mirror. What was becoming of Ashlyn Novafall?

She almost didn't recognize herself anymore; granted that could also just be the dark sleep lines forming under her eyes. Ashlyn was becoming something she never thought possible; a Force user. Was that something she even wanted? No, it's what Kylo Ren wanted. Yet, Ash couldn't deny a part of her loving the new sensations she was feeling.

Everything had a life force, everything had a distinct pattern that felt completely different than before. She noticed it more and more and when she trained it only expanded. The underlying feeling of power was intoxicating. Kylo Ren was intoxicating…

Wait, what was she thinking? Her mind, what was clear only milliseconds earlier, now fogged with panic. What had she meant by intoxicating? No, she wasn't wrong. There was something about Kylo Ren, something she'd never admit out loud but something she was beginning to internally admit to herself. No matter what had happened almost four months ago, not even the previous day, she found herself forgiving the angry Commander.

No, she didn't forgive him, she just accepted him. It was hard not to, it was hard to stand her ground sometimes. Surely, she was angry with him, but that didn't stop him from occupying her headspace.

There was something about Kylo Ren that Ashlyn couldn't quite grasp. There were times he was menacing, cruel and beyond chaotic for her liking. Then there were the times he was protective, sincere and made her feel just a little safer wandering around StarKiller. Ashlyn also knew not many people saw that other side of him and probably lived to tell the tale. She was one in a million and while that should have made her feel special, it really made her feel somewhat nauseous.

With a slight reluctance Ash dressed for the day, grabbing her work belt and data pad, and made her way to the maintenance bay for her orders. As she walked, she couldn't help but feel people staring at her. In fact, she could feel the discomfort of those around her as she passed. The tension building as people began to whisper about what had happened the day before.

Of course there'd be gossip, Ash wouldn't expect anything less. She just wished she wasn't directly involved in it. If Kylo Ren had been there, he would have put a stop to it immediately. However, Ash was pretty sure she didn't want him there to begin with. Not after yesterday. If she didn't have to train with him, she would have avoided him at all cost.

The whispers and snide comments from Troopers and other various crew members were nothing, however, compared to the look from Grim and the twins as Ash entered Sid's office. Sid smiled and forced a friendly welcome as Ash stood awkwardly in the room. A feeling of dread and judgement weighing her down. "Alright guys, we're short handed today." Sid said. "So I'm going to need us to double up on the hook ups in the main reactor for the solar panels."

"You sure we won't get killed for working with her?" Grim sneered as he mentioned Ash, like her very mention was poison leaving his lips and quickly needed to be removed otherwise he'd die.

Ash sank a bit as Sid immediately stood against the comment. "Hey!" He barked. "Do not blame Ashlyn for what happened. She had nothing to do with it and you know that. The Commander had an outburst and we don't know what Taka had done to provoke-"

"You know he didn't do nuthin'" Grim said.

Sid narrowed his eyes. "Regardless of your opinion or the opinion of others, we are a team and as a team we stick up for our mates."

"Then you should be sticking up for our safety." Grim argued. "If she's going to get us killed-"

Before Sid could snap again, Ashlyn finally spoke up. "Listen, I don't want there to be tension. Not right now." She said, looking at Grim apologetically then back to Sid. "I'm going to take some time, I think it's best for everyone I go away for a while."

"You don't have to do that, Ash." Sid tried.

Ashlyn forced a smile. "It's fine. I know we're all going through a lot now. I think the break would be good, for all of us." The tense feeling did not dissipate from the room, yet Ash excused herself and quickly made her way out of the office and somewhere far, far away.

"Could you please stop trying to kill our maintenance crew?" Hux groaned, his head in his hand as he looked visibly pained over the recent development.

Kylo Ren sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest like a child as he shrugged. "At least it wasn't Ashlyn this time."

Hux scoffed. "This time? How many more times do you plan to murder a crew member?"

Kylo smirked. "As many as it takes."

Hux simply glared. "I'm glad you find yourself funny."

"Hilarious, actually." Ren quipped.

Phasma sighed, aggravation in her tone as she spoke. "Are we done yet, children?" The men didn't respond as Phasma continued. "The archive maps have finally been downloaded, it appears a piece is still missing in regards to the whereabouts of Skywalker. I have scouts on the outer rim looking into any rumor or tall tale they can follow."

Kylo shifted uncomfortably. "When is our next interrogation mission?"

"Once I have a reliable source and location." Phasma said. "Unfortunately, we cannot just send men out on a wild goose chase and come back with nothing. We do not have the time nor resources for that."

Hux muttered. "We also don't have the time or resources to be killing our maintenance workers." Kylo side-eyed him as he snorted in reply.

Phasma sighed once more. "This is going to be one of those meetings, isn't it?"

"I was prepared for a productive meeting." Kylo suggested. "Unfortunately, some of us cannot get over what happened to the very deserving worker."

"Right, Taka had some naughty thoughts about your girlfriend." Hux said dryly. "How silly of me to not understand your brash decisions."

Ren glared. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Could have fooled me." He spat before quickly looking to Phasma and stopping any retaliation from Kylo Ren. "You train with her today, do you not?"

"Indeed I do." Phasma said, suddenly grinning mischievously. "Will you try and kill me if I injure your girlfriend, Ren?" Hux nearly choked on his breath as he let out a booming laughing.

Kylo Ren rolled his eyes. "And here I thought I liked you, Phasma."

General Hux wiped the newly formed tears of laughter from under his eyes. "Careful not to think poorly of her either, Phasma." He added; now Phasma let out a chuckle of her own as Kylo Ren became more visibly agitated.

Phasma grinned. "I promise not to go too hard on her first day, Ren."

He caught himself before snapping, his muscles relaxing as he sat back in his chair once more. Kylo Ren shrugged; as though it were the only thing he could do. Even though it fooled no one, he merely shrugged with little to no effort and mumbled. "Do whatever you will." And that was the end of it. Phasma knew the conversation could have ended much worse and left it ending as just that. She nodded to both men as she stood from her seat. "If you both do not mind, I will take my leave."

A hum from Hux and a slightly glare from Kylo, Phasma left the room swiftly. The two men sitting in silence as Hux's gaze fell onto the Commander; the same man who could also so easily become a child as he sat there, pouting. "You know what I'm going to say."

Ren exhaled deeply through his nostrils. "No, I don't. Please, go on." His voice dry.

Hux narrowed his eyes. "Commander, you will do well to watch yourself. While you may get away from these things now, there might be a time you won't." His tone was different, an unfamiliar expression Kylo had never experienced from Hux. Was it concern? Genuine concern for the well-being of Kylo Ren? Certainly, that couldn't have been it. Hux was concerned ultimately the fate of the base and in turn what that meant for him. Yet, secretly, Kylo Ren appreciated the heads up.

He showed as much with an eye roll and groan. "I will attempt to behave."

"Thank the stars." Hux grumbled.

Then, the mischievous smile returned. "Ash won't be working on the base for a while."

Hux nearly choked on his breath. "Excuse me?"

"Fine, she will have time to work on the base. However, she will be training more." Ren explained with little to no emotion. "Snoke demanded it. She's progressing at a somewhat alarming rate, which is left without training or control could backfire with repercussions worse than a choked out maintenance worker."

Hux's glare returned. "I cannot help but feel that this was all somehow in your own doing

to ultimately gain."

Ren smirked. "Isn't that always how it happens?"

Hux's glare did not falter. "Just don't forget the little people you stepped on along the way."

Kylo stood now, his tall stature towering over the sitting General before him as he grabbed his helmet on the table. With a swift motion, he placed the helmet over his head. The voice distortion vibrating as he spoke. "I doubt you'll forget to remind me." With that, he immediately left to find the winning pawn in his end-game.

The cloud of negative emotion that weighed down on Ashlyn as she traveled the halls of StarKiller was enough to drive even the calmest person mad. Ashlyn was not the calmest person in any sense. It was suffocating; everyone knew what had happened by this point and of course, they all believed her to be at fault. That helped no one.

Maybe it was her fault? Maybe Ash was to blame for what had happened to Taka. In some capacity, she was. Taka had been thinking about her in a way that had caused Kylo Ren to literally lose his mind and attack him. Then again, Kylo lost his mind over the tiniest of things. Taka probably hadn't been thinking of her too poorly, right?

It didn't matter. At the end of the day, whatever Taka had or had not thought, it didn't matter. Ashlyn still firmly believed that everyone had a right to the privacy of their headspace and that was that. She also not-so-secretly dreaded the moment when she could potentially begin to hear their thoughts. It was already suffocating feeling their emotional status, she already had issues blocking that out. The stars forbid she start hearing things in her head. That would drive anyone crazy. Maybe that's why Kylo Ren was batshit crazy?

Ash chuckled to herself at that little thought as she walked to the training room. At least, she'd be safe and alone there.

Like everything else in Ash's life as of the past four months, she was wrong. Ash was just completely and utterly wrong as she stared at a very tall, blonde person with their back turned. The person turned; a woman. A very tall woman with shorter blonde hair stared back at her. "Sorry-" Ash quickly said. "I didn't think anyone would be here today."

The woman had a small smile on her lips, one that held sympathy and yet somehow annoyance. "I wasn't expecting you until after your work on StarKiller. I suppose I should be welcomed to an on-time student."

It was then Ash realized the woman standing in the room was not radiating negativity. In fact, she was disturbingly calm. Without thinking, Ash walked more into the room; cautiously. She stared at the woman for a few beats, her mind searching before it finally clicked. Phasma. Kylo Ren had mentioned Captain Phasma would be training her in combat. However, Ash was pleasantly surprised that Phasma was a woman. A very tall woman. "Captain Phasma." She said quickly.

Phasma sized her up pretty quickly; analyzing the shorter woman in front of her. Surely, Ash was pretty. Her red hair and green eyes being the most stand-out features of her. Yet, something about her, Phasma immediately noticed. She was strong. Not-so-much physically. However, she was mentally strong. That was evident and Phasma was great at reading people. Perhaps that is why Ren had taken such a liking to her? "It's nice to finally meet the star mechanic. Hux spoke very highly of you."

Phasma immediately saw the slightly fall in Ash's expression. She knew she hit a nerve by not mentioning Kylo Ren's approval. Granted, she did that on purpose. "I'm just doing my work, nothing too special."

She grinned. "Modest, too." It was almost mocking how her tone came across. "You're also quite popular among my Troopers, as well as anyone on base today." Phasma was not one to dance around the subject. It was quite the story of StarKiller.

Ash frowned slightly as she rocked on her heels. "Listen, Captain. With all due respect, I came here to get away from all that right now."

Phasma softened up slightly, yet showed no such thing on the outside. "You need to be careful on this base. The dangers around you aren't exactly the ones most visible."

Ash sighed, another person warning her. "Everything was fine until yesterday." Ash explained. "Kylo Ren is just-" She couldn't even finish her thought. "He's a jerk. He does things without thinking about the consequence and takes little to no responsibility." She was growing visibly agitated. "And now everyone is blaming me for what has happened."

Phasma nodded. "I will be honest, I don't care. Whatever happened is no one's business and it doesn't matter." She was blunt and Ash immediately liked that. "We are here to train. All drama is left at the door, is that clear?" Phasma actually smiled just enough to make Ash feel a little better. "Combat training is one of the best ways to clear your head." Phasma added as she walked over to the far wall, grabbing two staffs and walking back over to Ashlyn. "You're angry with the Commander, I assume." She said, handing her the staff." Ash said nothing as she took the staff from Phasma and held it. "Use that anger in your fighting."

"I'm not much of a fighter." Ash admitted.

"You also were not a Force User when you first arrived and look what happened." Phasma said, causing Ash to chuckle. "I may not know much about the Force, however, what I do know is the energy you feel when fighting can go hand-in-hand with the Force. Kylo Ren has mentioned at least that much." Phasma then smirked. "So let's get started and get your aggression over Kylo Ren out." Ash was beginning to really like Captain Phasma.

For the next week, Ash continued to avoid Kylo Ren and practically anyone on StarKiller. She woke up as early as possible and made her way down to the training room. She would always arrive before Phasma, which wasn't really an issue on her part. She took that early morning as a chance to practice from the previous day's lesson. Phasma was a tough teacher; while as tough as Kylo, she did exert some understanding. Unlike another brooding force living among StarKiller.

He hadn't even tried to reach out to her, even when she awoke from horrible nightmares that week. He didn't both to comfort her. Ash was grateful and yet secretly annoyed at him. She'd never actually admit the latter.

She noticed the angrier she was at him lately, the chances of her dreaming about the fiery launch bay was more and more likely. An interesting observation she'd share with him another time; a time she wouldn't be annoyed with him. It seemed so unlikely lately.

Phasma had made a point to call out Ashlyn on her flaws in combat, however, she also did compliment her. A decent balance compared to Kylo Ren's teachings. In fact, she delivered her most powerful blows when Phasma would mention Ren as a trigger during their trainings.

While hilarious to Ashlyn, it also meant her mind was focusing back on Kylo again. Something she really didn't want to deal with. She didn't want any of this and yet here she was, right smack in the middle. It was obviously Kylo Ren's doing and the more time she spent on StarKiller, the more and more she began to realize this little fact.

Yet, she was feeling a little at peace this week. Granted, she was also the pariah of the maintenance crew. A week away was something she most desperately needed. For once, ignorance was truly bliss. She hadn't heard of Taka's well-being, or rather heard from anyone from maintenance. She had hoped that maybe Sid would have come forward, yet he didn't. No one did. Perhaps, this was for the best. For now, she'd enjoy the peace as she let out her aggression in training sessions with Captain Phasma.

While Ashlyn felt a small sense of clarity, the other Force User occupying StarKiller was not. He had silently agreed to himself that he would leave Ashlyn alone for the week. That and also Phasma may have threatened him well-being if he interfered her first week. Kylo Ren may have been a threat to everyone on StarKiller, but even he feared Phasma to an extent. Women were scary when in power, he had learned that from his Mother.

Regardless, Ren was going crazy. Whether it was over the fact that he had no one to bother or he lacked control over the situation as the pawn in his game was ultimately out of his grasp for the week. Sure, he could feel her existence. He could feel the patterns of aggression and tension fluctuate with serenity and peace.

Disturbingly, he could also begin to feel a pull of sorts towards Ashlyn. A need to gravitate towards her position on StarKiller. The girl was messing with his head without even know it; by the stars he hated it. He also knew if Ashlyn understood what she was doing to him, she'd run with it. Kylo Ren also understood he would totally deserve it if that case ever came to light.

During his time away from Ashlyn, however, he found a new target to harass. General Hux had never hated him more and nearly quit twice hadn't it been for Phasma to calm down the situation later in the day.

Phasma had reported a few of her findings during the week to Hux. Most of her findings were carefully articulated to censor a few details that could otherwise prove useful for her later. Yet, all around her reporting was fairly standard. Hux was relieved for most of it, knowing he wouldn't have to kill his star mechanic just yet. Phasma didn't have the heart to tell him that she hadn't been working on the base at all this week. Between that and Ren, she was certain Hux would have a meltdown. However, something different happened at the end of the week. Something that changed Phasma's mind in her position in all this.

While Phasma believed Ashlyn had been improving and quickly (knowing that was a Force trait), she still couldn't understand one thing. Why Ashlyn was so important. She didn't seem any more interesting or special than any other person. Minus the fact she had some Force abilities. Phasma still couldn't understand what it was that made Ashlyn so special to cause such a fuss over, especially with Kylo Ren. She understood why Hux cared; Ashyln was saving the base and his neck. But Kylo? He had no stock in anything, why go through all this trouble over the red haired girl?

The end of the week, Ashlyn practiced her stance in the training room. Phasma had told her she was 'messy for a Force User' and needed to be stronger. Feeling defeated and yet ultimately determined. She practiced her stance as well as a few jabs and swings. This was her only time to focus without fearing another staff would whack her in the head (Phasma was very good at what she did).

With a swing to the left and a jab to the right, Ashlyn found comfort in the wind whizzing past her as the staff moved. Her position strong and stable as her breathing staggered slightly. Sweat beads formed on her forehead as she swung upwards, then with great force, she swung downwards. The metal staff made contact with the mat, ringing and vibrating up the staff and into her arms. The life force surrounding it causing her to have goosebumps as the hair on her arm stood. Closing her eyes, she allowed her senses to be overtaken by the serenity around her; the hum of the large generators in the distance, the sudden darkness in the room. Wait, darkness?

Her eyes snapped open as her head turned to the doorway. He looked at her; his lip curled up ever so slightly on the right side as he walked further in the room. His helmet secured tightly under his arm as he watched Ash flinch slightly. He stopped moving, relaxing his body to show he meant no harm as he cautiously placed his helmet on the floor. "Relax." He said. "I came to see you practice. I'm early."

Ash frowned. "I thought Phasma told you not this week."

He let out an airy chuckle as his brow raised at her forward tone. "She did." Kylo Ren admitted. "However, she also said how well you were progressing. I came to see for myself and as your Master-"

Ash sighed. "Save it." She said, repositioning herself. "I have no Master today."

He was taken back by that, yet wouldn't allow his face to show it. He stared at her form before realizing her back leg showed a slight weakness. Perhaps that had been his doing by startling her. Regardless, he couldn't resist correcting her. "You need to have a stronger anchor." He mentioned in passing as he came closer. He gently tapped her back leg with his. "You're opening yourself up with a weakness. Your enemy will take advantage."

Ash continued to frown as she reluctantly listened to Kylo Ren. She planted her back foot harder into the mat, her posture straightening as she held her staff tightly. "Better?"

"Better." Ren said as he walked towards the weapons rack. He thought for a moment before grabbing a longer staff of his own and returning to Ashlyn. He stood in front of her, positioning himself to ready for an attack. "Strike me."

Ash made a face. "I don't think that's a good idea."

He barred his teeth like a feral beast as he laughed. "You've only trained for a week. You truly think you can beat me?"

She glared then. "No, you're going to try and hurt me."

"You've learned to defend. Now defend." He explained as he sharply brought his staff down. Ashlyn was quick to respond by blocking with hers. Their staffs clanging upon contact as Ash felt the pressure and unmeasured strength of Kylo Ren as he pushed down. Unlike fighting with Phasma, this was more ruthless. He wouldn't go easy, she knew that.

He suddenly pulled back, whipping the staff around his head with ease before bringing it down again. Ash jumped backwards, barely being missed by the staff as she looked at Kylo in disbelief. "Go easy, Kylo!"

Kylo smirked. "Your enemy won't be so kind."

"It's my first week!" She exclaimed as Kylo swung again with a little less gusto.

Ash brought up her staff, blocking the impact with ease. A move that shocked her as Kylo continued to grin. "You're not giving yourself enough credit." He teased. "Now, use the Force to your advantage." He said, pulling back and twirling the staff in his hand. "Try and predict my next move." He took a moment, preparing his move as Ashlyn braced herself for the worst. He swung around, making quick contact of her arm. Ashlyn immediately yelped in reply; he felt only a little bad. "Focus!" He demanded.

Ashlyn inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling as she let her shoulders fall gently. Her eyelids closed, engulfing her in darkness as she focused. Her heartbeat slowing down as she felt it. No, she felt him. His Force energy radiating with power; a power she was able to harness and hold inside herself as she waited for his move. He swung high, bringing the staff downwards once more. She felt every millisecond and every beat of the staff as it came down towards her. With an invisible breath, she moved swiftly and silently with the Force. The clang of the staffs was what had brought her out of concentration as the vibrations resonated within her entire being this time.

After a few moments of silence, Ash opened her eyes to see a very pleased look on Kylo

Ren's face. He pulled back, holding the staff in his hand as one end touched the mat gently. He leaned into it. "See? When you focus with the Force, you can do anything." Ash found herself smiling just enough to give herself away as she quickly swung her staff at Kylo Ren once more. Not surprisingly, he was ready to stop her as he brought up his staff and stopped her attack. She knew she didn't overstep her boundaries as Kylo smirked. "Now you're getting cocky."

Ash beamed. "I learned it from you."

Kylo scoffed, grabbing his staff and pulling back. "Oh, did you now?" He said, his tone sounding playing. Something Ashlyn was not used to in the slightest as he lunged towards her. Ash shrieked, unprepared for the attack as he wrapped the staff around her back and forcing her to his chest. She began laughing now, a real and hearty laugh as Kylo grinned looking down at her. "It seems like I'm a bad influence on you."

She continued to laugh as she looked up at him. "No kidding." Her laughter slowly subsiding when she realized he was still staring at her, like he had been searching for something in her expression. Something he couldn't see right away but, perhaps if he stared hard enough he'd find it.

It wasn't until the other person whom had silently entered the room cleared their throat, he pulled away. "You did well today." He said, his tone empty of all emotion as he looked over at Phasma. "You can continue training her, I suppose." Kylo said, dropping the staff on the floor. The thud of the staff sounding much harsher on Ashlyn's ears as Kylo stormed over to his helmet and picked it up. Without another word, Kylo Ren left the room. Suddenly, Captain Phasma realized just exactly how special Ashlyn really was.

Final Thought: Thanks for reading! Remember to review so I know who's still here!