A Rose Watered with Vinegar

Chapter 8

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Blanketing himself in Darkness, he called to her in the Force. In order to communicate with any of the Knights, he had to be firmly sheathed in the Dark Side. It was a useful connection he personally fostered with each of them, forging the connection through deep tandem meditation in the blackness of the Force. Though he hadn't deeply explored the limits, he'd been able to call to them from across sections of the galaxy, and most times he could feel their strongest emotions. They were almost like the Force Bonds Snoke had learned to fashion, but they lacked the essence of manipulation and fear of his former master's designs. They were more like those formed with lifelong friends in the Force—if he could even call them that—such as that shared by his uncle and his mother.

Or he and Rey.

When she arrived at his quarters, he could feel the volatile mixture of feelings roiling inside her. Disheartenment. Frustration. Need. It was a potent concoction, and he could feel the Dark's desire in him to feed from it, exploit it. And then, too, was the Light, urging compassion from him, reminding him of the past. It was drawing him thin.

"Thank you for coming, Rhea," he greeted a bit awkwardly.

She simply crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "What is it, Master?"

He sighed. "I think you know."

"Oh, I do?"

He bit his tongue. Her impertinence was not helping his lack of ability to properly atone for things. He'd never been good at accepting responsibility. It was probably part of the reason he was always called a child by Snoke and others. Petulance was unbefitting of a leader, no less of the entire galaxy, but it was a tough hurdle to clear.

"I—I apologize, Rhea," he said unsurely. "For what happened in the meeting. I couldn't contain myself, and I shouldn't have...corrected you like that. You're a Knight. You deserve to be treated as such."

She huffed. "That's never been an issue before."

"Not when you're ruling the galaxy alongside me," he asserted. "A Council with power shouldn't be subjected to physical reprimand. But that means they have to act right. Open defiance on agreed policy after it's been decided doesn't help that."

"You're just doing this for her," she groused sullenly. "I know it's true."

"No, Rhea," he said. It wasn't entirely true. His intentions with Rey simply coincided with his desire to rework the galaxy. "It's about making things better. In order to do that, we have to stop Pallas. And the Resistance can help us." He added as an afterthought, "For now."

"And afterwards?" she pried. "Will you hesitate to destroy them? Will you let them run away again?"

"No," he said with finality. Ultimately, to get Rey to join him, he couldn't destroy them. But if he tried everything and they still wouldn't accept his rule, he would be forced to. For better or worse with Rey. "They will bend the knee. We'll move forward unilaterally, or they'll be wiped out."

She narrowed her eyes, clearly disbelieving, before her face went to slack sadness. "What happened, Kylo? To us?"

He clamped his eyes shut. "Rhea..."

"It was so good. We were so good. At least, I thought so." Her saccharine voice was strained. She twisted a finger around the end of one of her lekku.

"It was, Rhea," he placated. "But it was unprofessional. You are my Apprentice in all but name, just as the others. To function fluidly we can't be entangled. You know we made the right decision." He knew that if he ever made Rey his apprentice, this line of reasoning might come back to bite him. But he just didn't care.

"Somewhere in me, I know," she said. "But I can't help but miss it. Your hands, the raw strength of your body. You've always been the finest man I've ever been with. Nothing can compare." The lust in her voice made him shiver.

He couldn't help the swell of ego, but he knew she was just saying what he wanted to hear. His self-image was his Achilles heel, and she was well aware of it.

"You were amazing, too, Rhea," he said. "But it cannot happen. It's not good for our goals." He put an edge to his voice. "You would throw away all the work you've put in? Everything you've accomplished?"

"I just don't get why it matters," she said in exasperation.

"Because, we need clear heads. A relationship would skew our perceptions. It would undo the legitimacy of the Council. Think of the others. What would they do if they found out?"

"We don't have to let them find out," she suggested hopefully. "It'll be just like before. The secrecy was fun, after all."

"That was a long time ago, Rhea," he chided firmly. "We were young and had no real responsibilities. But now? Imagine if they caught you sneaking out of my rooms. There would be hell to pay. I still can't believe we kept it somehow from Snoke; the man would have had us both for dinner."

"Snoke is dead," she pressured. "You rule the galaxy, now. Your word is law. If you told the other Knights it was your will, they'd have to accept it."

He shook his head. "That isn't true, and you know it. It would undermine everything. Not to mention the First Order diehards. It would be their instant checkmate. They'd try to usurp us in a second."

Hurt seeped form her in the Force. Her silvery eyes were watery. "Ben—"

At the sound of his given name from her an anger burned in his chest. "My name is Kylo Ren to you, and it forever will be! As your Master, I am ordering you to stop this. I won't hear any more about us or our past. It is over."

The harshness of his tone caused her to flinch, but she took on a resolute look. "Fine. If this is how you want it to be, then so be it, my lord. But when she turns you down for the umpteenth time, I will not be your secondary. And don't think the Knights will accept her any more than they would us."

He grit his teeth. "Go prepare yourself for the meeting."

Her exquisite features were pure venom. "As you wish."

When he'd been commed by the medical staff and informed Rey was finished recovering, he'd immediately sent an outfit of troopers to collect her. He wasn't about to let her sneak off and fly away on one of his ships before he had finished his pitch. He figured this was perhaps his last opportunity to sway her to his side, as the noose around the galaxy was beginning to tighten. Between Pallas and the impending upheaval from the cartels and possibly from within his own ranks, things were about to get quite hairy. There would be no other time to demonstrate his intentions as a ruler to her.

She looked at him with angry disapproval when she arrived with the squad of Stormtroopers. Great, Kylo thought. He dismissed his men with a lordly wave of his hand. She took up a defensive posture, planting her feet widely and balling her little fists. He fought the urge to wrench a fistful of his hair out. Was this never-ending with her? Would she ever stop thinking of him as the perpetual aggressor?

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Did you bring me here to walk me to a ship?"

He couldn't help but smirk at her snark. "I didn't know you preferred such chivalry."

She sniffed and raised her chin. "I don't expect much. At least, not from you."

"You have a lot to learn, then," he said silkily. "I am the Emperor. Do you think his lady would receive anything but the best?"

She snorted. "In your dreams."

While it was certainly a rebuke, Kylo noticed it lacked any real ice. He didn't know whether to attribute it to real progress or the fact that she knew she was close to being free to go, but either way he enjoyed it. It was refreshing. Spending shared time constantly another person's neck is tiresome. Especially when Kylo is the Emperor of the Galaxy. It was all he did, twenty-four seven.

"Don't pretend like they aren't yours, too," he shot back cheekily. She flushed, the constellations of freckles across her soft cheeks now framed by the rosy rush of heat.

And then suddenly they were back to business. "W—Well?" she said, a little tremulously. "What's going on, Ben? What is this place?" She gestured to the space around them.

"This," he said, spreading his arms grandly. "Is the Emperor's command center. This is where all the magic happens."

"It's..." she started tentatively, apparently looking for the words. "Definitely imposing."

He watched her eyes scan over the black walls, the multitudes of screens that revealed star maps and other things, the rows of oppressive lighting. He agreed; there was nothing comforting about it. It had been designed that way, of course. It was basic psychology. To make tough decisions, one needed tough surroundings. The command center afforded no luxuries. It was cold and hard, as the position of Emperor demanded.

"It certainly doesn't feel very homey, does it?" he mused. "Most of these rooms were designed to the personal specifications of Hux and the other military-stuck minds. I don't think they know any other colors exist besides black."

She gave him a small, wry smile. "And you do?"

He motioned to the blade at his belt. "Well, I know of this one, I guess?"

That did not have the intended effect. She quieted instantly and looked away with an unreadable expression.

"Anyways," he pushed on stiffly. How come it was so difficult to maintain ground? "I brought you here so you could sit in on a Council meeting."

Her eyes snapped to his.

"If you won't join me," he explained quietly. "Then I would at least like your input. For one meeting, maybe more. I believe there are things we are both working towards. The ceasefire is temporary. But if you want that to change, I need your help. I need to know the Resistance angle. Maybe there is a solution that fits all. But without your inside knowledge, it will never happen."

"Since when did the mighty and ruthless Kylo Ren get so charitable?" she said teasingly.

Since your heart became at stake, he thought. "Since I became the Emperor," came from his lips. "This has always been me. Kind of weird when someone doesn't turn out to be the blood-drunk creature you thought they were, huh?" He said it with a little too much bite, but he couldn't help it. His image was a bitter subject. He hated that she listened to the mindless parrots who called him a monster.

She said nothing in response. He gave up making more headway. "The Knights will be here soon," he informed her. "Have a seat. Take the one to the right of the head." He remained standing by the door.

They spent the rest of the time before the Knights arrived in silence. When his soldiers came, they bowed to him before each noticing Rey and reacting with their own unique expressions of shock. Of course, Theia spoke first.

"My lord," she said in a voice like death. "Why is the Jedi here?"

"Be seated, Knights," he commanded, ignoring her. They complied, albeit slowly. "There is much to discuss. Rey," he said pointedly. "Is here because I've invited her. She can offer us a unique perspective on the Resistance. She knows that if she were to share any information...prematurely, then she'd be endangering her friends. I have ways of finding out everything." She paled somewhat at his assessment. It was not an empty threat, after all. Several New Order spies had already infiltrated the Resistance.

The Knights didn't look happy, but they could sense the finality in his voice. Rhea glared at him murderously but remained quiet. Thank Force, he thought with relief.

He took his spot at the head of the table. "Pallas or not," he said, clapping his hands together. "The people are suffering. They will continue to regardless of him, regardless of the Resistance. We will not allow pretenders and interlopers to keep the galaxy on its knees." He knew he was being showy, but he wanted to present to Rey his flair for oration. Despite its origins, he thought bitterly, the image of his mother before the Senate flashing into his head. "Under the Republic, the Outer Rim languished. The Mid Rim has just barely hit its industrial revolution. All while the Core Worlds have grown obese. They've hoarded enough wealth to rebuild Starkiller a thousand times over. And the Republic let them. The Senate let them."

"The Republic has indeed bled the galaxy, my lord," said Cronus. "The corruption of the Senate is dire. It is a farce of a democracy."

"I remember my many visits in search of Force Sensitives in the Outer Rim," recalled Hyperion, his eyes distant. "It's a lawless world." He turned to Rey. "My lady, you're an Outer Rimmer, are you not?"

She bristled. "I'm not anyone's lady," she said peevishly. "But yes. I was raised on Jakku."

Several eyebrows shot at that. "Where the Empire met the New Republic? That was quite a battle, so I've heard." asked Atlas, stroking his beard.

"Um, yeah," she confirmed, clearly uncomfortable. "I was a scavenger. I traded parts and junk for rations. It was a modest life."

"She traded shit for food to a mutated Crolute who keeps his thumb on every living thing in a hundred mile radius," he said viciously. She looked at him in alarm.

"Kylo—" she started, warning in her voice.

He cut her off. "No. It's a terrible existence. No one deserves that. Especially a Force Sensitive. Don't dress it up. It is an insult to the Force for a sentient being to live like that."

She went silent, but he swore he could see the faintest glimmer of appreciation in her eyes.

"All life has sanctity," intoned Atlas fervently, looking to Rey. "The Force wills us as its rectors to amend the wrongdoings of the world. We Users are its will made manifest. Balance is its ultimate goal, and it can only be achieved when the galaxy does not want."

"Atlas," said Theia scornfully. "Why waste your time on a heathen Jedi? She could never understand the Force as we do."

"I agree, Theia," jumped in Rhea. "The Jedi would much rather sit on mountaintops than do anything of substance."

"You're wrong!" countered Rey, her face darkening. "The Jedi bring good to the galaxy! They help people, are selfless—"

"Bring good to the galaxy?" interjected Cronus snidely. With the light shielding his eyes in his frames and his long, bald head, he appeared like a Sith Inquisitor of old. "A pile of Gungan dung does more good for the galaxy. How much have you read of them, young one?"

"Well, I..." She trailed off, before sighing. "Nothing, really. But it isn't my fault. I haven't had much time to catch up on my studies, you know, with the New Order breathing murder down my neck."

"Then you speak from zero knowledge," Cronus snapped, ignoring her comment. "In pursuit of their unattainable morals, the Jedi have done far worse than the Sith. Do you know of Luke Skywalker's most shining moment?"

She merely nodded.

"Then you understand they are no saints," the intelligencer said. "The Sith were failures, too, though they were not wrong to use the Dark Side. There must be a marriage in the Force to move forward. Both sects had to end."

"Enough," enjoined Kylo. "There will be plenty of time for Rey to learn the ways of the Force. We're off topic. Hyperion?" The big Knight glanced to him. "Send a summons to the heads of the top ten monetary interests of the Core Worlds. Preferably those with off-world operations."

He bowed his head. "Of course, my lord."

"This is the first step in bringing order to the galaxy," Kylo said. "We are restructuring the way business is done around here. The upper crust of the galaxy has held out on the rest for far too long. Corporations glued to the Core Worlds will relinquish their power. Once we have satisfied the rights of the workers, we install our government." He looked to Rey as he continued emphatically. "There will be no Senate. The Council of Ren will be the ultimate power in the galaxy, but not as regents. I will appoint governors to all of the Sectors of the galaxy. They will be our agents, and they will only be compensated on the happiness and progress of their charges. This will weed out the grifting we have seen under the Republic."

"Taxes will no longer be trapped in corporate loopholes. They will be reinvested in the people. As it is, several Mid Rim worlds are facing complete climate collapse as they have been drained of nearly every last drop of resource. We cannot allow that to happen. Restorative efforts have to be undertaken. All this," he said, lifting his arms. "Must be done. The Force decrees it."

They all nodded in reverence. Rey simply sat with her chin in her hand, watching him curiously.

He smirked. His impression had been made. "Well, then. Let's get to work."

He found her waiting for him the corridor as he closed down the command center, as he had requested. He sighed and ran a hand through his long, jet-black locks.

"I suppose you'll be wanting that ship now," he said with resignation.

She just stared up at him, her blue orbs betraying a depth of confusion and indecision. "Why are you doing this, Ben?" she asked quietly. "Like, really. Don't give me all the vague platitudes and intellectualism."

"You don't know me at all," he responded bitterly. "You never took a chance on me. I tried to show you. But you didn't take my hand."

"I do this because I respect the Force," he explained. "And the Force exists in all sentient beings. I don't care if that's a platitude. It's the truth. We," he gestured to both of them. "Are priests of the Force, whether we like it or not. We have a responsibility at the behest of the Force to safeguard and improve life. It's our destiny. While yes, some had to die to make it happen and that may seem hypocritical, it was necessary. The Republic would have never given way without struggle. To let things continue the way they did under their rule would have been far worse. And..."

"And what, Ben?" she prodded.

The pain reared its grotesque head. "I can't be a failure," he all but whispered. "My whole family is a bunch of failures. Darth Vader, the Chosen One, undone by his own personal issues. Luke Skywalker, the broken old man who tried to murder his own nephew and then lived out the rest of his days somewhere in fruitless exile. Leia was a failure as a mother and helped create the bloodsucking Republic that ultimately made life worse for people than anything. I—I can't be like them. If anything, I need to restore respect to the Skywalker name."

"Oh, Ben," she said, stepping close to him and splaying a hand on his chest. Then she blushed at her own boldness and quickly retracted it, looking away. "I want to believe you. I want to believe this is all for real, that you want to help people like me. Scavengers. Junkies. The lowest of us. But I've seen the things you've done. And I—I don't know what to think. Ben, you killed Han. I don't know if I'll ever get over that."

He looked away as hot tears rushed to his eyes. "I never wanted to kill him." His voice was full of anguish. "But I didn't think I had a choice. I had already worked so hard, accomplished so much. And then Snoke commanded it and I—I buckled. He sensed the Light in me, though the could snuff it out with that act. I gave in. I thought if I defied him he would kill me. And then I'd never fulfill my vision for the galaxy."

He looked back to her and saw there were tears streaming down her face. He didn't know what to do, so he just acted on rabid impulse. He did the most uncharacteristic thing he thought he'd ever done. He enveloped her in a hug.

It was bit awkward at first, and she tensed in his arms. But when he placed his chin on her little head, she returned the embrace, burying her face against his chest. She was soaking his tunic, but it didn't bother him. Standing there with her, he realized how small she was in comparison to him. The difference was stark. But he knew she had a power that ultimately might be more than his. This bantam Jedi desert flower should not be underestimated.

"Wow," she said thickly through tears. "This is all really fucked up, isn't it?"

He chuckled wetly. "The lives of Force users are messy. They're never simple. Look at every Sith and Jedi in history. It's enough evidence that both extremes always floundered to suggest the Force seeks balance. Everything does. That's why the Force chose me. Chose you. In order to engender that balance, we have to do it together. It's the only way. The Light tempers the Dark and vice versa."

She pulled away from him and looked away sullenly. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't want the Force. If I had my way, I'd be back on Jakku, never having heard of any of this." She must have noticed the hurt look on his face when she glanced back because she went on. "That doesn't mean I don't wish I never met you, Ben. While I don't know exactly exists between us, the things I felt through the Bond were good. I—I don't regret those."

"Then join me," he suggested, possibly a little too eagerly. "Let's figure this out together."

He saw the objection written all over her face so he decided to try a different angle.

"At least, come with us to the Core Worlds," he asked. "See for yourself firsthand that I'm serious about all of this. That I want to change the world for the better." He added with a smirk, "I'll even let you dress down for the occasion."

"Ben..."

"It's just one meeting," he promised. "And after that, you're free to go. Back to the Resistance or otherwise. But if you do so," he cautioned. "You're going to severely damage any opportunity for peace. When Pallas is destroyed, the fascist First Order types will want to go after you next. And I can't promise I'll be able to talk them down without compromising everything else."

She was silent, clearly mulling over what he had just said. Impatience bore through him, so he repeated his proposal. "Will you come with me, Rey?"

Uncertainly shone in her eyes, but she did not disappoint.

"Yes, Ben. I'll come."

A/N: Thanks to all those who have left comments! Still trying to figure out a good way to respond to them without putting them here. Don't want to clog this up.