Chapter 4

Kylo flew his ship towards the star destroyer, emotions spinning. Frustration at Rey's continued rejection made it difficult for him focus on his surroundings. Knowing he was headed towards Jesmaae Krye, the Knight who had betrayed his whereabouts to Hux, was the only thing that kept him grounded in the moment.

As he neared the star destroyer he wondered just how far that betrayal had gone. Was Hux merely aware that the resistance was likely located on Naboo or was he aware of Kylo's true motive behind locating them in secret? Hux had been suspicious of him ever since he had awoken to find Rey gone, and it had been difficult keeping him occupied with other things. Kylo knew he was walking the razor's edge and sooner rather than later he was going to have to rid himself of the man or face the truth of what really happened in the throne room when Snoke was killed.

As Kylo landed the ship, he saw Hux, Jesmaae standing beside him, with a squad of storm troopers lined up behind them. Tendrils of apprehension unfurled in his stomach as he wondered where the rest of his Knights were. As he disembarked from the ship, he narrowed his eyes at Jesmaae who merely smirked at him in response. Hux looked almost gleeful as Kylo walked up. Not a good sign.

"Welcome back Supreme Leader," Hux said, a smile on his face.

Kylo pried into Hux's mind, trying to determine how much he knew.

"I trust you had a fruitful expedition?"

Kylo sensed that Hux was not just happy but downright ecstatic. Not a good sign at all.

"Yes," was Kylo's only response.

Hux clasped his hands together. "Excellent." He turned towards the storm troopers behind him. "This man is a traitor to the First Order. Seize him."

The storm troopers, having been trained to follow any command of Hux's immediately, stepped forward. Time slowed for Kylo as his mind slipped into battle readiness. He turned towards the men and threw up a hand, the force flowing through him as he sent several flying backwards with enough force to incapacitate them. He reached for his light saber with his other hand, igniting it and rushing forward. Jesmaae pulled her own light saber to meet him and the remaining storm troopers pulled their weapons and began shooting. Kylo deflected their shots with his light saber and rushed them. They ran backwards shooting as they ran. Kylo could hear Hux shouting for more soldiers as he turned around just in time to block Jesmaae's light saber from sheering into his side. He threw out his other hand, sending her flying backwards. Though she was force sensitive, her power was nothing to his own. He began charging towards her when he felt a sting on his left side. He fell to one knee, turning immediately and parrying several more blasts with his saber. He scrambled to his feet, blocking blast after blast, but quickly sensed that he was going to be overwhelmed. Though he was keeping them at bay, he saw out of the corner of his eye several more squads of storm troopers headed his way. He glanced to his side, hoping to make it back aboard his TIE Silencer, only to find the entrance now being blocked by more soldiers. In his distraction a blast hit his right shoulder and he narrowly avoided losing his grip on his light saber.

"Incapacitate him, but I want him alive!" screamed Hux.

Anger burned white hot in Kylo's chest and he turned, charging towards Hux. He felt sting after sting as the blasters found their mark but it did little to slow him, so blind was he in his rage. Hux's eyes grew round in alarm and he put up an arm in defense. Before Kylo's light saber could find its mark however, Jesmaae's own light saber blocked him.

"Shoot him!" she yelled, parrying him backwards. The multiple shots to his body were catching up to him and he could no longer overpower her. What's more, blocking her as she advanced left the rest of his body open to the fire from the storm troopers. He stumbled, going down on one knee. Jesmaae knocked his saber out of his hand, pointing her own at his chest. He was shot several more times on his side and fell over, black spots dancing in his vision. He struggled to remain awake, but at last the pain overwhelmed him and he blacked out.

Rey hurried along the passageway, panic threatening to overtake her. Finn ran along behind her, trying to get her to stop and explain herself.

"Rey!" he yelled. "Wait! What is going on?" He stopped, gasping for breath as Rey skipped between a brisk walk and jogging. She had to get to Leia. They had to save Ben. Finn started running again, trying to catch up. "Would you please tell me how you know Kylo Ren is hurt?" Catching up to her, he grabbed her elbow, pulling her to a stop.

She wrenched her arm away from him. "We don't have time for this!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "I promise I'll tell you later. Right now we have to get to Leia." He peered at her a moment, puzzled, but then nodded his head. Turning around she broke into a run again, trying to make up time. The pain in her heart had faded and she didn't want to think about the reasons why that would be.

When they reached the doorway Rey tore it open, looking frantically around for Leia. Poe, having just walked out of one of the rooms, noticed her and ran over.

"Rey," he said, glancing between her and Finn, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Where's Leia?" she asked, breathing hard.

Poe looked at her a beat and then simply said, "Follow me." He led them to one of the bedrooms. "We converted this into the war room for the time being."

They walked in and Leia looked up. Seeing the look on Rey's face she asked "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Rey looked around at the rest of the people in there and then back at Leia. "We need to talk in private." Rey tried to communicate that she had something to say about Ben. Leia frowned in worry and then nodded to the rest of the group. "I'd like to speak with Rey in private."

Everyone filed out, Poe leaving last and closing the door behind him. As soon as the door slid shut Rey walked forward, her panic finally taking over. "Leia, it's Ben. He's hurt. I don't know what's happened, but I felt it. He's hurt and I don't know what to do. We have to find him. We have to save him before…before…" Leia grabbed Rey's arm gently and took her over to the couch, pulling her down and sitting next to her.

"Rey," she said, "calm down. Tell me what happened."

Rey explained her encounter with Kylo in the woods while she was training, how he had received intel that the First Order had followed him to Naboo, how he had left to go back, and how shortly afterward, when she and Finn were on their way back she had felt pain filtering down through the bond. By the time she finished talking her heart rate had slowed considerably, though she still felt lightheaded and worried.

"We have to rescue him," Rey said at the end.

Leia turned away from Rey, putting a hand over her eyes. The room was silent for several minutes as Rey tried not to demand Leia do something immediately. When Leia turned around her eyes were sad and Rey's heart dropped.

"Rey," Leia began, "We can't –"

Rey interrupted, "What?" her voice hollow with disbelief. She shook her head, not understanding. "He's your son. How can you not want to save him?"

Leia closed her eyes. "Believe me, Rey, it's all I've ever wanted."

"Then how can you leave him when he needs you?" Rey tried to keep the accusation from her voice, but heard it bleed through.

Leia opened her eyes and looked at Rey, pleading. "We don't know what's happened to him. And even if we did, we can't take on the First Order. We couldn't defeat them when we had many more resources. How are we supposed to defeat them now?"

"You said we had all we need," Rey reminded her. "You said it! After the battle of Crait. We can do this! We have to do this!" She grabbed Leia's arm, pleading. "We have to."

Leia didn't answer for several minutes, but she looked between Rey's eyes. Rey waited impatiently. "Please," she whispered.

Leia sighed. "When you're a leader responsible for the protection of other people," she responded, "you can't let your personal feelings interfere with that protection."

Rey's heart sank even further as the reality that Leia really wasn't going to help her son hit her. Leia grabbed her hand.

"Believe me Rey. I want nothing more than to charge in there and bring my son home. It's all I've wanted ever since I lost him. You have no idea how much I regret sending him away. But even if we had the resources, getting the others to agree to it would never happen. He's the leader of the First Order now."

Rey fell back on the couch, despair flooding her body.

Leia got up and walked towards the door. When she got there she turned around. "Rey."

Rey looked over at her, heart aching.

"We do have everything we need. But what we need more of now is time…and information." Without explaining further, she walked out the door.

Kylo slowly came to, his head pounding and body aching. Lifting his head he tried to bring a hand to his temple only to find it wouldn't move. He looked over and realized both his hands were restrained on either side of his head. He pulled at the restraints, but they were strong.

"Sir," a voice at the opposite end of the room said, "he's awake."

Kylo snapped his head forward, seeing Jesmaae, his own Knight, standing guard at the entrance of his cell. Kylo felt rage flare through his chest and lunged forward. The restraints immediately bit into his wrists and his shoulders burned with the exertion.

"YOU!" he spit at her. She returned his look evenly, though there was fire in her eyes. He reached a hand out and attempted to use the force to bring her light saber to him, but as he felt the force well up in him his entire body was suddenly wracked with a very strong, very intense burning sensation. It felt as if his every nerve ending was on fire. He heard screaming, only to realize half a second later that it was his own voice. As abruptly as the sensation began it stopped, leaving him feeling weak, a cold sweat breaking out on his upper lip. His head remained drooped forward but he rolled his eyes upwards, breathing heavily, and looked at Jesmaae, who was smirking with a remote in her hand.

"Can't have you using your power against us, now can we?" she said.

"What?" Kylo gasped, still catching his breath.

She shook her head, mock disappointment on her face. "Did you think we were stupid enough not to plan for you using the force?" She laughed at him as he pulled against his restraints. "So intent on killing me that you didn't even notice the collar around your neck."

Confused he tilted his head down again, only then noticing the bite of metal against his chin. He was about to respond when the door opened and Hux waltzed in, a smirk on his face. Before Kylo could think of the consequences he again tried to summon the force, only to be met with fire in every nerve of his body. The pain felt endless, surely longer than the first time. Had he been able to focus on anything other than his own screaming and pain, he might have looked over himself expecting to see his body on fire. Finally the pain receded, leaving him near fainting, slumping forward, pulling at the shackles on his wrist.

"I have to say," Hux said, glee evident in his voice, "I rather like having you chained like the dog you are."

Kylo mustered all his strength to look up at Hux and glared. "I'll end you for this."

Hux raised his eyebrows, hatred now burning in his eyes. "The way you ended Leader Snoke?"

Kylo was so surprised he could only stare at Hux in return. How had he found out? His gaze flickered to Jesmaae.

"Oh no," Hux said, "It wasn't one of your precious Knights of Ren." His voice dripped with contempt. He smirked. "At least not for that betrayal." Jesmaae shifted uncomfortably behind them. "No," Hux continued. "I'm afraid it was you who betrayed yourself when you ceased your search for the Resistance." He held up a hand and Jesmaae stepped forward to put the remote into his waiting grasp. He brought it in front of his face, as if inspecting it. "I merely needed the right sort of information to prove you were a traitor, and your comrade in arms here," he gestured back towards Jesmaae, "provided exactly what I needed."

Kylo glared at Jesmaae again, though this time she glared back.

"You betrayed everything we worked for, for some nobody," she said, venom dripping off her words. "We could have exterminated the Resistance entirely by now and be ruling the galaxy, but instead you had me scour that galaxy for a scavenger."

Hurt and betrayal tried to fight their way into Kylo's mind, but it was quickly overpowered by intense anger and hatred. "I'll make you pay for your betrayal," he promised.

Hux laughed humorlessly. "That would sound a lot more threatening if you weren't currently weak, sweating, and in chains."

"If you're going to kill me, then do it," Kylo spat.

"Kill you?" Hux asked amused. "Now why would I do that when I can have so much more fun keeping you alive?"

Before Kylo could respond, Hux pushed a button on the remote, his eyes glittering with glee, and Kylo was once again flooded with the sensation that his entire body was on fire. The pain seemed endless and when his body finally reached its peak, he welcomed the respite that came as he blacked out.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! As always reviews are always appreciated. :)