Chapter 2: An unlikely partnership

The scavenger had been incessantly present on Kylo Ren's mind ever since his encounter with the Emperor. No, not just a scavenger. Rey was so much more than that, she gleamed with pure raw power. Such potential couldn't be wasted.

And she had finally come to him. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but it was a good start. The image of their last encounter was vividly imprinted on his brain. Her lips parting in surprise when he told her about Palpatine's intentions. Her lovely face distorted in confusion. The way her body chanted to him even when she was fully enraged. Even more so when she was enraged. Oh, she would make a marvelous companion.

Kylo Ren had pondered his options for a while. He had screwed up the last time he offered Rey his hand, rushed her into a decision she wasn't ready to make. His mind clouded with adrenaline from their battle against the Praetorian guards. This time would be different. He had to be gentler and more patient. Patience wasn't exactly his forte. However, since she was already conflicted, she might be a little bit easier to convince.

Besides, Ren was legitimately curious about the extent of their connection. Their last Force bond had been the most powerful yet. He already knew from their previous encounter on Pasaana that they were able to trespass objects to each other, but the last time they were connected they actually had been in each other's spaces. He couldn't help but wonder what else they would be able to do in time. It was constantly progressing, developing into something unprecedented. He wanted to test it's limits and deepen the connection. However, he was frightened of it's possible implications. He had already got rid off the entity that had invaded his mind for years, he didn't need another one. He really appreciated having a relative sense of privacy to his thoughts.

Enough rumination. He had more important things to do. He had to get rid of a few loose ends in order for his plan to succeed. The main problem right now was protecting her from her grandfather and his allies. If he ever found out that Rey was with him and he wasn't planning to turn her in or kill her, the repercussions would be ominous to say the least. The problem was telling apart who they could truly trust from the potential traitors. The First Order was already infiltrated by the Resistance' spies, and now they needed to filter the Sith followers from the members that were still loyal to him. He needed to start prying on the minds of his commanders and generals. He had to be specially cautious with the ones that were closer to him. He had an idea of where to start. Some of them had accepted way too easily the aid of the Sith Order. They either had changed their loyalties or were way too scared to oppose his authority. He would keep the later ones.

The other big issue was gaslighting Palpatine into believing that Rey had escaped once again. Kylo Ren had never been a good liar. He could always hide behind the mask and military uniform, but he needed to find a way to shield his mind as well. He knew he was being dauntless. Deceiving a Sith Lord like Palpatine was challenging to a whole new level. But it had been done before. It wasn't impossible, just incredibly complicated. He couldn't do it alone though. He would need Rey and the Knights. However, the loyalties of the later could be quite volatile, therefore he had to make sure they knew which side they were fighting for.

Latter that day Kylo Ren was informed that general Hux had been executed. What a pity, he had fantasized with being the one to had the pleasure of ending his life for years. Well, at least it was one less thing to worry about. Not that he would have made any significant difference besides annoying the heck out of him. He hadn't expected Hux to be a spy though. The miserable prick had been helping the Resistance. The Resistance! Useless even for switching sides. When you betray someone, at least try switching for the side that has the upper hand. Had he been a Sith follower, he wouldn't have felt so insulted at the moment. But the general was too narrow minded for that.

They had been competing for years. Snoke used to held him in a place too high for Kylo Ren's liking. Ren was fully aware of his capacities, sometimes even admitted -rather begrudgingly- that the general was actually good at his job. At least sometimes. And he had valuable allies within the First Order. He couldn't have leaked information on his own. Whoever else was stupid enough to follow Hux on his betrayal, they would soon face the consequences.

The other thing that was nagging him was that the Resistance had the Blade of Ochi, all thanks to Rey. General Pryde informed him that they had scanned the dagger before Rey stole it. They had saved a copy of the inscriptions and would probably collect the second wayfinder sooner, since the Resistance couldn't translate it properly from the ancient Sith dialect, they simply didn't posses the technology for it. He had the other wayfinder on his TIE, and would have to be more careful with his belongings from now on, given that Rey could be an excellent pickpocket. He just hadn't expected her to be reckless enough to enter his personal quarters.

He planned to eventually give her the second wayfinder, once he could actually trust her. It belonged to her anyways, as the rightful heir to the power of the Sith. He would keep the other one, as Vader's grandson. Quite fitting, he thought. There were alway two of this ancient relics, usually one for the master and one for the apprentice. It would take time before she accepted him as a teacher. He had noticed how much she had changed since they first met. Every time they met she was stronger. It fascinated him somehow. General Organa had continued training her after Skywalker's death. But her training was still incomplete. He would gladly guide her once she was ready.

Rey had been escorted from the hangar bay to a simple white quarter by Kylo Ren and over a dozen stormtroopers. She was left alone, surprisingly unrestrained. The door was locked from the outside, of course, and her lightsaber had been removed.

She searched the whole room but didn't find anything that could be used as a weapon, or harm anyone for that matter. Mostly empty counters and drawers. The quarter had access to a small bathroom. It also had a window, a holo screen and a thermostat, for which she was grateful. Until now she hadn't noticed how chilly it was inside of the ship. With all the running and fighting she hadn't minded it.

She felt trapped. But at least her friends were safe. They rescued Chewie and had the dagger. Close enough to a successful mission. If only she had made it in time… it was at this moment that the weight of her decision was beginning to sink in.

Rey wished she could tell her friends that she was fine, but she couldn't do it without revealing their location. That assuming that they where still in the same base. What would they say? Probably that she had lost her mind. She wouldn't disagree. What would Leia think? Rey still remembered the way she hugged her before she embarked on the last mission. The general had told her not to be afraid of who she was. Those words reverberated inside her mind. How could she when she had almost killed Chewie? When she saw herself sitting on the Sith throne? When she was the last heir of Palpatine's bloodline?

Back then on Jakku, Rey often used to imagine what her family would be like. She would have given anything to know where she came from. Nevertheless, right now she missed the time when she was oblivious to her lineage, when she didn't have a part in the story. Those were simpler times.

She decided to meditate. Tried to clear her mind as much as possible. A few moments of serenity were much needed. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. It took a while, but she finally reached the state of inner peace she wanted. The soft murmur of engines being the only company she had. Eventually she left the trance and fell into light sleep. But her rest wouldn't last long. Suddenly the door opened and Kylo Ren entered the room. She tensed immediately, waiting for some sort of outburst. It never happened. He gingerly approached the bed and sat down next to her. A weirdly intimate and absurd thing to do considering that they had fought each other merely hours ago. He wasn't sporting the mask. It occurred to her that it had been months since she had seen him from this close. The angry red scar she had given him had faded into a thin rosy line. He had dark circles under his eyes, probably because he wasn't getting enough sleep at night. He seemed calm, although wary.

—I'm not here to fight—he assured her. His voice was soft, slightly louder than a whisper.

—Good—truth was she felt drowsy and exhausted, she didn't want to start a fight either. All the rage had drained and she was left with a bitter sense of resignation.

—I wanted to give you this—he placed a bracelet in her hand, a simple black polymer band with a small oval-shaped screen—. It's a tracking device. It also measures some health parameters and can communicate messages.

—Are you actually expecting me to wear it?—She gave the bracelet back to him. As if he were expecting her to put her own shackles on.

—The choice is yours, but I highly suggest you to wear it, for your own safety—Ren almost seemed concerned. He placed the bracelet carefully on the bed.

—What happens now? What are we even doing?

—That's what I want to discuss with you—his dark eyes found hers—. I went to Exegol not long ago, found the Sith temple and personally met Palpatine. He offered to give me a new Empire, an army, a fleet of thousands of warships, all in exchange for killing you.

—Why are you telling me this? How am I supposed to trust you knowing that?

—Although tempting, it's not worth it. I won't serve him, neither I want to kill you.

—You literally tried to kill me on the desert of Pasaana days ago.

—I was just testing you.

—I felt your intentions, you actually considered it.

—And you almost killed me right after. Not that I'm holding a grudge or anything.

—Are we supposed to be even?

—Better, I hope we can finally be on the same side.

—You can't possibly-

—I meant it when I said that we could kill Palpatine together. I need you by my side in order to succeed.

—And what do you expect me to do?

—We can work together. I can train you.

—You just want to turn me to the dark side.

—If the light side is really where you belong, then you won't turn even if the darkness tempts you—he tried to take her hand, but she grimaced at his touch and stood up. He followed her shortly after, staring down at her—. You are scared that it will actually call you. It already does.

—Stop!

—You need to learn how to channel your rage and fear into something useful. The passion you have will make you stronger.

—I don't need any of that!

—The Force lightning you conjured is no Jedi talent. You'll only be able to control it from the dark side—Rey's eyes began to water at the memory—. If you want to keep accidentally murdering people, be my guest. You might also overexert yourself in the process.

—It was a one-time thing—Rey turned her back at him, crossing her arms. Her cheeks were burning, crossed by hot tears of shame.

—You may lie to me, but don't lie to yourself—Kylo placed his hands on her shoulders.

—Don't act like you know me. Nobody does—she shook off his touch.

—But I do.

Rey faced him again. A part of her wanted to believe him so badly. She missed this version of him, the softer one that had told her that she was not alone back then on Ahch-To. But she was no longer the naive girl she used to be. He had already disappointed her once. It had deeply hurt her.

It was taking all of Kylo Ren's self-control not to have an outburst. Rey was being impossible. They had a long way to go. Truth was he actually did know her. As she knew him. He had to show her the vulnerability she wanted to see in order to trust him. Not too much, though, as it would be too risky.

—I need your help—he whispered.

—Why?

—We are stronger together.

—Do you really believe this is gonna work?

—I think so.

—You don't sound so sure.

—I've seen what Palpatine is capable of doing. Cheating death, creating clones, raising an entire cult. He even confessed creating Snoke. I saw a couple of cloned bodies floating in a solution.

Rey felt sick. Being related to that monster was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Someone who had orchestrated the fall of the Republic, caused so many deaths, so much devastation… murdered her parents-he had order to execute his own son… and he was also responsible for Ben's downfall. How could someone cause such a huge chain of destruction?

—But there's still a chance we can overthrow him. His new body is an imperfect copy, rapidly deteriorating and bounded to Exegol—Kylo Ren continued explaining.

—Then why didn't you kill him there?

—I might have considered his offer for a while—he conceded. Of course he wouldn't miss the chance to be the new Emperor—. I highly doubt he would be that generous without an ulterior motivation.

Rey had to agree with that last part. Although it was a lot to process in such a short span of time, she was beginning to put some pieces together. What didn't make sense was the fact that Palpatine hadn't insisted on killing her when she was younger. Why now? Was she really such a menace to the Sith? A half-trained sort of Jedi?

—With him alive the Rule of Two cannot be fulfilled. Besides, we already are the dyad that was prophesied. Our connection is way better than a simple bond between a master and an apprentice.

Rey needed to know why he seemed to be so obsessed with that concept. She had avoided that particular elephant in the room for long enough.

—What do you mean by that?—she was annoyed by the fact that she had to ask him that many questions. She was slowly assuming the apprentice role. He smirked at the thought. She had to be more careful with her mind shields. Being this close to him made it harder.

—Yes, you should probably practice how to protect your mind more effectively.

—Are you going to tell me or not?

—Are you willing to learn?—he looked at her dead in the eyes. His gaze was intense, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of making her look away.

—Yes.

A/N: Hello! Thank you all for reading. Special thanks to the guest who wrote a review on the first chapter! Is always nice to have some feedback.