Star Wars- In another Life.

Chapter 10- The First Order

Upon Exogol, the owner of the mysterious voice smiled, blackened lips and teeth; the smile of one dead or decaying- for he was. Once more, his physical form was failing him, but soon, there would be someone to take the place of his clones. He'd felt the awakening, and now they grew stronger; he could feel it.

"As Ben Solo grows stronger, his equal will rise," Palpatine purred to his apprentice Snoke.

"In the dark, my master?" Snoke's image asked him.

Palpatine did not know why, but he had no foresight around the Solo boy and his creation. His Contingency and his plans all rode upon his ability to take control of the rising power he'd created in the Force, on their bond with the heir to Skywalker and yet for all his planning, the future was a fog of uncertainty. His creation was an unknown and lost entity somewhere in the galaxy. It was a problem that only time and patience would solve time thankfully he had plenty of.

"Unclear, much of the one rising is shrouded to me. Curious, I created them, yet they are a mystery to me, but they are linked to the Solo boy, that is clear. You have done well, my apprentice, in your training of him; he is a powerful ally, a formidable presence in the dark, perhaps even stronger than his Uncle or Grandfather. His ability to use his former training and that which you have bestowed is most impressive."

"Thank you, my master," Snoke's image replied with a bow of his deformed head.

"However, he is not truly of the dark. There is much conflict in him; he uses it well, but should he choose to betray us, to change his allegiance, the consequences would be disastrous."

"What is it that you wish, my master?" Snoke's holographic projection asked.

"Complete the Solo's boy's turn to the dark. His allegiance his loyalty cannot be questionable. Make him cut all ties with his former life. He must be ours."

Snoke's blue digital form nodded its grim and scarred face, and Sidious was left in the darkness of the citadel. The pipes in his arms feed his existence deep within the ground. He felt into the Force again, searching for the answers to his questions. After all this time, after all he'd learnt, why were some things still a mystery to him? Why could he not see his creation and the future clearly?

-X-

"You are not in control. You are confused, unsure of your convictions, filled with doubt," Snoke would say as he held Kylo in the air over the edge of a rocky cliff. "Powerless men often turn to anger; they lash out blindly in their rage, but powerful beings can harness their rage and use it to strike or fall."

He let Kylo fall, and below him were shards of rock like glass; Kylo was going to be speared upon those rocks and die.

"Use your fear, let it crystallise into anger and turn that anger into power!"

Ben was about to smash against the splintered stone, his arms out to protect himself. He called upon the Force and stopped his descent, his face almost touching the tallest peak.

"You didn't die then?"

"Would you have caught me if I hadn't caught myself?" Kylo asked.

"Skywalker would have, and in doing so, would've held you back. I need more from you. I need you to find your true potential and power if you are to rule at my side. Come." Snoke walked away towards the shuttle they'd come in, and for a moment, Kylo watched him.

"Where are we going?" Kylo Ren asked his master as they entered the shuttle.

"To continue your training elsewhere. To challenge you to face what is holding you back. You will fail, or you will kill it."