𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑-𝐎𝐈𝐃 | Kylo Ren

chapter nine

After Han Solo and Finn filled me inn on their part of the story, I understood why Ben had taken Rey after all. She had seen the map, and knowing how he could use the Force to read into peoples minds, it was just as easy to take Rey, as it was to take BB-8.

I sat at a table, watching Chewie and Finn play some game or other, and let out a little chuckle as Finn won. Chewie growled and stood up angrily, storming off to have some form of frustrated Wookie tantrum. Finn laughed after the Wookie and turned to me.

"So, you seem to know everyone around here, what's the story?"

"Not much to tell really." I say.

"Come on, you know the legend, Han Solo himself, you know Rey, and somehow you know the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren himself and escaped totally unscathed from his personal ship. You gotta fill in the blanks for me, darling." Finn grins. Despite everything, I chuckle. 

"Well, I grew up on Chandrila with the Solo's. Ben and I were very close growing up, but when he was sent away for Jedi Training with Luke Skywalker, I was sold to Unkar Plutt on Jakku. We didn't see each other after that until a couple days ago when his men captured me on Jakku. Of course, when he realized it was me, he wanted to let me go, but he still needed information I would not give him, and information he was not willing to force out of me. So I stayed there, partly as a prisonor and partly as a guest."  I give Finn a look as to say thats it.

"How can a man like Kylo Ren care so much for some random childhood friend. The stories about him are ruthless. It just doesn't correlate." Finn say exasperated.

"Ben and I were very close, Finn." I bite my lip as he raises his eyesbrows. "You have to understand that Ben is a good guy, but he feels too much. Too much anger and too much fear. That's was made him so suseptibale to the dark side.  And now, somehow, he finds himself in a position of ultimate power, and is overcome with it. I thought I had managed to change his mind, but it turns out, I was wrong." I feel the pit in my stomach drop at the thought of Ben. It is still a wonder to me how he is the Supreme Leader. Ben Solo, of all people. "But I know there is still good in him. He can still be saved." I whisper.

"It sounds like you really care about him." Finn says.

"I do. But I can't let him get to Rey, something he already has. I know he won't hurt me, so I have to get there before he can go back on his promise and won't hurt her."

"You think he'll keep to that promise?" Finn asks quickly.

"I dont know. I really dont."

________

Ben.

I watch as the scavanger girl begins to wake, and can't help but feel deja vu from when I watched Aster in a similar situation. The moment I returned to the ship, I went to check on her, to bring her to Rey, but she wasn't there. She was nowhere to be found. Gone, and I don't know if she is safe or not. When I entered the empty room and could no longer sense her on the ship, I couldn't stop myself from trashing the whole room with my saber. After so many years, and I had finally gotten her back, I lost her once more in a matter of days.

And now, I sat in a room with the person Aster had begged me not to hurt, pleaded, and I knew I would not be able to injur the scavenger. I couldn't get the look in Asters eyes out of my head. As she pleaded with her entire soul that I not hurt this girl. Even if Aster did somehow run away from me, it was to save this girl. 

The scavenger Rey, began to move, trying to get her limbs out of the restraints to no avail. Her eyes flew open and her stare went straight through my mask. 

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Kylo Ren." The expression on her face changed dramaticly and I sensed the fear that replaced her determination. 

"You're Rey." I said, the mechanical voice ringing through the room.

"How do you know my name? " Rey asked calmly, not trying to break free, but just looking straight through me. 

"Tell me, where Luke Skywalker is." Her eyes widened and I couldn't help but let her expression remind me of Aster. 

"Take of the mask." She said instead of answering. Judging by her surprised expression, she hadn't expected me to listen, and as I removed the mask completely from my head, her eyes widened.

"Tell me where Luke Skywalker is." I said again.

"No." I raised my brows. This was taking too long. I reached out with the Force, to try and read her mind, but was, to my surprise, met with resistance.

It was my turn to widen my eyes. She had the Force. 

"If you're Kylo Ren, you took Aster. Tell me where she is!" Rey said, startling me out of my shock.

"Tell me where she is!" Rey said again when I didn't reply.

"I don't know." I replied.

"How can you not know? Aren't you the Supreme Leader? Shouldn't you know about everyones whereabouts?" She asked desperatly. I realized suddenly how much they cared about each other, and felt a twinge of worry for Asters whereabouts, since she really truly had just dissapeared.

"Tell me about the map leading to Luke Skywalker." I said once more, trying to reach through with the Force. Again I met resistance. It didn't even look like she was aware of what she was doing. That would explain why Aster had not mentioned anything about Rey having the Force.

"Why should I tell you?"

"I deserve to know." I said, feeling the anger find it's way to the surface.

"You've killed countless people and instilled fear among many more. How can you possibly think you deserve anything." I was momentarily stunned by her words.

"Aster is someone who deserves everything, and if I found out you've done anything to hurt her, you won't be in a position to deserve anything ever again, because you will be six feet under ground." Fear filled my chest, not due to Reys words, but due to the fact that I didn't know where Aster was.

"Aster is gone." I say, standing up and putting my helmet back on.

"Hey, what do you mean, gone?" I ignore her. "Where is she! Please, you have to tell me!" Rey shouts, for the first time loosing her cool. I ignore her and let the doors close behind me.