The Prettiest Star - Star Wars - Kylo Ren

XXII

Days had passed since their defeat at the ice planet. Kylo had suspended any further skirmishes and distanced himself from both Aya and his own troops. Concerned, Aya walked the hallways of the Star Destroyer alone, in deep thought over the proposal of the Starkiller Base. The First Order were rapidly increasing in size and power, she needed to make a move soon or else it might be too late.

It was the dawn of a new day when she stepped out of her room. No news or message had arrived from Kylo so she assumed she had yet another day to herself. Standing in the hallway, she felt a tug begging her to look towards the right. Over the months she had been staying there, not once had she walked down the right of the corridor. It stood there, a gaping mouth of darkness, having not changed since the first time she stepped into her room.

Deciding that she could afford to waste her time walking down darkened corridors, Aya turned and began to walk down it. Her mind wandered as she walked slowly down the hallway. She was lit only by the light emitted from the stars peeking in through the strip windows. The carpet crunched slightly under her feet as she walked. Soon she came across the familiar turning that led into a complete void of darkness. Not hesitating for a second. she walked straight into the wall of shadow.

Aya could not even see her hand if she stretched it out in front of her. But she didn't as she could sense the walls beside her. The carpet still crunched lightly beneath her feet and she could hear the sound of her arms brushing against her sides. She stopped at a turning. A single blue light sat clung to the ceiling at the junction. It let out a cold pool of light that faded once more into darkness. Turning left, she continued to walk.

This part of the ship was eerily deserted. Every now and then she would come across another blue light at yet another turning. For what seemed like forever, she walked in complete shadow. She occasionally tried the doors that were situated along the walls only to find them locked. However, at one point she felt a presence behind one of the doors that she passed.

Stopping, she gently walked towards it, listening out for any large sounds. Nothing. Tentatively, she tried the door and it slid open. The room was a medium-sized hall that had been made into a small training room. Devices and dummies hung on the walls but stopped at the large window that ran along the length of the room. It was the main source of light, casting a cold glow on the interior. But that wasn't the only thing lighting the room.

In the centre, atop a wide platform, Kylo Ren stood. He wore an expressionless face, with his eyes closed, and no helmet to conceal him. In his hands lay his flickering lightsaber, that he gracefully swung in large but powerful arcs. It cast great moving shadows and covered the room in a veil of red. Deciding not to interfere, Aya stood and watched as he moved. His mind was buzzing with activity. But she could feel him calming it down, sorting it out. He was putting everything into place and smothering anything that got in the way.

He stopped moving after gradually noticing her presence. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down to her, his expression was unreadable. Aya bowed slightly and spoke softly, aware that she was disturbing a perfectly content silence. "Apologies, Sir."

He sighed and turned the lightsaber around in his hands, looking down at it. "I dislike it when you call me that." His voice held a gentle tone that was foreign to her. The state of meditation that Aya had interrupted had placed him in an unusual frame of mind. "You are not my inferior, there is no need for pointless formality."

She smiled. "I'm sorry," It struck her that it was the first time she had uttered his first name. "Kylo."

Aya felt his mind shudder slightly at the sound. In his solitude, he had not heard his name spoken in months. It was in that moment that she realised how alone he actually was. The First Order was a cold, loveless place. He sat atop it all, seperated from everyone. "I don't know how you do it." She hardly realised she was speaking, her words spilled out as soon as they came. "Live so alone in a place like this."