Star Wars Ep VIII : The New Empire

Chapter 31: The Familial Force

He stands alone in the middle of the enormous chamber, shuddering. He takes the hilt of his new lightsaber from his belt, turning and tilting it anxiously in his hands. His clammy palms leave a faint sheen on the dark metal.

He sucks in a breath as the hulking hologram flickers on before him. He clumsily shoves the saber back into the hilt at his side. Building courage against his racing heartbeat, his eyes shift upwards to the glowing apparition.

"Kylo Ren," the voice booms. "Your first mission approaches. You shall join the militant ranks and the other Knights to oversee their collection of new Stormtroopers."

Ren hesitates to speak, his eyes shifting away. "I do not yet feel ready, Master," he says.

"Nonsense!" The Supreme Leader bellows. "Your training has gone well. You shall use your powers with the Force to punish those who resist us."

"But...those who are innocent? I...I..." He trails, an obvious tremor in his voice.

The Supreme Leader leans forward on his mighty throne, sneering down at Ren. "Anyone who resists us is our enemy. Your weakness displeases me. It comes from your upbringing. Your father."

Ren flinches, turning his face away from the Supreme Leader. As if he could hide the moisture welling in his eyes.

"You have only begun your training, and already you have great promise," Snoke said, raising back up to his full upright posture. "But perhaps you are correct. Perhaps you are not yet ready."

Ren looked abruptly up at the Supreme Leader, a youthful flash of hope in his eyes.

Snoke pointed a giant finger down at the young boy. "You shall continue your training on Drecenia, with the new legion of Snowtroopers."

Ren jolted, his head shaking. "Wha—Drecenia? No, not there," he protested.

Snoke raising his head defiantly. "To teach you discipline and strengthen your resolve, it must be done. Guards," he prompted, and a large group of stormtroopers marched into the chamber, heading swiftly towards Ren.

Ren looked nervously between the approaching squadron and the Supreme Leader. "No, please, not Drecenia!" He begged, a tear streaming down his face.

"Until you can learn to overcome your juvenile attachments," Snoke hissed, his hologram beginning to flicker from view.

"No, I don't want to go!" Ren cried, struggling against the troopers as they roughly forced his arms behind his back. "I want to go home!"

Ben jolted upright in the small bed, panting and sweating. His eyes hastily searched the room for danger, but he let out a shaky breath, relieved that it had just been a nightmare. He rubbed a hands against his head, wiping the perspiration from his hairline. Not just a nightmare, he reflected. A memory.

He stretched slowly as he got out of the bed, pushing the dark flashbacks out of his mind. His thoughts began to focus instead on recent hours, when Rey had come to his bed. Ben sighed deeply, running a frustrated hand through his hair. It had taken all of his willpower, all of his being to refrain from kissing her, from keeping her in his bed, from bringing her back to it after he'd pushed her out. It went against all of his overwhelming impulses, but he knew what he had to do.

His body stiffened at the wanton images floating through his mind, of Rey in his arms, her body bare and soft against his own. Her warm breaths against his face, her lustrous eyes gazing up from beneath him.