Force Destiny

Betrayal

Snoke. Sidious?

"No..." Rey staggered backward, slamming into his desk behind her as her entire body was seized with panic. The tumblers crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. Kylo could have softened the fall or even halted it completely, but his attention was fully focused on her. "No, Ben, he... he can't come back."

"Rey..." Kylo stood, grasping her arm to ground her before her terror gave way to darkness. He was calm, rational, but he didn't know what she knew. Kylo didn't know the damage Snoke had already done in death; she had almost killed the man she loved because of that creature. She couldn't fathom the full implication of Snoke's true identity yet, but she was beginning to understand the depths of his obsession with the legacy of Darth Vader, the Skywalkers and Ben Solo.

Oh, Ben. How long had he known about the machine? How long had he known Snoke was Darth Sidious? Rey couldn't be angry with him, not when she kept the whisper from him. She wanted to tell him about the identity of the whisper in the darkness, but she feared what that would do to him. What if revealing that secret brought Sidious back to torture his thoughts again? She couldn't do that to him.

As Kylo gripped her arm, she felt the Force vibrating between them at every point of contact. Through his touch flowed a calming warmth. She was doing it again; she was drawing on his light. Unlike the last time she had accessed his light over the bond, she wasn't using it to repair an injury, but to fight the darkness. She remembered how he had reacted before – how he recoiled in unrestrained disgust. Refusing to meet his stare, she gently removed her arm from his grip before he could push her away.

Kylo moved his hands to her shoulders and dipped his head, catching her gaze, so she could see the truth in his eyes. There was only concern there. For her. He cared more about reassuring her than how he was doing it. "I won't let him come back," he said. "I killed him to protect us; to protect you after you flew half-way across the galaxy to protect me. I promise you, I would die to protect you from him, Rey."

The look in his eye was heavy with implication. He cared. It might not have been in the way she cared about him, but there was no denying that he did care. Guilt rolled in her stomach. He would die to protect her from Sidious, but he had no idea that the creature was already inside her head. She should have trusted him, more than anyone, because he knew what that was like.

It wasn't too late; Kylo could still help her, and maybe she could help him, too. If she could draw upon his light to fight the darkness, maybe he could draw on hers. They could help each other, but he would have to trust her. That would require her to be trustworthy. And she knew what stood in her way. She had to find the courage to tell him the truth, about the voices in her head, even if she knew what it could do.

"Ben, there's something I need to –"

Before she could finish, his comlink beeped once, and she heard his general's nasally voice. "Supreme Leader!"

Kylo released her shoulders and his demeanor visibly changed. A tension immediately snapped through him as he straightened. The gentleness of his features transformed into a hardened mask. "What have I told you about interrupting meetings, Hux!"

"I was made aware of the little detour off course authorized under your orders, my lord, but we have just received an urgent report from our allies. I'm certain a platoon would be more than adequate to aid you in your quest to recover the 'dark side' weapon –

"Damn it, Bazine..." Kylo growled under his breath,

"–and a better use of resources. If it is absolutely necessary for our military to stay the course to collect your five billion credit purchase, then it is imperative to authorize my use of the command shuttle so I can leave immediately to attend to your failure." Kylo's eyes flashed with the same raw fear that settled in her chest. What if the First Order had somehow found the Resistance or Dantooine? If the Resistance was captured, was there anything Kylo could do to protect them?