Kylo casually tossed Skurn across the training room as if she were nothing. "I thought you were trained, now show me you can fight!"
The bounty hunter groaned and sat up with a glare. "Why do I have to train? Hiring me to fight doesn't mean training!"
He lifted his hand and watched her grasp at her throat for breath. "You will obey me unless you wish to die... Is that understood?"
She gasped for breath as he released his hold before answering. "Y-yes... I u-understand."
"Good." Kylo nodded. "Now try again."
"I can't use the Force, I don't know why you want me to try but nothing is happening." He could sense the anger in her and smirked under his helmet, oh, she would... the power was strong if she could just use it.
"All you need is a push." Kylo forced his way into her mind, blocking out her screams of pain as he brought forth painful memory after painful memory, he needed to know why she wouldn't use her abilities... or at least why they were being concentrated on herself.
He found himself in a small house with a chill that crept in from the cold world outside. Skurn's child like self was currently cringing as her parents fought in the other room, even at the age of three she had been aware they were arguing about her.
"That child is a monster, I should have stayed in the Mandalore system and let you keep her." A woman's voice hissed.
"Our child is no monster unless you make her one." A man with dark hair burst from the other room while shooting a glare over his shoulder.
"Dad?" Skurn gave him a nervous look, her body shaking.
Kylo watched her father pick her up. "It's fine Zeh, Mommy is just stressed."
"Why does she hate me?" The small child asked, tucking her face into his shoulder. "Is it because I got mad and broke something?"
"No, of course not. She just needs time to calm down, she didn't know what she was saying."
Kylo pushed through the memory, bored by it, until another one appeared where it showed her parents arguing once more... it appeared to only be a few weeks later. Skurn was huddled in the corner with wide fear filled eyes as she listened to them fighting.
Suddenly she jumped up and ran between them. "Stop! Stop fighting!"
She held out her hands as if to push them apart, which was amusing considering her size, but what peaked his interest was what happened. When her arms raised her parents flew back into opposite directions... and there was a sound of bones snapping as her father hit the wall. Skurn lowered her arms, shaking violently in fear at what she'd done before running towards her father.
"Dad? Dad, are you okay? Dad, answer me!" Skurn's face was full of pain and panic, her arms crossed against her chest with her hands in fists... scared of hurting him.
Kylo could see from where he was that the father was dead... his neck snapped. Skurn's mother however, was not so dead. Rage filled the woman's eyes and Kylo saw her snatch a knife off the counter before stalking towards her daughter.
"You monster. I always knew you were more like your father than me!"
Skurn whirled around to face her mother just as the knife came down, Kylo saw blood rain down on the floor as a gash appeared that ran from her jaw line to collar bone. The child staggered back in confusion and anger, holding her hand to the wound until it was stained red as well. Kylo turned to the mother, what idiot would see what their child did as a monster? Didn't that woman realize what kind of power her daughter had? Anger seeped into him but he knew nothing he said would mean anything here.
"M-mom?" Skurn fell to the ground as her skin turned paler and paler.
"Go to your room while I deal with this!" She snarled. "You better hope I don't toss you out to freeze!"
In his grip Skurn struggled and jerked to get away from him but Kylo used the force to hold her still before going back into her mind... Just a few more memories, he could feel the anger building up in her, the Force was already battering at his attack and soon that weak defense would turn into a hatred filled attack. After that she would be ready to train.
"Use your anger Skurn." He instructed harshly. "It isn't yourself you hate."
The next memory he dragged out was a year later in Zeh's childhood, the scar from her attack stood out against her pale skin as she was literally kicked out of the house and into the snowy land of the small village... it couldn't have had more than ten people living there, not that Kylo blamed others for staying away. Hoth wasn't the best place to live easily.
"If I ever see you again, I'll kill you." The door slammed shut as her mom disappeared into the warm house.
Skurn's form was shaking from the pain of her beaten form more than the cold as she failed to get back to her feet. Kylo could feel the anger already being deflected back at her own mind, causing even more pain, and glared at the house. That wretch of a mother was the reason he couldn't train this bounty hunter properly! He wanted to hunt her down and torture her himself.
A dark cloaked figure came into the scene as he was about to move on from the memory and Kylo watched them crouch down to help Skurn, who flinched as they reached out their deathly pale hand.
"What has your mother done to you? You're broken." The cloaked man growled before rising to his feet. "Stay here. I'll deal with her."
Skurn shivered and raised her head. "W-who are y-you?"
"Your father of course. Didn't she tell you anything?" Kylo narrowed his eyes, that voice sounded slightly familiar. "No, of course not. She always did try to make a normal family once I left but that man you killed was in no way related to you. She had it coming... losing someone she cared for."
They took out a lightsaber and activated it, a golden glowing blade appearing. Kylo had heard of blades like that, powerful Jedi used them... but if this man was a Jedi then why didn't it feel like it? The Jedi was giving off the vibe of the Dark Side... perhaps he was a new Sith without time to change his weapon's color? He wanted to follow the man inside but as it was Skurn's memory he was trapped outside, forced to listen as a feminine scream came from inside followed by two thuds as the body and head hit the floor, Kylo knew that sound well after all the enemies he'd fought.
"M-mom?" Skurn limped forward, fear and worry in her gaze.
The Jedi appeared as the door opened and he stepped outside, Kylo was getting even more frustrated as he tried to figure out who the mysterious man was only to have a shadow across his face. "Zeh, come with me. I can teach you how to control the Force, not fear it."
"Y-you k-killed her..." Skurn staggered away from the man, two steps back for every step he took. "S-stay away!"
"She deserved to die and you know it!" His voice was cold. "Now come here, Skurn, I just want to help you. I could make you powerful like me. I can fix what she broke, let me put you back together."
To his confusion, Skurn continued to back away before turning and running off completely. The Jedi took off after her but Kylo watched as Skurn turned a corner and ran around the edge of a house before jumping onto various objects above the snow and landing on the roof. The Jedi came to a stop and looked around once he saw the end of the tracks, anger radiated off of him.
"Zeh Skurn, come here now!" He lowered his voice, forcing it to stay calm. "I'm not your enemy Zeh, I only want to help you... come out and I can explain everything."
Skurn didn't move as much as Kylo wanted her to and a few minutes later the Jedi left with one last glare back at where he'd lost the child. Once he was out of sight Skurn half climbed and half fell down to the ground before limping off into the cold snow and away from the small village.
"Never... I'll never go back..." She spoke through clenched teeth as she searched the landscape. "It should be here... s-somewhere..."
Wherever she had been trying to go however never appeared. The village had disappeared behind her and Kylo was mildly impressed that such a young girl could have gone so far, especially as weak as she was. But now the small figure in the snow was lying motionless on the ground, the cold flakes that were almost always falling on Hoth were covering her... Then the memory faded out into white.
Kylo was ripped from her mind and crashed into the opposite wall as Skurn unleashed her rage. It had been stronger than he'd expected, good, very pleasing... now if he could get her to control that power. Getting back to his feet however, he found the bounty hunter on the floor jerking before going still while her eyes glazed over. Scowling he walked over to her.
"Get up, training isn't over!" Kylo kicked her in the ribs, wondering if he'd been too rough when he'd gone into her mind... He certainly didn't want to face Snoke's wrath if he had caused permanent damage.
Skurn turned to face him, fury in her still dazed eyes. "No..."
He dragged her to her feet. "We will train unless you want to end up dead, without anyone to miss you. It would be so easy to dispose of you too; no one cares if a bounty hunter dies! They're scum, picking up jobs from shady people just to survive!"
"We have our code and the Sith have theirs." Skurn backed away from him. "So back off!"
Kylo smirked and gave a satisfied nod. "Use that hatred, you saw what you can do, what you just did... But without me you can't dream of learning to control it. Now get back to training."
A war went through her mind as indecision flashed across her face before she gave in. "Alright... Just so I can control it, after that I'm done."
"We shall see bounty hunter." Kylo backed away as he prepared to start another round of training.
Sorry about the inconsistent updates guys, life has been a bit busy. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!