Two hours later, Kylo Ren found himself in the company of Vicar, Paz, Hux, Makeem, and 4 of Vicar's strongest guardsmen.
It irritated Kylo beyond thought knowing that Rey was being held captive, and that she was not in his sight. The oncoming events made his annoyance grow, ready to get the day over with.
"That scum is mad." Vicar hissed, rolling his arm around, trying to get any feeling back in it.
They all sat onboard Vicar's ship, still docked at Cinnon'Ra, the large conference room reminded Kylo almost too much of Snoke's throne room, though this one was silver and dark blue, and the group's throne-like chairs were all aligned in formation on the top level, overseeing all that went on in the room.
From the middle, Vicar cursed loudly as a medical droid attempted to stitch his wound close, the large cut still bleeding from his shoulder. Without hesitation, Vicar grabbed the droid by its neck and threw it over the edge of their platform, a few seconds later, random bits and screws flew everywhere as it clashed to the ground, immediately breaking the bot.
"She will pay. I say we feed her to the ithorian sharks." Paz called from the far end.
Kylo's fist clenched even harder, glaring at the wall across the room. It took all he had not to rip the woman to shreds. After Rey told Kylo of Paz's plan to murder him once Vicar was handled, his anger grew, especially when she spoke.
"No. Too quick." Vicar huffed, snarling at the thought of the young Jedi scum he was going to deal with.
Next to Kylo, Makeem shifted in his seat, a small smirk playing on his face. "Not too quick for me, though."
At this, Vicar grunted, nearly laughing. The boy's cockiness always amused him.
The group grew silent, only for a moment, but in the silence is when Vicar noticed something.
"Kylo, you're quiet." Vicar stated, turning to eye him as he wordlessly demanded an explanation.
Kylo slowly blinked, his only way of avoiding the instinct to roll his eyes. "This girl is the one who killed our previous Supreme Leader. Caution is advised." He replied, eyes focusing on the wall again, bored and agitated.
The last bit of the statement was true.
Kylo knew this for a fact.
Rey was not in control of her powers, or of the force. She was a wildcard, and unpredictable. Hell, the events of today proved exactly that.
"You're saying she has more tricks up her sleeve? Ha! Wait until she sees mine." Vicar scoffed at Kylo, and from the corner of his eye, he watched as Vicar turned to give a single nod to General Hux, who was standing behind both him and Kylo. Hux gave him a sadistic smile, returning the nod.
In that instant, Kylo knew it to be true.
Hux and Vicar were working together, on what, he was not sure.
Kylo's blood grew hot, stinging from the inside out as his anger boiled. He would not be able to push into Vicar's mind. He knew Vicar was much too strong for that, and Hux was bold enough to continue his own block, finding ways to think of anything else but what Kylo wanted.
In a moment like this, Kylo cursed Snoke for the constant abuse he gave to Hux, unknowingly building Hux's strength against force users.
Kylo cursed himself as well, having not seen what was truly happening.
Angry, bored, and overall humiliated from having to waste his time with these games, Kylo turned to Vicar, prepared to end it all, easily.
One force choke, one stab from his lightsaber, and the child would be gone.
The only thing that stopped his hand, mid raise, was Vicar calling out to the tall, wide man that stood behind him, his wardrobe similar to Vicar's stylish one.
"Bring the rat. I'm ready." he sneered, clenching his fist and bringing to his chin.
Foolishly, Kylo was reminded that she was here. That Rey was here.
The resemblance of this moment compared to Snoke's throne room left a bad taste in his mouth, as he was in the same position, a spectator for the mind games that was about to occur.
"And Sano?" Vicar called out to the man. Kylo's eyes drifted toward him, eyeing the one Vicar was talking to. There was something about the name that seemed to set off some warning in the back of Kylo's mind, though right now, he wasn't able to place the familiarity. "Bring the device." Vicar said, smirking.
Kylo's brow twitched as his mind raced.
How could he watch this take place? In fact, he wasn't even sure what was going to be taking place. He wasn't sure of anything, for the first time in his life, he questioned himself. He questioned absolutely everything. Was the way he felt about Rey enough to disrupt the process of the new order? How did he even feel about R-
As if on cue, the one named Sano entered the lower level of the room, his tight grip already bruising the arm of Rey, who was in handcuffs.
Kylo took a quick second to glance over her, taking note of every cut and bruise. Every guard and member of the Knights leaned forward, their faces pointed down to get a good look at the one who attempted to kill them.
Rey yanked her arm out from Sano's grip, huffing at him as she spared him her glare, and instead giving the cold look to the ones above her, who were all staring down at her with annoyed curiosity.
"Filth." Paz said under her breath, tossing the remaining contents of her drink down at Rey's feet.
Rey glanced down to the spilled drink and back to Paz, a smirk teasing her face.
Something about the unrelenting and uncaring look made Paz sit back in her seat.
The room sat silent for a long minute, everyone staring down at the small, young woman who caused so much havoc just hours before.
Rey, however, never took her eyes off of Vicar.
Gently, Kylo attempted a push into her mind, only to be greeted by pure static, a block bigger than she had mustered up before, so much so that he was not able to pick up on any emotion she felt whatsoever.
It angered him, yet also concerned him.
"Well," Vicar began, licking at his lips. "Who sent you?"
Rey scoffed, glancing to the floor to hide a dimpled smile before looking at him once more.
Not needing the force to see, Kylo felt Vicar's confidence waiver, just slightly.
"Something funny?" He demanded, leaning forward in his seat, his own hand gripping his knee to keep from lashing out.
Rey shrugged, her face bored. "Just thought you'd come up with something better."
Vicar's eyes narrowed, jaw clenching. "Yes, and I expected more of you. Managing to sneak into a crime filled city, undetected, just to throw stars at your enemy?" Vicar roared with laughter. "You Jedi are losing your touch."
From his chair, Kylo noticed Rey's jaw tense before she replied.
"Well, it's all part of the plan." Rey said, amused.
The response got everyone's attention.
Paz leaned over to whisper something into Vicar's ear, who was only half listening. Hux looked form his left to his right to ensure his guards were on standby, and Makeem could do nothing but grin admiringly down at the girl.
For a moment, Kylo felt a sense of pride. Rey's confidence filled every corner of the room, and it was thrilling to witness, knowing that this was close to the power he had seen her wield in the vision when they had touched hands.
Excitement and anticipation floated aimlessly through the air, accompanying the silence as Vicar glared down at the girl for a moment.
"Plan? I doubt it." Vicar sneered.
Rey smirked.
"We'll see." was all she said. Vicar's glare turned black and cold as he wordlessly nodded to Sano as he spoke.
"Well, I always believed the best way to beat a Jedi, is to disorient and weaken them first."
Quickly, Rey braced herself as best she could, her hands still cuffed in front of her. From her side, Sano knocked her out once again with the end of some odd shaped blaster.
That was the last thing Rey saw before she fell to the ground, unconscious.
( X )
It was only minutes later.
Kylo watched as Rey lay on the ground, a small amount of blood trickling down the side of her temple.
This was what he was dreading.
The games.
"Now." Vicar called down to Sano.
Kylo watched the events unfold before him, anger boiling and stinging in every inch of his body.
Sano leaned down and grabbed Rey's arm again, his finger noticeably and purposefully digging into her flesh as he held the taser to her ribcage and zapped her awake. Rey cried out as she came to, her teeth clenched as her body shook.
Kylo quickly jumped on the opportunity and felt out the presence she held in the force, still unable to see her mind, though he did feel how exhausted she felt, and the instant pain that coursed through her.
Unbelievably, Kylo watched again as Sano repeated the same process, knocking her out, and electrocuting her awake.
Her bones were shaking, her skin felt as though she was being pricked a thousand times over by needles, and her head was throbbing so, so much.
By the third time, Rey struggled to simply open her eyes, her ribcage too sore to help her get up. The only way she got onto her wobbly feet was by Sano pulling her up by her arm, and she guess he was digging his fingers into her flesh again, but she was too numb to be sure.
After a moment, Rey caught her breath, spitting out the blood that filled her mouth from clenching her teeth so hard.
Vicar aimed to disorient and weaken her, and shamefully, she wordlessly admitted he won.
He roared with laughter, everyone around him joined in, all except for Kylo, who stared down at her, unmoving with his face and eyes blank.
"My, my. That was fun." Vicar said, smirking. Rey watched the floor, her head almost too heavy to look up towards them.
"Now, let's begin, shall we?" He called to her. Rey gulped, knowing that this was nothing compared to what he truly had in store.
It was okay...truly...it had to be. All she needed to do here was hold out and buy time.
She was the only one who would be able to.
People were counting on her.
Rey kept reminding herself of this fact, her surroundings slowly coming back into her line of sight. She was fully conscious now, aware of Sano as he quickly left her, and only a moment later, joined the rest of them on the high platform.
'Remember your training...'
Rey's head whipped up.
The voice...
She heard the voice early on the Falcon, and now, she was hearing it again.
Kylo's eyes slightly narrowed at her, and he discreetly glanced around to see what caught her attention, failing to see anything.
He was aware she was regaining her composure, her consciousness slowly creeping back, andit was faster than Vicar was expecting.
Setting his gaze back to Rey, he noticed how still she grew, obviously searching for something through the force, one step behind Kylo, who was already doing such and still coming across nothing.
From behind the main entrance, boots shuffled around, the sound of swords and chains clinking against one another. The Knights all looked towards Vicar, who was still staring down at Rey, a smug smile plastered to his face now.
"The entertainment has arrived." He said, never blinking.
The doors flew open, and in came one hundred guardsmen that belonged to Vicar, handpicked for an occasion like this. Each gathered themselves into a formation that circled Rey, their weapons all raised and ready for battle. Sharp edges and points were feet away from her, yet she still stood there as if nothing was happening, her face concerned with what she heard. Her eyes stayed to the ground, her ear practically perked.
Kylo wanted to shout at her, to get her focus steady, to warn her.
Instead, he finally leaned forward just like the others, trying to shove his way into her mind, threatening the static he kept being defeated by.
His jaw clenched, and brows knitted together in anger as his nostrils flared.
Why wasn't she paying attention?!
And that's when he felt it.
( X )
She could hear the men climbing into the room, she could hear the scuffs of their boots hitting the floor, and she could hear the sharp sounds of their swords and staffs as they pointed them all to her.
But, she couldn't hear anything else.
Where was it...
The voice...
The voice...
Rey closed her eyes, quickly tuning into the force as if it were a simple button she had pushed so many times. It was easy, it was instinctual.
She felt the grey, and the cold wispy air.
The dust particles that drifted invisibly through the atmosphere seemed to stand still, frozen in time just as she was floating amongst stars and clouds, stuck in a corner of space and time.
"There you are."
Her eyes shot open, and she realized she was back on the island she had imagined so many times in her life.
Green grass filled every piece of land she could see, tall trees hiding her from the sun. White, purple and blue flowers sprung from the green. There was color... everywhere.
Rey couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face, and she noticed in the back of her mind that her face no longer hurt.
Glancing down, she saw she was in her normal white and beige wear, her bandages on her arms taking their rightful place.
Again, Rey smiled, feeling as though it had been ages since she felt like this, like herself.
Turning around, she saw a man leaning against a tree, turned to her direction but not looking directly at her. Timidly, she stepped closer, glancing around to see if this was like her other dreams, or if Anakin or Obi Wan were around, though she came to the realization that they were alone here.
Closer now, Rey noticed his eyes were a light blue color, reminding her of crystals almost. In this galaxy, she had never come across such a color on a human before, and sheepishly, she wondered if that was a normal eye color.
"It is not, but then again, I am blind. Who knows for sure." He said, reading her mind.
Rey's brow raised, intrigued.
"Blind?" She asked cautiously, studying his face.
He chuckled. "Yes, that is so. My name is Chirrut Imwe. And you..." He trailed off, looking past Rey now.
"I'm Rey." she said, smiling.
Again, he chuckled. "No. You are lost."
Her smile faded, and she blinked several times at him. She was on the island she had created, how was it that she was lost now?
"It's not that simple. You have no place to go, and so, you are here. You are here, in nowhere."
Rey looked at him, dumbfounded. Glancing away, she tried to make sense of what he was saying, coming up with nothing in the end, and growing irritated by the silence.
"What do you mean?" she asked finally, frustrated.
"Though this is a nice place, I imagine, this island is of your own creation. You didn't aim to come here, you just wound up here. Hence, being lost." He smiled.
Rey flinched, a deep and honest feeling made her want to get angry, but around him, it felt impossible... The wave Chirrut gave off made it impossible.
"Okay... So, what do I do now?" She hesitantly asked.
Stepping closer, Chirrut's tone lowered as he spoke with a soft smile. "Take me somewhere you know."
Rey looked at him quizzingly, wondering why she was taking orders from a stranger. Though she couldn't deny that he felt like an old friend, a confidant. Something in her gut made her trust him, easily.
Glancing away again, Rey thought of all the places she knew, and only one seemed to offer any type of comfort. Closing her eyes, she focused on the green that was there, the sound of the waves clashing in the background, and the sound of chirping Porgs in the distance.
"Ahh, this is more like it." Chirrut echoed.
Rey's eyes opened, gasping as she realized she now stood in the cave on Ach-To, the place she had met Luke Skywalker and began to train under his guidance. Looking around, Rey couldn't help the overwhelming sadness that loomed over her, remembering.
"Do not fret." Chirrut said.
Turning, Rey stood within a foot from him.
Blinking a tear away, she spoke. "Who are you? Are you a Jedi?" she whispered.
A sad smile played on his lips, seemingly never being affected by any negativity. "No, just lucky."
"So, you're here to help me?" she asked, disappointment kicking in.
"No." he replied, smiling again.
Frustrated, Rey walked around the cave, wishing that her force powers were stronger, that she were smarter. Her back to him as she paced, her annoyance got the better of her.
"Then what?! You are obviously here for a reason! I have to get back to Ben, I have to defeat Vicar."
Chirrut let out a loud laugh. "Obi did say you were impatient."
"Why are you here?!" She asked through clenched teeth, finally turning back to him, jumping as she came face to face with him.
He quickly grabbed her hand, facing her palm up. "I am here to give you your last lesson." He replied, smiling.
Chirrut Imwe lifted his own palm and placed it over hers, just as Rey noticed the same foreign symbols from her Jedi text books, the same ones she had been struggling for months to figure out, the same ones that no one was able to recognize, not even Ben Solo.
The moment his palm touched hers, the last words he spoke, remained with her forever, and her world went white.
( X )
Kylo felt the same shake in his core, and he knew right then what that meant.
There was an awakening in the force.
Whatever happened, she grew stronger... undeniably stronger.
His eyes locked on her, he watched in only a few seconds as her eyes went blank, seeing that she was in a very different world than the rest of the people in the room.
Every member on the platform leaned forward even more, on the edge of their seats as they watched Rey grow still, and in seconds, her eyes fell to the ground, hidden beneath her lashes. In the next moment, her head moved up, her eyes meeting Vicar's.
Kylo watched, absolutely intrigued with everyone else, as her eye color went from a light crystal blue, back to her dark hazel. Her breath caught up to her, as if she had been holding it for minutes, and the next words she spoke, rocked the room with not only confidence, but power.
"I am one with the force... and the force is with me."
Rey blinked, as if stepping back into the shoes that is Rey, having been taken over by someone else completely. And now, here she stood.
Looking to her left, she glanced to every guardsman, and then to her right, her eyes fell on every weapon they gripped.
Vicar nodded, fully out of his trance that he was sucked into.
With that, the guards charged.
And with that, Rey fought.
( X )