Kylo's POV
Kylo woke up a few times during the night because he was not used to not having the full bed to himself. The Doc did not need much space, barely over a quarter but it was still noticeable for him. She was so still. The few times he had accidentally touched her skin he was worried she had died. The only thing indicating that she was still alive was her chest, slightly moving up and down with every breath. If it weren't for that he would have thought someone had placed a corpse next to him. A dead body would perhaps be only slightly colder than her skin was. And it would probably look a bit less ashen.
She was so frail sometimes, like a porcelain doll that could crack at any moment...and then it was the complete opposite again. She ignored every wound and strained her body to a very unhealthy extent. Not even her mind was safe from her ordeals, she kept on going, forcing herself to live through her worst memories each day with an ambition he had not seen very often. The only thing that revealed how much those memories actually hurt her were the nightmares.
Every time he had to wake her up she got angry at herself. Angry for being so affected. Trying to find a way to forget the deaths of her 'brothers', how she always called them in her mind. She could not. She knew that as well, because the pain she felt she ended up using to increase her connection with the Dark Side.
Usually he knew when the nightmares started. Whenever his sleeping mind picked up a 'no' or the sound of movement he woke up. Then it was enough to shake her awake, she normally just nodded and whispered a quiet 'thank you' before both of them went back to sleep.
He closed his eyes again and started to drift back into sleep as he heard her mouth a quiet 'Kylo'. That was unusual. Was she awake? He opened his eyes again, she had hers still closed. Her facial expression was a mix between worry and fear.
He lifted his arm, ready to shake her awake as she repeated it again: "Kylo."
It did not take him long to find her presence within the Force. The dreamscape was as it always was. Mud, trenches, corpses. She shouted his name again and sprinted over the battlefield, taking cover behind various objects. He hadn't seen that before, usually she crawled through hideouts and ditches for a long time before she went out in the open.
The landscape shifted into a village. The same village where he had met her again. The inhabitants were surrounded by mudtroopers and he could see himself, standing at the edge, giving the command to execute them. The soldiers started shooting but the crowd of people just ran towards him, burying him underneath the mass of bodies.
"Kylo, NO!", she shouted and wanted to get in between them to where he had been standing. But the villagers disappeared. So did the buildings and the mud. The only thing that was left was his own limp body, trampled to death. She fell down next to him and carefully moved a strand of hair out of his face.
"I am sorry...", she whispered and hugged the lifeless mass of flesh and broken bones.
Kylo wanted to wake her up but the scenery changed again. He knew this place. He just had never really seen it from this angle. The Doc was hiding behind a ventilation duct, Hux to her right. She jumped up and sprinted towards a duct that was closer to the General. The Resistance fighters did not let loose, shooting her a few times but the armour stopped all of the shots. Kylo saw himself appear through the door, chopping a few of the fighters to bits. Then his lightsaber flickered. Within the blink of an eye he had died again.
The same change of scenery. A black void with nothing in it but his corpse and the Doc kneeling next to it, helplessly trying to shake him awake. As if that would somehow help. She knew it as well as Kylo that her efforts were useless, just some hopeful feeling that there would be any way to bring him back to life.
A corpse appeared from nothing. It was the same one from before, trampled to death. Another one fell down next to her, bones broken and limbs facing every direction. Within seconds the whole black nothing filled up on corpses. Kylo spotted one with a big hole in his head, another one was shot multiple times. There was one that was dissolved by acid. So many. So different in terms of injuries but all still the same. They were all Kylo. Some were still alive and the moment she ran towards them, they died.
He had seen enough and let her suffer through it for too long. He reached over and shook her awake carefully. Her dream self just saw another struggling Kylo.
"Wake up...Doc...", he said softly and moved closer to her, his hand remaining on her shoulder.
"I am sorry...I am sorry, Kylo...", she whispered. Slowly the corpses around her vanished, her intense fear and suffering still stayed. She opened her eyes, searching around the room to make sure the dream was over. To make sure that Kylo was not dead, nor dying.
"None of it is real, Doc. You didn't hurt me.", he whispered and pulled her against his chest, placing his hand on her head.
"I am sorry, Kylo."
Her voice was unsteady, as if she was about to cry any second. She pressed her head against his chest, while he ran his hand through her hair. It was soft, almost like silk. Her profession did not really allow her to carry it open, but he was glad everytime he got to see it. She moved slightly so she could look at him, "You don't have to do so much for me."
He sighed and pressed her head back against his chest, "Shut up."
Of course, he didn't have to. He wanted to help her. So far he had not really figured out why...it did not matter much now. He kept telling himself it was just because she was a weapon. Something he could use...but he was not so sure about that anymore. It was not just that, he didn't have to take care of her the way he did just to keep her 'functioning'. If he was honest...he wanted to help her. He hated to see her suffer. Why he had not really figured out yet.
"Sir.", she said, her voice muffled.
"Mhh?", he made, still absent mindedly running his hand over her head.
"I can't breathe."
"Oh.", he let her go slightly so she could move her head backwards a little, "Better?"
"Yes."
Doc's POV
Kylo had fallen back asleep. Your head still resting on his one arm, the other one on your back. He held you like a small child would hold a stuffed animal, pulling you against his bare chest. You smiled and closed your eyes, trying to take in the feeling of him holding you like that as good as possible. You did not know if he was going to do it again, and there was no way you'd forget it.
He was so caring, always watching out over you. After all he had let you sleep in his room for over two weeks now and had not once complained that he had to get up a few times at night because you were behaving like a little child. And now? Now he had just allowed you to sleep in the same bed with him because he was worried you were going to freeze.
How could anyone think that Kylo was cold, or heartless? He was the total opposite. Atleast...to you, he did order you to execute villagers after all. Everyone had their flaws? You pushed the images out of your mind. Deep down you knew you should care about it...but you did not. You could not help it either, Ap'lek was right when he said both of you had 'low key psychopathic tendencies'. However, he should really not have been the one to tell you that. After all, he was as much of a Knight as Kylo was. He had done the same things. He could really not talk down from his high horse if he was sitting on the ground like the rest of you.
That reminded you...you were going to be a Knight. No. You were a Knight. You were a Knight of Ren, a dark force user. How...how did this happen again? Oh it was going to be fantastic. You wanted to squeal out of happiness, but that'd wake Kylo up...that was the last thing you wanted. You just wanted to keep on lying next to him. Perhaps you should try to sleep as well, instead of keeping yourself awake.
You woke up a bit before Kylo. He had moved slightly, now lying on his back, but your head still rested on one of his arms. He was so calm. No one would think that he was the Supreme Leader if he was sleeping like this. Apart from the cold they would feel. You didn't though, you knew others felt that way but you personally...not. It did make sense, after all your force abilities were rooted in the Dark Side as well.
You slowly lifted your head and got out of bed, moving quietly and rather slow as not to wake him up. Like every time you had woken up before him you ordered breakfast to his room and folded the pile of clothing he had just thrown into a corner in a neat pile, before sitting down at the table and looking through your data pad.
"Why do you always wake up before me?"
You heard him say, yawning halfway through. His voice was deeper and coarser than usual, just how it always was in the morning. The tone of his voice was incredibly pleasant normally, but there was something very intimate about hearing the way he talked in the morning. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling and looked over towards him.
"It's never much of a difference...just ten, twenty minutes or so.", you grinned and lifted up his datapad, wordlessly asking him whether or not it was okay for you to have a look at his schedule. He nodded, "I got breakfast."
"Mhhh.", he made and got up, walking into the bathroom.
Most of his schedule was like usual, meetings with the council and the Generals in private...there was however one that said: 'Doc'.
"I am your meeting today?", you asked amused, raising your voice so he could still hear you from the bathroom.
"Yes.", he sat down, "I need to introduce you to the council. As a Knight."
You nodded, "I guess you are going to say you picked me up from some planet?"
"Yes. Ap'lek is going to cover for you, officially you are patching him up. That is why the doctor you is not present...we do have a body double for later. So you can join us on missions. There is still a more pressing matter at hand though.", he grabbed his food and started eating, "You need a name."
That was some extensive work he had gone through, just to protect your identity. He was probably still worried someone was going to deploy you to a random planet again.
"MD-2442 is just fine. Oh...oh I need a name."
That...sort of name. He could not introduce you with your ID number. That would defeat the whole purpose of concealing your identity. Then again...you liked your numbers...Fine. There weren't really too many options for you, were there? Interesting bacteria...different rifle types, spaceships...all good in theory but if you called someone 'Yersinia pestis' it wasn't really intimidating. It was far too long and obnoxious to say out loud every single time.
You took a deep breath, "Vornskr. It's literally the only thing I can come up with. Or rather the only good one."
He raised his eyebrows, "You are going to name yourself after the creature that killed your brother?"
Right. That had happened. Given all the recent events it suddenly did not really seem that bad anymore. Oh man, if your mother would get to hear that out of your mouth...you shrugged, "They taught me a lot. It has a meaning...", you supported your head on your hand, "How did you come up with yours? I guess your name was not always Kylo either, or was it?"
He looked down and shook his head, "No. It wasn't."
Somehow...that question seemed to hurt him. You placed your hand on his and squeezed it slightly.
"No matter what it was, I think Kylo fits you better than any other name ever could."
You understood him well. After all, you did not use the name your mother had given you either...it had too much to it that you wanted to forget. Too many unpleasant memories and expectations. Most of them related to your mother. From how Kylo looked at you, he most certainly had listened to your thoughts. That was good, so you would not have to actually say it out loud.
"Vornskr it is then."
You spent the rest of breakfast discussing when you would go back to working in ER, and how much time you would spend writing and sorting stuff for Pryde. There was not much to do for him lately, given all the major medical questions had been solved in the last two weeks. There were still many minor problems that had to be figured out, but you were not the primary doctor to do that. So instead, you would go back to work in the officers' hospital wing.
Kylo brought you the rest of your new outfit, so you could get ready and get introduced to the council. The armour itself was amazing. Not only would it be able to protect you from most blaster shots but it also had a few incorporated technical gimmicks. Such as the night vision goggles, camouflage equipment that made you invisible to radar and thermal imaging. Absolutely perfect. It still managed to convey your curves without making the whole armour aspect useless. That was an incredibly nice bonus.
The rest of the Knights slowly showed up and inspected you, while Kylo was getting dressed and ready himself. Ushar walked around you multiple times before he finally took a seat on the table and nodded approvingly.
"It looks good. What's your name?"
"Vornskr.", you turned around and crossed your arms.
"That is not fitting. We should be Vornskr. You are not even Force Sensitive.", Cardo added and sat next to Ushar.
"Well, your names are not very creative either, just replacing the 'g' in cargo is boring.", you scoffed and mustered him.
Cardo shook his head, "Now, now. No being mean to me, Miss-I mean Vornskr. The Miss is currently with Ap'lek.", he joked. From his tone you could guess what he was indicating but you did not give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it.
"Leave her. She is no Vornskr but she can knock any of us out.", Trudgen said and placed his hand on your shoulder. It was heavy.
You shook your head, "No. I am useless against anyone that is not Force Sensitive. I am like a very specialized virus that only affects a very small amount of the population. You can knock me out before I can any day."
It was true, they just needed to punch you. It was rather simple. You might have combat training but you would not be able to defend yourself against any of the Knights of Ren. They were not just dark side users, they were very skilled and capable fighters without their powers as well.
"I do not like your mask.", Ushar said, breaking the silence that had fallen, "I do not like birds. And I do not like big birds. You are like a big bird."
"Kylo likes big birds apparently though...since when does he have two pillows.", Cardo asked and nudged Ushar to take a look at the bed. Oh boy, were you glad that you had that mask now. Your face felt like it was on fire. Why had you not tidied that up? Of course it would be Cardo that noticed it! Him or Ushar, they were both equally annoying in that regard. He turned his head back to you and looked you up and down.
"I will keep my mouth shut."
"You better do.", you said, "We do not want you to faint after all now, do we?"
"Ohooo the bird is threatening me. I am sorry to tell you, but you are not scary."
"I am not, but Kylo is.", you scoffed.
Ushar and Cardo looked at each other and nodded reluctantly. You didn't need to be able to read their thoughts to know what they were thinking. Then again, you were glad you could not because you also did not necessarily WANT to know. What they imagined should just stay in their heads. No need to elaborate on it any further.
Kylo came from out of his bathroom and eyed everyone present suspiciously. The silence that had befallen all of you did not exactly help in making the whole situation less tense.
"Are you done joking around?", he asked and put his helmet on.
"Yes, Sir.", you replied and followed him out of the door, the rest of the Knights closely behind you.
The officers were usually rather reluctant to get in the way of any of the Knights, especially if Kylo was present. Now it was the opposite. They counted six Knights, Ap'lek, who was usually walking more towards the front next to Kylo was missing. Instead there was you. A new face. Or rather, a new mask. Female as well. Regardless of how scared they were normally, their curiosity had to be satisfied first .
You entered in the main conference room. So far you had not been in it, as it was only reserved for the Supreme Council. No matter how much Kylo loved having you around during meetings you were not allowed to be part of those. Something about top secret...them not even trusting each other...the usual.
It looked like any other conference room, with the difference that its members were the highest ranking Generals of the First Order.
They stood up as Kylo entered, wordlessly greeting everyone with a nod and sat back down. Their eyes were fixated upon you, trying to figure out who the person behind the mask was. Being the center of attention had never really been something you enjoyed, much less if it was negative attention. Or if you did not know what they were thinking about you. Standing there made you rather uncomfortable. You were the new one. Unknown. Their object of curiosity. Neither of them trusted you or were happy with a new Knight. That much was clear. You could feel your heart pumping faster with every passing second.
"The Knights have a new member.", Kylo placed a hand on your shoulder and pushed you forward slightly. No matter how fast your heart had been beating before it calmed down instantly the moment you felt the weight of his hand, "This is Vornskr."
Pryde just nodded, he did not seem impressed. Almost bored...or more like he did not think very highly of a new member. Unlike Hux, who was most certainly thinking the same, he did not show it as much though and managed to hide it better.
"I sense some uncertainty from you, General.", Kylo said and turned towards Hux.
Hux cleared his throat, "Yes...with the fight against the Resistance do you really think getting another apprentice is wise?"
You had to give it to Hux, he was brave for speaking up against Kylo. His hand grabbed your shoulder tighter, as if he was stopping himself from lashing out. You wished you could have calmed him down, but you could not do that with all of these people present. So you just turned your head and looked at the expressionless mask in front of you.
'Ignore him.' you thought, hoping Kylo would read your mind. Given his grip relaxed a bit, you assumed that he had.
"Another user of the dark side of the Force is always useful. In fact.", he removed his hand and projected a map of a city into the air, "She will take care of Grans'kel. Tomorrow she will fly out. Prove her worth."
"Can he not detect Force users?", a blonde woman asked. Her name was...General Engell as far as you were aware. She looked like she was unable to smile, perhaps her face was just paralyzed? In which case it was rude to make any comments about it...but if it was not, she could really attempt to do that. It was not like the crow's feet would anyhow damage her appearance.
"He can.", Kylo said and crossed his arms, "He will not detect Vornskr. She has some...unique abilities."
The half bald man in the corner crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back, "Unique abilities you say? Why not send a normal sniper?"
Hux looked over at the bald man before nodding and turning his head back around to Kylo, "Your medic. She is a rather good shot, why not send her?"
Before Kylo could say anything General Parnadee spoke up, "We can not send a medic. I do not understand the Force well, but if you say she can do the job I trust you."
Hux's eyes narrowed slightly but he did not say anything else. Kylo on the other hand was very satisfied with getting some approval from one of the present council members. Now you finally understood why he was always so tense after coming back from a meeting with them. It was not just Hux that opposed him, the whole council was difficult.
"Good."
Kylo looked at the Knights and nodded towards the door. They all left one after another like ducklings following their mother. The mother in this case being Trudgen. Somehow that was quite fitting. Ap'lek would have been better. He was the most mature, even more mature than Kylo.
"Vornskr.", Kylo said, stopping you from leaving. You nodded and stood a bit further in the back, still watching the Generals. He didn't really seem like he enjoyed council meetings, if you could help him destress only slightly you were glad to help. It was the least you could do, after all he sacrificed his sleep every night to get you to calm down.
He took a seat, you stepped forward so you were standing behind his chair. Slightly to the side, so you would be visible from the corner of his eye. He looked up briefly before taking a deep breath.
"What else do we have to discuss?"