Chapter Text
"TELL ME WHAT YOU REGARD AS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH, -- "
"My powers and knowledge will achieve things beyond anyone's comprehension."
"Someday I will be the most powerful Jedi ever!"
"I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
" -- SO I WILL KNOW HOW BEST TO UNDERMINE YOU -- "
"You're weak. Too weak to complete your training."
"Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth ... Vader."
"Your hatred has made you powerful."
" -- TELL ME OF YOUR GREATEST FEAR, -- "
"Sentiment will not stand in my way."
"I will do whatever you ask. – Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her."
"You won't convert me as you did my father."
" -- SO I WILL KNOW WHICH I MUST FORCE YOU TO FACE -- "
"Kill him and complete your training. He is a threat to your power."
"It seems that, in your anger, you killed her."
"Let the hate flow through you!"
" -- TELL ME WHAT YOU CHERISH MOST, -- "
"I have feelings for him, is that what you want to hear?"
"You are so ... beautiful."
"They're my friends, I've got to help them!"
" -- SO I WILL KNOW WHAT TO TAKE FROM YOU -- "
"I cannot allow such sentiment."
A woman crying, choking up "Anakin ..."
"Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends."
" -- AND TELL ME WHAT YOU CRAVE, -- "
"I need help. I have to disappear. I will do as you ask."
"You and I can rule the galaxy... make things the way we want them to be!"
"I have to save you."
" -- SO THAT I MIGHT DENY YOU... "
"Help you, I cannot."
"You're going down a path I can't follow!"
"You already have," the dying man wheezed.
~
Elphrona. A desolate, iron-hardened planet on the outskirts of the Outer Rim, teetering on the edge of the Unknown Regions. Its surface bristled with jagged cliffs, rust-colored mountains, and merciless magnetized zones that distorted navigation systems and crushed ships that dared to traverse its skies. What little precipitation fell in this barren world arrived once in a generation, leaving only hidden underground reservoirs as a testament to the possibility of life. Yet, in this inhospitable wasteland, the Jedi once found sanctuary—a High Republic-era outpost carved into a stone mountain, a monument to their forgotten dominion.
The insignia of the Jedi Order loomed above the sealed gates, weathered but enduring, as if to mock the Empire's efforts to erase their legacy. Once, statues of robed Jedi guarded the entrance, their serene expressions forever lost to rubble and time. Now, only a heap of stones remained, a tomb for the ideals buried beneath the weight of fear and history.
Kylo Ren stood before the ruins, his masked visage turned to the scorched horizon. Memories clawed their way back to him—of standing here years ago with his uncle, Luke Skywalker, who had brought him to this outpost as a boy. Back then, Elphrona had been a lesson in hope and discovery. Now, it was a battlefield of his own making.
It was here he had first met his Knights, their loyalty bound to him in blood and shadow. It was here, not long after the destruction of the Jedi temple, that he had faced his first opponent—Hendrix, a Quarren padawan. A lightsaber duel turned execution. The boy had been unprepared. Ren had not hesitated.
His hands clenched behind his back as he watched stormtroopers toil, removing the rubble that blocked the entrance to the vault. Their labor was a mockery of his past, their struggle echoing the frantic desperation he once felt, trying to escape the pursuit of his fellow padawans. That, too, had ended in death.
"How can you be so sure there's something of value left here?"
"Skywalker had a way of only looking at what was in front of him. Like most Jedi do." Snoke's voice slithered into his mind. He had been ever-present in Kylo's head since he was a little boy, it was almost like a part of him now, sinister yet comforting. "He had no idea what treasures could lie underneath the surface."
"You haven't told me what I'm looking for or what you want me to bring back to the base with me," Kylo pointed out, his voice muffled behind his mask
"My boy, you'll know when you see it. It's the only artifact that doesn't — belong there."
Vague, as always. He felt Snoke had closed himself off from the conversation, meaning the rest of the task was entirely up to him now. To find this out-of-place artifact. And the way to it.
~
The interior of the outpost was eerily preserved, its cavernous halls held aloft by ornate columns that reached into shadowed ceilings. Every wall was lined with artifacts—ancient relics displayed as though the Jedi who placed them there intended to impress. But Kylo Ren saw them for what they were: junk. Trinkets from a bygone era, long since plundered of anything worth more than sentiment.But Snoke wouldn't have sent him this far for nothing. He wandered around the place, going up and down on different sets of stairs, trying to find something that was not in plain sight.
His patience unraveled with every step. Each room, each corridor offered the same hollow display of faded glory. Snoke’s cryptic instructions gnawed at him.
Frustration boiled over. The snap-hiss of his lightsaber broke the heavy silence as the crimson blade roared to life. He moved through the chamber like a storm, slashing at relics, shattering shelves, and leaving burning marks on the walls simmering behind, like open wounds in the stone.
The sound of his rampage reverberated through the outpost, a symphony of destruction that no one dared interrupt—until an Utapaun archaeologist cautiously approached, datapad in hand.
“Sir,” the pale, sharp-featured figure began, his voice surprisingly steady, “we’ve uncovered a hidden passage beneath one of the staircases.”
The lightsaber’s hum stilled as Kylo extinguished it. “Is there anything inside?”
“We’ve yet to investigate fully,” the archaeologist admitted, projecting a hologram of the concealed entrance. “The passage appears to be a later addition, likely fifty standard years old. Carbon dating could confirm—”
“Unnecessary.” Kylo brushed past him, his interest piqued. “Take me there.”
What was this artifact? How was it going to help the First Order or Snoke? If this was such a valuable object that Kylo Ren himself had to go oversee its retrieval, why was it placed on this forsaken planet and no one came back for it? Further questions arose in his mind as he wandered down the long, dark passage. The designer of this place had to have been a genius. The structure was leading somewhere below the outpost, as the ground was ever so slightly inclined. There were spiraling stairs, crossroads meant to get one to lose themselves, kind of like an unending maze, destined to drive one mad before ever reaching their destination. Kylo felt as if he had been walking for hours. The humidity alone was killing him and the rest of the party that followed him.
"There has to be some type of underground hot spring for it to be so muggy inside such a dry planet," one of the troopers said to another, a bit too loudly for a place that created such a resounding echo.
Ren halted abruptly, causing everyone else to stop, somewhat terrified. The trooper who spoke was now praying to the stars to have his life spared and not become the object of this man's sudden outbursts. But Kylo couldn't be bothered with that, not when he finally felt something. An indicator that he was on the right path, that there was an end to this tunnel. It was as though something was calling him, urging him in the right direction. Some kind of invisible hand pulling him forward, shining light on the destination. At the end of the road, something was oozing dark power.
Without actually acknowledging it, his determined strut turned into slow running, navigating through the remaining distance with newly found confidence. Just before he turned the last corner, a sinister, red glow lit up the room. The artifact in front of him was, simply put, magnificent. Unlike anything he'd seen before. An obelisk of exquisite design, at least one foot taller than him, its black stone edges pulsing with veins of crimson light. Ancient Sith hieroglyphs etched into its surface seemed to ripple, alive with the energy that emanated from within. The elegance and sleekness of the design made him wonder how old this had to be. At least a millennium, he told himself, reminiscing his teachings about the times of the Sith Empire.
For a moment, he was transfixed, his hand hovering near the hilt of his saber but unwilling to disturb the stillness. It was beautiful. It was terrible.
A sharp intake of breath broke his reverie as the Utapaun stepped into the chamber behind him, awe-struck.
“This is it,” Kylo said, his voice low and final. “Bring it to the ship. Carefully.”
He turned without another glance, the relic’s presence still burning in his mind as he retraced his steps. The dry, suffocating air of Elphrona would be a welcome reprieve from the stifling heat of the outpost—and the weight of whatever darkness he had just unearthed.
~
"Wake up." The command echoed through the void, jagged and menacing.
Then— darkness.
"What is this?"
The ever-present voices that had plagued her for an eternity vanished, leaving a suffocating silence in their wake.
"The voices. They stopped. Why?"
A faint buzzing sound filled the emptiness, interspersed with the soft beeping of machinery.
"Where am I?"
Her wrists ached. Something cold and unyielding bit into her skin. She tried to move but found herself bound. As sensation crept back into her limbs—a grotesque mockery of life reawakening—a dull ache spread through muscles that felt alien, as though they'd belonged to a corpse for centuries. The attempt to break free was futile, but her frustration barely registered.
The woman’s eyelids felt as though they'd been stitched together, the prospect of opening them seemingly terrifying —as though it had been years since she'd seen any kind of light— and for good reason. The moment she brought herself to do it, her eyes burned, as if a thousand needles poked at her retinas.
Alright, even slower this time , she encouraged herself.
With utmost care, one eye opened before the other. Gradual blinks brought her surroundings into focus and confirmed that she had no idea where she was.
The room looked and smelled clean, not quite like a medical bay, but she clearly recognized the powerful scent of chemicals. Other than that, there wasn't much to go on. A datapad next to the door, probably for basic commands such as opening and closing the door, as well as calling for assistance or dimming the lights. Lights so obnoxiously bright they left a ringing in her skull.
It felt like some kind of holding cell, but it had no bars. Supposedly, they were not needed. Her head rolled forward, and she caught sight of her restraints—an intricate web of automated bindings locking her wrists, ankles, chest, and waist against a steel chair. A torture chamber—it would explain the chemical smell in such a place, used to clean up blood and fluids and whatever else fell out of the creatures brought here. She knew she should've been flattered, they weren't taking any chances with her. Even so, she wasn't one to enjoy being cuffed to a piece of metal.
Her fingers twitched, then clenched. With a slow, deliberate motion of her wrists, she tested the bonds. At her command, the bindings hissed and fell away. She flexed her newly freed hands as she rose, unsteady at first, and strode to the datapad by the door. With calm precision, she entered a command, and the door slid open with a soft hiss. Beyond it, a long corridor stretched into shadows.
The building was modern, sophisticated. No ragtag den of smugglers or bounty hunters. This was military, efficient and calculated. Yet, it bore no clear insignias—not Imperial, not New Republic.
A shudder took over her body suddenly and she remembered the state in which her flesh was left. “Not this again,” she mumbled bitterly, shoving the memory aside.
She moved with purpose, sticking close to the walls, her steps ghost-like. Shadows became her allies, every nook and cranny a potential sanctuary. Though the corridors were eerily empty, she remained vigilant. She didn’t know these people or their motives, and ignorance was a weakness she could not afford.
A sign caught her eye: Emergency Exit .
How considerate of them.
The exit was guarded—two stormtroopers in pristine white armor. Familiar, efficient pawns of a larger machine—the Empire.
She didn’t hesitate. With a slight flick of her wrist, both troopers were hurled against the walls, their helmets cracking against the unforgiving surface. They crumpled to the ground, motionless.
“My apologies,” she murmured, stepping over one and nudging his blaster aside with her boot.
The hatch opened, releasing a rush of frigid air that slammed into her like a durasteel wall. She sucked in a sharp breath, the cold clawing at her skin, penetrating the thin robe and suit she wore. Her body recoiled instinctively after the last events that transpired, but she forced herself forward. Just like old times.
The night was eerily still. Snowflakes drifted lazily, coating the ground in a pristine blanket. There was no wind, only silence. She realized she was leaving her thermal signature everywhere, therefore any type of droid patrol could've detected her, but in the absence of any type of heat distorting device, she had taken the more primitive, yet also effective precaution of using a branch to wipe out her footprints as she advanced. If someone was going to come looking for her, she wasn't about to make it easy for them. Where she could, she kept to rocky surfaces, to better minimize the evidence of her passage. The forest offered scant protection, but it would have to suffice. As her feet were sinking into the fresh snow with each newly taken step, she tried to get farther away from the light of the base to look at the stars, maybe recognize the system she was currently in.
She paused, glancing up at the sky. The stars glittered with cruel indifference, their patterns a fragmented puzzle. Slowly, she pieced them together, tracing familiar constellations, searching for a clue.
The Ilum System , she realized.
Her stomach sank. If this was Ilum, then her captors were no mere amateurs. This was no accident.
The frost bit deeper with every second, leeching the warmth from her body, but her thoughts burned brighter. The planet’s secrets churned in her mind, questions piling atop one another. How had they rebuilt this place so quickly? Why had they chosen to imprison her here? And why now?
Her breath came in shallow puffs, each exhalation a fleeting reminder of her mortality. She clenched her fists, willing her body to keep moving. Perhaps this wasn’t the Empire after all. What chances did she stand of getting to another habitable planet with—at best—only a TIE? And what were the odds that this planet, home to a military base, didn't have any shields protecting it? The questions were only piling up while her body temperature was decreasing with each second spent away from warmth.
~
A fleet of Star Destroyers stood off the white world. Spectacular and isolated, with a mean surface temperature varying from merely cold to permanently arctic, the planet had been altered: its mountains tunneled into, its glaciers hacked, and its valleys modified until it no longer resembled its original naturally eroded form. Those who had remade it had renamed it.
Starkiller Base.
Hollowed out of one snow-covered mountain was a central control facility. At its heart was a great assembly chamber that held hundreds of workstations and their attendant seats. At present, it was occupied by only two figures.
Kylo Ren stood motionless, his imposing form cloaked in black. The mask that concealed his face rested at his side, leaving his expression exposed, though carefully schooled. He stood as a picture of control, but within, his thoughts churned like a storm.
Above him, seated on a raised dais, the blue-tinted holo of Supreme Leader Snoke glared down.
Tall and skeletal, Snoke loomed larger than life, his translucent skin stretched thin over a face that bore a history of brutal wounds. The scars, twisted and uneven, added to his grotesque visage. His left eye sat lower than the right, and both cobalt-blue irises burned with penetrating intensity. Long, spindly fingers emerged from the folds of his dark robe, claw-like as they gestured faintly.
"You have looked inside the artifact," Snoke began, his voice deep and deliberate, each word weighted with the force of his dominance. "Haven’t you?"
Kylo Ren did not flinch. He kept his head high, his expression unreadable. Yet, beneath the veneer of calm, his thoughts raced. He had looked. He couldn’t help himself. The artifact had called to him, resonating with a power so consuming it felt as though the dark side itself willed him to open it.
But when he did, all his expectations were shattered.
The pulse of crimson energy had faded the moment he unsealed it. The power that had lured him was gone, snuffed out like a flame. And instead of gaining ancient knowledge or power, he found himself catching a mere girl in his arms as the artifact opened. And there wasn't anything else inside either. The red glow pulse stopped, the power he felt attracted to was gone. All he was left with was a limp body.
The Supreme Leader leaned forward slightly, his ruined face descending into sharper focus. “You seek answers,” he murmured, his tone almost intimate, “but you already know the truth, don’t you?”
Kylo stiffened, but before he could speak, Snoke continued.
"I have never had a student with such promise—before you."
The words, heavy with expectation, struck him like a blow. For a brief moment, Kylo’s guarded demeanor cracked, his shoulders straightening as his pride swelled. He forced himself to bow his head, his voice steady. "It is your teachings that make me strong, Supreme Leader."
A faint smile twisted the corners of Snoke’s thin lips. “Good,” he said, drawing out the word like a thread. "Yet strength alone will not be enough."
Snoke’s gaze bore into him, cold and unyielding. "There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?"
“Yes,” Kylo answered, his voice unwavering.
It wasn’t a lie. He had felt it—something beyond his comprehension, something he couldn’t yet name. But the moment he’d laid eyes on the woman in the artifact, everything became muddled. The clarity he once found in the dark side seemed distant, obscured by questions he dared not voice.
Snoke, as always, offered no explanation. His cryptic words hung in the air, taunting.
Then the Supreme Leader leaned further down, his deformed features filling Kylo’s vision. The scars on his chin and forehead caught the holo’s faint glow, grotesquely illuminated.
“Bring the girl to me,” Snoke commanded, his voice soft but absolute.
Kylo hesitated, the memory of the woman—fragile and unmoving—flashing through his mind. For a moment, doubt flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly buried beneath the weight of his duty.
“As you wish,” he replied, his tone carefully neutral.
Snoke reclined back into his seat, his expression unreadable. The holo dimmed slightly, leaving Kylo standing alone in the vast chamber.
As the Supreme Leader’s presence faded, Kylo turned away, his footsteps echoing against the cold, metallic floor. His thoughts returned to the artifact, to the woman he had found, and to the hollow disappointment he had felt in that moment.
Who is she? And why do I feel as though her presence will change everything?
~
The cold was relentless, gnawing through every fiber of the woman’s being. Her cloak offered little protection against the biting winds, and her every breath crystallized in the icy air before her. She couldn’t feel her fingers or toes anymore, and her legs dragged through the snow as though encased in lead.
I didn’t miss this , she thought grimly. And she knew she was nearing those critical moments before freezing to death. She had come close before.
The base sprawled across the icy expanse, its nearest hangar impossibly far. Even if she pushed herself, she'd never make it. She paused, glancing around the dense forest of skeletal trees, their frost-covered branches looming overhead like silent sentinels. Retracing her steps seemed her only option, but the trail she’d so carefully erased now worked against her.
Every movement grew heavier, her body protesting with each step. Her mind was sluggish, the cold dulling her thoughts. She needed heat, shelter—anything to stave off the creeping numbness. Even a droid patrol would be a welcome sight. At least if they zapped her, they would provide a fleeting trace of warmth.
But she was alone.
—
Kylo Ren’s fury simmered as he surveyed the empty restraining room. The guards lay unconscious near the closest exit, their failure palpable in the air. His hands clenched into fists, but he allowed no further outward reaction. His anger would be channeled, as it should be, into precision.
He activated his comlink, his voice sharp and commanding. “Deploy the Knights. Bring her back alive.”
The Knights of Ren were no ordinary hunters. They were his enforcers, his disciples—warriors of the dark side, each bound to him through loyalty and shared purpose. Clad in mismatched armor, their fearsome reputations were legends whispered across the Unknown Regions. They were not Jedi, nor Sith, but something in between: a shadowy brotherhood wielding the Force in their own brutal way, and now they were after the mystery woman.
Scattered in the forest, the Knights moved like predators. Their helmets scanned the terrain, picking up faint heat signatures amid the freezing landscape. They knew she had to be important, otherwise, they wouldn't be the ones in charge of getting her back.
Trudgen, the largest among them, knelt in the snow, his massive blade strapped across his back.
“She’s not far,” he growled, pointing to a faint trace on his scanner. “Her body heat’s dropping fast. Won’t last much longer in this cold.”
Vicrul, with his scythe already in hand, cast a wary glance at the shadows between the trees. “She’s headed back toward the base,” he noted, his voice distorted by his helmet’s modulation. “But why turn around? She must know we’re on her trail.”
Kuruk chuckled darkly. “Desperate, maybe. She’s just a stray animal trying to survive.”
If it weren't for the soul damning cold, the woman would have taken her time to play a little more with them, but for now, they were her only chance of making it back to the base in a timely manner. She jumped from the tree branch she sat on right in the middle of them, the freshly laid snow scattering all around her. At the impact with the ground, though softened by her use of the Force, a small whimper escaped her, reminding her of her two existing injuries in her shoulder and the back of her leg. "Hello there!"
The Knights turned in unison, weapons raised, the second they heard her make contact with the ground. They were a scary lot, their helmets, outfits, and weapons made in that fashion to enhance the fright one might feel when confronting them. But not her.
She clutched her cloak tighter around herself, her form hunched like a cocoon against the bitter wind.
“I’d raise my hands, but…” she managed through gritted teeth, her breath escaping in shaky puffs. “I’m afraid I’ll lose the last bit of heat I’ve got.”
“Listen,” she said, her teeth chattering audibly now. “I’m freezing to death. You can point your weapons at me all you like, but if you want to bring me back alive and I’m pretty sure you do—” She broke off, her knees nearly buckling beneath her. “You’re gonna have to move fast. Because I’m not a Tauntaun.”
The tension in the group shifted. There was no laughter, no acknowledgment of her bravado, but their weapons didn’t strike her down. Her gamble paid off—someone important wanted her alive.
Without warning, Trudgen stepped forward. The massive warrior’s armored hand shot out, striking the back of her head with calculated force. The woman crumpled into the snow, her body limp.
All the knights looked at him, not necessarily disagreeing with his action, but rather quizzical as to why he chose that particular course of action.
"What?" He grumbled, shrugging off their silent judgment. "It's fine, she’s not dead."
There was a pause before Cardo snorted. “Fair enough. You’re carrying her, then.”
Trudgen sighed but hoisted her unconscious body over his shoulder with ease. “Let’s get back before she freezes. I don’t want to explain to Ren why we brought back an icicle.”
The Knights fell into formation, their footfalls muffled by the snow. Above them, the sky darkened as the first flakes of a new storm began to fall.
~
The restraining apparatus held Maeve upright, angled just enough to make the position uncomfortable without outright causing pain. She woke slowly, the pounding in her head a harsh reminder of her encounter with Kylo Ren’s hounds. Disoriented, at first she thought she was alone again. Her oversight was understandable, since the other person in the holding area did not move, did not make a sound, and at times scarcely seemed to breathe.
Though a little creeped out at first by his unsettlingly silent presence, she took a moment to take stock of her surroundings. It wasn't the same room as before. This one was similar in design, but larger and with fewer lights. Probably to aid in this man's intimidation performance. Her best bet was to play dumb and to appear unaware of anything that was going on.
Her voice broke the silence, sharp but steady. "Where am I?"
"Does the physical location really matter?" In Kylo Ren's voice, there was unexpected gentleness. Not quite sympathy, but not hostility either. She would've expected at least some, especially since she escaped. Well, tried to. Maybe being willing to return gained her some points. "You're my guest."
Her eyebrow raised, glancing pointedly at the restraints that bound her. She shifted her gaze back to him, letting her sarcasm drip. "Is this how you treat your guests ?"
Kylo waved a hand, and the mechanisms released with a series of mechanical clicks. The restraints fell away, leaving her free. “I assume you would have taken care of that yourself eventually,” he said. “Much like you did earlier.”
And just like that, he stripped away any pretense of ignorance she might have feigned. Maeve leaned forward, studying him with new interest. “What’s the point of it?” she asked, gesturing lightly toward his helmet.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he tilted his head, as if analyzing her. His dark figure loomed larger as he stepped closer to the platform, allowing faint light to catch the details of his imposing frame.
Her appearance caught his attention—hair disheveled, uniform wrinkled yet somehow regal. The contrast of her pale skin and dark hair, the striking intensity of her blue eyes. It all painted a picture of someone who carried themselves with nobility.
“You were abandoned,” she said softly, mirroring his tilted head. “Weren’t you? By the ones who should have cherished you the most.”
The words struck like a blow, casual yet cutting. She spoke as if she had known him for years, like a long-lost confidante rather than a stranger. Beneath his helmet, his expression tightened. He didn’t know whether to feel anger, intimidation, or something closer to unease.
The woman standing right across from him must have been around his age, or perhaps a bit older. Kylo squared his shoulders. He could feel it now, the power radiating from her. It wasn’t wild and chaotic like his own—raw potential Snoke often criticized as undisciplined. Hers was measured, balanced, and all the more threatening for it. He understood now why Snoke had been so insistent. Perhaps it wasn’t the artifact they sought at all, but her.
"Who are you?" The modulated voice demanded, clearly dismissing the last question.
“Are you looking for a name or some kind of purpose?” she countered with a faint smirk. “Because if it’s the latter, I can’t help you.”
"A name will suffice."
"It's Maeve."
Kylo took a step forward, his towering form fully illuminated now. "Maeve who?"
"Just Maeve,” she said lightly, leaning back against the platform and resting her boot against it as if settling in for a casual conversation. Despite the danger of the moment, she exuded a playful confidence, her smirk widening ever so slightly.
Since he approached, the difference in their height became more apparent, but she didn’t seem intimidated. Her presence filled the room as though she were the one in control.
“If I’m your guest,” she continued, “then isn’t it only polite for the host to introduce himself?”
“I am Kylo Ren,” he declared, his voice swelling with pride. “Master of the Knights of Ren.”
The subtle puff of his chest betrayed his ego, a chink in his armor she immediately noticed.
“And who is your Master?” she asked, her tone devoid of mockery but laced with unsettling calm.
The question hit its mark, igniting his fury. The implication was clear: he was still subordinate, still someone’s apprentice, still unproven.
Kylo growled low, a feral sound that reverberated through the room. “What is that supposed to mean?”
She held his gaze, unflinching. “You’re strong with the Force, but undisciplined. That doesn’t come from self-teaching. Someone is guiding you, showing you how to wield the dark side.”
His entire body tensed, one hand curling into a fist behind his back. He wanted to lash out, to silence her words, but he knew they weren’t wrong. “I’ll show you the dark side,” he hissed.
Her eyes gleamed with defiance. “Maybe I’ll show you.”
Kylo Ren seemed to grow before her. Rage flared behind the mask as reason gave way to fury. A lightsaber appeared in one hand, roaring to life, a barely stable crimson shaft notable for two smaller projections at the hilt: a killer's weapon, an executioner's fetish of choice.
His anger almost made him forget all the trouble he went through to retrieve this woman and what she represented.
Snoke didn't. " I SAID BRING HER TO ME! " His commanding voice felt like a clap of thunder in his head, causing him to almost drop the saber.
The command hit him like a tidal wave, making him falter. His grip loosened, and for a moment, his weapon wavered. Embarrassment flooded him, but he quickly extinguished the blade and clipped it back to his belt, and looked back at the woman.
Her piercing gaze seemed to cut through his visor, straight into his soul, causing an involuntary chill to run down Kylo's back. She was in his head, she heard what Snoke said. Confused and a little rattled, he stumbled back from her. Her breathing was steady while his was erratic, uneven.
Finally, she could see him for what he truly was:
a scared boy
.