The Reign of Darkness (Kylo Ren x Reader)

above the clouds

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𝙮/𝙣'𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑

It was the same routine this morning as any other morning. Wake up, get ready, get breakfast, and head out. But this morning I had a little skip in my step. I spent a little extra time putting my hair into its twin braids, and I was excited for whatever today had in store for me. 

The market commons seemed more crowded than how they had been recently, but that only meant more business for the cantina. More business for the cantina meant a fatter paycheck for me.

I smiled at several customers as I made my way through the busy cantina, making my way behind the counter to make the drinks. 

As I was getting ready to leave for the day I heard a voice speak from behind me.

"Mornin', Sweetheart." The voice chuckled from beside me at the bar, immediately lifting my spirits. "It's been a while, Korrado." I exclaimed excitedly, turning to face the man. His wrinkled cheeks were slightly flushed from working, but his eyes still shone brightly. 

Kane Korrado was an old workman who'd been living on Naboo for longer than anyone could remember. A respected man, Kane was extremely hard working and always treated everyone with respect, even if it wasn't always returned. "What parts did you make it to this time?" I asked, intrigued to hear about his recent expeditions.

His face retracted into a grimace, his eyes sheening over slightly as he remembered his travels. "Let's just say it's not anywhere I'd ever want to go back to. The Unknown Regions can be difficult to navigate." He replied solemnly, gazing into my eyes with a small smile as I nodded.

"At least you get to travel to other planets. I want to explore with you." Kane laughed, patting my shoulder. "One day I'll take you on a joy ride, kid."

My eyes grew wide as I stared into his, trying to discern if he was joking or not. I glanced around quickly, reverting my gaze back to him. "Could we go today?" I whispered hopefully, staring up at him with puppy dog eyes.

He let out a belly laugh, stopping when he realized that I wasn't joking. "Oh, you're serious..."
"I mean, yeah! Just a little ride wouldn't hurt anyone, right?" I reasoned, pointed to the alcohol I had been pouring for him.

 It was a Corellian Highball, his favorite.

His gaze bounced from the drink to my pleading eyes and back down again as he sighed, rolling his eyes as he snatched the drink from my hands, downing it. "Fuck it, kid. Let's go." He spoke, not waiting as I eagerly ran after him. "Drinks on the house!" I shouted, earning a snicker from him. 

"Better be."

I followed him through the square and towards the outskirts of Theed City, where the shipyard was located. Kane's ship wasn't hard to spot, though it wasn't as big as the others, it was an old glory. 

Coincidently, that was what it was called. A famed ship, Old Glory was known for its record fast speeds and insane maneuvers. Although it couldn't make the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs, it was still legendary. 

All things considered, it was the most badass ship around these parts.

Kane was a part of a smuggling crew called 'The Red Family', which earned its name from infamously smuggling a variety of red spice called glitterstim. The best part was that they were, in fact, a family. Kane and his wife, Jessa, along with his older son, Kiaran, and his other younger son, Kam. 

Well, they were a family. 

Kam had been taken by the Pyke syndicate a while back, which had pretty much split up his family. Jessa had blamed Kane, and she left in the night with Kiaran. Nowadays, Kane often made runs with some of his pals, but even though he smiled at everyone I could always tell that he was having a rough go of things. 

I always tried to spend time with him. I loved listening to his stories about the Resistance, along with other smuggling adventures of his. 

"Watcha standin' around for, kid? We have a ship to fly, don't we?" Kane chuckled, motioning for me to climb into my seat, which was right behind his. Before I could sit down, he shook his head, pointing to the captain's seat. 

"You've had enough practice. I want you to try and fly it." He spoke, his voice full of pride and confidence in my expertise. My eyes went wide as I shook my head. "Oh, I don't know. A mistake down here is okay, but a mistake up there could get us killed." 

"We've both got nothin' to lose, sweets. Now get strapped in, let's go! I don't have all day." He grumbled playfully, easing down into the passenger's seat as I nervously fumbled into my chair, pressing all of the necessary buttons as the ship hummed to life. I sucked in a gulp of air as the ship staggered from the ground, hovering slightly before rising above the city and into the clouds. 

The sunset sky made for a picturesque moment, and it was beautiful. I must've been staring for hours. "Ain't that something ya' don't see every day." Kane chuckled, staring at me as I admired the sky, unconsciously loosening my grip on the steering lever.

"Aye, aye, aye, catch it!" He yelped as the ship went into a dive for a few seconds before I regained control, glancing over at him nervously. "It's okay. You did well for your first time as captain." He commented, earning a smile from me. "Thanks," I whispered, my eyes still set on the horizon.

We sat in silence for a moment before I noticed Kane leaning closer to the glass in the cockpit, his eyes fixed on the suns setting on the horizon. I was about to comment on how he was gonna fuck up his eyes from staring at the suns before I realized he was staring at something.
"Uhh, Kane? What is that?" I asked hesitantly, the anxiety clear in my voice as I stared at him. He glanced at me quickly before pointing out towards the horizon. "Do ya' see those little devils out there?" He grumbled.

I squinted my eyes towards where his finger was pointing, now noticing as small ships came into view, seeming as though they were getting closer and closer to us. "Those, kid, are First Order ties. And that..." He spoke, his voice getting slightly deeper.

"...is a First Order shuttle." He breathed, his eyes darkening as they stared into mine. My brows furrowed as I glanced back nervously. "What does that mean? What do we do?" I asked.

"Well shit, kid...we gotta go!" He exclaimed, his hands raised as he pointed back down to the shipyards. "Go, go, go!" He yelled, his voice urgent as my shaky hands immediately pushed on the gears and buttons, sending the ship into a nosedive. 

"Level it out!" Kane screeched, holding onto his chair tightly as I leveled out. "Hold on..." I mumbled, focusing on not crashing the ship at the moment.

The ship rocked as it landed, and before it completely shut down, Kane had already opened the hatch and was motioning for me to get out. "We still have time, right?" I asked anxiously, though I regretted saying anything as I saw the look on his face. 

"Kid, you don't know what they're capable of. They'll ruin yur' life if they get the chance. Make you one of em'. We have to get outta here. You have to get outta here." He urged, his voice commanding. "Run back home and stay there until mornin'. I'll come getcha and bring you to work, just to be careful." He said.

I nodded with a small smile, grateful for his kindnesses. "Thank you, Kane. I'm sure everything is gonna be alright. Make sure to stay inside, too. See you tomorrow." I spoke calmly, earning a smile from him as he nodded towards me. 

"Sounds like a plan. See you 'round, kid."

I got one last look at him walking away as I began my trek back to my cottage. The walk back was mostly uneventful, though my pace was much faster than it normally was.

I began to think about why the First Order was on Naboo. They had no business here, of all planets. As far as I knew, Naboo was highly peaceful, and they often didn't involve themselves in war affairs. 

Occasionally you'd get a First Order or Resistance officiate in the bar, but it was hard to tell them apart. I don't think people realize how similar they are. But it's not like it mattered at this point.

The war didn't affect me, and I often found myself forgetting that it was even happening. I was at peace here. And I was sure that all of this would be over with by morning.

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