Power

12.

I sit locked in an Imperial torture chair as a man with red hair walks inside.

"Grand Inquisitor, you have made your return, I am General Hux." He says, circling the chair as I stare straight forward. "Ren says your mind is strong, well protected by the force, and that you remain unwilling to assist him." He comes to stop in front of me. "Kylo Ren lacks a teacher to complete his training, and you are the most powerful Sith to ever live. You will finish his training."

"I will not be the cause of terror across the galaxy." I say, venom drenched across my voice. He chuckles and sighs.

"I thought you might say that." The doors open behind us and a man with black robes and a mask enters, a hood covering the rest of his head. "This is our Imperial Torturer." Hux grabs me by the chin and forces me to look at him. "He will break your spirit, and you will have no other reason to live then to train Kylo Ren." Hux leaves the room and the torturer approaches the torture chair. He presses a button and a high voltage of electricity burns through my body, I cry out against it. But this, I'm afraid, is only beginning.

...
one year later
...

"Good, again." I say, standing atop a black platform. My eyes remain sunken in, dark circles surrounding them. Cuts and bruises littler my body and my face, a large scar runs through my right eye, leaving my me unable to see through it and the pupil and iris as white as my hair. My body continuously aches, the collar that never leaves my neck now digs into it.

Kylo Ren stands below me, battling training droids in a large training room. He slices through them with ease, unlike how he was when he begin this training. I watch as he cuts through the last one, breathing heavily as he looks up at me. He retracts his saber and clips it to his belt.

"That's enough for today." He says. Two troopers come to stand beside me as they follow me to my
room, I walk through the halls with empty eyes. They take their posts outside my room, which could be considered more of a cell, and I sit down on my bed. I slip the old medallion for my squadron, one that Maro and I kept to remind one another of each other when we are apart, out of my pocket and stare down at it. I suddenly cry out in anguish and throw it against the wall, bursting into tears. After a moment, I gaze into the mirror on the wall to see my blue eye slowly fading back to red. I collapse on the floor and sob, ready to endure yet another sleepless night.

...

The next day begins the same, I'm led to the torture chambers to receive a few new marks and cuts on my body. "To keep me in line," General Hux says. They then take me back to my room where breakfast awaits me. I exit the room and the troopers lead me to the training room where Kylo stands waiting.

"I want to do something different today." He says. An officer walks to me and unlocks the collar around my neck, I study him closely as my face does not change. The surge of power that courses within me fills my body with adrenaline. "A one on one battle." From his back he reveals my Inquisitor double-bladed saber. I slowly place my hand on the hilt and a wave of memories fills my mind. Tears well in my eyes, I blink them away and look up at Ren.

"Prepare your stance." Is all I say, igniting the saber. Kylo does the same and holds his out to the side. Without a word, he runs at me, I easily deflect it. He swings at me more, I don't let any touch me. He brings his saber around to my neck, I catch it with the force using little effort and shove it back at him. "You let your emotions consume you, young apprentice. You fight with too much intensity." I begin to swing at him with smooth strokes, he struggles to keep up. I lift him into the air and toss him at the wall, he quickly regains his footing. "You must focus on your enemy's fighting style, not your hatred for them. Though this is a powerful tool, you must not let it take over your mind." He considers my words, then moves to attack, swinging his saber with more thoroughness. I knock him to his back once more and point my saber at him. The door suddenly bursts open.

"We are under attack." Hux quickly says. My eyes perk up, the red in my eye fades only slightly. Ren takes notice of this as he stands.

"Lock her away, do not leave the cell unguarded." Ren says, the officer quickly locks my collar back on. He suddenly uses the force to choke me, I gasp and grab at my throat. "If you betray me, I will kill them all." He lets go and I cough as the troopers grab me by the arms and lead me back to my room.

I sit on my bed inside, waiting to hear of any news from the battle. Suddenly, there is blaster fire outside. The door opens to reveal Han Solo and Chewbacca staring at me. Han walks to me and studies my face, he's grown old and his hair begins to turn gray. He then hands me my lightsaber.

"It's been a long time, I heard the immortality rumors though I didn't believe them till now." He says, pausing for a moment. "Come on, we're getting you out of here, Leia's orders." He pulls me to my feet. I stare at him in shock as he leads me outside to the Millennium Falcon. "Wait here. You've been through enough, we'll finish this." He then runs from the ship.

...

I sit inside, waiting in fear, when Chewie runs back inside and past me. He immediately takes off and soars towards the woods, I walk into the cockpit to see him struggling to control both sides of the panel. Something happened, I can feel it even with this collar, Han won't be returning with us.

"Let me help you." I say, taking a seat beside him. I begin to fly the falcon with him to see a young boy lying on the icy ground and a young girl crying over him. Chewie runs to gather the boy and they both come inside. The girl looks over at me.

"Who are you?" She asks.

"Lyra Adhara." I tell her, her eyes widen.

"You killed the Emperor." And it is in that moment that everything Maro said in the penthouse becomes clear to me. I saved the galaxy that day on the Death Star, and it seems that it what I am being remembered for.

"Wait." I say to Chewie. "This collar has a tracker." He comes to me and simply breaks it off with his bare hands, walking back to the cockpit with the girl.