Star Wars - The Inner Battle

Chapter 4 - Painful Revelations

Teebasha struggled to follow Kylo's hurried steps through the Finalizer as they headed towards the meeting room. She did not utter a word, petrified at the idea of finding herself face to face with the man who kept an iron fist over the entire galaxy after seizing it by force. Knowing that Kylo would stay with her felt somehow reassuring — it would be a familiar presence — but he knew what Snoke liked to hear. She did not.

Kylo stopped in front of a door but did not open it straight away. Instead, he turned to his new apprentice and stared at her.

"Be careful, Varn," he warned her, "keep in mind that he is the most important figure of the First Order. Don't behave like a child and control your feelings. He won't be there physically, but he'll be able to read what's in your mind nonetheless."

"What kind of things is he going to ask me?"

"I don't know. He'll try to get to know you better, so he'll probably ask you about your career. If he asks you about the reason why you agreed to join us, don't tell him the truth."

"You don't even know why I accepted."

The Commander responded with an unsettling laugh. Annoyed by his reaction, she crossed her arms and tilted her hip, waiting for him to explain.

"You're here because you crave progress. You want to know more about the Force, and you love learning things. You don't care about the rest."

"Impressive, Kylo Ren," she snapped despite feeling uncovered.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? I still could feel why you joined us. So don't tell Snoke that. Say what he wants to hear."

"My new mentor's asking me to lie to the Supreme Leader?" she chortled with an eyebrow cocked. "Well. I'll try to come up with something, but I doubt I'll be convincing."

"Just use your brain."

The door opened in a clank under the wave of his hand. Teebasha peeked into the room, catching a glimpse of a pale red-haired man in a black uniform standing upright with his hands in his back, facing a holographic figure talking to him. The man stole a glance at Kylo and her and his whole body seemed to tense up.

Her fingers brushed Kylo's arm. Surprised by the sudden contact, he tilted his head to the side, lending her his ear.

"Who's that?"

"That's General Hux," he murmured back.

"Oh, the famous Hux..."

"Please, don't give him this pleasure."

Before she could ask for an explanation, Kylo paced towards Hux. The general bowed down to the holographic figure and made his way out of the room, throwing both Kylo and Teebasha a death glare. The young woman followed her master, her round eyes fixed on the figure as she fought the dropping of her jaw.

Supreme Leader Snoke's menacing silhouette towered over the room through the holoprojector. Sitting on what resembled a throne, his long robe covered his whole body. Only his face and bony hands could be seen. Teebasha's knees began to shake at the sight of his numerous mutilations. Besides his atrophied ear, a long scar dug into his scalp, crossing his bald skull. Holes were strewn on his skin, their bottom black as night or revealing tendons. Scalds surrounded his mouth, emphasising the gravity of his traits.

Kylo bowed at his superior and stepped aside to reveal Teebasha. Panicking at the thought of being in the creature's field of vision, all colours drained from her face.

"Supreme Leader," her mentor started, "I bring before you Teebasha Varn, my new apprentice."

"Um, hello," Teebasha's hesitant voice echoed in the room, accompanied by a wave of the hand.