Reylo: These Violent Delights

Chapter 18: Equilibrium

Standing on the command bridge of the Finalizer, tightly controlled power thrummed through the Supreme Leader's veins.

The hum of security equipment, rolling droids, and murmuring officers buzzed all around him, cloaking him in a sense of familiarity. He drew in deep, contented breaths as he peered through the expansive band of holoports in front of him, taking in the unparalleled view of the abundance of space. He dragged his gaze across the span of shimmering stars, glancing at the reconditioned Starkiller Base to his right, and the Ileenium system to his left. Whenever his eyes would focus on the glass in front of him, reflecting the angular lines and metallic glare of his mask, Kylo found peace knowing that he could finally recognize himself again.

It almost cost me everything, came his bitter observation, marginally moving his head as he watched a squad of TIE fighters depart from the hangar below him. Rey almost cost me everything.

Kylo's hands flexed and unflexed behind his back as he continued to reflect on the mayhem that had ensued this last month. With the search for Palpatine's crystal, the return of Skywalker, the complications on Exegol, the military expansion on Batuu, Starkiller's return, and the Resistance's isolated-yet-catastrophic attack on a dreadnought last week, Kylo didn't know what would have happened to the galaxy if he hadn't gotten a fucking grip. Especially since he and his knights found a fresh excavation site beneath the Sith Citadel, confirming that Skywalker had found and accessed the vergence while he was on Exegol.

It enraged him; it confused him. Kylo didn't understand how a Jedi could benefit from tapping into its dark power, but it didn't matter what Luke did while he was there, the result was the same. The Supreme Leader decided against pulling the troops off that miserable planet, instead keeping them there under the supervision of Captain Phasma until they found Skywalker. He hated that fucking place, and had hoped to never return, but he couldn't deny that the clarity he had gained there was immeasurably significant.

Near the end of his assignment on Exegol, after he had tasted Rey's lips and comforted her when she had cried in her dreamscape, the Supreme Leader realized something that officially set him free from her grasp—his mother was right. His connection with the girl was bigger than life and the Force itself. It had to be if she felt this way, too. It wasn't just about him and his inability to control himself. It was an inconceivable energy neither of them could control, which meant it wasn't his fault, and it wasn't hers, either. Whatever existed between them just existed.

He didn't have to hate himself or her for something neither of them could change. He wasn't weak or a fool or a rabid cur, and that meant he could keep his sanity while also keeping her. This enlightenment helped Kylo let go. He let go of his incessant need to figure it out, to figure her out, and accepted that the Force would provide answers when it was time. Until that day—or until the day came that he could let her go—the Supreme Leader would try to find an equilibrium between them. And that started with trust.

While his inflamed response to Rey falling into his Force vision about Han didn't earn him any favors, he knew there was trust between them. He could feel it, even though she had insisted he was crazy for suggesting such a thing once he finally arrived home from Exegol. But in less than five minutes, he had easily seen right through her lies—the progress they had made in her dreamscape hadn't been for naught. Deep down, she did trust him. Enough to let him touch her, her assassination attempt so easily forgotten by the promise of his cock, and enough to agree to be compliant with him and the Order.

Kylo's lip twitched up. He had learned a lot about Rey that day. How her face scrunched up when she came, what she looked like in a First Order jumpsuit—fucking incredible, by the way—and that she knew almost nothing about the history of the Force, seeing as how she called him a Jedi. Now, being clumped in with the likes of Luke Skywalker hurt his feelings, much more than the attempt on his life, but what really caught him off guard was just how much she cared about her reputation. Once he had threatened to tell her team that she was a coward and a quitter, she agreed to cooperate almost immediately.

And ever since then, things had been going according to plan.

Well, letting her stab General Hux hadn't been part of the plan, but protecting her from him did nurture that seed of trust already blooming beneath the surface. Something that will be yanked by the roots today, Kylo soberly thought, his eyes finding Starkiller once again. He found it rather unfortunate, and simultaneously beneficial, that Rey's home base would be its first target after its extensive restorations over the last few years. Unfortunate because it would deconstruct the newfound understanding between them, but beneficial because it would force her to see that the Finalizer was her new home.

With the First Order. With him.

Kylo pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. It was a hard pill to swallow, admitting that he would be keeping her here simply because he wanted her, and not because she would be of use to him and offer an advantage over the enemy. No. She was the enemy, and yet, the Supreme Leader couldn't fathom letting her go. Alas, even though he wantedto be near her, Kylo had no choice but to stay away for the time being. It was strategic more than a test of his recouped self-control; giving her space allowed her to confront—and accept—the way she craved his presence.

Denying her took a lot out of him, especially now that she continually and shamelessly summoned him to her quarters from within her mind. She was well aware that he could hear her thoughts, yet she made no effort to conceal her desires. In fact, now that she knew she could bug the shit out of him in this new and creative way, it was all she did. He had heard her provocations while he was in Hux's office, here on the bridge, and even in the Supreme Council meetings. If he wasn't so exhausted, he'd find her fight for his attention adorable. But with everything he had to manage right now, he simply didn't have time to tend to his bratty, defiant, and deprived prisoner.

Hence why he fulfilled her request for a vibrator.

Kylo unclasped his hands to place them by his side, his fingers flexing into fists. The vibrator...now that was a test of his self-control. Rey had used it every single day ever since he had granted her private quarters ten days ago. Ten. Courtesy of the rotation of knights constantly guarding her room, he knew it was in use multiple times a day. They weren't watching her, but her sexual energy was too demanding to ignore, even when she wasn't pleasuring herself. And since he and his knights were constantly linked, whatever the two standing guard felt, all six of them felt—and that inevitably transmitted to Kylo.

It didn't matter how far away he was from her; the moment she pressed that vibrating dome to her cunt, he'd feel her surge of pleasure like it was his own. They all did. It drove them wild. They wanted to fuck Rey; they wanted to destroyher, something that Kylo knew but didn't bother acknowledging, nor did he reveal the little fantasy she had of them while he was on Exegol. They understood they could never have her, which was why he wasn't surprised when his knights visited Rishi's pleasure house three times in the last week.

But Kylo? He had to resort to what he'd been doing this whole time—stroking himself as he bit the inside of his cheek to swallow his groans, imagining her swallowing his cum. Every time he felt her smash her vibrator against her wet pussy, he had a small window of time to get his hands on his cock before his needs became apparent. Last night was particularly untimely; he was sitting on the council regarding Starkiller's debut, and yet, all the Supreme Leader could hear inside his mind was buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. He swallowed, his eyes unfocusing as they remained stuck on Starkiller Base. He liked to think he had a grasp on his obsession over Rey, but when it came to the way she toyed with herself, just a few sectors below where he stood?

It reduced him to a sad, helpless man.

And as last night's council had come to a close, Kylo hadn't been able to control the unsteady rise and fall of his chest, or the way his cock hardened in his pants, or the way he imagined Rey sprawled out on her bed, writhing and squirming as she played with herself. She was having so much fun—he could feel it—Kylo had to leave the council prematurely to escape to his quarters, ready to bust only a few minutes into her playtime.

There, he had taken care of his problem, imagining that he was on her bed instead, situating himself between her legs with that vibrator pulsing on her clit. He thought about sinking into her nice and slow, loving the way her cunt would suck him in and clench around him as he stretched her out. She'd mewl and cry as he stayed stuffed in her tight little hole, hooking his hips upwards to taunt that needy part inside of her with the head of his cock—all while the vibrator buzzed between their bodies.

Kylo stiffened as his pulse skyrocketed, the rigidity in his posture causing him pain as that familiar feeling wreaked havoc in his system. He knew he had to stop himself from spiraling out; now that he had recovered his control, he had to keep it. But it had been so long since he had been able to suck down Rey's presence. And knowing that she was in her quarters right now, bored and alone and waiting for him, he wanted nothing more than to give her what she needed, making her spasm with the vibrator on her clit with his dick buried inside of her, anchoring her to the spot as she came all over him, and—

"Supreme Leader, sir," came the hesitant greeting of Dopheld Mitaka—the poor Lieutenant still had trust issues after falling victim to Kylo's mood swings this last month. "I was s-sent to inform you about the w-weapon."

Kylo kept his focus on the celestial sprawl before him, speaking lazily to his subordinate. "Judging by the crack in your voice, Lieutenant, either you're going through puberty, or you are the bearer of bad news."

There was a shuffle as he pulled on his neck collar, clearing his throat. "Ye-yes, sir."

"Well? Which is it?" Kylo asked, keeping his tone light. "Puberty or bad news?"

"Not puberty, s-sir. I believe that ship took flight quite some time ago," he said, followed by a strange noise that Kylo assumed was supposed to be a laugh. "Th-though, my mother has always said that the Dopheld boys are l-late bloomers, s-sir, so maybe, perhaps—"

Kylo's fingers twitched by his side. "Lieutenant."

Mitaka's silence was filled with so much high-strung energy, it could power Starkiller's thermal oscillator. Then came a stream of words broken up with stutters and his intermittently prepubescent voice. "Th-there has been a setback, s-sir. The w-weapon will need to cycle off b-before charging, and the full cycle is n-ninety minutes."

Kylo slowly turned his head to the side, keeping his mask pointed down. "Setback?"

"Y-yes, sir." Mitaka cleared his throat. "General Hux s-said—"

A ripple within the Force hit Kylo in the face, a strike so powerful, he had to take a step back. The sudden movement nearly caused Lieutenant Mitaka to lose control over his bladder, so the Supreme Leader gave an agitated wave of his hand. "You're dismissed."

"Ye-yes, sir," he said, bowing his head and scrambling away.

Kylo turned to watch him go, tugging back on the mental connection between him and his knights. He only needed seconds to know it was Kuruk, who was currently stationed outside of Rey's room with Ap'lek.

For fuck's sake. Robes flaring behind him, the Supreme Leader tore through the control bridge, eliciting an onslaught of respects hauled his way. He walked purposefully and without stopping as he headed toward her sector. She wasn't in danger; it was more of a distress signal from Kuruk. That didn't surprise him. As they patrolled her corridor this last week, she had been giving them quite the earful.

Kylo let out a breathy noise of amusement as the turbolift carried him down into the ship. If Rey knew that they knew she only harassed them when she was bored of pleasuring herself...Kylo was certain she would scale back that attitude of hers. But he didn't trust Hux's Stormtroopers with her—and his personally-selected 709th Legion was stationed on Batuu—so his knights and the scavenger were simply stuck with each other. It wasn't ideal, but it was temporary and for her own safety.

Well, that and Kylo was way too busy to stop her from going around and setting things on fire, so besides a few supervised trips to the gym, his prisoner had been confined to her quarters all week. Hence his knights' sexual aggression and the incessant fucking buzzzzzzzz in his head. The shiny black toy had been in such steady use, he was surprised he didn't hear it upon entering the corridor that led to her chambers. But he wasn't at all surprised to hear Rey complaining instead.

"Surely you have a datapad in that weird coat thing of yours. I mean, seriously, what is that? It looks like someone TP'd your head with black toilet paper." When he sensed overwhelming irritation, Kylo knew she was talking to Ap'lek. "Ugh, come on. Can't you call him and tell him I'm going to die of boredom in here?"

Ap'lek spoke lightly, but Kylo knew he was holding back his anger. "Tell him yourself."

"I would if he were—" The second Kylo rounded the corner, Rey threw her hands up and groaned. "Oh, thank the heavens! I'm going crazy in here." As he neared, she gestured at Ap'lek. "This one is a jerk, and this one," she complained, gesturing toward Kuruk, "won't even acknowledge me when I talk to him. I find it very rude."

Kylo stopped between his two knights and turned his helmet to Ap'lek. "That one is responding accordingly to you, and that one," he continued, shifting his helmet toward Kuruk, "doesn't have a tongue. He cannot respond."

Rey's face fell. "Oh," she mumbled, throwing a shifty glance at Kuruk's mask. "Uh, I'm sorry I called you a freighter-shaped idiot, then." Awkward hands picked at the buttons on her jumpsuit. "That...that was in bad taste."

"What about my apology?" Ap'lek asked. "I was rather devastated to hear you think I'm only as smart as a sarlacc."

"You're right. I feel awful," she said, sympathy coloring her features. "For disrespecting the giant-ass worm that way."

"Sarlaccs are technically not worms. They are omnivorous intervertebral with tentacles."

Rey scoffed. "Well, excuse me, Bill Nye the Science—"

"I do not have time for this," Kylo said through gritted teeth. "Tell me what you need."

She swayed her attention to him, eyes narrowed and hands finding her hips. "Where have you been?"

Avoiding you. "Working."

"But what about me?"

Kylo gave a beat of silence. "What about you?"

"Why am I stuck in here all day?"

"Why wouldn't you be stuck in here all day?" he challenged, tilting his mask to the side. "You are a prisoner."

Rey rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Okay, yeah, but I was expecting something a little more exciting in exchange for my cooperation."

"Something...exciting."

"Yeah, don't you have a job for me or something?"

"Do you pledge fealty to the First Order?"

"No."

"Then, no."

Rey groaned. "Fine. Then at least let me out for a bit before I go insane."

"You went out today for your allotted hour of exercise."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about other things. Like, what do prisoners do for fun around here?"

"Prisoners don't have fun." Kylo paused. "They die."

"Lucky them," she mumbled with a sigh as she slumped against the doorframe.

"You will not waste my time," he flared, turning away to tear down the corridor. "I have duties to tend to."

"Wait, wait!" Rey yelled, "you gotta let me out of here!"

Kylo ignored her. He moved his head to the side, calling out to his knights. "I will send Trudgen and Ushar."

"Yes, Mas—" Ap'lek tried to reply, but Rey spoke over him as she ran after him.

"Wait, Kylo, please," she pleaded, wrapping her hand around his triceps to get him to stop. When he turned to face her, she clasped her hands in front of her chest, begging him. "Just please let me come with you. I promise I won't fuck around or bother you or attack anyone with cutlery. I will be good."

Kylo was quiet as he considered her. He doubted that she wouldn't fuck around, but at least there weren't any weapons on the bridge—at least ones that she could get to. But still, today was a busy day, and he didn't have time to babysit. He turned back around to leave. "Later," he said as her disappointment flooded his senses. "Return to your quarters."

Soft footsteps followed after him. "But...I'm lonely," Rey said, voice small and wounded. It slowed him down, but not enough to stop him. Not until she hesitantly broke the silence. "And you're the only person here that doesn't hate me. And the only person that I...that I don't hate."

As they stood at the end of her corridor, Kylo kept his back to her. While their interactions had been few and far between ever since she agreed to cooperate, in general, she had been pleasant to him. He had assumed her efforts had been manipulative, but right now, he could sense her begrudging authenticity—she genuinely wanted to spend time with someone she had a connection with, albeit a fucked up one. "Fine," he said with a defeated sigh, continuing down the corridor. "Follow me."

"Yesssss!" Rey trilled, running after him. Catching up, she looked up at him like an excited kid. "So, where we going?"

"Out," came his clipped reply as he took a sharp left. "Like you requested."

"Okay," she chirped, skipping to keep up with his strides. She happily looked around, peeking up at his mask again. "So, what made you finally come get me? I have been yelling at you inside my head all day."

Stopping at a turbolift, Kylo pressed the up controls. "I sensed Kuruk's distress."

"Oh. Yeah," she muttered, her shoulders dropping. "I do feel a little bad about that."

Kylo walked through the doors as they opened. "I know."

"But Ap'lek—now, he's a smart ass," Rey said, following him inside, standing shoulder to shoulder as she continued. "And cynical. And rude. And that weird headpiece thing is just stupid."

"Ah," he mused, slamming the controls to take him back to the bridge.

"But the biggest smart ass is Vicrul. Holy fuck," she said, rolling her head back to groan. He remained still as she remained very unstill to speak animatedly. "And he does it backhandedly, you know, which drives me insane. With that fancy accent of his, he sounds like he's being nice, but he's really being a dick."

"Mhm."

"I don't come off like that, do I?" She paused for only half a second. "I know we sound the same, but he sounds so pompous. I don't sound pompous, right?"

"No."

"Phew. So, who are the other ones?" she prattled on, peering at herself in the turbolift's reflective doors as she fussed with the the three buns lining the back of her head. "They don't talk to me. Vicrul is the only one that actually talks to me."

Kylo's eye twitched. "They don't need to talk to you."

Rey let out an agitated huff. "I know that, but—"

"Kitten."

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up at his mask. He looked down at her but didn't say anything, and her face fell. "Sorry," she mumbled, looking forward. "I'll stop."

As the turbolift hummed below their feet, Kylo felt a wave of rejection roll off her. Goddammit. He frowned, turning a fraction toward her as they stood side by side. "Are your quarters to your liking?"

"Yes, definitely," she said, nodding enthusiastically and meeting his gaze with a dimpled smile. "Thanks again for the upgrade."

He nodded, his mask dipping to give her a nod. "And all of your needs are fulfilled?"

Silence, then an oh-my-god-I-forgot-he-got-me-a-vibrator expression unfolded on Rey's face. "Yep," she blurted, and for a moment, all Kylo could hear was buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz— "Um...how are you?"

Wordlessly, Kylo turned to face her, his gaze sweeping down her body. She looked healthier—still teetering on the edge of malnourishment, but healthier—and was well put-together today. It was as though she donned the First Order jumpsuit with pride, and that gleam in her eyes made her look way too excited to be a prisoner of war. Suspicion sparked in his chest. I wonder what she's up to.

"Well?" came her lively probe, "how are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, not at all matching her energy. "Preoccupied, but fine."

"Good," she chirped, facing forward and rocking on the heels of her feet. "That's good."

Kylo frowned. While he preferred that she wasn't putting on her usual, I hate you and everyone and everything act, he found this show of camaraderie to be unsettling. But when the doors opened and Rey basically skipped out, too excited to contain herself, Kylo found that it wasn't just unsettling, it was also endearing.

"Whoa," she said, coming to a halt as she looked around with wide eyes. "What is this place?"

"Command bridge," he said, breezing past her into the thick of the commotion. "Come."

It took her a moment to follow. "The command bridge?"

"Yes."

"For the First Order?"

"Yes."

"Wait, you took me, a Resistance fighter—"

"Ex-Resistance fighter," Kylo corrected as he ignored the personnel paying him their respects.

"—to the central intelligence and military hub for the First Order?"

"Yes," he said, distracted as an officer approached with yet another proposal he had to approve. After a quick scan of the document, Kylo signed it and passed it back to his subordinate, ignoring how the gawking Rey was burning a hole through his helmet with her dumbfounded stare. She eagerly followed after him as he turned to walk toward the sunken-in stations.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, but only half a second passed before she continued. "Yeah, never mind. No need to answer that. I already know you're pretty unhinged and all that, but why in the galaxy would you bring me here?"

"You wanted to get out," is all he said as he peered down at the First Order personnel dutifully working at their stations. With a slight dip into their collective energy, Kylo immediately felt the heavy burden of their responsibilities—since Starkiller had been destroyed and dismantled by the enemy once before, everyone was determined to see it through this time.

"Yeah, to the cafeteria or for a walk or something," Rey mumbled as she settled beside him, her elbow touching his arm. "Maybe after we can..."

She continued to speak, but her words didn't stick. Not when Vicrul had just walked through the blast doors to the left, his Force energy thrumming with urgency as he strode directly toward Kylo. His pulse pounded in his head as he stepped away from the stations—and his very confused prisoner—meeting his knight in the middle of the bridge's aisle. He had his mask and battle attire on, but his coat was unclasped, revealing a peek of the Batuuan clothing underneath. Kylo's mouth went dry. If Vicrul didn't have the chance to shed his undercover garb before arriving at homebase, that could only mean one thing. An emergency.

He barked at Vicrul the moment he was within earshot. "Tell me."

"Yes, sir," he said, taking the final step in front of Kylo, forcing First Order officials to navigate around two very large men in the center of the busiest walkway on the bridge. "I was bussing tables at Oga's Cantina when I overheard two smugglers talking to the pirate Hondo Ohnaka about Palpatine's crystal. Word is, some Cantonica big shot with deep pockets was bragging about having 'the heirloom the Order is after' while he was traveling the seas. He is set to return to the capital, Canto Bight, in five days' time."

"Who?" Kylo asked, hands curling into fists as he stepped closer to Vicrul. "Is he with the Resistance? Is he a sympathizer?"

"Someone dubbed the Master Codebreaker, sir. From what I've heard—no. He is not Resistance. Nor is he First Order. The only things he seems to be loyal to are credits and his poker table." As a cluster of officers stepped around them, Vicrul looked left and right before stepping closer, lowering his voice. "Master Ren, as I told you, nothing happens in Batuu without Oga Garra's knowledge, so we can assume that she has also been made aware of the Codebreaker's possession of the artifact. Just like him, her loyalty lies with whoever can thicken her credits clip, meaning—"

"She will sell the information to us and the Resistance," Kylo said more so to himself as he walked past Vicrul, grazing his shoulder against him. His body tensed, and his eyes glossed over as the severity of this sank in. "To the enemy."

He heard Vicrul turn around, following after him. "Yes, sir."

Officers skittered past as the chatter and nervous energy of the command bridge escalated around them. Kylo strode down the aisle as his mind raced with the news of the crystal, but a blip of adrenaline from Rey broke through his concentration. The farther he walked away from her, the more and more she considered using the bustling activity around her as an opportunity to find the nearest escape pod. Annoyance burned through him. He should have known better than to bring her here.

Nearing the end of the walkway, he gave Vicrul a distracted demand without turning around. "Command her obedience."

"Yes, sir."

Over the commotion buzzing around him from all angles, the Supreme Leader zoned in to hear Vicrul mutter a quick Force-compulsion to Rey. Her resulting exasperation shot through him, and she started to protest, but the whoosh of the blast doors opening, followed by the synchronized marching of Stormtroopers, drowned out her opposition.

"Supreme Leader, I have a critical development regarding the late Emperor's artifact," came Hux's haughty bellow from across the room. As Kylo veered right off the center aisle and Hux fell into step beside him, the tap tap tap of his black, shiny shoes made him want to find the nearest hangar to fling himself off of it. "Due to my tireless efforts, I now know that—"

"Oga Garra of Black Spire Outpost has named the Master Codebreaker of Canto Bight the unlucky fool in possession of the so-called heirloom we are seeking," Kylo said, emotionless in his delivery despite the irritation festering beneath his skin. "How ironic, General. My knight's tireless efforts seem to have produced the same result, only quicker."

With a spark of heated indignation, Hux opened his mouth to respond but closed it just as fast. He knew he was already on Kylo's shit list for his inability to control his troops while on Exegol—even with the leeway the Supreme Leader ultimately granted him for the planet's transcendental properties—and for the security oversight last week that cost the Order a dreadnought and an entire fleet of forces. But most of all, the General knew that he was on thin ice for his attempt to kill Rey, and ever since then, he had been very cautious in how he spoke to the Supreme Leader.

"Ah, excellent," he finally said, but his acrid tone suggested that he didn't find it excellent at all. He toyed with the cuffs on his jacket, walking side by side with Kylo down the egress that led out of the command bridge and into the administrative sector. "Then allow me to—"

The Knights of Ren's arrival made Hux pause his tongue. They were soundless in their approach. They always were, unless they wanted their victims to hear their impending doom. Despite the knights' foreboding presence, the General's Stormtroopers brazenly stepped in front of them, falling in behind Hux and the Supreme Leader. Not a second later, a scuffle broke out, resulting in a 'trooper being tossed into a lower-level station like a ragdoll.

The sound of the Stormtrooper's armor crashing into the ground was followed by Rey's distinct cackle, and Hux scowled at her over his shoulder. Though Kylo was hyper-focused on his destination—the General's office—he did allow himself a thread of gratification when she taunted Hux with the sweetest voice he ever did hear.

"Hi, Huxxy Wuxxy. Cute lil' stitches you got there on your neck. I wonder how that happened?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," the General breathed, jerking his head forward in a flurry of agitation. "As I was saying, upon your approval, I will send a maritime squad to collect the perp and the crystal at once."

Although the Supreme Leader wanted nothing more than to send General Hux on a field trip into space without an escape pod, or an oxygen mask, or a tether...Kylo was eager to squash any resounding whispers about his volatility. But that didn't mean he had to play nice. He simply had to insult his pride in a less...violent manner. "How capable are your soldiers, General?"

After a split second of grappling to keep his composure, Hux finally snapped. "I won't have you question my methods, Supreme Leader."

"They're obviously skilled at committing high treason," Kylo continued, voice light as he turned the corner, starting the trek down the corridor that led to Hux's office. "Perhaps I should consider using a clone army to collect the crystal."

Hux swiveled in front of Kylo, stopping him from moving forward. "My men are exceptionally trained. Programmed from birth," he seethed, that big, ugly vein protruding on his forehead. "The assassination incident on Exegol was an anomaly fueled by the dark power of the Citadel, as you said yourself. They are more than capable of retrieving a rock from a Canto Bight socialite, Ren."

"We'll see." Kylo stepped around him, followed closely by his warriors and his prisoner. He could feel the burning glare of the General following their every move as they reached the end of the hallway. His knights bypassed the Stormtroopers standing guard, piling through the office doors—sending Hux irately after them—while the Supreme Leader turned to Rey.

"You will sit and stay here until I am finished," he demanded, nodding toward the metal bench outside Hux's office. "You will behave."

Face blank, she repeated what he said and took a seat. When she broke out of the Force-trance, he expected her to be angry, but instead, she looked up at him with a nervous expression. "Is something wrong?"

Kylo spoke as he turned away from her, impatiently heading toward Hux's office. "That's classified."

"Okay, that's fine," she called after him, surprisingly agreeable. He found this odd, but he continued forward without another glance at her. "Hey, real quick—can we stop by the cafeteria after this?" she blurted, bringing him to a reluctant halt. He pivoted to look at her, and she gave him a hopeful smile. "I mean, when you're done with your responsibilities and stuff. I'm getting kinda hungry, and even big, important Supreme Leaders need to eat, right?"

Kylo frowned behind his mask. His first instinct was to tell her he'd send someone to escort her to the cafeteria, but even though he was vibrating with determination about the crystal, he felt a twinge of pity for her. She seemed timid, not at all like her normal self, as she twisted the buttons of her jumpsuit. Embarrassed, almost, that she had asked to eat with him. And in his silence, the sentiment only grew.

Rey's smile faltered. "Only if you have time, of course. I don't mean to assume you can spend the whole day with me."

Kylo didn't have time to spend the whole day with her; he didn't even have time for this conversation. While he had no problem asserting that to everyone else, he found he was having a hard time expressing that to her. To his prisoner. He repositioned slightly, preparing to respond, but Hux's distressed call for help rang out from behind him.

"Ren, if you do not control these ghoulish beasts, so help me god, I will have a brain aneurysm and die, thus crumbling the foundation of the First Order army and triggering all-out warfare!"

Kylo rigidly looked behind him to see his knights sprawled out in Hux's office. While it was a comical sight watching them touch everything as the General's face turned as red as his hair, he knew he had to intercept before he did blow a fuse and die. Insufferable or not, the Supreme Leader needed Hux to command his army.

"Never mind," Rey eventually said with a breathy, dispirited laugh. He locked his mask on her, and she nodded to the mayhem unfolding behind him. "Babysitting them looks more important than muja muffins."

Kylo felt that pang of empathy pierce him deeper. The look on her face made him want to abandon his duties as Supreme Leader in favor of a casual afternoon, maybe even have a normal conversation over a meal in the cafeteria. But that wasn't, and never would be, his reality. He gave her a curt nod and turned inside. The doors closed behind him, a thick cloud of suffocating tension immediately enveloping him.

He dragged his gaze around the room. Hux was behind his desk on Kylo's left, flanked by two Stormtroopers on either side of him. Meanwhile, the Knights of Ren were...well, everywhere. To his right, left, behind him, in front of him. Leaning against surfaces, tinkering with Hux's belongings, or prowling back and forth as their masks stayed pinned on the 'troopers. In his peripherals, he saw Trudgen pluck a bottle of brandy off the bar, and Kylo knew what to expect before Hux even opened his mouth.

"Put that down," the General seethed. "That's worth more than all of your belongings combined."

While he was masked, Kylo knew his knight had a smile on his face. "Okay," is all Trudgen said, letting it slip through his fingers to shatter on the ground. The other knights laughed while the Stormtroopers clutched their blasters and shared shifty glances.

"REN!" Hux screamed, pivoting toward Kylo as though he were looking at a parent tattling on an older sibling. "I TOLD YOU—"

"Send an aerial surveillance droid to the yacht, General, but do not engage," the Supreme Leader coolly interjected as he walked down the center of his office, heading toward the back observation wall. He put his hands behind him as he peered out at the dreadnoughts suspended in space, the stars and Ileenium system serving as their backdrop. "We will greet him on shore."

Silence expanded in the room as Hux scrabbled to reel in his temper. He could hear it in his stiff, strained voice when he finally did speak. "We have the crystal's coordinates, Ren, and now you want to wait until he docks?"

Kylo kept his shoulders squared toward the wall, but tilted his mask to the side. "I'm already at my wit's end with you, Hux, and now you want to question my authority?"

He heard Hux shuffle behind his desk. "Not your authority, sir. I only wish to understand your plan of attack."

The Supreme Leader returned his gaze to the stars, tone even despite his simmering adrenaline and anger. "Oga Garra will alert the Resistance of the crystal if she hasn't already. If you recall, General, our enemy is without naval forces. Waiting for the Codebreaker to dock not only puts the crystal in our hands, but also the Resistance."

Hux had the audacity to scoff. "Say that all goes according to plan—then what, sir? We open fire on the enemy within First Order territory? The fine people of Cantonica are stout followers of the regime, not to mention, the planet is home to many of our artillery depots. The citizens mustn't become collateral damage. We need every ally available to us, especially now with the Jedi's dreadful return."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," came Kylo's taut response as he turned around to face Hux. He took slow steps toward his desk, his knights restlessly twisting their weapons in their hands as they responded to their Master's shift in energy. "If you are finished lecturing your Supreme Leader on diplomatic affairs, General, I will tell you of the plan of attack as you had requested."

Hux remained still as his eyes traveled around the room, undoubtedly feeling the threat of the Knights of Ren as they made subtle, yet powerful, changes in position. When he looked back at Kylo, he was quick to plaster on a thin mask of civility. "My apologies, Supreme Leader," he said with a pressed smile. "I only wished to make myself useful, not lecture you."

"Ah, yet another failed quest of yours, General," Kylo muttered as he stopped on the other side of the desk. He kept his mask pinned on his face, enjoying the way Hux tried not to squirm. "Given the significance of the assignment, perhaps the ghoulish beasts and I will be the ones to receive the Codebreaker. Not you and your troops."

Hux struggled to curb the hostility crossing his face. "Very well, sir." He gave a stiff bow of his head. "Do tell me how I can be of assistance."

After letting Hux feel the weight of his disdain for a moment longer, Kylo turned away from the desk. "Capture all Resistance fighters on the ground—the sooner we have those rats in custody, the sooner they'll lead us to Skywalker," he said, just a stream of consciousness as he stopped beside the doors to peer through the glass wall. He spoke distractedly as he set his sights on Rey. "Allow air support to flee. Once they realize we can track them through lightspeed, it will be too late. They will have led us to their new base, and Starkiller's next target."

"Wonderful idea, Supreme Leader," Hux said with a little too much pep in his voice. "I will gather a surveillance team now."

"No," came his clipped response, turning to the side briefly before continuing. "Get Pryde on the line. He will survey all unsanctioned arrivals and departures on Batuu. If Skywalker or his friends are hiding there, they will travel to Canto Bight for the crystal."

Hux let out a sigh before responding—Pryde was a dirty word to him. "Right away, sir."

Kylo zoned out as Hux carried out his orders. His prisoner was looking at him from the other side of the wall, confusion and anxiety hanging above her like a thick cloud. While she had been comfortable these last ten days, she had also been on edge, worried that it would all be taken away in the blink of an eye. That he'd retract their agreement and be temperamental with her again.

But little did she know, Kylo would do everything and anything to ensure that he remained steady for her, stable and consistent, so that one day when she looked at him, she wouldn't be nervous or on edge or afraid. She'd feel at home. And as Hux took another call, declaring Starkiller ready for launch within the next fifteen minutes, Kylo felt a wave of reassurance wash over him, knowing that soon, this would be Rey's home.

Whether she liked it or not.