Exposure (Kylo Ren)

Incision

The lesson had begun with Vora repeating the final task from her previous time in the training room.
Within no time, she had the sphere floating back onto the shelf. It felt less strenuous than the first time.

"Very good. You've progressed quickly." He acknowledged, once again his voice sounded completely disinterested. "Now you will fight me."

"Fight you?" Vora laughed at the idea, "But I don't-" She was tossed a sword. Vora hadn't seen a sword in many years. She snatched it in the air, taking a sharp breath in as the blade knocked against the knuckles on one of her hands. The weightlessness of the sword surprised her. It was polished so that she could see her tight-lipped reflection in the flat side of the blade. When she looked back to Commander Ren, he also had one of his own to fight with. It looked much smaller when he wielded it.

Dread began to set in Vora's mind. She couldn't beat him. She'd only ever played with the idea of fighting with swords when she had been a child, hitting sticks together with her more headstrong cousin, Amala.

She felt her head build with pressure again. She redirected her gaze to Commander Ren, hopping he'd read her expression of dissatisfaction of him attempting to break into her mind yet again. He ignored her expression or didn't care. It was hard to tell when his own expression was always the same: the lifeless mask.

"You will fail if you prepare for your failure. You must feel yourself capable to defeat me." He explained. Vora wanted to laugh at the famously bullyish Commander Ren giving her considerably good advice. She used the new energy that surged through her after his comment to jump forward with the first strike. He blocked her effortlessly. She expected all her moves to be blocked perfectly, however she persisted.

"Think of what you were thinking in the hangar. Think of your lost home. Think of the man who you put so much effort into saving, only for him to be cut in two by me. I take what you care about and destroy it."

Vora cried out angrily and swung down on Commander Ren. He blocked it and pushed back against her, causing her to stumble. He swung again so her cap was knocked off and her braid tumbled down. She felt a strange wholesome sense of power as she fought back and felt her braid swinging with her body. She felt herself remembering the incredible way her grandmother had fought, with her own chestnut braid swinging behind her as she effortlessly cut down droids, deflecting enemy blasters. Vora saw her grandmother's face illuminated by a green lightsaber. Her warm smile was replaced by a serious focussed expression. She looked young and determined.

Vora abruptly ceased her actions. She could smell the fresh moistened dirt in the air as if she was with her grandmother. The bright green hue of the lightsaber faded out of her vision, bringing her back into the room with the Commander of the First Order.
Her sword clattered to the floor, startling her.

She felt a sudden sadness washed over her as she considered how her grandmother hadn't shared that part of her life with her. Had she been a Jedi?

"You have seen something." Commander Ren spoke matter-of-factly. "You just fought as if you knew the ways of the jedi."

"My grandmother." Vora explained, still trying to unravel what had just happened in her own mind. "I have a feeling she knew more about the force then she ever told me." Vora exhaled. The vision had already faded into grainy patches of black and grey, lost for now.

"Show me." He put his hand near her forehead.

"No." She slapped his hand away as hard as she could and stepped back. "I told you to leave my head alone."

She tried to distract his growing anger from being denied her mind by going back to fighting with him.
This time, she tried to change her swings from what she had done before as she was probably becoming predictable. Commander Ren swung at her a second time and she was hit at the side of her stomach. She felt instantly queasy and recoiled. He hit again, bearing down hard on her shoulder with the flatter side of the weapon. The shock of the impact ran down her arm and she dropped her weapon. Tears sprung in her eyes from the influx of pain.