Hunted

III. The Pursuit

A man sat in his room, trying in vain to meditate as he had been able to years ago. The boy named Ben Solo had now become the man named Kylo Ren, and it felt like centuries had passed since that day in the temple when the Force granted him a vision of her.

Who is she? Why is she so important? Where do I find her?

All questions that had been replayed in his mind multiple times a day for the last 15 years. The vision had never repeated itself, and over time he had begun to lose the details of her face, remembering only small pieces of information like skin and hair color. The rest was blurred until finally time had reduced the memory so much that he barely remembered anything beyond those small facts.

It frustrated him to no end, but his uncle's words replayed over and over in his head every time he found himself furious at the ravages of memory over time.

"I'm sure that in time, the Force will reveal itself to you and you will find the answer to the riddle it has placed before you."

Yet Kylo had felt increasingly uneasy over the years at his inability to find her. If this girl was such a key person, why had she not appeared before now? What could be the reasoning behind the Force showing him such a vision at the age of 8 and never again since?

The persistent, nagging thought that plagued him was that perhaps that vision had been meant for someone else, for Ben Solo, the young boy he slew the same day he massacred his fellow padawans in his uncle's temple and Kylo Ren was born. Ben Solo was dead, and so maybe the vision meant for him was now gone, never to return for the monster who inhabited the shell of his body.

But the vision said that together we would bring balance to the Force.

The more he pondered it, the more frustrated he became, and when he felt the familiar urge to destroy something, he reached his hand to the table beside his bed and felt the soft thud of the lightsaber being drawn into his hand.

Gripping it tightly, he presses the button and the red blade comes out, it's menacing glow reflecting in the reflection of his grandfather's warped helmet, sitting on a table.

"Tell me what to do grandfather, please," he implores the helmet, only to be met with no response as always.

How can I finish what Darth Vader started? I thought it would be so much easier than it has been. If the girl is no longer in my path, what is the way forward then?

His anxious mind gave way to frustration again, getting the better of him. He stood to his feet and slashed a deep gash into the wall of his bedroom, the metal singing and the faint smell of smoke permeating the room as it left another black streak on the wall where other marks were still visible.

 A knock on the door. 

"YES! WHAT IS IT?" he yelled.

"Commander Ren," a stormtrooper's voice carried through the door, "General Hux and Lord Snoke request your presence."

Kylo gave no response, but a moment later the door swooshed open to reveal him in his mask and full black garb, turning to follow the stormtrooper towards the throne room.

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"You seemed troubled Kylo Ren," Lord Snoke's gravelly voice echoed throughout the massive room, "Tell me what is troubling you."

General Hux turned his face to stare at his rival, and he seemed to give a sardonic expression which said, Yes, Kylo, do tell...

Annoyed, Kylo turned his attention back to his Master. "It's nothing to trouble you with Master."

Perceptively, Snoke seemed to regard Kylo for a moment, then, "Leave us Hux."

"My Lord," Hux bowed obediently, turning on his heel and giving Kylo a glance that spoke of infinite irritation before marching out, the heels of his shoes clicking on the floor as he left.

"Now, tell me," Snoke ordered.

"My Lord, I am... increasingly troubled by a vision from my past that has yet to come true, and it bears unclear repercussions if it happens to be true."

He then told Lord Snoke about the vision in its entirety, explaining where he was and with whom when he received it. The hologram projection listened with rapt attention.

When Kylo Ren had finished recounting it for him, Snoke spoke.

"This could bode very well for us Ren, if it happens to be true, and I believe it does. Why have you not spoken of it before this meeting?"

Kylo gulped, "I had hoped the answer to appear to me before now but with every passing day it begins to agitate my mind even more."

"Yes," the hologram nodded, "Yes, I see why you would be anxious to find her. This woman would be a powerful ally for us, if the Force itself told you she could bring balance to it. What we need to do is ensure that she is found, and turned towards our side."

"Do you believe she is alive sir? Do you believe the vision was real?"

"I do Ren. The Force would not show you something so long ago and so clearly if it was not something meant to come about regardless of your choices. It would have been better if you had mentioned her before so we could have sought for her years ago, making her turn to the Dark side earlier and easier, but no matter. We must find her now, and show her our ways."

"I don't know where to start my Lord," Kylo felt a weight lift off him at Snoke's affirmation of the importance of this vision, but the task at hand still seemed insurmountable.

"One unknown girl in the whole of the galaxy may seem daunting, but I have seen you track before. I have no doubt she will be found by you, and when she is that you will succeed in your quest to turn her."

Bowing his head in obeisance, Kylo murmured, "Yes, my lord."

"Now go and find her Kylo, and bring her here before me."