When Light Meets Dark - A Reylo Romance

Briefing

Hey guys. Just realised that I published the last chapter privately by mistake. I've made it public now, sorry about that. Enjoy :)

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 "So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you."

~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Rey

Everyone was gathered in the mini auditorium and the chatter of voices and murmur of questions filled the air. I was seated at the edge of a bench three rows up and C-4PO sat my side, his voice distant as I surveyed the room. Two rows down and almost directly beneath me sat Finn. He was facing the podium, his broad shoulders stretching out beneath his grey uniform. We hadn't spoken since the previous day when he had stormed off. I didn't feel like talking to him.

"And so that's how we escaped from the pirates. Quite remarkable isn't it?" C-4PO's voice suddenly surfaced and I realised that I hadn't heard a word he had said.

"Very." I said quickly, raising my eyebrows in mock astonishment. He tilted his head to the side.

"Master Rey you seem quite detached." he mentioned with concern.

"Just restless." I replied, "Where is the General anyway? Didn't she call this meeting?"

"Yes. She shouldn't be long." C-4PO answered, turning to face the empty podium at the centre of the hall. Then I sensed footsteps coming in from the upper entrance and turned. But it wasn't the General, it was Kylo. I hadn't had a chance to see him since we had arrived on Umbara and we'd been given separate rooms in different wings of the base, which made it even harder. When I set eyes on him my heart started thudding in my chest, which was silly because I'd seen him so many times before. As usual he was wearing all black and his hair fell into perfect waves around his face. He seemed calm, his expression unreadable as he walked over to an empty bench and sat down. After a while he looked up and caught my eye. He smiled, a wide genuine smile, and I returned it. I was happy to see him.

"Everyone. May I have your attention?" I turned to find General Leia who had finally arrived and was standing at the podium. She didn't shout, yet her voice held a quiet authority, and the room instantly fell into silence.

"I don't want to waste anymore of your time, so let's begin immediately. I called this briefing to update you all on our upcoming mission. We have finally discovered what Snoke is planning." She paused, her sharp brown eyes searching the room for a moment. "He is planning to wipe out Chandrila."

The murmurs in the room rose and I turned to C-4PO. "What's Chandrila?"

"According to my database, it's one of the most highly populated planets in it's quadrant of space, home to over 4000 different species of--"

"Hold on." I interrupted him, "Snoke wants to destroy a planet full of millions of life forms? But why?"

"Now many of you may be questioning why he would want to commit such an atrocity." the General continued, echoing my question. "But the First Order rarely does anything without purpose. Recently it was discovered that Chandrila has exocrystals beneath it's surface, running deep down to it's core. Exocrystals are one of the most dense materials in the galaxy, and we believe with an almost infinite supply of this he could make his ships and soldiers virtually indestructible."

The murmurs in the hall rose once again and I glanced at Kylo who seemed frozen in his seat. He looked at me.

Why? He asked me silently, using our force bond. Why did we allow a monster like this to gain so much power?