Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 37

The doors slid open and the three remaining Knights of Ren walked in and started to roam around the room, restlessly waiting for their leader to speak.

Kylo Ren looked down and noticed a hairline crack in the metal wall, a remnant from when he was last here that brought back the unpleasant memory of his uncle's voice.

He turned suddenly, "Did you recover their bodies?"

Ushar shook his head, "They left nothing to bury."

Kylo nodded silently.

"We failed you, Master," Cardo said, "They should not have been able to kill half our number."

"No they shouldn't have," he said, "But they always manage to achieve the seemingly impossible."

His mind drifted to the first time he'd fought Rey, how she'd matched him, bested him having never used a lightsaber before.

"We will find the Jedi and the rest of these rebels and destroy them," Trudgen said.

"No."

"No?" Cardo asked, letting his surprise overcome his deference.

Kylo stared down at his gloved hand, "I have allowed myself to become distracted. Finding Mortis is all that matters."

"Of course, Master," Ushar said, "How can we assist you?"

"We must go to the wreckage of the second Death Star. Prepare your ship."

They nodded and walked to the door, leaving Kylo to glare at the mark on the wall.

"It won't bring you peace, Ben," Luke's voice said softly in his mind.

"Get out of my head!" Kylo yelled.

"I'm always in your head."

Kylo whipped around.

"I told you Ben: I'll always be with you."

"That isn't my name!"

"You may fight the light that's inside you, but you will never be completely rid of it. It's a part of who you are. And you can call yourself Kylo Ren...but who you are is Leia and Han's son."

"They are dead!"

"And you still feel their loss, you may twist it into anger to fuel you, but you feel it to your core."

"You only knew the weak boy that I was! I have become so much more."

"And so much less."

"When I've bent this galaxy to my will...we'll see who's lesser, old man."

Silence followed and Kylo ran a hand down his face feeling suddenly exhausted.