~ 𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 ~ A Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story

30.

3 days passed by too quickly for Ren's taste. He had to leave behind every material possession he had, there wouldn't be room for them on the ship. He had to leave, knowing he'd be helping destroy what he thought was his purpose in life. He had to leave, knowing he was killing thousands of soldiers, his former master, and even Hux. (Though he wasn't too torn up about Hux's death.)

He still wasn't sure that he and Celeste alone would be able to take care of all of the guards, she was still so new to the force, and she would only distract him from controlling the minds of the soldiers. He wasn't having second thoughts but just wanted it all to be over with. Maybe he'd flee to a relaxing beach to clear his head after it was all done. 

"Ren? I just wanted to go over the plan one final time with you, and I wondered if you could walk with me to the fuel room so I can really get a grip on my surroundings," Celeste's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was on top of everything, almost frighteningly so. He paused as he processed what she had said. 

"No. We'll raise suspicion if they see us there," He shook his head. Her face fell and she cursed. 

"Do you have a picture or something?" She asked hopefully. He sighed.

"Why would I have a picture of the fuel room? I've only been there a few times," He pulled a screen up from his desk, swiping and tapping as he spoke.

"Well, what can we do then? I can sneak my way there alone if you tell me where it is, or I can find a picture, or I can disguise mysel-hey, you're not paying attention!" She sounded irritated. Ren held one finger up, indicating he needed silence. Celeste huffed.

"Here," He said, as a detailed architectural drawing of the fuel room appeared on the screen, interrupting her.

"O-oh. Thanks," She walked closer and swiped around the 360-degree view of the industrial room. 

"So that's where they'll put the bombs?" She asked, pointing to a circular door leading to one of the tanks. Ren leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair, nodding. She continued asking questions and memorizing the layout, as Ren's mind wandered. He hadn't seen an ocean in a while, maybe he'd escape to an island somewhere.

"Okay," Vega said in a voice that indicated she was done. She took a deep breath. "12 hours from now, I'll meet you in the designated location, right?" She asked.

Ren looked up and met her eyes for the first time in a long time, hesitating.

"I'm counting on you, Ren. We all are," She said firmly. He clenched his jaw and nodded. 

"I'll see you there," He agreed quietly. 

~~~~~

"Vega? Are the docking spaces open and unlocked for our ships?"

"Yes General, we're all set. Ren an- I mean- I'm in a position to take care of the guards," Celeste stumbled, looking over at Ren. They both sat crouched on the floor, hidden from view of the stormtroopers behind some boxes. He was wearing his helmet, as usual, even though she had warned him not to. If the rebels caught a glimpse of him they'd surely try to kill him. 

He was still avoiding eye contact with her, and it was starting to really get on her nerves. 

"Ready?" She asked. He didn't look away from whatever he was staring at and just nodded slightly. She sighed. 

"Three minutes until go time," She said, both to Leia and to Ren. 

"Understood," Ren and the General said at the same time. Ren's eyes widened, then softened ever-so-slightly. 

"What was that about?" Celeste asked him. He shrugged.

"Two minutes," He murmured to himself.

"What- have you been counting?" She asked, scoffing. 

"If this fails, you just die. If they get their hands on me..." He shivered. "There are many things at stake here." 

Celeste hadn't thought of it that way, of course, he'd be seen as a traitor to the highest degree. Sh almost wanted to ask what would they do with him if they captured him, but decided it was best not to. 

"Don't worry, I've got your back," She offered a smile. 

"I know," He said coolly. "Oh," He shifted his weight slightly, and pulled something out of his pocket. 

"You've been training with it long enough, it's yours now. Now you have this as well as your knife," He said awkwardly, holding out the lightsaber she had been training with for so long. 

"Th-thanks, you didn't have to-" 

"It's rightfully yours," He waved away her thanks. The General's voice made them both jump. 

"10 seconds." Celeste could feel her heart in the throat.

"9," Her palms were so sweaty, were they usually that sweaty?

"8," She felt strangely numb, yet tingly. That wasn't normal.

"7," She remembered she should breathe, but somehow couldn't.

"6," She couldn't breathe, her hearing and sight were going fuzzy.

"5," She vaguely heard a voice, but it sounded so far away. 

"4," Her vision started to fade to a point. She couldn't do this. She couldn't, it wasn't possible.

"Hey. Breathe," Ren's hand took one of hers, and she felt a small transfer of energy between them.

"3," She met his eyes for a split second, and she could have sworn she heard a smile in his voice under his helmet. 

"We have this. It's not even a big deal," 

"2," Maybe they could do it after all. 

"1," 

Ren's hand shot away from hers and he jumped to his feet. Celeste mirrored his actions and glanced around for the nearest guards. A group of 3 approached them. 

"Y-you have pressing business on the other side of the ship," She said, her voice quivering. 

"Confidence, Celeste, confidence," Ren murmured. Hearing him say her name made her feel suddenly warm, and she repeated herself, louder. 

"You have pressing business on the other side of the ship."

"We have pressing business on the other side of the ship," They said at the same time. She grinned, but she could feel how much energy was drained when she had controlled them. Maybe this wasn't going to be so easy...

A/N: Hello! If you're enjoying this story so far, please consider leaving comments, votes, add it to your reading lists, or even follow me for more stories in the future. It really means the world to me, and I love seeing everyone's comments and thoughts! This story is currently under editing, and your support keeps me motivated to continue. If you like my writing style, be sure to be on the lookout for more, similar stories in the future! Thank you! :)

EDITED