A Seam Within the Galaxy • Kylo Ren

Ch.15

Name: Rix Drimen

Improvement: In all areas but what he needs most, to graduate from student to stormtrooper.

Areas to improve: Confidence, as he is weary of the battlefield. He very obviously wants to fight, but when it comes to it, he freezes.

Allotted time: 2 hrs.

New Message from the General

I pause my work on the datapad, seeing the latest alert. I am timid to click on it, seeming that nothing coming from him was ever good these days. I give in, tapping on the message. I read over the simple words and frown, switching the datapad off. It expected me to meet him in his office, with no further instruction. BB-9 hasn't been relayed the message, so I inform him of what has been asked of me. He scurries around, worried. He expresses his feelings toward such a message, mentioning nothing good could come from something so discrete. I did agree, not trusting the General enough to meet him somewhere alone again, not after last time and the events following.

I knew there was no use in fighting, either, or bringing BB-9 to accompany me, as much as I wished I could. The general was my superior, at the end of the day. If there was a problem, I could leave. If this would have happened days ago, I would have thought of the idea of reaching out to the Commander. Now, it was a foolish idea. I didn't want to have to rely on him anymore, after all he had done for me. I also remembered I needed to distance myself, for my own good.

Thinking of the Commander, as fleeting and fast as it was, didn't feel good. For the entirety of today I had felt a sunken feeling in my chest, especially when my mind wandered to the idea of him. I couldn't put my finger on the cause, either being from yesterday, where he had viscerally torn me apart in front of my students, or the moments following after, showing me how much he had regretted it. How moved he was to see me so broken, immediately healing me to show he was sorry, taking it all back. I rose to my feet, my body still sore from fighting him yesterday, but nothing I couldn't handle, nothing that wouldn't last a day or two more.

I tuck in my chair as BB-9 runs down his list of precautions to take when dealing with the General, keeping a lookout on the way there, as well as on the way back. I nod to ease him down, telling him I will do just as he says.

I feel that abyss in the pit of my stomach, worrying me to no end. I bid a farewell to BB-9, mentioning I'll return to my office and finish the outlines and assessments we had been filling out of my students' progress. I make my way into the hallway, the door sealing shut behind me as I begin my walk, a short one at that. Turning the corner, I feel less and less confident of the days ahead, scared of them. I couldn't ascertain why, as I was slowly working toward getting my title to my own again, constantly healing, striving toward something better. Something wasn't right, I could sense it. It came from deep within, looming over me, like a dark cloud. I wished it would move on, assuming it was something the force had plagued me with, something I would have to get used to. I didn't want to get used to anything, I wanted out of it. For things to go back the way they were, to normalcy.

As I absentmindedly pass a control room, I take notice that the door is open for anyone to enter, smoke lightly billowing out into the hallway as I pass through. I backtrack, fixing my eyes on such a sight. I peer my head in, watching as a technician assesses the damages. Blinking lights fizz and spit sparks all around; control boards were smashed in, with looking to be fist-like indentations. Panels lining the walls were torn out, sliced through, wires hanging from them and different units on the ceiling. Mainly everything had been singed by a lightsaber. Drips of plastic melt downward, landing on the floor and solidifying as it dries, the saber having melted through the different screens and control boards. All kinds of distorted beeps coming from the wreckage of appliances, alarming us that something had gone awry.