Surrendered

Chapter Five : Injuries

Chapter Five

I groaned as I came to, my entire body ached I was in agony. The room span and I wondered where I was. I took in my surroundings, I was lay on a rigid cot, my thoughts were interrupted by a woman walking in.

She was dressed all in white which made a difference from the usual black uniforms.

"Miss Aurora, good morning. How are you feeling?" She asked coldly, it seemed that even the medical staff lacked empathy.

I sat up slowly and stared at her, it was quite clear that I wasn't in the best condition. What a stupid question to ask.

"Where's Ren?" I asked alarmed when I remembered what had landed me in this condition.

"The commander is away, you've been out for a few days your injuries were pretty severe, but you should be able to leave this afternoon." She said with a sigh as if my injuries were self- inflicted and a waste of her time.

"I was out for a few days?" I asked alarmed.

"Yes, we put you in the bacta tank." She explained.

That man truly was a monster, I wondered how close I'd come to death. Maybe he wasn't allowed to kill me, surely Snoke wouldn't be happy if I died. I was too valuable to the First Order. But it was fine for him to beat me within an inch of my life, the sooner I got away from that awful man and this place the better.

A few hours later I was discharged from the medical wing and my heart sunk when I saw it was the irritating General Hux collecting me. I had hoped for just an officer who wouldn't make small talk, as this slimy man always had to have the last word.

"Look at your face, he is an animal. I warned you about your attitude on this ship, he won't tolerate insolence" He grabbed a hold of my face and pulled it towards him to get a closer look. 

"I didn't say anything to him." I argued.

"Even he wouldn't do this unprovoked." Hux sneered.

I could have told him what happened, but I'd rather keep the incident to myself. If Kylo hadn't told anyone of my new skill it may come in useful later.

"You will be dining with Supreme Leader Snoke this evening, a gown has been ordered for you. Be on your best behaviour, I will collect you later this evening. Maids will be sent to make you look presentable" Hux informed me.

 I rolled my eyes, couldn't I enjoy just one evening of peace? Particularly as I'd only just gotten out of the medical wing and I was still in pain.

Once inside my quarters I was quick to peel the black gown off me, I looked at the dressing on my side and unpeeled it. Wincing as it pulled at my skin, the burn wasn't too visible I didn't think that it would scar too much. But I needed to make a plan for how to deal with Kylo, he didn't want me to read his mind. Nor did I want him in mine, surely there must be a way to shield my thoughts. I thought deeply as I closed my eyes and a bright light shone behind my eyelids. The light whispered to me, I felt calm and at peace again. It was showing me a way to fine tune my skills, it showed me how to mediate, to place walls into my mind. This was the way to keep him out, I wasn't sure how strong the defences were, but I was willing to take another beating to discover if this could work. I imagined the walls to be strong, and they felt so real that I was sure if I reached out, I could have felt them. The longer I spent trying to refine my skills the faster and stronger the force seemed to flow throughout my body. And I wasn't afraid of it, I wanted to master it and become stronger.

My thought processed was disrupted by a tap at the door, the maids had arrived I wasn't sure how long I'd been meditating for. I wasn't able to judge time when I was in this trance but at least it gave me some welcome relief from the normal monotony of my life on this ship.