𝐀 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐧 | 𝙺𝚢𝚕𝚘 𝚁𝚎𝚗 𝚇 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚝

A Night Of Ren

You never did adjust to the cold, empty darkness after hours. A scraping sound of metal on metal, your feet still on autopilot as you marched through the halls surrounding the command center, the only other audible sound being your own breath, calm but muffled underneath your helmet. The eerie atmosphere made you uneasy. Nonetheless, patrols were your responsibility, and top priority during the night.

Clank. Clank. Your steps slowed as you closed the gap between yourself and the Commander's quarters at the end of the hall, and approached a prodigious window pane just to the right of it, stopping upon arrival and turning to face the glass. It revealed a field of yet more empty darkness outside of the ship, too, however significantly more mesmerizing, scattered with burning stars and distant planets whose names escaped you. The beauty beyond the walls of the Finalizer never ceased to amaze you.

After a brief moment, your focus shifted from the awe-inspiring outer space to your own reflection. You studied the black and white polished armor engulfing your body, EC-17 blaster wielded at low ready as usual, torn between a sense of pride, and a sense of guilt, the silence surrounding you still presenting its own unknown threat.

You sighed, lowering your weapon, all the while delving into your own mind, attempting to separate the truth from your own feelings....

Physically and mentally confined to the spot, courtesy of the ongoing battle inside of your own head, minutes elapsed before you realized just how long you've been immobile, and the immense fear of being caught off guard snapped you back to reality.

You returned to the dimly lit corridor with a military left face. Simultaneously, the encompassing silence was broken, and not by you.

"FN-6109."

Emotionless and robotic, yet heavy and intimidating all the same. Not the unlatching of a door, nor the footsteps of another being, prepared you for this alarming encounter. A stare down commenced, rendering you unusually grateful for the metal barrier between your face and the outside world, with a different helmet, a silver inlay, radiating from the eyes and bordered by black, piercing your very soul. You sensed the malice behind the mask.

"Commander," you began, holding your voice steady in an effort to seem dauntless, despite your shrouded expression of terror. You could count the number of times that you've seen the First Order's fearless leader in the flesh on one hand. And yet, here he was, not even accompanied by the habitual guards, or General Hux himself. Just you, and Kylo Ren.

Perhaps it was the unknown, the unfamiliarity with this mysterious, unnerving being, that sparked the unease that you felt; possibly even your own internal conflict, feeding into your own fear. Maybe even, it wasn't entirely fear after all. The idea sounded ludicrous, even to yourself, but there was no denying the secret that you kept locked away; how, beyond even your own comprehension, something about this man intrigued you - thrilled you, even. The sound of that voice, and the authority that radiated from the faceless persona... The combination of enigma and dominance... It was hot.

Fuck.

Your heart sank into the pit of your stomach.

"Your thoughts are loud." Kylo Ren's voice was altered, protected by the mask.

You fucked up. How could you be so absentminded? So careless, when you're so close to such power? You knew that he could read the thoughts of others, as long as they were in close proximity. You gave a feeble attempt at responding confidently, meanwhile ignoring his declaration.

"How can I help you, sir?"

Without missing a beat, he snapped back at you with urgency.

"You can help me by choosing which issue you'd like to address first - where your loyalty really lies, or how you really feel about me."