Through A Barren Eden: A Kylo Ren Fanfiction

Chapter 1: A Strange New World

    Isabel woke with a start, her eyes traveling down to examine her hands as if she expected them to be stained with the blood that they had been in her dream, or rather, nightmare.  Of course her first night out of the med-bay felt like every night previous, with the same reoccurring nightmare to remind her of Kattaya's death.  She thought it pitiful that she had assumed with such hope that a soft mattress and some silky blankets would change the outcome of her sleeping patterns, because deep down she understood that this memory was something she couldn't outrun.  She sighed, burying her face in her hands before dragging them down her features like she could wipe her exhaustion away in doing so.  Already, the sound of people rummaging about outside had her feeling more awake, and she swung her feet over the side of the bed, standing while stretching her arms out above her head.  She dragged herself over to the wardrobe, quickly throwing on some clothes provided to her by the Resistance, despite how many times she'd told Leia she had no intention of staying, that she wanted to go back to her home planet instead, where she'd lived before being taken under Luke's apprenticeship.  It was clear to her why Leia didn't want her to go.  They had unfinished business in her eyes, and not only that, but business that involved her son.  The man that Isa now wished so desperately to forget about, and the only way to do so, was busing herself with other matters.  
    The doors of her chamber opened as she reached them, revealing a corridor leading outdoors.  She looked up and down the pathway, catching the stares of a few curious Resistance members, not accustomed to seeing her on their resided planet.  She lifted her chin slightly, trying to appear less uncertain than she felt as she carried on by the interested strangers.  Outside it was even more lively, with ships going through engine checking procedures and groups of people discussing recent events within the Resistance.  Across the way, Isabel could see the large building containing the mess hall.  She'd hardly eaten in her time spent in the med-bay, but now seemed as good a time as any.  The mess hall was relatively empty when she entered, and yet everyone inside seemed to somehow know each other as they gathered around the tables with their trays piled with an assortment of food.  Isabel walked by the serving area, a droid putting whatever she requested onto her own tray before she carried it to a barren table to eat.  She kept her head down, as if she were waiting to get more questioning looks from the others within the hall.  She couldn't help but think of how different things would be if she were at the temple.  She would've been surrounded by friends rather than strangers.  Voe would probably be arguing with Ben about something laughable to the others, Cardo would challenge Isa to a game of dejarik after they'd eaten.  Everything would feel as casual as always.  Just as casual as it had the day of the attack.  Deep in thought once again, the only thing that drew Isa back to the present was the sound of a voice clearing behind her. 
    "Somebody said I could find you here," the voice spoke, "I'm glad you found this place alright.  Leia asked me to show you around when you were feeling better but... it seems like you're capable enough," the person carried on, and Isa could practically hear the playful smirk in his tone. 
    "I am, thanks," Isa answered simply before tossing another piece of fruit into her mouth without even turning to look at the person behind her. 
    "Well, I should probably still do the rest of my job," the man said, finally moving around to the other side of the table to sit across from her.  Isa found her eyes trying to look anywhere else, like the person across from her would turn into an immediate threat if she looked directly at him while she ate, until finally she gave in and looked at him, giving a small nod.
    "Probably," she mumbled in response.  As cold as she had been, she was surprised that the man hadn't given up his gregarious act already, but then again, everyone probably knew of her story by now and thought that they had to treat her with kindness in any circumstance.
    "It's nice to meet you, Isa," he started once again, "I'm Jackson Mitris.  I'm one of the commanding officers around here.  But you don't have to be intimidated or anything.  I'm sure we'll make great friends, right?" he flashed another snarky smile that was this time visible to Isa, and she couldn't control the urge to roll her eyes.
    "I don't know, I'm practically shaking in my boots already," Isa spoke, standing from the table and picking up her now picked over tray, "but I suppose I'll let you show me around, oh Grand Chief Mitris," she added sarcastically. 
                                                                       ***
    As soon as her tray was discarded, Jackson was already leading her outside to show her more of the base.  When he showed her to the ship docks, two people were leaned against an X-wing with an orange and white BB unit rolling around their feet as if they all were waiting for something.  They recognized Jackson almost immediately and seemed to stand straighter, but soon enough they were looking to Isa with confusion.
    "And these are the ship docks, where you'll almost always find Poe and Emilee," Jackson nodded towards the two, "guys, this is Isabel."
    "You mean the girl that got rescued from the temple?" the girl referred to as Emilee spoke up, her honeyed eyes peering shamelessly at Isa through a curtain of black lashes. 
    "Emilee, she's a person, just like the rest of us, not some gossip--" Jackson began with a sigh.
    "It's fine," Isa waved her hand dismissively, "it's not like she's wrong," she glanced down, only to have her shin lightly ran into by the small droid at her feet.
    "BB-8," Poe scolded, "give her some space.  Sorry about that," he huffed before holding out an oil covered hand to shake hers.
    "Uh, it's nice to meet you," Isa stated simply, not offering her hand in return as she even took a step back to avoid his stained hand. 
    Poe looked down at his own hand and then shrugged, wiping it on the pantleg of his orange uniform.
    "I know this might be sudden," Jackson cut in, "but I brought you here last because Leia wanted me to ask something of you," he sighed, turning to Isa.
    "You mean you haven't told the poor girl yet?" Poe asked Jackson incredulously, though he was only shot a glare in response.
    "Listen, Isa, Leia was hoping you'd agree to help us on a mission.  She was hoping that you specifically would be up to the challenge because it's on Colstev," Jackson informed her finally.
    Isa sucked in a breath as she heard the name of her home planet spoken.  She hadn't been there since before her training began, back when a family friend, Tira, had been raising her after the deaths of her parents.  This must have been why Leia didn't want her to return there.  Something must have been wrong all along and Leia was only waiting for her to regain her strength.  She looked at the three Resistance members before her now, obviously clueless as to what the planet meant to her, but of course she couldn't turn down the chance to visit it now.  Instead of speaking her agreement, she nodded slowly, watched as they all simultaneously took a deep breath of relief and headed towards a nearby ship to start loading up.  Already, Isa was fearing the worst.


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Author's note:
Thanks so much for reading!  If you could follow, vote, comment, share, anything you feel compelled to do to help me out with this story, I'd really appreciate it.  Also if you want to check out my other work (Kylo Ren Imagines for those of you who aren't the story type) that would be awesome!  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I can't wait to upload the next chapter for you all!