Finn eyed the hidden faces standing guard around him, curiosity running rampant inside his brain. Of course he had heard many stories of the famed Knights of Ren during his time with the Order, but never did he think he would ever actually get the chance to be in their presence. How ironic this all was, Finn thought. For almost all of his life, the ideals of these creatures were idolized amongst his peers and even himself, as much as he hated to admit it. They were put upon a pedestal of pristine excellence, making them what all troopers yearned deeply to achieve. Years ago, he would have felt unquestionably honoured to have such an opportunity, although now, all Finn felt was disdain.

Across the bay, Kylo lounged casually against the wall, swimming through the other man's thoughts. A small smirk of satisfaction crept its way onto his lips at the ex-trooper's hidden realizations. After lingering a few more moments, Kylo pulled away and traveled into a nearby corridor where two other Knights sat in silence, looking over their weapons while engulfed in an undivided focus. With their faces exposed, both appeared almost harmless. Their young, soft features were an oddity inside the Order, but comforting none the less. Before him, was a dark skinned woman, whose curls extended tightly from her head in natural bursts and another man, younger than Kylo, with a clump of shaggy, fawn coloured hair and dark, mischievous eyes.

"Sir." They regarded him in unison, immediately halting their work.

Kylo waved them off with a duck of his head and ran his fingers over the hardy metal staff sprawled out despairingly on the counter. "The pilots have alerted me that we shall be landing shortly." He paused when he came upon a heavy indent in the weapon, though continued only a breath later, " When we arrive at the base, I want you all to keep a close eye on the prisoner. The man may seem powerless, but he will not be underestimated, not this time." Kylo withdrew his hand back to his side and looked both Knights in the eye, "Are we clear?"

They both nodded frivolously, though the man decided to speak up, much to the enmity of his female counterpart. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, who is he? I know that he is with the Resistance, but back there, at the cantina, it seemed as if you two had come into contact before."

"Cearest, it is not our place to question Lord Ren!" hissed the woman as she turned to him, expression tight.

Her unyielding loyalty to him sent shivers of sweet contentment running through Kylo's body, forcing him to bite back the fighting urge to smile. Despite this, he nodded to her, "No worries, Roza." Then, Kylo's gaze shifted to the man standing beside her, "Cearest was only being curious."

The Knight, Cearest, swallowed, wanting nothing more than to back away from the taller man and return to his task of repairing his weapons. He tensed when a broad hand came lightly into contact with his shoulder in a domineering grasp. "Our prisoner is none other than FN-2187, our first and only stormtrooper to ever defect and turn against us."

"He defected?" Roza gasped. "I bet the General is dying to get his hands on that one then. He probably won't even spare us a second glance when we arrive alongside him." Kylo didn't doubt this for he knew the high levels of frustration Hux had felt for this particular case. All his life, he had spent perfecting his system of selection for the Order, only taking the best of the best. Yet, after all that hard work, it only took one renegade to destroy it all.

When they touched down on the iron expanse of landing strip, Finn was first to be shoved out of the vehicle, flanked on all sides by the Knights, Kylo trailing closely behind. Outside waiting for their arrival, stood Captain Phasma, as poised and uniform as ever. Kylo's heart fell only slightly when he realized General Hux was nowhere to be found, though he cleared his head almost instantly after the thought crossed his mind. Certainly Hux wouldn't be out here at this time of day, the sky had already begun to fade into a deep magenta, with its many moons peeking brightly out from the clouds. Even so, an absence of the General was of no importance to him, such feelings were a luxury that he couldn't allow, no matter what was said nights previously.

"Captain, see to it that our prisoner is kept under close surveillance and that he is put into chamber of the highest security. I will return to him in the morning." She nodded and followed the rest of the party, eyes transfixed on the shackled man of whom she trained herself, ensnaring the young boy in but another personal vendetta.

Now standing alone in the darkening light, Kylo sighed and ducked in after them. As it seemed that all the Knights had already disappeared from view, Kylo took the opposite corridor, leading out to a small observation deck, open to the outside air. He had discovered the hidden treasure only days prior, after stumbling out the wrong room in one of his many drunken stupors. There had been a cold metal railing looking out over the dense foliage of the planet, providing him an opportune place to spill the vile contents of his stomach over its edge. He had returned to the spot the very next day, only to find the space completely vacant without even a slight remnant of use.

The calming, humid breeze forced his uncontrolled locks swaying past his lids rebelliously, though Ren paid no mind, his attention focused solely on the single unfamiliar figure braced casually against the rail. A gray wisp of smoke floated skyward from the man's hand, concealing the small rectangular tube of a lit cigarette carefully between his pale fingers. Ignoring the new arrival, he brought it carefully to his lips and let out a slow drag, feeling the tensions ease from his body.

"I didn't know you smoked, General." Kylo said simply, stepping fully out onto the balcony.

The man turned, eyes tired and lips turned downwards in a frown. "An unfortunate habit, I suppose. But how else do you think I was able to put up with the likes of you?" He hissed as he extinguished the ashen cigarette on the stone beside him.

"Ouch, why so harsh? I just got back from a deadly mission. I could have been killed!"  Gasped Ren playfully, stepping closer and placing his large, leather bound hands across the other man's shoulders. At the touch, Hux tensed, but stared up at the opposing copper hued eyes with a conflicting stare that Kylo struggled to decipher in its totality.

Hux tilted his head and let out a resonated sigh, leaning into the grip and relishing it more than he cared to admit. "Maybe your untimely death could have done me some good, Ren. So much progress could be made without your constant requirement of supervision." Kylo frowned at the comment, provoking a soft chuckle from the general before he continued voicing his thoughts, though he refused to lose the faint glimmer of something hidden behind those groggy, olive orbs, "However, I have to admit, you're quite entertaining to have around, Ren."

In response, Kylo smiled, genuinely and full toothed, a true treasure to preserve as it was such rarity among those affiliated with the Order. His lashes flitted down affectionately to meet Hux's, naturally drawing his head upwards to look on at him. Slowly, Kylo began to lean forward, his hands sliding from the other man's shoulders up to his ginger hair. Without warning, Hux drew in a sharp breath and pushed him away. Kylo stared back, hurt clearly making its way into his expression after the sudden refusal. "I'm sorry Ren," Hux breathed, forcing himself to stare down at the ground as he was truly amazed at himself for doing such a thing. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words, his usually sharp tongue retreating back in confusion. Finally, Hux looked up to see Kylo still standing across from him, his expression unreadable.

When he realized what was going on, Hux knew it was almost too late. Almost. Forcefully, he ejected the Knight from his mind, though he remained aware that not all his secrets were kept from his sweep. "We've been here before..." Kylo murmured, surprising Hux as he began taking a hollowing step backwards. "Why-why don't I remember it?" He stuttered as he fell against the opposite wall, grasping at it desperately for support. Hux reached out in an attempt at reassurance to the Knight, but violently, his hand was swatted away. Kylo swallowed, averting his eyes from Hux's own pleading gaze. "And that's not even why you pulled away," he choked. Hux froze at this, feeling the stinging sensation of bile rising inside his throat as he forced himself not to let loose whatever meager contents where left within his stomach.

"What are you hiding, Hux?" He stood with a newfound rage pooling within his enraged amber eyes. He refused to show more weakness in front of the other man, throwing aside the petty feelings of hurt that had crawled into his heart. "What could possibly be taking refuge inside that pretty, red head of yours, General?"

Hux immediately regretted putting out that cigarette. With Ren stepping ever so close to him, his fingers ached to gravitate away from him and back to the half empty container lying on the rail behind him. "Nothing of your concern," He replied, carefully, not daring to break the stare Kylo had thrust upon him.

The anger faded to desperation the closer he got, and in that moment, the realization of this man's utter instability came to Hux with a jolt. Never had he met another being whose emotions could shift so suddenly.  "Please, Hux. Tell me." Kylo begged, bringing his fingers back to their place on the General's, flushed cheeks. "Please," he whispered, more gently this time. Hux was not oblivious to Ren's insistence to enter his mind, but at this moment he knew well enough that there was no stopping him. His emotions were too passionate. Nothing would come in his way.

So together, they plunged. Back into the crevices of the General's head, despite everything, Hux continued to try and fight him off as best as he could, putting up walls anywhere he was able to. Then, they landed, hard and unexpectedly into what seemed to be the same outlook, though different it was. Rather than the navy clouds of darkness swirling around them, the sky beyond the ledge was a soft pink, giving way to a bleeding titian tangle of sunset. Hux was yelling, though it was not he, himself doing so, but a memory. Standing tall in front of Kylo Ren, Hux spat curse upon curse, jabbing his lithe fingers into the Knight's chest angrily. Both were undoubtedly more youthful, with eyes lacking their sheen of total emptiness, almost as if it was innocence that possessed them, if such a word could be used for the two whose entire lives had known nothing but immorality.

As they watched the scene unfold, invisible like ghosts, Kylo wrestled with his mind to recall the moment. He strained to hear what words were being spewed in such a fit, but found himself unable to do so, as they seemed to be speaking in a tongue unrecognizable to him. Piecing this together quickly, he realized it was only Hux's own subconscious struggling to remember the exact parameters of the conversation. The words spoken must not be of importance, Ren decided, though he remained transfixed on the interaction. All of a sudden, Kylo sucked in a breath. Hux glanced over and witnessed as the world seemed to slow when something finally broke the chain of accusatory screams.

Before them, the younger Ren had reached out hastily to bring the General to his lips, silencing his cries. Too shocked to react, Hux stood still, eyes opened wide to stare at the other, though he was definitely not...rejecting the action. Gradually, Hux relaxed into the kiss and brought his arms to circle around Kylo with his eyes closing comfortably.

It then came to Kylo's realization that they were no longer standing outside on the balcony, but within the familiar confines of the Finalizer. The memories showed the two pacing along the corridors, carefully avoiding all unnecessary contact from the other. All around them, troopers and officers alike raced in the opposite direction.  As the noise died down, the two were nowhere to be found, until they were spotted discretely slipping into a nearby maintenance closet to take refuge. Next, the harsh fluorescent lights faded into shadows around them. Within the darkness, Kylo could make out two sleeping figures resting softly atop a gray swathe of sheets. He stepped over and saw that of course, it was himself and the general, though the two looked almost at peace, no wrinkles of concern laced their foreheads and Kylo took note of the lack of nightmares his own self seemed to be experiencing. Although clothed in Order regulated sweats, they still clung tightly onto the other, all in the hope of fighting off the harsh nip of cold drafting into the chambers, or maybe something else entirely that was just as icy as the breeze. Kylo could do nothing but stare at the two when no recollection came to him. At the same time, he could feel the uncomfortable snap of green envy creep into his bones at what he never got to have.  

When the vision vanished, it was then that he found himself kneeling before the Supreme Leader, Hux of course, at his side. Kylo appeared to be past what one would consider being scared, yet like always, the General showed no trace of emotion. Only utter indifference could be seen when looking upon the great visage of their Master.  Kylo couldn't help feel a stab of admiration for the man for being stronger than he thought he could ever be himself. "I will not repeat myself, Kylo Ren. Take your pick." Spat Snoke, beady black eyes squinting in the dimness.

With a fearful gulp, Kylo stood to face the pale figure and tried his hardest to try and obscure the hands shaking at his sides. "You know I can't do what you really desire, Master." Beside him, Hux's eyes bulged in his head, staring incredulously at his friend. "I'll take the latter and face the consequences myself."

"Very well."

Hux sprang up from where he crouched.  "No!" he shouted pleadingly, grasping hopelessly at Ren's arms. Kylo looked back him with a terrible sadness, but his mind was made up. The terrible fate that awaited him was what Kylo thought only fair for his actions. His powerful hands shot out and yanked at the General's temples. Inconspicuously gone after the blink of an eye, Kylo shot a warning into Hux's mind. I'm so sorry. Hux stared at him, but with the break of his heart, he understood what had to be done. A scream erupted from his throat and he immediately felt himself collapse to his knees in pain, but while Hux stood by for his inevitable punishment to overcome him, nothing came.

"Very good. However, your turn is still yet to come, boy," Snoke threatened. "I expect you on my craft before the week is over for reconditioning or your precious General will receive far worse than a simple memory wipe." Kylo nodded and when the hologram retreated, he dashed to the floor to the other man. He looked down at Hux with an apologetic frown, eyes welling with smooth droplet of tears and met his lips with a soft farewell before hastily throwing himself in the other direction, aware that if he stayed any longer, he may never possess the power to leave.

With him gone, that same hauntingly deep voice echoed around the cavern, sending shivers down Kylo's spine as he watched the past Hux rise from his crouch, face grave. Store this memory with you, General. Do assure me that you can keep this a secret better than you kept whatever it was you had with Ren. Hux nodded, clutching his head while glancing around the room. He seemed to be striving hard to locate the projected effigy, but with no accomplishment. And General, have you fail me again so much so in the future, remember that next time, I will certainly not be so merciful. 

As Kylo was being pulled back to reality, instead he saw himself. Though this time, he knew that he was no longer inside Hux's head, but his own. Snoke's knarled, ashen hands were clasped similarly around the man's head as like with the General, but unlike with Hux, Kylo was screaming deafening cries of agony as the memories were ripped from his mind. Not only that, but the Supreme Leader seemed to be sending in actual waves of pure torturous anguish into the Knight via the force, making him clutch and claw at his body, desperate to try and rid himself of the feeling of being ripped open from the inside.

Kylo finally landed back on the balcony when his knees buckled from underneath him. It was then when he decided memory searches were definitely not his forte. "I told you to stay out of my head, Ren." Hux sighed with resignation, merely exhausted more than anything else.

"What was that? " He gasped. Yet through it all, Kylo was aware that there was still something else, something more buried inside. Regardless, this seemed to be enough revelation for today, maybe even for the rest of his life.

Hux sighed and with great relief reached for the pack of cigarettes. He gestured towards the saber hidden inside the belt of the Force wielder in front of him. Still not recovered from what had taken place, Kylo absentmindedly unclasped the weapon and it sprung to life before them. With much precision, Hux brought the tip of the cigarette to the blade and it set ablaze. When the deed was done, Kylo drew back his light saber and prompted him once again to provide an explanation.

"Are you so ignorant as to not be able to piece together what happened?" Hux asked with a scowl, not caring that smoke was being blown directly into Kylo's face.

Ren shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, something he did often when he was stressed, Hux noted.  "No, I just don't understand...Why didn't you tell me?"

"You know that I couldn't. I didn't even mean for all this to happen again. I was weak that day in the gym, I couldn't bear being away from you any longer, even after I promised myself I would never let myself become...attached ever again, especially to you." It was such a peculiar sight, Ren thought as he looked up at Hux, who was so filled with panic and unknowingness. "When Snoke finds out, which he will, I highly doubt we'll be walking away with our lives." 

At last, Ren stood and proposed an idea so preposterous that Hux snorted out loud, "We could run, just the two of us. No one would ever catch us."

"Don't be so stupid, Ren." Hux shot him down after extinguishing his final cigarette. He pushed passed the taller man, and slipped back into the building, leaving Kylo behind to sit and process everything that had just occurred. No longer desiring to admire the scenery, he fled back to his quarters, ignoring the many troopers that attempted to consult with him, sending anyone that dared approach him flying in the opposite direction. Part of his mind dared him to confront Snoke, but the more functioning side took dominance and instead, he raced back to his chambers.

When the relief of privacy took over him, Kylo clutched at his head miserably, simultaneously sending out violent bursts of force energy to destroy anything unfortunate enough to be within a few feet of him. Glass shattered, wood splintered, and iron collapsed in on itself in his fit of anguish. Though it pained him, Ren was determined to find out more. The memories of his own had to be buried down there somewhere and he was going to reach them, even if it killed him, which at this point, Kylo believed could be an entirely logical outcome.

As the morning approached, light began to filter through the viewports, offering only little to the spectacle happening within the room. Kylo Ren lay on the cluttered floor, hair disheveled and eyes red with sleeplessness. The remembrances had come to him sometime in the night, but not without consequence. Each and every painstakingly vivid moment had crashed into his mind in a disorderly jumble making his stomach twist and churn with unease. All the precious days and months of his forgotten life were founding inside his head, yet they still seemed distant, only slightly disconnected from the rest of his consciousness. Not to mention, other memories he thought better kept forgotten resurfaced along with them, feeling like a spear in his dormant heart.

A knock sounded at the door, but as he seemed too incapacitated to move, Kylo ignored it. The banging came again, this time more urgent, until finally the entryway slid open to reveal an unmasked Captain Phasma. "By the Maker, Ren, what did you do?" she set down her gun and calmly strode over to lift the broken man's head to examine for any injuries.

"It's not of your concern, Captain." He grumbled, though he found himself so knee deep in exhaustion that it lacked any tone of intended malice. "What do you need me for?" Kylo sighed.

After giving him the all clear, physically speaking, Phasma straightened her posture and informed him of the conflict arising in the prison ward. "It's FN-2187 and Lady Rar, sir. She wanted me to notify you that the prisoner has been prepped and is ready for his questioning." She paused before continuing cautiously, "I also spoke with General Hux." Kylo bristled, but said nothing. "He believes that the traitor's arrival will surely draw out the girl...so long as you and your Knights are prepared."

"Oh, we will be ready, Captain."

It's going to be okay. We're coming.

Ecstatic at the familiar female voice inside his head, Finn couldn't contain the smile that was now forming on his lips. "Knock that smile off your face," jeered Alema whose golden eyes gleamed darkly from behind the bolted cell door. "This is no place to give yourself false hope," she added after turning her back to him.

"Actually, I believe this is the perfect place to have hope." Finn said with a soft grin. Alema scoffed in response, but said no more, waiting patiently for Kylo to make his arrival and effortlessly wipe the happiness away from the man's body.

Finn stood suddenly, whether it was out of habit or fear, he truly didn't know. Though, he couldn't deny that the mere sight of his ragged black robes and inhuman mask were enough to terrify even the strongest of heart. Kylo Ren was a sure force to be reckoned with, Finn knew of the power that lie hidden beneath his skin. At his entrance, Alema nodded to Kylo with acknowledgement and fled the room, though eager to witness firsthand, she felt no desire to disrespect the Lord with her presence.

Ren stepped menacingly into the room, drawing a nervous breath from Finn, who only took a step backwards, aware that he had no chance of winning against the man in combat. Even if his hands hadn't been bound together by cool metal chains, Finn had experienced firsthand what Kylo Ren was capable of doing to him. "So we meet again, FN-2187." Ren's voice tumbled out, just as gritty and terrifying as Finn remembered. 

"It's Finn." He replied defiantly, head held high. A silence fell upon them, making Finn's heat beat thump faster than he ever thought possible. It crossed his mind briefly that maybe the other man could hear it himself.

A low, hissing vibration came floating out through the ventilators, shocking Finn and making him question whether that could have been considered a chuckle or something far more sinister. "Finn." He pondered. "How sweet it is that they welcome you with open arms after where you came from, after everything you've done. How long until they see through your façade, huh? How long until they see what you really are?"

"Unlike you, I'm not afraid of my past." Finn dared, narrowing his eyes and knowing he'd struck a nerve, though through some miracle Ren did not lose his composure. Instead, only a shift in the atmosphere encircling them alerted Finn of the change. In doing so, another thought crossed his mind. Finn began to wonder why the Knight chose to conceal his face when it had already been revealed to him what seemed like a lifetime ago, as the planet savagely imploded around them.

Ren tilted his head as if to mock the other man, a coy smile veiled beneath his metal mask. "Who said I was talking about the past? I am only focused on the future, as you should be yourself," he said matter of factly. "Do tell me, Finn, why do you think your friends over at the Resistance allow you amongst their ranks?" Before Finn could respond, Kylo had already begun to trail on, "was it because you were brainwashed into the Order? Because if that's the case, my friend, we are no different. An argument could be made for all of the Order's innocence if they were to claim to be under the influence." He stepped back, crossing his arms behind himself in an almost smug fashion, as if to suggest his point had been won. "Your time with the Resistance is only but a dream, I would tell you to enjoy it while you can, but that would be contrary to the truth. You see, I want to see you suffer, FN-2187." Finn swallowed, but not because of the insult, but because Kylo seemed to be growing increasingly angry. Chest puffed and shoulders square, no facial ques were needed. His lip curled as he spat out a loathing snarl,"What makes you so special? How can you just run back to the Light with no significant repercussion but the weight of your guilty conscience?"

"You and I are not the same. You are a monster, a slave that blindly follows whatever sick task his Master has in store for him, only hungry in the pursuit of power." Finn shot back. Kylo's eyes bulged, invisible to Finn, but felt clearly by Ren, who took a step forward, hand outstretched as he drew in the power of the Force to himself. With it, shot images of a young, teary eyed woman crying out uselessly for a son she would never again hold in her arms. She stared her assailants down hysterically as the child was ripped from her grasp and her head was met with the crisp tip of an iron bullet.

Snarling through the ventilator, Kylo was nearer to Finn than ever, "I'll show you what a monster really is."

AN: Also, I just wanted to say that the artwork above is probably my fav fanart of all time. I forgot the artist's tumblr url, but I know that their deviant art is "orisoni"