CHAPTER 46
BALANCE

RAENA learned at a young age that all good things must come to an end. As much as she wanted to stay on her home planet forever, there wasn't any way she could. She wasn't allowed the luxury of a vacation or forgetting her responsibilities. She wasn't even granted a second to reflect on her past self, to sit with Maz and look at the place she once called home, because that wasn't important and she wasn't the young girl she used to be. That Raena Nhagy was long gone.

As their ship approached the Steadfast, Raena pulled down the crank in front of her and set the pod for landing. The hangar was already opened, waiting for their approach. Gerardo released a heavy sigh in the passenger seat, and Raena turned to him with a lifted brow. He looked extremely anxious. "What's the matter?" She asked, driving the ship forward and into the hangar.

"I'm really nervous, Raena," he whispered, as if someone else could hear him.

She played along and lowered her voice. "Okay," she replied, "what for?"

Gerardo paused, swallowing hard as Raena lowered the pod ship onto the hangar's base. "Do you think we made a good decision?"

She turned off the ship's ignition. Leaning back in her seat, Raena watched all the bustling technicians run over to the pod, waiting for them to jump out. "Honestly," she said, finally turning to look at him again, "I don't know."

Gerardo's eyes softened, and with a frown, Raena opened her door and climbed out of the pod. He sat there for a minute longer and shook his head. "Well, that's definitely not something I wanted to hear."

The sergeant finally descended from their ship, following Raena to the front of the pod. She looked to the right of the hangar, spotting Kylo Ren's ship parked in its usual place with an engineer laying underneath it, sparks flying into the open air. This didn't make any sense. She supposed his trip would take at least a week. He couldn't have returned earlier than her, right?

"Grand Admiral!"

Raena turned her head again, finding General Pryde stalking towards them through the crowd of mechanics, and a frown made its way to her lips. This wasn't good.

General Pryde's eyes narrowed as he approached. "Where have you been? I've been asking for you since this morning!" He clasped his hands behind his back and turned his attention to Gerardo. "Go to your post, Sergeant! There's work to do!"

"Yes, sir," Gerardo mumbled, running off before Pryde could pester him more. He looked over his shoulder and sent Raena a pitiful look, but she didn't catch it. Her attention was locked on the general.

"Sorry, General Pryde," she said with a curt nod. "I thought Hux would've mentioned to you that he cleared this pod out for my partner and I. We received a tip on –"

Pryde silenced her with a wave of his hand. "I could give less of a shit about your reasoning. At least, you're here."

"Why? What's the problem?"

"Our esteemed Supreme Leader has been asking for you," he replied, rolling his eyes. "He will be waiting for you in the throne room."

"Oh, um – okay. I'll go right there then."

Raena tried not to show one hint of emotion, simply turning on her heel and heading for the farthest end of the ship. Once she was far enough away from Pryde, she felt her mask slip, and her eyes went wide with fear. She moved through the crowds of stormtroopers and technicians, all the while her heart leapt into her throat and beads of sweat dripped down her hairline. Raena wiped them away quickly, taking the elevator up to the highest floor. She boarded the elevator with a group of officer trainees, who talked amongst each other about the combat lesson they were about to endure with Colonel Lowell. They got off on the third floor and Raena was left with her own thoughts again.

He wasn't supposed to be back this early. Had he arrived this morning? She could only assume so, if he had been asking for her since then. Raena bit down on one of her fingernails. What if he questioned her trip? She came up with something on the spot for Pryde, but Kylo might want a full explanation. Was he suspicious of her? Would he see right through her lies? She was a terrible liar. He always knew when she was lying. He could always see in her head. This was so –

The doors slid open, revealing the decadent, bright red throne room. Raena swallowed hard and marched forward. The room was modeled after the throne room on Snoke's ship, and she couldn't help the tremor that ran up her body whenever she stepped inside. Eight Praetorian Guards were sectioned across the throne room, while Kylo sat right directly in the middle, watching her with a blank expression. She tugged on her scarf and loosened it around her shoulders. Raena approached the throne with her hands clasped behind her back, coming to a halt at the first step.

"You asked for me?" She greeted, not a hint of sincerity in her tone.

"Indeed," he replied, already descending the throne. "Where were you?"

Her lips pursed. "I heard ... rumblings of a Resistance spy on the outlines of Takodana. I was so sure I found the person, but ... they slipped through my fingers before my ship could catch up to them. Wasn't even able to see their face."

Kylo stopped right in front of her. He was silent, tilting his head to the side, studying her. Raena licked at the corners of her mouth, wondering if he could even hear her heartbeat hammering against her ribcage.

He finally remarked, "Thank you for doing that. If you follow up with the investigation, keep me involved."

Kylo stepped around her, casually striding behind her back. Raena's mouth dropped the slightest bit, and her brows shot up to her hairline, but the emotion only lasted a second. She didn't have any idea what eyes were watching her behind the Praetorian Guard masks. "Um ..." She cleared her throat and spun on the heel of her boot. "How did your trip go?"

The elevator doors opened once again. Raena's stare followed Kylo's. A stormtrooper stepped into the throne room with a dark, wooden box in their hands. Kylo smirked. "Funny that you ask that," he said under his breath.

The stormtrooper presented the box, which Kylo took quickly. He dismissed them with a nod, "You may leave." The stormtrooper sent the same nod and retreated back to the elevator. Raena watched the interaction with a puzzled expression, but straightened herself once Kylo turned.

Lifting the box open, Kylo revealed a pyramidal object nestled in a blanket of red velvet. Raena approached with an arched brow. The object was lined with dark stone, while the inside flashed a glowing red light, unveiling coordinates to a secret location. It looked so old, yet brand new as it sat in the decadent fabric. "Where did the coordinates lead you?" She asked, reaching forth to pick up the Wayfinder.

Kylo snapped the box shut. Raena retracted her hands instantly. "To Exegol," he answered, gesturing for one of his Praetorian Guards to step forward.

"Exegol," she repeated, watching the red guard take the box and step back into place. Raena remembered Hux mentioning this during their heated conversation in the comms room, and she feigned a shocked expression. Truthfully, she hardly knew anything about Exegol, and for good reason. Just the name sent a shiver down her spine. "In the Unknown Regions?"

"Exactly, and where Emperor Palpatine resides."

"I don't understand," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Kylo walked by her once again, shoulders brushing, taking one step up to the throne. Raena spun back to face him. "How does one survive after being thrown into the original Death Star's reactor?"

Kylo grew silent, looking at her over his shoulder. She saw the indent of him biting the inside of his cheek, as if he was holding something in. Raena opened her mouth to continue, but he was already replying, "I can't answer that."

"And why not?"

"Just –" He shook his head and moved right in front her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Raena wanted to shake them off, but she didn't have the will to. Something about the way his thumbs moved in circles reminded her of home. Raena could practically feel his touch burning through her shirt. She swallowed hard as he continued, "Just know that it's him. I know it."

She looked away. A condescending remark hung off the end of her tongue, but Raena knew it wouldn't do anything. She needed to stay neutral to get the information she needed.

"He has a plan – a great plan. One that will benefit both of us," he said, excitement leaking from his tone. Raena did her best to hide the frown that threatened to appear on her lips. "The Emperor has given us an incredible fleet of Star Destroyers and a new evolution of stormtroopers. With his help, the First Order can become the Final Order. The Empire will rise again at our hands."

Our hands. We. Us. No, her name couldn't go down in this. The last Nhagy could not be involved in the next Empire. This was absolutely terrifying. History was repeating itself, and she suddenly wondered how much that would happen in her never-ending lifetime.

"I have to do what my grandfather could not. I have to finish what I started all those years ago." Kylo lifted his gloved hand, brushing it across Raena's cheek. She closed her eyes tightly, wanting to pretend like it didn't happen, but the feeling never went away. "I have to eliminate the last of the Jedi. Destroying Rey is the only way to win the war once and for all."

Her reaction came out of nowhere. It felt like something had completely taken over her body, causing her hands to grasp his collar tightly. Raena stuttered. Her stare was wild and unhinged, while her mouth went dry from hanging open for too long.

After an egregiously long time, Raena finally said, "No."

Kylo placed his hands on top of hers, lacing their fingers together and lifting them off of his collar. "No? What do you mean, 'No?'"

"You – um –" Raena placed her hands at her sides, teeth clenching with apprehension. "You care all about this Force bullshit, right?"

"It's not bullshit –"

"– Well, doesn't the Force need balance?" She continued nervously. "There are two sides to maintain stability, and then a grey area in between. The existence of the Jedi retains the balance. What will happen to the Force when you destroy the last of the Jedi?"

Kylo chuckled, a deep, haunting laugh reverberating from his lips. Raena's jaw went rigid, her stare narrowed. As her hands formed into fists, Kylo replied, "That's not how the Force works, Raena."

"But –"

"Her death is the only way I can become Emperor. Palpatine promises it." His head tilted to the side. "Why do you care about Rey so suddenly?"

Raena bit down on her tongue. Her head was spinning, but she needed to get a grip. She guessed ... Kylo had a point. Why did she care so much about Rey's survival? Was it because of Leia? Was it because of her promise? No – there had always been an instinctual tie to Rey, one Raena never understood. It was different than her bond to Kylo. This one came together over time, strengthening the more she saw Rey, tightening in the little moments they did speak.

Maybe it was something simple – too simple for her to grasp. Maybe she just envied Rey for being a good person and wished she were in the same position.

With trembling hands, Raena finally replied, "I don't."

Kylo pursed his lips, continuously studying Raena with narrowed eyes. He searched her mind for something – anything – she wasn't voicing, but he found something. It was as if she built a brick wall around her mind, and he was left with nothing but the figure in front of him. He cleared his throat and placed his hands on her shoulders again.

"Once I'm Emperor, we will be equals. More than ever." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and a spark of electricity lit upon his touch. "You can rule the galaxy beside me as Empress."

Raena swallowed hard. Holy. Fuck.

•••

A/N: well..........would you look at that!!! raena gonna become the REAL queen of mean. descendants step aside 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

jokes aside, YES – kylo asked her to be empress. YES – he's going crazy. I always wanted deranged villain kylo for episode 9 and after reading the leaked plot for what would've been episode 9 (cough cough duel of the fates cough cough), I realized that I wasn't the only one. thank god there are some big brains still left in this world 🥰 ANYWAYS we goin deranged kyle ron. get ready 🥳