The pit in my stomach deepens with every step closer to wherever Hux is taking me. The Force is swirling and pulsating again, as it had when I first landed eyes on this ship from the window of a command shuttle, and I can feel the squeeze on my lungs tightening, the ghost of flames licking at my fingers as we slowly approach the dark being whose rage can be sensed from ships away.

And as I sense this, I begin to pick up on Ren's heartbeat, as well. He's there, too. This is it.

Hux steps into a large, brightly lit elevator and before I can protest, one of the troopers uses his blaster to shove me in after. I glare into his smirking rat face as we ascend, only breaking the gaze as nausea roils over me, the heaviness of the darkest waves of the Force settling over me as heavily as stones.

When the doors slide open, the first thing I see is the back of a rounded black helmet and broad shoulders, and my eyes sink to the floor. I swallow as Hux marches me forward, dread pulling at every inch of me. We stop at the base of a throne, and I have force myself to slowly raise my eyes to the one who occupies it.

I would barely call him a man. His limps are long and bone thin, swathed in a robe of an eye sore of gold threads. A twisted, scarred face stares back at me, tiny eyes narrowed, mouth curled into a sneer.

"Supreme Leader, I caught this woman communicating vital, private information with contacts within the Resistance. They have been informed of our impending strike." Hux starts, and I notice a little spit spraying from his lips as he forces out the angered words. "We had been keeping her prisoner, but Ren had insisted on freeing her, to keep her as some pathetic little pet, I assume." He finishes, glancing triumphantly where Ren kneels beside me.

I feel his gaze then, burning into the side of my face, his heart rate picking up as he deciphers these words. The heat of his anger threatens to scald my skin. Shame prods me. I can't even look at him.

So I glare at the Supreme Leader challengingly instead.

"Leave us." Is the first thing he hisses, a quiet but apparent undercut to the satisfied general.

Hux balks for several moments, his mouth opening and closing several times like a fish. Then he clears his throat, respectively inclining his head.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." He replies, so quietly I must strain my ears to hear it. Then he briskly spins on his heel and retreats from the room, hands clasped behind his back. As soon as the elevator doors shut behind him, the Supreme Leader begins again.

"I had always wondered when you would find your way back to my apprentice, child." He starts, addressing me for the first time. I turn my head back to him, hoping the hatred burning in my gaze is apparent.

"Of course, I had almost assumed that you had died in that fire at the Jedi Temple as I had told him. You would have only served as a deterrent from his true destiny, after all. I couldn't have him running back for something so useless, a provider of weakness." He growls, eyes skittering to Kylo. He stands from his throne, pacing villainously.

"When you arrived on my ship, I had hoped you would have tormented my apprentice further into the darkness, but as it would seem, he chose to succumb to his weakness for you, instead." The Supreme Leader is close to me now. Much too close for comfort. My lips unconsciously curl back into a snarl.

"You've not only distracted him from his duty, you've been working with the Resistance behind the scenes. One might even think you used Ren's pathetic affections to help you to get away with it." I want to scream, to dispute his words, but all sound catches itself in my throat, unable to break free. He is incredibly powerful, and he has taken my voice from me.

The anger radiating from Ren is unbearable. Suffocating, even.

I flinch as the Supreme Leader outstretches his hand, pointy yellowed nails entering my line of vision. He takes my face in his wretched palm and I hold back a gag.

Ren reflexively grabs my arm then, to protect me, I realize, and my face reddens.

When the Supreme Leader sees this, he lets out a laugh, amusement dancing in his gaze, and I wrinkle my nose in disgust as his putrid breath moistens my skin.

"Now now, Ren. There will be no need for that." His gaze zeroes in on Ren's fingers, which are still tightly clutching my wrist. He releases me, as if scalded. "After all, with her strength in the Force, she is of more use to us alive than dead. For now." He drops my chin, turning his back on us as he approaches his throne once again.

I make myself glance at Ren, finally, and he is deliberately facing straight ahead. His jaw twitches as he feels my gaze upon him, but he still refuses to meet my eyes.

"I will make a deal with you, child. Because of you, the Resistance is fleeing their base, making their cowardly escape. There is any number of places they could turn up, any number of supports they'll turn to in this dark hour."

"Thankfully, several First Order informants have made the identities of these supports well known to us. Before, we had planned to send troops to persuade these planets to turn, or to be destroyed. However, we're now facing a time predicament. Of course, with the right team and a powerful force wielder to take them out, this little problem will have disappeared in mere days. You'll be absolved of your crimes against the First Order, of course." He finishes, peering at me over steepled fingers. My tongue thrashes as I attempt to form the words in protest, and he takes notice of this.

"Speak, child." He orders, and the weight is immediately lifted.

"I will never work for you. Kill me, if it's the punishment for treason, but in the next life I'll have known I did the right thing. I will never, ever work for you. I would rather die." I spit, fists clenching at my sides. Ren's heartbeat rises. He's terrified. But I've never been more sure of something in my life.

"I thought you might say that." The Supreme Leader beckons a hand once then, and another door I hadn't noticed before hisses open.

I hear the sound of feet kicking at the floor and a slew of loud curses before I see him, but when I do, my heart drops into my stomach.

Bruises cover a majority of Marco's pink face, his chestnut hair mussed, cuffs at his wrists, his feet bare and his black cape limply trailing him on the floor as he attempts to break away from the troopers that drag him to us by his elbows.

"Yes, your life does depend on this mission. And so does his." The Supreme Leader grins, the corners of his mouth lilting higher as he takes in the cloud of emotions crossing my face.

My chest heaves as I take it all in, first the cold, hard betrayal I had shown the love of my life, who kneels, broken, beside me. Then, to the friend I couldn't bear to lose again, not after every sleepless night I had agonized over him and each member of my adopted family from the academy.

Marco catches my eye from across the room and mouths don't, intent on sealing his own fate.

But he underestimates me. They all do.

I allow one single tear to slip down my cheek, then I downcast my eyes.

"Fine." I whisper, already scheming.

-

AHHHH

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-kait