Fandom Star Wars: Rising Tide [closed]

[Lucyfer]

It was true. They had only just met, and the others didn’t quite have a great presence in the Force. Not to mention, Sith reputation. Nonetheless, she wondered who out there could truly live alone, in solitude, without going mad.

“It’s all here. I’ve collected all of it,” Myka said.

Again, not what he was asking. He wanted to know how much she had personally gathered, no doubt. That wasn’t so important to her. She had it. That meant she had, in fact, collected it. To the victor, went the spoils.

And she had done some of the collecting, before her force of minions grew, and many of them were interested in that sort of digging around in old tombs. Why deny them such small pleasures, when her activities were better focused?

He was evidently uncertain of where to begin. Would he reach out to the Force for guidance?

Her? “Perhaps if you’ll tell me a bit about the Order, I could direct you to a holocron I’ve found more useful.”

Or he could go through the tedious affair of acting on his own. She had no problems leaving him to that, either.

The one at the computer hardly paid them any mind.

~***~

Poe just shrugged. He knew it wasn’t romantic, but with the life he was currently leading, long-term, romantic dates, were more or less out of the question. His lifestyle with the Resistance didn’t allow for that. He’d started to accept the hook-up culture it created, even if he did, one day, want to settle down.

He figured he’d find someone in the Resistance, like his parents had found each other. Like Han and Leia. Nora and Wedge. Plenty had found love that way.

“Starting me out softball, aren’t ya?” He wasn’t upset with it, answered them easily enough. “My parents fought in the Rebel Alliance – Kes Dameron and Shara Bey,” he added, as if he needed to, “My mom was a great pilot. When I was a kid, she taught me how to fly, and I seemed to have inherited her love for it, too. There’s nothing quite like it,” he stretched, but with the stretch up, he waved one hand over the sky above them.

“I was in the New Republic Navy for a bit, before I decided it, uh, was kind of pointless,” he said.

It was.

They weren’t dealing with the real threats.

“What about you? How come you’ve taken up journalism?”

 

[cleopat]

Another sidestep of a question. Kylo let it go. As she said, it was all there, and she collected it somehow.

The implication lingered in the air.

He perused over a few more holocrons, not quite using the Force to seek out the perfect first one, but not quite blindly glancing over them either. So when she wondered about the Order, Kylo paused, and considered.

Some information wouldn’t hurt. If she never heard about it to begin with, then basic information would suffice. “We formed from the ruins of the Galactic Empire, and we seek to remove the disorder created by the New Republic and return stability to our galaxy.”

Short, basic, but some information. “Is that answer sufficient for now?”

~~

Azra shrugged, not entirely caring how the interview started out. She figured it would be best to ease into the questions, gauge to see what kind of information Poe easily gave without much prompt.

His parents were also rebels, and so naturally their son followed in their footsteps, especially that of his mother’s, whom he seemed to admire greatly.

She wanted to learn more about his time in the New Republic Navy, so when he tried to direct a question back at her, Azra reflected. She did not want to answer any questions about herself. “Oh no, this is an interview about you, so I’ll be asking the questions.”

Poe seemed like the type who loved to answer questions about himself, so she hoped the distraction away from her would work. “What did you see in the New Republic Navy? What about it did you consider pointless?”

 

[Lucyfer]

“Ah, I see.”

A remnant of the Old Empire. Myka could not imagine Sheev would have been happy about it. Of course, he had no say any longer. Things went on without him, much to his eternal displeasure. He was likely suffering in the void.

“I suppose it is something,” Myka consented, and reached out with the Force to pull not a Sith holocron, but a Jedi one. “It speaks of a neutral art,” she told Kylo Ren, “One that most are not practiced in.”

Miraluka, by nature.

Others had to learn. Myka knew it, but she did not often use it – the doubling of physical vision with Force vision was enough to cause a headache – but it was useful when she felt the need for it.

No Force Lightning.

She had to keep the hook in, after all.

~***~

Poe put on a mock-pout at the fact he wouldn’t get to ask any questions, but he wouldn’t push the matter. If she wanted a professional, run-of-the-mill interview, he could do that. Maybe when it was over he could ask a little more about her.

“Fine, fine,” he said.

BB-8 was still curious though.

Poe chuckled, “Maybe she’ll tell us after the interview. Anyway, the New Republic was created to protect the galaxy, and that appealed to me. Plus, I knew some rebels had joined it, and I thought it would have more of that influence.”

It did, to some degree, “And it isn’t bad, but it’s just…not doing enough. There’s still a lot of issues in the Outer Rim and we just weren’t dealing with it. I wasn’t sure what else to do, and I expressed my frustrations a lot, to no end. So when I learned about the Resistance…,” a smile, a shrug.

Obviously, he was on board.

 

[cleopat]

It was enough for now, and Kylo watched as Myka reached out and pulled a holocron towards them with the Force. What was surprising was that it wasn’t one from a Sith, but from a Jedi.

Kylo straightened. “Neutral,” he repeated, clear disbelief dripping from voice. The Jedi were hardly neutral, but he would humor her.

Maybe he could indeed learn something new and learn why this was the first one she brought out.

Kylo reached out to draw forth the holocron into his hand. “Curious as to why you chose this one.” His hand twisted and turned as his gaze observed and scanned the holocron from every angle through the visor of his helmet. He knew he would be able to get a more detailed look without the helmet on, but the outside didn’t matter so much as the inside did.

~~

Azra chuckled at the droid. It’s own little personality was becoming apparent, and she could nearly see the similarities between it and Poe. Aside from the same color scheme.

The droid was so cute, that Azra wouldn’t say anything to crush its hope of getting more information from her. She hoped to be able to draw out the interview long enough to get to the town, and then part ways.

There was one similarity they shared. They both didn’t care for the New Republic. Although most of what she had been fed of the New Republic were lies and exaggerations, Azra still learned that those exaggerations had some basis in truth.

Beyond the Core World, the New Republic hardly cared what was going on.

“And what makes you think this Resistance will be able to accomplish anything?” Azra tried to not sound so accusatory, but more curious. How a small group could survive past the First Order and help the galaxy. “How do you think the Resistance can stand up to the First Order?”

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Because it is a bomb that is going to detonate in your hand.’ Ren was turning the holocron over like it was a trap. Paranoid. Myka couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow at his actions. Certainly, he knew how to open it.

Myka would at least work on that assumption rather than overtly insult him and suggest she could show him how to open it. It was much the same as the Sith holocron, after all.

“Perhaps you will understand when you observe it. Perhaps not,” again, what people took, and what they assumed, was not a matter she could control. She wondered if he would ask her, when he had finished it, or if he would keep that to himself.

They were playing a game for information, after all.

Questions demanded answers, first.

“Shall I leave you to its understanding, Ren?”

~***~

“Because the Resistance is led by General Leia Organa, and Leia Organa took down an Empire.”

There was no question of that in history, and Leia knew what it took to do these kinds of things. She had some money, but she had more power in her name. It was as threatening to some as the name ‘Tarkin’, in many places of the Galaxy. “Because Leia Organa also left the New Republic, and knows what this Galaxy needs.”

Which, he knew, would not involve her return to the New Republic. She intended, more or less, to protect the fledgling government for as long as she could, and do what it wasn’t doing – protecting the rest of the galaxy, and keeping the Order, and anyone else, from getting its hooks in.

Poe knew that after the Order, their work wasn’t done.

They’d become a security force for the rest of the galaxy. They’d stop criminals, stop pirates, and keep at it – long after Leia was gone. Long after he was gone.

He’d accepted the fact, grudgingly, that the New Republic was going to take a long time to shape up into what it needed to be, but he had the hope that it would, one day. That their Resistance would help to show them the path. Maybe even become an official arm of the New Republic.

That would speed things up.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo huffed at Myka. She always remained vague while answering his questions, and he grew irritated. Easy to accomplish given his continued anger of his Knight’s death.

“You will stay here,” Kylo demanded, sending her a glare that he could only hope she felt. Then, his eyes settled back on the holocron. He had stopped looking over it as if it were a fragile, volatile object, but he held it out in front of him.

Kylo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he allowed the tendrils of the Force seek the holocron out, asking the object to open for him.

A voice started, unknown to him. It spoke of an ability, the Force Sight, that he hadn’t learned, but did heard of it before. It utilized neither the Light nor the Dark, but rather a balance of both.

I need to see the rest of the holocrons.

~~

Because of their princess. Leia held a certain reputation in the First Order, and it wasn’t a good one. Azra still didn’t know how much were truths and which were lies created to strip away her reputation and credibility.

“But do you think she could do that again?” Azra had been genuinely curious to know more about Leia, after hearing about her for so long. “There’s an entirely new set of circumstances to consider, and given what is happening on this planet, we don’t even know what weapons the First Order may have.”

There was so much she had no idea about.

“What would you say is what the galaxy needs?” Azra turned her head so she could look at Poe, mindful of the path ahead of her so as to not trip.

 

[Lucyfer]

As soon as the demand left his lips, Myka felt a spike in anger. She wanted to walk out, simply because he’d demanded otherwise. However, she took a breath. She refrained. “Afraid of my archivist?” She said, but she would stay.

That didn’t mean she would give him her attention, though.

She took a seat on the ground as she felt him starting to open the holocron, shut her eyes, and slipped into meditation. She was keenly aware of what was going on around her. Perhaps, more so – rather like the holocron speaker advised, she’d slipped into another way of seeing the world around her.

And was, in fact, trying to read Kylo Ren in that way.

She sought shatterpoints in the Force.

She sought his energy, his presence, while his desire for more grew.

But of course it did.

He craved.

~***~

“Of course she can. The Rebel Alliance took down the Death Star within a couple days after it was operational,” Poe said, as a way to indicate that they didn’t need to know well in advance what the Order was capable of. They would learn quickly, and destroy the Order. “General Organa knows how to adapt to any situation.”

Even her son being with the enemy.

“Plus, the Order can’t be anywhere near as large as the Empire. The Empire controlled the galaxy for two decades – they had every possible advantage.” And still, they failed. Not to mention, two Sith Lords.

There was no reason for them to lose if one just looked at it from numbers and technology – none at all – but they did. So Poe knew, it wasn’t just about that.

As for what the galaxy needed? “Some decency and common sense would be a start,” Poe said, but sighed, and shook his head, “Look, I ain’t a politician and I don’t plan to be one. I’ll leave that, to them. But I know that if the New Republic says places like, you know, the Outer Rim are a part of them, then they should be willing to defend them, and help them.”

 

[cleopat]

"When one relies on sight to perceive the world, it is like trying to stare at the galaxy through a crack in the door."

Kylo could “see” what was around him through the Force, see those who did not want to be seen. But the Force Sight proved to be much more than that.

And now he knew of what the holocron held. The very first object Myka picked out had been of use for Kylo, and he was surprised that she actually picked it out.

He thought she would continue to waste his time, test his patience until he snapped and attacked her.

“I take it, you know this ability?” He looked over, down at Myka. “Have you memorized everything in your collection?”

~~

Azra wanted to question more into Poe’s insistence that Leia Organa would save them again. That her age meant nothing, that the different situations didn’t matter, cause the rebels will win again.

But there was one thing she was sure of with the First Order. “Maybe not, but they’re far larger than anyone thinks.”

Azra regretted saying that as the words came out of her mouth.

So she did the only thing she could think of to do and continue on as if she hadn’t said that. She hummed her agreement to what he said of the New Republic. That was one thing they seemed to have an agreement on. “So, what does Poe Dameron do when he’s not busy trying to help the galaxy?”

 

[Lucyfer]

It would take time. It would take practice. Prodigal though the stranger Ren may be, it was unlikely for him to master the Force Sight in a single viewing of the holocron. Just as it was unlikely he would master Force Lightning so quick.

He had much to learn.

Much potential.

And much desire to reach that potential, even if he seemed to want to squander his questions on such bizarre things. Myka didn’t open her eyes as she felt his attention shift to her. Nor did she answer him, immediately.

Answers for questions. “Why do you want to rule the galaxy, Ren?”

~***~

‘Oh?’

Poe wasn’t about to let that slide. That was a notable statement, and from a reporter at that. It also sounded as if she might be in favor of the Order, even if she claimed to know their atrocities.

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, shaking his head, and walking a bit ahead, walking in front of her as he turned around, “How do you know their size? What is their size?” Perhaps that last question was too specific for her, but if she knew it was bigger than anyone imagined?

She had an idea of it. Which meant she’d seen it herself. “I know you said no questions, but this is kind of important, if you have an idea of their size, the Poe Dameron that saves the galaxy needs to know this, Azra.”

 

[cleopat]

Could he slip one holocron out without detection? Kylo doubted that, but he entertained the idea of hiding a holocron within his cape to see if Myka would notice it gone.

She had so many in her archives, and she would kill to keep every last one. Someone needs to learn to share.

Just like how she needed to learn how to answer his questions without diversion. Why do you want to rule.

Kylo wanted to lash out at her. He wanted to scream that it didn’t matter, because he wanted to.

But why.

“It’s part of my legacy. It is what I was born to do.” What he rightfully deserved. “Were you able to learn anything more about me in your meditation?”

~~

Azra was startled with the sudden appearance of Poe in front of her. Of course he couldn’t let that slide. Of course Poe Dameron, the arrogant pilot who wanted to save the galaxy, wouldn’t let her get away without answering the question.

“I don’t know their exact size.” That was true. Many sections were extremely compartmentalized and confidentials, to know everything meant they were Supreme Leader, or right below him.

“Everything is a well-educated guess based on facts and deductions made from observations.” Azra had to get Poe off of her before he started prying even more. “And from what I’ve heard, this is only one planet out of many that had fallen to the First Order. You don’t gain that much control in such a little time with a small army.”

Don’t forget your own role in some of that. Azra wanted to kick her mind for pulling up such thoughts. “I know nothing that will help you. Now, can we get back to my questions?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo’s answer wasn’t correct.

It was a formal answer, a lie that he gave to others. His rage told the truth, a rage that burned all the way to the edges of his being. He craved, but he could not say it.

“Which of your many questions do you actually want answered, Ren?” Myka asked. He had asked questions before, that she had planned to answer, before he followed up with what she was learning about him.

She wouldn’t chastise him for a lie he probably wasn’t fully aware he was telling. He likely didn’t know it was enough to want something. That was all the reason one needed. Myka had known that. Myka had wanted. Myka still wanted. It was insatiable. It was the curse, and the promise, of the dark side.

The truly powerful were never sated. To be sated, was to begin the decline. To stop growing. To stop getting better.

Satisfaction was a curse.

~***~

Poe’s arms crossed over his chest as Azra backstepped. Terribly. Denied knowing. Denied having anything of use to the Resistance.

Denied, denied, denied.

“You know, denial isn’t just a river on Rafa V.” He stated. “You clearly think you have enough information to predict the size of the First Order to be higher than what most would think – that’s useful.” Very useful, although he knew she was wrong about this being the only planet the Order had gained control over.

He had no need to mention that, though. “We can get back to your questions, if you’ll let me take some copies of your notes on the Order’s business. You want to help the people, right? I can get these kinds of things circulated, easy.”

Suralinda would be more than happy to do it. “Hell, I’ll help you get anything you want out there in circulation.”

 

[cleopat]

There was much Kylo couldn’t figure out about the woman, or, well, anything. To seek out more about her, to read her, would alert her of what he silently looked for. She could fight him from taking what he wanted.

“I would prefer it if all were answered.” But he knew better. She would slowly answer them, but he would have to give something in return. So Kylo would continue to play her little game for some time more. “But very well.”

He would choose one. “How much of your collection have you memorized?” His head turned to look around the room again, taking in every holocron he could find. “Surely not all of them.”

If she did? Kylo may have a formidable foe in this strange Sith, more than she had already proven herself to be.

~~

Azra’s mouth gaped open from the incredulity of Poe’s request. Well, to her, it had been incredulous. To give him, someone she had just met, all the information she knew? “Absolutely not,” she said with a huff.

“I guess our interview is over.” She stepped to the side in an attempt to move past Poe. “Because my information is off-limits to everyone but myself.” And why did Poe think she would be so willing to give him that information? The nerve!

“I am maintaining my neutrality in this fight. Therefore, I will not give my notes to anyone on either side. My job is to provide the raw facts to the public, and that’s what I intend to do.” The complete opposite of what she had been told to do nearly her entire life.

“And I don’t need help in getting things out there in circulation. I can fare well on my own.” Azra knew media manipulation tactics well. She didn’t need him for that.

 

[Lucyfer]

Myka opened her eyes as Ren asked. Yes, of course he wanted all of them answered. He wanted much, but he would play by the limitations. He had no other choice, after all. A lesson in patience, however unwilling he was to take hold of it. Killing her would deny him what he wanted. He would gain some things – but not all.

Patience was how he gained it all, in theory.

He was smart enough to see that. “Perhaps 85% to 90% of them,” Myka answered. “We continue to find others. I do get to them, eventually, but I have a large collection, and other matters do require my attention, from time to time.” Seeing to her flock sometimes took time. Going out to the tombs herself.

She was not venturing far into the galaxy, so she did have more time than most to spend with the holocrons, the books, and everything else they brought in. She was certainly a dedicated student – dedicated enough to outgrow her teacher at a young age.

~***~

Needless to say, Poe was surprised by her reaction. He actually laughed, but turned around to follow her as she brushed past, “Wait, so, you’re going to release this to the public, but you won’t release it to me? Once you release it to the public, won’t I be able to see it anyways?”

He didn’t understand. What was she waiting for?

How long had she been at this, if she had a collection of information she hadn’t released yet, and was so unwilling to reveal.

“Have you published anything I can see?” Although he probably shouldn’t sound so amused, he wasn’t sure how else to sound. He was baffled. One moment she was expressing a desire to get information out to the public, the next, she’s denying him!

Given, reporters rarely made sense to Poe. Suralinda very often confused him – mostly because of her seemingly amorality. At least he knew she was more or less on their side. After what the Empire had done to her entire race, she wasn’t keen on others who might do the same thing.

 

[cleopat]

Nearly ninety percent, an impressive amount of material to study and consume. It almost screamed that Myka did very little else outside of what was in her tomb, except for the obvious of collecting more holocrons and artifacts.

“Is this what you do all day?” She had mentioned she had other matters she attended to, but wording suggested that it wasn’t often, or it wasn’t as much time as she dedicated herself to acquiring more knowledge of the Force.

Of course it was her turn to ask him a question, but she hadn’t immediately asked him one, and he had continued their conversation as if she hadn’t slain his Knight too long ago. As if they were friends chatting about their day.

“What are you hoping to accomplish through all this?” For all he knew, she could be looking for a way to rule the galaxy herself. Create her own army of followers to help her succeed.

~~

Azra shrugged. “I don’t control who sees my material once it’s out there. I just won’t directly give any of my notes to you, to the New Republic, or to the First order. Say what you want about it.”

Poe could call her crazy if he wanted to. Azra vowed to herself she wouldn’t help anyone a part of the fight, and Poe was of the Resistance. She couldn’t directly give him the information she compiled.

“I’m sure I have. You’re free to look up my name and read what I have put out on the HoloNet.” She was growing more frustrated with the pilot. Why wouldn’t he just drop what Azra made obvious she would not give him? Damn flyboys are irritating everywhere you go.

She tried to change the subject again. “Now, are we going to continue that interview, or should I go find my story somewhere else?” Like venturing back to the testing center sans one loud pilot.

 

[Lucyfer]

More questions.

“Curious.” Myka noted, both as a quality he held, and as something she felt, in the moment. He had numerous holocrons before him, and yet, he wanted to question her, again, and again. Of course, she had denied him that, unless he would answer questions himself.

She had thought it would take him longer to break down and talk. Thought he might isolate himself with the holocrons for a bit, but instead, he chose not to.

“You have the knowledge of holocrons all around you, and yet you seem more interested in questioning me. Why is that?” That was one question, for his two. She followed it up, though, rather than leave it at just the one, “And do you intend to keep doing this a while? We may want to occupy more comfortable chambers, if so.”

There was much more to see, and she’d rather not sit on the floor for hours on end. She could. Meditation was second-nature.

It didn’t mean she wanted to.

~***~

Poe frowned at her stance, as she continued to insist on it, a refusal to give him the information. Didn’t she detest what the Order was doing? Didn’t she want to help the Resistance? They just shot at her, after all! He was mentally, saying plenty, as he brushed a distracted hand back through his hair, and tried to figure out how to navigate this.

Obviously, he didn’t want to just let her go yet.

Would ties to Suralinda help at all?

Maybe – but he was going to have to start giving again.

“Okay, okay, two more questions, then I’ll go back to your interview,” he said, hand falling back to his side.

Even if BB-8 chimed a protest about her not telling them anything. A defeated protest. A downtrodden protest. Poor little droid.

“When do you think you’ll put out a story with the information you’ve gathered about the Order? Why haven’t you yet?”

 

[cleopat]

Curiosity. A trait they both shared. It was what drove Kylo to continue to push himself to learn more from Snoke, aside from obtaining and controlling power.

And she was curious to know why he wanted to continue to question her. “Is it so wrong to want to know more about the Sith that brought down my Knight?” A Sith. One who killed the Knight of Ren. Both seemingly impossible tasks. And yet here she was.

With her next question, Kylo shrugged. “Maybe I do, but I would prefer to stay in here.” Her comfort hardly mattered to him, and he wanted to stay near the holocrons.

If he brought all of his Knights there, would they be able to defeat Myka and those who were there with her?

He stepped forward to a nearby shelf, fingertips lightly trailing over one of the holocrons. “Who are those that live with you?” Kylo asked the question earlier, and she never gave him an actual answer. The Force had been weak with them, so they couldn’t have been apprentices.

~~

The pilot really wanted more information from her. He was definitely too curious for his own good. Azra sighed, nearly protesting his terms, but she changed her mind at the sad beeps of his droid. Damn droid.

She will continue to entertain his game for a little longer.

“When I have full verification of all this information. Stuff written down or shared through word-of-mouth are meaningless if you don’t have clear evidence to back it up.” Which was why she was on Hays Minor, in search of their testing center.

Other stuff she learned about back when she was in the Order, but of course, Azra had no proof of anything. To her, a news story was nothing without the evidence.

She was done with her days of playing up rumors.

“Are you done questioning me now?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo’s answer about why he asked after her, wasn’t really an answer. It made enough sense, but she hardly accepted the ‘question as answer’ format, and a ‘tsk’ escaped her, but she wouldn’t bother calling him on it. She’d just use the tactic if she found use for it.

“Merryn, you can leave for now,” she addressed the archivist, since it seemed they were going to stay in the room. It freed up a chair.

Merryn rose, inclined his head, and Myka got off from the floor to take a seat, chest to the back of the chair, arms folding over the top, dress riding up higher.

“Those with me are those who have come to Korriban, lost souls seeking something more. Many have a touch of the Force.” Not all, some were just rather talented in other areas, useful enough to be made a part of her group. “My average day does consist of a lot of training in the Force, if that is what you mean by ‘do this all day’.”

His question of her goals were ignored.

He gave two answers, so he would have two answers. “Are you the leader of the First Order?”

~***~

Poe supposed he could respect that she wanted actual facts, and not just word of mouth – and he supposed that could mean she wasn’t lying about what she did have. Still, he wasn’t happy about that. He wanted to know what rumors she had about the size of the Order so he could chase them down.

“Well, if you need a list of planets for Order activity, I can certainly give it to you. Hays Minor isn’t the only one, unfortunately,” the donut was another example, though there was no one left to testify.

What would that mean to Azra?

He lifted his hands in a mock surrender gesture, “I’m done,” he said, “back to your interview, Azra.” He gave an agreeable nod.

It wasn’t hard to talk about himself, to say the least, but he knew he’d be bothered by her rumors for a while.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo’s eyes flickered briefly to Merryn as he left, then he focused back on Myka, his dark gaze catching the glimpse of the shift in her dress.

Lost souls seeking something more. That only left him with more questions, but may some she wouldn’t be able to answer, but rather the others themselves. He was satisfied, though, in the confirmation that they weren’t particularly gifted with the Force.

He took a few steps in her direction. “No, I am not.” Not yet. “The one who is, he is the one who trains me. He is guiding me in the ways of the Dark side.”

And yet the Light side still lingered. The two warred with each other in Kylo’s mind when he wanted that Darkness to win. But oh how the duality frustrated him.

He brought up the question again that she ignored earlier. “What is it you are hoping to achieve through all of this?”

~~

I already know the planets. Azra stopped herself from saying that. She thought she knew the planets under First Order control or with high activity, but there were more than she realized. More that came under their control after she left.

“Actually, yes, I would like that list.” And she expected that list to come with a price.

Depending on what that price was, she may or may not concede.

“Okay, finally, back on track. Thank you.” She stuffed one hand into the pocket of her jacket, while the other still held onto her recorder. “What was I asking before? Oh yes, how do you spend your downtime when you’re not busy helping the Resistance?” The question she had before Poe diverted their conversation.

 

[Lucyfer]

It was as Myka suspected. Ren was not in charge. He didn’t act like it. Not quite. The potential was there, but there had been something off, all the same.

Again, she wished she could see his face, or have some idea beyond what she felt in the pull of the Force. She was curious how old he was. If he was human, or something else. Of course, those were not the important curiosities. Not yet. She was assuming he was around her age, for the time being. Perhaps younger.

His question, repeated, caused a light laugh this time, because now she had to answer it. “Whatever. I. Want.” Each word was emphasized. Why should it be any less than that? Her grin was a touch more playful.

She wanted much. Too much. Which was good. She’d never obtain it all, which was also good. A constant frustration, a constant thing to work at – yes, something to always push her further, to keep her going.

“Galactic control is on the list,” she added, so he knew, in the moment, they would be competitors for the title. Of course, beyond the Force, she hadn’t started on it.

Being torn away from parents, from home, tore her away from galactic identity and citizenship. That made any rise to politics a bit difficult. She had to find another path to control, likely through puppeting someone.

Perhaps Ren.

~***~

The list would come at a price, but Poe wouldn’t say that now. They could haggle later. At least now he could see the city on the horizon, as he fell back in step with Azra, and BB-8 made a point of mentioning it.

“Yeah, I see it, buddy.”

A complaint followed. “What? This isn’t a desert. Imagine having to roll around a desert. You’d get sand all up in your gears.”

BB-8 whined at the thought, and Poe chuckled, but then refocused on Azra’s question.

Hobbies?

“Well, it’s been a while since I had much downtime, but I actually like gardening.” Another thing his mom got him into. They had a Jedi tree planted in front of their home, and well, they got into gardening after that, trying to make the area around the tree look pretty, and that expanded into food stuff, and needless to say Kes Dameron was more than a little baffled.

He sometimes still called Poe with questions about how to keep it up.

“Traveling, though I get to do plenty of that on missions,” he’d like to hang around more. See more. Meet more people. “Trick flying, and trick—well—anything,” he laughed. He definitely enjoyed racing along with a speeder and pulling stunts with it, much to the disapproval of others. “I’d love to try pod-racing one day. Oh! I can make some mean jet-juice.”

He laughed a bit, at good memories – better memories – of just sitting in a hangar and talking with his friends, sipping on jet-juice. “I like to just socialize. Drink, talk with people, get to know them, play some drinking games – I’m great at beer pong.” Of course he had good aim with a blaster. His hand-eye coordination was good.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo scoffed. Whatever she wanted? It sounded like the wills of a petulant child, that she would do whatever she pleased without a seeming goal to reach. He knew what he wanted. Power. Control.

But she had the audacity to say she wanted galactic control as well. That earned a chuckle from Kylo, as if it was a joke. To him, it might as well have been. If she thought she could beat out the might of the First Order for galactic control, then she had been on Korriban for too long.

“What makes you think that?” If she had visions of grandeur, then she had reasons for them. His fingers trailed up a holocron he paused at. A Sith holocron, Kylo noted. He turned it in his hand as his eyes scanned the surface, as if memorizing every detail to memory.

“What makes you think you can control the galaxy with just yourself and,” he paused with a look in the direction of the entrance to the archives, “those who are here with you?”

~~

Azra smiled at the interaction between Poe and his droid. It was cute; she didn’t know what else to think of it.

She shifted her thoughts away from the droid with the unexpected first hobby Poe listed. “Gardening?” she repeated, the incredulity evident in her voice. That had been one of the last things he expected. “You surprise me, Poe Dameron. I expected something that involved being up in the sky rather than grounded on the planet.”

Poe came across as someone who was impatient and preferred more...dangerous hobbies.

Like trick flying. That sounded more like him. “I’m curious if you’ll tell me how many speeders or ships you’ve damaged or crashed trying out those tricks,” she laughed. “Just please don’t tell me you make the jet juice before trying those tricks.”

Of course he was a sociable person. Someone with his arrogance and confidence couldn’t thrive in solitude. Azra could see him in a circle with his friends, laughing at some story that was told. “I don’t think I’ve played beer pong in years.” It was a fun pastime for many of the officers during their breaks or time off, as long as it didn’t get out of hand. “Who would’ve thought that the pilot with a penchant for trick flying and alcohol-based games would also enjoy something as peaceful as gardening.”

 

[Lucyfer]

If Myka thought this was going to be endless questions, she definitely wouldn’t have brought him to the holocron room. “The Force is a pathway to many powers that may seem unnatural, Ren.” Myka noted, “But I do not imagine what I have at the moment is enough. I’m no fool.”

She just hadn’t gone to try it yet. She had time. It was, perhaps, the main thing that she had to her favor, in truth. The lessons of Plagueis ashes told her much, and she wanted to get a bit better at those, before tried to go far.

‘Unless this is my sign. My gift from the Force.’ A shatterpoint. It quite felt like one, still felt like one, that this meeting was a tipping point for the both of them.

For good, or for ill.

“Who is your Master, Ren? How did they become your Master?” And why wasn’t he Sith, although she supposed that was obvious. He had no Sith master, and refused to take the title of Sith without one.

They wanted to be something better, no doubt.

~***~

Gardening surprised a lot of people, but Poe wasn’t ashamed of it at all. “What can I say, I’m a man of many talents,” he grinned, shrugging, “but driving while under the influence is not one of my talents and I don’t plan to cultivate that.”

BB-8 agreed, noting Poe never even came to the X-Wing if he was intoxicated. He would sleep it off, outside the cockpit.

He damaged enough without alcohol – or so BB-8 claimed.

“It’s not that many,” Poe said.

BB-8 argued.

“Not during trick flying – that’s all when I’m being shot at.”

BB-8 did relent on that. Poe was good when he wasn’t being shot at. When he was being shot at? Well, he survived his crashes, so far. Or made it home with a badly damaged ship.

“We all have our interests. I’m sure you have some things that would surprise most, too, Azra.”

 

[cleopat]

She recognized she did not have enough at the moment to get what she desired, which had left Kylo questioning, did she have a plan on how to acquire her army? And she claimed to be no fool, yet she showed him the holocrons she acquired, and allowed him to look inside each one.

So who was really the fool here? Or was there more at play between he and Myka in the archives?

“His name is Snoke,” the holocron shifted to the other hand. “He saw the potential within me when no one else did, and helped me when others held back.” How he had been abandoned, betrayed. But Snoke was there and helped to bring forth his Dark side.

Now if he could only succeed in squashing the Light once and for all.

“Tell me of this holocron,” he demanded for the object he had been holding in his grip.

~~

The arrogance had some limits, and Azra was pleased that the droid confirmed Poe didn’t drink and drive. The droid also confirmed that Poe managed to damage enough while sober, and Azra couldn’t help but to laugh at that.

She could totally see it. The brazen pilot of the Resistance who damaged a lot of ships while escaping.

“What, is this some attempt to get me to open up to you?” Azra accused, not entirely serious. Did she have a hobby that would surprise him? She lightly tugged on her lip, toying with the idea of giving him something about herself. It wouldn’t hurt.

“I enjoy creating art, though I don’t know if that would surprise you. I like to paint, sculpt, draw, that kind of stuff.” And stars did she miss painting. She hadn’t been able to get her hand on any supplies since she left, so she kept her focus on drawing and kept a small sketchbook on her for that reason.

“Also, I like to read anything I can get my hands on.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Snoke was not a name that Myka was familiar with, not even as a rumor, a whisper on the wind. Nothing in visions. That seemed unusual to her, though, she supposed, she hadn’t heard of these Knights of Ren, either. ‘Hiding.’ The dark was covering them. Perhaps now that she knew, she could pierce the darkness, but for now, no.

Nothing.

Nothing but Ren.

And his demands. His questions. “No.” She was, in fact, getting rather tired of his demands. Not so much the questions, but it was time to remind him that this was her home,

She rose, “You’re here to look at holocrons, are you not? Then look.” She gestured to the room around them. “My archivist will return. There will be my own guard at the door out, if you think of leaving without announcing it to me.” She had to make sure he wasn’t taking anything.

And she did have to have someone around to keep her own lightsaber skills up to par – her guard was a temple guard, but useful, all the same, for something as simple as this. It would be loud enough to get her attention. “Or do you want to renegotiate?”

~***~

Poe just gave a smile and a shrug, “I thought my earlier attempts at conversation were obvious enough that I’m interested in knowing more about you,” and he was. A journalist for the people, who was sticking to her guns – even if he seriously questioned those ‘guns’ – was interesting on its own.

It helped that he still had the scent of her hair in mind. She was pretty. She knew Suralinda. She might be able to help the Resistance, if he could figure out what made her tick. Justice seemed to be on that list, but he wasn’t sure of that. Not just yet.

He wanted to figure it out.

So he listened to her hobbies, all around art, and he chuckled a bit, “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised by this,” not in the least. Somehow journalism always went hand-in-hand with a creative flair. “I’d certainly like to see what kind of things you make when it’s left up to subjectivity, and not objectivity,” as journalism, in theory, should be. “Favorite story?” She did like to read, after all.

Perhaps she was going to smack him on the wrist for derailing. Oh well.

 

[cleopat]

If Myka could see Kylo’s face, she would see one that showed amusement with her words and thinly veiled threat. She thought that her guard could defend against him. Kylo was confident he could obliterate anyone in her temple without much trouble.

It was her who posed a threat. He wanted to see what she was capable of.

Kylo tilted his head to the side. “I am looking, am I not?” Maybe not in the way she wanted, but he was looking at the holocron in his hand. “I don’t see a way we can renegotiate unless it allows me to leave with some of these artifacts that my Knight was killed for.” Which he didn’t see her easily allowing.

But he wouldn’t stay there until he had looked at every holocron. He couldn’t. Nor could he simply return every time he wanted to look at more. Something else needed to be done.

“Do you want to renegotiate?” Kylo repeated the question back to her, an underlying layer of threat with his words. No matter what she said, he would find a way to take that which he wanted.

~~

Azra nearly rolled her eyes. Really? Interested in knowing more about her? “Why does it matter though for you to know more about me? I doubt we’ll see each other again after today.” They would part their separate ways after reaching the city, and Azra would go on as if she had never met Poe Dameron, Commander in the Resistance.

Then why did she feel that that was simply not true?

She shrugged, smiling, “I guess my art will have to remain a mystery to you.” Cause they were totally not seeing each other again. That chiseled jaw would be a long forgotten memory. “Favorite story? Oh, that’s a tough one. I think I would have to say it’s one from my childhood, Gil Dene and the Band of Thieves.” An old child’s tale of wonder, hidden treasures, and sword-fighting.

“Wait wait wait,” she shook her head. “You got me off-track again. I’m interviewing you, not the other way around.” It had been easy to simply answer his innocent question. “Now, how old were you when you joined the New Republic Defense Fleet, and when you left to join the Resistance?”

 

[Lucyfer]

The amusement was palpable enough in the Force, but Myka did not let it disturb her own calm. Kylo claimed not to want to renegotiate.

No, he just didn’t want to admit it, really.

And Myka would let him have that foolishness, for as long as it suited him, until he realized that he either tired of going through the holocrons with no direction, or tried something stupid. Whichever came first. “I’m afraid I won’t be relinquishing what I have, but you are welcome to look through it.”

There was too much for him to get through.

Too much, before he had to go back to the Order.

He was the one on a schedule. The one limited.

Myka had that singular advantage, but she thought it would be enough. “If you are satisfied with the arrangement, then I will leave you to it.” Only this time, she did turn to leave, and she would.

She’d let him sit with the holocrons and his thoughts for a while, and see what he decided to try…while making sure to set her guard in place in case he tried anything stupid.

~***~

Poe shrugged. He didn’t believe for a second they wouldn’t see each other again, of course. He also hoped to figure out a bit more of what made her tick. He didn’t say any of that. His guileless smile ad shrug would be enough.

But he did consider the story she mentioned. He wasn’t familiar with it off-hand. Maybe he’d been told it. The name Gil Dene was vaguely familiar.

Probably something popular.

He did chuckle as she realized she got off topic again, “Sorry, sorry,” he wasn’t, and it showed in his smile, but he still let her get them back on track. “I joined as soon as I could – 18,” he said, “I commanded Rapier Squadron for a while there. BB-8 was with me back then, weren’t ya?”

BB-8 confirmed, beeping out that they’d been paired together for a few missions and were inseparable ever since.

“I ended up joining the resistance nine years later, though to be fair – it wasn’t really around until then, either.” After Leia Organa’s secret was revealed to the galaxy at large, “So I’ve been with the Resistance now for…five years, give or take.” His service in the New Republic navy was longer. No one could say he hadn’t given them a fair shot.