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Gnaeus found he wasn’t sure if he agreed with Paquin, or disagreed. He found he still wasn’t sure what to think of the Kevan mess, after they just killed Snoke. He supposed it might not be that great for Kylo or Paquin though, given the role they had in his death.

He didn’t linger on it, hearing about a meeting from Ariel. ‘What does he want?’ Paquin’s trailing question hinted at it. ‘Oh.’

He felt his heart sink, a little, if only because it was still a terribly cruel thing to consider. “No,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced. “Given….” He wouldn’t say ‘given Kylo Ren just killed Snoke’ in front of the medics, so he gestured vaguely, “the situation…I think he might want something else.”

Something kinder.

“He doesn’t hate Leia.”

He didn’t hate Han.

“I don’t think he hates Mira.”

Yet. His anger was deep. His wound was deep from the betrayal, but he didn’t think it was that far.




Deep breathes.

Mira noticed Yularen offer a thumbs up in the background. They could cut the call, and show up there, where he was…but he wanted to negotiate. To meet. ‘It’s a trap.’ Mira couldn’t sense this would go well.

Kylo was…torn. Uncertain. Terribly, terribly uncertain, but he knew what he had. What cards he had to play.

Leia also was able to steer the conversation, but even Kylo would admit, it felt strange to hear ‘Kylo’ from her lips. It gave him pause. Did he like that? Did he want that? ‘It’s better than Ben.’ Was it? He never liked what Ben meant on the whole, but he had liked what it meant to her…

He shoved the thought back.

He had opportunities here – to end the war, or to deal his enemies devastating blows. ‘No, that won’t be necessary.’ Without Snoke, Leia would hear him, Leia would see what he was doing – and his plans hadn’t changed much from when he spoke with Mira, years and years ago. When they’d gone against Luke. This would work. It had to work.

But just in case…Pryde could wait. “Now. As soon as you can get to Korriban.” It was the only place he could think of that wasn’t full of criminals, Resistance, or First Order soldiers. He couldn’t trust that Brendol had that under control yet. “Just you two.”

“No.”

“You aren’t—”

“If you want to negotiate, negotiate, Ren.” Mira snapped, interrupting him. She wanted to find a way out of this for Leia – and yet she knew, as Finn knew, that right now that would be next to impossible. Leia wouldn’t say no.

So it couldn’t be just them. If this went bad…she couldn’t defend them both against the Knights of Ren on her own.
 
“I do.” Ariel grumbled, though she wasn’t sure if hate was entirely appropriate. Mira had left them. She blew off Gnaeus’s hand. Well, Ariel knew that wasn’t true, but someone with Mira had. The bitch had thrown tiny glass shards in Ariel’s eyes–could have blinded her! Captured them, stole their lightsabers. Ariel was not fond of Mira, not anymore. If Kylo had any other plans for Mira…

Ariel sighed. “And Kylo didn’t hate Han,” Ariel pointed out what Gnaeus didn’t. Kylo didn’t hate Han and he still killed him. If he felt Leia had to…’No,’ Ariel didn’t think Kylo could kill his mother, orphan himself. Could he? Ariel focused back on listening.

“He wouldn’t kill his mother,” Paquin didn’t think so, anyway. She remembered, a while ago, when Ariel had put those buns in Kylo’s hair. Paquin had helped him get them out, and only briefly did he talk about Leia. He wouldn’t kill her.

Listening to them, Hux didn’t think he’d ever understand Ren. He had two parents, both that loved him, and he’d killed one of them. Rejected the other. It was so much more than Hux ever had and was one of the many reasons Hux detested the man.


“Mira,” Leia quelled, not obviously shushing her. But her tone implied as much. Sure, they had his location now, as indicated by Yularen. Even if he hung up, refused to meet them, they could still surround him. But Leia didn’t want that. She wanted to see him and get Hux back as peacefully as possible. Of course, she didn’t know Mira didn’t want her going along at all.

“If you bring the Knights along, let us bring others with us. Peace of mind,” for Mira. “Her padawan and Phasma, that’s all.” Leia didn’t look to Phasma for confirmation if that was alright. If Hux would be there, she was sure it was. And Finn and Phasma were there already, they could leave immediately. No more than as many Knights as Kylo had. No less, either.

“They can stay in the ship, if you’d prefer.” But Leia wouldn’t budge further than that. It was only fair. But of course, there wasn’t much fairness in war.

‘Not war. Son.’

Finn would have preferred Leia not go at all. He considered calling Poe, then, who would be there faster than lightspeed could take him. Poe would never let her go. And then they could storm the unnamed planet Kylo resided on, get Hux back. But it seemed there wouldn’t be much choice in the matter.

Leia reminded, “You picked the place,” Korriban, which even Leia knew what the planet had been, “and the time.” Immediately, which didn’t give them much time to prepare, if they had any preparing to do. “Let us have two people, and we’ll be there.” Compromise. Leia couldn’t help but remember trying to teach Kylo those concepts. On a lesser scale than now. Vegetables if he wanted dessert. Brushing his teeth for five more minutes in bed. Silly things that made her heart hurt.


“Kylo mentioned Korriban,” Ariel relayed. “They want to bring Phasma and hot chocolate.”

“Hot chocolate?” Paquin asked. Why would they want to bring a warm beverage? Why did Ariel think that was important?

“The stormtrooper. FN...something.” Ariel corrected.

“Twenty-one eighty-seven.” Paquin filled in the blanks. She remembered him.

“Finn,” Hux chimed in, lazily pulling at the restraint around his wrist. He couldn’t escape, even if he got out of them. “He has a name he goes by now.”

“FInn.” Paquin echoed. Cute.
 
The doubt in the room about whether or not Kylo would kill his mother, was high. Gnaeus didn’t need to ask any further. Ariel had all but said it was likely in pointing out Han. Kylo didn’t need to hate, to kill. He just needed to recognize they were…what, in the way? ‘Was Snoke merely in the way?’ No…Gnaeus thought that Kylo may have actually grown to hate Snoke.

But…he wondered.

Apparently, they were all going to meet on Korriban. Again. And they would be meeting Mira, Leia, Phasma, and the one who helped Mira in fighting him and Ariel. He hadn’t forgotten him, or Ariel’s ridiculous nickname.

A Stormtrooper that had been Force sensitive and unnoticed. ‘A medic, Force sensitive and not noticed.’ Both found by Mira. There was something at play here, in awakening so many. The Scavenger among their ranks, even if not found by Mira, it was…odd.

“I don’t like this,” Gnaeus voiced, before noticing Hux pull at his restraints. He considered grabbing him with the Force to hold him still, but to what end? Hux wasn’t going anywhere. “I don’t like this at all.” They hadn’t secured things in lieu of Snoke’s death.

What if Pryde did something? Or someone else? “Our situation isn’t nearly secure enough for this.” What if Kylo agreed to things that others high-ranking in this didn’t like?

‘They don’t matter.’ Snoke wouldn’t have cared what they thought, and Snoke was…dead.

They’d already been through one coup. Two, if killing Snoke counted. Gnaeus didn’t want to endure yet another coup.




Mira didn’t like being shushed, but she let it. Her jaw clenched. Her fists clenched. She focused on breathing as she stared Kylo Ren down while his mother laid out the terms she would have said. Certainly, Finn. Phasma was a good idea, as well, there likely wasn’t anyone else who would be as devoted to the mission of getting Hux back, as Phasma – and she could keep up with Force sensitives in her armor.

For the most part.

Mira hoped.

August, out of sight, still couldn’t quite help but mouth ‘and what are we, chopped liver’ to Julia, as they were excluded from going along. Of course they would be, but he was going to comment on it anyways.

Kylo was at least silent a few moments in consideration. In reading Mira’s anger, and his mother’s patience. Two sides of what he had to deal with. Phasma and a padawan? He recalled hearing a bit about the situation from Ariel and Gnaeus when Gnaeus came back without a hand. Finn. She had truly taken another padawan after Kevan.

There was a terrible part of him that wanted to rip into that – but the orange glow, the earlier sight of him, and Leia, kept him more neutral. He wanted this work. He knew he did. Mira and he would have their issues, but if this could work, he should be willing enough to try not to make it worse than it already was. “Fine.” He allowed. “But anymore than that and Hux will be executed without conversation.”

‘You touch him and I swear to—’ Lightning shocked Mira’s already closed fist, not visible in the holo, but her flinch was.

Kylo could guess. The anger coming off her was impossible not to feel with the visual helping to connect them.

“I understand.” Mira said through gritted teeth.

She would do so much more than slap Kylo if given half the chance.
 
Hux contemplated, as the Knights of Ren voiced their concerns for the situation. Hux knew Mira wouldn’t let anything happen to Leia. Finn wouldn’t let anything happen to Leia. He listened to them, as background noise, hoping for anything that would be useful to him. He knew why he was here, then. To negotiate his return. He’d be kept alive for the moment. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kylo decided to kill him in front of Mira.

And so he wondered, looking around. The medic, Paquin, would be easy to lure close, easy to overpower. Except for the Force. ‘The Force,’ he patted his pocket, not surprised that the stone was gone. ‘Sorry, Mira.’ He longed to apologize to her in person. Disappoint her in person. Anything, as long as she was there.

“I think Kylo is just itching to kill you, Hux.” Ariel sighed as she pulled away from her listening perch. She’d heard enough, and the conversation likely wouldn’t last much longer. Much of it probably saved for their little meeting.

“Nothing new.”

Ariel sat herself on a cot. “I don’t like it either. But what are we going to do about it?” What was there to be done? Ariel questioned Kylo’s thinking abilities. At least, as a Supreme Leader. Would he be able to maintain any sort of balance or control? Even meeting with Leia and Mira was already something that could not go over well.

“One of us could stay here?” Paquin suggested.

“And be outnumbered?” Not only against Mira and them, but in that very facility, too. “It’s not just the meeting that doesn’t feel right…,” Ariel couldn’t explain it. Something felt off and it made her stomach turn.


Leia wasn’t surprised by the way Mira was handling the situation. She hadn’t anticipated it, though she should have. Mira had every reason to be angry. Leia didn’t flinch when lightning erupted from Mira once again, on a smaller scale. But it took Finn a good amount of energy to keep himself rooted into place and not immediately move to make sure Mira would be okay.

She would be.

She was still managing well. And Leia made a mental note to apologize to Mira after the call ended, for the non-shushing shushing. Leia didn’t want Mira to do anything to set Kylo off. She was fairly certain Mira was just one wrong phrase away from jumping through the holo to attack Kylo Ren.

“No one else.” Leia reiterated. “We’ll be on our way, if you’d send the coordinates to this comm,” maybe Mira knew where he wanted to meet them, but still, she asked. Then there’d also be some sort of record of where they went, instead of it being in Mira’s head.

Leia gave a slight signal with her hand, outside of the holo view, to let Yularen know the call could be ended if Kylo Ren had nothing else to add. Leia didn’t expect any goodbye, not one she wanted. Of course, that didn’t stop her from adding, slipping it in right before her blue-tinted son disappeared. “I love you.” It was not blurted out, despite it being last minute. It was firm, it was a fact. She wanted him to know that, if nothing else for him to think about it until they saw each other again.

Leia wouldn’t be surprised if someone thought she was crazy for still loving him. After he killed so many people. After he killed his own father, the man that she had still loved. But it was her son, her only child. The way he spoke inspired little confidence, but Leia elected to ignore it in favor of all the potential.
 
Kylo considered sending the coordinates, but, he shook his head, “Mira knows where,” he said. Mira gave a single nod. She did. She could share the coordinates with others, of course, if she remembered – but she wanted to just get off this call, get in her ship – Kevan’s ship – and try to figure out how to work with this potential trap.

“We’ll see you there.” Mira said.

Kylo nodded, and moved his hand to end the call. There was no need for a farewell beyond that.

He paused when Leia spoke the last words. For a moment, his face was so painfully surprised, so painfully vulnerable. Wide eyes, shock, anger, confusion, that faded into pursing lips and a more determined end to the call, a cut-off that wasn’t actually abrupt, but felt like it was, with Leia’s words hanging in the air.

Mira turned to face Leia’s side and put her hand on the woman’s shoulder. She had no words for her, just, “I promise, I won’t kill him.”

She could go no further than that – and Leia knew it. She wouldn’t be dishonest.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry he didn’t say it back. I’m sorry he’s….’ The agony, the guilt, that Mira had felt in the moment before they lost his visual…stars.

But there was no way they could keep her from going now, and her gaze to Finn said as much. ‘Protect Leia, padawan. No matter what stupid thing I do.’

Protect Leia.

Protect Hux.

She and Phasma could figure things out.

August cleared his throat. “Seeing as I’m not invited to Korriban party, I’m going to go crash Snoke’s tomb. Stealth, of course,” he added, before anyone could accuse him of doing something too brash. He wanted to go get a look at this place. “Caius, you’re coming with me.”

~***~

Kylo stood outside the medbay a few moments longer than necessary, staring at the space above his wrist. Staring where his mother’s face had been.

“I love you.”

A blurted affection, a panicked expression, he could have endured.

This? This firm statement, like Truth itself, left him feeling hollow. How could Leia love him? And yet, there was no doubt to it. As firm as the ground he was standing on, and as his affection for Paquin had made him question what he was doing, what he was living in fear of, this made him again fear. Again, question.

‘She’ll listen.’ He told himself, again. ‘She’ll listen.’ And yet he felt like crying from the fear that she wouldn’t, from the fear that this would end in a painfully familiar, that in spite of all her love, she wouldn’t come to his side.

That it wasn’t enough.

But he gathered himself, and he went into the medbay to see them still there. The weight in the room, however, told him enough, even if no one was likely to own up to it. “We’re leaving for Korriban.” He told them, as if they didn’t already know, “Including General Hux.” He didn’t look at him when he said his name.

“What about the meeting with the Allegiant General?”

“This is more important.”

“What is this?”

“…negotiations,” he said, “with General Organa and…Vallens.” That cut her off more significantly than Mira did. “With Snoke gone, we have room to negotiate and shift how things proceed.”

Gnaeus wanted to protest, but he knew it was hopeless. Kylo gave them as little time to prepare, as he gave to Mira and Leia.

If this went south, it could be bad. They were all injured and coming off a fight with the praetorian guard.

He hoped it wouldn’t go bad. He didn’t need to lose another arm.
 
Leia hadn’t expected Kylo to even say goodbye, and she certainly didn’t expect him to return her declaration of love. But she still couldn’t help feeling dejected by his response. There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t read, but in the end she felt like he was angry with her for saying such a thing. And maybe he was.

And maybe she wanted him to say it back.

She felt Mira’s hand on her shoulder, looking towards her as she spoke a promise of not killing him. Leia nearly snorted at that, but took the sentiment behind it with a solemn nod. There was a tightness in her chest. Leia thought she had herself together, but there was still an urge to cry with every inhale of breath. “Thank you,” she said, her hand resting atop Mira’s, squeezing for just a moment before she let go.

Finn flocked to them as soon as the call ended, meeting Mira’s gaze. He knew what she was saying with the look, almost as if he could hear the words. There was no way they weren’t convincing Leia to stay behind, all they could do now was protect her. He’d protect her.

Leia steeled herself when August spoke, remembering others were there. Stealth or not, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We have no idea what Snoke was capable of,” the technology, the soldiers. There was no knowing what had been built.

Caius whooshed past her then, joining August. “It’ll be fine, General Organa. We have stealth on our side. We’ll gather what intel we can, and if we stumble across something overwhelming, we’ll be able to turn back. You should go, you don’t want to risk taking too long.” They were all anxious to leave, anyway. Caius looked to August, “Ready when you are.”

And Finn placed his hand on Leia’s back, and she let him lead her out of the apartment, Phasma following quickly behind. Leia was anxious to see her son, Phasma to get Hux back, and Finn to get all of this over with.

-

They all wanted to protest Kylo’s decision. Ariel wanted to say something, to question what Kylo thought he could achieve. Paquin didn’t know what she wanted to say or ask, just that she felt the need to. She looked at him, eyes soft, brows knitted with concerned. She didn't say anything. Neither she nor Ariel did. Kylo was set in his decision, whatever logic was or wasn't behind it.

“Pryde will be happy about that,” Hux commented, uninterested. He wondered if Pryde would suck up to Kylo Ren. Or if he’d question him. He wasn’t going to stick around to find out. At least, he hoped he wouldn’t.

“Do you want to go back or not?” Ariel frowned at him, uncuffing him from the cot, pulling him up. She yanked his arms behind his back, binding his arms by his wrists. “Walk,” Her hand found his elbow and pulled him along with her. A clone moved to grab Hux’s other arm, but Ariel dismissed them.

“Or what, you’ll kill me?” They needed him for their little negotiations, didn’t they?

“I might,” Ariel hissed. She didn’t want to go to this meeting. They’d have nothing to provide if she just killed Hux there. Of course, she’d probably just get Force-choked by Kylo for ruining his plans.

Paquin found her previously discarded layers of armor, slipping them back on. She cringed as the movement aggravated the wounds she’d acquired, the armor damaged in those areas. She was hoping to get that repaired, but they wouldn’t have time to. And above all, she hoped she wouldn’t need it. ‘Please, please don’t make me need it.’ She wasn’t sure who she was asking. Kylo, maybe. Mira or Leia. She didn’t know.
 
Mira wouldn’t offer any advice to August or Caius. Perhaps if she’d seen where it was located, she could have, but then again, when she was there, no base existed. As it was, she was thinking to Korriban only, thinking to how she was going to get Hux back, how she was going to keep Leia safe, how she might bring Kylo back.

Was there even a chance?

‘No.’

But it wasn’t something she could tell Leia, and it was hard enough accepting it.

They would all pile into the lift. “Lieutenant-General, you have time enough to get your armor,” Mira wished for armor right then. There were probably pieces and things she could throw on from Kevan’s ship, and she might dig through it.

This was not an offer that Phasma would reject, and she gave one single nod to accept it. She had her armor back in her ship. She could grab it and go to Mira’s ship. She could get changed in the ship itself.

“If either of you two have armor, I’d suggest it as well. Just in case,” Mira added.

Leia wasn’t a fool. Nor Finn. But she knew the rebels didn’t exactly have much in the way of body armor. Certainly nothing that would resist a lightsaber, but it might help – just enough.

The lift came to its stop at the bottom, and Phasma was the first out.

~***~

‘Do I have to take Hux myself?’ Kylo wasn’t amused with Ariel’s threat to him. He could sense that everyone was on edge. Coming right off of killing Snoke, and into meeting multiple traitors – one more personal than the others – and his mother, wasn’t something to be thrilled with. He understood that.

But he was dead-set on it.

Gnaeus moved, gradually pulling himself together, as well. Adding armor again. Sighing as he knew he wouldn’t get clean, not-torn-up armor, before all of this. “Can I get another juice?”

A medic was quick to bring him another juice. He thought he might need it. Ariel probably needed more alcohol. Hopefully there was some in the ship, somewhere. He might need it after – if he lived.

Kylo waited for them all to gather, and as he turned to lead the way out, an officer sort stepped in. “Supreme Leader Ren,” well at least this one held some authority to their voice, some confidence in the address, taking things in stride. “Allegiant General Pryde has prepared a space to meet. He—”

“Tell the Allegiant General it will have to be delayed. I need to head out. I will be back before the day is out.”

Apparently this was a life-long officer, and one without many plans of advancement. They took this, too, in stride, “I will let him know, Supreme Leader. Should we know where you are going?”

Kylo considered that, and since the entire medbay already knew, he answered, “Korriban, to discuss terms with our enemies.”

“Very good. May the Force be with you all,” he said simply, strangely, before turning to leave them.

That not-good feeling remained in the pit of Gnaeus’s gut.
 
Leia and Finn looked to each other when Mira mentioned armor. Leia shrugged. She didn’t have any with her. Neither did Finn. Leia wasn’t seeking death, but couldn’t help but think...if she met a similar fate to Han, so be it. She wouldn’t meet any sort of end without trying to get her son back, of course. And if that failed, she wouldn’t give in to such a fate if she could help it.

“We’re ready.” Finn declared for them as the lift reached the bottom, Phasma heading out ahead of them. Phasma’s strides were long, she’d be quick to meet them.

Finn tried to keep his own steps short, taking into consideration that Leia was shorter than them. And older. But it was unneeded, for Leia was passing him with her pace. Would have passed Mira, too, if Mira wasn’t the one who would lead them to her--Kevan’s--ship.

It was another long walk to that damn hangar, even if it wasn’t far from Tarkin’s at all. But once it was over, Leia requested Finn’s datapad. Kylo hadn’t sent them coordinates, but Leia wasn’t satisfied with not having them for herself. “Mira, If you could give me the coordinates before we go. I’d like to send them to Connix.” She couldn’t send them to Poe, because he’d end up showing up himself.

Poe was another reason she had to make it out of this. He wasn’t ready to take her place. Not yet, but he would be.

“...And Mira, I’m sorry for overstepping in there. I needed this to happen.”

-

Paquin wanted juice of a different kind. She felt like she understood why Ariel was an alcoholic. At least, partly, anyway. Ariel would say this certainly fueled her alcoholism. She hoped she could find a drink on the ship. Slip some into Gnaeus’s juice. Give Paquin a capful because that was about all the girl could handle.

And then hit Hux over the head with the empty bottle because he was very annoying.

Ariel was used to ignoring officers. She cared little about what fluff they had to say, but that officer’s words had her listening. And her brows furrowed. It was...unusual. Maybe it was because she wasn’t much involved in those sort of operations, but she’d never heard an officer say it before. A look to Paquin made her think it wasn’t common.

Of course, maybe Snoke had changed some things. Maybe she was reading too much into this because of their unexpected situation.

Hux wasn’t surprised. Pryde had always been more tolerant of the mysticism of the Force. Reverent, even. And under Snoke? He was sure that was amplified. Maybe that’s where Hux had gone wrong. He had never respected it in the same way others had. The closest he’d come was respecting Mira and her intentions.

Funny, how the officer wished the Force be with them and once they reached the ship, they were once again deprived of it by that damn stone. “Do we have to deal with that thing, too?” Ariel asked as she trekked through the ship, shoving Hux into a seat. Hux scowled at the dreadful woman, who seemed to grow tenser by the minute. He didn't know her, but wouldn't doubt that she would, in fact, kill him in a moment of acting out.
 
Mira hadn’t expected armor, but she still sighed. Of course, Phasma was going to be the only with armor. At least the rest of them had the Force. Somewhat. ‘We’re fucked.’ Just…so long as they could get Hux and Leia out of there, Mira would call it good.

She wouldn’t even consider herself or Phasma getting out of there. Finn, she hoped for.

At the Nymph, Mira quickly went to the cockpit to get things set up. She paused at Leia’s request, “Oh. Yes.” She first got the ship going, not lifted off, but enough so she could bring up the navigational system, and old, familiar coordinates. She knew the one she wanted on sight, though she hadn’t had it memorized.

She plugged it into Leia’s datapad, “It’s okay,” she appreciated the apology, but she understood even then why Leia interjected. “We both want this meeting. We have it now.” She wasn’t going to hold a grudge over Leia making sure it happened.

She returned the datapad to Leia as the heavy steps of Phasma announced her arrival on the ship.

This was, by far, the oddest group Mira had ever worked with – ex-Stormtrooper, former Stormtrooper Captain now Lieutenant-General, General Organa, and herself. She didn’t know what that meant for their odds, but something about them all coming together was hopeful. Even without armor.

She slipped into the pilot’s seat, coordinates set, and got the ship into the air.

~***~

Kylo had not forgotten the stone was there. He thought it might actually come in handy with the situation. Mira wouldn’t be able to use the Force against them if they stayed within its range. That would make any threat more effective, given it’d be at close range, with lightsaber.

Still, he understood Ariel’s feelings on it. He didn’t like it, either.

“Would you rather we leave it here for someone to find and figure out?” Kylo asked. ‘Would you rather return to it being used against us?’

He did not want that to happen, or to lose it. He might later consider either how to destroy it, or how to contain it, so he could use it when he preferred. “Besides, it’ll come in handy.” He took his pilot’s seat, as Gnaeus opted to sit as far as he could from Hux.

He didn’t trust his cooperation. Especially not if he was aware of what the stone did, or had any idea of its range. He knew Kylo was outside of it, but just barely. “What…exactly is our goal, Kylo?” Gnaeus asked, as the ship started up.

“Try to convince them of our side.” Kylo said, as if it could be that simple. “If Leia and Hux can work together, they can work with us.”

‘What is our agenda without Snoke?’ Gnaeus wondered. ‘What is your agenda?’
 
“Thank you,” Leia said, thankful not only for the coordinates, but for Mira’s understanding of the situation back there. And she was right, now they had the meeting. As Phasma joined them and Mira got the ship into the air, Leia’s heart beat faster. She felt a hand slip over her shoulder, Finn’s--who sat behind her. Her hand settled atop his, appreciative of the gesture.

They had a strange group. A complicated one, for many reasons. And Leia couldn’t imagine any other mix or match.

Leia had never been to Korriban, she thought as she sent the coordinates away to Connix. She’d read about it. She knew Luke had some information about it. It was a dark planet, wasn’t it? Leia wasn’t sure what to expect from it. She supposed she could have asked Mira, but...she almost felt the less she knew the better. The less she knew, the less she had to worry about.

Their time in lightspeed was too long and too short all at the same time when the ship exited lightspeed outside of the planet. It was dark, tinted red.

“What is the area like? Where we’re meeting Ren?” Phasma asked Mira from her seat. Should they expect Ren to have the advantage? To have the capabilities to surprise, ambush. Places to hide, places for people to pop out of. There was no turning back now. Phasma wouldn’t let them, not until they had Hux. But they had to be somewhat prepared. Because in every other aspect? They were entirely unprepared. Only one of them had armor. Did anyone have a blaster? Anything lightsaber resistant?

This had to be what Kylo Ren wanted. Them unprepared.

-

Kylo had a point about the stone, and Ariel pouted for it. She moved to sit near Hux, but Paquin gently guided her to a different seat. She didn’t think it was a good idea for them to sit next to each other for too long. So Paquin sat next to her former boss, and they eyed each other. Hux’s thoughts from earlier ran through his head. She was small, weaker. Easy to overpower. And with the stone…

But his hands were behind his back. He couldn’t move them without doing it obviously. And he’d have no plan after that. Paquin knew that, too. And so Hux looked ahead. “She’s not going to work with you, Ren.” He chimed in. “We united in an effort against Snoke. If your goals align with what his were, I wouldn’t expect much.” He wasn’t serving his case well. His return to Mira and the Order likely hinged on whether or not Mira and Leia would join Kylo.

“Don’t.” Paquin shook her head at Hux. For his own benefit, he should quit.

Ariel sighed as the ship rocked with movement, setting off to their home on Korriban. And she couldn’t help but think it was the last time they’d call it home, because she didn’t have faith this would turn out the way Kylo so ambitiously thought it would. They couldn’t reside there if the Resistance, Mira, the Order all knew where it was. Or maybe that wouldn’t be a problem if Kylo…well, repeated history.

“What’s our goal beyond that, Kylo?” It wasn’t clear, not that she was sure if it had ever been clear to her. She’d had a desire, once, for the galaxy to be cleaner. Better. Was that what they were after anymore? At some point it had changed to suit Snoke’s desire for power. Was that what Kylo wanted, too?

Hux couldn’t help but note the lack of certainty amongst them, ever so enticing to him.
 
Mira couldn’t sense Kylo when they came out of lightspeed, unaware he’d reached it first, although she should have suspected it. Unaware he’d have the stone. She steered the ship towards the planet, hearing Phasma’s query.

“Sandy.” Which was enormously useful to her, perhaps her singular advantage was that the planet played to her skills in combat. Sand, sand everywhere, and especially in everyone’s eyes. “We’re going to a temple that was refitted into being something of an academy, and then became our…home, before the Order.”

And after the Order, but that wasn’t so important. They spent less time there after the Order, after all, and Mira, hardly any time at all, at either place, the Order or Korriban. “It’s a stone structure,” she said, even though they would soon see it.

Soon see Kylo’s ship.

“There’s not much to say about it. It doesn’t have any defenses of its own,” which was strange, but then again, who came to Korriban?

‘Kevan.’

Kevan came to Korriban.

The orange had remained constant through it all, not so much as flickering to any other hue, or dying out.

~***~

It all fell to him now.

It was something Kylo understood, something he had even anticipated, once upon a time, but the reality of it was still something new. Still something difficult to reconcile as someone who was not used to leading on that level, but instead, used to leading over a few.

A few, powerful, individuals, but nonetheless, a few. His strategies, his knowledge, were small-scale with large-scale dreams.

Small acts to make the larger ones happen. “We are still going to make the galaxy a better place, under my leadership.” He had to say it, to declare it, even though that was…strange. But it was true. They still fought for unifying the galaxy under one head, and with Snoke gone, that was now him.

No Jedi.

No Gray Jedi.

No Sith.

No Republic, No Senate. “I thought you believed in a singular leadership, Hux.” Kylo couldn’t help but remind him, “Peace, through unification and order.” He obviously didn’t any longer. Nonetheless, “I suggest you tell Mira and Phasma to accept it, if you want to live. They’ll listen to you.”

Leia and Finn were another matter. Finn, by all rights, shouldn’t matter in negotiations, but Leia did. Leia, who knew better than anyone, the failings of the Senate.

They arrived before the Nymph, and Kylo would fly down to their home – one that he realized he, too, would not call home again after this.
 
Sandy. Defenseless. Stone structure. Phasma took in the information, though there was hardly anything she could do with it. Still, she noted it just in case, and soon enough the details of the planet came into view. The sandiness created a light dust in the air. That stone structure came into view and near it, another ship. Kylo, his Knights, and hopefully Hux had all reached the planet before them.

Leia briefly wondered why she couldn’t feel her son or anyone else through the Force, but she was quick to figure it out. The stone. They’d definitely discovered it on Hux. Her focus was on luring Kylo back, and if that happened they wouldn’t have to worry about getting the stone back.

Leia inhaled, unsure if she should steel herself for what’s to come or if she should be open emotionally. Expect to be hurt or try to appeal to what she could. She supposed she’d figure it out in the moment. Or not and flounder.

But as Mira set the ship down, dust swirling around the ship as it settled, Leia stood. Her hand found Mira’s arm, gently patting her as an act of support. This was an event for her, too. She’d been close to Kylo, she was close to Hux.

Finn and Phasma rose, too. “Where do you want us?” Finn asked. It was agreed they’d get to come along, but staying on the ship had been mentioned. And well...Finn wasn’t going to do that. Neither was Phasma.

“Come with. We’ll see how it begins. If nothing else, just hang back a bit.” Though, Leia knew that every little bit could make a difference when it came to Kylo. And she realized, then, that she’d get to see her son. In person. No filter of blue. Hopefully, she’d be close enough to really look at him. Hoped he’d let her that close and not for her to face a similar fate to his other parent.

-

Make the galaxy a better place. It was easy to claim, but how did he expect to do this? Ariel didn’t ask any follow up questions. She didn’t expect him to have answers. This was an all new situation, a new role for him. For all of them. But if it was the one thing he’d been committed to this entire time...wouldn’t he have some ideas?

“I still have my preferences and ideals.” Hux would prefer one leader. No fighting, no corruptness amongst a group. He probably always would, but, “Sometimes you have to adjust for what’s best in war. Make compromises to see changes.”Hux didn’t think Kylo Ren knew what compromise meant. The general had to unite with Leia and Tarkin if he wanted to get anywhere. If he wanted to eliminate Snoke, although Ren already did that for him. And he’d rethink again, if the time came to it.

“Mira and Phasma will make the decision they think is best,” Hux would not advise them to do anything. Joining Ren wasn’t wise. Hux didn’t want to die, but if he did, he trusted them to continue his mission for peace and order.

They arrived on Korriban before the others did, but not long before. “My plant…,” Paquin murmured, knowing it sat on the side table in the room she had begun to make hers. She, too, knew they wouldn’t be able to call it home anymore. The thought of once again having to leave behind something she began to settle into made her feel saddened.

“Maybe we’ll have a chance to go get some things after this,” Ariel offered. Because Ariel had some sentimental things there, too, which she knew she shouldn’t have given the way they lived. If this went well enough, for their side anyway, maybe they’d get the opportunity.

Soon enough another ship appeared in the sky, Paquin and Ariel rising from their seats. Paquin helped pull Hux up, handing him over to Ariel’s grasp, the red haired woman guiding him along with her. Paquin waited for Kylo, though. She asked, softly, “Are you ready?” Though, despite what she said, she really meant to ask if he was sure that he wanted to do this.
 
The responses from Hux were not what Kylo anticipated. Something had changed in Hux. He wasn’t responding as spitefully as Kylo thought. Nor was he even claiming he’d escape it all and keep everything. Kylo expected more anger, and was disappointed to find it lacking. ‘Yes. I suppose they will.’ Mira and Phasma were two relatively difficult people to sway.

But he still thought they might bend if Hux asked it. Demanded it.

Mira had given him the stone. Mira had wanted to protect him. Would she falter on that wish now? Kylo supposed, he’d see, only too soon. The ship was in the sky. No others. Nothing else appeared on the radar, either, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as the others moved.

He would get the stone. Set it closer to the door of the ship, so that it would be near where they stood outside of it. He intended to keep Hux in the field, to make his rescue all the more difficult. It would also be able to fully cover the ship area that way, he thought. Then no one could mess up his ship with the Force, either.

He rose, slowly, and looked at Paquin as she asked.

Gnaeus was already well on his way out of the cockpit. Ariel was escorting Hux out. “No.” That was the truth. He wasn’t ready to see Mira. He wasn’t ready to see Leia. “But this is necessary.” He knew nothing would really comfort him now, nothing would reassure him about this.

He wasn’t ready, but he was here.

“I’m going to bring the stone closer to the center. We need to keep Hux in the field.”

Mira was capable enough, unless she lost control – which was possible in this situation. It wasn’t his goal – unless it went south, of course. Then he’d prefer Mira to be raging over controlled. He placed his hand on Paquin’s shoulder, squeezed it, “Go make sure the others know.”

No time for anything more. He released the pressure as he moved by her, let his hand move from her shoulder as he walked back to get the stone.

~***~

Mira would have protested if Leia told Finn and Phasma to stay in the ship. That hadn’t been commanded of them. So, she was glad when Leia told them to come along, though she let Leia move ahead.

‘I’m not ready.’ Mira had no idea how close her thoughts mirrored Kylo right then, how unready she was for this reunion – but then, who could be ready?

She tried to hold to Leia’s support.

To her promise to Leia.

To the hope that Kylo killed Snoke, and Kylo could be swayed, but as she stepped out into the evening of Korriban and saw the other knights outside the ship, with Hux, she felt that hope slipping further and further away.

Still, it was nice to feel the Force here, even if she couldn’t over there. The power of Korriban that sang in the air. A spiral of sand pulled itself up from the ground and twirled alongside Mira for a couple of steps as she approached the place where Leia paused.

Gnaeus was the one to speak first, without Kylo there, “Stay well away from the ship, General Organa.” He didn’t address Mira. He didn’t even want to look at Mira.

Phasma and Finn didn’t matter in the scheme of things. They were just muscle.

Mira looked them over, eyes going from face, to face, pausing on Hux for just a moment, before lifting to Kylo Ren as he descended the ramp, and came forward, ahead of the knights.

Seeing Leia in person didn’t make it any better.

‘Small.’

Had she always been that small? Had she always seemed so helpless? There was a part of him that wanted to keep walking forward, to reach for her hands, but he stopped short of that. Stopped short of the field he was keeping himself in. “Leia.” He didn’t call her ‘mom’. “Vallens.”

‘Go fuck yourself.’ Mira didn't say it. No flash of lightning. But the orange was bleeding red.

“Phasma, FN-2187.”

Holding court was weird.

“Surrender.”
 
Paquin felt nauseous. Something about this felt wrong. She wanted to tell Kylo this wasn’t necessary. He didn’t have to do this, they could turn around. She wanted to offer him some sort of comfort or relief. But there was nothing she could do. She could only join her Knights, the feeling of his hand on her shoulder lingering long after he let her go. Why did she feel like this moment was so significant? Was it really?

The cool air of Korriban greeted her as she joined the others, sharing what Kylo told her to. Her eyes squinted, looking through the dust to the other side. Mira, her eyes only roamed over briefly. She knew Mira. She wasn’t fond of Mira. She knew Phasma. She knew Finn. She’d had a good relationship with Phasma. She didn’t know Finn well, but the few times she interacted with him, she liked him. She didn’t want to fight those two.

Her eyes settled on Leia, getting a good look at her. She was small. She almost seemed smaller than Paquin, which was certainly saying something. And stars, she was surprised how much she could see Kylo in her. Or rather, how much she could see Leia in Kylo. She didn’t seem threatening. She seemed kind. ‘I don’t want to fight Kylo’s mother.’ She didn’t want Kylo to hurt his mother.

Where no one seemed to look at Mira, that was all Hux could look at. And there was a tightness in his chest, his breathing shifted. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out. He’d only been awake for a short time and in that time it seemed he’d missed her. He longed to join her. To have his arms around her again. But as time went on he felt the likeliness of that fading fast. They weren’t going to surrender. He didn’t want them to. And he silently pleaded, then, for Mira to understand him.

He knew the stone hindered whatever access the Force granted her. But he hoped she could see it on his face, feel it. Something.

Gnaeus called out to Leia. Stay away from the ship. Maybe she’d heed that. But as her son descended from the ship, all thoughts abandoned her head. Paquin saw much of Leia in Kylo, but Leia saw so much more of Han in him. It made her heart hurt. His words made her heart hurt even more. He called her Leia. Not mom or any variation of it. ‘Surrender.’

“Return Hux to us and we’ll talk.” Leia said, but didn’t fail to notice Hux’s head shaking behind her son.

“They won’t hand me over unless you all surrender.” He informed, Ariel squeezing his arm, to remind him to watch what he said. “Don’t–” He grimaced from the pain of Ariel’s grip tightening. How was she so damn strong? And without the Force.

Leia’s heart sank with every word that was spoken. There would be no steeling herself. She wore her emotions on her face.

She stepped forward, ignoring Finn calling her name, discouraging her actions. She missed Finn’s desperate look to Mira, asking her what to do. Leia walked, walked until she could feel herself on the edge of some invisible barrier. Walked until she was just a few feet away from her son. He was so tall. She wanted to ask him how tall he was. And strong, grown from the lanky teenager she last held in her memory. His face. Her eyes followed the scar that ran across it, disappearing beneath his collar. The one Rey had given to him. The scar Leia decided saddened her, but no more than realizing how much older he looked. How much like Han. The face of her son…

She wanted to reach for him. To hold his hands, his face, him. Hug him, kiss him. Make up for all the years he’d gone without. She’d gone without. But she didn’t. “Ben,” no Kylo. The name was wrong, it felt wrong for her to say. Especially in that moment. Her voice lowered, softened, “Ben, did you kill Snoke?” She clung to the little hope she had, her words nearly begging him to say yes, that he had killed Snoke. That there was a change in him. That there was something for them to go off of.
 
Admittedly, Kylo did not expect immediate surrender, so he was prepared to deal with that. The command for Hux came, and Kylo shook his head. ‘No.’ That would not be happening, not that easily. Hux was right about that. He held the power in this situation, and they would determine what happened next.

He had the leadership here that opposed him – all except Tarkin, and while Tarkin was a threat, he was one they could deal with. Killing Mira, Hux, and Phasma would end the Order’s opposition.

Killing Leia would wreak havoc on what remained of the Resistance.

‘But you don’t want to.’

No, even though he tensed as Leia walked forward. As everyone tensed, and Kylo saw how Mira called two lightsabers into her hands. They didn’t light, but she preparing to act, in the event that he did something. She was the closest of them, besides Leia herself. He saw how she caught Finn’s look, but just shook her head.

Do nothing.

Kylo wouldn’t step back.

He wouldn’t retreat, but he stared down at his mother and fought to keep his expression stoic. He failed, of course. The more he fought to keep it that way, the more cracks showed in a small twitch at his lips. At a knit of his brows. At every desire to both step back, and step towards her, when he recognized the new wrinkles on her face.

How much older she’d gotten, without him.

The gray hair.

The style of her hair…he should know it. He’d learned so many Alderaanian styles, but his mind was slipping as to the meaning of it right then.

Leia spoke to him, not as he was, but as who she wanted him to be. Ben. Hearing it brought anger closer to the surface. It was easier to hold on to, as she addressed him that way, as she seemed not to take the orders seriously. “Yes,” he would at least answer that. “I killed Snoke.”

There was a slight relax behind Leia, in Mira.

“Snoke was going about things wrong, but we won’t.” He looked back down at Leia. ‘Mother you know—’. He set his jaw. “The New Republic cannot stand. The Senate cannot stand. They are responsible for every terrible thing in this galaxy, for setting divisions. We’ll end that. I promise, we are going to make things right for the galaxy.”

‘So please, mom—’

“There’s no more need for this fighting, or for this war. Snoke’s gone.”

‘It’s me. Trust me.’

Except, he wasn’t Ben. It wasn’t the Him his mother wanted.
 
The Knights were tense behind Kylo. Ariel found herself clinging more and more to Kylo and his mother’s conversation than paying attention to handling Hux. She didn’t think she could hurt Leia, if it came to that. She noted Mira’s movements, her grip on two lightsabers. They’d all protect Kylo. Protect each other. But neither she nor Paquin wanted to think of harming Leia. She wasn’t evil. She did what she thought was right, but it unfortunately was not on their side.

And they didn’t think she would ever be on their side.

Leia couldn’t help the burst of success, excitement that bubbled in her when Kylo answered her. He’d killed Snoke. Him. And then she felt it be crushed as he continued. She couldn’t help the slightest shake of her head, the disagreement with his words. The galaxy – it could never be run the way it once was. By one person. By one cruel, shell of a being.

Leia didn’t back away. She pressed forward, extending one hand beyond the barrier, feeling the lack of life beyond it. She needed to connect with him. Physically, or maybe if she could pull him beyond the stone. He could feel how much love she had for him, how she didn’t want to be divided.

The action, of course, caused movement. Hux pulled against Ariel, pushing forward to ward Leia back. And Ariel let him, to an extent. Before she yanked him to a halt. Paquin pushed beyond that, not sure what her goal was. To pull Kylo back? To push Leia away? But the Knights’ actions caused the others to stir, as well. Finn and Phasma strode closer, seeing the actions as a threat. And so Paquin stopped. It wasn’t a threat.

“You’re right,” Leia began. “Snoke is gone. There’s no more need for fighting.” ‘You don’t have to do what Snoke wanted you to do, what he made you believe.’ “The Senate, the New Republic. They’re flawed, I know. First hand, I know. But the galaxy will never prosper if no one is represented. If we are ruled by what one person wants.”

Leia knew. She knew her son was different. He was not the Ben she knew. She wanted her Ben back, but she knew he was gone. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t forge a new path. A new Ben, or Kylo, or whatever name he wanted. “We worked with Hux. Stars, I’ve even worked with Tarkin,” Ben knew, he had to know, what that meant to Leia. “If what you truly want is a better galaxy, come with me. Be with me, us. We can work together. We’ll listen to you, I promise.”

Her voice quieted. Barely above a whisper. It broke as she spoke, her desperation coming through. “Please, Ben. Kylo. Please.”

Leia glanced behind her, then. At Mira. Her brown eyes, worn, begging Mira to say something. To help. To support. Anything.
 
Mira resisted the urge to step after Leia, to pull her back with the Force. She knew how that would look to the others on that side of the field. She’d been on that side of the field, and without the Force to help read the situation, she could imagine it was more tense than usual.

They moved in their own way.

Hux was pulled back.

Paquin stepped forward.

And so, Finn and Phasma stepped up, before there seemed to be a mutual recognition of what was going on. ‘No one wants to fight.’ Mira thought, with some dismal hope. It wasn’t enough not to want it, unfortunately. Kylo was making himself clear enough.

Mira wanted to linger on Hux, to make sure Ariel’s gesture hadn’t caused him any more significant pain – but she had to watch Kylo. Leia was too close, even outside the field. Not yet in lightsaber range, but how swiftly that could change!

Leia pleaded.

Kylo did listen. He did hear. He felt his heartstrings tugged by her words, her suggestion that he would be listened to if he moved to the other side, if he tried to do things their way. It wouldn’t be easy, stars knew it wouldn’t be easy to endure the looks, the comments, the hatred, but his mother was working with Tarkin. He knew how significant that was, to her. It may not be Wilhuff himself, but that family left its mark on her, no matter how guilty or innocent the current head was.

‘But not you.'

Kylo couldn’t help that terrible, bitter thought. ‘Everyone, but not you.’ And she pled for Mira to help in a glance, after her pleas sent further pangs through him. Further anger.

Ben. Kylo. His mother didn’t know him at all anymore, but he still knew her. “I’ll be listened to, like Mon Cala is listened to in the Senate,” heroes – but not human – and so not given much power. Kylo could only see that as his role in Leia’s plans.

Prodigal son, to be kept at a distance. “I don’t want to hear it,” he snapped at Mira, before she could speak. “You’re just here for Hux. You’ll say anything.”

Mira stared him down for the comment. He held her gaze, but he was already on the losing side of emotion.

His dark gaze flickered first. “You know damn well that’s not true.” Mira said in the flicker, and Kylo took in a breath, looked back up at her, focusing the anger he couldn’t put on Leia, on Mira, instead. “I won’t forgive you, but that doesn’t mean I want you wasting your life on Snoke’s dream.”

“It’s my dream. Our dream!” Kylo returned, “You could—you could come back. Surrender, and come back. What Snoke did to us, was terrible – but his goal, his end goal, our end goal, was never bad. You know what’s going to happen if the Senate is allowed to continue, if the Jedi are restored.”

“I know what happens in an Empire, as well. We’re making changes to the system, Kylo. If you’d lay down your arms and come with us, we’d be happy to tell you, and you’d have a place in it.”

“And what’s your place, Mira?” He finally spoke her name, “You’re not a senator.”

“Gray Jedi.” Mira offered, “Something new. Something old.” Something he could be.

“And has it saved you?” There was something cruel in his question, but Mira didn’t look away. Still, the answer was obvious enough, by stone, “No, it hasn’t.”

“Neither did you.” Her comment was more heated than necessary, and she knew it. “I’m not coming back, Kylo.”
 
This wasn’t what Leia wanted. Every word Kylo spoke made her chest tighten, her shoulders beginning to slump. She almost wished she hadn’t looked to Mira for help, as it only seemed to intensify the situation. Only seemed to make it worse. Leia had thought that the two would have an emotional connection, an appeal to one another. But it seemed to bring out a cruelness, in her son at least.

Leia didn’t know her son. Not anymore. How could she? She hadn’t spoken to him in years. She longed to know him, to get the chance. One thing she did know was that they shared in their stubbornness. He always had been stubborn. And she could see that wasn’t changing now. She wasn’t going to join Kylo. Her heart all but shattered as it seemed less likely he would join her.

Hux’s survival hinged on their surrender. A surrender that he knew would not come. His death was likely, and he accepted that. But he wouldn’t give up just like that.

Behind his back, his wrist twisted, opposite the arm the Knight held. A perk of being as apparently malnourished as he, he could slip out of cuffs. He even considered breaking his own thumb, if he had to. He briefly thought about running back into the ship to get the stone. Toss it to Mira, and they could escape with it. But he didn’t know where it was. And he wouldn’t have time to search.

Maybe he’d sprint across, to them. Without the Force, none of the Rens could hold him in place. Half of them were injured.

Or maybe he’d just create a distraction. Be a hindrance so Mira, Leia, Phasma, and Finn could get away. Mira needed to live, to take over for him. Phasma, too. And Mira needed Finn. Leia, Hux was still unsure if Kylo would harm her. But as long as Leia lived, the Resistance lived.

“I love you,” Leia repeated that phrase again. Always assured, without a doubt. But this one didn’t hold that persuasion her last declaration had attempted. This one was more resigned. Sorrowful. “You’re my son. And you always will be. We will not join you.” Not with what he wanted. Leia could never. Would never. It was against everything she’d been taught. And what she wanted to, tried to teach Kylo, too.

“Mira’s not going back. But you still can,” Leia tried. One painstakingly last time. “Snoke is dead. You killed him because you knew he was leading you down the wrong path. He’s been reaching for you since you were a child,” Leia had felt a darkness, a dark presence since before he was even born. And she tried to do right by him, to protect him. She felt like she failed that. “And now he’s gone and you’re free from his influence. You’re free to think outside of what he’s ingrained in you.”

Snoke’s death was fresh. Maybe he just hadn’t had a chance to think about it. Leia was giving him that chance now, to rethink it. To see her point. They could work together to find a middle ground, just as she was doing with Tarkin and Hux.

And if he didn’t take it, if he didn’t reconsider...Leia didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about giving up her son.
 
Kylo Ren had been a fool to think that Mira might change her mind, but he had hoped, in that same way that Leia hoped he would change his mind about his own decision. Mira’s denial left him cold, and Leia’s love left him angry. He believed her – that was the terrible thing. He believed that Leia loved him, but it was something his life with her had also taught him.

Love wasn’t enough.

He loved Leia, as he had loved Han, and the painful realization that he would have to go through with his threat was sinking in. His mother had come to him, just like his father, to plead for him to go back with her. To leave all of this behind. “I thought you, of all people, would understand.” He heard her resignation.

Her surrender.

Her defiance in accepting this was him, but wanting to cast all the blame on Snoke. How easy that would be. How easy it must be for her. And so perhaps, at the end, she would blame Snoke for this, as well. “This is my decision. Not Snoke’s. Mine. If you won’t…” a hesitation, a tremble, he’d felt it with Han, as well.

Only he couldn’t trick Leia.

This would be terribly blunt, “…We must do what is right for the galaxy,” her own words, her own logic, for every time she’d left him behind to the Senate. For Luke.

For her standing here, right now.

The field slowed Kylo.

It did not slow Mira, who was outside it. Perhaps Leia would have moved on her own, but Mira saw Kylo reach for his saber, and she lifted both hands and grasped Leia with the Force. It was ungraceful, it was rushed, but she pulled Leia backwards – back towards Finn – as red cut the space where Leia had been standing, casting terrible shadows on Kylo’s face in the moment he realized both how he’d acted, and that he’d missed.

Gnaeus was too stunned to think to react at first, taken both by Kylo’s action, and Leia’s sudden safety – the fact that this was about to devolve into a melee, for one fleeting second, not in his head.

There was no Chewbacca to shoot Kylo, but there was Mira – and Kylo was quickly put on the defensive by Mira slashing her purple saber. He blocked it. “Kill—” The red saber punctured his gut – a blade that should have been too short.

Then he remembered who it belonged to, the trick blade that Kevan had created.

Phasma was already acting before that first syllable left Kylo’s throat. She opted to shoot at Ariel in the hope that the surprise of the situation would take her off guard – that she’d hit Ariel, and Hux would get free. There was no Force to stop her shot, after all. She hoped Hux was at least aware enough so he didn’t end up putting himself in the way of the shot by mistake.
 
Leia had experienced a lot of heartbreak in her life. She’d last her entire home planet and her parents all at once. She learned the truth that her biological father was Darth Vader. She had her ups and downs with Han, but she’d loved him. And she’d lost him at the hands of her son. But she wasn’t sure how any of that compared to the feeling of said son deciding to kill her, too–that was a loss in itself.

Leia had begun to back away, seeing where this was heading. Where Kylo’s hand was heading. But she’d been pulled back by an unseen force and she found herself in the arms of Finn before she even realized what happened. There was just a beat, a second in time, that they all seemed to realize what happened. Where Finn helped her steady on her feet and all she could do was watch the red crackles of Kylo’s saber dance across his face.

She blinked. She swore that short time was all it took for Mira to plunge a lightsaber into his stomach. “Mira, you promised!” Leia called out a reminder. The reminder that Mira had promised not to kill him. Finn found himself stunned that Leia wanted Kylo to live, after he just tried to kill her. Kylo failed, he didn’t change his mind. But Leia was still caught up with the fact that he was still her kid.

“Leia, get on the ship,” Finn instructed her, anxious to keep her out of the action and get into it himself.

“No, I need-–”

“Leia! There’s nothing you can do out here!” Finn urged and Leia looked at him. He was right. She couldn’t very well shoot her own son. Could she shoot his Knights, who had done nothing to initiate a fight? What if they– “Go, get the ship started.” Finn guided her to the ramp and with one last longing look back, she disappeared into the cockpit.

Ariel was stunned. She wasn’t sure what she expected. She knew it was likely. Kylo had loved Han and killed him. He was fresh off of killing Snoke. And yet, she had watched on in horror as Kylo nearly tore through his own mother. She snapped out of it only a fraction quick enough to move, trying to pull Hux into the blaster bolt’s path. It only ended with both of them hitting the ground, Hux’s hand springing free from the cuffs.

There was a moment when they just looked at each other. Their eyes held the same feeling of shock, horror. Hux felt the tension, the uncertainty between all the Knights back on the ship. And there was a question in his eyes, an offer. ‘Give up on Ren.’

Confusion flashed in Ariel’s eyes, before it turned to rage. She snarled at him as she lept at him. His hand came around, balling into a fist and striking her across her face. ‘Kill,’ his thoughts told him. Take this chance and kill a Knight. He straddled her, hands wrapping around her throat, squeezing. She thrashed at him, clawing at his hands, his face. He lifted her and smashed her back down, the ground not hard enough to do any damage but it did make her ears ring and her vision swim. If it weren’t for that damn stone Kylo had to bring...

And then she brought her knee into his groin, and his grip gave out. She switched their position, a wildness to her as she tried to end him. And then another blaster shot. One that didn’t miss, that wasn’t dodged. It tore through Ariel’s shoulder, much too close to her neck for her to believe it hadn’t been aimed for. She cried out, her hands releasing Hux’s throat. And then another bolt hit her, ripping through her side. Hux’s thumb found the wound and he dug into it as she yelped, her blood thin and running quickly. He pushed her off of him. Scrambling to his feet, he abandoned his mission of killing the Knight. For the moment. ‘Run,’ to the other side. To Mira and Phasma. Get a blaster, maybe he’d get lucky and put a bolt between Ren’s eyes.

Paquin had been so sure he wouldn’t hurt his mother. She thought...she didn’t know what she thought but she had been stunned. She watched as something red-a lightsaber-pushed through Kylo. “Kylo!” Tha snapped Paquin out of it. And then Ariel’s cries. “Gnaeus, put pressure on her wounds, get her on the ship if you can,” she would have tended to Ariel, but she didn’t trust Gnaeus’s ability to fight in the moment. She didn’t trust her own, but that was her decision to thrust herself into it.

She didn’t wait to see if Gnaeus would do what she said. She withdrew her lightsaber and ran, as Hux did. Her intent wasn’t originally to pay him any mind. Just to get Kylo and leave as soon as possible. But Mira liked Hux, didn’t she? ‘Maybe you can use him…’
 
Kylo Ren had strength on his side. Mira had no plans of stepping into the field because of that strength, and so she was quick enough to step back after the plunge of the saber, after hearing Leia’s cry. ‘I know.’ That wasn’t going to kill Kylo Ren, but it saved Leia.

Mira just had to keep them busy, long enough for everyone to get on the ship. Long enough to get Hux—

She looked to where he was, but hardly got a decent look at his situation with Ariel before red crossed her vision, blindingly close to her eyes. She recoiled, stepping backwards hastily, letting Kylo step out of the field after her. Finn was shouting behind her. Leia was moving. Phasma was shooting.

And the Force wrapped around her throat like a vice, but she was prepared for that, this time. As soon as Kylo was out of his damnable field, sand erupted around him. His grip on her throat was lost – the inch or so she’d been taken off the ground, returned. She tried to choke him with the sand, to blind him, to keep him beaten down, and beaten back, to bury him with it if she could.

Anger.

In spite of Leia’s call, anger still seethed, for Leia, and for Hux, but she’d seen the chrome armor move by. She had to leave that to Phasma.

Kylo lashed out at first, a tumult of irritation and trying to get the sand away with his own Force, but his patience and control over the small things was never so good as hers. Her one advantage. He probably didn’t think of it, until it was too late. He stumbled back, though – he knew, at least, that the field protected him from this sort of onslaught, and he managed to fall back into it as Paquin yelled something.

As Hux ran, and Phasma stepped into their field, where she had an advantage, to help meet Hux halfway and cover his own retreat to the ship.

As Paquin ran, seemingly towards him after he’d fallen back into the field.

Sand was still causing significant pain around his opened wound, and his eyes. It was hard to breathe. His throat was rough. It had gotten into too many places. Small scratches decorated his face.

Not to mention, for once, his hair was a wreck.

Kylo cast his gaze towards the situation brewing with Phasma, with Hux – only this time, what he’d seen in facing Mira, he realized out of the corner of his eyes.

An advantage. Loose kyber, like the kyber that had blown off Gnaeus’s hand, all around her face.

He got back to his feet, “Kylo, just stay down.” Mira warned. “Just let us go—”

“No.” He stepped out of the field.

The kyber, already bleeding red from Korriban’s influence, brightened immediately – so much so that Mira saw that flash of red, before she saw nothing at all, as every single crystal cracked and released its energy. Mira dropped where she stood, shards of the kyber embedded in one side of her face. It hadn’t blown off as Kylo half-hoped, but he had no doubt there was going to be severe scarring, and he hoped, at least one eye would be damaged, if not entirely blinded. He couldn’t quite tell – her lids had at least closed to hide the damage. He didn’t know if they had closed in time to help with any of that.

His attention shifted to Hux, Phasma, and Paquin, to see how he could improve that, ignoring the thought of Finn.

Mira was out for now. He could finish that off, later.



Gnaeus wasn’t going to go join the battle. Not because he couldn’t, but because a far more significant duty presented itself to him in the form of Ariel, shot up by Phasma. He listened to Paquin, and he immediately rushed to her side, tripping a bit over his own steps, he nonetheless fell at her side and hoped no one would shoot him for it.

He wouldn’t fight.

He wouldn’t make himself a target.

He had to save Ariel. “Come on, Ariel,” he didn’t expect a response, as he first covered one of her wounds, then realized getting her in the ship might be a bit more important. She’d be out of the way of any other shots, anyways. He could close the door. Or at least get her behind a door. Find something to wrap her wounds.

He looked for a safe way to try and carry her, without the force. He hooked his hands under her shoulders. “Sorry,” this wouldn’t be comfortable, but he was only so strong, and he still didn’t trust his hand. He was using the fake-hand—but he didn’t trust it.

An explosion of red light caught his eye momentarily, and he saw Mira fall. ‘Good.’ Terribly vindictive.

No matter, he wouldn’t focus on that – Kylo and Paquin might have it all under control now. Finn wasn’t well trained, and Phasma didn’t have the Force. Hux didn’t have a weapon. Leia was….

Gnaeus swallowed.

He didn’t want to think about Leia.
 
Ariel had no jokes to deflect the seriousness of the situation. She was barely conscious, really. She heard Gnaeus, like he was distant. Like he wasn’t right there with her, but she heard him nonetheless. She tried to move, to stand. She cringed when she felt Gnaeus’s hand on one of her wounds, putting pressure on it for only a moment before he tried something else.

She wasn’t aware enough to register the explosion of red, though she probably would have felt similar to Gnaeus. For the moment, the only thing she knew was the searing pain that shot through her as Gnaeus hooked his hands under her shoulders, as he moved her. He said something, before that, that she didn’t quite catch. Sounded like sorry, which she would’ve taken. She didn’t blame him for the pain she felt.

Though, she thought hearing was the last thing to go before someone died. Was that what she was doing? Dying? She sure was bleeding a lot, feeling it drip and soak the rather useless armor she wore.

The thought made her panic. Made her hands search for Gnaeus as she felt the transition from the sandy ground to the cool metal of the ship.

Her vision was blurry, and her eyes burned with panicked, pained tears. She was disoriented. She felt nauseous. “Am I dying?” Even her own voice sounded far away. “I don’t want to…”



The blinding red light drew the attention of many. Leia included, who looked out the viewport in terror as Mira dropped. She heard Finn call out to Mira and rush to her, as Kylo didn’t even seem to think of Finn. Leia wasted little more time in looking, flipping switches to get the ship ready to fly. Han was always the pilot of the pair, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know how to fly a damn ship.

‘I’m sorry, Han.’
His death had been for nothing, hadn’t it? No. She wouldn't let it mean nothing.

Outside the ship, Finn called for Mira as the red light faded and she crumpled to the ground. He was quick to abandon his post outside the ship and rush to her side. He pulled her into him, careful to avoid touching any part of her embedded with crystal as he looked over her. He felt himself grow angry. Angry at Ren, who had once again hurt someone he cared about. Finn glared at him, contemplating. He could take one of the sabers, he could rush him. Finn longed to take him on again. But he didn’t.

He couldn’t beat Ren then. He was still untrained in the Force. He didn’t have much of a chance. But he did have a chance of getting Mira out of there. “Okay, Mira, let’s go,” Finn grumbled as he snaked one arm under her knees, the other under her back. It was easier, this way, to carry her. And he hoped Kylo would stay occupied with Phasma, Hux, and the medic long enough for him to get her to the ship. Or at least, in good proximity to the ship.

They could fight Kylo Ren another time. Hux was running. They needed to get Mira to a medic. They could still get out of there. Not a win, but not a loss.



Hux ran. Paquin chased him. What dim light there was glinted off of Phasma’s armor as she entered the stone’s range, raising her blaster to Paquin, “Stop!” Her voice was stern, demanding. Giving the woman a chance, solely based on the fact they’d had an amicable relationship and there was no need to kill her. Hux was free, they just needed to leave.

And Paquin did stop. And so did Hux. Not because of Phasma, but because of the red light that exploded in the corner of their vision. Mira was on the ground. The only thing stopping Hux from running to Mira was Finn rushing forward himself, and the anger that bubbled in him

Paquin stood in her place, eyes locking on Phasma. She didn’t need Hux anymore and pursuing would only end poorly for her. She had no Force, just a lightsaber against Phasma’s longer ranged weapon. And she took a step back, to communicate she had no intent of moving any further. Paquin’s gaze turned to Kylo, and silently she begged him to let it go, to let them leave. She had to get back to Ariel.

Hux never tended to be a rash man. And even as he acted, he calculated. As he met Phasma, his hands reached for her blaster. He could have aimed for Ren, but that wasn’t good enough to Hux. He’d been thinking this whole time how Paquin was an easy target. She made it even easier for him by standing still.

She was looking away when he aimed, pulling the trigger. The bolt grazed Paquin’s forearm and she yelped, more out of surprise than pain, all but tossing the lightsaber she held in that hand. It rolled away from her and Hux aimed again. This time, the bolt hit her discarded saber. The eruption caused wasn’t big enough or close enough to seriously maim her, though Paquin felt pieces of metal shrapnel slice into her leg. Paquin thought he was done, as she mourned her lightsaber.

He wasn’t. Hux closed the little distance there had been between them, Phasma calling after him. They could escape, what was he doing? ‘Revenge,’ he supposed as reeled the blaster back, bringing the butt of the weapon down on the woman’s face as she tried to back away. She stumbled backwards, hitting the ground. The next few moments moved quickly. Hux pointed the business end of the blaster at her again, “You picked the wrong side.” He didn’t aim for an arm this time. He settled directly between her eyes, the eyes that reflected shock and watered that fear.

Paquin’s hand shot out and pushed, an attempt to push the blaster away just as Hux pulled the trigger. “Oh-” was all Paquin said as she felt a hot pain move through her abdomen. It wasn’t what Hux wanted, but it would do as he didn’t think he had time to try again. She wouldn’t die, but she could. It was up to Ren if he wanted to pursue them or help his friend. Hux wouldn’t wait to find out. He knew he couldn’t take Kylo, even if there was no Force to aid him. ‘Mira. Escape. Run,’ and run again, he did.
 
“No, you’re not dying,” other people might be dying, Gnaeus could still hear fighting, blaster shots, lightsabers – he didn’t really want to go back out there and verify who was winning, or who was losing. Being within the field at least numbed him to what he might otherwise be feeling. Although, he suspected, that might be a terrible thing for Ariel.

Could she heal like this, in the Void? If it took away life…?

Gnaeus didn’t know where Kylo placed the stone. It wasn’t immediately visible, or he might have thrown it out of the ship and hoped he could throw it far enough away from Ariel. “Getting you onto a bench,” he said, huffing a bit as he turned Ariel “Gonna get your wounds wrapped. You’ll be fine,” he said, pulling her away from the door, towards the benches.

He considered trying to actually lift her.

He decided that was stupid. “Just lay here,” as if she was going to move. That wound near her neck – that needed wrapped, quick, he suspected. “Fuck.” He turned away from her, and moved back into the ship, tossing things aside, eventually just grabbing the first swathe of black cloth he could find, and rushing back to Ariel and pressing it to her neck, completely forgetting to wrap it in his panic, so he could also do that to the other wound.

“You’re going to be fine, Ariel. It’s all going to be fine.”

It was not going to be fine. Anyone who had to say that as much as Gnaeus was saying it, knew that.



Outside the ship, it was also, not fine.

Kylo saw what Hux did, near the end – the shot to the abdomen. He sprinted to Paquin’s side, knelt, as Hux ran. As Phasma ran.

He knew he had the option to pick Paquin up, to carry her into the ship, and run.

But that let them escape, didn’t it? Phasma and Hux were defenseless to the Force, Finn was nowhere in sight, and Leia was getting the ship started. Finn had, evidently, taken Mira. That was a problem for later, he supposed. ‘They’re not going anywhere.’

Her wound was similarly placed to his own, and Kylo wanted to believe in Paquin’s strength, even as his hand moved over his own. The pain emboldened him, as it had on Starkiller. He drew on that pain, on that anger, as he lifted to his feet, and stepped outside of the field.

He threw Phasma right into the ship she was running for. He hoped it jarred her, hoped that all the armor made it worse when she struck, shaking the ship, but she wasn’t so much his concern.

No, the hand he extended to use the Force to push Phasma, he turned, so his palm was up to the sky.

His fingers closed into a fist, as he meant to take hold of Hux.

He should have done this a long, long time ago.

He should have done so much a long, long time ago – but after seeing Hux shoot Paquin, he wasn’t going to let him get away with that. None of them, if he could help it, but least of all Hux.

He didn’t even notice that like the crystals Mira once wore, his eyes began to lighten, pulling on his rage, his pain, rather than his love for Paquin as she lied bleeding at his feet.
 
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Ariel couldn’t do anything to help herself. That stupid fucking stone hindered anything she could have done. She couldn’t stop her own bleeding. Fuck, she couldn’t even help her own pain. She used the Force too much as it was, to allow her to drink as much as she did and still function. And the drinking...that didn’t help. Her blood struggled to clot on its own, thinned by the alcohol she drank.

Had she doomed herself? Of all ways, she didn’t think this would be the way she went out. She didn’t want to die.

Gnaeus said she’d be fine. He said it too much. She knew what that meant. And tears spilled over her eyes. No. She didn’t accept that. Her hand came up to her neck, an attempt to apply pressure there as he abandoned it to wrap the wound on her side. She was weak. She couldn’t tell if she was applying any pressure. “Gnaeus, I--” She began, her voice cracking. She began a goodbye. But she stopped herself.

“Paquin...the stone. Gnaeus,” he had to find one of them. “I need…” Either get rid of the stone, wherever it was, so she had a chance of saving herself. Or get Paquin, who actually could help. Voids, both would be even better.

Gnaeus was trying, she knew. But what more could he do beyond apply pressure or wrap her wounds? Which he was already struggling with.

She wondered how much her refusal to die for trying to kill the rat helped the situation.


Finn had sat Mira in a seat, Leia quickly crowding beside them when the ship was hit, rocked. Finn and Leia exchanged a look and Finn left Mira in the hands of Leia to see what was going on. It was Phasma, thrown into the side of the ship. And Hux, Hux caught Finn’s eye. The man was halted in his path up the ramp, behind him was the medic, bleeding at Kylo Ren’s feet. And Kylo Ren…

There was something absolutely horrifying in the way the man looked. But Finn couldn’t pinpoint the details from a distance.

“Oh shit,” Finn mumbled under his breath, thinking. He heard rattling, looked to Phasma as she stood. She wasn’t Kylo Ren’s concern and Finn reached for her, helping her up, bypassing walking the length of the ramp. “C’mon,”

“Hux--” Phasma breathed. She couldn’t leave without him. He still carried her blaster.

“I know, I know. We won’t leave him.” Finn had to think, quick, because Kylo Ren could snap the man’s neck at any second.

Finn disappeared back into the ship, “Blaster…blaster,” Finn rifled around the ship, into Kevan’s belongings. He had to have a blaster in there, somewhere. ‘Please, please, please…’ He wished he could ask Mira, but… “Bingo!” He hoped it still worked,


Paquin had been shot by a blaster before, but never like this. Not right through her, like Hux had shot her. ‘Kylo,’ he came to her side, and she felt momentary relief that he was with her. But it only lasted a fraction of a second, as she attempted to cling to him. But he rose. Not to help her up, but to fling Phasma forward. To grip Hux with the Force. “No,” it was quieter than a whisper.

Paquin whimpered as she pulled herself to sit upright, hand holding her wound as she did so. Pain spread through her body at the motion, and she pulled her hand back to see it painted red. Even though Kylo didn’t help her up himself, she used him to stan. Her grip climbed from his leg, to his hips, to his outstretched arm as she leaned against him to stand. “Kylo,” she maneuvered under his arm, reaching to hold the sides of his face in her hands. Only, she sharply inhaled as she saw him, and saw his eyes.

She didn’t know what it meant, the color, the change. She just knew they weren’t the dimensional brown she loved, that she’d gazed into so adoringly on Kafrene. The color that replaced the brown was unnatural, the sight of it made dread twist in her stomach. But she didn't comment then. “Please, let them go, Kylo. We need to go.” They were all hurt. Paquin needed to get to Ariel. She needed to stop her own bleeding. Kylo's. “Please.”
 
Kylo Ren was rather enjoying the sensation of power as it flowed through him, as he kept Hux stilled. That he knew, he could do whatever he wanted, in that moment. He savored it too long, the fear he was certain must be building in Hux, as he gradually applied pressure to his neck. He thought to add pressure to his wrists. To his knees. To make it painful, and crush more than just his windpipe. Let that be what Hux wanted.

But there was a distraction, literally pulling at his legs. ‘It’s because of her.’ He could have killed Hux quickly, but no, Hux had to torture Paquin a bit, so Hux could suffer.

Paquin was standing.

He had a brief urge to shove her away as she maneuvered in front of him, and placed her hands on his face. He didn’t look at her, but upped the pressure on Hux, sensing, in some way, that he was about to be taken from it. ‘At least break something.’ His neck, was what Kylo wanted, but his attention was snapped away by Paquin’s pleading voice, and he looked down.

Hux was released, rather against his will – and not. “Why?” He hissed the word out, frustration growing as he realized what he’d done. He looked away from her, but caught sight of Finn in the doorway of the ship.

Finn didn’t scare him, not even with a blaster, of all things – but he’d prove another distraction, and he didn’t want Paquin to get hurt any further.

Indeed, she was hurt enough. That was dawning on him, too. ‘Nothing. You accomplished nothing. You had them all, right here, and you’ve done nothing.Kylo would focus that fury later. ‘Except perhaps killed Ariel and Paquin.’ He could do something about that.

He wouldn’t wait an on answer to his question of ‘why’. Paquin’s merciful nature could be a discussion later.

The hand that he’d channeled the Force through dropped, and he grabbed Paquin’s arm. The yellow didn’t stick to his eyes, they began to darken again. He stepped back, thought to pull Paquin along, and then thought better of it and pulled her into him, before he’d bend a bit to pick her up, his arm sweeping against the back of her knees to bend them and bring her up.



To where Gnaeus was more than slightly panicking in the ship as he thought he could at least do the ‘stone’ thing, if he could find it. He got lucky; Kylo had just set it on a bench. It was in plain sight. He took hold of it, and threw it out the ship, just as Kylo was approaching with Paquin.

Who might not be any help for Ariel, but once they put more distance between themselves and the stone, that would be good.

Kylo didn’t seem to notice, either, not looking at Gnaeus right then, not noticing the dark object escape his vision. “Kylo – we need to get back, now!” Gnaeus was saying. He didn’t wait, though.

He rushed to the cockpit, because Kylo was on his way, and Ariel was bleeding out. Paquin and Kylo weren’t great, either.

~***~

Mira certainly wished she had been out a lot longer when she came to, not long after the ship was rocked. Pain seared through her head, a high, keening sound escaping her lips as consciousness drove into her. She tried to open her eyes.

The pain in one kept both closed as panic followed pain. As the Force started to push out from her, Phasma found herself in the ship, and she took note of Mira’s shaking hand going to touch her face.

Rather than let her, Phasma caught her wrist.

She thought, for a moment, ignorance might be better for the Admiral of the First Order. “Stay calm, Admiral. We’ll see you to a medbay soon.” As soon as Hux and Finn were in the ship.

Mira didn’t speak to that. She didn’t lift her other hand to try and feel her face in defiance of Phasma’s command. The pain was something she could deal with, if she focused. If she centered herself. ‘But my eye!’ It felt like there was something through it. Something keeping the lid closed. She remembered what Kylo did.

Her kyber, her braid, likely all in ruins. Her face. Her ear – at least on one side. That hurt. It was also ringing terribly.

She tried to offer an affirmative sound. It was more whimper than agreement, but she tried.
 

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