The cell door slide open to the sound of quietly releasing hydraulics and Poe Dameron jumped to his feet in an instant. His chest heaved as he leaned forward trying to get his bearings. Ren could tell he'd startled him, his face already flush from surprise and his eyes foggy with sleep, looked worriedly on the Dark sider with little recognition. His brain clearly hadn't caught up to what he was seeing. Kylo waited patiently, allowing the pilot a chance for his brain to process the situation before him.

Poe blinked several times before he realized the fully armored man in front of him was indeed real and not a figment of his sleep drunken mind. He'd been dreaming of the figure before him. He was stalking through the village that night. His lightsaber crackling wildly as it sliced through the innocent villagers around him. But this wasn't a dream, this was a nightmare come to life. He'd been in Kylo Ren's clutches before and it was not pleasant. His heart hammered in his chest hard enough to hurt but he held his composure. Fear didn't make him any less defiant.

The recess lights flooded their bright incandescence through the room the moment the door slid open and Poe was left defending his blinded eyes from the sudden invasion with the length of his arm. His open hand cast a shadow over half of his face. His feet spread in a defensive stance and his free hand rested over the empty blaster holster, probably out of habit. A natural reaction to the feeling of being threatened.

The door slid shut behind Ren and the pilot fought the urge to jump, his shoulders visibly jerked, but over all he controlled his reactions impressively well. Kylo lifted his right arm, holding out his hand to motion for the man across from him to take a seat on the built in bench that lined the length of the room. The cell wasn't large but it wasn't the smallest he had to offer the Resistance fighter either.

A few silent moments dredged on while the two did no more then stand in front of one another. No words, no movements other then the gesture Ren had made to the bench, and no moving expressions passed between their faces. Of course, Ren had his helmet on so he had the upper hand if it came down to a staring competition. Finally the door at Ren's back slid open and a storm trooper came walking in, his hands gripping the seat of a black metal stool that looked like something pulled from an officers lounge. The trooper set it down to the right of his superior with a light clang before standing at attention. Kylo's head, still facing the pilot, turned slightly as if waiting for something.

Poe huffed. A mixture of uncertainty poring off of him in waves.

"Anything?" The decoded voice of Kylo Ren asked.

The simple word left Poe confounded. He just stared at the man across from him as though he were the most perplexing thing on this world or any other he'd ever been on.

That being the only reaction to leave the pilot Ren waived the trooper off. "Sir." The bucket headed nodded and began towards the door when Poe suddenly spoke up.

His voice a bit hoarse came out more of a croak then anything audible. "W..t..r."

Even though they were unable to see the simple movement from his Commander, the grunt froze as Kylo Ren's hand rose to halt them before they could retreat. His attention never turned from Poe's direction and keeping with this, Ren's left hand rotated at his side, emulating an invisible circle, a motion made to encourage the pilot. A silent speak up or hold your peace.

Poe cleared his throat and tried again. "Water." This time the word was clear, almost embarrassingly louder then he intended.

The trooper's head turned to face his Commander while they waited for their orders. Ren nodded and waived the man or woman on. The silence between them dragged on until the door slid opened and shut once more. At first the Resistance pilot eyed the glass held out to him. His eyes scanning the contents with in it as though he wasn't certain what the clear liquid was. The trooper shifted, clearly irritated by his delay. It was an obvious display of mistrust and to the trooper, it was Poe who couldn't b trusted. Poe shifted his gaze to the man holding him here as though he were waiting for something to happen, some kind of subtle change in the way Ren stood, or maybe a shift of his head but he never moved an inch.

Finally he reached for the glass, taking it quickly, as though if he moved any slower the game would end and he'd lose the opportunity to quench his fiery throat. He emptied the contents in a few large gulps, swigging the water down in a matter of seconds. The trooper took the glass and waited at their superiors side for further instructions.

"Anything else?" Ren casually asked his prisoner.

The modulation through his helmet made Poe twitch but it didn't deter him from what he did best when under pressure.

"My and the Wookie's immediate release. A ship. Maybe throw in a few supplies for the trip home... some hot cakes or someth'n." He quipped, egged on by his nerves.

The storm trooper actually looked over at their Commander as if they were waiting for him to give them the ok.

"Wow..." Poe's bemused voice trailed off as he watched the unbelievable scene unfold. Did this idiot really think his Commander was considering letting him go?

Ren's helmet tilted diagonally and Poe and the trooper had no doubt that he was eying them disbelievingly. "This is why I'm in charge... and you... are not."

He shoo'd the trooper away and they scurried out like a mouse who'd just escaped the jaws of a cat that'd been playing with them.

The door sealed shut and Ren turned his full attention back to the pilot. He sighed through the modulation of his helmet and the sound came out robotic. "I petitioned for clones..." He said as though exasperated by the whole situation, leaving Poe to believe that this sort of transaction was far to common.

Poe flopped down on the bench, resting his back against the wall and laying one leg along the length of the metal grating.

"Right... so are we like... hanging out now? We gonna sit around sharing stories of bravery and conquest? Cuz if so... count me out. I've got better things to do you know, sit around and waste away and all that. It's all very time consuming. —Very compelling stuff." Poe jested, fueled by his nerves and fear.

Kylo Ren sighed heavily. Was he really going to do this... perhaps Chewie was a better fit... no, he required the best...

He eyed the pilot through the slit of his masked visor. "Tell me pilot... how long have you been with the Resistance?" He titled his head, waiting patiently to see how the prisoner would react. Everything mattered; every wavering blink, tilt of his head, shift in weight, muscle spasm or twitch. Everything.

Poe Dameron swallowed down the thick bile that was building in the back of his throat and the motion was nearly audible. He clenched his jaw remembering the last time he and the man in front of him played fifty questions, only then the Dark Sider hadn't even had to ask a single one. He just dove into his mind and took what he wanted from his head. Poe had been strapped down then, under gone hours of torture prior and left in the darkness between each session. He wondered why he wasn't in a similar room now, or at least strapped down, but then, maybe he wasn't seen as a threat.

"You know I won't give you anything." Poe choked on his words but he meant every one of them. He glared into the sinister mask in front of him, his eyes searching for the hollow orbs that he knew hide behind it.

"You know I don't need you to." Ren hadn't moved. He just answered honestly, his voice remaining flat even through the vocoder that helped hide or emphasize his actual tones and pitches.

Poe nodded. He raised his chin as though readying himself for what was to come. He expected the Dark sider to invade his mind and steal his knowledge just as he'd done the first time.

"The General..." Kylo Ren shifted his weight. "You're valuable to her?" His head moved ever so slightly but Poe had been staring so intently that the small motion looked momentous.

Poe also shifted, but he made no attempt to hide his discomfort. "She won't give you anything for my return." Poe leaned forward stretching his left leg further across the length of the bench until it was nearly flat. "Nor the Wookie, and neither of us will tell you where her base is." He added just incase the thought were crossing the First Order Commander's diabolical mind.

Ren shook his head. "That's not what I asked."

Poe narrowed his eyes at the expressionless mask then he sat back again, flattening his shoulder blades along the cool dura steel wall behind him. "You're better off just taking what you want." He reluctantly admitted, rotating his shoulders to beef up his composure. "I won't willingly give you anything either way." He plopped his head back against the wall, locked his jaw and shut his eyes as though he were preparing to take a nap.

Kylo's shoulders tensed and the muscles in his armed tightened as he changed directions. "And the girl... where do you stand with her? What would you do to keep her safe?" Kylo emphasized the word her knowing Poe knew exactly who he were referring to.

In an instant that was shorter then a breath between them, Poe Dameron jumped to his feet. His fists wrapped up in the dark armor of Kylo's tunic and he pulled, jerking the Warlord forward slightly.

Kylo Ren remained motionless, completely collected and calm in manor. "I see." His mask tilted to the left and he grilled the pilot through the shadowed visor of his mask. "Sit." Was all he needed to say for Poe to plant his bottom back on the bench. He placed his palms flat on his thighs and waited for whatever was to come next. He bared his teeth at the Force user who easily bossed his mental state around.

Kylo's arms raised to his helmet and he grasped the release mechanisms on either side of his head. There was a release of compression and the locks slid free with a hissing sound. Ren pulled the helmet free from his head, tucked it under his arm and positioned himself on the stool that had been placed at his side.

"We need to talk." The First Order Commander calmly informed the puzzled Resistance fighter who scowled up at him through now clenched teeth.

                                                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gimme a break." Rey ducked down behind the ruins of a fallen column that once helped support some part of the destroyed temple around them. She slid down the rocky structure until her bottom flattened over the ground. There were at least two dozen units of ground soldiers posted at the small First Order encampment. Beyond them were two At-At's and a few shuttles of varying makes and models, including a few large transport shuttles and at least a dozen speeders.

"What are they doing here?" Finn was to the left of Rey. He was quietly whispering to himself but Rey answered as though he were speaking to her anyway.

"Maybe some kind of scout camp, but what could they be scouting? This place looks like its long been deserted." The last part, like Finn's question before her answer, had been more to herself then to him.

She slumped lower, making sure her head wasn't visible from behind the fallen slab she rested against. "They can't be here looking for us. From the looks of things they've been here for a while." She was already analyzing the scene behind her in her head. There were soldiers in formation, practicing their marching. There were small sites set up for things like target practice and a few rings stationed for fighters to spar with their partners and instructors. They clearly intended to be here long term. The training rings all had different weapons and fighting styles to offer the soldiers they trained or kept physically prepared, practicing to keep in tip top shape. There were multiple tents and portable forts as well as a few permanent establishments all marked with their purposes. Everything was well set up and structured for efficiency.

Finn sighed and he looked over at her. Rey was pale, her lips dry and her hands lightly shook. There were dark circles under her eyes. The only thing about her that didn't look exhausted were the brightly shining hazel orbs that looked down as she toyed with her fingers. It was her power that kept her eyes shining through it all, which Finn found extraordinary considering everything she'd been through.

"So are we ever going to talk about... that?" Finn motioned to her leg with his eyes and a slight nudge of his chin, but she was still watching her fingers so she didn't notice what he was referring to.

"Hmm?" She questioned, his curiosity pulling her from her thoughts on the scene behind her.

"Your leg Rey, are you going to tell me how you... I mean... it was bad." Now he was fidgeting with the hilt of the lightsaber she'd let him hold for safekeeping, he guessed. He would have been tinkering with his blaster but he'd lent that to her so she had something to defend herself with, should the situation arise.

Rey's eyes wearily traveled down from her fingers to the hole in the blood stained pants of her trousers. That's where her bone had broken through the material. She shuddered at the thought and his face flashed through her mind. It was a quick moment of weakness, one she shook away almost the second it happened. She couldn't risk their position or intentions by accidentally inviting him into her head right now. She couldn't think of him at all if she wanted to keep the door to her mind closed.

Finn's hand fell over Rey's shoulder and she jumped, nearly crying out when he turned to face her.

Finn had clearly startled her and his intentions had only been to comfort her, but he found that he'd only succeeded in frightening her further. "What's wrong?" Concern creased the features of his boyishly handsome face and his dark eyes searched hers  intently.

Rey shook her head."It's nothing... it's just... this place. I don't like it." Her power infused eyes found his less then impressive ones and he stared at her in wonderment. "Don't you..." She looked back down at her hands for a moment before recapturing his eyes again. "Don't you feel it?" She asked. Her voice shaky with whatever emotion she was trying to hide.

He shook his head slowly. "I..." He stared back at his friend worriedly. "I'm sorry Rey, I don't know what you're talking about." He admitted weakly.

She nodded, half expecting him to admit that but hoping he wouldn't. She wanted him to enthusiastically jump up as though relieved he wasn't the only one noticing the Darkness that day heavily in the air like thick condensation. She quickly changed the subject before he had the chance to question her further about what she'd just asked him.

"I healed it."

Finn looked confused for a moment before realizing she was answering his first question. "What... I mean.. how?" He asked truly intrigued.

She shrugged. "It's just one of the things the Force allows me to do."

"The Force? So it's something Luke taught you?" He asked out of pure curiosity.

She bit her bottom lip knowing it was Kylo that taught her how to use that specific ability but thinking Finn probably wouldn't appreciate that knowledge as much as she did she side stepped that bit of information.

"No, I don't think Luke knows how to do it, err that is, I don't think it's one of his abilities." She said honestly, half quoting the Dark sider who kept popping back into her thoughts even while she tried not to think about him.

He gave one quick nod before his face scrunched in curiosity or maybe confusion, possibly both. "Well then how did you learn how to do it?" The question rolled out as it came to mind, not thinking about the other possibility; the one that involved the Dark Force user that he very much disliked, possibly hated, teaching her.

Rey shrugged. "Just... kinda happened once after I'd gotten a few minor cuts and scrapes training with Luke." She half truth'd.

"Cool, so it might be something I could do."

"Sure, I guess. Though I'm told it's kinda rare so don't get to down on yourself if you can't." She turned then, pulling herself up to her toes as she returned to crouching behind the wall of stone again.

"Sure, sure." He looked back over at his friend. She was amazing. He wondered what it would be like to have the kind of power she was housing. He'd felt one good jolt of his own energy back on the island and it was enough to knock him unconscious. He'd been walking back into Master Skywalker's camp when he'd seen the four storm troopers tied up at the fire pit. When he found out that Rey was alone in one of the huts with his former Commander he'd panicked and pushed with his concern for her and his fear of Kylo Ren, out came his power. He'd destroyed an entire hut and he'd never felt anything quite like it. It was kriffing badass!

"Hey, do you think you could try to teach me? " He casually asked, trying not to fan boy out on her.

He was staring at her excitedly. She was looking back at the encampment behind them, her eyes scanning the area for any changes and maybe something else but he wasn't curious enough to pry. She glanced back over at him for only a second while she answered him.

"I don't think Luke would like that to much." She said, her voice quieting as she scanned a new area.

"Why not?"

"Well for one thing... I'm no Master... heck I'm not even a Jedi." She gave him a quick smile. "Not even close..." She mumbled under her breath.

"But you will be one day, so that's not really an excuse, it's just a 'not right now' answer." Finn tried.

Rey raised her eye brows at her friend. "Well, even if I did become a Jedi and possibly a Master Jedi one day, I still don't think Luke would like it." She shrugged. "It's a Master Apprentice thing. Once there is a bond between the two of you, you become pretty possessive of one another." She added.

Finn looked a little puzzled. Before they had to separate back on the island when he had asked the Master Jedi how he would find himself and Rey, Luke had told him that they had already formed a Maser-Apprentice bond and that he could not only reach his mind for communicative purposes but he could also locate him where ever he was. He understood the second part of what Luke had told him, that was after all how Kylo Ren had found Rey on the island, as he'd later come to find out. Apparently they also had some rare kind of bond and he was told it was different from the type he and Luke now shared.                              

His eyes narrowed at the back of her head as he realized what she was unintentionally admitting to. "You're possessive of him?" Finn accused with disgust in his voice.

Rey blinked, still preoccupied with the going ons of the encampment behind her. She'd realized that they were very scheduled, extremely organized. Every twenty minuets or so they were switching training positions. That would be their chance to sneak around the sides. They needed to reach the main temple and that was behind the enemy camp. To the left were high ruins and to the right was a deep watering hole. They had very good positioning if you asked her. It was defensive but set up so they could move offensively if they needed to as well.

"What?" She blinked in genuine confusion.

Finn spit on the ground to his right before speaking again. "You said that the Master-Apprentice bond makes you possessive of each other." Finn reiterated her words petty closely.

Rey shrugged. "Yeah. So?" She asked as though waiting for him to make a point.

"I have one with Luke."

"Yes, he told me." She agree'd still not understanding what he was trying to get at.

He turned so his shoulders were facing her. "I don't feel the slightest bit of possessiveness towards my Master." His dark eyes bore into her as though suddenly she were the enemy. She had to look away just so she could breath. She couldn't focus under the intense scrutiny of his anger filled eyes.

Rey's throat dried and she wallowed painfully hard.

"He says that a Jedi shouldn't feel possessive, that a Jedi shouldn't have attachments." He stated bitterly.

Rey's head snapped in his direction. "You've known him for a few days... " She cut in defensively. "Besides I'm not a Jedi... and neither are you." She reminded him coldly.

"But I want to be." He shifted his weight when she turned her attention back over the wall. "Don't you want to be?" He asked with disapproval clear in his voice.

Their bond isn't the same... it's new and it's different... She shouldn't expect Finn to feel as strongly about his bond with Luke as she did about her bond with Ren. How could he... it wasn't even the same kind of bond. She thought trying to reinforce the logic behind her feelings. Still, Ren had seemed protective of her mind. He never liked the idea of Luke training her even before they had realized their past. She had assumed that had to do with their bond. They had been Master and Apprentice since she was a youngling. Maybe that was the difference. But Finn had a point about the Jedi and their possessions and a lack there of. 

From her training as a Padawan she remembered the Jedi code. Finn was right, they weren't suppose to have attachments of any kind. Possessiveness was a sign of passion and they weren't allowed to have that either. Rey let out a deep breath, the expelled air lifted a few strands of wispy hair from the side of her face and she brushed it back with her knuckles, agitated by the tickling along her skin.

"Rey," Finn tried again. "You do want to be a Jedi as well... Don't you?" He pressed, repeating the question she apparently didn't hear the first time he asked it.

She turned back to him, brushing another strand of hair out of her face. Sometimes she missed the three loops. "Yeah. I mean yes. Of course I do." She quickly added. Then the volume of her voice dropped. "It just seems so far away right now. I guess I'm just trying to handle one thing at a time here." She was exasperated and she wished he would stop asking her questions now.

He was very accusative. She felt like she was being interrogated. Now that she thought about it at least the time she had been interrogated she didn't feel guilty about the questions she was asked or the answers she gave. And those questions didn't lead to other questions that confused her.

She assumed that the way she felt about certain things involving a male she promised herself she'd try not to think about, had to do with their bond. It still could of course, her bond really was different then what Finn had with Luke. But now she wondered how much of what she felt actually had to do with her bond at all. She never had a reason to feel possessive over Kylo Ren... but it did sound like she had told Finn that she felt that way moments ago. How could she know if she was or wasn't possessive with out there being a test of some sort. She just assumed from his reaction to her that it was a natural part of their connection.

She wasn't sure how she'd ever get the title of Jedi now. Other then the basics, Luke pretty much cut her off from training. She kind of half trained a little with Ren, literally one session, and realized training with Luke was never going to be effective because they had no bond between them, not even a slight connection. Possibly because Luke didn't even really trust her and now she knew it was because of the bond that he knew about since before she even landed on his Fortress of Solitude. He had lied to her every step of the way. For a Master of light, there were a lot of black spots and smudges distorting and blurring the stain glass he viewed his world through.

If she somehow worked out a way to train with Ren with out going Dark, she still couldn't earn the title Jedi. She knew Kylo Ren wasn't a Master Jedi. Heck, she wasn't sure if he was ever a Jedi. And knowing what she knows about all of their pasts now, did she want to be a Jedi? Did she want to follow such a snobby group of Force users because, excuse the Force out of her, but they were. She respected Luke Skywalker, but he was just as hypocritical as the rest of them. He spoke of responsibility, but walked away from everything he was responsible for when he was needed most. He took on the responsibility of students then abandoned them, even before the Darkness came to claim what was his.

He spoke of sacrifice and hope. But he left those around him to sacrifice and had let any hope he'd had for a bright future die with the name Ben Solo. She couldn't blame him there, his loss must have been great, but he forgot or ignored those around him who had also lost Ben, and she knew there were others who were taken from their families and their supposed Jedi future during the massacre and destruction that happened at the very temple she was eyeing.

Was the path of the Jedi the right choice for her? The question repeated in her mind.

She had very little possessions but she was very protective of what she did have. That was against the Jedi code. She worked hard for everything she had. Possessions were her bread and butter. Literally, she didn't eat with out scavenging for such things. The Jedi looked down on having the very qualities she was comprised of, the qualities she used to survive in a world that cared nothing for her. She had pride, she had passion, fire and love and anger. All against the Jedi code.

What would becoming a Jedi mean for those things? They made her who she was. Wasn't it just as hypocritical to give those things up for the power to become a Jedi? Both sides of the Force seemed to demand the sacrifice of the very things that made one strong. Was love not something to draw strength from? Was compassion not something that took strength? Was mercy not something that took power. Was power not the force which granted one the ability to distribute Justice? Peace is the responsibility of those in power and peace is hope. Passion, loyalty, resilience, justice, restrain, all of these things took strength. Strength of will, strength of mind, strength of heart. Everything could be tied together. Yet one or both sides would pick through and strip these things from it's followers.

It is in every species nature to survive, to strive to be greater and to live better. These things are fueled by desire. The desire to live, to love, to hope, to protect... yet desire, like the passion for these things, is frowned upon by the Jedi. The Dark side is no better. She didn't fear turning to one side over the other, but she knew she would never become Sith and now she was doubting her desire to become Jedi because such a desire was already against the rules.

    *Hey guys n' gals thanks for reading! Please comment and vote if you liked it. *
-DarkGuardian-