KYLO REN (In orbit around Cantonica)

Kylo Ren took long strides as he made his way through the starship halls, his frustration growing. He'd gotten lost again on the way to the bridge and had to stop at a control panel to check directions. This luxury cruiser did not have a logical layout, nor was it built for combat. But Snoke's ship had been cut in half and it would take some time to repair.

When Kylo entered the bridge, the crew came to attention. He walked down the center to the front, standing on the same level as the rest of the crew. The bridge didn't have an elevated walkway for the command staff, like their other cruiser did. And it felt too small and too... colorful. Kylo frowned. He looked out the large Viewport at the front. Millions of stars and one small planet below. Cantonica.

The girl had not come to rescue her brother yet. All crew members were on alert for any incoming shuttles or suspicious activity. He'd almost expected her and the pilot to fly right up here in that loathsome piece of junk metal his father had once owned.

Kylo clenched his fists. Rey hadn't come. He'd been certain she would take the bait. But his invitation for her to join him, had once again been rejected. It was the last time he'd ever ask...

A memory surfaced and Kylo's shoulders stiffened. The events of his dream last night came rushing back. Rey had appeared in his room and he'd said the same thing to her then, "I will not keep asking you to join me."

But she hadn't accepted his invitation. Actually it was more on the lines of "I will never stop fighting you, to my very last breath. I will never give in." The details of the dream continued to flood back. He asked her why she kept fighting him. She'd said because she knew he would betray her. Would he? She'd seen him betray Snoke, the Master he had been faithful to for so long. It was understandable that she thought he'd betray her one day too.

But then her expression changed, from hate to something quite unexpected, taking him by surprise. No one had ever looked at him in that way before.

Kylo ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He had to be mistaken. It was just a dream after all. Or was she actually there, somehow bringing herself on board his ship simply with the Force? Maybe she was smarter than he ever imagined, having found a way to disarm him, by using something he was completely unfamiliar with, physical attraction. He paced the bridge. No, he wouldn't let that happen.

"The software upgrades are underway."

Kylo turned to see Hux walking towards him, in his usual arrogant manner. He stopped in front of Kylo and looked down his nose at him. His expression was so displeased it reminded Kylo of Snoke. He set his hand to his light saber, but it wasn't on his belt. Had he really been so distracted that he'd forgotten to bring his light saber with him?

"How long are we planning to remain in orbit around Cantonica?" Hux asked. "Until the Rebels find a way to blow this ship up too?"

Kylo clenched his jaw. Hux had a way of getting on his nerves, always questioning his leadership in front of the crew and acting as though he was an equal in command. Snoke had kept him in command of the First Order army for so long that Kylo forgot he could now dismiss the General whenever he wanted. Snoke was dead and was no longer here to stop him. But he didn't feel like appointing a new General at the moment. Hux would find himself at the end of Kylo's blade soon enough. But today wasn't the day.

"What software upgrades?" Kylo asked.

Hux pursed his lips and looked annoyed at having to answer the question. He had a habit of not answering right away and making a person wait just long enough to be infuriating, before he responded.

"We got a communication that the ship is due for upgrades," Hux said after a moment.

"From what source?"

Hux hesitated. "It was a secure source," he said condescendingly. "All the robots on Canto Bight are currently undergoing the same upgrades, from the same service."

"What service?" Kylo's patience was wearing thin.

Hux snarled. Kylo reached for his light saber, forgetting again that it wasn't with him. Hux stepped back, his expression quickly turning to fear. Kylo kept his arm placed to his side, not wanting Hux to know that the light sabre wasn't there.

Hux squared his shoulders and turned to leave. "I'll verify the source and report back to you immediately," he said.

"I want all ship upgrades approved by me," Kylo called after him. Hux stopped walking but didn't turn around. "Before they're implemented," Kylo yelled.

"Yes... Your Supreme Leadership," Hux said, managing to sound more disgusted in the words than even Rey had, when she called him a monster.

Kylo let his arm drop from his side. Phasma had been in charge of all the ship's maintenance in the past, but in her absence Hux had taken over. He seemed to take over everything, when Kylo wasn't closely monitoring him.

Once Hux was gone, Kylo headed out of the bridge too. He had to go and get his light saber.

***

The door to Kylo's quarters slid open, revealing a little boy holding the red light saber, which was almost as long as the boy was tall.

"Stop!" Kylo yelled. He reached out his hand, intending to pull the light saber to himself, but as the handle turned to face him, the red blade flipped around and turned toward Temiri, cutting the back of his hand before it retracted. Temiri's cry of pain cut into Kylo as though he'd been the one who'd been wounded. The light saber handle flew towards Kylo and he ducked instead of catching it, thrown off guard by the confusion of Temiri getting hurt. It hit the control panel behind him and sparks flew, casting the room into darkness and setting off an alarm.

Kylo called his light saber to him and quickly set it into its holder on his belt. His hand trembled as he did so.

"Temiri?" Kylo's eyes adjusted to the dim glow of the emergency lights in the room. He looked around but didn't see the boy. But he didn't need to see him to know where he was. The kid's Force sensitivity was like a homing device, directing Kylo straight to him. His presence was coming from under the bed.

Kylo got down on one knee and looked under. He didn't see Temiri at first but then saw a dark shape huddled at the back, where the bed was attached to the wall.

Hopefully the boy wasn't bleeding from the cut. The light saber's blade was hot enough to cauterize a wound upon impact, unless it reopened from a continued fight. But a burn-cut hurt more than a metal blade. Kylo's stomach twisted with the thought of Temiri being in that kind of pain. It was an empathy he'd never experience before.

"Why aren't you on E-deck?" Kylo said to the boy. "With the animal?" He'd already forgotten what the racing animals were called.

Temiri didn't reply and Kylo felt his anger rising. He pulled the kid forward with the Force and Temiri whimpered, his head hitting a beam under the bed. Kylo stopped, his stomach tightening with the sound of the impact.

"The guard with the white helmet," Temiri said quickly, as though he was in trouble for not replying. "He threw me out and told me to go back to the other kids on the training deck." Temiri's voice shook as he spoke. "I didn't know the codes to get back to the stables."

Kylo sighed. "I'll let the crew know..." He stopped. Know what? That this boy was special and should have access rights to all decks on board? Temiri would have to at least dress differently. Right now he looked like a thief.

"Temiri," Kylo said patiently. "Come out."

The boy didn't reply.

"We can get you pain medicine at the infirmary."

Again the boy didn't reply.

"Then I'll just lock you in here!" Kylo roared. He hated feeling like this. He couldn't force the boy, like he would have done to anyone else, because he couldn't stand to hurt him. Yet the kid wouldn't listen.

Temiri began to weep and Kylo's anger deflated. He had to be kinder with the boy, but he didn't know how.

Suddenly the door slid open and guards entered. Kylo got up from the floor and glared at them, his light saber was instantly in his hand and lit up. The guards stepped back.

"Sir," the Stormtrooper at the front said. "The alarm."

Kylo slashed the control panel with the light saber and the alarm shut off.

"Get maintenance to fix that," he said, heading for the door. "And put a tracker on the boy under the bed."

The guards glanced at each other but didn't argue.

Kylo stopped at the door. "Don't hurt him," he added. "If the boy gets hurt, I won't ask who did it, I'll just kill all three of you."

With that, he left.