The Balance Within

Lost

Images flashed behind Kiarie's eyelids as she lay against a cold hard surface. She saw StarKiller as it exploded and the only man she had ever loved was murdered by his own mother. The General was responsible for her own son's death whether she wanted to admit it or not. Images of the Knights destroying the rebel scum with her in the Ilum system. Images of Snoke's hologram in the throne room when he had gifted her to the Knights as a slave. Images of the Knights angry and terrifying as they removed her from the Finalizer for the last time. The sight of five Knights kneeling to her as one held her tight, letting her know that they had chosen her over Snoke. That their loyalties truly lied with her and had lied with Kylo.

Images of the last weeks living on the Buzzard with the Knights, free of the First Order and free of Snoke. They had all known the time would come when they would have to deal with Snoke and they had tried to make contingencies for when that time came. He would figure it out eventually that Kiarie was no prisoner and was actually leading the Knights as they destroyed every part of the Resistance they could find.

The trip to Batuu. It played on repeat between all the other images. The Knights had taken heavy fire. She knew at least one had to have been injured. They had stopped to refill on food and supplies when Kiarie had flushed out a Resistance outpost. The Knights engaged but it had been a set up. The Knights didn't know this because they had all been quickly separated from each other and her. The Resistance had been waiting. They had somehow guessed the Knights' next move. They knew they would be on Batuu and they knew they would engage any Resistance allies that they found.

Kiarie had fought with everything she had but they had a Force user of their own. She had not been even close to Kiarie's level in skill but she was enough of a distraction that Kiarie had faltered in her confidence. Blindsided and knocked unconscious from behind Kiarie had been taken from her family. From her Knights.

She knew this much as she fought to bring her mind to the land of consciousness. She couldn't feel the Knights. She couldn't sense them anywhere near her. Over the last month she and the Knights had become attuned to each other in a new way. All their time being spent in such close quarters did that to you when you were Force sensitive. She could tell the second one of their moods shifted. And they could sense her moods easier, her wall on her mind was lowered more often than not now. Vicrul had been able to push completely into her mind with little resistance while they had been meditating in a meadow last week.

They had landed the Buzzard on the unpopulated side of a planet in the outer rim and had spent the day next to a river. Kiarie had the idea to just take a day to relax and do some training in the open air, so they did. They ate lunch by the river and some of the guys even went for a swim. Kiarie had no idea how to swim since she grew up in a desert so she had stayed on the shore. The Knights had laughed and played chicken on each other's shoulders in the water. Kiarie had never seen them so carefree, it had made her smile as she watched the large scary men act like children. A tear slipped out of her eye as she remembered that day that was just a week ago but felt like it was months ago now. A sharp sting spread through her cheek as she realized she had been struck in the face by someone. Kiarie fought harder to bring herself out of her mind.

"Wake up." A man's voice demanded.

"You guys knocked her out pretty hard. I don't think slapping her will help." Another voice said.

Kiarie recognized the second voice but had trouble placing it. More tears slipped from her eyes as she fought the hold the darkness held on her mind. Kiarie was finally able to open her eyes and found herself strapped to an integration table similar to those Kylo used on prisoners. Kiarie looked around and immediately recognized the Jedi, the pilot and the traitor. Three other men were in the room who she had never seen before.