Venus & Mars

Chapter 4 ~ Never Underestimate A Girl

Kylo led me through the winding halls and into a circular room. It was made of gleaming metal, like the rest of the ship, and seemed nearly indestructible. It was empty, except for one table sitting at the very far side of the room. On it, a silver cylinder sat in the center. "Go on. Take it." Kylo told me, gesturing for me to walk inside the room. My weary gaze flicked between him and the table, but I did as instructed, walking further into the area. The doors slid shut behind Kylo as he followed me inside.

Biting my lip, I reached forward and took the metal cylinder. "Now what?" I asked. Kylo had taken off his mask once more and he walked over to me. "You've never seen one of these before?" He asked. I shook my head, examining the intricate details on the hilt of what I believed to be a lightsaber. "Turn it the other way. There's a button on the top. Push it and it will ignite." He explained. I did as directed, finding the button and pressing down on it.

The lightsaber vibrated, making me almost drop it in surprise, and it began to hum loudly, glowing red like Kylo's. "So is this mine?" I asked curiously, looking up at him. He smirked. "For training purposes, yes. But no that won't be yours forever. When you have completed most of your training, I will help you make your own." He told me. I nodded, admiring how the weapon felt in my hand. Another loud buzz filled the air as Kylo ignited his own weapon. "Now. Lesson one. Fight me." Kylo growled, raising his lightsaber to hover at my neck. My eyes widened as I returned my surprised gaze to his face. "What?" I asked. "Fight me." He repeated. "But I literally just picked it up. I have no idea what I'm -" "Fight me!!!!" Kylo shouted, interrupting me and slamming his lightsaber against mine. I flinched, nearly dropping my lightsaber, not used to holding a weapon as deadly as this and certainly not used to another person swinging one at me. "You're weak, Andromeda! You'll never be able to acheive true greatness if you don't fight!" He growled. I raised the lightsaber shakily, jumping back as he slashed his weapon dangerously close to my stomach. "What? Are you scared of me? Is the little girl frightened that big bad Kylo Ren will kill her?" He spat.

With that comment, my blood began to boil, sparking a fire inside of me. No one uses little girl as an insult against me and gets away with it. I felt a new conviction take hold inside me, and without another word, I swiped the lightsaber in a diagonal line downwards, clashing with Kylo's blade. A look of surprise and determination came across his face, and he pushed me back. I spun on my heel, aiming low to hit his shins. He barely jumped away, and the next moment he made a stabbing move with his saber, this time slamming it into mine. I blocked his attack and began a right and left slicing motion, hitting against his weapon multiple times.

Red sparks flew through the air, and the sound of a loud droning filled the room. It wasn't long until I was jumping away from his expert strikes and thrusting forward with as many attacks as I could manage. But soon exhaustion hit me, and I wasn't fast enough to fully move out of the way of one of Kylo's attacks. This gave him the opportunity to spin around me, wrap an arm around my torso, and hold his lightsaber to my neck. Panting, I lowered my own, accepting defeat. Kylo lowered his as well, letting go of my body and moving to stand in front of me. Both of our weapons turned off. "You fight well. With time and my instruction, you will improve. I will make you a Sith in your right, and you will become my second in command when the time comes." He told me, speaking about the ordeal like I should be honored or impressed. But all I could feel was pent up irritation and disgust seeping through my veins.

Somehow I was able to shove the emotions back down and lock them away, regaining my composure. I was panting slightly, trying to catch my breath again. "What was the..point of the...surprise attack? A warning...would've been...nice." I said. "You must be prepared at all times. And, I wanted to see what you would do your first time fighting with a real weapon..." He said. I rolled my eyes. This man will be the death of me...one way or another...

We stood facing each other for a few moments, before I sighed and set the lightsaber back down. "So...am I your prisoner or something? What kind of rules am I looking at? I assume there are rules here...." I grumbled. "You're not a prisoner. You have free reign of pretty much anywhere on the ship, except for the council chamber. You are a guest after all. But I do have certain expectations..." He trailed off. "And those are?" I prompted. "You will wake when I send for you. You will come when I request your presence. You will leave when dismissed." He told me. I nodded. "Simple enough." I said. He seemed pleased by my answer. "You may leave for today. There is food in the dining hall if you wish or you may go explore the ship. But first thing tomorrow I want you back in here. I went quite easy on you today. Don't expect me to be so indulgent in the time to come." He said. I met his stern eyes. "Okay, fine. But listen here. I know I'm a woman, and all you men think we are the weaker sex, but don't underestimate me for a minute. I am stronger than you know. Maybe not Force strong, but strong. You won't break me." I told him. His gaze clouded with something that seemed like interest, but he simply waved me off and sent me on my way. Day one. Check. Now I only had to survive until I could figure out how get away from this place.