All of the Stars

Part 1: Encounter

"What a child." You mumble under your breath, taking in the scene before you.

An old control room, or what seems like it used to be, is torn to pieces, after another one of Ren's temper tantrums.

Commander Ren was one of the most feared men in the Galaxy, using his power referred to as the Force to kill and hurt thousands.

His temper was unbounded, he often seemed to take it out on rooms, leaving them in such a state it was a hazard.

Better rooms than people... Your mind murmured back.

You idly wondered what it had been about this time, as you shy away from the sparks coming down from the ceiling.

Everyone knew of Commander Ren's rage, he had killed some of your friends.

You think back to those helpless brainwashed soldiers you had shared a room with before you had been moved into the cleaning sector.

Rumours told of his power to push the air from your lungs and crush your skull with a flick of his gloved hand.

You, however, were very, very pissed off with him.

It seemed as if you always were given the jobs of cleaning up after Ren.

While nobody was permitted into his chambers, the messes he left behind in abandoned parts of the ship or the haphazard way he would leave his equipment after a trip to the training rooms was more than enough to cope with for one person.

"What a sithspit!" You whisper-shouted, as you moved a smoking piece of what you thought was control board out of the way.

While you slowly moved around the room, your cleaning trolley slowly fills up and you let your thoughts of him manifest into swears under your breath.

Working for the First Order was an honour, (as you were told, it was not like you had a choice...) You couldn't help but resent the darkness that seemed to seep from the walls, cover your clothing and make your hair reek with the stench of despair and anger. It was constantly cold, you couldn't remember the last day you were truly warm.

As often happened, your thoughts turned to the past. Of course, you had no memory of what it had been, other than waking up on the cold metal floor among other girls your age.

That clothing and language that had made you assume you were similar had been stripped from you very quickly though.

You had watched others lose their personality, their morals. Everything gone and wiped over.

You move the cart a little further until you hear a loud metal crash. Sighing, thinking it was yet more destroyed ship you crouched to pick it up. Your hands recoiled quickly when you found the metal looking back at you.

Commander Ren's helmet sat, scratched but shining, starting at you from those dark slits.

You breathe, gazing back at the dark mask before you. Checking that nobody was around you bend down and slide your fingers across the dark slit of the eye holes. It was cold to the touch.

Must be uncomfortable.

The thought crosses your mind followed by another, the realisation that with his cover being in your hands...

Kylo Ren must be mask less.

Once again you look over your shoulder, of course, not even storm troopers come by these rooms anymore they are so old and outdated.

You, unlike many other cleaners, did not know where Ren's chambers were. Others would risk their lives to walk past his doors, then brag about it at the mess hall as if it was not the most idiotic thing in the world.

At this point, you did not yet know that Kylo Ren was sitting on his bed, listening to the thoughts flit through your mind, especially the brutal ones about himself. His anger was barely controllable as he felt it work up inside him, as red and furious as his lightsaber.

Lightsaber... He thought.

He could slice you in half so quickly you wouldn't even have time to scream.

The idea allowed his lips to turn up ever so slightly. He listened to you think about how idiotic the cleaners were, scurrying past his room.

He knew of this trick, of course, he sensed their giddiness every time they came. It took all his willpower not to kill them, or get Hux to do it.

Deciding to have some fun he pushed further with the Force, urging it to plant itself further into your thoughts before settling itself with a message, he smiled, knowing you wouldn't feel it but that he would see you very soon.

Who would notice a missing cleaner?

Who would do anything, if Kylo had been the murderer?

Your heart races as you feel the pull of the mask suddenly, you grasp your fingers tightly around it as it started to urge you to move. Each moment you stand still holding the mask you feel your heart beat faster, your palms itching. Unable to resist it, you start to follow it. 

The pull only ebbs when you find yourself standing completely alone in a silent area of the ship. In front of you, a large pane of glass only shows you your own reflection. The dark corners of the room seem to bleed with shadows, inching towards you the longer you stay still. 

You creep towards the glass, holding up your hand to meet your own fingertips. The glass is cold to the touch, almost icy. You didn't realise how short your breaths were until your reflection began to blur from the fog you left on the surface. 

Suddenly, a light turns on, illuminating the other side of the glass as if by lighting. You stumble back from the glass, barely stifling a scream. A single figure stands in the room, barely five feet away from you. 

In the dim lighting, it's as if he has only dark holes where his eyes should be. Dark hair obscures most of the rest of his face. But it's eerily clear that it's turned directly towards you. He tilts his head slightly, but his eyes don't stray from your face. 

You try to swallow, but your mouth is dry. The shadows in the room flicker, pooling closer around your legs. 

The figure raises his hand. You can clearly see his muscles tense, right before the glass between you and him shatters. Shards fly towards you, but before you can cover your face, they stop, frozen in midair. 

You feel your chest heave as you stare at the way the light reflects from the pieces in front of you. Each has the ability to slice your skin open. Movement of the figure is the only indication that time hasn't completely frozen, his broad shoulders rise and fall rapidly, he hasn't lowered his hand. 

Once again, things happen too quickly for you to process. As soon as he notices your gaze, he flicks his wrist, the shards slice into the metal ground with enough force to stick there wedged. At the same time, you feel a hand close around your neck with enough force to push all the air out of your lungs. 

The glass breaks under his boots as he slowly comes closer, each step seems to draw shadows around him. The grip around your throat seems to loosen slightly, just enough that you manage to stay conscious to see more of his profile. 

His lips aren't hidden in shadow, and you see them curl slightly as he comes closer. Your heart feels as if it wants to tear out of your chest, with the same force of a shard of glass cutting through your body. 

Despite the fact he isn't touching you, a distinct sensation overcomes your mind. It's as if he has reached up and grabbed your head with his hands and slowly tears it open until your mind is laid bare in front of him. But he is motionless. The shadows are drawing around your vision, each second the oxygen you can't breathe to steady your heart makes you feel dizzier. 

With the last of your strength, before your eyes blur too much to lose sight of the figure, you attempt to push him away. However, your arms are far too weak to have any impact. Despite that, the figure stumbles back, exclaiming slightly in surprise. With the last of your strength, you focus on his face, as his hair falls away from it. 

Kylo Ren's stunned eyes stare back at you, only for one moment, before you fall into the arms of the room's shadows.