All of the Stars

Part 16: Proximate

"Why do you trust him?" Poe is sitting on the table, Leia stands at a window.

"He is remorseful." Leia doesn't turn to look at Poe, but stares out of the window deep in thought, her hands clasped behind her back.

"You don't know that!" Poe splutters a laugh.

"Then why, Poe, are your hands bruised, and his completely clear?" Leia turns to him, her mouth set in a straight line.

Poe splutters, moving up his hands to protest but quickly dropping them again, guilty, as his dark blossoming knuckles rest in his lap once more.

"I tolerate much from you, Poe, but I won't tolerate violence towards Ren." She keeps her chin up, staring down at Poe.

"You will show him around. Help him to settle, he is part of the resistance now." Poe attempts to protest but Leia silences him with a hand held up. "He is useful to us, we cannot afford to lose him."

"And how do you know Snoke still isn't in control of Kylo? He could know our exact location. Right. now." Poe rises, walking up to Leia.

"He may not be attempting to be a traitor, but Snoke could be coming." Poe runs his hands through his hair. "This is dangerous, General."

"I have considered this Poe, as I told you when we discussed Kylo's... Memory issue..." Poe rolls his eyes, but bows head when Leia glares. "I have a plan. Trust me."

Poe looks at her incredulously then sighs.

"I have to go." He nods to Leia and then strides from the room, taking his droid with him.

Leia turns back to the window, sighing as she sees her own wrinkled and exhausted reflection staring back at her.

"Through this door, sir." The boy is barely twelve, but he salutes smartly at Kylo and then strides off again, leaving him alone in a hallway by a set of large doors.

Walking closer, the doors open to welcome Kylo, hitting Kylo with a sudden warmth and smell of food. Chatter and laughter are heard throughout the room as various groups of people sit together. Uniforms ranging in multiple colours dress the workers eating their meal.

Kylo briefly wonders if this is what the mess hall at the First Order ship had been like, realising he had barely ever eaten in the presence of people other than Y/N for as long as he could remember.

Kylo takes a step forwards, the door shutting behind him, and tries to work out where to move. His boots seem stuck to the floor as he stares around, friends greet each other with a slap on the back. Others are deeply engrossed in conversation, and some sit in smaller groups, reading or staring off into the distance.

Someone walks up behind Kylo and roughly jostles his shoulder, Kylo spins, tensing.

"Oh sorry, man..." The individual trails off as he turns and realises who he pushed, he turns and marches off quickly, looking over his shoulder.

"Sorry..." Kylo calls after him, still standing. As the man sits at his table, all around him fall silent as he accounts what just occurred, table by table they fall silent, all turning to stare at Kylo, still rooted to the spot.

Hundreds of eyes train on Kylo as clears his throat, unsure what to do, his feet feel free again but he doesn't know where to go.

A sound behind him of boots hitting metal cause him to turn. The nurse from earlier hurriedly walks up to Kylo and grabs his arm.

"This way." She drops his arm and walks in front of him, leading him to a row of metal counters, filled with various foods, she pushes a metal tray into his hands and grabs a glass, then impatiently waits for him to take something.