Star Wars Episode IX: Force Link ✔️ (Editing)

56 | I Did It For Love

Ben hurried into an empty hall so that he could be alone. He wanted to escape the prying eyes of Hux.

A tear fell from his eye. Rey had risked herself to help him more than once. Now he had a chance to repay her, but he wouldn't. He couldn't. He felt like he was failing her.

Ben was unaware that he was being observed by Hux, who had followed him.

"Are you crying?" he asked sharply.

"No!" Kylo snapped.

Hux eyed him suspiciously. "If you say so," he answered, his voice saying that he didn't believe him. "First you order the stormtroopers not to kill the girl. Then you say they can't even hurt her. The next thing I know you're carrying her on to the ship like she's your most prized possession. What's next? You ask her to rule the galaxy with you!"

Kylo was silent. That had been exactly what he had asked Rey in Snoke's throne room.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that you might actually care about her," Hux continued.

"I don't," Kylo lied.

"Good, then you won't mind if I have her tortured tomorrow," Hux said. "I'm sure she's hiding valuable information that a little pain could pull out of her."

Kylo looked down trying to hide any emotions that might show on his face. Now he wished he had brought his helmet. It had helped to conceal his emotions.

"Of course not," he replied. But in his heart, the thought of Rey being tortured was almost unbearable. He hadn't been able to watch when Snoke hurt her. But he couldn't let Hux see his weakness.

"Good, because I was beginning to think she was making you weak. Darth Vader never would have let some girl sway him, as this girl seems to be doing to you," Hux said.

"I am not being swayed, least of all by her, General Hux," he said the last two words in a sharp tone that told Hux that he did not wish to continue this conversation.

But Hux was unswayed, he was getting braver. "We will see, ...tomorrow," he said. "I want you to be present. I want you to be present... to watch."

Kylo nodded, then walked quickly away. He didn't know if he could handle having to watch Rey being tortured. That would be worse than being tortured himself. He had been tortured many times, in many different ways by Snoke all of his life. He had thought that nothing could be more painful than what Snoke had done to him, until he forced him to kill his father. It had broken his heart, his spirit. And watching Rey being tortured by Snoke had hurt ten times worse than feeling that pain himself.

Maybe he was weak.

"I have to be strong," he told himself. "I have to make my grandfather proud. I have to finish what he started."

Kylo went to his room and took out Darth Vader's mask. He placed the mask on a table in front of him. He sat down in a chair and stared at the mask silently for a few moments.

"Forgive me, grandfather. I am fighting with all of my strength, but I still feel the pull to the light. It is going stronger, it's ripping me in two. The girl, Rey, she draws me to light, like a moth to a flame," he said. "I know what you must be thinking about me. I am weak for having compassion for her. I should have destroyed her long ago. But I am too weak, I need you to show me the power of the Dark Side, so that I will have the strength to end her. Until I do, I can't finish what you started."

"Ben, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you," said the strange voice. Then a glowing blue figure appeared. He was tall and young. He had long dark blonde hair, and blue eyes. Next to his right eye was a small scar.