Breeder ~ A Kylo Ren Fanfiction

54

Ben did indeed bring me back to the gestation suites, where Grandmother Bee and the harpies were waiting, fire in their beady eyes. 

"She's back," he said, giving me a small push forward.

"We can see that," the red-haired harpy snapped.

Grandmother crept forward, terrifying in her stony silence- even Ben swallowed thickly, betraying his nerves. "You are not welcome here anymore, Commander Ren. If you seek carnal pleasures, you can go to the brothels."

"She's my Breeder-"

"False, she is the First Order's Breeder." She approached him slowly, a head shorter, but somehow still intimidating, making Ben's hand twitch towards his saber instinctively. "I don't know what you think we're doing here, what we're trying to achieve, or what these girls are for, but Astrid is not your personal plaything. Protecting her and all the other Breeders is my sworn duty, and I won't let anyone, not even the Supreme Leader's apprentice, jeopardize their safety." She stepped back, putting a wrinkled hand on the keypad. "As I said, you are no longer welcome here."

Pushing three buttons in the lower, left corner, Grandmother Bee closed the hatch to the suites, forcing Ben to jump out of the way, lest he lose his nose to the sliding metal. A bang on the outside let us know he'd pushed the door angrily in response. I wish I could do the same.

"Go to bed, Astrid. The girls are all in their rooms already."

"But I haven't eaten yet."

The words had scarcely left my lips when a sharp object pierce the skin of my neck, making the muscles in my body tense up, pain radiating from the puncture site.

"There you go," a harpy said, grinning maliciously. "That's the equivalent of one meal."

I rubbed my hand over the bump just below my eyes, forcing the tears not to fall. I would not give these spiteful cunts the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Back in my room, Anika was already in bed, the covers pulled up to her neck, a thoughtful expression painted across her delicate features, but Ariel was still changing, her round stomach on full display. It was strange to see a new girl already so far along since everyone else came to the gestation suites as soon as conception was detected.

"Your hair is shorter," she pointed out as I stripped off my plain black dress, changing into simple sleep clothes.

Since there were no more banquets, the dresses we were allowed to keep after each session with Olga had been confiscated. Even though we weren't allowed to wear them in our everyday life, I still missed seeing the colorful garments hanging in the utilitarian, metal wardrobes. Now there was only black.

"Commander Ren trimmed it for me."

"He seems kind."

A half-smile crept onto my lips. "Not always, but he's been very... benevolent to me at least."

She sighed, slipping under the sheets. "That must be nice."

When I first realized (due to the alphabetic order) Ariel d be staying with Anika and me, I had mixed feelings. Seeing her sleep in Amma's bed made my teeth clench involuntarily. But now I saw she was a very pleasant roommate. She didn't say much, expressing herself in clipped, modest statements, but she managed to get a lot across with very few words. I wished I could ask her about her life on Bi La Grey. Was she a sex worker Hux hired for his travels, or just a random girl he snatched off the planet. Either way, the general was a vile man for taking her back to Starkiller just he got her pregnant, but I guess his character was already common knowledge.

After I'd gotten settled in bed, I realized I hadn't seen Lynx in the common area. Since she didn't sleep, that's where she spent the nights.

"Is Lynx not back yet?" I whispered.

Anika rolled over, shaking her head. "She's still in the box."

"Still?" I asked in disbelief. "I've never heard of someone staying in the box that long."

"A few hours is bad enough," she said with a shudder.

"What is the box? What do they do to you?"

There was a screeching sound over the loudspeaker, and then a voice said, "Inappropriate conversations, Astrid and Anika. Go to sleep."

The lights flickered off, plunging us into pure darkness. A shiver of premonition ran up my spine, and I pulled the covers over my head, desperate to smother the chill. 

Just before I fell asleep, I heard Anika whisper, "Pray you never find out."

For the first time in weeks, I had a dream. I was lying on the forest floor on my back, knees apart, my child forcing his way out of my body, but I felt no pain, no discomfort. I did feel lonely, by myself in the wilderness.

But I wasn't alone for long, my son crawling up my naked body to suckle at my breast, already clean and smiling. I stood up, cradling him in my arms, kissing his tiny nose. His skin was several shades lighter than mine, but still darker than Ben's; his eyes were green like mine, his hair jet-black like his father's. My son was the perfect blend of both of his parents.

"He's beautiful." Across the wooded clearing, a man approached me. "Can I hold him?"

After a beat, I recognized Ben's distinctive features and towering height. He was completely naked, just like me, but, unlike in real life, I had no problem admiring his body in my dream. "Of course, my love." 

I passed the baby into his arms, watching as his face lit up with fatherly pride. "What's his name?"

"I don't know, yet," I admitted.

"Don't worry." He kissed me on the cheek, his lips sending a jolt of electricity through my body. "You'll think of one."

Trailing my hand down his chest, I sighed deeply. "Why haven't I seen you. It's been so long."

"Sometimes I wish you didn't have Jedi blood; I wish you didn't have this peculiar mind," he said in lieu of answering my question, nuzzling his face into my hair. "If you were like everyone else, I'd be able to talk to you anywhere on the planet, I could put my words right in your little head."

"When can I see you again?"

"Soon." He passed our son back into my arms, and the boy immediately latched onto my breast again. "I promise."

Ben backed away slowly, the edges of his form growing blurry till he was indistinguishable from the afternoon sun, pouring through the leaves. I didn't try to stop him or make him stay; I couldn't even if I wanted to.

"Don't worry, Mama." Looking down, I saw my baby staring up at me, his sage-green eyes uncannily lucid. "You'll escape. We'll both live free."

When I woke up with a gasp, my stomach pulsing. No, not pulsing- kicking. My son was kicking his little, unborn feet inside my womb. I smoothed my hand over my belly, a single tear trickling down my cheek before I even felt it form in my eye. I love you, I love you so much and I don't even know you yet.

Staring up at the ceiling- knowing I'd never get back to sleep that night- I saw a strange pattern on the metal. Three squares, flickering one after the other.

It took me several seconds to realize it was a memory, a recent one. I don't know if Ben somehow visited me in my dream, if my unborn child was somehow communicating with me, or if my mind just worked in mysterious ways, but it didn't matter: I remembered the keycode to get out of the suites.