THE MONSTER INSIDE - KYLO REN

iv - negotiation

Up ahead the flight control stormtroopers are signalling for us to move. It's now or never. I flip the brake off, slam the ignition and we're out. In open space.

It's been a while since I've felt this free.

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The journey was uneventful.

I spent the whole time wondering what the planet would be like. I've spent the last three years of my life inside the Death Stars so I'd jump at the potential to have any sort of adventure or mission. 

Now that the time had come, I thought that if it's even remotely boring I would be sorely disappointed.

As we neared the surface of the planet, I could see little villages, mainly hamlets and farming estates, increasing with size as we drew closer to the capital. I began to wonder if Telo was right - does this planet really have the means to trade with something as big as the New Order?

Just as I received the notification that we would land in one minute, we passed over a border, and my view was temporarily obscured by a cloud.

When we emerged, I saw the most beautiful city I'd ever seen. 

There was a huge sapphire palace in the centre of the city, surrounded by a ring of houses and marketplaces constructed with a similar material mixed with silver. Further back the houses became more and more basic, but it did not come across as rudimentary as I'd feared, instead it added to the charm and authenticity.

We landed in a field full of agricultural machinery and a few transportation vehicles, with the crystalline palace directly ahead. As I turned off the engine and prepared to leave the ship I could see a welcoming party approaching. 

As far as I could tell, the two people walking at the front must be the King and Queen. They were dressed in elegant clothes of the same sapphire and silver colours as the buildings I had seen from my ship. The King, Tolas, had a weathered face with kind eyes but a look of stoic apprehension, and was dressed in a sapphire tunic and trousers with a silver crown. Queen Sena had tight lips and an unsettlingly piercing stare, and wore a sapphire and iron tiara upon her dark, straight hair.

Surrounding them were a legion of silent bodyguards and soldiers, dressed in white. I silently dragged my eyes up and down the line, looking for-

A young girl, a few years my junior, standing at the end of the line. Her boredom apparent, her distaste written in the lines of her face, the curves of the pout on her lips. The scowl on her face did her no justice, but she was enthralling nonetheless. She wore the same style of clothes as her parents, but her choice of outfit was more refined and practical. 

And yet, if I were someone else, I could have skimmed over her and continued down the line, searching on for someone I wouldn't find. No. There was something there. A pull, in the force - I sensed it. A connection drawing me to her. It was captivating. It took all of my efforts to focus instead on the welcoming ceremony being led in honour of me.

I forced my attention back to the royals. They were saying something about the trade deal but I couldn't think straight. I could feel her stare boring into me, her icy, ethereal fingers teasing the edges of my mind -

'Enough.' I barked, down this newly formed connection line I could feel in the force. I chanced a look at her and saw a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. 

'I will stop when I like, Master'. she teased.

The princess.

However, as well as the connection from the girl I could feel another force, a more sinister one, winding its way past my head, dragging up power from the deepest, most nefarious areas of the force.

Alena.

Something was wrong.

There's something-

A sudden explosion of power, released from the direction of the royals, knocked me off my feet.

Thinking quickly, I summoned a force shield to protect myself from the brunt of the blast, shrapnel and bits of earth flying inches from my head, then rose to my feet again. Alena. Where was she? She could not be allowed to escape.

After several minutes of panicked searching, I saw her across the field, through the haze of smoke, coughing but seemingly otherwise unharmed. She must have used a force shield as well. Clever girl.

I made my way across the bombsite to her and grasped her arm tightly. 'We have to get out of here. Whatever that was, it was aimed at me, and if I'm going I'm taking you with me. This was an attack on the New Order by your people. You must take responsibility for the actions of your planet.'

Her eyes grew wide, her face a picture of confusion. I glanced around the field once more. It was covered in the corpses of her people as well as my soldiers. This revelation soon morphed her features to fury and she thrashed against my grip, but I was determined that she would not disobey. Surely the hardships that training this girl would involve could not compare to the power she could bring the New Order?

I shook off my doubts and led her steadfastly to the ship.

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hi again! this chapter is not as good as i would have liked it to be (writer's block, you know how it is) but i'm happy that the plot has finally started moving. i wrote like 3 chapters today so i probably won't write one tomorrow but i'll see you when i next write :)