THE MONSTER INSIDE - KYLO REN

xi - alighting

The next morning the ship arrived. I had packed up my possessions along with the equipment we had managed to salvage from the crash. The pilot reached out of the ship to help me in, but I took no notice of his outstretched hand. I did not need the assistance of these lower-class soldiers. By going through Kylo Ren's rigorous training, I had become a merciless weapon of destruction. The only person on whom I could even slightly rely was Kylo Ren, and so everyone else was a potential enemy. I was ready for anything the New Order could throw at me, and now, at last, I would be able to fight back.

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Most of our journey to the New Order spaceship took place in silence. The two pilots sitting in the front of the ship were obscured from my view, separated from the two of us by an opaque screen made of polished black metal. In the passenger area at the back of the ship, I was sitting opposite Kylo Ren. He spent the whole journey toying with the lightsaber which was originally stored in the small canister hooked onto his belt. As I had nothing better to do, I passed the time staring at the glaring galaxies passing us by.

I had ensured that I put some thought into how my arrival at the New Order base would come across prior to our entrance. Having come directly from the nation which had just effectively declared war on the New Order, I would be guaranteed to make some enemies before I even arrived. However, I could not be complacent. My initial kidnapping by Kylo Ren, and my anticipated arrival gave me a reputation of vulnerability which I would have to discard immediately, or risk being taken advantage of by other New Order troops. Above all, I would have to demonstrate my loyalty to the New Order. Although I could not comprehend the reasons behind the attack from my people, I suspected that my mother had something to do with it. However, sitting on the fence in an environment like this could cost me my life - I had to be decisive or risk my life in the process.

At once the ship seemed to lurch through a darker wormhole, jolting me from my thought, and when we emerged I could see the New Order base at last. The four death cannons framing the shape were immediately apparent, providing vertices for the web of black tunnels that surrounded the inner sanctum in the centre. I assumed important councils would be held there, so it was likely that that was where I would be taken. As we approached I saw that the outer tunnels were etched with bulletproof windows, through which I could see New Order maintenance workers and stormtroopers bustling around like ants in a colony. We passed by this and came in to land through a gaping hatch in the base of the inner section, as I suspected.

The room we entered was biconcave, with a rounded platform for landing ships in the centre ringed with what I assumed were offices and storage containers filled with spare parts, with pathways branching off to various other parts of the spaceship. New Order workers swarmed around the edges, wearing similar uniforms to the ones I had seen outside, yet none emerged from the sea apart from the three, smartly dressed people which I noticed were standing beside our ship.

Kylo Ren, shaken from his thoughts by the landing of the ship, caught sight of the new arrivals momentarily before me. 'Those are the other senators,' he explained. 'Senator Thessa is on the left, followed by Senator Ruana in the centre, and that's Telo on the other end. They will tell you everything you need to know - I have some catching up to do with some of the combat staff.' Before I could inquire further, the door of the ship slid open and I was forced to properly acknowledge the people standing before me alone. As I emerged from the ship the woman on the left offered me a genuine smile, which I returned with a wary one of my own.

'Alena!', the Senator in the middle exclaimed. 'It's lovely to finally have you with us on the New Order base. We have been carefully monitoring your training on Nathlor and are impressed with your rapid improvement'. So, I thought, Kylo had not been entirely honest with me about the extent of our isolation. I don't know what I expected from a New Order general, though maybe he didn't know either...

Now, the woman on the right, Senator Thessa, interrupted. 'But you must be wondering who we are, dear. I'm Thessa, that's Ruana beside me and Telo is on the end. We are all Senators of the New Order, meaning that we run meetings and put forward plans to decide the future of the New Order. We're in the inner section of the Death Stars, which is where, according to the current circumstances, you'll remain for now. This area is the aircraft hangar, and if you'll follow me, I'd like to give you a tour of the remaining rooms that you will have access to.' And on that note, she began walking briskly in the direction of the main entrance, which seemed to consist of a broad spiral staircase leading up to the inner structure. Senator Ruana hobbled along behind with the aid of an obsidian cane, and Telo shot me a dismissive look before turning swiftly after him. With a look of reproach back at Kylo Ren, I followed.

The tour was fairly brief, as due to the danger my family now posed to the New Order, the freedom I was allowed was limited. I was shown the training area, the main offices, the location of the escape routes in case of a malfunction or emergency and the canteen, though I was told I would be taking meals privately. I smarted a little at this - it was as if the treachery of my family prevented me from being treated as trustworthy, and made me a volatile threat among the workers of the New Order. Finally, I was shown to my quarters, where I would remain for most of my time, when I was not in training. At this point, my company advised me to settle in, and send for a worker if I needed anything.

The room was both bare and lavish at the same time, if that's even possible. The monochrome colour scheme paired with the subtle notes of silver gilded at the corners of the ceiling and walls made the room feel like both a prison cell and a suite. Of course, it was nothing like my room on Dathemia, though I would rather forget everything about my planet for the time being. Perhaps a new style of decoration would help me to take my mind off the inevitable incoming war meetings against my family.

There was a mechanical door embedded in the wall opposite the bed that upon inspection I discovered led to a ebony-tiled bathroom. I felt exhausted from the journey and I had not had a proper bath since I left Dathemia, so my first thought was to do exactly that. I turned on the taps to a scalding heat and let the steam gently warm my face as the bath filled up.

When the bath was full, I pulled off my clothes and tentatively stepped into the bath. The searing temperature was like a warm embrace and within minutes I had fallen asleep.

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