𝔦 𝔞𝔪 𝔟𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥.

QUINTESSA SWINDELL // have you met AIYA REN yet? THEY/HE are a TWENTY-EIGHT year old NONBINARY LORRDIAN. they’re originally from LORRD and now show loyalty to THE FIRST ORDER. they are best known for being a KNIGHT OF REN, and i hear they’re pretty OBSERVANT yet also RUTHLESS at times; i hope they survive the galactic civil war. 

A feral hunger lit Hux’s eyes in the red glow of the raised saber. It turned to outrage when Ren offered his prey his hand.

“Ren—”  His furious protest was cut short by Ren’s warning gaze.   (Of course. Not once, not one time could Kylo Ren follow a kriffing plan. Not once could it be simple!)   Hux stood his ground, refusing to be moved. With every word out of Aiya’s mouth his jaw clenched tighter until his teeth were grinding. Ironic that in their last moments of life, even as Aiya spat bitter insults at him, Hux could agree with them on at least one thing: Ren couldn’t even kill them properly.

Hux glared at Ren, resting a hand on his blaster. His silent message was clear: If you don’t kill them, Ren, then I will.

- @ruthlessren​ & @generally-scheming​

Anger laces itself through Kylo’s being at Aiya’s words. He had wanted to offer a hand of respect to the other, after all, he had been his apprentice for so long and their bond had grown deep before Ben had awoken and taken control. Aiya was only one that Kylo had cared about for so long, but all of that had been flushed out the airlock and thrown into the wide open mouth of space, to suffocate without oxygen. To freeze to the cold vacuum of it all. Aiya’s insults were childish. Kylo payed no mind to most of them but he knew one thing, they were wrong. He could do everything right. After all, it’s why he became the leader of the Knights of Ren and why he had killed Snoke so long ago and became Supreme Leader. He just took his time. He wanted to make a show. To prove that he could do what he desired whenever the fancy struck him, but this? This was just playing with his food in a futile attempt at giving Aiya one last chance of having something even remotely close to dignity and of course, they had pushed it away, like they pushed everything else away that wasn’t power.

“Do you thin I care of where Hux stands in the course of all of this?” He spits, collapsing back to the ground at the blow to his knee, but instead of howling out in pain, he simply laughs. A manic sound, as the Force starts to speak, the air around him crackling to life. Kill them. It chants, the voices all different, but the one shining through the loudest is his grandfather’s. Kill them for their betrayal and for their lack of understanding. Kill them for not bowing down to you and your power, Kylo. Kill them. He speaks, the words drawing out at the end and Kylo raises his saber once more. “You lack the respect that you once had. You got thirsty for what the Dark side could have possibly given you but your betrayal to the people you should’ve stayed loyal to was unbecoming.” He pauses, gaze resting upon them as the voices chant louder in his head. “Snoke saw in me that great power. You’re just a jealous child who could never harbor the strength that leader of the Knights of Ren do. Goodbye Aiya.” And with that, Kylo brings down his saber, piercing through Aiya’s chest as he raises them by their shoulder with his free hand, seeing the saber coe through to the other side. “I loved you once. I will love you no more.” He whispers in their ear, loud enough for only Aiya to hear before he recalls the red glowing blade, letting Aiya drop, before Kylo stands above them, chest heaving with each breath. “It’s done.” He breathes, gaze never leaving Aiya but his words are directed to Hux.

Understanding passed between them in that fleeting moment of eye contact before Ren nodded and returned to the crime they had plotted together. A thrill of vicarious excitement rushed through Hux that he would bear witness. Of course Aiya Ren had to ruin it with a comment that made him flush a furious shade of red.  “I hope you enjoyed that crass remark, since it is your last.”

It did not escape his notice, the way Ren spoke to his apprentice about power; he could just as easily be saying  ‘there’s room for only one Supreme Leader.’   (But Hux knew this, has always known that whatever understanding he and Ren share will end when the two of them stand before that throne.)   Ren’s order stirred Hux to move — towards them, not away — he did not take orders from Ren   (anymore)   and beyond that, he was not done excoriating Aiya.  “No, Aiya, it’s you who sealed your undoing when you—oof!” A table rammed into his left shin, hard.  “Fuck! Ren, kill him! Do it now!”  He stumbled back, seething. When the immediate pain dulled, he lowered his voice. “Make it hurt.”​

A breath and Kylo understands the emotions passing through his being. He hadn’t wanted it to come to this, to killing Aiya in cold blood, but they had left him no choice. If Ben had stayed dormant and Padme hadn’t woken him so strongly inside, then perhaps Kylo would have seen this whole thing in a different light. He would have danced along with each move and saw it as a way to bring Vader back to their forces. Kill the woman Vader loved and all would be back to the way it should have in the galaxies but it was Ben Solo that made Kylo promise to make Aiya pay. To draw them in and get the revenge they so desperately desired. Kylo knew that even when the two combined themselves, Ben would never fully walk in the Light again, just as he would never fully walk in the Dark. Besides, he enjoyed the color of his eyes far more than the yellow that most Sith had taken on.

There’s a groan of pain at Aiya’s knee to the ribs and Kylo stumbles back and off the other for a moment. He had let his guard down when the other had thrown the table at Hux, a part of him wishing he had just thrown the general from the room with his own Force abilities. “Aiya.” Kylo gasps, seeing their friend instead of their enemy in those fleeting last moments that life would play on him. “Forgive me.” He raises the saber as he watches Aiya thrash on the ground, still under his weight on his legs, as Kylo raises the saber but there’s a pause in movement, and he stands suddenly, reaching down and offering Aiya a hand. He wanted this to be personal, not some scuffle upon the ground. “Stand up, Aiya.” He commands, his gaze dark and throws Hux a gaze. “This is between you and me.”

.

it had been well established that he could not trust either one of them, which was why they had worked so hard to try and keep an eye on both of them –– not well enough, apparently, if they had both been sneaking around enough to be able to plan something like this. there was not enough time to pinpoint where exactly they had gone wrong. there’s only mild satisfaction from hurting hux again, particularly when they much rather have kylo’s blood on their hands. he was a traitor. the others had been right, to betray him those years ago. he had been the fool to stay loyal. rage seethed through every ounce of their body. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,”  Hux said, perfectly aware that he was. The training room had unlocked obediently with his override code. He paused in the doorway, momentarily taken aback by the sight of Aiya pinning the master of the Knights of Ren himself.   (If he had chosen the wrong Ren… no. Too late to second-guess.)   His gaze darted from Aiya to Kylo Ren.

“Ren.”  His voice brimmed with malicious glee.  “It’s done.”  And Ren would know exactly what it was. The device implanted in Hux’s neck had been modified, its signal doubled in power. They had a narrow window before Amidala’s kill switch performed its routine check of Hux, Aiya, and Seventh Sister’s transmitters. If the numbers didn’t add up, Amidala would die.

Unless Aiya Ren died first.

​

Kylo’s breath comes in waves. He draws air deep into his lungs and he doesn’t stop the small smirk that spreads across over his features as he looks up at Aiya. He’s trying, of course, but at the same time, he’s also not going nearly as hard as he naturally is when it came to training. Aiya was one person that he naturally didn’t hold back on training with, yet, he had a plan and that plan required him to be someone who dragged on the training which is why, he finds himself in the predicament that he’s currently in, pinned to the ground with Aiya straddling his waist. Under any other circumstances, Kylo would see this as foreplay, something that he rather enjoyed with the other, but right, it was all business. “We both know I have better.” He states easily, a smirk growing farther across his features but his gaze shifts just then, at the sound of Hux’s voice and his entire demeanor changes within the flash of two seconds. The first, the way his body tenses, knowing that the plan is about to start and the second, there’s a relaxation that follows, knowing this will go off without a hitch because of his skills.

He draws a breath and in one solid motion, Kylo flips the tables and forces Aiya onto their back, pinning them to the ground, his gaze shifting for a second to Hux, nodding before shifting back to Aiya. “You know, you were such a good apprentice but then the power decided to take control of you.” A pause, and Kylo holds out his right hand, still keeping Aiya pinned, even if he’s using the Force to help make this happen. “If you had fought that power control, you could still be at my side.” He pauses, his saber connecting to the palm of his hand as gloved fingers clothes around it. “But now, I must make sure that that power dies with you. There’s room for only one Master of Ren and that is not you.” He stands then, the Force pulsating around him and he raises his saber as it ignites, ready to make the final strike. “Hux, stay back and out of this.”

.

no interruption could grate their nerves quite as effectively as the sound of hux’s voice does, the satisfied smirk immediately falling away, replaced with an irritated scowl as his gaze dark shifted away from kylo and toward the general. he doesn’t give a spare thought to how the man could have entered despite the locked room, given he seemed to have no boundaries when it came to getting underneath their skin. “if you’re looking for a threesome, offer rejected.” of course, aiya considered himself to have become equally effective at doing the same right back to him. their irritation with the situation ran quite shallow, enough that their guard was down for a moment, enough that he was completely caught off guard when he was suddenly flipped over, back slamming against the mat as kylo held them there with the force.

“It pains me to admit it is not as big as it once was. Force willing, the rift will amend that.”  Third Sister felt neither the certainty nor the airy indifference that her tone conveyed. She only cared to see one other Inquisitor again, and the separation from her twin festered like an open wound. Her other siblings would not mend it, and this Knight of Ren certainly would not. She lifted her hand lightly after they had kissed it, prompting them to rise.  “It’s said that small talk is for small people. You and I are excluded from that number, don’t you agree?”

“I suppose I could ask how you are finding this moment in time,”  Third Sister mused. Aiya Ren had been displaced much further than they had, which made them something akin to a host. The thought quirked their lips in amusement.  “Myself, I find it quite unsatisfactory. But I’m told you’re in the business of changing that. Tell me more about the future that you seek to build, and what place there is for Inquisitors and Knights of Ren within it.”

aiya wondered if this sister would be as easily persuaded into things as their power hungry seventh ( did that make her little, or big, he wondered ) was. or seduced, if necessary. they certainly weren’t above that particular strategy, even if they were unsure if seventh would be the jealous type and make a mess of things. “yes, we certainly are are.” that would certainly save them from more than their fair share of conversation that they had never had the patience, nor skill, for. 

oh, mara didn’t like this person. didn’t like his attitude or the force presence coming off of him in waves, any of it. she didn’t need the profile raise that would come with a fight, but she had too much sharpness not to stay sarcastic, keeping her own force shields too tight to catch a hint of power. “are you the galactic authority on all professions ? i don’t wear a uniform.”

~

That earned a smirk out of the Knight, weapons clattering to the floor as they tossed them aside. “What can I say? I like to make an entrance. At least I wasn’t the last one, although I had hoped to see more of our number upon my arrival.” The Knights were formidable on their own, there was no denying that. But there was strength in numbers, and right now? Vaasa trusted no one but their fellow Knights.

“Rumors. That’s all I’ve heard. It is hard to separate truth from fabrication.” There were always rumors circulating–about everyone of every faction. But Vaasa had to admit, the things he had heard since arriving? Very interesting indeed, if they were true. 

“Getting Kylo under control is no small feat. But I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised that if anyone managed to do it, it would be you. I’m impressed.” That could certainly provide an interesting opportunity down the line when it came to his own goals, but that would have to wait. Patience was far from Vaasa’s strong suit…but this was a special circumstance. And they couldn’t reveal their plan without knowing where Aiya stood. If they found themselves on opposing sides, he would present a large problem. 

“The question I have to ask…when did you come from?” If it was from Vaasa’s time, that would make things simple. But he doubted he would be so lucky. 

there was no sense in not telling them what had happened to the other knights that had come in their time. “well, you’re the fourth to arrive. tyr and kuruk came, and now they’re dead.” aiya shrugged, unbothered. the knights had been the closest thing that he had ever had to family, and they’re not the emotional type. had it been by any hands beyond his and kylo’s, then the news might have been mildly upsetting. 

there was no particular advantage in hiding the truth from vaasa like there were... well, most of the other people that aiya ended up interacting with one reason for the other. the stroke to their ego doesn’t go unnoticed, corners of his lips curling upward for a brief moment. “he had a soft spot for me. his mistake,” they shrugged. it wasn’t quite that simple of a matter. “but he also has a soft spot for dear old grandma. if i die, so does she. even in the darkness, he wants to protect her.” he couldn’t begin to imagine what it must have been like to have that kind of weakness for someone. aiya had never loved anyone other than theirself. all they ever found was reasons that was a good thing.

~

Phasma bristles at the question, and the tone in which Aiya addresses them–did they want power? Of course they did. Everything they had done in their life had been for power, advancement. The blood on Phasma’s hands all served a better cause–their own. But they weren’t about to admit any of that to Aiya, an impassive glance thrown his way instead.

“The implication in your question being that I’m currently not, is that correct?” An army of stormtroopers under their command would suggest otherwise, all of them willing to do whatever their captain ordered. Well…almost all of them. There’s a brief scowl that crosses Phasma’s expression before they regain their composure. “I quite like the power I currently possess, thank you.”

They turn to face Aiya, arms folded across their chest. “I hear you got yourself an apprentice. FN-2187. An…interesting choice.” Not that Phasma knew much–or particularly cared–about how the Force worked. “I do hope things do not play out as they did before. They turned against the First Order once. Are you certain they will not do it again?”

.

an eyebrow arched at their response. of course, there was no nice way to put it –– and even if aiya did not despise the captain like he did some of the other ranked officers of the first order that he had the misfortune of crossing paths with, they had never been a nice person. certainly would not ever become one. there was also the matter of the fact that they could never truly see someone who lacked sensitivity to the force as having real power. a semblance of it, an inkling, but they would never know the joy of crushing someone’s windpipe without lifting a finger. a sad existence.

“hm. you could have so much more.” a dismissive shrug of his shoulders, as though suddenly disinterested in them. but the change in conversation did hold their attention.

perhaps there had been tension in the air between them carefully captured by the label of amidala, but aiya had decided that the only permanent effect it would have on their relationship was that kylo would never again underestimate what he would do to get what he wanted. things were coming together precisely how he wanted it to –– a sense of security about their hold on kylo, another knight returning from the past hopefully without the promise of betrayal that had come with others, and even the arrangement with seventh sister was quite pleasing. a few kinks left to be sorted, hux, fn-2187, but nothing that wasn’t mostly modulated.

“what do you think?” she questions, stretching out at the touch of cold metal, baring long lengths of smooth skin, exposed neck. “i’m not.” she does not let them answer, impatient, the words a hum against aiya’s ear as he leans down to kiss her neck. a tricky smile, snake’s eyes gleaming, cupping aiya’s face with musician’s fingers, pulling them closer with the dig of fingernails, pressing a hard kiss to dark lips. “funny, i was about to say the same.”

“oh, pretty much anything that’s not this conversation,” she replied dryly, a sharp almost-smile curving on her lips. “i’m on a job.”

If Vaasa were a more forgiving person, they might have taken it easy on the troopers they had roped into training with the Knight. But he wasn’t. And they knew what they signed up for. The sound of clashing metal echoed around the room, and before long, every trooper was picking themselves from the floor. Vaasa was hardly straining his abilities here, but he wasn’t looking to do that–he was looking to let out some rage. Troopers served that purpose well enough.

They were winding up for another round when a familiar form stilled their hand. The sight of Aiya filled Vaasa’s mind with the memory of that fight on Exegol–Kylo cutting down every one of the Knights. He had watched Aiya fight…and watched him die.

Pushing those thoughts from their head, they waved a hand. “Get out.” The troopers were quick to react, no doubt hating being in a room with one of the Knights, never mind two of them. Once it was just the two of them, Vaasa visibly relaxed, a faint smile on their features.

“Aiya. Always nice to see a familiar face.” Especially alive in this particular circumstance. “Seems I missed a lot before arriving here. Care to fill me me in?”

aiya had been pleased to hear that another knight had returned with the rift. tyr and kuruk ren’s returns had been... well, rather pitiful, when it came to the fact that they had ultimately killed by their and kylo’s hands for their betrayal. they were weak. but he had higher hopes for vaasa’s return. with kylo on a leash, perhaps the other would be a little more supportive. that wasn’t necessarily the nature of the knights of ren as a whole, but they were loyal to their own and that was what mattered. 

“well, you certainly took your time when it came to returning,” he remarked as he reached up to remove his helmet, looking upon the other knight with their own eyes. they tucked it underneath their arm, taking a few steps into the training room. yes, it would be nice to have another knight around besides kylo. a true equal.

sabé’s eyebrow rose slightly at his question, the ways of the handmaidens under Padmé had been methods and concepts designed by them alone and the occasional addition from Panaka. They’d never really shared most of their secrets, although some the more general concepts were passed down when Padmé’s two terms had ended. “ You’d be hard pressed to find many orders willing to give over every secret they hold… ” She responded, arms folding somewhat as she debated what to say. “ That said, despite the beliefs of some… there are more ways to be talented than just twirling a lightsaber. The Jedi and those like them are hardly invincible and that’s often the fatal flaw. "  Sabé had seen first hand once upon a time what had happened with such beliefs… and knew now just how much it had taken from her and those she cared about. Never again, she vowed silently as she often did when she thought about it all.

Phasma was, admittedly, still a little uncomfortable with being in the past. They had thought that the passing of time might lessen the blow, but everywhere they looked…there were constant reminders that they were adrift in a time they didn’t belong in.

The few familiar faces that Phasma had managed to track down after three years of work were something of a comfort. Or rather–most of them were. The Knights of Ren. They were useful, to be sure. But also unruly. A threat. Something to be utilized and yet kept an observant eye on. It was a thin line, but one Phasma was more than capable of walking.

“I am beginning to doubt that I’ll ever get used to…well, any of this.” It was rare for Phasma to admit such things out loud, but they were well aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. To ignore them is for fools. And, if they were being honest, Phasma viewed Aiya in a somewhat more positive light then the other Knights. “But you seem to have adjusted well enough. Adaptability is an admirable trait, one I wish I shared.”

.

despite the unfortunate association that the silver-plated captain had with general hux, aiya did not entierly hate them as much as he despised most of those who were associated with hux or the first order leadership. they had more respectful for anyone who could actually fight for theirself, instead of being a scrawny little rat of a man who sent others to do it in their place. no matter the particular capacity, aiya simply had an attraction to violence –– something that they had known for their whole life, something that had been particularly brought out of them and honed during the time with the knights of ren.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  He would never live that bloody fundraiser down as long as he lived… or as long as Aiya did. His stomach squirmed as they loomed over him. Hux stood abruptly. He glared down at Aiya, making use of every fraction of an inch of his greater height.  “If you really thought I enjoy your attention, you would deny me it. Now leave my office.”

elaine dismissed the other’s response to her question, it’s not like she was expecting an honest answer anyway. she was glad she had time to eat at least a little bit of the food she had ordered before the other had taken it away from her, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t survive without it. “comes with the job, i guess.” she teased with a small shrug. it was true what she had said, but she always tried her best to hide it. “it tastes really good once you get passed the smell.”

Hux did not dignify that comment about his reports with a response. Questioning his loyalty to the First Order, however, struck a nerve. “My morale is unassailable. Without my loyalty the First Order would not be standing! I should have you thrown out an airlock for the mere suggestion.” Hux had kept his tone icy and controlled, but Aiya’s insinuation pushed him to the edge of shouting. He was confident that Aiya had not lived a future where Hux betrayed the First Order rather than bow to Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Aiya lacked the subtlety to hold such a powerful card close to his chest for this long. But it was impossible to be too paranoid about a detail that could so easily unravel all his plans. Composing himself, Hux almost let Aiya’s claim to ‘superiority’ slide by without a rebuttal, which would surely have sparked suspicion. He scoffed. “You think that your inability to control yourself makes you superior to me? I’d no idea you’ve been moonlighting as a comedian.”

“I am precisely as disposable to Kylo Ren as you are. Best that you get used to it, Aiya,” Hux sneered, dropping the title now that the real Lord Ren had returned. Any conflict between the two knights of Ren meant less time that either could spend antagonizing Hux. “Does he know that? If you say so. Now, if you don’t mind, some of us have work to do. Shouldn’t you? Unless, of course, you’re no longer of use to the First Order.”

“as if you would ever do a thing to sabotage the one piece of leverage that, need you be reminded, i gave you. not all of us want to sit around while you play with your junk for decades.” aiya retorted without missing a beat. it was clear that the words had undermined him more than his usual snide comments, but they did not know precisely why. perhaps he was just being pushed beyond his limit –– something that they were more than fine with, of course. he wouldn’t complain in the slightest about watching the general lose it. their thoughts didn’t linger on the possibility of what more it could have meant for particularly long, just as easily provoked. “if i couldn’t control myself, you would have been dead months ago,” he shrugged. “perhaps you need a lesson in gratitude.” not that they were any less guilty than him on that particular matter.