A/N: To miss: Thank you! The cave is way too iconic, imo, not to be included. :) Glad you liked it.

To Jay: Thank you and here is the new chapter for your enjoyment.

To guest: Fights are not my strong suit, I always worry I'll write too little or too much, or that it won't be clear enough. But I'm glad it turned out fine. Thank you.

Whatever her connection to the melting remnants' previous form, he could sense the strong bond. That flare of horrified concern coupled with a boundless surge of remorse had speared right through him, no doubt amplified by the strange qualities of the cavern. Kylo gazed down at the small bits of human flesh, wondering, wishing even that they should assemble into a discernible form once again she he might rid himself of the peculiar frustration swelling to life in his chest.

He put his lightsabre away after a few moments if inactivity and lowered himself to the ground, his attention going towards Lygeia. Even within the darkness, he could make out her form. She had huddled herself near the uneven wall, pressing her body into the solid, ridged rock. Her whole frame shook lightly, he imagined in the aftermath of the shock. But other than that she seemed composed enough. In no mood to question her, Kylo simply stretched one leg out, leaning his head against the solid wall and closing his eyes.

His heart had skipped a bit at the sudden apparition of his father. A silent curse bolted right through his mind. It had not been fear that struck him motionless but something far more malicious, dangerous and entirely unwelcome. His own heart had frozen in deafening remorse. Remorse that he should have slain his sire in as crude a manner as he had. Then again, Snoke had warned him. It had to be done. Kylo swallowed softly. He had even called him Ben.

How he hated that name. Ben. For Obi-Wan Kenobi it was that his parents had named him. His mother, actually, for it was only Leia Organa that could push such ideals onto a mere babe. She had perhaps hoped that the name would influence him, lead him to a great destiny in the new Jedi order. She had, as he recalled, never shied from showering him with story after story of the brave Jedi and their vicious enemy, the Sith. He had loved those stories. Like she had hoped, he grew to idolise the Jedi.

And then came the discovery that he too was Force sensitive. How glad she'd been. Her and her husband as well. His uncle had been more restrained in his joy, but nonetheless he'd not hesitated in taking him away from the only family he'd ever known. Luke Skywalker had insisted that for Jedi the true path led away from the mundane worries of life. And for that, he had taken Ben and several others with him to the Jedi temple.

How that child, long gone, had missed his mother. He'd begged the woman, in his shameful weakness, not to send him away. He had made promises and promises, but none counted. Leia had assured her son that in time he would grow used to that life, that he would stop missing her, that he would grow into greatness. Ben had been powerless to halt her plans. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, was more than prepared to face her and her demands.

It was good that Snoke had found him when he had. Luke Skywalker would have made out of him a blind servant, unknowing of all the wrongdoings of the Republic, caught in a wed of lies and secured by the thinly veiled untruths. Kylo would not stand for that. Anyone who dared attempt such tricks on his would find their end a violent one.

His train of thoughts slowly calmed, flowing as a river, until it dwindled into silence. The restful silence of sleep. The knight was vaguely aware that he was mo longer awake by the time the dreams set it. From his training, Kylo knew that there were times when the Force sent messages to its containers. Dreams, prophetic visions even. He wondered if being in the dark cave, surrounded by bursting energy had somehow triggered it. Whatever the answer, his mind was already occupied with sorting through disjointed images and incoherent speech. Fragments lingered all about, surrounding him, pressing him. Kylo saw a flash of deep burgundy, heard a lilting laugh and smelled something akin to burning flesh.

A pair of dark eyes bore into his from across a great distance and a woman's voice delivered sharp admonishments, presumably to an unruly child. An explosion sound off afterwards and his vision was blinded by a too bright light. Kylo shielded his eyes. He could still hear the woman though. The voice was the same as the one laughing, but it sounded older. The knight lowered his gaze just in time to witness a nimble creature dart through the shadows.

Something wrapped around his neck, gently gripping. There was no pain, not even discomfort until the hold tightened inexplicably. From the mists a lightsabre shot out, catching him unprepared. The laser cut into his flesh painfully, burning him from within. A yell was ripped off of his lips as frantic hands attempted to drag away the weapon. But he'd been cut already. It made no matter whether he pulled it away or not.

The angry hiss of the blade separating from flesh, leaving a gaping would behind. Kylo brought his fingers over the opening, pressing it lightly, fingers dragging over the frayed edges. The pain had dulled enough for him to be able to see clearly.

"The path of the Jedi," a voice from his past rang out. "Beware of the Dark Side."

He looked up, gasping as the face of Luke Skywalker materialised before his very eyes. Instinctively, his hand reached out for the weapon he kept upon him, but came up with nothing. His uncle laughed. "Beware of the Dark Side, Ben. You mustn't give in." A memory. Kylo growled softly. "Your mother will be so proud."

He was being mocked. Kylo had little doubt of it and he liked it not one bit. "Stop it," he demanded of the jolly spectre before him.

Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, shook his head gently. "The path, you must follow the path."

Screeching and sobbing violently cut in and the darkness bled into another memory. At Kylo's feet a young boy reached out his hand, clawed fingers fighting to hold onto the last drags of life. The laser sword struck his back in a fatal blow. From a dark corner a young woman wailed her battle cry, jumping at him with her lightsabre drawn. He engaged her in combat, red and blue crashing against one another, sparks flying through the air. She yelled something at him, a curse, and leaped into another assault.

Kylo brought his sabre up in a vicious thrust, puncturing the woman's chest. She fell to the side like a ragdoll, her lifeless body pushed away with a simple kick of his foot. He looked down at her pretty face, those wide green eyes staring up at him, empty. He felt nothing, nothing at all for the fallen Padawan. Should he have? Once she'd been his friend.

He walked away from the corpse, advancing into the wide hallway. There was no one else but him there. The knight, newly minted, surveyed his surrounding, quick eyes searching for the last of his targets. The children, all huddled together in one single room. Had they heard the noise? Did they suspect? Reaching the door, Kylo pushed it open gently.

A young child, no more than five years of age, stared at him with wide, frightened eyes, the eerie light casting great shadows upon the ground. There were others as well, boys and girls, holding one another close and weeping. Jedi to be, all of them.

Without a word, his lightsabre swung through the empty air as he walked up to the bravest who dared stand. In the blink of an eye, the child was upon the ground, no drop of life left in him. The other followed one by one and two by two, until there was no one left. Not even one of Luke Skywalker's students stood on their feet.

The knight surveyed his work, a sense of pride coursing through his veins. He had done it, just like he'd promised his master he would. To live that moment again, Kylo closed his eyes and took in as much of it as he could. The Dark Force surged through him like, spreading as the water of a gushing fountain, the bust strong. Snoke had had the right of it.

In an unexpected twist, however, a sharp pain sliced through him, shoulder burning with a sudden burden. Vaguely, he was aware that a voice was calling his name most insistently. Not Luke's apprentice, mind. The name of the knight. Kylo tried to ignore it for a moment, but he might as soon have staved off the greedy habits of the Hutts.

Allowing himself to be pulled away, the knight came to. At his side a concerned Lygeia was working bound hands around one of his shoulder. "Wake up already!" Her voice sounded hoarse, as if she'd been weeping.

Pushing her away with a well-placed elbow, Kylo's hand went to his lightsabre. "What is it?"

"The ground is shaking," she hissed at him. Lygeia was unsure if she ought to yell it as well for him to understand. There she was, terrified to the roots of her teeth and he had no trouble sleeping. Her stomach churned unpleasantly. What if the creature had found them?

She heard rather than saw him move. Lygeia held her breath as a thin red light speared through the darkness, illuminating the cave softly. She looked around, hoping that it might be a hallucination of some sort, like the image of Ravin. Despite the remorse he'd woken in her, she would much prefer his presence over any flesh-devouring creature that might be hiding underneath the layer of dirt she sat on.

If only her hands were free. Tightly bound as they were, she could not even feel the flow of her blood, let alone attempt to see herself out of danger. Pressing backwards against the wall, she struggled to her feet, edging slowly towards the entrance of the cave just in case she needed to bolt. Like a doe being hunted, her muscles drew tight, body ready for flight.

And sure enough, no more than a few moments had passed before a thick rod broke through the earth.

"Out!" Kylo shouted at her, his own body moving backwards, frame reaching hers with lightning speed. The stumbled together outside the entrance, neither entirely sure if it had been an illusion or now. Nonetheless, they had returned to the wet marshes.

Standing before the cave's entrance Lygeia dared to look at the knight and his unsheathed weapon. She had felt something in that cave, something which she had not ever thought could exist, a swirl of power, raw and frightening. It had come from him. Of that she was certain. How could it be possible for one man to contain such a large amount of power of dark nature? That she could not answer, nor did she truly wish to if she though better on it.

"Is it gone?" she asked, breaking the silence between them, eyes returning to the dark entrance. Nothing had followed them out and nothing had tried to drag them back in. Who was to say that the danger was past though? Craning her neck, she tried to catch a glimpse of whatever might be hiding in those shadows.

"There's nothing there," came his reply after a few moments. Kylo turned towards her and grabbed at her bound hands. But he seemed to change his mind just as fast, for his gaze shifted to appoint behind her and she felt him tense. Instinctively, her head swivelled to the side, struggling to catch sight of whatever he saw.

The foliage moved slightly. Drawing in a sharp breath, Lygeia did nothing to stop herself from being pushed to the side. In fact, she was quite willing to be shielded from whatever danger lurked about.

The great leaves moved to the side slowly.

"Sir, we've finally found you," a monotonous voice broke the tension. Rarely had Lygeia been happier to see a familiar uniform. The trooper lowered his weapon. "Supreme Leader Snoke will see you now. Both of you," the man clarified just as the woman edged backwards at the mention of the elusive leader of the First Order.

Thus, without further delay, the knight released her hands from the cruel hold of the shackles and Lygeia found herself flanked by two stormtroopers outwardly perfectly similar to the tree that had lost their lives. She could do little but walk alongside them, hoping that this Snoke character would not take notice of her and if he did, that he would deem her unworthy of attention.

Kylo walked ahead of her, the distance between them growing with every step he took. For some odd, inexplicable reason, Lygeia felt the threat of it pressing into her. He had been by far the most capable of the Order's followers. Shaking her head as soon as the though registered, the woman wondered how she could possibly, even for a brief moment, entertain it. It was bad enough that she felt some sort of misplaced gratitude towards him for disposing of the ghosts lurking in the dark. But to actually admire him was too much.

Lygeia was much relieved that he had not softened towards her at all during their mishap. It would have surely invited in a serpent she had no need of to think him capable of caring. Her mind went towards the darkened cave and the first apparition. Still, there was no name she could match the face with. A pity, for she felt there was something truly important there. If only she could remember. Straining herself, Lygeia murmured something under her breath, sound leaving her lips without her realising.

"What?" a trooper demanded on the heels of whatever she had said. "Repeat that."

The woman jolted lightly. "Nothing. I was just," she trailed off, her mind searching for some excuse. "I think I've injured myself," she finished lamely, wondering if she sported any bruises to prove it. Perhaps a few livid spots would solve the matter.

The same trooper snorted as if amused. Certainly for him her sporting any sort of bruises was not a concern. Relieved, Lygeia continued walking, her eyes already taking in the wide ship that had landed and was no doubt waiting for their arrival. She thanked her lucky star, for she was not certain how much longer her legs would cooperate. In fact, her limbs felt much like lead, ready to give way at any point and leave her at the mercy of her captors in respect of transport, which Lygeia suspected would not be very pleasant.

"Here we are," the other trooper said, taking her by the shoulder. "Walk faster." His instruction was carried out without protest, the woman forcing her legs to move in an almost frantic manner, not for the first time feeling rather like she would enjoy giving them a piece of her own mind. In lieu of that, she opted for obedience.

Brought to a small chamber in aboard the spaceship, Lygeia was surprised to see that only a hologram projector awaited their arrival. She sat down in a chair, looking towards Kylo in confusion. He stood on his feet, not even glancing at the other empty chair. Taking a deep breath, Lygeia glanced away, something within her warning of danger.

The lights dimmed slowly until they were bathed in semidarkness. The projector beeped, signalling an incoming call. Without a wasted moment, it turned on by itself and a gigantic creature took form before their very eyes. If Kylo Ren had no reaction to offer, Lygeia, unused to such apparitions, felt her heart struggling behind the bones her ribcage, the pain nearly making her choke on a breath of air.

"You are returned," a deep voice came from the shadowed figure. Lygeia was much too busy staring to comprehend if a response was required. Thankfully for her the main partner in the conversation was the knight. "You've done well. I can feel the shift in the Force."

"Yes, master. I felt it too," Kylo answered, seemingly unconcerned that her attention was on the two of them. "The Dark Side is gaining strength." That could not bode well. Lygeia's jaw locked tightly as she detected a hint of satisfaction in the knight's voice. It was as if he did not know that excess led to destruction.

"The woman has served you well," Snoke continued, his eyes moving on her form. Straightening herself, Lygeia suffered his close examination with as much dignity as she could possibly summon, given the state she was in. "And now, it is time to her what you must do for us."

Were she a bold creature, she would have laughed. As it was, Lygeia threw the alien a sullen look, refraining from offering any comments. He, however, had no trouble continuing. "As the daughter of a diplomat and former member of the Senate, I trust you know your way around diffusing tension when you see it. Furthermore, the proposal I have for you is liable to bring much prosperity to your family." The warning was clear as daylight.

Unwilling to verbally consent yet, Lygeia nodded her head, worry stealing over her even before the man opened his mouth. "Kylo, listen as well, this mission the two of you will share the burden of."

"Yes, master," came the prompt reply.

Lygeia leaned back in her seat, hands in her lap, lamenting the lack of any piece of flowing material to grab on to. Nonetheless, her attention was upon the great alien sitting before them, her brain coming up with scheme upon scheme.

"In the Mert'n star system there is the small planet of Hilis." A second projection sprang before their eyes, the map leading them to that very planet. "It is ruled by the royal class from within which one individual is chosen to serve as king or queen for their lifetime. Currently, it is led by Emphris Hull." The image of a kind-looking man presented itself. His age shone through however by the white hair and lined face. "There is a peaceful planet, allied with neither side. I want them as ours."

In any other words, Lygeia was to somehow convince the king of a peace-loving populace that he should ally himself with warmongering zealots. It sounded like something that would not be happening. "I leave it to the two of you to decide the best manner in which to proceed. But while you play ambassador, Miss Nadora, pray remember your family."

Inclining her head in obedience, Lygeia swallowed her objections. "Of course, Supreme Leader." If need be, she would do this. After all, the man was asking for a single planet, not an entire star system. It was not damage that could not be undone. Thus convincing herself, Lygeia eased her struggle somewhat.

"One of my associates shall serve as your councillor in this," the leader went on to say. "Kylo Ren, I trust you to oversee to the success of this move. You are dismissed."

The image faded, lights brightening gradually.

To her mind, she was being tested. That had to be it. Surely there were individuals invested in the cause who had the necessary aptitudes to carry through such a mission. They simply wished to see whether she would dare try cheating them or not. Well, Lygeia had no desire of giving them the satisfaction they wished of her. She would save her family and, one way or another, she would see that Hilis maintained its neutral position.

Her determination would carry her through, the woman was certain. She stood up from her seat, prepared to see the inside of a shower.

Having correctly predicted that she would be led to her room, Lygeia was pleased to find that not only did fresh clothes await her, but food as well.

Leaving the nourishment where it was, the female stepped into the small bathroom, turning the water on. She made short work of tangled, knotted hair and brushed the dried mud off of her skin vigorously. It was good to be back in a medium where nothing slimy could touch her. At least as good as her situation permitted at any rate.

Once done, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in thick towels, rubbing the water away. She needed to start planning. It could not be a thing of the moment, whatever she did on Hilis. Her conscience depended on it. Lygeia sat down at the small table and took a bite of the lukewarm food. Chewing carefully, she enjoyed the warmth spreading through her.

Writing was out of the question as was simply speaking. Certainly Kylo Ren and his master would have eyes on her at all times. Still, there had to be something she could do. Perhaps it would be prudent to meet the associate the supreme leader had spoken of. The woman sighed softly, feeling all but confident.

A/N: From next chapter onward I'll be focusing a bit more on political entanglements. Hopefully, I'll manage to make an accurate job of it. If there are any glaring mistakes, do let me know. Thank you for reading and I hope you've had fun. If you want to, drop me a line. :D Until next time then.