To say things are looking up for me and my purpose for sneaking into the First Order is cautiously optimistic. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, a lot can still happen. Things can still go wrong. Only when I've gotten Ben Solo back and out of the First Order can I deem this success.

Ever since Ben's confession out in the snow, a lot has changed. I've built my two new lightsabers, both bear the color red thanks to "bleeding" the kyber crystals. It was not my proudest moment, I will admit, but to keep up the act, dedication was required. So now, I'm one step further away from being a Jedi. It's scary, even if it is just a cover for a bigger mission.

Ben and I still keep up appearances, but we play off of each other nicely. Ever since my approval to be with the First Order, the Supreme Leader has not asked for updates on my progress. Not that I've known anyway; I don't know if Ben is keeping those from me.

With the time that has passed, I can pick up on his presence no problem now. Currently, it is waiting outside of the door to my quarters.

"It's rude to stalk outside of someone's quarters," I say loud enough for him to hear. The door never opens. Sighing, I open it myself. The grave look on Ben's face is not a great thing to see first thing in the morning. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"The Supreme Leader requests both of us," he says hollowly.

Of course, just when I think he's never going to want to talk to us..."Do we know why?" I ask, swallowing.

"No. Hux only told me he wanted to see both of us. We can't keep him waiting."

Nervous, I'm aware of my lightsabers swinging from their loops on my belt as I follow Ben to the room where I'd met Snoke before. If he's just asking for a progress report, we'll make it sound good.

When the doors open to the room, this time is different from my first. For one thing, Snoke's hologram is already present, which sends my heart into an alarming panic. I bite down on my tongue so I don't start to whistle. For another thing, I recognize the back of General Hux's head.

"Are we interrupting something? Is this a bad time?" I say before I can shut myself up.

Hux throws me a glare over his shoulder. "No, you're right on time, Galavan."

"What's this about, Supreme Leader?" Ben asks the hologram as we enter deeper into the room.

"We had a trespasser on Starkiller base," Hux informs both of us. "I was asking the Supreme Leader about what to do with him. We also figured you would have some opinions."

"Do we know much about this trespasser?" I ask curiously.

"According to General Hux, no. He's not like you, Miss Galavan. He apparently will not speak, either."

"Then we get someone to make him speak," Ben says.

"Perhaps your apprentice can gain some interrogation experience," Hux suggests. "It'd give her a better idea as to what we do here in the First Order."

"I've never interrogated someone in my life," I tell the general rather sharply.

"Today is your lucky day, then," says the Supreme Leader. "Get what information you can. Kylo will assist you and supervise you. Report back to me your findings, and we will decide from there."

"As you wish, Master," says Ben. I don't even hesitate when I bow before the hologram before he disappears. Ben looks to Hux. "Show us to the prisoner."

"Why didn't you kill him if he trespassed?" I ask Hux as he takes lead.

"On the off chance he's part of a resistance, he could provide us with some information. Perhaps information on Luke Skywalker's whereabouts."

Even if he were part of said resistance, there's no way he would divulge any information to the enemy. That's just fact. Ever since the Academy's destruction, Master Skywalker disappeared. Apparently, nobody has been able to find him since then. I know what the First Order's intentions will be if they capture him. "And if he's not part of this resistance?"

"He will either die or remain a prisoner forever. He may ultimately make the choice himself, willingly or not."

I look to Ben, catching his eye. With our recent revelation, I wonder how this will go.

Hux leads us to a cell door, similar to one I once was held in. Once the door opens, he nods and takes his leave. When the orange-haired general moves away, and I can see the prisoner, I want to fall on my knees.

It's Cayden. As in my roommate I left on another planet.

I let out a string of curses in my head. Damn him! Damn him for getting captured like this!

They have Cayden strapped down in a metallic chair, allowing him to not roam about his prison cell. He's currently unconscious, or sleeping, it's hard to discern from here. A lump has grown in my throat. I know I'm undercover, but this...this may make me lose any progress I've made from the time I arrived here.

"He won't bite," Ben tells me softly.

I can't make my body stop shaking. "I've never interrogated someone. You only...you just talk to them, right? You don't...you don't search through their heads?"

"What are you afraid of, Amara?"

A lot of things. I'm afraid that Cayden's presence will screw this up for me. I'm afraid that if Ben sees our connection it may destroy our progress we've made. I'm not sure he's firmly against the First Order. "If we are to get you on the path of the Light...this isn't going to help it."

"If we don't do this interrogation, someone else will. They won't be nice about it, either. We're doing this man a kindness."

I am the first to step into Cayden's cell. I approach his sleeping form in the chair. I give his cheeks a few light taps. Surprisingly, he stirs awful quickly. His eyes light up at the sight of me, but he must realize Ben is nearby, because he doesn't speak a word to me.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" I hiss in Cayden's face.

"I told you, if you were gone too long, I'd find you. Can you get him out so we can talk in private?"

"About that..."

"Amara..."

"Hear me out—"

"If you start spewing me some First Order bullshit, I swear on the stars—"

"Instead of threatening her, perhaps it'd be best to shut your mouth and open your ears," Ben tells Cayden curtly.

Cayden's blue eyes are alight with anger at me. "I won't talk to you with him in the room."

"You can trust him," I say.

Cayden's brows rise. "You don't believe that, so I won't. Get him out."

Sighing, I look over to Ben. "Give us some time, will you? Make up some excuse if Hux happens to run into you."

Though reluctant, Ben does allow Cayden and myself some privacy. He's decent enough to shut the door, allowing further privacy. I look back to my best friend, whose eyes are still angry with me.

"Start explaining, Mar, now." Cayden frets in the chair. "You could've asked him how to undo the restraints."

I shake my head. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

"I told you, if I thought you were gone too long, I was coming after you."

"How'd you get here?"

"That's not important."

"Please tell me you didn't sign with the resistance."

"What?" Cayden's face scrunches in confusion.

"Never mind," I wave his befuddlement off. "You shouldn't have done this. It was foolish to come here. You could've died! You still can!" All heat leaves my face after I realize what I've said. "This was my mission, and now you're here..." Tears well in my eyes. "You thought I couldn't do it."

"Amara..." Cayden sighs.

"Admit it, that's why you wanted to come after me."

"Why are you acting like this? You're more put together. What are they doing to you? What is he doing to you?"

"N-nothing," I spit. "Ben is doing nothing to me. I've...I've had to go through quite a bit. Build a new identity to show to the First Order. It's...it's draining. This is the first time I've really spoken to someone who knows who I really am."

"I guess not, since you keep calling him 'Ben'. You know that's not who he is, Amara."

"He's conflicted, Cayden. He feels like there's no way out from the darkness. I think I may have given him it."

Cayden's eyes turn sympathetic. "Amara, it could be a tactic to manipulate you. He could be saying what you want to hear."

"No, we had a moment, out in the forest. It felt genuine, Cayden, what he was telling me. I want to believe he can be saved."

"Even if he does want to change, how are you going to save yourselves and find your way out of here?" He shifts uncomfortably in his contraption. "If the First Order figures out what's really going on, you may end up like me, or worse."

"I'm crossing that bridge when I get to it," I say in a hurry.

Cayden has become a variable I didn't want to have in this already complicated mess of an equation. Now, on top of showing Ben back to the light and our eventual escape, I now have to figure out how to free Cayden too. If only the stubborn asshole had just stayed back home...

"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you stay alive. They won't hurt you, not as long as I get a say in it. If I find out they're doing anything behind my back..."

"Careful about that, Amara. That's a fine line. You'll show your true colors if you pull a stunt like that. You can't blow your cover for me."

"By the stars, this is so messed up!" I move away from Cayden, pacing. A headache is forming in the front of my skull. "Okay, okay, I'll think of something. In the meantime, you," I glare at Cayden, "don't say or do anything that will give them reason to harm you, or kill you."

"Then I guess I'll be safe if they try and execute me with a blaster shot; they can't aim for shit." Though Cayden offers up the slight joke, I don't laugh.

I've got more work ahead of me, and it's now more critical than ever before. It's not just my life and Ben's in the balance anymore, Cayden has now put himself into the crosshairs too.