I don’t think this will be canon, but it’s an intriguing idea that I wanted to play with.
///
He delved deeper into the holocron, dark side power twining through his body and connecting him to the ancient artefact. No, tell me about the philosophy, the core principals, he thought, pushing his will behind the order. The gatekeeper of a long-dead Sith bowed in his mind’s eye and a new flood of information flowed through the link. He hissed as the data tried to overwhelm his senses with a tide of pain. He pushed back until a the river became a gradual trickle, Rule of Two, stagnation and complacency. More details filtered through. Pain and fear and hate. Peace is a lie. With a final effort of will and power he broke the connection his connection with the holocron. The techniques and forms of the Sith seemed useful, but the principals…
‘Well,’ Snoke murmured to himself, ‘that won’t do at all.’
///
Snoke was meditating the first time it happened. Even without the core of the Sith principals, the techniques were sound and his skill set had been augmented by internalising the teachings of different holocrons. His range was getting wider every day and soon it would be time to take a more direct hand in the actions of the First Order that he’d created.
Snoke pulled his mantle of dark side power closer, extending his senses through the void. His power protected the outlines of his mind, preventing him from spiralling out into the abyss of the dark side and being consumed. A sudden crackle of harsh rage pierced the aether like a flame. Another mind screamed through the quiet darkness, close to ripping itself apart with the strength of its emotions. There was power there, but no focus.
Snoke narrowed his awareness toward the struggling mind and wrapped a layer of his own power around it, preventing it from shredding itself away and dissipating in the darkness. The other mind felt him and slammed up against the sheer surface of Snoke’s will.
Cease, Snoke commanded. He felt an upwelling of fury, but the second attack was too unfocused to cause him any damage. Cease. You lack the strength to fight me and if I let you go you would be at the mercy of the void. Do you seek to let the dark side consume you utterly?
The other mind was far too inexperienced to communicate directly, but Snoke felt the upwell of fear. That too was a useful emotion that had surprising depth in one so untrained.
Focus your will. Draw your emotions in tight and let them burn in your core, Snoke instructed.
The other presence still hummed with overwhelming emotion, but Snoke felt it make an effort to rein itself in. After a long moment the spreading presence contracted down into something more tightly controlled and brighter. It was a form that could more easily resist the seductive and lethal pull of the dark side.
Good. Shall I let go? You should learn to stand against the Force if you wish to use it. The fear was there again, sudden and bitter against the surface of Snoke’s awareness. It is your choice, Snoke said, It must always be your choice.
A hesitation, and then a sense of acceptance from the mind. Snoke withdrew his power slowly, keeping close in case he needed to reinforce the barriers of that fragile, untrained mind. The globe of rage and fear wavered for moment, but stabilised. Its outer barriers held firm against the encroaching power of the Force.
Impressive. You have not reached out so deep before and yet you are surviving it, Snoke surmised. There was a sense of affirmation. You are strong in your emotions and in the Force. You will probably find your way back here, even if you don’t go looking. It is important that you know how to escape.
The sense of affirmation was stronger now and a deep feeling of determination rose as well. The seemingly infinite reserves of emotion staggered Snoke. Engaging with his emotions was a constant struggle. His species came from a barren, stagnant world where constant emotional flux was of little use. A lot of his power came from finesse rather than raw strength. It was humbling to sense something so vibrantly emotional.
The untrained mind wavered as it tried to pull itself free from the deep voids of the dark side. The struggle was palpable through the Force. For a moment its barriers started to disintegrate. Its panic flared, and oddly, so to did Snoke’s. He hastily wrapped his own power around the other mind again. I’m here, he said. Don’t flail, concentrate your will toward your goal as a single point. It is the same technique that lets me communicate to you clearly. Don’t reach wide, reach with a concentrated point of willpower. The affirmation came slower this time, but the determination was even deeper. Snoke withdrew again and that alien point of awareness focused, pulling itself out from the depths of the Force.
Thank you, came an odd-sounding whisper of thought.
Snoke’s expression would have betrayed his surprise if his psychic manifestation had a face down here. Most impressive, he sent, half to himself and half for the other mind. Strength like that was something to protect and develop. Any other action would have been a betrayal of the will of the dark side. Snoke finished his meditation and drew his awareness back into his physical body. There was much to contemplate.
///
The scream reverberated so strongly through the dark side that Snoke felt it even while he was focused on the physical plane. He instantly recognised Ben’s Force signature and his uniquely powerful emotions. Snoke dismissed the First Order officer he was speaking with and cut the holofeed. It didn’t matter that he was in the middle of giving orders, some things were more important.
Snoke centred himself and flung his awareness into the void of dark side power. Ben’s mental barriers were holding tightly against the Force, even as his emotions swirled violently. The dark side wrapped around him, looking for a way to pull him apart, but these days Ben was too proficient to be so easily seduced to destruction by the dark side.
Snoke tried to offer advice and lessons whenever Ben was present in the void, though it didn’t happen often. Not only was it difficult and taxing for Ben to reach out so deeply, he was oddly resistant to anything that resembled instruction. Resentment and frustration bubbled up from his mental presence whenever Snoke tried to structure his advice like a lesson. Still, such things fed Ben’s emotions, so Snoke never tried to push further.
What’s happened? Tell me! Snoke demanded, his worry sharpening his tone.
Pain and truly deep hate welled up from Ben. I killed them! he screamed into the void. I slaughtered every last one of Master Skywalker’s students!
Snoke reeled back. The power it must have taken, the depth of Ben’s dark emotions – all of it spoke of a staggering degree of talent. You’re in pain, Snoke noted, keeping his emotions close and focused.
Yes. Ben’s mental voice was a hiss in the darkness. I’m wounded, the others who follow me, it wasn’t enough. Skywalker came at me. Only at me, he knew. Then he escaped. He escaped! Ben’s voice wasn’t stable and his outline started to waver. That hadn’t happened in years.
Focus, Ben. You’re slipping, Snoke advised. He wasn’t prepared for the psychic backlash his comment generated.
No! Don’t, don’t call me that! I can’t, I didn’t want, all the bodies, all the death, my followers, the students, I shouldn’t, I couldn’t. Why did he fear me? Why did he stop me at every turn? Tried to control me! Tried to deny my destiny!
For the first time in years, Snoke wrapped his power around Ben, trying to hold the wavering barriers stable against the onslaught of the dark side. Enough! Remember where you are. If you let your guard down here you could be destroyed, Snoke said.
Ben tightened his grip on his will with a palpable effort. He still wavered, but his barrier was strong enough to hold. Snoke stayed close, not wanting to risk it.
I have nowhere to go. The words were so quiet that they almost didn’t register. Strange emotions twisted through Snoke as he sensed the pain behind Ben’s confession.
Nonsense. You will come to me. Bring your followers. I can offer you all sanctuary, Snoke said.
For once his proclamation wasn’t met with resentment or suspicion. Perhaps Ben was too drained by his recent experience.
Thank you.
Snoke gave Ben the relevant coordinates and only withdrew his attention after Ben’s presence had left the depths of the Force-void. He sat back on his throne as awareness returned to his body. Ben’s arrival could take a long time and he had his own preparations to make with the First Order.
Fill: Snoke actually cares about Kylo, Gen (1/2)
///
He delved deeper into the holocron, dark side power twining through his body and connecting him to the ancient artefact. No, tell me about the philosophy, the core principals, he thought, pushing his will behind the order. The gatekeeper of a long-dead Sith bowed in his mind’s eye and a new flood of information flowed through the link. He hissed as the data tried to overwhelm his senses with a tide of pain. He pushed back until a the river became a gradual trickle, Rule of Two, stagnation and complacency. More details filtered through. Pain and fear and hate. Peace is a lie. With a final effort of will and power he broke the connection his connection with the holocron. The techniques and forms of the Sith seemed useful, but the principals…
‘Well,’ Snoke murmured to himself, ‘that won’t do at all.’
///
Snoke was meditating the first time it happened. Even without the core of the Sith principals, the techniques were sound and his skill set had been augmented by internalising the teachings of different holocrons. His range was getting wider every day and soon it would be time to take a more direct hand in the actions of the First Order that he’d created.
Snoke pulled his mantle of dark side power closer, extending his senses through the void. His power protected the outlines of his mind, preventing him from spiralling out into the abyss of the dark side and being consumed. A sudden crackle of harsh rage pierced the aether like a flame. Another mind screamed through the quiet darkness, close to ripping itself apart with the strength of its emotions. There was power there, but no focus.
Snoke narrowed his awareness toward the struggling mind and wrapped a layer of his own power around it, preventing it from shredding itself away and dissipating in the darkness. The other mind felt him and slammed up against the sheer surface of Snoke’s will.
Cease, Snoke commanded. He felt an upwelling of fury, but the second attack was too unfocused to cause him any damage. Cease. You lack the strength to fight me and if I let you go you would be at the mercy of the void. Do you seek to let the dark side consume you utterly?
The other mind was far too inexperienced to communicate directly, but Snoke felt the upwell of fear. That too was a useful emotion that had surprising depth in one so untrained.
Focus your will. Draw your emotions in tight and let them burn in your core, Snoke instructed.
The other presence still hummed with overwhelming emotion, but Snoke felt it make an effort to rein itself in. After a long moment the spreading presence contracted down into something more tightly controlled and brighter. It was a form that could more easily resist the seductive and lethal pull of the dark side.
Good. Shall I let go? You should learn to stand against the Force if you wish to use it. The fear was there again, sudden and bitter against the surface of Snoke’s awareness. It is your choice, Snoke said, It must always be your choice.
A hesitation, and then a sense of acceptance from the mind. Snoke withdrew his power slowly, keeping close in case he needed to reinforce the barriers of that fragile, untrained mind. The globe of rage and fear wavered for moment, but stabilised. Its outer barriers held firm against the encroaching power of the Force.
Impressive. You have not reached out so deep before and yet you are surviving it, Snoke surmised. There was a sense of affirmation. You are strong in your emotions and in the Force. You will probably find your way back here, even if you don’t go looking. It is important that you know how to escape.
The sense of affirmation was stronger now and a deep feeling of determination rose as well. The seemingly infinite reserves of emotion staggered Snoke. Engaging with his emotions was a constant struggle. His species came from a barren, stagnant world where constant emotional flux was of little use. A lot of his power came from finesse rather than raw strength. It was humbling to sense something so vibrantly emotional.
The untrained mind wavered as it tried to pull itself free from the deep voids of the dark side. The struggle was palpable through the Force. For a moment its barriers started to disintegrate. Its panic flared, and oddly, so to did Snoke’s. He hastily wrapped his own power around the other mind again. I’m here, he said. Don’t flail, concentrate your will toward your goal as a single point. It is the same technique that lets me communicate to you clearly. Don’t reach wide, reach with a concentrated point of willpower. The affirmation came slower this time, but the determination was even deeper. Snoke withdrew again and that alien point of awareness focused, pulling itself out from the depths of the Force.
Thank you, came an odd-sounding whisper of thought.
Snoke’s expression would have betrayed his surprise if his psychic manifestation had a face down here. Most impressive, he sent, half to himself and half for the other mind. Strength like that was something to protect and develop. Any other action would have been a betrayal of the will of the dark side. Snoke finished his meditation and drew his awareness back into his physical body. There was much to contemplate.
///
The scream reverberated so strongly through the dark side that Snoke felt it even while he was focused on the physical plane. He instantly recognised Ben’s Force signature and his uniquely powerful emotions. Snoke dismissed the First Order officer he was speaking with and cut the holofeed. It didn’t matter that he was in the middle of giving orders, some things were more important.
Snoke centred himself and flung his awareness into the void of dark side power. Ben’s mental barriers were holding tightly against the Force, even as his emotions swirled violently. The dark side wrapped around him, looking for a way to pull him apart, but these days Ben was too proficient to be so easily seduced to destruction by the dark side.
Snoke tried to offer advice and lessons whenever Ben was present in the void, though it didn’t happen often. Not only was it difficult and taxing for Ben to reach out so deeply, he was oddly resistant to anything that resembled instruction. Resentment and frustration bubbled up from his mental presence whenever Snoke tried to structure his advice like a lesson. Still, such things fed Ben’s emotions, so Snoke never tried to push further.
What’s happened? Tell me! Snoke demanded, his worry sharpening his tone.
Pain and truly deep hate welled up from Ben. I killed them! he screamed into the void. I slaughtered every last one of Master Skywalker’s students!
Snoke reeled back. The power it must have taken, the depth of Ben’s dark emotions – all of it spoke of a staggering degree of talent. You’re in pain, Snoke noted, keeping his emotions close and focused.
Yes. Ben’s mental voice was a hiss in the darkness. I’m wounded, the others who follow me, it wasn’t enough. Skywalker came at me. Only at me, he knew. Then he escaped. He escaped! Ben’s voice wasn’t stable and his outline started to waver. That hadn’t happened in years.
Focus, Ben. You’re slipping, Snoke advised. He wasn’t prepared for the psychic backlash his comment generated.
No! Don’t, don’t call me that! I can’t, I didn’t want, all the bodies, all the death, my followers, the students, I shouldn’t, I couldn’t. Why did he fear me? Why did he stop me at every turn? Tried to control me! Tried to deny my destiny!
For the first time in years, Snoke wrapped his power around Ben, trying to hold the wavering barriers stable against the onslaught of the dark side. Enough! Remember where you are. If you let your guard down here you could be destroyed, Snoke said.
Ben tightened his grip on his will with a palpable effort. He still wavered, but his barrier was strong enough to hold. Snoke stayed close, not wanting to risk it.
I have nowhere to go. The words were so quiet that they almost didn’t register. Strange emotions twisted through Snoke as he sensed the pain behind Ben’s confession.
Nonsense. You will come to me. Bring your followers. I can offer you all sanctuary, Snoke said.
For once his proclamation wasn’t met with resentment or suspicion. Perhaps Ben was too drained by his recent experience.
Thank you.
Snoke gave Ben the relevant coordinates and only withdrew his attention after Ben’s presence had left the depths of the Force-void. He sat back on his throne as awareness returned to his body. Ben’s arrival could take a long time and he had his own preparations to make with the First Order.
///