[Kylo]

[Warning point of view will switch rapidly and often without warning. This is more an experiment in writing than an actual coherent story. Triggering warnings for abuse, torture, mentions of rape (but nothing detailed or graphic), violence, mild gore, and explicit language. This is an AU (or well more like different timeline/ what if) of an AU for Star Wars.]

They'll try to tell you that time is linear.
It's not. It never has been.
So many times,
So many places,
So many what ifs,
And so many threads connecting it all.
It's a web beyond our understanding.
Pull a string here,
And something happens over there.
I can see so much,
And yet so little.
All these times,
All these lives,
Lived, Lost, Forgotten, Found,
And yet I still have so much to learn.
I record it all and understand so little.
But I'm not here to understand.
I'm here to archive.
I know my place now.
I am The Archivist.

The room is dark, lit only by weak moon light filtering through the curtains that cover the small windows. A person tosses and turns in their sleep, moaning in pain and whimpering in fear. With a sharp gasp they jolt awake, sitting up rapidly from the bed. It's a younger man, he can't be more than 26 standard years old, with rusty auburn hair and liquid amber eyes and tanned skin. His eyes dart about the room scanned, watching, taking in everything all at once. His heart trembles in his chest and his breathing is harsh. A larger man stirs beside him and yawns, before rubbing his tired eyes wearily.

"Orion?"

Orion sits there for a long moment before finally replying quietly, with a gravely voice, "Go back to sleep."

The other man, long black hair and bright blue eyes, stares at him before narrowing his eyes and snapping back with a growl, "It's not kriffing nothing. What's wrong?"

Orion reels in his labored breath and lays back down. He stares blankly at the ceiling and counts backwards from five before replying, "Just a dream. I'll be fine."

The other man turns to stare at Orion a frown on his face. "Don't lie to me, Orion. It wasn't just some dream. Out with it."

Orion shivers and turns to face the other man, but refuses to meet his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it, Xanatos. Please...just-just drop it."

Xanatos stares at him for a few moments longer before sighing and scooting closer to Orion and wrapping an arm around him. Orion stiffens for a moment before relaxing into the touch and laying his head against Xanatos' chest. Xanatos sifted slightly until he was comfortable and drifted off back to sleep. Orion listened to his heart beat as he slowly fell into a deep dreamless sleep curled up against the other man. He was going to need the rest if he was to make it through tomorrow.

[Kylo]

I don't know what to think of the strange man who walked into my life. His quiet but rough voice. His bright but haunted eyes. His beautiful but scarred body. He's a contradiction in motion. He kills but stays my hand. He saves and yet he damns. A Sith with compassion. A killer that is kind. A man who damned himself to save others. He is selfish in that he wishes to protect everyone. He is selfless in that he accepts he can't.

I want to pick him apart and see what makes him tick. He's told so much about his life and yet I feel like I barely know him. A mystery that draws me in and shakes me to my core. Just who is Orion Phazer, and why am I so addicted to his presence?

Even now as I watch him meditate I can't help but lean a bit closer, watch a bit more carefully. His is the biggest mystery in my life right now and I can't let him stay that way for long. After all knowledge is power and I intend to know all.

[Kylo]

[[Trigger warning for rape]]

Hands everywhere, on everything. Scratching, tearing, bruising, pinching, pulling. Too much, too much! Pain blossoming behind every touch.

Weak, weak, weak, weak. Pathetic, worthless, pitiful, disgrace, WEAK.

Get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my HEAD! Screaming, thrashing, clawing, biting. Fight, fight, FIGHT!

Blood, flesh, nails, teeth! Scrape, claw, slash, scrabble! Must escape, must escape, must ESCAPE!

Pain, blood, bruise, broken bones, matted hair, and kicked in teeth. Painful cracked ribs, and bloody breaths.

Chained, contained, constrained.

Even a cornered womprat will fight.

Weak, devour, destroy, ruin, raze, set a blaze. Tear, strip, so small, so fragile, so WEAK.

No, stop, don't! NO! Not that! Not that! NO!

Struggle harder rat, just makes it better for us.

DON'T! NO! STOP!

Scream, beg, plead, thrash, crash. Head smashed. Dizzy, slow, black, blacker, blackest. Sound muffled, head spinning, world going dark, darker, darkest, black. PAIN. Blooming, bright, tearing, blood, PAIN.

Struggle, struggle, struggle! STRUGGLE! Please stop! Please, hurts, stop, NO!

Shut up! Can't stop us. Too weak. You are our reward. Accept it. This is what you were meant for. On your knees and hands like a good little boy. Just accept it. It's going to happen a lot MORE.

[Kylo]

Pain, FREEDOM, pain, blood, dragging feet through thick viscera and is that a hand? A leg? Can't tell. Too much blood in my eyes. Move Orion, move. Don't think, don't dwell. Move, one foot in front of the other. My back, my legs, my arms, filled with lead. Keep moving.

Halls, halls, door, hanger, ship, boarding ramp, hall, close door, hall, cockpit, chair, sit. Breathe. Breathe. Coordinates. Coordinates, yes good done. Take off now. Nice and steady, good good. Leaving atmosphere, hold on. So close, closer, closer, out. Good. Done. Check. Next?

Coordinates, yes. Punch in, key in. Good, good. Kriff my back. Bleeding, blood, viscera, guts, gore...no no. Stay on track. Hyperspace yes. Okay good...to...go!

Relax, fall back, sleep...sleep...sleep.

[Kylo]

The crash isn't as bad as it could have been, Xanatos muses silently to himself as a crew tears apart the wreckage, searching for anyone inside.

He hasn't touched the Force in so long yet he can feel the life inside, dim, weak, feeble, but there none the less. He scowls softly as he hears shouting and a loud electronic whine. A droid, fantastic, maybe it contains the information he needs. Shortly after an astromech droid hurtles out of the damaged loading ramp, beeping angrily and proclaiming its hatred of the wreckage crew. Xanatos snorts in amusement as the droid attempts to zap the crew member chasing the droid out.

"Found the pilot!"

Xanatos's head snaps up and he strides over as the crew bustles inside to find the location of the shout.

"We need a stretcher and a medical droid now!"

Before Xanatos can get any closer the paramedics rush in and cut him off. He hmphs in irritation but supposes it's best to give them room to work. In mere moments the crew is carrying out a small man on the stretcher, his face and body covered in ash. His chest barely moves as the slip an oxygen mask over his face. From what little he can see before the man shoved into the waiting medical vehicle his injuries look far worse than what a mere crash could do to him considering how tame the wreck had been.

He steps into the vehicle and orders them to go. He can't help but feel like he had been personally drawn to the crash site as if someone was calling his name. How curious. Hopefully this man would hold all the answers to his questions.

[Kylo]

Blue eyes gaze out at the crowd of people gathered within the dance hall. The dinner had gone off without a hitch. The formal ball he had set up for the various dignitaries, socialites, and shareholders for Offworld was going perfectly and Xanatos couldn't be more satisfied with himself. It had been so easy to convince everyone gathered of how sincere he was in repairing Offworld's reputation and going forward as a better, moral company. To entirely honest he couldn't actually care less of Offworld's reputation or about silly things like morals. But the silent man beside him does, thus leaving Xanatos in a tight spot. Appease the man who was his lover, or risk losing the only person in the galaxy who genuinely loved him.

How he had come to be so...so attached to the former Sith Lord was a mystery to him. He knew it had been a process, nothing that happened overnight, but he had woken up one day and realized he was afraid of losing Orion. The thought had horrified him. He had never cared for someone else so thoroughly before, not even his father. So why this skinny little womprat of a man?

Xanatos was brought out of his reverie when said man leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"That sleemo Palpatine has arrived. Look sharp."

Xanatos stiffened slightly and broke out his most dazzling smile. Of course that pest had to show up. He knew that Sith wouldn't stay out of his business for long.

[Kylo]

"Xanatos my boy! It is truly a pleasure to see you again," Palpatine exclaimed in that same sickeningly sweet toen that grated on Xanatos' every last nerve.

"No, it's truly my pleasure, Senator." He bowed his head slightly, just enough to display the bare minimum of respect before barrelling forward. He didn't have the patience for pleasantries tonight.

"Tell me, Senator, how are things on Naboo? I trust everything is well under your care?"

"Of course, child."

Palpatine seemed to pointedly ignore Orion as he lurked behind and just the right of Xanatos, the traditional place of a guard. Orion's face was that of stony concentration and devoid of any emotion. Xanatos could feel Orion's displeasure towards the slimy politician across their bond and he sent a wave of reassurance back to him.

"So to what do I owe this honor?"

"I was hoping to discuss things of a more delicate nature with you in a more private setting."

"I see." Xanatos left the senator hanging for several long seconds before turning to address Orion."Prepare us a room."

Orion bowed and left but not before tugging on their bond.

Be careful.

I will be.

[Kylo]

Orion laid there panting softly as Xanatos lay on top of him. He hadn't planned on sleeping wit the man this evening but somehow he ended up doing it anyway. Orion didn't care for sex, but something about the way Xan looked at him made him want to slip into bed with him. Maybe it was the deep seated loneliness he saw reflected in his eyes, or maybe it was how he had whispered sweet words lovingly into his ears. Either way Orion had come to bed with him and now was trapped under his sweaty body. There were worse ways to spend an evening he supposed. At least Xan would never force him, or hurt him. He was an attentive lover.

Xan sighed into Orion's ear and nuzzled into the crook of his neck, pressing a caste kiss there. Orion turned to kiss the side of his head and gently wrapped an arm around Xan.

"I love you, you know..." Xan whispered softly.

Orion swallowed and nuzzled into Xan's hair.

"I know. I love you too."

He could feel Xanatos smile against his neck before he rolled off of him. Xan smiled at Orion before pulling him into a hug. Orion smiled back and allowed himself to be embraced. It felt...good, to be held like this. While he didn't care for the sex itself what came afterwards was a dream. The affection was like a cooling balm to his bloodied heart. He'd never admit it out loud, but Orion needed this. He needed to be held, to be cared for, to be loved.

[Kylo]

"We have to get rid of him," Orion whispered.

Xan sighed and shook his head.

"We can't just kill him. He's a senator. It'd be too suspicious. Too dangerous."

Orion paced before turning back to Xan with a harsh look.

"If we don't stop him there won't be a galaxy left to rule."

Xanatos sighed again as he leaned back into the plush chair.

"And how are we going to kill a Sith Lord? I'm a failed Jedi and I hate to say it but Orion...I don't think you're strong enough either."

Orion stopped his pacing to glare at Xanatos.

"Then we get help."

"From who exactly?"

Orion paused for a few moments before smiling wickedly.

"I have an idea."

"I don't think i'm going to like this idea."

"Probably not, but it's a good one."

Xanatos rolled his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"Just get it over with before I grow bored, Ori."

Orion approached Xan and leaned down over him, placing his hands on either side of Xanatos.

"I promise you won't grow bored of this one. So let's begin."