A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack. He has no use for Luke Skywalker's sayings now. Misguided words repeated again and again until they meant nothing at all are all his former master has to offer. But still, Kylo cannot banish the words that echo through his mind as he thumbs the activation stud.

The green blade illuminates the room, forces him to see the fear on the faces before him. It was easier when they were fighting back, but it is moments like this that will test his dedication. They run away like the children they are, but there is nowhere to hide. He and the troops have sealed the exits, and if they do manage to sneak out, they will find the best sharpshooters in the First Order waiting for them. He still has enough Jedi – enough Skywalker - in him that his stomach twists as he cuts through the torso of the first student, leaving a glowing stripe that extends diagonally from hip to shoulder. The two portions peel apart as she falls, and the screams of the others cut as though they're inside him, clawing to get out. His knees buckle at the wave of despair as the stormtroopers fire and the room erupts into chaos.

Think, don't feel. One steadying breath, and he will be ready to return to the fight. The troops have done well, for he sees bodies with smoking, charred holes scattered across the floor. A few of the children, perhaps four or five, are still standing, and all of them fight. They were smart to find the training sabers. Were Skywalker here to see this, he would be proud of them.

But bravery will buy them nothing. Training sabers may deflect the bolts, but with good reason, they're designed not to cut. To teach defense, not offense, but that's not what they need right now. Convinced that the job will soon be done, Kylo leaves them to their duty and goes on to the next room. Here as in the eight to ten-year-old room, the troops have done well. Scorch marks scar the ancient stone walls, and with the exception of the stormtroopers, who move from corpse to corpse, checking for any survivors, there is no movement. He nods towards the captain before heading upstairs.

He cannot remember a time when Yavin 4 had been so still. In the years that he had spent in the Praxeum, there had always been birdsong from the forest edge, and at night, if he strained, he could always hear larger creatures rustling through the underbrush. The forest moon had long been a living temple to life, but tonight, even the animals hid. The Force's true balance came when the strong took what was due to them and the weak hid or were taken from. That was one of the many truths that Skywalker had concealed, or perhaps was too foolish to understand. He runs the tip of his lightsaber along the wall as he ascends, taking a childlike delight in the sizzle of pure energy against rock and the marks left behind. Now, there is no need to conceal his distaste for Skywalker's beloved Temple. He chooses not to consider that he might just be putting off the inevitable. His stomach twists at the thought of what will await him at the top of the stairs, but the compassion that discomfort stems from belongs only to Ben Solo. The dead man's conscience must not be heeded.

Unlike the rest of the Praxeum, which had been little touched since the end of the Rebellion, the nursery is the picture of modernity. Smooth, clean walls are painted a calming blue, and the soft light that bathes the room seems to come from nowhere and everywhere. There are, according to the logs, only three children that fall into this age group currently under the care of the Jedi. That in itself is not unusual. The difficulties inherent to identifying young Force-sensitives combined with the difficulty of getting parents to agree to send their baby or toddler off to a distant world has always caused the nursery to go largely empty. The first two children are quickly discarded. The Bith boy has enough time to scream before the pain ends permanently, and for that, Ren is truly sorry.

The youngling huddled under the bed in the corner is a far more interesting and difficult case. Her death will be the one that finally kills any remaining shred of Ben Solo. This is where Grandfather failed. Familial love is powerful; that much he knows. But the most powerful emotions are also the ones that best fuel the dark side. He moves the blade closer, slowly, so as not to frighten her. He owes his younger sister at least that much.

"Ben, no!" she screams when she finally realizes he has not forgotten her. He freezes at the sound of her voice. "Ben!" She should not be able to recognize him, not with his mask. But Kyra has always been strong with the Force, and perhaps her older brother is not as far gone as he had hoped. After all, something must be keeping his lightsaber from striking.

She is silenced with a Force "Quiet, girl." With the voice modulator, his voice sounds harsh to the outside world, but within the confines of the mask, Kylo hates the weakness he senses.

Even more, he hates the decision he knows he, or the part of Ben Solo that remains within him, is about to make. With a nudge through the Force, one of the TDL nanny droids' photoreceptors light up. It immediately turns towards him. "Please deactivate your lightsaber, sir. Weapons are not permitted –" Her voice is cut off with a small hand gesture.

"Override code three-three-seven-nine." At the code, the droid's four arms locked into position, and it watched him, ready for any commands. "Wait until the troops have left. Then, take one of the ships in the north hangar and take this child off-planet. Get to an Outer Rim system and stay there with her under an assumed name." He allows a half-second for his command to register before releasing his Force grip. "If you alert Master Skywalker of your survival, the First Order will not hesitate to kill you."

"Very well, sir."

"And Nanna?" The name feels both familiar and foreign on his lips. "Make sure no one connects you to the Praxeum or the Skywalker family."

"Of course, sir. Master Skywalker ordered Master Calrissian to install infiltration and evasion techniques into my programming before my arrival here."

"Now leave." With one last look at the girl – hair coming loose from its pony tails, cheeks streaked with tears, eyes glazed but with fear still written all over her face – he allows her to drop, unconscious, to the floor. Kylo does not stop to see if his orders are being followed before he returns downstairs. Now, the line he cut into the stairway minutes prior seems more juvenile rebelliousness than anything else. He pushes that feeling away. He has left that part of him behind. To rebel against something, you must in some way belong to it, and he feels no such bond to the Jedi Order.

The troops have assembled in the Great Hall. He spots empty spaces in the ranks for only four or five absent members. Excellent. The experts had predicted higher casualties, but the First Order's stormtroopers have yet to disappoint him. Their mission has been swift, efficient, everything he could have hoped for.

It is only later that Ben Solo allows himself to hope that Supreme Leader Snoke has not sensed his indiscretion.

A/N: Some characters and settings are taken from Kevin J. Anderson's Young Jedi Knights series and Troy Denning's Dark Nest Trilogy.