Chapter 1

"Are you certain this will yield results?" General Hux asks the Knight of Ren.

Footsteps echo along the wide, fluorescent lit room as black boots stomp along the grated metal floors.

The footsteps come to a halt as Kylo Ren ceases pacing. His head tilted down, he refuses to face the general as he speaks.

"If one Stormtrooper can defect and betray the First Order...who knows how many deviants we could have overlooked. This is a matter of security."

General Hux clasps his hands together, "But...with all due respect commander...your method seems a bit unorthodox."

Kylo Ren turns around, revealing himself to not be dressed in his usual black robes and helmet, but in a technician's uniform, sporting a blond wig and large glasses.

"They won't expect it. Besides, your methods of identifying have been proven faulty," he points out, still maintaining his stiff posture and movements while in disguise.

General Hux gives him a long look, before slightly bowing his head, "I will trust your judgement, commander."

Kylo Ren stands tall, "And you will also now address me by my new name...Matt."

Pates Laylesa flies a small repair ship around the Finalizer, doing routine checks. From the seat of her ship, she spots a small hole towards the bottom of the Finalizer, an asteroid wedged inside it. From above, she grabs the mic on her comms link to radio the storage room.

"This is vessel RE2115, requesting delivery of replacement parts for turbolaser numbered 834. I'm sending you my coordinates."

She looks up at her comms radio, but there's no response for a couple of moments. Then suddenly a loud, distinct voice comes through from the other side.

"Hello! Uhm...hi! You said you wanted...a...uhm…"

The voice blathers on as Pates rolls her eyes, "You're new...aren't you?"

"Yeah. I am a radar technician they picked up in the Western Reaches. But because I am new they have me down in storage. My name is Matt, what's yours?"

Matt's voice comes through as shouty and stuttered, and Pates points this out for him, "You know you don't need to yell into the comms."

"I'm not shouting! It's just how I speak...you know...from where I'm from," he immediately snaps back, almost in anger.

"Oh...I didn't realize. Anyway, there's an asteroid lodged into one of the turbolasers. It's toward the bottom so all I think I'll need is a Thorilide stabilizer. Do you know what that is?" she asks, avoiding Matt's conversation.

Some shuffling can be heard from the comms radio, and Pates leans back in her chair to wait.

"Uh...let me find that...Thorilide stabilizer...it's all labeled here but there's just so many parts here."

Metal clacking sounds come from the other side as Pates looks out her peripheral window and into space.

"Hey...you never answered my question," Matt reiterates.

She grabs the comm mic and waits a moment before speaking, "Your question? ...oh...my name...it's Pates. But right now, I'm vessel RE2115 in need of a Thorilide stabilizer delivered to my coordinates."

There's a long pause before Matt responds, "Affirmative."

Pates puts her feet up on the repair ship's command board, hesitating while looking back at her comms radio. After a moment of thought, she picks the comm mic back up again.

"Hey Matt? You still there?"

"Yes, I am here," he responds, "I'm heading over to deliver your Thorilide stabilizer."

"Where are you from, Matt?" she asks.

Only muffled noises come from the other end as she reiterates her question, "You said you're from the Western Reaches, right? What planet?"

"What planet? Oh...uhm...Craius. The planet Craius...but...but my family traveled around a lot, so I don't really know it well," he stutters.

"Traveling? That sounds exciting," Pates chuckles, feigning interest.

There's a pause from Matt, as only heavy breathing comes through the comm for a good half minute, "...not as exciting as you'd think."

She sighs, "Well...that's a shame, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I would have killed to travel as a kid. It's half the reason I enlisted to join the First Order."

"Was there...any other reason why you joined the First Order?" he asks.

Pates shrugs, thinking the answer over to herself, "Patriotism, I suppose. Things were never really the same after the Galactic Empire fell. At least...that's what my parents told me. The Battle of Endor happened just before I was born."

"Your parents?" Matt repeats, "...where are they now?"

Pates slaps her forehead, "I...I don't want to talk about it."

As she finishes her sentence, another small repair ship comes cruising her way, its headlights shining at her ship.

"I've arrived with the part you've requested," Matt announces.

Pates gets out of her chair and looks out the back window of her ship. Inside the repair ship behind her, she can make out the faint outline of a pale man with blond hair sitting in the cockpit. Matt gives her a short, stiff wave, and Pates slowly raises her hand up to wave back.

She then jogs back to the pilot's seat in order to turn her ship to face his. Pulling a lever on the ship's control panel, two thin, robotic arms come out of the repair ship. The arms on Matt's repair ship are already out, holding the part she'd requested.

Pates maneuvers the arms on her ship to take the Thorilide stabilizer out of the hands of Matt's ship. As soon as the part has been exchanged, she takes the comm mic back up to her lips.

"Thanks Matt, I'll take it from here."

"You...you sure? You don't need help with...anything else?" he asks.

"No, that's the only part I need. I'll radio you if I need anything else," she replies.

Pates starts turning her ship around before Matt can respond, engaging the small laser on her ship to start melting away the asteroid stuck to the Finalizer.

Suddenly Matt's voice comes through the comms radio, "Thank you Pates. This has been an impactful conversation."

And with that, Matt's repair ship turns around and heads back to storage. Pates gives his ship only a moment's glance before she shakes her head and returns to her work.

"Hopefully that's the last of that."