General Hux stood aboard his destroyer regarding the darkness of space spread out before him on the observation deck. Normally, the view could sooth any feelings that he wished to do away with, and yet, he could feel the corners of his mouth pulling down into a set and pronounced grimace. He was still furious over the destruction of Starkiller Base, and he partially blamed the knight at his side for the disaster. He'd had such high expectations for that particular project. The General sighed and stirred his tea, utterly unhappy to find himself once more in the company of Supreme Leader Snoke's lone wolf.

Pale blue eyes flickered over the uncovered face of his equally silent companion. Hux was still unaccustomed to the man's features which were now almost always openly displayed. Hux understood why Ren had chosen to hide that face of his for so long. It was too young, and too pretty to be intimidating, at first glance at least. After catching a glimpse of the scar that now ran down one side of the knight's face, he no longer seemed so inexperienced. And, Hux knew that once those dark eyes found a target they were inescapable, unstable. The general preferred predictability and he didn't always get that from the knight. But, Hux was not afraid of Ren, he just didn't trust him.

"Happy to be back onboard," the General finally grew weary of the oppressive silence that hung around Ren like an ever-present dark cloud.

Ren's black eyes swiveled in his direction, the only indication that he'd heard the general speak at all. He didn't reply immediately. "I'm ready to finish my task," his voice was monotonous even without the mask. Kylo Ren's emotions showed only in the twitching of his facial muscles—until they overwhelmed him.

"Maybe this time you can manage to locate and dispense with the Jedi without destroying an entire base," Hux tapped his fingers on the side of his teacup and smirked. It had taken him nearly a year to regroup and reorder his military, postponing most of his grand plans to restore order to the galaxy.

"Perhaps, you'll be able to keep your own soldiers in their places," Kylo Ren did not need to smirk. Hux wasn't sure that he'd ever seen the man's lips curve into even a semblance of a smile.

"What will you do with the girl when you catch her?" Hux asked.

Ren's eyes took on a certain distant look that Hux was growing used to, "That depends."

The General waited for the knight to continue but eventually felt the need to prompt him. "On what?"

"On how open she is to a little friendly persuasion," Ren kept his gaze forward. Watching the stars drift by. Hux wondered if he was searching for or listening to the force. The General would never admit that he was curious about the mystic's powers. He had no idea how the man beside him wielded this insubstantial weapon that Hux could neither see nor feel for himself.

"Let's hope that she's grown a little more reasonable," Hux stirred his tea once more and let the silence return to reign between them.

"The Finalizer has resurfaced in the Borderland," General Organa informed the gathered members of the Resistance. Before the General could force out another syllable, muttered questions and electronic beeps rumbled through the crowd. This was the moment that everyone had anticipated. It was almost a relief to hear news of their long quiet enemy. Yet, they all knew what the reappearance of the Star Destroyer meant.

"We don't know of the destination of the ship or anything about its current schemes. However, the Finalizer's presence in the Trans-Hydian territories can only signal a return to the Order's original terrorism. As we feared, this recent lull in aggression was most likely a result of the Order's need to rebuild after," here she paused to smile despite the gravity of the situation, "The Victory."

She waited for the triumphant hoots and gestures to subside before continuing. "We must remain on high alert in the coming days. Our sources in the Broaderland will keep us informed as best they can about the ship's movements and we must be ready to circumvent the Order in any way possible. The Republic, after the events that took place on Starkiller Base, no longer denies the threat that the Order poses to intergalactic peace and democracy—imperfect as that democracy may be—but, like the Order, the Republic is limited by resources. And, after the destruction unleashed upon the Hosnian System, has struggled to recuperate. We can only hope that the preparations made by the Republic will be enough to help us stop any further assaults from the Order. Thank you," the General nodded at the gathered assembly and returned to the command room with her officials rushing in her wake.

"It's about time," Poe turned to Rey and Finn as their trio exited the assembly.

"I don't know how anyone can think that this is a positive piece of intel," Finn shrugged off his jacket as they emerged into the open light of day.

Rey watched people sprinting off on their individual errands and tasks. A nervous energy permeated the base. Groups huddled and discussed the news in fervid whispers, which she found amusing. But, the news was unsettling to her. A thousand questions warred in her mind for attention—chief among them was raven-haired and frightful. "We knew they'd come back," she eyed Finn, sympathetically.

"Yeah, I know, better than any of you, but the peace was nice while it lasted," he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck anxiously.

"It was an artificial peace, buddy." Poe dropped an arm across Finn's shoulders and gave him a friendly shake. "It's better to have it out with the Order, hand their ass to them, and send them packing for good."

"Easier said than done," Master Skywalker spoke from behind them.

"We know it well, sir." Poe grinned. "Come on Finn, let's leave these two to their own concerns. It probably wouldn't hurt to fit in a few extra drills." Rey endured a rough shoulder pat from Poe as her friends hurried off to return to their own training. She wasn't particularly excited about her own. The current state of her mind was not going to make today's lesson easy.

A/N: Thanks once again for reading. And, I'm sorry the chapters are small. I'm working on two other projects and it is surprisingly difficult to ascertain the proper geographical information for this universe, at least for me. I really have no idea where the First Order is based or what areas/planets/systems are under the influence of who? I'm not sure that was a question. Anyway, I am trying my best to write something decent and sensible, so let me know if you have any suggestions. Or if you see typos, I normally try to catch those, but no one is perfect...except maybe Kylo Ren...he's kind of perfect in a manic, patricidal (is that a word?), kind of way :)

Cheers!