Ben Solo wished he hadn't smashed his helmet to pieces. Leia Organa and Han Solo's upbringing made his facial expressions extreme and made it impossible for him to project a calm and collected appearance.
Rey, as Ben soon realized, could school her features to be as blank as she liked, and he envied her. She currently sat at a captain's seat, head resting on her hand, wearing one of the sweeping coats of the First Order high ranking officers. She, like Ben, was covered in sweat and blood, with burns on her clothes and a lightsaber at her hip.
She was his equal. Supreme Leaders Rey and Ren.
As per Ben's order, they, along with the rest of the First Order were heading to Canto Bight. He knew that there were a vast number of First Order patrons there who would love to profit on repairing the Supremacy, and he was also aware that Canto Bight would comfortable enough for an indefinite stay.
At least until he and Rey worked out what to do next.
Rey's turning was a stroke of luck Ben didn't actually think would happen. Power like her's, combined with her knowledge of Luke Skywalker and the Resistance, would undoubtably prove to be useful in ending this war.
And, as Ben admitted to himself, he had grown attached to Rey. When she didn't immediately take his hand, Ben began to panic because he needed her to accept his offer and be with him, and this surprised Ben. He wasn't aware of the depths of his feelings until that moment, and it caught him off guard that, after so long of feeling alone, he had connected so deeply to someone.
The ship left hyperspace and began to fly down to Canto Bight. Hux had already reached out to their top partners on the planet and arranged a meeting to discuss specifics about repairs, payments, and lodging. The General glared at the wall as he informed everyone on the other end of the comm that Supreme Leader Snoke was no longer in charge, and that they would meet with himself and the Supreme Leaders Ren and Rey.
Hux's annoyance and obedience was infinitely satisfying to Ben. Even more satisfying was watching Hux try to shoot a glare at Rey but always lose in the staring match that would follow. If Ben had his helmet, he'd hide his smile behind it.
As the ship came closer to Canto Bight, Rey crossed the room to Ben. She stood a head shorter than him, but everything in her posture and face gave her the pride that usually came with height. The sight of Rey— real, flesh and blood, and solid— in a black coat, by his side and radiating power, was enough to make something awaken inside Ben. Something that should have been concerning if Rey hadn't taken his hand.
"Who exactly are we meeting with?" Rey asked, and Ben savored the way 'we' sounded from her.
"Arms dealers. Usually, only Hux deals with them, but I'd like to speak to them directly," Ben said.
"My first outing as anything," Rey said, and Ben wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or herself. "This should be fine."
"This should be easy," Ben said. "They want to make a profit, we give them an opportunity. And then we can discuss our next steps." Rey nodded once, and looked at the approaching planet. Ben could clearly see the anxiety creeping into Rey's confidence, and Ben realized that it matched his own.
He'd never been in charge of this. Hux took care of finding arms, and Snoke would step in from time to time to intimidate anyone out of line. Ben stayed far, far away from all of this.
Ben could do this, though. With Rey by his side, he could take care of this.
"Ma'am, we'll be landing in just a moment," the pilot announced as the ship broke into a beautiful blue sky. Rey took a step closer to the cockpit, her eyes wide with wonder. Ben supposed that if he had grown up on only one planet, he'd have the same reaction as her.
The casino drew closer— a sprawling maze of a city that seemed…under construction. Ben squinted and could clearly see droids and workers repairing windows and balconies, almost like something had torn through.
"I do hope that whatever situation this city is in doesn't affect our deal," Hux grumbled. Ben didn't want to have another element to think about. He took a deep breath and tried to focus.
None of this would be an issue. It would go off without a hitch. He was Supreme Leader.
The ship landed in the main hangar, and Ben waited as Stormtroopers assembled below the ship. Hux adjusted his uniform and smoothed his hair. Rey took her spot beside Ben, her face calm. Without thinking, Ben reached out and brushed his hand against her's, just once. She turned her face to him and, after, a moment of staring at him like she was trying to read him, gave a small smile.
The doors opened, and Hux descended first. Rey took a single step forward and Ben held out his arm to stop her.
"We don't trail behind him," Ben said. "We get our own entrance." Rey nodded and Ben dropped his arm. He watched Hux as he walked down the ramp, and once he was at the bottom, Ben began walking. Rey walked at his side, their steps synchronized.
The group assembled was made up of humanoid aliens of various species, but they were all dressed elegantly and stood eagerly, awaiting their Supreme Leaders.
One woman stepped ahead of the crowd as Ben and Rey drew close. She wore a midnight blue suit and heels that brought her close to Ben's height. She dipped into a low bow.
"Supreme Leaders, it is an honor," she said, smiling. "I am Ava Guyai, owner of the GravStar engineering company." Behind her, the rest of the group bowed, as if taking her cues. The GravStar company was familiar to Ben; they specialized in large ships that required advanced artificial gravity— much like the Supremacy.
Ben kept his face unreadable but inclined his head in a greeting.
"I am familiar with you, Supreme Leader Ren," Ava said to Ben before focusing Rey. "Hux briefed me on you, Supreme Leader Rey. It is an honor to meet you." Rey nodded her head in acknowledgement. Ava continued to smile.
"Supreme Leaders, welcome to Canto Bight. Please, follow me so we can discuss our business privately," Ava said, gesturing to the exit of the hangar. The entire group (the arms dealers, Stormtroopers, Hux, and the Supreme Leaders) began walking.
"I must admit," Ava said, "that my associates and I were surprised when we heard that Snoke had been murdered."
The memory of the throne room flashed back into Ben's mind. The moment Ben had known what to do— the moment Rey had collapsed to the floor as Snoke chuckled. Snoke's voice booming through the chamber, Rey on her knees before Ben— more terrified than he's ever seen her, and a conveniently placed weapon.
"It's tragic," Ben said. "We suspect it was one of his Praetorian guard. They won't present an issue anymore." The group exited the hangar and began down a long and well-lit corridor. Ben could hear the other arms dealers chattering behind him. Hux was directly behind Rey, and Ben knew that the General would be keeping his face unreadable, but that he would rather be throwing a fit.
"What good fortune that he had an apprentice ready to take over," Ava said, turning to the left, with the entire group following her lead. "And that the apprentice had an… equal to rule with."
Ava had seemed to mull over her words before settling on 'equal', and this did not go unnoticed by Ben. He was aware that people would have their suspicions about Rey and why she was in power, but he bit his tongue and decided to not say anything. It was better to not give any fuel for the rumors fire.
"I look forward to my reign," Rey said. Ava looked at her and the smile on her face seemed to falter for a moment. Rey looked incredibly cold at that moment, perhaps more so than Ben did.
"Of course," Ava said. "I look forward to it as well, Supreme Leader." The group stopped before two large doors, and two guards opened them with little dramatics. Ben and Rey entered the room first.
It was an impressive room, with elaborate paintings on all four walls depicting Canto Bight's history. There were no widows in the room, but light shone from a chandelier over the table. The table itself was gold plated, with seats along both sides leading up to the head of the table, were two ornate chairs had been placed. Immediately to the right of these chairs was another, slightly less flashy, chair. Ben and Rey took their seats at the head of the table, and Hux sat to Rey's right. The arms dealers all sat down.
Ben felt nerves creep over him, and he was annoyed at his own emotions. He was the Supreme Leader, these people would follow any orders he gave, and he would begin to rebuild his empire.
"Supreme Leaders," Ava said, standing from her seat. "I would first like to assure you that we at GravStar are honored that you have chosen us to oversee the repairs to the Supremacy. A chance to work on such a ship for such an Order does not come often, and once we finalize an agreement, we will be more than happy to begin work."
"Thank you, Miss Guyai," Hux said. "I must ask though: what is happening to the city? We noticed that several areas were under heavy construction." At this, man several seats down from Ava rubbed his hand over his face.
"Some damned criminals broke out of our jail and led law enforcement on a city-wide chase," the man sighed, annoyed. "They freed our fabiers, destroyed our casino, and wrecked private property."
"Have you captured them?" Rey asked, leaning forward on the table.
"No, they stole my private transport and fled," a woman said.
"Two humans and a BB unit did all of this," the man said, "and we couldn't even catch them."
Ben noticed Rey's reaction instantly, however subtle it was. Her eyebrows raised, and he fought to hold back a smile. Ben didn't need to see her face to make the connection, though.
Rey's friends in the Resistance had done all that. The stolen ship must have been what they used to slip aboard the Supremacy before Phasma captured them. In spite of himself and his own annoyance at Resistance fighters, Ben was impressed.
"Well, I certainly hope that your reconstruction will not cause any sort of problems for repairs to our ship," Hux said.
"Absolutely not. We have thousands of workers at our disposal and are prepared to send all of them to you," Ava said.
"How many would that be?" Rey asked.
"One hundred-thousand," Ava said, and Ben nodded.
"Droid or human?" he asked.
"Mixed," Ava said, and Ben didn't say anything. It was perfect. With the Supremacy in orbit and thousands of workers doing the repairs, Ben couldn't see a reason why it should take longer than a month. That was as much time as he could handle the ship being out of use.
"I trust that you are satisfied with our current contract?" Hux asked, and everyone in the room nodded.
"We are. Unless the new Supreme Leaders would like to make any adjustments," Ava said. Hux whipped his head to Ben with eyes that screamed for Ben to not even think about it. The look itself was almost enough to make Ben reopen negotiations out of spite. But, when he wanted to lock eyes with Hux to make him suffer for challenging him, Ben saw Rey sitting next to Hux, unfazed and listening intently. It was enough to make Ben only shoot a glare and nothing more.
"No. Everything is satisfactory," Ben said. Hux visibly relaxed. Ava clapped her hands.
"Well, then, we could show the Supreme Leaders to their lodging, and GravStar can begin to organize our resources," Ava suggested, and Ben nodded. He and Rey stood, and everyone in the room did, as well. Rey let the table first, walking out of the room with her head held high.
Rey, Ben, and Hux were led by guards into a shuttle that took them to where they'd stay. Ben let Rey sit next to the window, and he watched the profile of her face as they flew across the city. She smiled, eyes rapidly moving as she drank in every detail. Ben studied her cheekbones, her nose, the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled. He felt content watching her watch the city move by.
"So," Hux said, "that went off without any problems." He sounded incredibly satisfied. Ben hummed his agreement. He noticed Hux eye Rey but say nothing, evidently finding no problem with how she carried herself today.
The shuttle stopped at a large building and Hux stood to leave. He had one foot out the door when he remembered Ben and Reys' position and bowed to them. Ben silently hoped he would break his back as he did so. When he turned to Rey, she was making a similar face of disdain.
When they landed again, they were in front of a splendid mansion. Servants greeted them as they walked in and led them to an elevator, up two floors, and down a hallway to a large common area. Ben could see that Rey was trying to stop herself from drinking in every detail of the place, and as soon as the servants bowed to exit, she stopped holding back. She crossed to a mural along the back wall and ran her hand over it.
"Do you know what this is?" Rey asked. Ben studied it. It depicted a raging battle, with bodies and gore and glory, but in the center were two soldiers with their hands clasped, light pouring out from around them. Ben tried to remember myths his mother had told him, history lessons he had learned, and even any stories he had read, but nothing came to mind.
"I don't," Ben said.
"Shame," Rey said, gently touching the spot where the soldiers held hands.
"You did well," Ben said. Rey looked over her shoulder at him. "You want to be in this position." Rey nodded, but said nothing and continued to look around the room. Ben didn't speak for some time, opting to just observe Rey as she took in her surroundings. Something about her made it impossible for Ben to look away. The silence didn't seem to bother her, and it wasn't anything awkward or malicious, but still Ben wanted to break it.
"You know who wrecked the casino," Ben said. A statement, not a question. This made Rey smile as she took a seat on a plush couch.
"Of course," Rey said, sounding prideful in spite of the situation. Ben took a seat across from her.
"Do you have anything to say about that?" Ben said, and he wasn't sure why he even asked. She had chosen him, his Empire. Her friendships to the Resistance were irrelevant now.
"I would have loved to have been there to see it," Rey said, and Ben couldn't help but give Rey a slight smile and privately agree.
A/N: I am absolutely floored by the response the first chapter received. I read every comment and screenshotted them for my friends. Every follow and fave shook me. Thank you all so much. It really means the world to me that you are all excited for this story and so kind. Again, Kat edited this chapter, many thanks to her as well.