Kylo
Kylo Ren stands on the bridge of the Supremacy, staring out at the vast shipyards that orbit the planet Fondor through the massive viewport. Under most circumstances using an orbital shipyard wouldn't be necessary; construction and repair of Resurgent-Class Destroyers was ordinarily carried out by the Supremacy itself, but after the destruction of nearly a dozen Star Destroyers and extensive damage to the Supremacy at the hands of a Mon Calamari warship, the use of a shipyard seemed pertinent.
There was concern among the officers as to whether or not the Supremacy would be able to make it to the core worlds in its deplorable state, but to the surprise of many (Kylo included), they limped their way to Fondor with nearly no issues; Despite the fact that a third of the Mega-Class Dreadnought was left to rot amidst the corpses of their decimated fleet.
Their fleet was already spread thin, attempting to seize control of the galaxy in the wake of the Hosnian System's destruction, courtesy of Starkiller Base. At the height of the Empires' power, the loss of a dozen star destroyers would have hardly been noteworthy, merely a handful amidst a fleet of over 25 000.
Unfortunately, the First Order did not have the luxury of every major shipyard in the galaxy at their disposal. The rebuilding of their fleet had taken decades, and even now was barely 1000 strong.
He grimaces, lines of concern marking his forehead. The loss of 12 destroyers is not nearly enough to derail his plans. But it is enough to worry him. The use of a cruiser as a ballistic weapon having been proven extremely effective, it was well within the realm of possibility for the Resistance to employ such tactics again, to catastrophic effect.
After witnessing the destruction first hand, he wonders why his mother hadn't attempted such measures sooner. It was never in her nature to needlessly waste both ships and men, but surely she couldn't deny that it was far more efficient than traditional warfare—
She hadn't.
Dread coils in his gut as he remembers what he had done. Had he really forgotten so soon? Or had he hidden it away, too afraid to acknowledge his feelings?
No.
Her death was a strategic necessity, a crucial step towards the absolute destruction of the pathetic Resistance. That being said, her death did raise some rather important questions. With Leia gone, it was a safe assumption that her replacement would be a protégé, someone who shared her ideals as a leader. A safe assumption, but the events immediately following her demise certainly brought that to question.
Perhaps he was wrong, and the Resistance had in fact replaced his mother with an extremist; someone who was ready and willing to resort to extreme measures in the name of victory. Maybe they had simply grown more desperate than ever before. He ponders the implications of this until the heavy footsteps of a particular red-haired general draw his attention.
"Supreme Leader!"
Kylo eyes the general as he strides down the walkway, every step made with purpose. Hux had always been one to keep appearances, his uniform expertly pressed without a visible wrinkle; and his hair kept short and meticulously combed. It came from a lifetime of practiced perfection, and was a far cry from his own appearance, dark locks of hair strewn across his head at their own discretion. Kylo had always preferred the security a mask provided, which left physical appearance somewhat unnecessary. If Hux had any opinion on the matter his expression gave no indication, his trademark sneer betraying nothing.
"Hux," Kylo remarks, a drop of contempt in his tone. "Are there any new leads on the Resistance?"
"Nothing to report yet, but we have eyes everywhere," he states proudly. "It won't be long before they show themselves again, and when they do you'll be the first to know."
"Good, and have the locals agreed to our terms?"
"To your exact specifications," he exclaims, practically gleaming. "A destroyer to replace each that was lost, as well as all required repairs made to the Supremacy before they begin full-scale production. Which brings us to our next point. There are... matters we need to discuss."
"I'm listening."
"Well," he begins, a tinge of hesitation in his tone. "If we are to begin the mass expansion of our fleet we will need officers to operate the ships as they are completed. Now that we have control of the core worlds we can begin recruiting en masse, but it will take time to train them," he continues. "We will have to hold off on expanding our area of control. Another option is running the new Destroyers on skeleton crews, but that could pose problems of its own."
"What if we began promoting stormtroopers to officers?" Kylo suggests, noting the look of disgust Hux tries and fails to hide with amusement.
"Sir, I'm not sure that's a wise course of action," Hux warns, exasperated.
"Your lack of faith in the army you helped create is very telling," Kylo responds, growing annoyed. "If they can't be trusted as officers, then i'm forced to question their loyalty to the First Order."
"Their loyalty was not my concern," he begins but whatever else he had to say dies in his throat as Kylo gives him a look that can only be described as a warning.
"Very well sir, I'll begin the vetting process immediately," the general states with resignation before retreating from the bridge.
— — —
Kylo is meditating in his quarters when he is once again an unwilling participant in the deafening silence that occurs when his mind is bridged with Rey's. His head snaps forward, eyes fixated on her form.
She's sitting with her back to him, and appears to be piloting a ship.
The Falcon?
His eyes linger for several seconds, before he speaks.
"Rey?" He asks tentatively, his heart sinking when she tenses up at the sound of his voice.
"I've got nothing to say to you," she spits vehemently.
He scoffs, "I can't say i'm surprised, first you abandon me and now you refuse to speak to me entirely," he states, shaking his head.
"Abandoned you? You're lucky I didn't kill you," she bursts out, nearly leaping from her seat.
"Why didn't you?"
"Why didn't I what?" She inquires, and he's not sure if she misheard the question or is simply avoiding it.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"I..." she pauses, searching for an answer."I'm a Jedi. I don't kill unconscious people who can't defend themselves. Unlike you," she spits.
"You have no idea what I'm like," he seethes, anger bubbling to the surface. "And you? You're not a Jedi. I've met Jedi, and you are nothing like them. They were weak, so I killed them all. Well, the ones that didn't join me," he says, taunting.
"I don't know why I didn't kill you," she admits. "but i'm beginning to wish I had."
They stare at each other in angry silence for several moments until the connection fades and he's alone again.