The rest of said details took no more than an hour and I finally was able to leave through the same secret tunnels that I'd been escorted through when I'd arrived a few hours earlier. At least this government knew a thing or two about secrecy. That was going to be very necessary in coming weeks if everything was going to go according to plan.

Once I was back in my unmarked ship, I turned on the engine with a practiced ease, flipping through the flight control systems in preparation for take off. Once I was granted access to leave, I flew the craft out of the underground hangar and out into the open air. As I broke the upper atmosphere and engaged the hyperdrive, I sat back in my chair and reached out to my brother's mind.

"Larissa?" His smooth deep voice echoed throughout my mind, and I smiled at the warmth in his presence.

"Hi," I replied softly, a smile lighting up my face. "I just finished negotiations. Should be back on the base in about thirty minutes. Come and meet me?"

"Nothing could keep me away," He replied swiftly. "I'll see you soon."

The connection between us faded into the back of my mind and I sat and enjoyed the silence of hyperspace. Even though I tried very hard not to, it was hard not to think of my father in moments like this, the silence of space and hyperspeed. I could understand why my father had spent so much time here out here in space. There was something about the emptiness around me that I found peace in, especially with the bustling minds in the First Order's base. There was something about the way the Order "trained" their soldiers, the blank minds it produced, and the numbers of them in thousands, put a pressure on the Force that often left me dreary, and the time alone in space like this was better than hours of meditation on that busy planet. It's part of the reason I'd been rather excited when the Senator from the Castia cluster had asked that I come alone.

Though the large amount of empty minds did fill my mind with enough so that I didn't have much time to dwell on what I'd done. I didn't regret my choice, but to be entirely honest, I also hadn't really had time to regret anything, and nor did I have luxury. I had given the First Order every victory I could, and quite honestly proving my loyalty on many occasions. Honestly, I'd found and executed more Resistance members in the past six months than they'd found in ten years. Although, much to my chagrin, and I had yet to get close to Luke Skywalker. That was going to take more planning. The Supreme Leader seemed impressed by my work so far, so I suppose the true test of faith could wait a while longer, or at least as I long as I continued to bring new quadrants under the wing of the First Order.

I thought it funny, how often in Pendragon I'd wished to fly as far away as I could, and now I actually had my own ship with the best upgraded systems the First Order had to offer. I could fly anywhere I wanted to with this ship, and it was completely unmarked as I'd requested so it wouldn't be recognized as a First Order ship. Yet, despite all of this, I was still flying back to the Order. I had nearly all the freedom I'd begged and prayed for on Pendragon, yet the First Order was where I was going was where I wanted to be most.

The control's notification that I was coming on my destinations. I pulled out of hyperspace onto a large planet, surrounded by smaller moons. The surface of the planet was covered in dull grey metal, as were many of the smaller moons surrounding it. What little surface of the large planet remained from the plates of metal, was covered in snow. I'd heard from spatterings of conversation from stormtroopers that the previous starkiller base had been on an icy planet as well. There was something about planets like this, the always near freezing temperature that allowed for the Order's technology to work more efficiently. The First Order had gone through great pains to insure that secret was kept. It had been silly though, that they thought they could keep it from me. I wasn't going to let information get past me.

I'd lived too long on Pendragon to let anything slip past me.

Once I was given permission to land, I guided the ship into the special section of the planet that was designated for the Knights of Ren. Once inside, I shut down the ship and opened the bay door, slipping on the heavy black cloak to keep me warm. Even inside the base, the planet's chill often easily permeated the metal walls, especially in the hangar bays. When I stepped outside the ship, he was waiting for me, a small contingent of techs ready to assess my ship and maintain my ship as necessary. They all gave me a small bow of respect as they passed me, but I mostly ignored them and walked straight to my brother.

"Hello," I said conversationally.

"Lyssa," He replied, and though his voice lacked his usual affection, I could feel the relief and warmth coming from him. "Was your trip successful?"

"Very," I replied. "Will you walk me to the debriefing room? I'd like to update the generals on the status of the Castia cluster."

Kylo turned the side, "After you." What he didn't say came through our connection a moment later. "Hurry. I want you all to myself. You've been away for too long."

"Patience," I sent back, though the ghost of a smile lit my lips. First I had to deal with the generals before I could indulge some much needed pleasure.

"You are confident that you've secured the Castia cluster?" General Hortgath asked, the seated hologram flickering ever-so-slightly.

"The pieces are already in place for a coup, and the Senator of one of their largest moons has enough pull to complete the coup with limited interference from us." I replied, trying not to feel like I was droning, especially consider this was the second time I'd explained this. "They've already given us a list confirming the other planets and moons known to be supporting the Resistance as a sign of good faith, and will provide specific names once their government is completely in power."

"How long do estimate the coup will take?" General Rivera asked, her voice as sharp as the pointed shoulder blades she wore.

"No more than two months," I replied with assurance. "Less with the more personal provided by us."

"And if this Senator and his government decide not to play by your rules?" So finally General Hux decided to open his mouth. At least he did himself the favor of asking a decent question instead glowering like a child that had had his favorite toy taken away.

"Then I have more than enough evidence to present to his government's competition who will be more than willing to step up just spite them." I shrugged dismissively. "I have contingencies in place. The Castia Cluster will be in the First Order's control within the next few months."

"Well, once again we congratulate you on your efficiency." Hortgath inclined head at me. "I will contact the Supreme Leader concerning your request for more personal regarding the Castia Cluster."

"Thank you General," I smiled, and held it until after him, and the remaining generals disappeared as well.. For a moment Hux and I sat silently in our respective seats, and if anyone had been in the room, they wouldn't have had to be a Jedi to feel the mutual hatred between us. Finally though, Hux stood from his seat and walked out. He never spoke to me unless he had to, but to be honest, I really didn't care. As much as Hux may have hated how quickly the Supreme Leader had declared me an ally and given me a rather nice chunk of power and resources, Hux wasn't smart enough make a successful plant to push me out of power. I was also slowly gaining more support among the generals, and as much as Hux would have liked to believe he was beholden to no one but the Supreme Leader, at least half of the Order wasn't directly controlled by Hux himself, instead by the other ranking generals. Hux merely fancied himself special because he always spoke to the Supreme Leader on behalf of the generals, so the others rarely saw Snoke at all, with the except of Hortgath.

I'd also like to think that my brother, for all their feuding, also gave him pause. Despite "his" army, he did not want to be on the bad side of us. I sat there for a moment more before a gloved hand rested on my shoulder, and I felt my brother's presence behind me. I looked up and gave him a real, warm smile. It didn't matter what I had to deal with, as long as my brother was by my side.

"Come," he said softly. "Let's go home."