Phasma cursed under her breath as she peeked around the corner to take another shot at the enemy. Four adversaries had almost instantly multiplied into twelve. She reached for the door control and slammed her palm into the console.

The blast door shut with a high pitched whine of aged durasteel. She blew the console apart with a single shot before moving away from it with her blaster poised at the door. The nighttime breeze lifted her cape as she walked to the edge of the platform.

"Cardinal, where are you?" she asked in an angry tone. The hiss of static filled her comlink, and she shook her head. "Cardinal, come in! I need extraction!"

Nothing but static filled her helmet speakers. She cursed again and turned towards the blast door as a grinding noise filled the air. The men on the other side were attempting to open the door manually. Phasma crouched and aimed her blaster at the door.

"Cardinal, do you read me?" she asked again as the door cracked open by a few centimeters.

She carefully aimed and fired a blast. Sparks erupted as the bolt impacted the durasteel deck plates and ricocheted through the narrow opening. It ripped into the shin of a man, and he fell screaming. A pair of blaster barrels appeared in the opening and fired random shots at Phasma. She returned fire, striking another guard in the face.

As she watched his lifeless form fall, a blaster bolt struck her chest armor and deflected harmlessly into the night. The door opened further, revealing the complement of guards had almost doubled in size. Phasma fired several shots, cutting through the first few guards.

"Jump over the edge," Cardinal's voice said through her comlink.

"What?" Phasma asked as another blast deflected off of her armor. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Trust me, Phasma!" Cardinal shouted through the comlink "Jump, now!"

She fired a trio of blasts before taking a blind leap over the side. She fell for several meters before suddenly clanking against solid durasteel. She took a glance below her to see a hatch. Looking to her left and right, she noticed the solar panels of a TIE. The hatch opened with a hiss of fresh air, and she lowered herself inside to the gunner's seat.

"Glad you could join me, Captain," Cardinal said as he held the fighter steady in the pilot's seat.

"So juvenile of you, Cardinal, to abandon me in the middle of a battle," Phasma replied in a cold tone. "It's no wonder the recruits you send me are so unsatisfactory."

Cardinal chuckled as he released the hover mode and engaged the repulsor lifts. "Relax, Captain. I had to alter our escape plans. The Wing Guard were trying to sabotage our ship. I had to take off to keep this ship in one piece."

"I saw the body, Cardinal," Phasma said as she strapped herself into the gunner's seat. "Just get us out of here. I've had enough your antics as it is."

"Let's be polite and say goodbye first," Cardinal replied as he raised the fighter straight into the air.

Phasma glared at the landing pad occupied by at least twenty-two Wing Guard officers. She squeezed the trigger on the gunner's controls and smiled as the green blaster fire obliterated the stunned guards. She flipped a toggle switch and fired a concussion missile into the interior of the corridor leading to the landing pad.

"Satisfied?" she asked as she leaned back in her seat.

"Of course, I am," Cardinal replied in a blank tone as he turned the fighter to the right and accelerated.

A warning chime echoed in the cockpit. Cardinal glanced down at the sensor and sighed as the image of a restored Theta-class T-2c shuttle came into view. "It looks like Fezzel's cronies aren't pleased with our payment."

"I'll handle them," Phasma said as she reached for the controls. "Hold us steady, Cardinal."

"Hold your fire until we fly out of the cityscape," Cardinal replied as he turned the fighter away from a skyscraper protruding from the upper structure of Cloud City. "We'll stall them by listening to their demands."

"Captain Phasma, did you think you could skimp on our payment and just walk away?" the voice of the newly christened Captain Lutta said through the comlink. "Concealing bundles of worthless blanks beneath a thin layer of credits wasn't part of our agreement, Captain. I don't take kindly to breach of contract!"

"Hold on a few seconds more, Phasma!", Cardinal said in a calm tone as he accelerated towards open sky. "Just let him talk for now."

"Again, Captain Phasma, I implore you to rethink the pitiful fulfillment of your end of the bargain.", Lutta's voice taunted through the comlink. "I won't be satisfied unless I receive twice of what we originally agreed upon."

The TIE moved over and past the final set of skyscrapers before soaring above the curvature of Cloud City's outer hull. Cardinal increased speed and grinned as he gazed into the clouds of Bespin.

"We're clear!" he stated as he glanced down at the sensor display. "Now!"

"Don't worry, Captain Lutta," Phasma said into the comlink as she locked the targeting sensor on the shuttle. "I'll give you everything you want and even more!"

She squeezed the trigger. A pair of concussion missiles streamed towards the shuttle. The weapons cut into the hull before detonating in a fiery explosion. Flaming pieces, mixed with the shredded remains of the crew tumbled down towards the thick cloud banks of Bespin.

"Thank you for eliminating the competition, Phasma," Cardinal said as he turned the fighter towards the skies. "I'm entering coordinates to rendezvous with the Finalizer."

Phasma furrowed her brow as the fighter blasted into hyperspace. "The Finalizer? I thought Leader Snoke commissioned the Tormentor and Resurgence to support the Absolution."

"He did, Captain," Cardinal replied as he glanced down at the navigation display to check the fighter's heading. "They dropped out of hyperspace just short of the Bespin system before jumping to three separate prescribed coordinates."

Phasma nodded as she listened to Cardinal. "To cover the Finalizer's movements. Brilliant strategy."

"We have to keep the Republic's nose out of our business somehow," Cardinal said as he shook his head.

"I wish we could keep you out of the First Order's business," Phasma thought to herself as she gazed at the spinning hyperspace vortex. "One day, I'll find a way to oust you, Cardinal. When you least expect it, I'll bring your career and your life to an end..."

A chime rang in the cockpit as the fighter dropped out of lightspeed in the middle of space. Cardinal focused on the massive wedge-shaped Finalizer moving in the blackness of space like a dark cloud floating across a night sky.

Both Cardinal and Phasma remained silent as the fighter approached the Star Destroyer and entered the main hangar bay. As the fighter docked in the hangar, the occupants released their seat harnesses and climbed out of the fighter. The pale complexion of General Hux met them as they emerged. He stared at the pair of Stormtrooper Captains as they moved towards him.

"Well done," Hux said coldly.

Cardinal stood at attention as Hux drew closer to him. "Thank you, sir-"

"I wasn't addressing you, Cardinal. Your job is finished here, so go back to that nursery of yours on the Absolution." Hux snapped as he glared at Cardinal. He then turned his steely eyes towards Phasma. "Phasma, report to my holochamber at once."

Phasma nodded as Hux walked off. She turned and stepped past Cardinal without acknowledging his presence. When she reached the main deck of the hangar, she stopped and watched two of her recruits cleaning a section of the hangar's deck. The pale skinned recruit with hazel eyes, known as FN-2003, haphazardly moved his plasma mop back and forth as he struggled to keep up with a dark-skinned fellow recruit.

The dark-skinned recruit looked up and noticed Captain Phasma watching him. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he trembled. He began to move quicker as Phasma kept her eyes on him. In Phasma's mind, visions of an older FN-2187 in her dream played like footage from a digital recorder. She sneered as her ears filled with the memory of his taunts.

"You only think you are in charge," she muttered silently to herself. "If you ever try to go against me, I'll demolish you, FN-2187..."

FN-2187 moved up towards FN-2003 as Phasma closed in. He glanced down at the floor and noticed a patch several centimeters in diameter that FN-2003 missed. He reached around his fellow recruit and swiped over the patch as Phasma walked by them without saying a word. FN-2187 recruit sighed as the towering stormtrooper commander continued towards a passageway.

Phasma halted immediately. "FN-2003, stow your cleaning equipment and report for physical training at once."

"Yes, Captain!" he answered before turning and walking away.

Phasma slowly turned and faced the dark-skinned recruit. "FN-2187, you are to report to physical training as well."

FN-2187 nodded. "Yes, Captain!"

"And FN-2187", Phasma said coldly, bringing the recruit to a stop. "Empathy towards weaker recruits is an infringement upon the principles of the First Order. I suggest you purge such emotions from your system. Report to training at once!"

She walked away without giving him an opportunity to reply. She moved through the corridors of the Finalizer with steps echoing through the passageways. The door to the conference room opened as she approached it. She walked and noticed General Hux with his back to her, studying an array of floating holographic images. Admiral Garren Prolov's biographical information wavered into view along with his image.

Phasma glued her eyes to the screen full of information in the briefing room and smiled beneath her helmet as she took in the words describing Prolov's past and his military accomplishments.

"Such a worthy candidate for leadership in the First Order," she thought to herself. "A perfect replacement for that bastard Hux. And a wonderful target for my affection as well..."

Her eyes continued to scan the pages of information. A paragraph suddenly caught her attention. Her smile grew wider as she embraced the newly acquired information.

"A member of the House of Prolov. Last surviving son of S'Varian ruler Antonias Prolov," she muttered in her mind. "So you are a prince, destined to be a king. And every king needs a queen by his side. I shall be your queen, and we will rule S'Varia together..."

"Captain, do you understand your orders concerning Admiral Prolov?", General Hux asked as he stepped up behind her.

"No please shove them down my throat again for the umpteenth time," Phasma snapped as she turned to face Hux.

Hux locked his eyes on her as he sneered. "No need for hostility towards me, Captain. I was only reminding you of your duties before the rendezvous at Jakku."

"On the contrary, there's no need for you to insult my intelligence, General," Phasma blasted back at Hux. "As I'm sure you are aware. I have intently studied our files on Prolov and his fleet. I'm also well aware of what you and the Supreme Leader have ordered me to do. And you have my word; I will fulfill my mission."

"Very well, Captain," Hux smirked. He watched as Phasma stood rigid in front of him. He looked up at her mask as if he could peer through it. He sneered as he continued to stare at her. "Is there something you need to tell me, Phasma? What's on your mind?"

Phasma looked over at Prolov's image on the screen for a few seconds. She suddenly charged forth, backing Hux into a corner as she glared down at him. "We both know your life and career hangs by a simple thread of nepotism. If you push me too far, General, I will personally sever that thread!"

She turned and left the room to head towards her quarters, leaving a stunned Hux in her wake. It was time for the past to meet the present and for Phasma to take the first step towards a destiny that she had dreamed of since she was a child. And nothing was going to stop her from at least reaching out to take a firm hold on it all.

"Admiral, what we experienced was no hyperdrive incident." Captain Jorr, commanding officer of the Imperial Star Destroyer, Corrin, stated rather firmly. He glared at Admiral Prolov with his dark brown eyes full of concern. "We have to consider the possibility that someone tried to steal the weapon, sir."

Prolov shook his head as he analyzed what Jorr just said. "I don't think so, Captain Jorr."

"What do you mean, sir?" Jorr asked as he cocked his head of thinning brown hair.

Prolov shot him a sharp stare. "If someone attempted such a thing, we would all be dead, Captain. You know the specifics of the weapon itself." He looked around the table at the other Star Destroyer Captains, who made up his council. "You all know the details. If someone attempts to alter or steal it, then it ignites and takes all of us with it."

Around the table, Captains representing the Star Destroyers Teiryan, Zephyr, Gladius, Sydonus, Tenebris, and Impetus sat listening to Prolov's words. One individual, Captain Jensen of the Star Destroyer Teiryan, sat back in his chair waiting for the Admiral to finish before speaking up himself.

"What exactly happened in hyperspace, Admiral?" Captain Jensen asked calmly. "Members of my crew were hurled around the ship without suffering injury. I even fell into one of the duty pits on the bridge and walked away unharmed. I've never seen anything like it. And to hear that we have traveled twenty-four years into the future is astounding, sir."

"I have no explanations for what occurred, Captain Jensen," Prolov replied calmly. He leaned back in his chair as he took another glance at the council. "However, I can say with certainty that our alleged time jump is permanent. Commander Bayda has theorized that aspect through his analysis of the available data so far."

Captain Jorr didn't quite like what he was hearing. "Sir, it is evident that something is not quite right here. In my years of serving in the Imperial Navy, I have never heard of incidents such as this, especially enduring such a wild ride through hyperspace with no injuries or damage, much less allegedly traveling through time. There is more to this than we realize, sir!"

"I concur with Captain Jorr." Captain Noran of the Star Destroyer Impetus said. He looked over to Prolov with an intense expression. "What's more, how do we know this is not a ruse of some kind, sir?"

Captain Nesset, the commander of the Tenebris, nodded as Noran finished his statement. "I am wondering the same thing. For all we know, this could be a trap, sir!"

"It could very well be a trap. That's why I'm not relying on the star charts, which have indicated a twenty-four-year shift in time. Technology can be manipulated easily," Prolov replied calmly. He understood the trepidation the men were feeling for this situation. He didn't blame them as this was a rather frightening occurrence, even for experienced Imperial officers. "And that brings me to another point we need to discuss. I have made contact via the HoloNet with a General Hux of the First Order, which supposedly arose from the remnants of the Galactic Empire. General Hux has invited us to meet with him at Jakku. Once there, he has assigned his commander of Stormtroopers, Captain Phasma, as my contact at the meeting aboard the Apollyon."

"Who is this Captain Phasma? And why did they assign a stormtrooper commander as your contact?" Jorr asked in a sharp tone. It was evident he was instantly mistrusting of the arranged meeting, and it's specifics as he continued. "And does he have any experience in such matters?"

"General Hux has assigned her" Prolov snapped back with words that drew gasps. "And speaking of her experience, she has an impressive military record with the First Order, according to the file General Hux sent to me. Supposedly, she is the best they have from what I can ascertain."

Noran shot a puzzled look to Prolov. "Not that I mind at all, but sending a woman who commands their stormtroopers to be your contact for this meeting? That raises concerns with me, Admiral."

Prolov returned the look with one of his own. "What concerns you, Captain Noran?"

Noran swiveled in his chair as he spoke, characteristic of him when he was nervous. "Gender aside, they claim a Captain commands their entire Stormtrooper Corps? To me, that seems to be a rather low rank to have such overwhelming responsibility. It is just not adding up, sir."

"I agree with Captain Noran" Jorr stated in his usual gravelly voice, tinged with a touch of annoyance. "Sir, if Captain Phasma is coming aboard the Apollyon in full stormtrooper armor, then shouldn't we take measures to make sure she is who she says she is. How do we know that she is a woman?"

Prolov became irate at the Captains' words. "I am not going strip search her just to see if she is telling the truth! What's wrong with you, Captain? Is that any way to treat a distinguished guest...or a lady for that matter?"

Jorr shook his head with a serious look on his face. "No sir, it's not but can't we, at least, have her remove her helmet so we can see for ourselves?"

Prolov was not going for it at all. "According to the file I read, the anonymity of a stormtrooper is close to her heart. If she wants to keep her helmet on the entire time, then she can do so. And we're going to respect her wishes in that regard. That is a standing order, gentlemen!"

"If it comes to it, we can restrain her if need be, sir. We are an Imperial fleet-." Jorr said in an arrogant tone, which drew a sharp glare from Prolov.

"Captain Jorr, she is as tall as Annalisa was!" Prolov replied with a tinge of irritation in his voice. "And lest you forget, Annalisa once tied you in a knot in fifteen seconds in a self-defense class, and she was not a stormtrooper! Need I say more?"

A few chuckles echoed through the room. Prolov held his hand up to quieten down the men in the room before speaking. "That's enough of this bickering, gentlemen! In two days, both the Apollyon and Corrin will set course to meet with the First Order at Jakku."

He looked across the table. "Captain Jensen, you will be in charge of the fleet while we are away. Spread them out in the sector but remain close enough so you can assist one another quickly should the need arise. For the rest of you, I want every ship in the fleet to make sure they are in pristine condition to receive guests, whether they do or not. I want every centimeter spotless just as I want all departments organized by Imperial standards. No exceptions, no excuses. For now, I will dismiss all of you except Captain Jorr. You have your orders, get to it, gentlemen!"

Prolov waited until their holograms disappeared before turning his attention to Captain Jorr. "We will keep this simple. When we meet with the First Order, position the Corrin where you can escape should the need arise. I will do the same with the Apollyon. In that case, set course for the Renda Noth system in the Outer Rim. When we are underway, I will instruct the others to do the same."

Jorr nodded as he looked over at Prolov with a questioning glance. "Sir, what are you going to do if Captain Phasma is aboard if or when all hell breaks loose?"

Prolov shrugged as he pursed his lips. "She'll have to come along for the ride. That's the risk she assumes by coming aboard. And in that case, we will not harm her. We'll just drop her off on a hospitable planet before moving on."

"Sounds reasonable and right on par with your beliefs, sir," Jorr replied with a slight smile.

Prolov looked away a minute before continuing the conversation. "It's the right thing to do. Speaking of that, I would like to have you aboard when Captain Phasma arrives, just for ceremonial purposes. I will do all the conversing with her."

Jorr nodded in agreement. "As you wish, sir."

"You have your orders, Captain Jorr. We have a lot of work to do between now and our rendezvous with the First Order. Let's get to it." Prolov said as he stood up. Jorr nodded just before his hologram wavered and disappeared.

A murmuring voice brought Prolov to a halt as he turned to leave the room. He looked around, thinking that it was just interference coming in through the comlink. He listened again only to hear nothing but silence for a few moments. Suddenly, it spoke again.

Slowing his breathing to hear the voice clearer, he turned in the direction from which it came. He took a couple of steps towards the back of the room lit just enough to reveal an empty wall. It spoke again, only in this instance, it was understandable for the words left him stunned as they filled his ears.

"Confide in her..."