A/N: My heart wants to write filth, but my body wrote another 'exposition' chapter. Here we have the blossoming of a potential Phasma bromance. Also, Hux.
"Get out," Ren ordered, his voice lowered. "Go back to your room and stay there until you're collected."
Guess they were done here. Chell lingered only a moment longer to stare at his back against the spray of stars, sitting in the uncertainty of what just happened. In a way she still felt long, phantom fingers pressed around her neck. What even happened just now? The order for her to leave was abrupt, almost hurried. A moment ago it seemed like he had all the time in the galaxy to bully her. Now he couldn't wait to be rid of her.
Not looking to be told a second time she saw herself out.
Upon leaving the external observation portal something bright and shiny caught her eye. Turning her head in the right direction she got a good, admiring look at the resplendent soldier that was marching her way and very nearly upon her. What a sight. Tall, composed, and nothing short of a bold statement. Never before had Chell seen armor quite like this; something both so powerful and dazzling.
"You, state your designation." The voice was firm, authoritative, yet unmistakably feminine.
The realization caused an unexpected blush to creep towards the top of her cheeks. A woman? A most impressive woman. Chell blinked up at the soldier of uncommonly tall stature. Oh, right, she would have to answer.
"Designation? No, I'm-"
"Senator Niobe!" The boy with the laundry cart turned into the hall, though he realized right away that she wasn't alone. "Captain Phasma," he stopped to salute.
"Carry on, PJ-6627."
PJ? PJ-6627 handed back Chell her clothes, now clean and wrapped in a papery white parcel. As he did, she quietly acknowledged how adorable it was that his designation started with 'PJ'. Was this by accident or design? Perhaps someone in the First Order had a sense of humor after all. Once the clothes were delivered, PJ-6627 respectfully took his leave. Phasma turned her attention back to the stranger.
"A senator?" her helmet tilted ever so slightly. "I was not informed of your arrival." Based on her tone the captain sounded displeased, but more suspicious than anything. It was likely she made it her business to know the comings and goings of passengers on the star destroyer, especially if such a person was an outsider.
"Were you informed of any prisoners? I was technically abducted from Hosnian Prime during a summit, my execution may have been on the table, but now I'm an emissary (apparently). Have been for the last… four hours?"
Silence hung in the air, presumably because Niobe's credibility was in question.
"It's been a weird couple of days," Chell admitted.
"What planet do you represent?"
"Parnassus."
"I am unfamiliar."
Chell chuckled, "I'm not entirely surprised. It's Mid-Rim. The galactic arena never paid us much mind. Not until quite recently, that is."
"Where were you going?" the captain inquired, referring to when she left the observation portal a few moments prior.
"Back to my room." Chell gestured, "Down that way."
There was a brief pause of consideration. "I will escort you."
"Oh," Chell was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, captain."
The two began walking through the endless metal halls, Chell taking at least two steps for every one of Phasma's strides. The senator kept sneaking not-so-sneaky glances at her temporary traveling companion; marveling at her armor, but more importantly marveling at that glorious blaster rifle.
"What were you doing in the external observation portal?" The inquiries continued, though Chell got the impression the captain waited until they were a little farther away from their prior location before asking this particular question.
"Just… wanted to see the view," Niobe said lightly. The statement wasn't technically a lie.
"I see." Captain Phasma didn't pursue the matter further. It was entirely possible that she knew full well who was in that observation deck. If Kylo Ren permitted Chell to leave a room alive after intruding on Kylo Ren alone time, then this gave the girl a little more credibility at least. If anything this was the deciding factor against her instant re-detainment.
Unable to control herself, Senator Niobe had to ask, "Is that an F-11D blaster rifle?"
"Yes." Phasma wasn't one to mince words. While this wasn't encouraging for conversation, Chell respected this and only thought more of the captain.
The senator gave an impressed hum whilst metaphorically drooling, clutching her clothing parcel a little tighter. "Custom from the looks of it. There's no trigger guard, did you opt for a recurve? You must have, there'd be no room for your fingers otherwise. That chromium finish though; gosh, you have exquisite taste in blasters."
The captain didn't reply, though she now appeared to be glancing at Senator Niobe through the side of her helmet.
"I prefer rifles as well. Though the last time I saw mine was on Hosnian Prime, so I'm sure it's long gone by now. Had her for years, rusty old bitch. Is yours a Mer-Sonn or-?" It suddenly occurred to Niobe that the captain probably considered her excited babbling a nuisance. She decided to hold her tongue on further, needles inquiry. "My apologies, captain. It seems I've started to ramble."
"It's… fine," the captain said finally. This was the closest Phasma has come to uncertainty so far, but even then she sounded carefully calculated. "Your observations are accurate, senator. I requested several custom modifications on our standard F-11D, the recurve among them…"
The rest of the short walk to Niobe's 'guest room' was spent discussing Phasma's blaster and the pros and cons of different modification types. It was not an entirely unpleasant experience and it was a nice break from the unseemly company she's kept the last couple of days.
"This is me," Chell gestured to a door on her right. "It's been a pleasure, captain."
"Senator," Phasma nodded respectfully before continuing her patrol.
Back in the room, Chell tossed the parcel on the bed before throwing herself down next to it. Part of her couldn't wait to tell Nebula who she just met. At the thought, a sudden longing plucked at her heart. It hadn't been very long, but she already missed her closest friend. For years, in times like these, they always had each other to rely on for support and counsel. It was rare that they were in a position where they were denied contact. Or in this case, their entire exchange would be closely monitored. Soon they would reunite on Coruscant, but not before Chell was absolutely certain she wasn't inviting Nebula into a death trap. Same with Gautam.
For a long while she just laid there in a restless state of half-sleep. Senator Niobe was confident those two could hold down the fort without her, but she was still itching to get back to work. Eventually she stirred and unwrapped the paper containing her now clean clothes. Grabbing the robe by its shoulders she flicked the fabric outwards to get a good look at the whole thing. Nice work, PJ. Bright as the day she got it and not a single smudge in sight. They even removed a stubborn stain towards the hem that had been there for months. Bless him, they even cleaned her undergarments to perfection. She would still be wary of her new situation, but she entertained the possibility that the First Order wasn't so bad after all.
By the time Chell was fully dressed with her hair redone, there was a tentative knock at her door.
"Senator Niobe," greeted Breiner's young assistant once she opened the door. "You're being summoned to the bridge."
She nodded in response. "Let's get to it then." As they began walking it occurred to Chell that she never caught the boy's name; as he was usually referred to as 'boy,' but that didn't seem an appropriate way to address a young man. Naturally she didn't know much at all about him other than he bore a certain familial resemblance to Vand Breiner. If she had to guess she'd say he wasn't older any than fifteen, despite him already being much taller than herself. Chell felt a gentle pang of grief. That's how old she would have been now.
"What's your name, son?"
"Zelig, mam."
"Breiner?"
"I… yes. The senator is my uncle on my mother's side."
Ha, she knew it. Although he lacked the smarminess of his uncle, they shared the same brown hair and bone structure. Somehow the lad retained a good-natured innocence. Though she wondered how long that would last under Vand's tutelage.
"Is he grooming you for a thrilling career in politics, Zelig?"
"Yes, mam."
"Is that what you want?"
The boy suddenly looked uncomfortable, which could be for a number of reasons. He may not be used to his superiors paying attention to him on a more personal level. Senator Niobe wondered when the last time someone took a genuine interest in what he, himself, wanted.
"I want what's best for the First Order," the boy replied carefully.
"A smart answer," she commended. "Whenever you're willing to divulge an honest one your secret would be safe with me."
Zelig flushed, but said nothing.
Fortunately the command bridge was stationed conveniently close to the upper level habitation area. Within minutes they arrived at their destination. The bridge was a large, symmetrical room with triangular windows and that same dark, metal aesthetic. There was a long walkway in the middle with pits on either side filled with hardworking technicians on their consoles. Sharply dressed personnel quickly milled about on the floor. The moment Senator Niobe entered the room she could feel eyes drawn to her; perhaps because she was the only person not wearing black, or that she was so obviously an outsider. Chell was not one to feel self-conscious, however. In her relatively short lifetime she's fought wars, toppled a monarchy, and helped liberate thousands of enslaved persons (human and non-human alike). With death looming around every corner, she learned that feeling inferior in any capacity was a gross waste of her time. At least when she could help it.
Senator Vand Breiner waved and summoned the two over to him. He was standing near a stern looking red-head, who appeared to only barely tolerate the senator's presence. The man did his best to busy himself with literally anything else. Vand Breiner either didn't notice or didn't care and continued to talk at great length about something.
"So, that's how we'll reestablish Coruscant-Ah. Senator Niobe, you're looking remarkably refreshed."
"Despite your best efforts, senator."
"Ha, cheeky," Breiner replied smiling. "General Hux, won't you meet Senator Niobe? She's our new emissary."
General? Chell tilted her head. But, he seems so young.
The young general did a slight double take before signing off on some datapad and passing it back to an administrator. When it left his hands he turned to face Chell, swiftly looking her over with a scrutinizing glare. In turn, she stared at him. He was almost unnaturally pale, even for a ginger. Based on this she accurately theorized he spent all his time exclusively in dark, sunless places. His eyes were tired yet stubbornly focused; another obsessive, high-ranking official who did not get much sleep.
After glancing her over General Hux looked to Vand. "This is a waste of time," he said, as if she suddenly wasn't standing right there. "She reeks of Resistance ideology. I give it a month, she'll run amuck and defect."
Run amuck? Chell tried to not look amused.
Oddly enough, Vand vouched for her. "Nonsense, general. Senator Niobe will help us do many great things."
"Then tell me, Senator Niobe," Hux turned his gaze back down to her. "What could we possibly gain from lending military assistance to your foolish endeavors?"
There were a lot of ways Chell could have answered this question. But, in this circumstance, the only one that mattered would be the one he wanted to hear. She replied in earnest, "The favor of the galaxy, general." Hux huffed in skepticism, but Niobe sensed he wasn't entirely opposed to the thought. "Countless worlds and star systems will raise the banner of the First Order and beg you for the end of Republic tyranny."
In truth, Chell Niobe hardly knew much about the First Order. Fortunately, Vand Breiner's briefing from earlier gave her a better grasp of what their operation is about and what they're trying to accomplish. Currently she knew enough to begin to achieve her own ends and appease the hands that fed her. Apparently she used the correct sequence of First Order buzzwords to at least begrudgingly pique the general's curiosity.
General Hux studied her, perhaps unsure if he should feel pleased, patronized, or neither. It was entirely possible he wanted to question her further, but he was robbed of the opportunity. In that moment an administrator came over, begged her apologies, and informed Senator Breiner that they were being summoned to the hangar. Understanding the urgency, they left promptly.
It would be unwise to keep Kylo Ren waiting.