Author Note: As promised for reaching 115 reviews, here's a chapter! Shit is about to get real so... be ready.
Also. TLJ is in like... 5 days and I'm freaking out. Friendly reminder, this isn't going to be exactly the same. It'll go through TFA but it won't be exact so... don't hate me.
Reviews
Aggiefan15: I really appreciate that reference haha totally missed opportunity by me!
ravenclauses: Mom Phasma is best Phasma. Thank you for reviewing!
TishaLiz : Totally fine! Thank you for making time to review! Enjoy your holiday!
Andrea: Thank you so much!
Ellipse27 : Ominous because we're kinda seeing it through Ash's eyes more so than Kylo Ren's. That jerk totally knows what he's doing, we're in the dark just like Ashlyn! But don't worry... it may or may not explode soon.
LoveFiction2017: Thank you thank you thank you!
And of course, keep the reviews coming! I love hearing from you guys, it's the only way I know if you like it or hate it or whatever!
I'm so pumped to get us to the next phase of this story, so enough babbling!
LET'S GO!
The Finalizer was suddenly a whirlwind experience for Ashlyn. After a full day of doing almost nothing, she was expected everywhere and nowhere at the same time. While Lieutenant Damar was adamant about leaving her out of the meetings and revoking her access to certain classified information; he had a wall in his path preventing him from succeeding in his endeavours. That wall was Kylo Ren. While the two were separate for most of their time, Kylo Ren managed to keep tabs on Ashlyn just enough to know when she was being left out of certain things. He also had Phasma to help as well. The two were very busy in their planning and recon mission on the Finalizer, yet still made time to make sure Ashlyn wasn't getting caught up in anything too destructive.
She wasn't. However, she did wish Damar would have won at least one of his attempts to keep her out of a meeting. She was really growing intolerable of these meetings and was soon learning quickly why Kylo hated them so much to begin with.
That morning, she needed a caffeine fix, or something of that nature to get her through today's overhaul of meetings. It was day four and she was losing it. Luckily, the Finalizer cafeteria had coffee. It wasn't good coffee, but it was coffee. Who was she to complain? She wandered into the cafeteria, ignoring the vibe change around her and went to the coffee maker. She grabbed a cup from the stack and began to make her coffee, two sugars and some milk. As she did, she found it easy for her mind to lock onto something quite particularly nasty…
'Who's that?' She heard someone's rather loud thoughts come through.
'Great, another Kylo Ren running around. We didn't need more Force people.' Another voice chimed in.
'She's kinda cute. I'd tap that.' Ash bit her lip, placing the coffee pot back onto the burner as she slowly turned. These troopers and other personnel alike were not exactly discreet or hiding their thoughts.
Ash began to leave, walking passed a few cafeteria tables when another voice came in. 'There goes Kylo Ren's whore.' Okay, that one got to her. She looked to her left, a man with a glower on his face was staring back at her. He was an officer, but not one she recognized to be too important. He wasn't in most of their meetings. Didn't matter as the two had a staredown. "Excuse me?" She asked.
'Shit, can she hear me? She can't hear me, right? It's not like she's anyone important, just Ren's new slu-' With that, his tray of food flipped up and directly whacked him in the face. The tray landed with a thud on the ground as the now food covered man stood up. His face red from anger and embarrassment as the rest of the room grew deathly silent. "I'll have your head for this!" He shouted angrily, his hands balling into tight fists as he came closer to her.
Ash wasted no time, throwing her coffee down and grabbing her lightsaber; the amber blade unleashing. She stood her ground, glaring at the man as he took a step back. His anger now mixed with fear as he looked at her. Troopers stood now from their seats, no one daring to come close but ready to intervene if need be. However, no one knew how to interfere without having Kylo Ren take their heads off, especially if they shot at the girl. "You should learn some fucking manners." Ash spat.
"I don't need manners for some useless whore!" The man dared.
Ash's grip tightened on her lightsaber; she honestly wouldn't know what to do if the fight turned violent. Sure, she'd win. She had a lightsaber. However, was that something she wanted to do?
"Enough!" A booming voice called upon entering the cafeteria. The attention now focusing onto the chrome armored woman that stormed into the cafeteria and over to Ashlyn and the First Order personnel. "I suggest you apologize to the Commander's apprentice." Phasma said, with little emotion conveyed through her helmet. "Not that it would matter, as you know our Commander has quite the temper. Apologizing won't save your life, but might make you leave this galaxy without having left anything said you regret."
The man's glare let up just enough to show the fear he was hiding. "She started it."
Phasma turned to him, and although no one could see her face, it was evident the kind of emotion she was harboring. "Do you really think the Commander would care who started it?" The man stuttered, trying to find words as Phasma scoffed. "Go clean yourself up and I suggest you stay out of sight for a very, very long time." She looked back to Ashlyn. "Ms. Novafall, if you'll please follow me."
Ashlyn silently followed Phasma out of the cafeteria, trying her best to keep up with the taller woman's pace. With the new spike in adrenaline coursing through her, Ashlyn didn't really need that coffee any longer.
"I suppose this is a bad time to apologize?" Ash asked sheepishly.
"Not exactly." Phasma said sharply. "We need to lay low, Ash." She reminded her. "That means staying out of trouble."
Ash sighed as she groaned. "I know. He was thinking things that were so repulsive… and about me."
"I didn't know you could hear thoughts as well." Phasma mused.
Ash didn't really care for that. Yes, she had listened in on that man's thoughts. He wasn't exactly hiding them. Also, he was being rude! She had to defend her honor, right? "It's a newly developed skill." She said quickly. "Besides, Kylo would have done the same thing, but worse to him."
"And you are not Kylo Ren."
Ash's breath caught in her chest. Wasn't that something she was adamant in protecting? Her difference from Kylo Ren? She had respect for the privacy of others, especially when it came to something they couldn't control. A person's thoughts were theres, and here she was, causing problems because of a thought. Yet, what confused Ashlyn in all of this… she didn't feel so bad for having done so. Granted, she managed to defend herself from one rude person, she did so by breaking her own rule.
Perhaps there was a balance that Ashlyn could find. Listening in on someone's thoughts for the benefit of the greater good. She would probably have to learn to accept that sort of thing, especially if she was needed by Kylo Ren for something far more important. "I'm not Kylo Ren." Ash agreed with care. "I also wouldn't have gone as far as to kill that man."
"Wouldn't you?" Phasma challenged.
"No, I wouldn't have." She was adamant on that stance. "Maybe there is a benefit to hearing the thoughts of others. At least, while on the Finalizer. I can get a better sense of who is my enemy." She did put her foot down on the extent of it, however. "I won't be doing it just for amusement. Only when necessary."
Phasma agreed with her. "I think that's a fine way to look at it."
Ash changed the subject. "So where are we going now?"
"I thought it would be beneficial if you joined in on our debriefing with the Commander before our next assembly. He's waiting for us in my apartment."
Ash grimaced. Phasma was annoyed at what had transpired, but how would Ren be? "Is our Commander angry?"
Phasma held back a laugh. "I wouldn't say that." The two continued in silence and upon reaching Phasma's apartment, they wandered inside. Like Phasma had said, Kylo Ren was waiting for them.
The moment he felt the mood shift and Ashlyn hearing those thoughts, he wanted to leave the room and find whomever had been saying such things. If it weren't for Phasma, he was certain there would have been a bloodbath. She, very wisely, suggested on retrieving the girl on her own, as well as bring her to their meeting. He wasn't exactly happy with the latter part, however, he gave in. When he saw the food tray fly up into the aggressor's face, he felt a little better; proud even that Ash could take care of herself.
He was lounging on the couch, a very proud and smug smirk on his face as the women entered. The door slid behind them as Phasma spoke. "I've brought back the troublemaker."
"I'd be angrier if I wasn't so damn proud." He chuckled. "Reading minds and flipping trays of food at people. You're almost a real Force User."
Phasma rolled her eyes as she removed her helmet. "Aren't Force Users supposed to be graceful and on a higher plain than the rest of us?"
"We can be petty too." Ren said somewhat tauntingly as Ashlyn plopped down next to him on the couch. "Please do try and lay low for the rest of our trip, Ashlyn."
"He started it." She grumbled as Ren pulled her closer to his side.
He leaned over, kissing the side of her temple endearingly. "I know, starshine."
Phasma exhaled sharply. "My Force Users are breaking all of the rules today, it would seem. Between Ashlyn starting a food fight and now you two…"
Ash was taken back by that comment, looking at Kylo Ren with slight confusion and concern. She had almost forgot that their relationship was still technically a secret from Phasma. "Are we not hiding this from her anymore?"
"She's not daft, Ashlyn. If anyone could figure out what we're doing it's Phasma."
"I'm much smarter than Hux." Phasma chimed in with a cynical remark on Hux's intelligence. Granted, it was all in good sport. "Also Ren let it slip when we first arrived when he showed affection for you."
Ash looked at Phasma, smiling. "You won your bet then?"
Kylo snorted. "She knew about your bet too?"
Phasma smirked. "I had to make sure I had the upper hand in order to win. I can't let Hux take this one."
"Poor Hux." Ash said with a laugh. "I feel like everyone gangs up on him."
"You have no idea." Kylo informed her with a devious grin before getting back to the task at hand. "There is a reason we asked you to join this meeting. Hopefully, you can help us plan our next move; we need a copy of the archives. There's information within them that is relevant to our cause. However-"
"We can't just ask for it, can we?" Ash asked.
"Precisely." Kylo Ren confirmed. "If we do, our research will be tracked. We can't access it through the main computer without risking unwanted attention. We need to bypass the tracking system in the computer and take the files."
Phasma scoffed. "And how do you plan to do that? We cannot simply bypass their security system."
"Not unless the entire system was rebooting." Ash chimed in, realizing she knew more about this than she wanted. "If we kickstart a reboot on the main security firewalls, it will take about five minutes to get back up when turned back on. It happened on StarKiller, Sid and I reset the system when the heating failed. We can download it during that time, assuming we can get it done in five minute."
Kylo Ren had a smug expression on his face that Ash could only describe as a look of winning a game where every pawn on the board was his now. He told Phasma that Ash could do it; the impressed expression on Phasma's face only confirmed that any of this was now possible. "How fast can you get this done?"
"You assume I'll just do this without asking." Ash frowned. "Besides, don't we have a meeting?"
"Not if the head of maintenance had to be called away due to an unknown security downtime." Phasma added. "It could work."
"It will work." Kylo reassured her, looking at Ashlyn as she calculated her steps to get this operation underway. This time, he tried asking instead of demanding. "Will you do it?"
Now, it was Ashlyn's turn to get an upperhand. "On the condition that I get another piece to this puzzle." While Phasma didn't know what Ashlyn meant, Kylo did. His expression a mix of pride and annoyance at being bested even for a small instance was hard to hide.
"After you successfully get the files." He said sternly.
Ash shrugged, it wouldn't be too difficult a task. "Where am I uploading the files to?"
Kylo nodded to Phasma as she went to her suitcase, rummaging through a hidden compartment and grabbing a small drive. She handed the drive to Ashlyn, it was the perfect size to hide in her pocket. "Keep it with you until we leave. This will be our last meeting before we head back to StarKiller. We must lay low once we retrieve this information."
"You got it, Captain." Ash said, stuffing the drive into her pocket. "Are we going home early?"
"You and Ren are, I have a few things to tend to here still." Phasma explained.
Relief washed over her as she looked at Kylo. He said nothing as he removed himself from the couch, grabbing his helmet again.
"We need to go. You know what to do?" He asked Ashlyn. She stood up now, looking at Phasma then back to Kylo Ren confidently.
"Once I shut down the security system, I can get into the main computer room and get the info. Shouldn't be a problem." Ash confirmed, smiling with some confidence as she did.
The corner of Ren's lips tugged upward slightly, just enough to resemble a smile and yet still hold a smirk in there somehow as he leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "We'll be out of here soon, starshine." He reassured her.
Phasma groaned. "Enough of that, you two. We have a meeting to attend." Ren's smirk grew as he placed his helmet over his head, locking it in place.
Ashlyn had her first assignment, while ultimately she wanted to stay a neutral party throughout her stay on StarKiller, she couldn't deny the excitement building up inside her small frame.
Ash had gone on her own; Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma disappeared towards the debriefing room. Ash made her way to the main circuit room, using her datapad to find her way. She tried to make herself look busy and important, lest to arouse suspicion from the inhabitants on the Finalizer.
Getting to the main circuit room wasn't difficult at all, minus the few times she had to turn around and try not to look lost. She had to stay under the radar, if anyone saw her enter the circuit room then the mission could be compromised.
Upon reaching the door, Ash kept a watchful eye on the hallways, waiting for the most opportune moments when the traffic cleared. Once it had, she ducked into the room and stared at one of the largest consoles she had ever seen. Granted, it was multiple units compiled in one room. Unlike StarKiller that had separate locations for these sort of things. This was an entire room dedicated to it. She'd have to stare in awe another time, right now, she had work to do.
Ash rushed over to one component system, skimming through it for the right wiring. "Compressors, air locks, air conditioning." She mumbled, rushing to the next component. "Computer main frame." She read. "This is it." She followed the components down, finding the one she needed. All she had to do was unhook it. Simple as that. With a swift flick of the wrist, Ash unplugged the security check system and quickly made her way to the door. She didn't have much time before someone noticed the system failing.
She paused, inhaling deeply as she brought her focus into check to sense any unwanted visitors on the other side of the door. Satisfied with the answer, she opened the door and left the room and towards the main computer room.
Her heart raced in her chest as she turned down corridor after corridor, avoiding the gazes of anyone passing by. She was focused, her mission important, she wouldn't fail Ren and Phasma. "Ms. Novafall." An authoritative voice said from behind her.
Ash's expression dropped as she stopped walking, turning quickly to see who had addressed her. "Lieutenant Damar." She greeted as pleasantly as she could while a sinking feeling took over. "What can I help you with?"
He eyed the girl suspiciously, looking her up and down before answering. "You know, it's funny to me. The Commander has fought so hard to get you into all our meetings and yet you choose not to go." He pointed out. "Now while I am a paranoid superior on a rather large, ship floating in the galaxy. That intuition has kept me alive this long."
I'm done for. She thought, trying to work up some excuse in her mind to throw him off the scent. Or rather, at least get him to go away. "I'm also here to work, not just attend meetings." She tried.
Skepticism washed over his face quickly. "I found that very hard to believe. I have it on good authority that you are up to something. From harassing one of my crew members to little meetings with the Commander and the Captain."
Ash interrupted him. "He started it." She bit her tongue, immediately. Fighting back was not the best idea. "Lieutenant, you comment on my absence from the meeting. Yet, here you are as well."
Damar stepped closer; dangerously closer as he backed Ashlyn against the wall. Her back as flat as possible as she tried to keep some distance, he wouldn't allow that. "You think you're clever. You think you're safe because of the Commander. I assure you, Ms. Novafall-" Her name was like venom on his tongue. "You will never be safe."
Ash's jaw clenched, she knew she couldn't hurt him. If she did, that would only raise suspicion. "Back off." She warned, her tone more of a threat than anything.
Damar's lips twisted into a smug and almost sickly amused smirk. "I know you're up to something. The closer you are to the Commander, the more likely you're just as much of a piece to his sick little game. He may be getting away with it, but you won't. We'll see what happens when your use is gone." Damar threatened. "Once he's done, you're mine."
Neither one moved; their glares boring into one another as they stared intensely. Ash was running out of time, someone was sure to have figured out the security was out. If they were smart, they would know how to fix it.
By the grace of the Force, Ash caught a break as someone cleared their throat. "Lieutenant." The turn sharply turned their heads to see the nervous expression on Arc's face. "I'm sorry to bother you, we're having some issues on the ship and I need Ms. Novafall's expertise."
"Not now." Damar growled.
"It's a severe problem, Lieutenant." Arc insisted.
Damar exhaled sharply, looking back at Ashlyn before backing away from her. "Looks like you're needed, Ms. Novafall."
Ash said nothing as she quickly removed herself from the scenario and followed Arc down the hallway, leaving a fuming Damar to his own devices as he went to the meeting.
"What was that about?" Arc asked with concern.
Ash shook her head. "I tend to get into all sorts of trouble." She tried to brush it off. "What's the problem?"
"Our security is down on all computers." Arc explained. "I'm not sure what's wrong."
Ash was in the home stretch as she offered as much of a warm smile as she could. "Take me to the main computer room, let's see what's going on?"
Arc nodded, smiling now. "I knew I could count on you. C'mon, it's this way." He said, leading the head of maintenance to the main computer room.
"You didn't tell her why you're leaving early." Phasma said quietly as the two stood off in the distance; the meeting on hold as they awaited for Lieutenant Damar.
"Neither did you." Ren said absent mindedly. He was holding back as many emotions as possible then, sensing what Damar had been doing to Ashlyn. He knew he was at a loss; if Kylo ran to her aid, then they'd look suspicious. He could only hope Ashlyn could handle it herself. She had.
Phasma kept her eyes on all personnel in the room; she multi-tasked by listening in on their conversations, checking the exists, and making sure no one was listening to them. "Hux sounded distressed over it."
Kylo scoffed. "Wouldn't you? Snoke demanded we bring Ashlyn before him the moment we return. She's already heavily focused in the current objective. I didn't want her to worry about anything more."
"Me either." Phasma agreed. "Has she gotten to the room?"
Kylo simply shook his head just as the door opened revealing a very agitated Lieutenant Damar. "I'm going to kill him." Ren said under his breath. Phasma didn't bother asking why, she had a pretty good idea that Damar would be the cause of most of their trouble on base. It didn't matter, they had a schedule to keep. Everything was up to Ashlyn now.
"See? It's offline." Arc said, pointing to the large holo screen before them. "It shut down without any warning."
Ash began typing away, pulling up a few things to cover her own ass as she pretending to try and figure things out. After a few screens pulled up, she nodded in understanding. "It looks like something came unplugged. Perhaps it's a little loose or someone knocked it out." She looked at him, offering a sweet smile. "Mind going to plug it in for me? I'll keep trying to pull up the system."
Arc nodded. "You got it." With that, he left Ashlyn alone. The moment the door slid shut, she quickly grabbed the drive and plugged it into the computer. She knew she didn't have much time, five minutes once Arc plugged in the system. Realistically, she had less time than that. She needed to get it done before Arc returned.
Ash got to work; sorting through file after file until she found the rather large archives. With a deep breath, she began to extract the files. The progress bar pulling up on screen; the line moving at what felt like a snail's pace as she stared at it. She began to feel sweat start to pool on her forehead as her nerves built up in her stomach. The progress bar wasn't moving fast enough, Arc would be back soon. Hell, anyone could walk in at any moment.
She turned to the door, raising her hand and concentrating. She held the door in place, knowing no one would be able to open it until she let it or lost focus. Preferably the former. Her eyes glancing back to the screen every so often as the progress bar climbed.
'76%' She thought, knowing Kylo Ren would hear it. It was so close; she was almost in the home stretch. '83%' It was climbing now, higher and higher. The progress moving faster and faster. Then… there was a knock at the door.
"Ash!" She heard from the outside. It was Arc. "The door is stuck!"
Ash's arm began to shake as she held it. "Is it?" She called back, trying to play dumb.
"Maybe the reboot is to blame?"
Her arm shaking more as she focused harder. "Maybe!"
"I'll try forcing the panel!" Arc offered.
Ash's eyes went wide. "No need! It should be up soon!"
Arc laughed. "Nonsense! I want to learn from the best, it's probably better I'm in there anyway."
Ash looked at the screen again. '98% It's so fucking close' She could hear Arc playing around with the panel outside the door in an attempt to get it open. The moment she saw the 100, Ash quickly grabbed for the drive, closing out the file folder and releasing the door. The door opened immediately, revealing a confused Arc whom was holding the panel.
"Oh… hey." Arc said, looking at the panel. "Guess you were right."
Ash let out an airy laugh as she shoved the drive in her pocket. "You said I'm the best, right? It's for a reason." She teased as she turned back to the holo screen. She began pulling up the security system, the system almost fully back up. "Almost done."
Arc put the panel back before heading into the room to rejoin Ashlyn. He looked at the screen to confirm that the system was almost back. "Makes sense you're the head of maintenance." He laughed. "How did you know it was unplugged?"
Ash shrugged. "Happened on StarKiller once." That wasn't a lie. The two stood there awkwardly, watching the system reboot fully. Arc made small talk, realizing pretty quickly that Ash wasn't really in the mood for it. Her answers short and to the point, she was relaxing but still tense from the possibility of being caught. She did what she had to do; yet, there was something else. Ash found a rush of adrenaline; the excitement left her wanting more. She was ready for more.
Little did she know then, she would be in a world of trouble soon enough as the Supreme Leader awaited her arrival back to StarKiller.
Final Thought: I love vague sentences that end the story. But hey, we're about to head back to StarKiller and things may get really crazy. So remember to review and see y'all next time!
