Rey rolled the sleeve of her jumpsuit several times, trying to get them to stay off her hands.
"Here this will help," Rose placed an elastic band around her wrist, keeping the sleeve bunched perfectly.
"Thanks."
They had been undercover for almost two weeks at the Pluma factory, it was relatively mundane, their duties were similar to what they did for the Resistance; fixing, assembling and maintaining spacecrafts, it was perfectly ordinary. Shockingly, Poe who always seemed so daring deemed their ordinary activities to be perfect, when undercover it was best to attract as little attention as possible.
"Poe and BB8 won't be joining us for dinner, he said that he and the other pilots are going drinking," Rose announced.
"Lucky." Both Rey and Rose were capable of flying but the administrators were more short-handed on mechanics.
The two of them quickly headed down to the mess hall to grab some food. There was always plenty of helpings and Rey wolfed it down with her usual gusto, but judging from the slight cringe from her other co-workers it wasn't up to par. Rose always had a smaller appetite and pushed her leftovers to Rey who accepted them without hesitation.
"Canay wants us back in the hanger after dinner."
"You're joking," food came flying out of Rey's mouth, after over a year in her presence Rose was used to it, turning slightly.
"Goodness Rey, what would C3PO say if he saw you now."
Rey grinned, mouth still full, "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't say anything, just short-circuit."
Rose laughed tears leaking from her eyes, "Anyway," she gasped, "Canay said we've received a surplus of orders and wants us to deal with them."
Their supervisor was a real pain in the arse. As soon it was apparent that Rey and Rose were fast workers; especially when paired together, Canay singled them out. She gave them far more work then what was appropriate and kept them separated from the others. It wasn't ideal considering they needed time and connections to gain information.
"Did you find any intel?"
"I tried to mind trick one guy into revealing any suspicious activity, he ended up going on and on about how he believed his wife was cheating on him."
Rose laughed again clutching her stomach as an ache formed. The last time Rey had directly used this power was on Starkiller base, she now found it was more complicated than she first thought. They would probably be here awhile, she reckoned she could ease into this ability with some practice.
"Well if you end up mastering the technique then maybe you could get Canay to lay off our backs."
"Absolutely, I'm finished here we should head back before she gives us more work."
The two stood, dumping their trays on a cleaning cart, just before they reached the doors Rey caught something in the corner of her eye. Turning, she spotted Devron. It was the first time she had seen him since the Ball, he was talking gently with an elderly Cafeteria Lady, kindness shining from his eyes. With extreme caution, she prodded him with the Force but came up with nothing. Frowning, she withdrew not wanting to push it, she then reached for the woman feeling tranquility and joy.
"Damn, I was not expecting him to be that handsome, that's Devron isn't it?"
Rey hummed in confirmation. She didn't know what to make of him, but she did know she would have to get a lot close to him to find out.
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"Is this all the First Order has to offer? Are you men or trash!" The tendons in Arbelo's neck constrained and his snarl created a viciously savage appearance.
After ten brutal seconds of sparring, the gigantic knight picked his opponent clean off the ground and threw him across the training hall. Those that knew him well could tell he was holding back as only half of the soldier's bones were broken. A much smaller knight leaped onto the beast's back, the extra weight barely registering.
"Come on Bel don't be mean, let's also be considerate here. Try, warriors or wimps, there are women here too."
"As far as I'm concerned all of you are pathetic now get the fuck out of my sight."
The immediately dispersed showing an impressive amount of speed that was unseen when they first arrived.
"Welp, another promising group is gone, your such a bully Bel."
"Don't tell me you didn't notice."
When they had placed a call out for recruits each screening was filled with soldiers closely tied with the First Order Brass. The Knights had little patience for schemes and machinations, they needed new guards for Kylo, the sooner, the better.
"We're gonna have to pull the open sign-ups, starting picking out soldiers individually."
Arbelo grunted in response, he picked up a shield and tossed it to the corner where the others were, instead it crashed into the wall leaving a huge dent.
"Zip it Sunny."
The younger knight stifled his giggles yet his eyes swirled with mirth. This was what they needed in the guards, camaraderie. Every new prospect was filled with vulgar ambition, willing to stab their each other in the back just to gain a shred of power. If they were to serve Kylo then they needed to be able to work together and trust each other.
"My Lords, am I interrupting?"
"Asha!" Sunri launched himself at her.
In the brief amount of time, she knew him, the Commander quickly learned to brace herself when meeting the young knight. She swayed slightly before rightening herself, Sunri still clinging to her.
"Got any juicy news for us?"
"Indeed I do. Lord Arden and Lord Rance would like to see you two."
Sunri grimaced and Asha couldn't help but match his sentiment. Just a few hours ago Lord Arbelo discovered a bottle insect in his lunch. Seeing the knight split his meal and the table in two with his lightsaber was both hilarious and terrifying, perhaps more of the latter. Needless to say, he was still sensitive over the issue.
"Then lead the way," there was a chill in Arbelo's voice that made both Asha and Sunri wary.
Asha took them directly to Arden's chambers. Whatever they had to share must be of dire importance since it was the most secure place in the Dreadnought, second only to Kylo's quarters.
"Bel, lovely to see you, how was lunch?" There was mischief in Rance's voice.
"Gotta pest infestation going on, in fact, I think I see one right now."
"Enough you two there are more important matters to discuss."
Both knights scowled in Arden's direction who remained unmovable. His presence was a relief to every soul on board the Dawn. When things started breaking, as they naturally do around the Knights of Ren, it was best to hide behind him. However, there still remained a sharp spike in med bay's activity.
"Fine," Arbelo growled, "what was it that you want to talk about?"
"We tracked Karkko's communication calls to the Batuu, you two were there a couple of months ago on a mission, what was it like?"
"Nice temperate planet, really quiet, kinda boring actually, are you guys heading there?" Excitement laced Sunri's voice. "Can you bring me back some Loovar candy? They make the best in the galaxy."
"Sunny," Rance chided.
"I already sent some of my Unit members My Lord, there was nothing."
"So that it? A dead end," Arbelo's face tightened in frustration.
"No, I mean there was absolutely nothing, our headquarters there were completely deserted, including the surrounding civilian area. We were still receiving regular reports from the planet but they are a sham, practically carbon copies of each other with minor differences."
"My gods, does Kylo know about this?"
"Yes, he does, in fact, we believe it goes much deeper then this," Arden announced as he activated a holoprojector displaying the galaxy, throughout the outer-rim numerous planets and steroids were coloured red. "Each of these locations are places where more than a thousand people have gone missing. The oldest incident dates back only 7 months ago."
"And how many in total is that?" The common cheerfulness in Lord Sunri's voice was gone, Asha almost was taken aback at how much older the young knight appeared.
"We're not certain but we estimate it to be anywhere between 50 to 80 Billion, My Lord."
"How the fuck does that many people go missing."
"Use your head, Bel," Rance scolded, "although I wouldn't be surprised if it's empty. 80 Billion isn't much, 500 trillion beings serve the First Order which in reality is only 0.5% of the galaxy's sentient population. Our control over the outer rim is obviously sporadic."
"But Lord Arbelo does have a point," Asha quickly added as the two knights seemed on the brink of exploding. "These disappearances are likely to continue, the fact our records have been compromised is a serious issue, there's the possibility of a coup. My unit is currently traveling to other outer rim territories to investigate."
"Do either of you remember any serial numbers of the personnel on Batuu?" Arden questioned. "Those listed in the First Order database appear to be fabricated."
"Oh, I know! I know!" Sunri exclaimed jumping with excitement, "I remember because it was so funny."
"Well, what was it?" Rance demanded impatiently.
"SM-6969" The Knight groaned and Asha coughed as Sunri laughed uproariously, tears leaking from his eyes.
"Such a lip on this one," Arbelo declared as he pinched Sunri's round checks between his massive fingers.
"Ow, dat hwerts you bwoolly."
Rose and Rey sat side by side, turning their heads in unison as they watched Poe pace the length of their small room. Rey had BB8 tucked on her lap, patting his smooth head absent-mindedly. Poe stroked his bearded jaw, deep in thought. He had a recognisable face from Resistance posters, so for this mission, he had grown out his facial hair and trimmed his thick locks short on the side. To his friend's disgust, he looked even more handsome, albeit less of a golden boy and more of a wild night.
"You're telling me there wasn't a single thing off about it? Nervous? Scared?"
"No Poe," Rey answered with a small smile, "I couldn't get a read on him but the interaction between him and the woman was ordinary."
"Ordinary, omitting the fact he's probably Kuat's smartest and prettiest man alive," Rose added.
"Exactly, think of the number of connections and influence he has throughout the core worlds. If he's truly aligned with the First Order it could be disastrous, we need to get you a lot closer to him. You'll have to do a thorough mind sweep of him."
"I know but I'm just a mechanic and he's an Elite, the fact he was in the cafeteria today was practically a miracle.
"And what about the woman he spoke with?"
"She had no information, that was the first time she met him, he just showed up requested a meal and then vanished."
"That just makes him more confusing." BB8 beeped excitedly and Poe snapped his fingers, "great idea buddy. We just successfully tested a new Decimator, they're going to throw this big party at Wanten casino next week, I'll bring you along as my date."
"And how is it that you got invited? Does one of the higher-ups have a crush on you?"
"You flatter me, Rose, however, I'm not technically on the guest list, but I will be," there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Well then sound the alarm because a walking decimator is on his way." BB8 beeped in confirmation causing Rey and Poe to laugh, she clutched the droid preventing him from falling off.
"What's going on here." Canay came bursting into their quarters, her thin face twisted into her usual scowl.
"He's a friend ours, we're just chatting" Rey quickly added sending out gentle waves with the force, yet it seemed to have little effect. Rey learned that some people are naturally resistant to telepathy and unfortunately Canay was one of them. Rose chalked it up to her being a constant sourpuss.
"You're one of the pilots aren't you, weren't you told that men aren't allowed in the women's dorms after sundown? This ain't a bloody brothel."
"You wound me, madame, my intentions are pure," Poe cast his most charming smile and if possible Canay's scowl twisted even further.
"Get. Out. Before I have you thrown out."
Poe raised his hands in supplication, sliding out with a small grin on his face. Rey stretched her legs out and BB9 rolled off them smoothly. He gave a few short beeps in Canay's direction. Rey clamped a hand over her mouth, R2 you little devil.
"I had no idea you had so much time on your hands, you two can work overtime next week to finish the orders."
Rose swirled to Rey, the look on her face as plain as day. Well damn
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I haven't finished the next chapter but wanted to post another update quickly after the long delays last month. It's been really rough, I had assignments and I'm now doing exams. I missed my first exam as I kept receiving incorrect directions from my city's public transport website, it took 3 and half hours to get there and when I was informed it was too late to enter I broke down and cried on the street. I'm facing the possibility of failing the course and having to repeat.
I still have more exams to sit and I'm studying hard, but I feel like I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown from all the stress, writing is helping me to relax and get through all this mess. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's fairly plot heavy and there will be quite a bit of intrigue in this Arc.
Please review and I'll see you soon, it always make me happy to read your comments and I really need that right now.
