Today Rey is lingering over breakfast with Milo. The Supreme Leader has already departed to start his busy day.
Snoke is in high spirits lately, Rey has noticed. The prospect of achieving his long-awaited goal of ruling the galaxy has the old Sith Master energized and making plans. He has a shadow government in the works and an extensive list of economic and public policy advisors. He also has an increasing long list of official audiences now that Mid Rim systems are lining up to preemptively negotiate their inclusion in the First Order. Princess Renata discretely stands behind the Supreme Leader's throne to watch it all, a silent witness to the turning tide of the galaxy's fate.
There is a growing sense of anticipation and excitement. Vindication, too.
The imminent conquest of the galaxy has Snoke busy planning for the future but it has old Milo waxing reflective about the past. This has been a goal many, many years in the making. Much has happened along the way. And Milo has seen it all. More and more, the circumspect old manservant is sharing with Rey his memories of the past, telling her that she is one of the family now and so Rey deserves to know.
This morning, Milo is speaking of the Sith during the Old Republic times. A phantom menace, he calls them with a proud look. Milo tells Rey of how the Sith operated under the very noses of the Jedi High Council and from within the very Senate itself. This is a history not found in any textbook but it explains quite a bit. Rey can't help but think that the Sith's Grand Plan is a conspiracy that the crazies on the holonet would love. Except it's true.
"In those days, the Sith mostly worked covertly," Milo explains. "They achieved far more through plots than through violence. It was more discrete and it had less chance of exposure. My Master was a businessman of great power and influence in those days. He could not be connected to violence. It was the same with Lord Sidious. He was an elected politician whose public persona during the Clone Wars was that of a reluctant warrior who had been pushed into war. Sheev Palpatine took pains to portray himself as a man of peace."
"Peace is a lie," Rey recites the beginning of the Sith code.
"Yes, it is," Milo confirms the wisdom of his several Sith masters. "Our Master likes to say that peace only occurs when conflicts are not yet ripe for violence." The dignified old manservant switches now to speaking of his clear favorite, the Master's eldest son. "Lord Vader was a very different Sith from Lords Sidious and Plagueis. Vader had been a Jedi war hero of the Old Republic. He was a man long accustomed to violence." Milo muses a moment, clearly remembering some undisclosed anecdote. "There was no natural guile in Lord Vader," Milo discloses. "He was a very direct man, and he had never been trained in the manipulation and plots of the Sith. Lord Vader saw no purpose in subterfuge once the Sith ruled the galaxy. He considered it unnecessary effort for the most part."
"That reminds me of Kylo," Rey says softly. The Kylo Ren she knows is never subtle and never patient, two traits necessary for the intricate stealth dealings Milo has described.
"Hmmmm . . . yes," Milo agrees. "Kylo Ren is very much like his grandfather. They are both men of action." Milo smiles over at Rey as he takes another sip of caf. "Lord Sidious and Lord Vader were an effective pairing for that reason, Rey. Lord Sidious pulled the strings and Lord Vader was his enforcer. Much like Lord Plagueis and Kylo Ren are now."
Rey raises an eyebrow. "So . . . we are getting another pair of tyrants?" What little Rey knows of the Empire has been filtered through the lens of the New Republic. Current historians do not look kindly upon her great-grandfather, Rey knows. But they look even less kindly upon Kylo's grandfather. Admiring the Empire had long gone out of fashion until the First Order had come on the scene. With its weirdly nostalgic nods to fascism and its overtly reformist agenda, the First Order's pitch is aimed to capture and rekindle the zeitgeist of the Empire. Things were not as bad back then as you've been told goes the argument. Join us and let's make the galaxy great again.
"Tyrants?" Milo shrugs. He has seen two republics and an empire come and go. "Some will view it that way, I'm sure. Rey, the Sith do not live by conventional morality. They are indifferent to most traditional concepts of right and wrong. But that does not necessarily make them evil. It makes them different."
Yes, Rey knows this. "Their only God is power."
Old Milo gives her a pointed look. "Their only God is Plagueis," he says softly. "Our Master creates life, extends life and renews life in the Force. Darth Plagueis is the only one to achieve that power. I am one hundred and eighty years old, Rey. Kept alive in the Force by my Master's grace and favor. Thanks to him, I have seen a great deal in my time. Long have I served the Sith."
Rey eyes the calm, understated man who serves as Snoke's personal assistant. She wonders just how many secrets he knows.
"What was Lord Sidious' wife like?" Rey changes the topic. She is curious about her great-grandmother.
Milo thinks a moment before he responds. "She was all the things our Master has told you. But she was more too. We are all more than we seem. Cresta Cole was an acquired taste, but over time I grew to like her. She was always kind to Lord Vader. She understood him. I appreciated that about her."
"What do you mean?" Rey wants details.
"Vice was her profession and so Cresta Cole had seen a lot of broken and hurting people through the years. They were her employees and her customers. Back then as now, the Coruscant Underworld was full of people with sad tales. Cresta Cole knew one when she saw one. She knew how to help Lord Vader." Milo thinks a moment before he divulges, "Lord Sidious' wife was a hardnosed business woman. Very jaded and rough around the edges by choice. But she could be quietly very kindhearted."
"Tell me," Rey urges. For this is all sounding vague to her.
"Cresta Cole was responsible for the family castle on Mustafar. She convinced Lord Sidious to gift it to Lord Vader. My old Master needed a place removed from prying eyes to nurse his hurts. It was a retreat of sorts. He loved it. He went there whenever he could. It is Kylo Ren's now."
Milo is reminiscing about Darth Vader but Rey is more interested in Lady Sidious. "There's nothing about her on the holonet," she remarks. Rey knows because she's looked extensively.
The old servant nods. "My old Master saw to it that Cresta Cole was wiped clean off the holonet. Her relationship to the Emperor was something akin to a state secret."
"Oh. Is that how it will be with me?" Rey dares to ask. If she ends up the bride of Kylo Ren, will she too be anonymous?
"I doubt it," Milo gives his opinion. "In days before the Rule of Two, the Sith kept their families secret to protect them from their enemies. But our Master dispensed with that approach himself decades ago. Cresta Cole was only kept secret due to her unfortunate profession. Rey, our Master would not be showing you in his audience chamber unless he expected you to have some form of public role."
"Oh."
Milo must sense that this prospect intimidates Rey a bit. He gives her an encouraging look. "If our Master succeeds and once more the Sith rule the galaxy, there will be much work to be done. I suspect that we will all be expected to take on new roles and new tasks, Rey."
"But I'm just a scavenger," she hedges.
"Not any more, Princess."
Milo rises to leave now. As he reaches to collect his datapad, Rey dares to ask, "Is he on the schedule today?"
Milo knows that she's asking about Army. "No, Rey. There is no audience for the general today."
"Good." Rey breathes a sigh of relief. Then she grabs two muffins and heads for the infirmary. General Hux isn't there. He's in his new office, she is told. Rey sets out to investigate. It takes only a few minutes and a few questions to discern its location.
Army is alone when she presents herself to knock. "Hello, Rey. Come in, come in." He waves her into the small room and accepts the offered muffins.
"New office?" Rey smiles broadly as she looks around. "Surely this is a good sign, right?" A new office and twenty days without lightning torture certainly looks like things are looking up.
But Army isn't so sure. He makes a face. "Not really, Rey. The Leader didn't assign this office to me, I commandeered it. This was some senior analyst's desk." Army gestures to the small photograph of a smiling woman with two school age children that sits atop a nearby shelf. Apparently, the prior occupant hadn't even been given a chance to remove his personal belongings. General Hux had marched in here the way he plans to march into Coruscant, Rey sees. This too had been something of a coup d'état. "I couldn't work in the infirmary any longer. The invasion planning is far too sensitive for regular medics to overhear. Loose lips destroy ships."
"Oh." Rey can't help but feel a bit disappointed.
Army sighs and meets her eyes. "Nothing has changed, Rey. I'm still living in the infirmary even though I am fully capable of living independently now. Apparently, the Leader wants me there indefinitely. Because . . . well . . . you never know when . . . " He doesn't finish his sentence.
"Oh." So Snoke wants it to be clear that Army could be back in a bacta tank any day now. The Leader's punishment might be deferred but it is not concluded. The ever-present threat is still there. "I'm sorry, Army."
"It's not all bad news." He raises both his hands and starts wiggling his fingers. And not just at the base, but moving all the individual joints. "Check this out. My fine motor movements are coming back now, like we had hoped."
"Wow." This is good news. Rey walks forward as she matches her palms to his and their fingers intertwine. This very gesture would not have been possible two weeks ago. His frazzled nerve endings would not have permitted it. Rey is grinning happily up at Army now. "This is real progress," she congratulates him.
"Twenty days of progress," he confirms.
"And the pain?" she asks hopefully.
"It's better. My hands are much less sensitive now. Every day it gets better." He squeezes her hands again to demonstrate. "See? My hands are just a little sore now."
"Good. I'm glad."
"I've missed seeing you." Army has been in near constant meetings lately. And when he's not in a conference room, he's been on a com call. Plus, Rey spends entire days now standing in the Supreme Leader's audience chamber, depending on who is on the agenda that day. And so, of late, her interactions with Army have been quite fleeting. Often, just chance meetings in the hallway or five minutes when she catches him on a break. "I've missed needing your help," he confesses. "There are downsides to self-sufficiency."
"No more button issues?" she giggles, remembering with glee Kylo's hissy fit.
"Not anymore." Army wiggles his fingers again and squeezes tight their interlaced hands.
"Show off," she teases him with a smile. But secretly she is thrilled for him. It had been a come down for this proud man to accept so much help for the daily personal tasks of life.
Army steps closer and now they are toe to toe, hands still raised and clasped. "Rey," Army breathes out her name in an unusually husky voice. His chin is tilted down and she can feel his breath on her cheek. Army's lips are mere inches from hers now. Suddenly, she's certain that he's going to kiss her. And certain also that she will let him. They stand like that for what feels like eternity before Army releases her and steps back.
Part of her is disappointed. Part of her is relieved.
"What's new downstairs with the Leader?" the general asks as he studiously begins rearranging items on his already pristine desktop.
Okay, good. Rey exhales a breath she didn't know she was holding. New topic. They can both pretend that almost kiss thing never happened.
"Snoke is very busy during the day building his government. He has this 'First Hundred Days' concept in mind for rolling out his agenda. The Leader has lots of pet projects to announce. I think most nights he's in his office tinkering with his portfolio. He's planning to make a killing in the markets when the galactic economy reacts to the invasion of Coruscant. You know old Snoke-he loves credits."
"Yes, he does," Army agrees. "Leader Snoke singlehandedly financed the First Order for years, Rey. He is something of a tycoon." Army flashes her a self-deprecating half-smile. "I think our Leader was as upset about his negative return on the Starkiller investment as he was about its strategic loss. He hates losing money as much as he hates losing leverage."
"I think you might be right about that," Rey agrees, thinking of the old Muun financier who can spend hours in his office watching stock exchange tickers. It's good that Army can talk and even joke a little about the Starkiller now, she thinks. That's a statement on how Army's new role is allowing him to put his past failure behind him. And it's also a statement on how close she and Army have become.
It's almost like their argument and the tense confrontation with Kylo were weird bonding moments for them. Perhaps more meaningful in the end than all the quieter, calmer moments they have spent in conversation. Because when you argue with someone and don't walk away, it's because you are invested in them as a person. It's because you care about them that you are able to see past the conflict or at least put it to one side.
If Rey had only seen General Armitage Hux screaming speeches and spouting flippant, too succinct answers on holonet news shows, she would never be in this position. But Rey has seen Army alone, discouraged and hurting. Ashamed for his failure, defensive about his decisions, and afraid to face his disapproving father. And so, Rey knows that behind the unyielding public persona lies a real person.
He is culpable, but with redeeming qualities too. Army Hux is loyal to a fault, reasonable for the most part, and disarmingly caring at times. The same man whose political zeal excuses genocide is a man bitterly angered by Kylo's past treatment of her. Never in a million years would Rey have expected a man who advocates for death camps to champion her cause. But he does.
Old Milo was right, Rey thinks. We are all more than we seem.
How does Rey reconcile these things? She doesn't know. Maybe it's another way in which Army and Kylo are alike. For both men are far more complex than their one dimensional public portrayals would suppose. These men do very bad things in furtherance of their cause. But are they bad people? She hopes not. Because she cares for both of them. You can love someone, Rey thinks, and still hate what they think. And maybe even hate what they do.
Has Rey been duped into bonding with her First Order captors? She doesn't think so. For the Kylo Ren she knew had set her free and keeps promising to do the same. And Army Hux is probably more the prisoner/victim here than she is, even if his pride will not allow him to acknowledge it.
Does she have too much empathy then? Or maybe no standards? No convictions? Maybe so. Maybe she should never have even looked for something good in these men. That's how her friends back at the Resistance would see it. Wise old Luke Skywalker would probably have told her to look for the good and to argue for the good. But then he would have urged her to take a stand and righteously fight against the bad. He's a Jedi after all, and the Jedi have always clung to their moral high ground.
But all this black or white, right or wrong mindset doesn't feel right to her. She's Rey of Jakku and she's seen a lot of ugly stuff. But through it all, she has always looked for the good. Whether it was searching for flowers in the desert or delighting in the quiet of a Jakku sunset. Her desert days are long past and now she's admiring the resilience and resolve of Army Hux. And recognizing the humanity and aching neediness in Kylo Ren. Rey has moved from looking for silver linings in circumstances to looking for silver linings in people. But it's not that different in the end.
Is Snoke the real evil here? Rey wonders. He's the controlling mastermind Sith no one knew existed for generations, with the transcendent view of the Force that rejects tenets of his own Dark tradition as much as it disdains the Light. He is why Army had struggled to button his uniform and why Rey had been presented for execution. And he is the Force Svengali who had lured the impressionable young Ben Solo with tales of his secret prophet grandfather whose Chosen One legacy is yet to be achieved. The will to power of old Darth Plagueis the Wise has resulted in the death of billions. All to achieve his dream of domination: to rule the galaxy and to rule the Force. And, ultimately, to find this elusive concept of balance that fascinates the old Muun but perplexes Rey.
Just now, a video of Kylo Ren flashes up on the Coruscant newsfeed that is playing muted on the screen on the wall. It catches both their attention and she and Army watch for a few seconds in silence.
"We're almost done with the Mid Rim," Army confirms. "Things have really turned around fast. Faster than even I had thought possible."
"It's all thanks to you." Rey remembers that awful war council dinner that had preceded the strategy shift.
Army smirks. "Ren hates me now more than ever." He says this almost proudly and that worries Rey.
She gives him a pointed look. "Army, that's not a good thing. I remember what Kylo said in that conference room."
The general just shrugs. "Ren has been promising to kill me for the past ten years at least. He's all talk. That was just more of the same."
Rey isn't convinced. The Kylo Ren she knows is not all talk. The man who has stormed the Mid Rim and laid waste to entire worlds is not all talk. Maybe he might have been in the past, but not anymore. "He sounded very serious, Army. It scared me."
Again, the general shrugs. "I'm above his pay grade. Leader Snoke will decide my fate, Rey. Not Kylo Ren."
That raises a sore subject. A very confusing, sore subject. "Leader Snoke will decide my fate too," she reveals softly. Glumly.
Army's ears perk up. "What do you mean?" He frowns at her. "Is something amiss?"
"I shouldn't have said anything," Rey realizes belatedly. She doesn't need to add to the animosity between Kylo and Army. It's just that Army is her only friend and shouldn't she be able to tell a friend about what's bother her?
"Are you in trouble with our Leader, Rey?" Suddenly, Army looks very concerned.
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"I shouldn't have said anything . . . "
"It's too late for that," Army informs her. But then he softens his stance and his tone. "You can tell me, Rey. I already know about Luke Skywalker and your time with the Resistance. What can be worse than that?" He's serious, not teasing.
"It's Kylo," she sighs.
Army's brow furrows and his eyes narrow. "I told you to stay away from that guy-"
"It's not that simple, Army."
"Why not?" he demands.
"Because of Snoke." And that's basically the answer to everything in the First Order. Snoke's whims are law.
"Is Ren bothering you again?" Army complains.
"No, no, he's not."
"Then what's the issue?"
Rey sighs and looks away before she reveals the truth. "Kylo says that when he kills Skywalker, I am the prize."
"What?"
"When Kylo Ren kills Luke Skywalker, Snoke plans to give me to him."
"What?"
"He says Snoke will probably make us marry."
"What?"
"I'm too young to get married, Army," Rey moans.
Army has a different perspective. "You'll never be old enough to be Ren's battered wife!" he snaps. "Does the Leader know he beat you?"
"I assume so. I arrived here black and blue, Army."
The general is fuming and Rey can almost see his mind considering what she has revealed. "This is about the Force, isn't it? Snoke wants more Skywalkers, doesn't he?"
"You know about that?" Rey looks up sharply. Very few people know the truth of the Skywalker clan outside.
"Yes," Army hisses. "I know who Ren really is. I know who he is to Leader Snoke. Nepotism and the Force are what made Kylo Ren what he is today." This may well be true, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that she might end up the bride to a Sith prince, whether she consents or not.
For his part, Army looks horrified. And slightly devastated for her. "Oh, Rey, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
She nods and suddenly her eyes are watery and she lets loose a suspicious sniff. Thinking about this upsets her. Because while Rey of Jakku has never had much control over her life, she has always been free. Maybe even a little too free, needing a guiding hand and wanting a parent figure to help her. And so the thought of being a pawn in the plots of the Sith scares her. And the prospect of joining the dysfunctional Skywalker clan is daunting indeed. A wayward tear escapes one eye and Rey brushes it away furiously. For if she lets a few tears fall, the flood that she is holding back may rush forth as well.
"Oh, Army," she rushes fast into his open arms. "I feel so trapped."
There are times when Rey thinks that she and Kylo might actually work out fine together as a couple. After all, this was something she herself had longed for once. But then all the old doubts creep in and Rey becomes resentful at being handed over like some slave girl Snoke might own. It's one thing for her and Kylo to decide to get married. It's another thing for it to be forced upon her. But this might be her path to freedom if what Kylo promises is true. It's all very confusing. And with Kylo off to war, there hasn't been an opportunity to clear the air. Not without contacting him in the Force again. And Rey is loath to start that again.
"I hate that you are his," Army says with quiet menace as he gently strokes her back. "Ren doesn't deserve you."
"I am trapped and I hate it." Her voice is muffled as she speaks into his chest.
Army steps back now to look at her. "Defy them, Rey," he suddenly goads her. It's a sentiment that is extremely out of character for this man who has obediently withstood months of torture. "Kiss me, Rey. Defy the Sith and kiss me now."
Rey looks up and into his handsome face and nods. Then, Army's lips find hers.
She closes her eyes and revels in the feel of it. It is sweet mixed with tart. For she is compliant to him as she rebels against her Master. Safe in these caring arms, Rey risks her heart and her future. In the end, it only adds to her confusion.
Kissing Kylo Ren is hot, dangerous and thrilling. The Sith are ruled by their passions and they do nothing by half measure. They are all in, all the time. And that means things escalate fast. A simple kiss one minute has you laid on your back on a conference table seconds later. Or you flirt a little to help a friend and the next thing you know he's asking to take you to bed. He's got you smashed against the wall or pinned beneath him because dominant is a Sith's default setting.
Kissing Army Hux is different. He holds you like the princess you are pretending to be. He waits to give you a moment to pull back, like you might actually get to say no. Then he lets you come up for air and he doesn't shove his tongue down your throat. Army acts like your kiss is a gift and not his rightful due. And when it ends, he pulls you close and lays your head on his shoulder as he laments.
"I wish things were different for us," he whispers into her hair.
"Me too." These words slip out her mouth as Rey thinks them. Because she hates how Army has been treated. And she hates this strange rivalry between Army and Kylo that now extends to include her. Rey knows that she is just one more issue in a long string of conflicts between these two men. And this foolhardy kiss has done nothing but complicate matters.
When viewed from afar, Army and Kylo are more alike than they are different. Both are very ambitious, confrontational, and zealously committed to their cause. General Hux can be as arrogant, petty and disdainful in his own way as Kylo can. And Army is just as violent as the Sith. Only Army's violence is arms' length-he commands others to kill rather than kill himself. The general doesn't like to get his hands dirty with combat.
And that's the tip of the iceberg for how different these men's personalities are. Army is fastidious and high maintenance. He would never have munched on scrounged snacks in her AT-AT. And it's hard to imagine the general ever getting his uniform dirty, let alone prowling around old wrecks. It might ruin the shine on his boots. Army Hux is a thinker, not a doer, as he claims. A cerebral, thoughtful, intellectual man. It is in stark contrast to Kylo Ren, a man of action who leads by example and tends to act first and deal with the consequences later. And so, the general values training and structure whereas the Sith values experience and talent. The general places his faith in planning and analysis and the Sith places his faith in leadership and the Force. They are on the same side and their differing perspectives ought to complement one another. But instead, they are in conflict.
And now with her, they are in conflict.
"I wish I had been the one to find you on Jakku," Army tells her. "I wish you had never gotten mixed up with Ren."
This is a nice sentiment, but it's a scenario Rey knows would never have occurred. Army Hux would have never given her Jakku self the time of day. He would have disdained her as a local peasant. And had she arrived on the Finalizer to Army, he would have had her arrested and interrogated like the Resistance fugitive Rey had appeared to be. No, she thinks, Army Hux would never have met Rey of Jakku without Kylo Ren.
For like so much else in Rey's life, from her miserable childhood to her rediscovered heritage and her newfound status, it all comes back to Kylo Ren. Even before she had ever met him, Kylo had exerted a lasting and profound impact on her life. In both good ways and bad. Rey doubts that she could get away from Kylo now if she tried. And she's not sure she wants to. She's not sure of anything these days.
