Lieutenant Commander Ru was torn between retreating and exploring his new found ability to feel the presences of other Force sensitives. When the pressure almost became too much for him, a surge of feminine mirth and benevolence pierce through Lord Ren's cloud of hatred right as the door hissed open. The young officer pivoted to face the entering couple.
Ru pierced his lips to keep from gaping his mouth. There he was—astonishingly so— perceiving Lord Ren's and the princess's vibes. Their dichotomous vibes. One soothing and pleasing. The other… in a single word: Malignant. While Apple was an enthusiastic fountain of exuberance and softheartedness, her nephew—on the other hand—was a pit of misery and… Well the man was just plain irritable and cagey.
"Moving too slow Kylo," the excited princess complained, practically dragging the not-so excited dark knight through the door by his wrist.
Lord Ren all but dug his heels in. "I'm not interested in antiques."
"Says the man whom cherishes his grandfather's helmet," she teased, this time tugging in his wrist with both hands. "Come."
The girl had pluck.
For a unconventional second, the dark knight's scowl lessened. Yet, it was self-limiting. Then the angry frown returned with a vengeance when he shot his eyes to the other two men. Murder slit their blue depths. Like two evil, blue daggers.
Both of them retreated a step.
"Lord Ren," Ru stammered with a sharp salute. "Your highness."
The princess waved off his salutation. "Don't be so formal."
Dropping Kylo's wrist, Apple rushed towards the lieutenant commander to throw her arms around him. She grinned way up at his face, "I sense happiness in here. You did this, didn't you?"
Eyes softening, Ru's cheeks took on a controlled pinkish hue. "General Hux ordered the display cases, I just arranged things according to…" He glanced up at the Lord Ren and swallowed in an audible gulp. The dark knight was in an especially horrible mood.
Ru stuttered, "It …was a… logical—"
"Logical according to energetically wavelengths… in other words the Force." Apple playfully knuckled his arm, hardly a tap.
Then she patted his shoulder approvingly, "Good job. I can easily sense everything in here," she said then hopped off to happily explore the room without bumping into a single synthetic item. "It's like I can see perfectly. Oh, this makes me so happy."
Ru beamed as he watched her flit from each item like a carefree nectar bird.
Kylo narrowed his eyes. And when Ru met the dark knight's deadly gaze, he practically jumped out of his skin.
Instinctively—and rather shakily—Ru saluted the man… again, "Lord Ren."
Kylo shifted his eyes back to the princess, whom prattled on in her perky bubbly manner weaving in and out of displays.
"Father had asked me what I wanted to take with me," she turned to peer back at them over a gaudy imperial vase, "so I made him a huge list, but this," she pointed at the vase making a face, "I honestly don't know how it got in here. This belonged to my cousin who was a complete fop…" she whispered conspiringly, "And he collected creepy things. Probably has someone's ashes in it."
The lieutenant commander chuckled and ducked his head.
"Get to the point," Kylo snipped, "Why are we here?"
"Well…" Apple folded her fingers together, pushing her palms to the ground while mischievously swishing her hips. "…in the Empire, there was a huge holiday celebration about this time during the winters on Coruscant and Naboo…"
"Giving Days." Ru guessed with a smile, "My family still celebrates it with…" His words trailed off under the dark knight's withering glare.
"Singing carols and share spicy hot teas?"!" She hopped pointing at the officer, "And exchanging presents?"
"And waving flags with the imperial insignia until our arms ached," Ru grinned at her contagious enthusiasm, "My mother makes the best Stohl fruit bread…" his words trailed off squelched by Lord Ren's increasing swell of rage.
The Lieutenant Commander dropped his head.
"We are at war," Kylo seethed menacingly, "We have no time for holidays."
"Oh don't be a Curmudgeon," the princess chastised playfully, "We will make time for celebrations…and eat… and dance… and sing songs."
Lor Ren grumped. "I'm not singing."
"Father wasn't one for singing carols either," Apple tittered, largely ignoring the increasing malignancy billowing off her nephew.
She chattered on, circling back towards the dark knight. "But he sure loved to hear me sing the folk songs," she said then glanced at Ru, "Remember 'Glory to the Empire' and there was of course father's personal favorite, 'Stomp Ye Ol'Jedi.'"
"'Stomp Ye Ol' Jedi'?" Kylo repeated less venomous—either a little assuaged or distracted by the tangent.
"Well," she tackled an undone ribbon on her sleeve, "It was later called 'Rebel Got Ran Over By a Speeder' since The Imperial Public Relations Department felt that 'Stomp Ye Ol' Jedi' was unnecessary after Order 66 was fulfilled. So they promoted 'Rebel Got Ran Over By a Speeder,' claiming it had a more festive ring to it."
Resolder nearly choked. "A more festive ring?" He flit his eyes to Kylo, whom just shrugged rather than answer with his usual glare.
"I did like the Rebel version much better," Apple touched her lips in thought.
Ru laughed despite himself. "Yes! It was hilarious!" He grinned pointing at Apple reminiscing happily and sang— which Apple gleefully joined in with him— "Rebel got ran over by a speeder… walking home from bombing a Nursery."
Kylo snickered. "That is considered a family…festive holiday song?"
The others blinked at him and exchanged a bewildered look. Actually, Resolder didn't. He just lifted his hands, and retreated a few steps with an expression saying that he was most certainly staying out of that discussion.
"Yes," Apple answered happily, "it topped the charts for six years running."
"And it was sung by families?" Lord Ren attempted to clarify. "With younglings singing it?"
"Of course," Apple gave him a funny look, "whom else would sing it?"
"A song about a Rebel blowing up nurseries then getting ran over by a speeder?" Kylo asked in disbelief.
"Well," Apple considered his concerns, "the part about the rebel blowing up trees could be seen as a little off-putting."
"Trees?" The dark knight asked incredulous then shook his head, "Apple, that's not the type of nursery that song meant."
She laughed, "Surely Kylo, the song couldn't possibly mean children's nurseries."
"Yes, Apple," the dark knight tipped his chin down at her, eyebrows raised, "it did. It meant the rebel blew up children."
"That is why it was a 'rebel,'" Ru said, trying to mitigate the situation.
A fierce look from Kylo silenced him in a heartbeat. "There is a line between family festivities and killing one's enemies."
All three sets of eyes focused on him… Astonishment was an understatement. The dark lord had a moral line?
Apple maneuvered around him to feel his forehead. "Sweetie are you feeling alright?" A slight teasing smirk flickered on her mouth.
He pushed her hand away. "Are you telling me that young children sang holiday songs about murder?"
"Oh that's nothing," she waved her hand down, chuckling, "You should've seen the math problems for early graders." She quoted an equation sage-like, "If the population has 1.2 billion and there are 352 filthy rebels. How long would it take for their supporters to give them up if five percent of the population were interrogated with extreme prejudice per hour?"
"I remember equations like that," Ru mused, "I think I was six when a teacher posed a question that gave me nightmares: How long would it take to execute 122 rebels given 15 stormtroopers with firing speed of one laser per parsec?"
Apple nodded, "But that was a trick question. Everyone knows Stormtroopers are terrible at firing squads—Those helmets' visors are dreadful."
Rubbing his temples aggressively, Lord Ren howled, drawing their silent attention.
He sliced both hands in a box shape on one side then to the other. "Younglings are younglings! War is war." Hatefully, he slashed his hands in an X gesture. "They should not be mixed."
The princess's expression softened, "Ahhh.. my nephew likes children. He's going to make the most wonderful father."
Lord Ren's face reddened. And if, Ru didn't know better, he would have sworn that the dark knight was acting like a completely different person than the man that walked in the door.
But that difference was short-lived. The cold demeanor returned and his eyes darkened.
Not phased by the savage shadow crossing her nephew's face, Apple tittered, clapping her hands together. "So who is ready to celebrate Giving Days?"
Three pairs of eyes just stared at her. Granted, one pair was hatefully irate. One pair was confused. And one pair was widened in panic.
"Today…" she tried to encourage their involvement in her excitement, circling her hands one over another. "On the Insurrection… with all the crew… we party. Lots of cake and presents."
"But your highness," Ru gasped, "The First Order has forbidden holidays—It's a mandate by the Supreme Leader."
"Then we will say it is a celebration of the Accord. Or use my birthday as an excuse," Apple turned to her nephew with a blissful smile. "What do you think? Are you in?"
Kylo folded his arms, glowering. "We are at… war!" He enunciated slowly, volume increasing with each word.
A somberness tempered his fury a smidgeon, "And you have an audience with the Supreme Leader."
"So… we'll celebrate before the appointment and… after it." Apple met his argument with a completely unhindered childlike manner. "And tomorrow. And the next day. You do realize that Giving Days are a week."
His nostrils flared and he straightened himself slowly. "Do you even comprehend the depth of military rules? Or war?!"
Items around the room jittered as he glared.
Both Resolder and Ru gave the man serious ground.
"Ooo, you are so grouchy today." The princess pouted and fiddled with the edge of his tunic, hardly phase by the vases trembling on a display behind her, "And to think I was hoping to throw a party to give you some reprieve?"
His expression softened slightly. "It's out of the question."
Yet, Apple wasn't interested in taking no for an answer. She stomped and whined like a spoilt child. "But I want to celebrate Giving Days with everyone!"
Rolling his eyes, Kylo groaned exasperated. Yet any amount of anger shooting off him, melted. "Why do you care?"
"Because I do," she countered frustrated. "Everyone has been working so hard lately. And I want to show the crew how much we care…"
"We?" He repeated.
Petulant, Apple laughed obviously giving up on her attempt to feign irritation and tugged playfully harder on his uniform's edges. "Yes we!"
She glanced at Ru determined, "Everything has all been already arranged. Commander Rokens and Ru 2 have taken care of everything."
The lieutenant commander gasped horrified. "My brother is involved?"
"He's quite the resourceful one in a pinch," she winked.
"Or should you say with the black market," Resolder piped up blithely, but the threatening stare the dark knight gave him caused the nobleman to nonchalantly 'explore' further into the interior of the room… intentionally far away from Lord Ren.
Kylo slowly turned his attention from him to Ru, a malevolent shadow crossing his face, "The Black Market?"
The lieutenant commander withered under his stare, then in turn, transferred his frustration to Resolder—someone he could vent his anger at without getting murdered. "You knew?"
The teenager glanced up from behind a display of crystal musical instruments. "We had to run some of our transport lines."
He plucked a lyre's string, producing a deep guttural note from the instrument. "But when the Shakal asks for something, we make it so. If she wants several hundred crates of sugar and tea, a wel'cisqu of red and black linens, a thousand pulp streamers, 52,348 various wrapped presents, and a million kuh'ers of flour to make cakes with, we don't question her. Nor do we report our orders to her," his expression hardened uncharacteristically for someone his age, "subordinates."
"Resolder," Apple reprimanded, "Ru 1 is my friend." Then her lashes fluttered rapidly in admittance, "He's only Lord Ren's and General Hux's subordinate."
The nobleman's stern stare was politically replaced by a dashing white-toothed smile. "I stand corrected, your highness."
Kylo covered his face with a gloved hand. "Apple," he groaned, catching their attention, "How much has your foolhardy escapade cost the First Order?"
"Not a single credit," she brushed lint from his sleeve. "I have my own means…"
She stood up on her tip-toes to whisper in Kylo's ear, "It seems that daddy made some very profitable but secret investments in my name. And I am set for life… and then some."
Strolling away from him, she grinned widely, "And this mama," she threw an arm around Resolder's and Ru's shoulder, pulling the tall men down to her height, "is in a spending mood."
The dark knight glowered.
"I bought you a bunch of presents," she tempted him.
Lord Ren regarded her with a mixture of surprise and irritation for a long beat. Finally, he grumbled, "You're unbelievable."
Apple clapped her hands excitedly then threw her arms around her nephew. "Oh how I adore you. I can't wait until you see what I bought you!"
He groused, "I am resilient to bribery."
"Everything is already set," the princess straightened his uniform then patted his arms, "so you can't deny me my fun. And you… my handsome sith are just going to have to enjoy the party whether you like it or not." She grinned triumphantly.
Ru shook his head, chuckling. "The general may have something to say about this celebratory take over of his ship, your highness."
Her smile wavered, "Bless Armitage's poor soul. I imagine so… being trapped in the infirmary. He'll be left out of the majority of the festivities. And to think I hadn't foreseen his… uh…" flicked her eyes to Kylo's face then back at Ru, "afflictions happening about this time."
Lord Ren gave her his back, increasingly expressing emotional turmoil. "Why are you always concerned about that Lurdo?"
"Was that Ewokese?" The princess laughed then quickly sobered when he snapped his eyes to her.
"Fine," she rescinded with a petulant groan, "I won't tease you about your vocabulary," but she couldn't resist a lop-sided smile, "even if it includes words from tiny savage furballs."
The Dark knight gave her an exasperated sidelong glance. "Why are we even here, Apple? I do not have time to…" his contempt curled his upper lip, "plan parties."
"Oh, Kylo. I told you it's already planned," she weaved through the displays easily as if she wasn't blind. "We're here for…"
Stopping Apple scanned around herself. She touched her fingers to her lips then delicately asked, "Ru, do you know where the…" quick glance at her nephew, "uh… things I asked to … you know… be 'marked with ribbons' went?"
"Ribbons?" Kylo sneered.
"This way," understanding her subtle clue, Ru placed his hand on the princess's mid-back to guide her towards the display of lightsabers. Various colored ribbons wrapped in bows around their hilts.
"You put the red ribbon on the…" she whispered to Ru, "… you know which one."
"As you commanded," he nodded, taking her hand to place it near the display. His gloved fingers tingled touching her knuckles. Innocence and compassion billowed off her skin.
"Ru. You should know by now: I don't command—I entreat," Apple spoke out the side of her mouth then her face brightened.
"Ooo! There it is," she squatted down between the display stands, "Who's a good gift," she cooed at the inanimate object. "Come here." The red ribbon-wrapped saber flew into her palm.
Curling her other arm over the weapon, Apple held it against her chest as if cradling a precious heirloom. She discreetly hid the lightsaber in her lace sleeves, while glancing back at Kylo as if to see if he was watching.
She lifted her communicator to her lips, "Ru 2."
"Yes, your highness," Aster's voice erupted over the line accompanied by sparking sounds and metal clanging.
"Is everything set for Operation Happy Crew?" She asked him.
"Largely," his audio-filtered voice replied, clanking noises erupted in the background. "The General assigned me a project that I'm currently working on, but just say the word."
"Initiate the sequence," she grinned.
"Wait one…" Jumbled sounds and beeping popped over the line, "Operation Happy Crew is… on."
