A/N: A big thanks to SirenBanshee. You are one amazing beta!
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He woke up with Rey still snuggled in his arms. It didn't take him long to realise she was awake though. Her fingers were idly tracing patterns on his chest and she looked up as soon as he moved.
"Good morning, sleepy Supreme Leader," she greeted with a grin.
"Morning, Sandcat," he muttered in answer.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Hmm, you? How long have you been awake?"
"Some time. You've slept through the morning."
He startled at that and Rey sat up, amused.
"Have I really?" he exclaimed.
"Yes."
"And nobody came to wake me up?"
"How should I know?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Fair point." He looked at Rey. "Aren't they wondering where you are at then?"
Rey shrugged, alarming him with how dismissive she was.
"I'm only needed in the afternoon today, when I teach meditation. The evening classes for the adults are coming along nicely though, but they're only twice a week. I've tried setting up a martial class for the children as well but there's some resistance from the others. They say I should allow children to be children. Some of the older ones have come to me though. I take them out to spar whenever I can."
"Oh," Kylo answered. "They really have taken over the entire group?" He didn't have to specify whom he meant by 'they'.
"Yes," Rey answered with another shrug. "Sirena is helping them, but I know she feels guilty about it. I told her not to. The children have priority, after all."
He coaxed her to lie back down again. "What's going on over there?" he asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping.
Rey snuggled against him. "They're all settling down," she said. "Which is good, I guess. They're making a life for themselves. One of the cooks even got married some time ago."
"To another Resistance member?"
"No, actually. There's a village quite some distance away from here, but we've started trading with them and getting our basic supplies there. The cook joined them a couple of times to see which foods they sell and what he could do with them. The girl he married is the daughter of one of the merchants."
She laughed softly against his chest. "They're actually quite adorable together. It also turns out that a few of our pilots used to be farmers. With a lack of flying to do, they started tilling some land near the base and are growing crops now. Another couple has started building a house for themselves a little removed from Base and I think Rose and Finn are thinking of doing the same. They've mentioned once or twice that it's a shame the village is so far off, otherwise they could invite the children there to join in the school they've set up."
"Where's Maz in this story?" Kylo asked. He refrained from asking what her place in the story was. She was suspiciously absent.
"On top of it all, of course," Rey said, slightly disparaging. "She still handles the supply routes and our general protection. Everybody here is of the opinion that we're still at war. She sends out occasional 'scouting parties' and such to keep them on their toes, but other than that allows them to settle as they please. We both know there will be no more fighting.
"Other than that, I don't know. What does a woman who's a millennium old do? She trades information, I guess. She keeps things running. I have a feeling she will disappear as soon as you manage to settle the First Order for good."
"You sound like you're still fighting with her," he enquired.
"Not exactly fighting. It's just… I don't know. I have a feeling she's keeping me out of things on purpose. But I'm probably just imagining it." She looked up at him. "But enough about that. Now that you're properly awake and coherent, tell me what happened yesterday."
"Properly awake and coherent?"
Rey grinned at him. "You want to see my memories of you yesterday evening?" she teased.
"That's quite alright," he answered curtly.
To his mortification, he could feel himself blush. Rey giggled and reached up to kiss his chin. He smiled down at her and ran his hand through her sleep-tousled hair. She was an attentive listener as he explained all that has happened and the decisions he had made. There was an astonished silence on Rey's part once he'd finished.
"I still can't believe Quicksilver and Daze were planning on disappearing," she finally said. "You mentioned two of your Knights wanting to elope when you spoke to Maz but- I just didn't fully realise what you meant."
"Hm."
Rey sighed. "They must really love each other to face such danger just so they can be together."
Kylo blinked at the words. He hadn't really given much thought to their motivations, although he had figured it might be because of their relationship. Hearing Rey say it out loud, however, truly put it into perspective.
"I'm glad I didn't decide to kill them," he admitted out loud.
"Me too," Rey answered. "Do you think you can trust Rogue?"
"I don't know. He sounded...pained when he admitted to wanting to learn the Force. Like he was just shy of finding something dear to him that he'd lost years before, which, I guess, in a sense really is the case. I just hope he doesn't start causing me trouble."
"Maybe his independent nature will pull the others out of their shell?"
"Or they see it as an attack on their person and they'll retaliate."
Rey hummed, then laughed. "Them being weaponless isn't only a punishment, is it?" she half questioned, half stated. "It's to keep them safe from the others as well."
"It's a useful side effect, yes. I must admit that it did not cross my mind at the time though."
She pushed herself up again. "I'm proud of you, Ben."
"Why?" he asked, reaching out to cup her face.
"You handled the situation with care. You didn't explode. Force, you even asked Hux for help."
"Don't remind me," he grumbled.
Rey laughed and smacked his chest. "But you did," she insisted.
"I'm still to hear what he told them," he said with caution.
"I'm sure it will be fine. Ember was there, after all."
"Hmm," he replied before pushing himself up as well. "Do you want to spar? It's been a while."
She beamed at him and practically bounced on the bed. "Yes! But how are you going to arrange it? There's no privacy, you said, and the training rooms are booked full."
"I'll have Phasma kick out whoever is training at the outdoor field and have her keep everybody well away from it. It should be fine."
"You would do that?"
"Of course. I missed training with you."
She threw her arms around him before bounding off the bed. "How long do you need?"
"Not long, I think," he answered. "Say about thirty minutes?"
"I'll be there," she exclaimed, her face alight with enthusiasm, before disappearing from view.
Kylo chuckled, making sure to have his mirth travel through the bond, and got up from the bed. He decided on showering after his spar and grabbed a new set of clothes. When he opened the door, however, it wasn't Phasma waiting for him on the other side.
"Jaken," he greeted. "Where's Phasma?"
"In the control room, sir."
"The control room? What's she doing there?"
"I don't know, sir, my apologies. I only know that's where she is at."
Kylo shrugged. "Let's go find her then."
He led the way as he silently sent a message to Rey.
"I'll probably take a bit longer. Phasma is doing her own thing so I have to go find her first."
"What's she doing?"
"No idea. I'll be there as fast as I can."
"Okay. See you soon."
Assured that Rey would wait for him, Kylo walked into the control room to find Phasma in the middle of a conversation over the intercom.
"- because he's a genius, but I'm unsure about his trustworthiness. What's he been up to lately?" She snorted as she received an answer. "Why am I not surprised," she answered. There was a pause. "You think that would be enough?"
"Supreme Leader," Ivyest greeted him.
The other staff present quickly followed. Phasma turned her head, nodded once, and returned her attention to the intercom.
"Efren, why didn't you tell me he was coming my way?"
"Anything I'm not supposed to know?" Kylo asked, teasing. He trusted Phasma with his life so there was no real doubt in his voice.
"Over and out," Phasma curtly said, but without malice. She dropped the headpiece and turned to properly greet him. "Good morning, Supreme Leader."
"Morning, Phasma," he answered. "I was planning on using the outside field for a special training."
"I see," Phasma said after only a slight hesitation. "Jaken, go to the outside training field and throw out whoever is training there. Keep it unoccupied until we arrive."
"Yes, Commander," Jaken accepted with a salute.
"I hope my absence hasn't delayed your training too much?" Phasma asked.
"No," Kylo answered. "It's fine."
He turned to the rest of the staff in the control room. They were surreptitiously throwing glances his way and he wondered exactly what Hux had told them the evening before.
"Anything of worth to report?" he asked, taking advantage of his presence.
"No, sir," Ivyest answered. "We're expecting two deliveries later today. They are still on schedule."
"Good."
Kylo nodded once and turned to leave. Phasma followed suit.
"You were talking to Efren?" he asked, no longer able to contain his curiosity. "Can't you talk to him over your comm?"
"I can, but that would block the line for any other messages coming in," she answered. "I wished to discuss rotation patterns with him, which takes some time. I didn't want to risk blocking the line for such an extended period."
Kylo hummed, understanding.
"I was also thinking about contacting another party," Phasma continued with a slight hesitation in her voice. "Efren knows this person better than I do, so I wished to hear his opinion first."
"A third party?" Kylo asked.
"Yes. Fu Wento."
"I'm not sure if I've heard the name before."
"You may have. He's a tactician and an expert in fighting formations."
Kylo glanced at her. "You mean for the Guard?"
"Yes. I don't believe I'm the right person to create this new fighting style."
"What makes you doubt about this Fu Wento?"
Phasma hummed. "He's also known for disregarding orders, sir," she answered.
Kylo stopped on the path towards the training field and looked at her. "Then how has he survived until now? Surely he has earned at least imprisonment with such a reputation?"
"It seems that, up until now, his actions have always lead to a victory or a reduced amount of casualties. He was always right to disregard his orders."
Kylo laughed. "That's one dangerous game he's playing," he said, continuing along the path again.
"I agree, sir. It also makes me wonder if it's safe to invite him here, given the delicacy of our mission."
"You say you fear he would even disregard being sworn into secrecy if he thinks it's for the better?"
"I'm not sure, sir. That's what I wanted to talk to Efren about."
"I trust your judgement," he said as they arrived at where Jaken was waiting for them. "Was anybody here?" he asked the Guard.
"Burman of Ren, sir. He didn't seem to mind being told to leave."
"Good. You may go."
Both Phasma and Kylo watched him walk away until he was out of earshot.
"You know who I'm meeting up there. Keep anybody who comes this way at a distance far enough that they won't notice anything peculiar about my training."
"Yes, sir."
He smiled and continued the last bit to the field while Phasma walked farther down again.
"Are you ready?" Kylo shot through the bond.
"Are you?" Rey shot back.
He could hear the smirk in her voice. Looking up, he saw her appear on the field in front of him. Suddenly, she laughed.
"What?" he asked.
"You just walked through a tree."
Kylo bellowed a laugh as well. They didn't think too much about how their bond worked. They'd noticed before that it did weird things to make their connection possible. Sometimes, however, even the Force didn't seem to care and allowed for illogical things.
"Are you sure you're safe training with me like this?" Rey asked.
"Yes. Phasma is down the hill, keeping people away."
"You found her then?"
"She was communicating with Efren in the control room. I told you about him; the one that's most often in control of directing the Guard around. She's also thinking about inviting someone to develop this anti-Force fighting style." He shrugged. "But none of that now," he continued with a feral grin. "Are you ready for a fight?"
"When am I not?" Rey gave back.
They squared off and started circling. He could always count on Rey to make the first move, energetic as she was. When she finally did, he parried and grinned. It truly had been too long since they sparred. He was going to drag this out as long as he could and enjoy every minute of it.
