AN: Hey y'all, so things have been a bit hairy in my city. I've got some other things going on and I don't think I'll be able to keep up twice a week updates on this fic. I am NOT going on hiatus, but I will be going down to once a week updates. I haven't decided on which day yet, so I might be back Tuesday, or maybe even Wednesday, instead of Monday. Also, I intended for this chapter to be longer, but I ran short on time and figured I should at least mention something before just missing an update.
Sorry this AN is running long, I just thought I should update y'all. Stay safe out there.
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The day had dragged on for hours.
General Hux walked down a large hall, with Lieutenant Mitaka to his right and Admiral Pellaeon to his left. Phasma followed them like a shadow, the ever-present rattle of her armor being a constant reminder of her presence.
Admiral Pellaeon was an old man, with a bushy mustache and closely cropped hair that has gone gray long ago. Nearing eighty years old, he had served in every major war in the galaxy since the Clone Wars. Unlike most of the senior leaders of the First Order, Pellaeon didn't lord his long career over the other officials. In fact, General Hux only knew of the mans storied past from Lieutenant Mitaka, who had heard tales second hand from the palace workers.
Despite his age, Pellaeon waked at a fast pace, to the point that Hux found himself short on breath by the time they came to a stop.
"Look alive, general. You may have my attention, but the moffs take pride in never being impressed."
The general had found the admiral to be a pragmatic man. Distant enough at first to be respectable, one look at the crew and complement specifications for the First Order's fleet had Pellaeon seriously considering a military alliance.
Hux gave a simple acknowledgment of Pellaeon's warning, "Noted."
Shortly after he did, the group went through a tall set of double doors that lead to a formal dining hall. Half a dozen senior officials sat along a long table. Before them was spread a modest feast, most of the dishes still steaming for how hot they were.
More important to Hux, however, was the placement of the remaining seats. Not one of them were next to each other. Unless they asked someone to move, his group would be forced to spread out amongst the moffs.
Hux considered his options. Asking someone to move would be rude, and starting off with a bad impression would only put him at a disadvantage for the rest of the conversation. On the other hand, being away from Phasma or Mitaka would leave him surrounded by potential enemies.
Neither is the winning choice, Hux thought to himself.
Just as he did, one of the moffs at the far end of the table shifted slightly. Hux didn't miss the movement.
"Leutenant, Captain," he pretended not to notice the moff, "take a seat."
Only after they began to move did he follow. It wasn't the best option, but he could at least sit in some way that was somewhat strategic.
After everyone had taken their places, Mitaka sat opposite of Hux. Two seats to the general's right was Phasma. Pellaeon was opposite of the captain. The potentially force sensitive moff was left as far away from Hux as the general could manage.
Lunch began pleasantly enough, with everyone at the table making a short introduction. Hux didn't mind most of them, only bothering to pay special attention to Moffs Wolff, Modi, and Sygni.
Wolff was the most senior of the bunch, and head of domestic affairs. Modi would be the main decision maker for any alliances, as she headed foreign relations. Moff Sygni held no particularly important position as far as Hux's mission was concerned. Instead, Sygni was the man at the far end of the table that seemed to react to everything Hux said just a moment before he said it.
The meal went on for a short while, with most of those seated around the table slowly trying to draw information out of each other. More than once Sygni would mention a topic that Hux knew he hadn't brought up.
All remained civil for the first half hour. At that point, the conversation drew to a slight lull and Moff Signy saw his chance to poke at their guests, whom he had come to consider little more than invaders pretending to be diplomats.
"Do I bother you, general?" Moff Sygni asked, sure that he was about to drive the general into a corner that couldn't be talked out of.
Hux wasn't taken off guard. He'd been expecting the moffs to play dirty from the very beginning. Thanks to lieutenant Mitaka's news, he had even been expecting one or two of them to try reading his mind.
During his long meeting with Admiral Pellaeon, Hux had come up with a plan. He always considered Ren and Snoke to be fanatics, chasing some half-made idea about space magic. He could only assume that the force sensitives in the Fel Empre were the same, and that meant he had an easy way to manipulate them.
The table had gone silent, with everyone intently watching the tension rise between Hux and Sygni.
"Well?" the moff pressed on.
The general set his silverware down, "I just couldn't help but notice that you seem to know what I'll say before I say it."
The other man just barely managed to suppress a grin, "Accusing your hosts of spying is quite rude, General Hux."
"That would be rather uncouth." Hux drew the moment out on purpose.
"It is, and I expect an apology for it." Sygni could make the conversation just as slow and uncomfortable as Hux could, and he was adamant that the other man know it.
Hux gave Sygni a pointed look, "On the contraire, you're the one in a position to apologize."
"And why you I do that?"
Hux paused slightly before answering, his next comment at the tip of if tongue. The moment didn't last long before Sygni's eyes went wide.
Satisfied that his opponent knew that he had lost, Hux spoke, "I've spent enough time around Vader's heir to know what it looks like when someone is reading my mind."
Murmured words rippled around the table. A few of the officials leaned over to speak privately to each other. Beneath anyone's notice, Phasma moved a hand to rest over her blaster.
"Lies. You're lying." Sygni tried as much to convince himself as much as he did the rest of the table.
"I'm not," Hux spoke with a nonchalance, "Benjamin Solo prefers the name Kylo Ren these days, but he serves as my co-commander all the same."
The whispers from the Pellaeon and the other moffs grew in volume until a few of the voices had risen to just below shouting. Before anyone did anything too radical, Admiral Pellaeon looked to Hux.
"Into the hall with you. We're having a discussion."
The general didn't appreciate a thinly veiled order, but he knew that now wasn't the time to talk back. With a gesture, he had Lieutenant Mitaka and Captain Phasma following close behind.
The tall double doors swung shut with a heavy clap, leaving the First Order officers alone in the hall.
Hux hadn't expected a reaction that spectacular, but he decided that it was better to get to extreme a rise out of the Fels rather than have them under react. Lieutenant Mitaka hadn't been expecting anything of this sort, and he didn't hide his confusion well.
"Have you something to say, lieutenant?"
For a moment Mitaka considered staying silent. But, his curiosity eventually won out. "I… They all reacted quite strongly to your mention of Kylo Ren, sir."
Hux wasn't in the habit of bragging about is ideas, but that was mostly because he only had one person to brag to. Mitaka wasn't Lori, and Hux knew that he couldn't trust him fully, but he could at least explain his reasoning.
"As I suspected they would."
Mitaka held onto a questioning look. Just as he was about to look away, Hux went on.
"Force sensitives are fanatical, easily swayed by so called omens and signs, and they obsess over their past leaders. Invoking Vader's name would have caught their attention regardless of how it was mentioned."
The lieutenant started putting pieces together, "And Kylo Ren is his direct descendant…"
Hux hated Ren, but he did have his uses.
The general was pleased that his aid wasn't completely clueless, "That he is. The Fels also claim to be the legitimate heirs to the Empire. Time has claimed most of the senior leadership of the Empire, so Kylo Ren has the ability to be a power figure head."
Mitaka was about to comment, but Phasma spoke before he got the chance, "A figure head to unite under, or unite against."
The possibility of invoking a war wasn't lost on the general. It burdened him to do it, but he had to tell himself that it was an acceptable risk. "Imagine if Emperor Palatine were to spontaneously reappear in the Galaxy. The First Order would have to fall in line behind him, or risk fracture from the inside. Worst case scenario, the Fel's devolve into infighting. But we win control over Bastion either way."
Phasma had another critical comment at the ready, but it was Mitaka's turn to cut her off, "Brilliant plan, General!"
Hux wasn't blind, and he knew that Mitaka was attempting to get on his good side. But, he did like it when his underlings recognized his talent.