"The Bardottans have a special connection with the Force," Pates hypothesizes, "that assassin claimed he could sense things through the Force, and a woman in the village gave me some kind of religious trinket."
She takes out the necklace the woman gave her, and Kylo Ren immediately snatches it from her hands, "This looks familiar…I shall consult our archives."
He stomps up to a nearby holotable, pressing a couple of buttons until the holotable presents a symbol similar to the one imprinted on the pendant.
"Yes…Bardottans have an organized religion known as the Dagoyan Order. They're pacifists who believe all living creatures can have a connection with the Force."
General Hux scoffs, "Clearly they've deserted their pacifist ways if they're sending assassins after us. We should overthrow their government and replace the traitors with First Order officials-"
"Hold on, we don't know who the assassin was working for," Pates points out, "he could've been an agent for the government, yes, but he could've also been a member of the Resistance. I still say we journey to the capital and speak with the queen."
Over the intercom, the pilot's tinny Stormtrooper voice can be heard, "General Hux, you have an incoming holomessage."
"Now what?" the general grumbles, marching back into the cockpit.
Kylo Ren sets the necklace on the edge of the holotable, "You've overstepped a lot of bounds on your first mission, Laylesa. I hope I wasn't mistaken in putting my trust in you."
"I'm aware of the prolapse in my behavior, Commander…but I was doing what I thought was best for the success of the First Order."
Ren tilts his helmet, the front of it facing her but his expression a total unknown, "Yes, I know, Laylesa. But have you ever considered, that maybe you should consider what's best for your own survival?"
Confused, Pates takes a step closer, "What…what do you mean?"
"You know as well as I that the First Order values authority over everything else. The one in authority is the one in control, the one ordained to make the best decisions. I am your Commander, and therefore your superior."
He leans against the holotable, "And I shouldn't have to explain to you why it's both better and safer to follow your superiors."
Pates's eyes harden, and she bites her lip, but her frown grows so much that her mouth snaps open, "If I may speak freely, Commander Ren, there was once a time in the First Order when collaboration amongst the military wasn't considered treason-"
"Ah, before the rise of the Supreme Leader?" calm and collected, Kylo Ren interrupts her, "…I understand. But that doesn't mean you still shouldn't tread carefully. There are already forces at play against us, and we need to be ready for them."
His cape flourishing behind him, Kylo Ren begins walking back to the front of the ship. Pates tries to respond, but he doesn't look back.
"…forces against us? Commander, what do you mean…?"
Pates trails off as she realizes that he's not listening to her. With a sigh, she turns around, and spots the pendant the woman in the village had given her. She scoops it back up, placing it around her neck and concealing it, before following Ren to the front of the ship.
The Bardottan capital city is built into a massive mountainside, steel platforms connecting the various buildings and other structures. The mountainside is so steep, there's no way a human could scale it organically, as the rock is smooth and covered in ice.
The First Order transport lands on a landing platform just outside the capital building, a large fortress with slanted pagoda roofing and shrines out front with various pieces of paper attached to them.
"I will need to attend a hologram meeting with the other generals, but afterwards we will meet with the queen," Hux tells Pates as she exits the transport.
She nods, "Of course, general."
Along with a few of the Stormtroopers, Pates wanders into the Bardottan capital, walking along the narrow metal platforms. The platform leads to a section of the mountainside that juts out and contains a sprawling marketplace. Vendors similar to the ones in the village line every street, and First Order Stormtroopers patrol every corner, and in her Inquisitorius armor, some even salute to her.
"Pates!"
She turns around to find Matt, chasing after her and scrambling to strap on his technician's vest. She smiles and waves to him.
"Hey Matt, I didn't realize you were on this mission too."
He glances around, his eyes shifting from left to right, "Uhm…yeah! They needed…extra technicians, for the ship! The transport ship!"
"Funny, I didn't see you, were in the hold?"
"Oh…uh…no, I was in the secret hold. The…Kylo Ren…spy…secret hold! Yeah! That's where I was."
An eyebrow raised, Pates nods very slowly, "Oh…that sounds…secret."
"Yes, it's very secret, so don't mention it to anyone, okay?" he asks, raising a finger to his lips.
She shakes her head with a smirk, "You're the most peculiar spy I've ever met, Matt."
"So what're you doing away from the ship, Pates?"
"I have some free time before the First Order's audience with the queen, so I thought I'd explore the capital city a bit, get a feel for the culture."
Matt chuckles a little, "I thought the First Order believed native cultures were…primitive junk?"
"This isn't about belief, Matt. When engaging in diplomacy with another planet, it's important to treat their culture with respect."
Pates and Matt walk up to a stall, where a native Bardottan is grilling chopped vegetables on skewers. He shrinks away the moment he spots the First Order symbols on Pates's uniform.
"Please…please, take whatever you'd like, just don't…hurt me, please?"
Pates takes out a small bag, and gestures to the skewers cooking on the grill, "How many credits for two of those?"
Confused, the shopkeeper tentatively raises the four fingers on his reptilian hand. Pates tosses him a generous fistful of Galactic Credits, and now understanding the situation, the shopkeeper hands her two vegetable skewers.
"Thank you! May the honorable Queen Phoebe bless you!" Pates gives the Bardottan a small wave before they leave.
She offers one to Matt, and he takes the other skewer, his movements unusually slow and careful. Pates and Matt both take a bite of their skewers in unison.
"Mmm…that's really good, I can't remember the last time I've had food that wasn't from a ship," Pates remarks, before taking another bite.
Matt nods, "Yeah, yeah, me neither. And this is very good. Very, very good."
As they're finishing up their food, Matt and Pates pass by a native Bardottan leading a meditation with several young Bardottan children. Pates and Matt observe them from afar.
"According to our archives, Bardottans belong to a religion known as the Dagoyan Order. They believe the Force can give them visions of the future," Pates explains to Matt.
"Yeah…yeah…that's cool…that's cool…" Matt mutters for a bit, before recomposing himself, "but uhm…don't you think it's a little weird that these guys don't use the Force for more useful things? You know, like choking people, and lifting rocks?"
"I don't know about you Matt, but if it's really possible, seeing into the future sounds like a pretty useful thing to me."
As the group ends their meditation session, Pates approaches the older instructor, "Are you a member of the Dagoyan Order?"
The Bardottan turns towards her, along with a few of the children, "All Bardottans practice the Dagoyan ways, or at least, that's how it once was."
"What do you mean?"
He glances downwards, "These wars have tested Bardotta…some now believe the only way to restore Bardotta is with bloodshed. That is not the Dagoyan way…but fewer and fewer people are listening to the Dagoyan Master."
"Who's the Dagoyan Master?" Pates asks, as Matt kneels down in order to join their conversation.
"The most powerful Force-wielder of us all. The Dagoyan Master has true clairvoyance, and can see into the very nature of peoples' souls. There is only one Dagoyan Master left, the rest were long wiped out in war."
Pates is about to ask him another question, but the Bardottan begins sitting cross-legged, and pats the ground, "Come. Join my class in meditation."
"Oh, I don't know if we have time for that," Pates explains, "I just need to know-"
"I'll answer your question once you've participated in meditation. I sense the two of you are both very troubled, and could use the guidance of the Force," he gestures to both Pates and Matt.
The two of them exchange glances, before taking a seat on the floor with the children, Pates and Matt several feet taller and Matt especially taking up much more room. They mimic the meditation position of the others, before the two of them close their eyes.
Pates becomes impatient quickly, her left eye twitching open just a little in order to observe around her. Half of the Bardottan children have begun floating in the air, along with their teacher. She turns to Matt and almost flinches as she realizes that he's floating higher than all of the students, his blonde wig shifting slightly as the fabric of his clothes float about him. His eyes are squeezed tight, his lips down-turned into a snarl as a glowing red aura surrounds him.
"I sense one of our guests is not focused."
Pates eyes lash open to find the instructor's head is pointed right at her, despite his eyes still being closed. She closes her eyes once more.
"Reach out to the Force. Let it come to you," he tells her.
Pates takes a deep breath, trying to focus, but unsure of what to focus on. Her senses are alert, ready to feel something, anything…but the feeling's never there. Her lips curl into a small frown, her forehead relaxing as she accepts that this meditation is just going to be her sitting for a few minutes in silence-
"NO! NO!" the whole class suddenly jolts awake as everyone turns to find Matt shouting at the top of his lungs.
Pates and the students start backing away from him, as Matt's eyes are still closed and he's still deep in meditation. The aura around him has turned a deeper shade of red, and the veins in Matt's fists and forehead are peeking out from his skin. The instructor tries approaching him with the utmost caution.
"My child, it is only a vision, allow the Force to guide you back into the present-"
Matt's eyes snap open, and his arm flings out, summoning the Force and launching the teacher across the marketplace, slamming him into the wall of a nearby building. The students scatter in a panic, and as the townsfolk begin to see what's going on, flee into their homes.
"Matt! Snap out of it!"
Even with his eyes open, Matt is still lost within the fire of his own mind. The ground starts to rumble, and the earth under his feet begins to crack. While Pates is now by far the person closest to Matt, she still keeps her distance, both in awe and afraid of this powerful Force-user.
The red glow around Matt begins to fade, and he slowly starts to move his body again. Pates turns and spots a gang of Stormtroopers marching towards them. She grabs Matt by the hand and starts pulling him away.
"C'mon, Matt, we have to get out of here."
Diving into the marketplace crowd, she leads the way as the two of them weave through tiny market alleyways and crowded streets plumed with smoke and sounds. They quickly lose the Stormtroopers, and Pates's grip on Matt loosens. As she lets go of him, Matt's fingers reach out in instinct, but his hand soon lowers as well.
"Are you okay?" she asks him, turning around to face him.
Matt begins to nod, even as his movements are slow and labored, "I'm fine…fine."
"If I may ask…were you really having visions?"
"Yes," his answer is curt, short and blunt.
"What did you see? Did you see the future?"
Matt's expression is quite stern, not in his usual loud and explosive way, but something more restrained, and a little more sad. He purses his lips as he tries to keep them from moving, as his eyes become large and intense.
"I…I'm not sure. The Dark side…it showed me something. There's something…here…Pates…did you see it?"
She shakes her head, "No…no…I didn't see anything during the meditation…nothing."
Matt leans forward, his hulking upper body towering over her, "We need to find it, Pates."
A little confused, and a little concerned, Pates takes a step away from Matt, "Uhm…let's not worry about that right now. We should get back to the ship."
Matt and Pates make their way back to the First Order transport, which is guarded by several Stormtroopers. Under his mask, DV-283 spots the two of them walking in. While he doesn't leave his post to greet them, his gaze follows the two of them as they enter the ship.
"Uh…Pates…I…I need to go. To do things. Radar technician things."
Pates crosses her arms, "Uhuh, 'radar technician' things."
Matt exits through a side door just before the entrance to the officers' lounge. Pates continues on into the officers' lounge, where General Hux is examining several painted pots from the market square.
"Come, look at these, Pates," he gestures to her as she enters.
The aged clay pottery stands out against the pristine metal and glass of the First Order transport. Red, purple, and green pigments decorate each pot, intricate designs depicting native Bardottans performing some kind of ritual.
"Somehow they've managed to preserve these designs over hundreds of years using nothing but ground berries and powdered ores. And look at that detail…"
Smiling, Pates walks over closer to stand beside the general. The particular pot he's looking at has the image of several Bardottans surrounding a temple with a green glowing light in the center, represented by a small green gemstone embedded into the pottery.
"Is this a ritual of the Dagoyan Order? I haven't seen a temple like that anywhere on Bardotta," Pates observes.
"I asked myself the same question, but I haven't been able to find anything in our records referring to…anything like this," Hux tells her.
"Perhaps the archives are incomplete."
Pates and Hux turn as Kylo Ren enters the officers' lounge, "If you're done looking at common pottery, General Hux, I would like to get this unusual meeting over with."
Putting down the pot, Hux takes a step away from it as he straightens himself, "Of course, Commander."
The three of them exit the transport, and Pates looks up at the large, looming fortress the ship had landed in front of.
"Laylesa, this better work," Kylo Ren warns her.
She glances over at the masked man, before looking over at an uncertain General Hux, then finally turning up towards the fortress.
"I shall not fail you."