The gigantic wooden double doors slowly swing open. No soldiers or mechanical force are pushing the doors open, the doors appear to be opening themselves, being moved by a power invisible to the eye. Several Bardottan royal guards exit from the other side, wearing armor and headgear made of an aging, organic metal, and adorned with bright colors.
"Queen Phoebe welcomes you," one of the guards gestures for them to enter.
The three of them walk along the naturally-formed bridge of stone leading up to the fortress entrance. The grand entrance hall just past the doors is dimly lit with intricate hanging lanterns and sconces. The ceiling is astronomically high, reaching towards the heavens as the upper portions of the ceiling grow sharper and more narrow.
At the end of the hallway is a rounded court room, with a large throne in the center where the queen resides. Around her there are other smaller thrones all around the circle, but they all lie empty. Queen Phoebe herself is an aging Bardottan, the hair along her head and stretching along her eyes and down the contours of her beak having turned gray. She wears a simple golden crown, and a thick, matronly robe of bright purple Bardottan silk. Her posture is regal, and upright, and she stands the moment the First Order enters.
"Welcome, Commander Ren, General Hux…Inquisitor Laylesa. The Force has foreseen your coming," she explains to them.
"Has it?" Kylo Ren questions, pushing past the myriad of candles that surround the center of the court room, "Then you know why we've come."
"Yes," the queen nods with a smile, "and I believe it was this young lady's Force energies that have brought you here."
Pates fights the urge to shake her head, and she bows it towards the queen instead, "Your majesty, it's an honor…but I'm afraid you have me mistaken. I'm not strong with the Force-"
"The Force flows through all living beings. I sense it…in every being in this room."
Kylo Ren, Pates, and Hux all exchange glances, before Kylo Ren comes to the conclusion, "You…you're the Dagoyan Master."
"The last. For now. There is still much hope in the galaxy yet."
Taking the small flight of stairs down from her throne, the candlelight intensifies as Queen Phoebe enters the center of the court room, her bare feet stepping over the intricate gold patterns inlaid into the center circle.
She gestures to Pates, "Come, meditate with me."
General Hux steps in front of Pates, "Pardon our hastiness your majesty, but we've pressing matters to discuss about the Bardottan silk-"
"You will have your political talk in due time, general," the queen gives Hux a knowing smile, as she further beckons Pates.
Stepping past him, Pates enters the center of the court room with Queen Phoebe, who places her palms out in front of her, and after some hesitation, Pates does the same.
"Through meditation we shall meld minds, and our thoughts will be known to one another," the queen explains, her fingertips about to touch Pates's.
"That's impossible, First Sister Laylesa is not a Force-user. Even if you could see into her thoughts, she'd never be able to see into yours," Kylo Ren intervenes.
"And besides, even if it were possible, how do we know you're not trying to probe her memories for intel on the First Order?" General Hux adds, also stepping towards the circle.
Queen Phoebe raises a mildly annoyed hand towards them, gesturing for them to stop, "Always assuming the worst. We Bardottans are a peaceful people, you have nothing to fear."
She turns back towards Pates, as they both close their eyes and their hands connect. Unlike Kylo Ren's Force mind invasions, this isn't painful for Pates in the slightest, as their minds and memories intertwine-
A young Phoebe races towards an earlier version of the royal palace, one more ornate with less of the present version's fortress-like attributes. She's surrounded by Bardottan guards as a multitude of ships rain laser fire from above. But this isn't the Resistance and the First Order at war, this is the war of an earlier generation: the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. Imperial-era Stormtroopers run in their platoons to defend the palace as AT-AT armored walkers level whole buildings at they scale the mountainous capital.
"Princess, you must retreat to the palace!" one of the guards escorting her insists.
The front doors of the palace creak open just enough for Phoebe and her guards to enter. They run down the familiar entrance corridor, but when they reach the court room she stops in her tracks.
"Mother!"
The princess rushes to the previous queen, who's lying motionless in the middle of the court room, along with several other Dagoyan Masters and priests. Grabbing her mother's robes, Phoebe attempts to shake her awake, but her body is limp and lifeless.
"They betrayed us. All of them."
Phoebe turns to find an Imperial officer, with a platoon of Stormtroopers behind him, "They were scheming with the Rebel Alliance behind our backs, princess. Please, you must understand."
The Imperial officer takes the hand of the distraught Phoebe, "Come, young princess. Now Bardotta will be led by its…rightful ruler."
Despite the memories not being her own, Pates can see everything with crystal clarity. She's not just in-tune with Queen Phoebe's memories, but with her emotions as well, feeling every moment of anger, sadness, and confusion with each moment. The terra-cotta colors of the Bardottan palace fade away into the dark, oppressive metallics of the inside of Starkiller Base-
A blizzard pelts away at the triangular windows outside, while the echoes and murmurs of a small party are coming from just behind Pates's door. However, Pates herself is alone in her room, still in her officer's uniform. She rifles through drawers and various piles of clutter around her room, searching for a few specific things, grabbing them and putting them into a duffel bag.
The automatic door slides open, and wiping away the tears brimming on the bottom of her eyelids, Pates quickly kicks the duffel bag behind her bed.
"Pates, there you are, I've been looking everywhere," General Hux enters at a hurried pace, snow still speckled on the shoulders of his great coat.
Upon seeing him, Pates grits her teeth, very close to losing her composure. General Hux on the other hand, while he shows concern for Pates, can't hide the elation in his eyes. He takes off his First Order cap, and while his hair is still slicked back, it's much thicker than present-day Hux.
"Oh…Armitage…I thought you'd be celebrating…" Pates walks towards the window, avoiding eye contact.
Hux steadies himself, but he can't completely contain a fidgeting nervousness, particularly in his hands, "Oh no, of course this is a momentous occasion…but I wanted to find you first."
Pates's eyes widen, "Oh…have you not spoken with the other officers-"
"We can talk with them later. Pates, this is our victory to celebrate. We've conquered the Republic, and we'll soon have the Resistance on the run. Everything we've ever dreamed of is falling into place."
He takes a step closer to her, as he begins to sink down onto one knee. He takes out a box, opening it to reveal a small ring of black Beskar, with three small red Kyber crystals inlaid at the top, "Nothing stands in our way now…and now, there's something very important I have to ask you-"
Pates swallows, clearly seeing Hux's reflection in the window, but refuses to acknowledge him, "You're right, Armitage, nothing stands in the way of the First Order now. And I couldn't be happier for you…"
As he hears the pain in her voice, the joy in Hux's eyes begins to fade as he puts the ring away and stands back up. Pates then turns around, "…but there's a lot I have to figure out right now, I just need some time…"
"What are you saying?"
General Hux turns and spots the hastily hidden duffel bag. His saddened frown instantly melds into an angry scowl.
"I've resigned."
"You can't," Hux circles around the bed, stepping between Pates and the duffel bag, "not now. What are you doing?! Abandoning everything we've done, everything we've built together! The First Order needs us now more than ever! Pates…Pates…this is a critical moment. Our moment-"
"But my family Armitage! Don't they mean anything at all?! My mother was a key figure in the New Republic for the First Order-"
"And now the New Republic is dead. Now nothing stands in our way. My birthright. Our destiny."
A look of pained realization crosses Pates's face, and soon her expression hardens, "Armitage…I love you. But you will step aside."
Pates slowly begins to return to the present, the dark colors of Starkiller Base fading back into the warm earth tones of the Bardottan palace. Her hands disconnect with Queen Phoebe's as she touches her cheek, feeling the remnants of tears that've fallen.
"My servants have had chambers prepared for the three of you," the queen assures Pates, placing an understanding hand on her shoulder, "you should rest."
"What did you see?!" General Hux demands, stepping into the meditation circle, "What did you see?!"
Queen Phoebe looks up at the general with a newfound recognition, "I sensed the good will within her, the Force has guided me to this kindred spirit."
"I grow tired of this nonsense," Kylo Ren halfheartedly steps closer to the circle, "either you will give us what we need or we will take it by force."
"Negotiations for the trade agreement will begin in the morning. I need to convene with the Bahk-tov Council, or at least…what's left of them."
With that, Queen Phoebe exits the royal court room, disappearing into the dark corridors beyond. Neither Kylo Ren nor General Hux make an attempt to stop her, but the moment she's gone, Hux rushes over to Pates.
"Was it true? Can she peer into memories? Did she steal First Order secrets?"
Pates shakes her head, "No…no, she wasn't looking for military secrets…"
His gaze leery of Kylo Ren, General Hux wraps his arms around Pates, holding her close. The Bardottan royal guards approach them.
"We will escort you each to your chambers," one of them explains.
"Allow me to bring Pates to her chambers," Hux demands.
"Connecting minds with the queen is not harmful…but if you insist," the guard grumbles.
One arm around her, Hux escorts Pates along with the guard to a large set of golden double doors that appear to stretch up into the heavens. Hux can't help but smile as he admires the detailed carvings on the doors and walls. Pates however, is completely unconcerned with the decor, and spends the entire walk looking at Hux. It's been less than a year, but the general's hair has thinned compared to the time of her vision, with the smallest hints of gray beginning to appear along the sides. His face is also much more weathered, with deeper wrinkles along the nose and eyes, and despite his naturally pale skin, Hux somehow looks even more ghostly, almost sick.
The guard opens the doors for the two of them, and Hux lays Pates down on the lush bed. The guard closes the door behind them, leaving them alone in the room. The instant the guard is gone, Hux begins stroking Pates's hair.
"Are you alright?" he asks.
She brushes his hand away, and turns away from him, laying on her side, "I'm fine."
"Was it true? That you and the queen saw each others' thoughts?"
Pates nods, "Yes, but it wasn't like when Kylo Ren invaded my memories. She saw my memories, and I saw hers…and it was almost like we were sharing things we had in common. I could feel her intense emotions, but in a peaceful way…it didn't hurt."
Hux's expression relaxes just a little as he begins looking around the room, "I must admit, for such primitive people their palace is beautiful," he runs a gloved hand over the textured fabric of the bedsheets. Pates's gaze follows his hand.
"You should try to learn more about their artwork while we're here. I'm sure the queen has a cultural adviser-"
General Hux scoffs, "I'm a general, not an artist."
Giving him a cold, skeptical glance, Pates shrugs, "If you insist."
She turns further onto her side, "You should get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."
"But wouldn't you like it if I stayed a little bit longer-"
"Not tonight, Armitage. I…I'm very tired. It's been a long day."
Hux sits down on the bed so he can reach over and undo her bun, allowing her black hair to spill out of it, "Pates…what exactly did the queen see of your memories?"
Pates squeezes a fistful of the bedsheets in her hand, the soft silk wrinkling under the pressure, "You had just found me in my quarters on Starkiller Base. Right after the weapon's launch. And you were about to…you were about to tell me of the success of Starkiller Base," she stops herself, turning to face Hux, "but of course…I already knew."
Hux grimaces for a second, but after a moment of thought it turns into a melancholic frown, "Ah…I see. I'm sorry you had to relive that moment."
Pates takes an extra moment to look at him, before asking, "Armitage…have you ever thought about what you would do…if this war were to end-"
"For me, the fight will never be truly over until I am Supreme Leader," Hux clenches his fist, lowering his head slightly.
"Yes, but after that, I mean. What would you do? Other than rule the galaxy, of course," she questions, her mood lightening as a knowing smile crosses her lips.
Hux reaches over, placing a hand on her shoulder. Pates flips over on the bed so she's facing him. He gets a better look at her smile, and he returns it, "…do you remember Father's villa on Arkanis?"
Pates nods as he continues, "I would reclaim the villa. As far as I know it's been abandoned since his death, and while it's technically owned by my brutish cousin…well, that can be easily changed, can't it?"
He lets out a low chuckle, his gloved hand gripping her shoulder as he starts to rub it, "I would make changes of course. Turn one of the spare bedrooms into a painting studio. And the old barn, we could convert that into a workshop for you, your own personal little place to make as messy as you'd like-"
"'We'?" Pates asks, sitting up.
Caught off guard, Hux's hand tightens its grip, "Well…I always thought you would come to visit, often. There are plenty of spare rooms in the villa. And with the current…predicament, you'll be needing a place to stay during peacetime, or even perhaps just somewhere to go on Empire Day or, or on a modest vacation-"
"You never go on vacation."
Pates shakes her head with a knowing smile on her lips, "Officers are allowed to take vacation, but we've never been on vacation in our lives. And we haven't celebrated Empire Day since we were in the academy. You may be good with words, Armitage, but you're terrible at hiding things from me."
Hux's expression completely shifts, something cold and unfeeling enters his eyes, "…do you really think that?"
She wraps her arms around him, "You can talk to me, about what you really want. You didn't use to be afraid to tell me, but now you are…"
The darkness in his eyes melts away, as he grabs her by the waist and pulls her in close.
"…in time. All will become clear in time. You know I've always had grand visions for you and I, and I always get them, one way or another."
Pates looks at him with a playful suspicion, "'One way or another', huh?"
Hux leans towards her, and Pates lets him steal a kiss, a gentle peck on the lips, but when he goes in for a second one, she pulls away. His expression goes cold once more, "One way…or another."