Warnings: The following chapter is rated PG-13. It may contain some triggers for child abuse, both mental and physical, and adult sexual assault, especially workplace quid-pro-quo.

There is also an implied wookie warning. No, sorry Chewy, not that Wookiee.

Chapter 25 - Phasma's Resolve

"Okay, I've got my knife, my blaster," Phasma listed as she slipped them into concealed places under her armor. "And lastly my homework. Can you believe that Warcry? I've got homework." As she talked she glanced over to a stormtrooper helmet lying on top of the dresser. The helmet appeared well polished, despite some damage to one side. It'd clearly seen some action.

"Yes, Warcry. Skywalker wants to train me to be a Jedi. Can you believe that, huh!" Phasma laughed, then her expression changed and became grieved, "I wish you were here to see it. I really do." Phasma sighed. After putting on her helmet, she picked up a sheet of flimsy and went to leave her quarters.

On the way she met a familiar red-head. "You have to put a rush on it. I wanna be back in civilization within the week. Don't think I'll be able to stand this much longer," ordered the former general who'd been nicknamed by his underlings Armpit Hux.

Phasma rolled her eyes under her helmet. "Yes sir."

"And don't mess this up. Or we'll both wish we were dead. Understood?"

Phasma huffed. "Understood, sir."

It didn't take a lot of reasoning to guess their fate, should they fail. The Supreme Leader wasn't known for his forgiving nature, but then he was the leader. He had to be tough to keep control. It's the way clans like this worked. She should know.

Phasma pushed past the Junior Hux and entered the classroom, quickly clearing all of that from her mind. Instead she thought about the nice dinner she had with her teacher the previous evening.

Luke Skywalker had brought her to a lounge reserved for the Resistance command. There was a small kitchen with a bar overlooking a comfortable room. Luke went to the oven and pulled out an already made casserole. He served them both saying, "My aunt taught me how to cook. You'll like this."

Skywalker proved to be a pleasant host, and it surprised Phasma how quickly she'd warmed up to him. Chatting with him was pleasant. He didn't feel the need to fill in every awkward silence, and she didn't feel pressured to share more than she was willing.

"Your armor is very interesting. Did you design it yourself?" Luke had asked.

Phasma looked surprised. "Yes, though few see it as anything other than an obvious plagiarism of a stormtrooper's uniform."

Luke sipped a drink and nodded. "I've worn a stormtrooper's armor before. Yours is quite different on the inside. Almost resembling Mandalorian armor, if I'm right?"

Phasma felt herself relaxing in her chair. She wanted to remain haughty, but couldn't keep a proud smile from leaking through. "Yes, my mother's family was from Mandalore, actually. She used to have my grandfather's old armor, and I'd play with it as a child."

"Do you think you might want to go back there? Perhaps to send a message to your family," Luke inquired.

"They're all dead." Phasma wasn't sure why she sputtered that out. Luke just nodded in reply. He didn't look offended or taken aback, so Phasma decided to test it by going one step further. "I killed them."

"Hmm?" To her surprise, Luke just looked up at her with interest, like he expected there was more to the story. No judgement, no revulsion, just interest.

Phasma looked down at her plate. In her mind she was back on Parnassos. Back watching her father storm when a plow broke or a crop turned bad. Back pulling herself into a tiny ball, hoping without hope to avoid her father's gaze, knowing that if she was successful, it'd mean her brother or her mother wouldn't be. She remembered her desperate relief when she'd finally contacted Egil, leader of the Scyre clan. Then she remembered the sheer terror, as she realized he and his men arrived too quickly to save both her brother and her mother. She had to make a desperate move, choosing one over the other. Ooh, Phasma, your father was right. You always were a waste of space.

It was only a moment in real life. Luke looked at Phasma quietly, as if he was reading a book. In another moment he changed the subject. From his stories, Phasma gleaned that his nephew, the future Knight of Ren was once afraid of scaly things and always felt like no one really saw him. I wonder, thought Phasma, how much of that is still true to this day?

"Oh Han. Let me get you a plate. Uh, this is Phasma. Phasma, Han." Luke hastily greeted another who'd walked into the lounge while they were talking. Though Han was dressed casually, she assumed he must have been a commander. Perhaps of a Special Forces Unit.

Han greeted her with a devilishly mischievous smile. "Don't let me interrupt you. I'll just take this and go." Han took the plate Luke offered and left.

After a while without any further interruptions, Luke wondered out loud, "Where is everybody? There's usually a rush to get my cooking."

Phasma laughed. The poor fool had no idea what was going through his friend's head earlier. "Maybe they just don't want to interrupt us." She touched Luke's hand, and it made him blush.

Thinking about these things made Phasma smile. Which was good. Her happiness would help disguise her ulterior motives. She knew from experience that when you're facing an astute foe, you always need to be careful. And I haven't come here to make friends, no. I have a mission, Phasma remembered.

Originally Phasma had 'rescued' Armitage Hux from a transport to a First Order Prison. After his failures commanding Starkiller base, the Supreme Leader was not too pleased with him. The decision to help him was a difficult one, but the younger Hux was a far cry from the older one. He was good to her, and never tried to take advantage of his position. Likely because of her dealing with the senior Hux, but he was loyal. And she decided to return loyalty with loyalty in the end, risking her position to save his life.

Of course it was only after this that she found out her 'rescue' was a calculated move, and they had a secret mission, from the Supreme Leader himself.

"The First Order had several defectors, right before the explosion on Starkiller base. Two from our own units. The sorry sobs joined the Resistance." Armitage had explained. "We're going to infiltrate their organization. Our mission is to…"

"To kill the traitors!" Phasma interrupted...

Back in the present, Luke gave Phasma a sweet smile, one that made her feel soft and some weirdly unidentifiable feeling, and moved on. She had her doubts about this Force training. You're here for it's advantages, she reminded herself. It gets you where you need to be.

Luke looked next over FN-no, Finn as he was getting settled. That trooper has a lot of gall, Phasma thought. After all we've done for him, to run away and join the Resistance. That traitor deserves what he's got coming.

Phasma looked up at the back of the former Kylo Ren's head, and she allowed herself a single angry glare. Stupid boy! He saw one trooper injured with one mild flesh wound, and he thinks he's seen my incompetence. That trooper was back on duty in a day. I've seen good troopers killed on their first experience with live rounds. All because their fellow troopers didn't have any real experience with the equipment. Simulations can only teach you so much. Who's incompetence is that?

Phasma couldn't help the next face that appeared in her head. The dark hair, and blood smeared face of her niece. Warcry, how did I fail you? Was it all a waste? Should I have let you stay on Parnassos?

Tears were starting to form in her eyes. She knew she'd better stop or… Too late. Luke turned from his board where he had been lecturing and looked at her. His eyes were filled with, of all things, pity. The look was surprising and unsettling. She'd heard Force-users were perceptive, but this was something else. How in the Galaxy! I am still wearing my helmet? She felt to confirm it was on, then breathed a sigh of relief.

In another moment Luke went back to his lesson. Later he passed out smooth stones to everyone. "Now, I want you to try it. Try to pick up the stone without touching it."

Phasma let out a huff. She knew such power existed. She'd seen Kylo Ren use the Force to lift Hux. But she didn't once believe she had that power. Still, as long as she was stuck in this class, she might as well at least pretend to try.

And if she was putting on a show, why not put everything into it? Hux had raved to her about how effective removing her helmet yesterday had been. If it got a reaction then, perhaps? Phasma almost shrugged her shoulders as she pulled off the helmet and placed it on the desk in front of her.

Then she looked up and around. Hux gave her a lazy smirk, confirming he liked her idea too. Finn was concentrating hard. His eyes were scrunched and when he noticed her eyes on him, he scrunched harder. Luke was standing beside Finn. He put a hand on Finn's shoulder and whispered something about releasing emotions. When Luke did look over in her direction, his eyes opened in surprise before he smiled, fondly.

On the other side of the room Kylo-no, Ben and that girl Rey had turned their chairs to face each other. Luke had given them a separate task and they were both trying to do something to one stone. Their stone was already floating, and they were moving it around in a small circle in the air without touching it. Occasionally it would fall, and one of them would apologize to the other. But Ben didn't notice Phasma. That girl seemed to take up all his attention without even trying.

Phasma sensed Luke coming around towards her again. It was time to focus back on her own stone. She lifted her hand, hovering above it on the desk, and she tried the mental steps Luke taught. First step, close your eyes and clear your mind of emotion. Next imagine the stone rising to meet your hand. Third step, call it. He said this last step was a difficult one to define. For everyone it was a bit different, and she'd have to figure it out on her own.

Phasma started thinking about how this seemed familiar to her. When she was instructing another officer on how to take command, she broke it into steps. First, take a deep breath and relax, because if they sense your weakness, it's all over. Next give simple instructions. If they had the brains to plan out details they wouldn't be your subordinates. Lastly, give a firm 'Go,' 'At it,' or 'Dismissed' so they know you mean business.

Suddenly she felt something. There was something cool, smooth, and round in her hand. Phasma opened her eyes in shock. She was clutching the stone that had been on her table.

This couldn't be right! I must have picked it up without thinking. Phasma put the stone down, embarrassed to have touched it and tried the exercise again.

This time, when she felt the round stone hit her palm again, she felt another hand clutch her wrist right away. It didn't let her move her arm. "Open your eyes." Luke whispered behind her.

Phasma opened her eyes slowly, and then wider. Her mouth dropped open, and she squeaked in surprise. Her arm was far enough above the desk that there was no chance she had accidentally picked it up. Yet there in her hand was the stone. "I didn't!"

"Yes you did," Luke said with a proud smile, one that made Phasma smile too.

By the time they were done practicing, Phasma was sure she could lift the stone with just her mind and the Force. She'd done it several more times, though until she managed to do it with her eyes open, she had her doubts.

Finn, too, was progressing, and managed to get his stone to rise sometime after Phasma did. He let out a loud cheer. "I did it! Look, Look. Did you see? I did it!"

Armitage seemed as doubtful as Phasma was when they first started, but when Phasma and Finn both had success at making theirs rise, he scrunched his face and seemed to throw everything into it. By the end he was getting his stone to shake and move slightly, though it still wasn't rising to his hand. This frustrated him greatly. Poor Armitage, never liked being last. Phasma shook her head and laughed at him.

As Luke was collecting the stones, the others started talking.

"There's this thing tonight. One of the pilots got a copy of the newest Earthling Adventures Holo-film, and they're gonna play it on the big holo-projector in the field outside. Rose and I were going to go tonight," Finn said to the others. "And Sal is bringing Paige. It sounded like fun. You two really should come."

Ben didn't look persuaded. "Fairy-tales about a planet called Earth. I'd rather not. Those things are too unrealistic." He left the room soon after with the girl Rey.

Armitage stepped up to Finn next and said, "That does sound cool. It sounds like everyone going already has a date though. That's too bad. I know how much Phasma's been wanting to see that Holo-film."

The idiot! Getting desperate are we? I'll have to lecture him about how dangerous desperate acts can be, Phasma thought to herself.

"Oh, well I could take you," Luke piped up next. This made Phasma blink in surprise a minute. "I mean, if you need someone to accompany you. It's been years since I've seen a holo-film and a home-made, out-door screening sounds fun.

But then, if desperate works… "I'd love that." Phasma smiled up at him, like she had just won a game only she knew she was playing.

As Phasma prepared for that evening, she remembered learning about her mission.

"Our mission is to…" Armitage had started to say.

"To kill the traitors!" Phasma interrupted.

"No!" Armitage cried. "No, the Supreme Leader has plans for Kylo Ren. He is not to be harmed! And the others are inconsequential. Our mission is to kill Skywalker, the last Jedi, and end his interference in the Supreme Leader's plans."

And so Phasma put on a nice dress and struggled with her hair. For years she wore a helmet and her hair and dress hadn't mattered. But her current mission required her to play this game. The dress she wore was a simple white gown. It was many years old, but she thought it would do. And she was used to keeping her hair cut short, though it was a bit messy and uneven. She was sitting at her vanity, trying to style it, or at least to trim it evenly.

"Well Warcry, How do you think that looks? Would you tell me anything different? It's almost over now. We'll be back with the First Order soon, Frey." Phasma's voice choked as her last word slipped out. It had been years since she'd used that name. Years since either of them had used it. Was it worth it? Was any of this worth it? Phasma thought back to her question earlier. Should I have left you on Parnassos?

And suddenly she was looking down at a bruise on her young niece. Remembering similar marks on her and her brother's backs. Knowing it could not possibly have come from the same source. Knowing her brother had grown to resemble their father in the most terrifying of ways.

And Phasma remembered standing on a battlefield. Her own brother in the sights of her blaster, pleading with her as she shot him dead. Pieces of her soul dying with his.

"No, I would never leave you. No matter how many times I had to do it again."

Her memories were desturbed when someone rang at her door. Phasma wiped away her tears quickly and let in Armitage, who carried a garment bag and looked over her critically. "No, this will never work. You're lucky I thought ahead and brought a real dress. And you'll need makeup to cover that." He motioned over her whole face as he said this. "Just try to look nice. We don't want to scare him away too quickly."

Phasma glared at his insults, but then looked back to the mirror and sighed. "Yes sir. I'll do my best, sir."

An hour later, and her door buzzed again. This time it was Luke.

"Oh my!" He exclaimed when he saw her dress. This dress, the one Armitage brought, was exactly designed to cater to a man's interest. And Jedi or not, Skywalker was a man. It was red, and made from a rare material that hugged her body tightly. Almost too tight for her comfort. But she wore it for her mission. For the First Order.

Luke took a deep breath and looked back up to her eyes. "You're beautiful." Phasma half expected they'd have no need to go to the show. The dress alone was enough to seduce any man. And judging by his initial reaction, he was seduced. But he held out his hand next for her to take. "I'm honored to escort you, milady." Phasma couldn't help but smile a little. It felt like those might just be his genuine emotions.

As they walked, Phasma had to hum a tune in her head to keep from gritting her teeth. At any moment she expected to feel Skywalker's hands exploring where they didn't belong. In her experience, there was only so long a man could hold back. Brendol certainly didn't have a moment to lose.

Brendol Hux, the father of Armitage Hux, was supposed to offer her niece what Egil offered her. A way out. After they left with him, Phasma learned differently. Warcry went to train with a stormtrooper regime, and Phasma was put to work for Brendol himself. And he made sure she knew, if she failed him, or if she protested his activities between missions, her niece would pay the penalty. Unfortunately Brendol learned too late. No one threatens Warcry!

But Luke's hand never left her side. On the way he seemed to sense Phasma's mood, and he offered up a humorous story to distract her.

"You know, there was a time when my sister managed to convince her husband Han so thoroughly that he had been impregnated by a wasp sting, that he told his whole unit he was expecting… And there we were, all prepared to throw him a youngling shower. I'd even had a onesie made with 'favorite niece' written across the front. Then Han and Leia walked in, and Han smiled and said something about the nursery theme, but Leia went all red… You know, I think Han knew all along and was getting a little revenge." Phasma laughed with Luke. "Poor Ben though, he eventually got that onesie. I have a holoimage if you doubt me."

When they got to the door, Luke opened it for her and smiled, like he was happy just to be there with her. They walked out into a field, where several other couples were sitting on the ground.

"Oh," Luke whispered. He pulled out a rolled up towel and laid it on the ground for them both. Then he reached out a hand for her and led her to sit on the towel.

By this time Phasma could feel her heart pumping in her chest. Focus, you're almost done. Don't get soft. You've just got to kill him, then you'll be done.

Luke sat down beside her and looked over to her. "Are you alright?"

Clear your mind, he smells your weakness. "Yes, this is nice." She reached her hand and stroked the place where under her dress was hidden the poisoned knife she would use to do the deed. See, it's there. This'll be over soon. Relax already!

Several more minutes went by. The holo-film was starting to play, and Phasma couldn't relax. When Luke did finally move, it was to reach over and grip her hand. The tension seemed to leak out of her at that moment. She caught herself feeling affection for the man. He's not doing anything. What am I doing? I can't do this. For the first time in her life, Phasma was having doubts over killing someone. Usually orders were orders, but here and now, she felt separate from the First Order. And when he looked up at her with concern in his eyes, she didn't want him to die.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this." Phasma stood up with tears forming in her eyes and her heart racing at lightspeed.

"I understand. I'll walk you home." Luke got up faster than her, almost as if he had been expecting this. In his eyes was that look again, pity. But it seemed to go much deeper than pity, to understanding perhaps.

Why does he have to follow? This would be so much easier if he would've just stayed outside. As Phasma walked back she replayed the night in her head. Only she imagined herself stabbing Luke while they were watching the movie. He wouldn't see it coming, and the drug would quickly take effect, leaving him unable to scream or fight back. She'd sit there watching as the last vestiges of life left his eyes. Strangely this didn't give her a feeling of satisfaction. Not like it had when she planned this night.

When they reached her door, Phasma knew she should say something, but she wasn't sure what. "Thank you. I'm sorry for…" As she said this, she felt that knife under her dress again, and thought It's now or never…decide...

"Don't worry about it. I've had panic attacks too," Luke sounded genuine.

Panic attack! Phasma hadn't thought to define how she felt, but… Panic attack? She nodded and turned to open her door, as feelings of affection came back to her. Then she turned back decisively. In one swift movement she bent over and began kissing Luke.

Luke reached up and stopped her, blinking wildly. "Milady, I am enamored by you tonight, but you don't have to do this."

Phasma smiled and nearly laughed as she pulled Luke closer to her and kissed him again. This time the man returned her kisses. As they kissed she put her arms around him and pulled him three steps backward into her room. Then her hand went up again to swipe at the door panel without breaking their kiss, as the door slid shut.

Phasma's story here may seem very off canon, but I did honestly take a lot of inspiration from the story on her Wookieepedia page. I just filled in some gaps and did some psychological analysis on the girl. Lucasfilm seemed to be trying to display her as a psychopath by nature, or a cruel, soulless personality, and she can definitely be heartless at times. Though this didn't work for me as a writer. Psychologically, you can be born that way, but way more commonly it's the environment and experiences we have that make us who we are. I know this is long, but I did promise you a detailed analysis of her character. Some is directly mentioned in my story, but other parts only really influenced how I formed her character.

Phasma grew up on Parnassos, a planet ravaged by a nuclear disaster. There were several clans, kind of like gangs, that largely ran amok on the planet. In her younger years Phasma had a family and there was at least one clan that wanted the cave the family controlled for their own. I added a bit about Mandalorian descent, though in reality there is almost nothing known about her family. Not even their names. I am assuming that her mother married young, as is common in some less well off places. In my last chapter I added a mention of her family running a farm "of sorts," but this part is entirely my imagination as well.

At some point before Phasma turned sixteen, (probably around thirteen if I do math using wookieepedia's "probable dates,") she betrayed her family, conspiring with the Scyre Clan to have her family killed. Her older brother, Keldo, however, wasn't killed. She stabbed him in the foot, saving his life and they joined the Scyre Clan together. I am adding a bit to her story here, mainly that her father was abusive to herself, her mother, and brother. She had her family killed to escape this abuse. I also added that her mother's death was unplanned for a specific reason, but it'll have to wait.

Later, when she is sixteen, another member attacks the clan leader while he's sleeping. Her brother Keldo has an issue with this. It's against the clan rules. And she ends up in a duel with the guy. Fortunately for her, her brother ends up interfering and disabling the guy, mid fight. Talk about breaking rules! Anyways, Phasma and Keldo become co-leaders of the Clan.

At some point her brother had a daughter named Frey. Anyways, the one piece of evidence I have against the whole Psychopath theory was the story of Phasma carrying Frey, her then five year old niece, under her coat through a battle to keep the girl safe. I mean, they tried to downplay things by stating the girl was the only youngling of the clan, and appreciated by everyone, but I don't buy it. There was a bond there. What happened next seemed to indicate that even more.

Brendol Hux, Armitage's father, crash landed on Parnassos. Now, Brendol was a smooth talker, and he tried to persuade Phasma to help him contact his ship. He said he'd take her with him to join his own people. When Phasma got home, her brother was in a bit of a bad mood because Phasma attacked the neighboring clan in that mission. But she starts telling him Hux offered to help their clan to relocate to a place on Parnassos with less nuclear damage, if they helped him. Keldo ends up not buying it, and she leaves in the night with Hux and a small group of her friends.

The next part is more my imagination/interpretation. The girl Frey was not listed as leaving with Phasma, but she still ended up at the battle after Keldo tracked her down, and I find it hard to imagine he'd take his daughter to that kind of battle. Even if he was the worst father imaginable, it doesn't make sense. A kid would be a liability, if nothing else stops you. My version, it was Phasma who brought the girl. It also, I feel, explains why Keldo put such an effort into getting them back. He basically walked through a radiation zone. Her seeing signs in the girl of abuse was entirely my interpretation too. They'd be familiar signs, given her own history. And Brendol offered to take the "Strong child" with them, that is canon.

Anyways, Phasma ends up shooting her brother, then taking the girl and joining the First Order with Brendol Hux. After joining the First Order, Frey was sent to train with the stormtroopers and became UV-8855. She went by the nickname "Warcry." I'm thinking that Phasma, though she allowed the child to be raised with the troopers, kept contact with the girl. Phasma was soon put in charge of training troopers anyways. Now, according to Canon, there was a training accident which killed "Warcry" sometime before TFA. No other details, not even a date is given, except that Phasma did know about it. I put in a bit of history and emotions there, because I wanted the characters to be human. According to the Wookieepedia page, there was a theory that Phasma actually killed Frey, but it was presented as a theory of another captain that probably disliked Phasma already, so I've dismissed this. She had taken the man's job when she first joined Brendol Hux, anyway.

Another break from Canon, kindof. According to Wookieepedia, there is no exact date of birth listed for Phasma, however, I used the given age of Phasma at the time the old clan leader was killed, sixteen, and the approximate date that happened on his wookieepedia page, and according to that all, in TLJ, when she was killed, she was approximately 28. Now, that didn't make sense to me because given the actress's age, I guessed her age as about 35-40. The actress was 39 when that movie was released. Anyway you put it though, there is still an age gap between her and Luke. It isn't illegal, though, and it's been done before, so I don't really care.

Wookieepedia clearly states that Brendol Hux abused Armitage Hux. And he probably was not a good guy either. I don't think any of you will have a problem with me adding that he'd assaulted Phasma. Further evidence of this, it was during her time working with him that she got that full-body suit of armor. As a female, this behavior is code for 'I just want to protect myself' which leads me to wonder 'what was she protecting herself from?' Eventually, she conspires with Hux Jr.(Armitage), and kills Hux Sr.(Brendol).

In the end of the story, you have a woman who has been abused all her life, mentally, physically, and sexually. She really only knows of men acting like jerks. That is why Luke being different is so surprising for her. He's a gentleman, and the first 'good guy' that Phasma has gotten to know.

In an earlier chapter, I foreshadowed this by having Snoke, while he was talking to Armitage Hux, call her "Your daddy's old plaything." I don't believe anyone would have a hard time with my portraying Snoke as sexist. And I believe he may have known about how Brendol Hux died. Wookieepedia is pretty clear that the death was declared a mystery, with little investigation. I suspect some type of cover-up. Snoke would remember such a thing, especially when he's then looking for an assassin to rid him of an annoying Jedi Master.

That is my detailed character analysis for Phasma. I do hope you all like what I did with her character. If you do, or if you don't, please speak up and share your opinions in my comments/reviews. I love hearing what you think, and your opinions help me to improve as a writer.

This chapter did take me longer to write, and I owe special thanks to two of you for helping me get it finished. Applause go to readers EliKenobi (from Fanfiction dot net) who beta read and provided me with a lot of suggestions to improve this chapter, and KittyPaw (from AO3) whose praise boosted my confidence, and who doesn't know it yet, but also gave me an idea for the next chapter.

Next time we'll be getting back to some prior unresolved storylines, Anakin will be back, and there'll be some humor thrown in, too. I'll see you all then.