A/N: A big thanks to SirenBanshee. You are one amazing beta!
xXxXxXx
Kylo met up with Rey in their room.
"Can I?" Rey asked from the freshner, sticking her head around the partition and dripping water on the floor. "Can I really?"
"Yes," he laughed. "And you're dripping water."
"But this is exciting!"
He laughed again. "Must I come push you back into the freshner?" he threatened.
Kylo had expected Rey to blush and scamper away but she threw him a considering look, biting her lip lightly. It caused all his blood to rush from his brain towards his crotch.
"Rey," he said. It wasn't a growl, nor a plea. It was neither yet it was both.
"I could use someone to scrub my back," she said. It sounded very much like she was putting up a brave front and taking a leap.
"Rey," he said again. "I want to, but I don't know- I don't know if I'll be able to-"
Because his control only went so far and seeing Rey fully naked, water running over her skin, being allowed to touch her and soap her up, merely the thought of it blew his mind. He didn't want to push her or make her think she needed to give more than she was ready for.
"I trust you, Ben," Rey said, her sentiment echoing through their bond. "Now are you getting in or not?"
He didn't think he'd ever stripped faster in his life. Rey's brave front crumbled somewhat when he stepped under the spray with her, and there was no denying what seeing her naked like that did to him. They stayed under the water until the system informed them they'd used up their share of the hot water—which was already more than most with him being the Supreme Leader—and found themselves in bed not long after. Talk of visiting the Academy was forgotten until the next morning.
They woke up with their legs tangled and Rey half-draped across Kylo, who had already gotten used to Rey's tendency to use him as an elaborate pillow. He stroked her hair until she blinked her eyes open.
"Hello," he said, smiling. "How are you feeling?"
"Hmm," Rey merely mumbled, closing her eyes again.
Kylo chuckled. "I think we should shower again."
"Don't want to."
"You don't want to shower?"
"Not moving."
He laughed, earning himself a little grumble from Rey.
"Come on, Sandcat," he said, shifting from underneath her and picking her up in his arms. "Into the shower we go."
He stepped into the freshner, turned on the water with his elbow and tested the temperature with his leg. Rey shrieked as he then stepped under the spray with her still in his arms.
"Ben!" she complained. "You menace!"
He put her down on her feet as she started struggling, kissing her as soon as she'd found her balance.
"Good morning," he said again.
"Pfft," she said in mock-protest, before shyly looking up at him. "Morning."
They were putting on their clothes when Rey remembered the Academy again. She shot up, only one leg in her pants.
"You said I could go to that Academy," she exclaimed.
"I did," Kylo answered, laughing at her antics.
"Are you coming along?"
"Ah, no," he said, not liking how her face fell. He quickly explained about his plans for a new building and how he was sending the architect to learn from Natasha and Andrea. "So, if you want to see the Academy, you can go along."
Rey, who had put on the rest of her clothes during Kylo's explanation, was staring at him.
"When- Once the new building is finished, can Temiri and the others come here? To train?"
Kylo smiled. "If they want. I won't force them."
"Ben!" Rey exclaimed, bounding forward and wrapping her arms around him.
"Didn't I tell you I wanted to turn this base into a place for training Force-sensitives?" Kylo asked, hugging her back.
"Yes, but… I love you, Ben."
"I love you too, Rey."
She pulled back with a small frown. "Who would I be going as?"
"What do you mean?"
"Am I going as the Supreme Duchess?"
"Ah," Kylo said. He hadn't thought of that yet. "Good question. I think not."
"Thank the Force."
Kylo laughed, then mock-pouted. "You don't want to be my Supreme Duchess anymore?"
"Ben," Rey exclaimed, smacking his arm. "It's just, they would be all formal with me and I wouldn't know how to behave. Would they even let me anywhere near that shop if they don't know me but believe they have to protect me at all cost lest you go after them for negligence?"
He laughed again. "I guess I can see the issue," he finally answered. "Then as who would you want to go?"
"I don't know. The architect's assistant?"
"You will be no one's assistant," Kylo immediately answered. "I understand you can't go in your official capacity, but you'll not be going as some assistant either."
"What does it matter, Ben? It's not like it's real."
"They'll think it's real," he countered. "Besides, apart from the fact that you factually outrank all of them, you're much too clever to be an architect's assistant. You would have made it way further by now." He smiled as Rey blushed. "Why not be part of a team that's developing tech for me? You expressed a wish to see the academy and I granted it based on your merits."
"Not because I'm cute?"
"That too," he chuckled, "but not something they need to know."
She grinned at him in return. "What am I developing?"
Kylo shrugged. "Something you can bluff about if they ask questions."
"How about a better radar for Tie fighters when they're flying low to surface?" she said, mischief twinkling in her eyes. "I could even refer to that awful incident where a certain sandrat escaped from a certain desert planet."
"You minx," he retorted, shaking his head with mirth. "Whatever works."
"When are you planning on sending this architect?"
"Not sure yet, in the near-"
They were interrupted by knocking on the door and Phasma's muffled 'sir'. Frowning, Kylo strode over to open the door.
"Apologies for interrupting, sir," Phasma said before he could so much as say 'good morning'. "Communications requests your immediate presence."
"What's going on?" he asked, already striding off. He could hear Rey following close behind as Phasma took her usual position at his shoulder.
"An encoded line aimed to transmit to wherever you are has opened. The person on the other side is refusing to talk to anybody but you. Given the nature of the line, Elisa decided to immediately call you in. They're tracing its source though."
"Supreme Leader," Elisa greeted as soon as they arrived. "I've traced the source of the line, sir. It's coming from the Base we transferred that data from not so long ago."
"It's coming from Base Z?" Rey exclaimed in surprise.
"Resistance?" Phasma suggested.
"Would they know how to open such a secure line?" Kylo countered. "It must be someone else." He turned to Elisa. "Let me talk to them."
To his left, Ivyest pressed a button. "They can hear you now, Supreme Leader."
"Speak," Kylo merely commanded.
"Supreme Leader," a man's voice answered. "Given your order, I'm going to assume you are either alone or have trusted people around you."
Kylo raised an eyebrow at the comment but didn't respond.
"This is Tan Riddear, captain of the transport ship NS73248 reporting from Base Z," the man continued. "Sir, we have arrived for our monthly supply run but, uhm, sir, this place has been sacked."
Kylo blinked, his mind running at top speed. Of course a base on an ice planet has to run for supplies. It had taken surprisingly long for any of them to arrive, come to think of it.
"It's rather strange, sir," Tan added. "The few corpses I can still recognise all seem to be staff. I saw no enemies, no trainees, and no Knights."
Kylo narrowed his eyes at the fact that this captain of a supply ship knew that the Base was training Knights. Did his crew know as well? What was used to swear them into secrecy and would it continue to hold? Were there other ships supplying the Base and did they have the same knowledge?
Ivyest yelped as the buttons on her control panel pressed themselves, cutting off audio.
"Efren?" Kylo asked Phasma.
"I talked to him yesterday evening, sir," she answered. "He thinks it's safe but he was going to verify."
"It will have to be safe," he muttered.
"Ben?"
He grinned at Rey. "Let's get the First Order buzzing," he said before nodding at Ivyest who gingerly opened the line again.
"I am aware of the Base's state, Captain Riddear," Kylo said. "I was there when it happened, after all."
He could feel Rey's shock over the bond, the sound of Phasma shifting told him she hadn't expected his answer either.
"Supreme Leader?" the captain asked. "If you were here, then surely-"
"My staff will find you a military ship or base to report to for reassignment," Kylo interrupted. "Provide a list with your cargo so that can be dealt with as well. Good day, Captain Riddear."
He nodded at Ivyest again, who was staring up at him with wide eyes. After a heartbeat of silence in which only the captain's confused stumbling could be heard, Elisa took over.
"Captain, I will directly contact your ship; please wait on standby," she said before promptly fully closing the line with sure efficiency. "Supreme Leader," she said, turning in her seat and bowing her head. "Forgive Ivyest's momentary lapse of sense. She's usually very good at what she does."
That seemed to snap Ivyest out of her stupor. "Apologies, Supreme Leader," she said, bowing her head as well. "I was, uhm, stunned?"
Rey laughed, breaking the tension. "How long," she said, "do you think it will take them to realise there are no enemy corpses at that base because there were no enemies?"
"Sir," Phasma said, her tone much graver. "Is this wise?"
"No idea," he freely admitted, "but what was the alternative? Act up another temper tantrum? Wouldn't that set us back?"
She stayed silent for a moment, clearly contemplating, before nodding once. "I'll tell Efren to keep his ears open to see if this spreads rumours and, if so, how they are received," she said.
"It might be interesting as well to learn which part of it reaches the Resistance," Kylo added.
Phasma nodded again.
"What if this captain reveals what Base Z was like?" Rey asked.
"Hopefully, his listeners will realise that the base existed under Snoke's reign and that I was there when it was destroyed."
"You're counting on them to figure out you went there to destroy the base because you disagreed with it," Ivyest muttered, earning her a scolding from Elisa.
"Pretty much, yes," Kylo allowed. "You have more to say," he added as he saw Ivyest frown.
"Uhm," she said, glancing at Elisa before continuing. "Nobody out there knows what happened to the trainees and the Knights. Won't they think you killed them too? Or took them away like you did with the first group of children?"
"She's got a point," Rey agreed.
"Which is why," Kylo said to Rey, "the architect's and your visit to the Academy won't be a secret either. In fact," he added, turning to Phasma, "we will need a very gossipy pilot for that. And an unsubtly posted Knight or two in the hangar when the ship arrives."
Ivyest snorted and, when he turned his attention back to her, she grinned up at him.
"It's an honour to work for you, sir," she said.
Taken aback by the sudden declaration, Kylo had no other reply ready than an inclination of his head. He addressed Elisa. "Get that ship and its cargo sorted," he said, "then coordinate with Derek to see if the base's data mentioned any other frequenting ships. If so, have them reassigned as well."
"Yes, sir."
He gave them all a parting nod and left.
"This can either go really well, or really bad," Phasma answered.
"I am aware," he answered. "Feel like a spar?" he then asked Rey.
"You're not as confident as you're pretending to be, are you?" she answered.
He glanced at her, slightly miffed that she could read him so easily but thankful for it as well. "No, I'm not," he agreed. "If these changes aren't received well, we could face internal strife. I don't have to tell you how disastrous that could be."
There was a shiver of dread from Rey.
"Let's spar," she agreed.
"Inform Derek I'll be late," Kylo told Phasma before heading to the training hall.
