"Well that was a waste of time," grumbled Inspector Falkus from the front seat of their transport.
They were on their way back to Sruighlea where, according to Agent MacBheatha, accommodations had been arranged for them at a lovely hotel called The Travelers Rest.
"It's not fancy, Inspector, but the beds are comfortable and they offer a full breakfast in the morning," assured MacBheatha.
Poe yawned and sprawled across the back seat. "Bed sounds good right now, right Finn?"
"Absolutely," agreed Finn, leaning against his husband's shoulder.
Falkus turned and looked back at them. "I'm not sure whether to spend more time here or to assume Hux has found another way off the planet."
"He's still here, Inspector Falkus," said Finn earnestly. "He's not that far away either," he added.
"And how do you know that?" asked Falkus skeptically.
Finn gave him a Look.
"Right, slightly force sensitive," said Falkus sourly. "I take it you 'feel him in the Force' or something like that."
"Yes sir. Something like that."
"So what do your Force hunches tell you about Dr. Galen?"
"Ummm …" stuttered Finn. "Well, the answer is unclear Inspector. I'll try again later."
"Don't bother, Finn," rasped the Inspector. "I think I may have her comm details."
Falkus thought a few minutes as the transport continued to rumble down the road.
"We'll give the search for Hux a week," he decided. "If we don't get a lead by then he's probably gone."
**TaBa**
Daibhidh Mac Dhomhnuill, Grand Master of the Grey Order had returned to his rooms in the Charterhouse just a few hours earlier. It was very late in the evening. So late, in fact, that it was closer to early morning. He sighed as he sat back in his armchair. Would it even be worth going to bed, presuming that he would be able to sleep without thinking about everything that has occurred over the past few days? Probably not.
Well, if he's not going to sleep tonight he may as well get back to work. As he moved to sit at his desk there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Gabh a-steach" (Enter) he said wearily. The door opened and the Seneschal came in.
"I've managed to contact all the members of the Elder Council, Master Mac Dhomhnuill," he related briefly. "I've scheduled your meeting with them for tomorrow afternoon."
"Thank you." The Master rubbed his face tiredly. "It's too late at night to stand on ceremony, Dòmhnall," he said. He turned to the shelf behind his desk and retrieved a bottle of Glenfiddich. "Join me in a wee dram."
"Thank you Daibhidh, I will." The Seneschal sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs on either side of a low table while the Master found two Glencairn glasses and poured a generous amount in each of them. He took the chair on the other side of the table. The two men sat in companionable silence, sipping the whiskey and enjoying the smooth, silky flavor that preceded the bite at the back of the throat.
Master Mac Dhomhnuill set his glass down on the table and leaned toward the Seneschal. "Dòmhnall, I find myself a little torn over the matter of Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux."
Seneschal MacSheumais waited. The Master would get to the point eventually.
"Kylo Ren is a strong Force user, Daibhidh," he ventured. "And there are indications that Armitage Hux will fairly strong, though not to Ren's level."
"I just wonder if we should turn them over to the United New Republic instead of assisting them." mused the Meimeal.
"But you're not going to do that, Daibhidh," the Seneschal replied, taking another sip. "They came to the Òrdugh Liath for our help."
"The United New Republic considers them war criminals, Dòmhnall."
"No one had clean hands in that conflict, Daibhidh," replied the Seneschal flatly. "And the Elder Council decided to support neither side."
"True," agreed Mac Dhomhnuill. He lifted his glass, finished his whiskey, and poured himself a bit more of the amber liquid.
"I am of the opinion that we should be concerned with their effect on the balance of the Force." pressed MacSheumais. "They are both wild cards we should keep in our sabacc hand. The girl also. I take it you've felt how powerful Master Skywalker is in the Force."
The Meimeal took a substantial sip of his whiskey. "You are correct, as usual, Dòmhnall." He finished his glass and placed it on the table. "I would like you to attend the council meeting with me if you don't mind."
"Of course, Master Mac Dhomhnuill."
**TaBa**
The sun was just coming up over the horizon when Aurelia stepped out onto the back porch of The Bungalow. There was a distinct chill in the air, the gradual change of seasons emphasized by the brilliant scarlets, yellows, and orange leaves on the trees surrounding the house. She stretched and yawned a bit before sitting down in one of the wooden deck chairs near the door.
She pulled her datapad out of one of the pockets of her jacket and opened the message queue. She frowned at the number of back messages awaiting her attention. But it was her fault for ignoring everything besides the situation with Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux. Let's see now - junk, junk, junk, delete, delete, delete. More junk - delete. Even more junk. Oh, something from Megan, the office manager for her practice back on Coruscant. Let's see … she's been approved for a sabbatical with a request from her partners as to when she was returning. Ha, Megan was not pleased.
As she paged through and disposed of even more messages the door from the cottage creaked open as Hux stepped out to join her. He had obviously made a pass through the shower in the fresher, his hair still damp and pushed back from his forehead. There was a light scruff of golden-red hair on his upper lip and along his jawline. Aurelia thought it made him look attractively rugged.
"Is there a razor I could use?" he asked as he rubbed his chin. "This is annoying."
"You might want to consider leaving it, Alasdair. General Hux was clean-shaven. A beard would alter your appearance to the casual viewer."
"I'm sure it would, but it itches like hell," he complained.
"You'll get used to it," she retorted as she stood. "There's coffee, tea, and scones on the kitchen island for breakfast. I'd like to start your training this morning."
As they went back into the house Hux wondered how he allowed himself to be stuck with such an irritating, overbearing woman.
"I heard that," snapped Aurelia.
**TaBa**
Rey slowly pulled herself out of a very pleasant dream. She was loathed to move - the bed was incredibly comfortable. Eventually, she stretched and reached behind her for Kylo.
Who wasn't there.
Her eyes snapped open. Where was Kylo?
The door opened and Kylo stepped into the bedroom.
"Kylo? What are you doing up so early?" asked Rey.
"Couldn't sleep," he said shortly. "Too much to think about."
"Tell me?" she requested.
He sat down on the bed next to her.
"I'm just not sure about these people." he confided. "We don't really know this Grey Order. We only have Aurelia's word that they are willing to help us and we barely know Aurelia."
"True," conceded Rey. "But I think the Force pointed us to the Grey Order. I haven't felt anything negative yet."
"I just don't know what they will want in return for their help," insisted Kylo. "But I'm not going to let anyone use me ever again. Not another Snoke or Palpatine. No Master. I'm not going to be tricked into servitude again."
"And I won't allow that to happen," she stated, "Your mine." She covered his hand with hers. "And I'm yours," she added.
**TaBa**
It was a dim little cantina on an out-of-the-way planet in the arse end of the galaxy. The planet wasn't in the Unknown Regions, but it skated the border between that area and the Outer Rim.
Two women were seated side by side at the bar. One woman was tall and muscular with short platinum blonde hair. The other was shorter, not as muscular with long, brilliantly red hair. Both women were drinking a rather rough local brew that they agreed would make a reasonable substitute for rocket fuel. The men who frequented the establishment learned quickly to leave the women alone.
"How long are we going to stay here, Blondie?" asked Kateria Ren. It had been several days and she was rapidly reaching peak boredom level.
"Armie said to wait for him here Red," replied Phasma. She swallowed the remainder of her drink and slammed her glass down on the bar.
"Slim could be in trouble." countered Kateria. "We should go back and make sure he's ok. Besides, I'm bored."
"He told us to wait here for him," grated Phasma between her teeth. She glared at Kateria and signaled the bartender for another round of rocket fuel.
"Can we at least comm him, Blondie?" countered Kateria.
"I guess so," allowed Phasma reluctantly. "Finish your drink, Red, and we'll go back to the ship."
They both gulped down their drinks and slammed their glasses on the bar.
"I won!" declared Kateria.
As they both stood up and staggered to the door the other patrons made a point of giving them wide berth.
Author's Notes: Master Mac Dhomhnuill is having some second thoughts. Aurelia and Hux are still annoyed at each other. Kylo is thinking a lot. Kateria is getting bored. Phasma is irritated.
I asked my husband about Scottish whiskies for one reference in one scene and got a 20-minute discussion about the different types of whiskey by region and how the taste profiles differ. Then he pulled down a couple of bottles from the 'stash' and let me taste the difference between Laphroaig and Glenfiddich. Laphroaig tastes like a mouthful of peat smoke, FYI.