Chapter 2

A Multi-Faceted Plot

Ben thanked his lucky stars that the vast throne room he occupied was devoid of any life when Rey made her first appearance since Crait. If any officers came in to give reports or make requests, he would have had to either shoo them out and cause a scene or ignore Rey until the connection broke or everyone else left to attend to their business. And he wanted to speak with her sooner or later.

As soon as she had vanished he sat back in his chair and looked up into the ceiling, where many black silk tapestries were hung with care, miniature stones sewn into the fabrics bouncing flecks of light all around. The decorators had done a wonderful job with the new place. Better than the gaudy red of Snoke's regime. Though not nearly as spacious as the previous edition, the darker color scheme created the illusion of deep space, where even the light of the stars was dim and distant. It had a calming effect, and Ben spent his time in here practicing with his lightsaber and reviewing plans when he could.

This newest session with Rey passed by like in a dream. When they fought, time moved rapidly, his bottled-up emotions pouring out in front of her. She had hurt him, and he had hurt her, and they both rushed to get their points across. But when they both quieted down, the universe gifted him with moments inside moments. Little things stood out as she spoke, though she may have not realized it herself. The intelligent light behind her tawny eyes. The little smile he accidentally charmed out of her. Her hair had looked frizzier, due to the humidity of the jungles she told him she now stayed in. Their connection cut out before she could ask about his feelings concerning their reunion, and he was glad for it. What could he have said if she asked for clarification? That he had missed her dearly? It was a stupid move to say that in the first place.

Ben shifted his focus what Rey had mentioned about being somewhere in the Outer Rim. The Resistance was planning something there, he had known for a while. His eyes fell from the ceiling to the large black door at the other end of the room, a thin barrier between him and the rest of his soldiers. As Supreme Leader he should send out more officers to investigate potential threats in the jungles of the Outer Rim. The victory of the First Order was a clear priority, especially for the person running the whole thing. But tapping his finger on the padded armrest, he decided against it for now. He had already stalled on sending more troops to that region of space, just in case Rey couldn't stay out of harm's way. Bringing the war to her could still wait.

A chirp rang out from the doors, startling the Supreme Leader out of his stupor. He had forgotten that a daily report was due to him at this time. He reached out with his mind and sensed a nervous yet excitable mind waiting just outside, her nose almost touching the door.

"Enter," muttered Ben, and he waved the doors open with a flick of his wrist. He made sure to straighten his back look as he'd been expecting her all this time. He was now Kylo Ren, the highest-ranking member of the unstoppable First Order, ready to observe and command.

Colonel Pemna almost bounced in, her blonde bob waving back and forth. A holopad was tucked neatly under her arm, loaded with yet another quick summary of the First Order's progress around the galaxy. Trailing close behind her were his six newly appointed royal guards, armored from head to foot in plates the color and luster of obsidian, their faces covered by dark helmets. He had ordered them to escort many of the officers that sought counsel with him.

"Supreme Leader," she squeaked, inclining her head towards the large dark throne Kylo peered down from. She took out her holopad and started scrolling through various maps and lines of text with a satisfied smile. The guards behind her stood so still that stone statues seemed to have replaced them.

"We've managed to secure an enemy base located in the Andrem System, and I'm happy to report that we have seized a vast number of weapons and gear, as well as thirty prisoners that will be questioned."

Kylo nodded his head, allowing her to go on. Penma nodded curtly and continued.

"The destroyers Tyderian and Starshaker are moving to the remote planet of Nov Sensum in the Outer Rim. There are a number of cooperative natives there that give evidence to a lost Empire base. Sir, if we can secure this base in relative secret, we'll have easy access to the farthest reaches of the galaxy without any Resistance forces meeting us to fight."

An acute spasm of panic clenched Kylo's chest. So they were sending out ships to the outer territories without his initial permission. It could only mean trouble for the Resistance as the might of the First Order placed another stronghold in formerly unconquered space. This was supposed to be a good thing. For him personally it was the exact opposite.

"Do you need more time to plan? Maybe we could review this together in a conference."

"No need, my lord. The invasion has already been reviewed and approved by General Hux."

This came together a little too fast for his liking. However, he couldn't put a stop to the attack without drawing suspicion. And especially giving the order to one of the most dedicated officers in the entire force.

"Impressive," he praised the young colonel. "You and your team have done excellent work. Make sure the plans go underway. I have no further comments."

"Why thank you, Supreme Leader Ren, your words mean the galaxy to me." Her bright blue eyes closed as she bowed deeply towards him. "I'll instruct my men to start moving things along." She turned heel and strutted out of the throne room.

Kylo shut the door behind her and slumped down to his original position, tapping his armrests. Should he warn Rey of his army's advance? No matter how much they bantered and laughed they still occupied opposite sides of a galaxy-wide struggle for power. Hux and the others would know if the information leaked when the Resistance met their destroyers head on the basis of Rey's intel. His reputation would suffer and his hold on that rabid dog of a general would slip. The good will of one person, however important that person was to him, jeopardized everything he had worked and killed to gain here.

His royal guards still stood at attention in front of the throne. Buried in his panicked thoughts Kylo had forgotten they were even present. He appointed Joran, Ames, Eloisa, Edric, Sestro, and Sal himself for their impressive combat abilities and the cooperativeness with each other. In case of a true emergency, they'd finally be able to prove themselves. But right now, they looked like they could use some excitement. He needed to mull over some plans of action and fighting always did the trick. Why not help both parties?

Kylo stood up and slowly walked towards his guards. They hadn't seemed to expect that, for a couple shifted their shoulders or took a step back. Six hidden eyes met his own pair.

"I have a request to make of you."

The six soldiers solemnly stood at attention. Not a muscle moved now.

"I'd like to spar with you all. It clears my head. If one of you wishes to prove their loyalty to me or release any anger regarding me in a physical manner, now would be a great time." He knew his offer would not be refused. Any small whim of his held the importance of a concrete command in their ears.

For a few moments the six stood as still as still could be. Then one of the larger figures took a step closer, hands gravitating to the two weapons on his belt.

"It'd be a pleasure, sir," spoke a gruff voice under his helmet.

"Thank you, Joran" said Kylo, and he truly meant it. Unclipping his lightsaber from his belt, he ignited it with a steely determination. The angry red blade and cross guard rippled and hissed, finally free to wreak havoc. He let his maroon cape fall to the floor.

Joran unsheathed a twin pair of shortswords, flashing deadly silver in the dim light of the throne room. At the base of each side of the swords blazed a laser, ensuring a nasty burning slash to any enemy unfortunate enough to cross their path. The weapons' similarity to the ones the Praetorian guards had used on Kylo brought back unwelcome memories, causing his adrenaline to shoot up. It was like being back there again.

Kylo moved first, slashing down hard with his lightsaber. His partner caught the red blade between the crossed swords. He forces his arms out, throwing Kylo a few paces back.

"Not bad," he muttered, then came again, this time with a series of jabs and thrusts. Joran deflected each blow with calculation and grace. Kylo's offense turned to defense when the guard countered with thrusts and slashes of his own, stepping forward and gaining the upper hand. Kylo's blood began to boil, and the sensation of it energized his mind.

What to do about this invasion. A swipe to his head forced him to duck and struggle with his footing again. He could tell Rey when another bonding session occurred, but who knew when that could happen again? She was fiercely loyal to her friends and cause as well. She would report her findings to the first powerful person in her immediate vicinity, and soon enough their ships would materialize next to the destroyers for a battle.

He dodged right and swung ferociously at his partner's side, where a shortsword whizzed into existence to block the strike.

What did it matter, really? What did any of this matter?

He caught another sword in the cross guard of his lightsaber and whipped it away.

He had no personal motive, no skin in the game to end this war and claim victory for the First Order. All he wanted was true belonging, a place where he was appreciated not just for his power, but what he could offer as a normal person.

Kylo saw a small opening just as his opponent's right arm was flung away and thrust his saber so that its sizzling end was inches from the guard's masked face. The figure froze, defeated.

Bowing his head in respect, Kylo lowered his weapon. Joran sheathed his swords and nodded. He walked back to his companions and was unmoving and stoic as before.

"Two more, together," Kylo ordered. Eloisa and Sal approached him, the former holding an electric spear that crackled and sparked, the latter a morning star with glowing red spikes. A bit more of a challenge this time. Again, he moved first towards his targets, faster than before. They both dodged the attack, spear stabbing and morning star swinging in deadly arcs. They fought for a number of minutes, Kylo sucking in air as he blocked blow after blow. He hadn't gotten this strenuous a workout since his fight with Rey in. the throne room all those weeks ago.

Soon he held up one hand in surrender, saber lowered. The two guards nodded and retreated back. Though sweating profusely, he still craved one more battle. He was just starting to have fun.

"I'll take on you three," he said. The blood pounding in his ears drowned out the buzz of his lightsaber. Three pairs of heavy boots clopped on the floor as the remaining guards approached. A glowing energy shield carried by Edric, a fearsome sickle in the hands of Ames, and a pair of hatchets belonging to Sestro surrounded the Supreme Leader. Three at a time would be hard to keep track of, but Kylo had grown soft in his throne. He desperately needed the practice.

Every single second of this last skirmish was sure to leave more seared muscles in the coming days. The unusual weapon types came together for brutal combos. Sestro's hatchets slashed while Edric's shield blocked his attempts to attack back. Even his plasma blade couldn't slice through the simple-looking sickle that Ames was currently lunging at him with. Lightsaber met shield and a shower of orange sparks erupted between the weapons. Dodging and weaving was the only effective strategy Kylo could employ against this ever-changing wall of black, armed to the teeth.

A silver blur flared in Kylo's peripheral and he managed to duck a hatchet before the blow took off his head. His arm ached from blocking blows. If the plasma of his saber wasn't effectively weightless, his arm would have lost all feeling at this point.

Soon he spotted an opening in the Sestro's stance and he moved to thrust his blade towards his chest. As the red saber neared his heart, the guard ceased movement. The others stopped their advances, watching carefully under their masks.

Kylo turned his lightsaber off, the bloody red blade retreating once again into the metal hilt. and bowed deeply toward all of his guards. They mirrored his gesture, sliding their various instruments of destruction back into their belts.

"Thank you" Kylo panted his six guards, wiping sweat off his brow. He pulled his cape off the ground and threw it over his shoulders. "I needed that."

"Anytime, sir. We're always three feet away from your throne if you ever need us," Eloisa piped up from the back. Kylo could hear her sarcastic smile. She slipped her helmet off her face to reveal the tan-skinned, brown-haired girl he met weeks ago when he first settled into his new home on the Finalizer.

"Honestly, I could have done with something like that ages ago. I have to keep my strength up," said Sestro, stretching his arms above his head. He had removed his helmet too and beads of sweat ran down his young face into his mane of sun-yellow hair. He nodded to Sal, an older gentleman with neatly trimmed brown hair and a beard standing silently behind him.

Edric ran a hand over his shaved head and glanced at Kylo with concern in his dark eyes. "Everything all right, sir?"

Kylo had been twirling his lightsaber over and over in his hands, trying to burn nervous energy. "Oh, everything's fine," he assured him.

Joran and Ames approached Kylo, a seasoned veteran with graying hair and an older dark-skinned warrior. Both bowed their heads in respect and Kylo repeated the gesture.

"Will you be following the colonel down to that planet she had mentioned?" Joran asked. Kylo hesitated to answer and shrugged a couple moments later.

"I'm sure Pemna and her men have everything under control. I don't need to poke my nose into it for the time being. But if something happens, I'll accompany them." He was going to tell Rey and see how she reacted. He only needed to step in and go to her if she agreed to fight.

"If it were up to me," chimed in Ames, "I'd have that woman demoted. There's just something off about her." She shook her head in disgust. "A little too excited for her line of work, don't you think, sir?"

Kylo could see her point. Her eyes shone a little too bright when discussing raiding cities and taking prisoners. Even so he preferred her company over Hux's. Discussing battle strategies with a bantha would be more productive than arguing with the general.

"We could all do without a lot of them." Sal interjected with crossed arms, and Eloisa and Edric nodded their heads in agreement. "I've seen them around, the colonels and captains and such. They're planning something, something we can't just let fester into existence."

"Really?" Kylo stopped twirling his lightsaber and turned his attention over the guard. "What have you seen, what have you heard?"

"I thought you would have sensed something by now, sir, but I've noticed just this nasty air around the men around here. When the others and I scout around the ship for security reasons, I can feel glares on our backs. Like we're their enemies."

"I've seen that, too," Sestro put in. "A collective dislike of us, and unfortunately of you, Supreme Leader."

Kylo pursed his lips. He had been too blinded with loneliness and self-pity to consider his position with his inferior officers to be in any danger. Absolute power elevates ignorance absolutely. The deck attendants and technicians never met his eyes as he passed by but shrugged him off. Every one of his captains and colonels on board the Finalizer obeyed every command he gave out, but always with a mean look or curl on their lips. But Kylo kept these details out of his mind, always assuming them a natural consequence of claiming the throne for himself after the severed torso of his old master laid at his feet.

"The colonel's choice to set up the groundwork for an entire operation by herself then ask for your say-so is rather odd as well." Edric strapped his shield to his back.

"Yeah, shouldn't those kinds of things be talked over at those meetings you always have to go to?" asked Eloisa. Her spear sparked as she spun it around in her hands, her eyes staring up into the ceiling.

"Yes," Kylo answered. All six of his guards turned their gaze to him.

His anxiety began to ramp up. He had been a fool to think nothing worth his trouble was happening. So lost in his thoughts of the scavenger from Jakku that he had failed to consider the bigger picture. The First Order was not only a threat to the well-being of the galaxy, but now a threat to himself and in turn Rey.

"I'm going to have a proper talk with my general," decided Kylo, his tone tight with a new anger. "I'm going to straighten this whole situation out."

"Sir, would you like us to accompany you?" Ames offered, and the rest of the group straightened up for a new assignment.

"That won't be necessary but thank you all." Kylo brushed past Joran and Sal on his way out to the big black door on the other side of the room. His boots clicked hollowly against the stone of the floor.

"Think you can handle yourself without us?" Sestro joked, earning a laugh from the three older gentlemen.

Kylo held up his hand toward the doors and they slowly opened with a series of clunks. "I think I can handle myself against that beanpole." He slipped out the entrance, hearing a collective chuckle echo behind him.

The Supreme Leader moved down the hall quickly, fists clenched at his sides and cape fluttering behind him. People around him, whether standing and talking or rushing along, moved out of his way as if avoiding a deadly animal. Kylo reached out with the Force and any shred of respect was nowhere to be found, only contempt. This only spurred him to walk faster and more aggressively. Perhaps Hux could offer a reasonable explanation for this recent change in mood and the new plan to invade an Outer Rim world without his full understanding.

He stepped into the elevator at the end of the hall and with down two levels. Hux's office was located near the middle of the corridor. Millicent, his prized ginger cat, was always wandering around the hall and sometimes people would stop dead in their tracks to pet the thing. The animal was very affectionate and caring towards its visitors, the polar opposite of its owner. He saw it now, strolling in the same direction as him and trailing its tail along the patterns of the wall.

The door to the office was firmly closed. From what Kylo could sense no one had occupied it for hours. Hux could be anywhere on this massive ship overseeing preparations or giving orders. Kylo was about to rush back to the elevator and begin his search when two voices rang out from around the corner.

"Sir, do you really think this will work? Pardon me for saying so, but you seem to be underestimating his abilities, you've seen what he's done when he's angry." Kylo recognized the quaver of Captain Armeena, a known toady of the general.

"And I am fully aware of that, captain! He's strong in the Force, but he's still human. I've been thinking of ways of ridding ourselves of that lunatic for months." Hux's clipped bark curled Kylo's lip. Rage inflamed his every nerve, but he had to keep himself quiet and hidden. He put his back to the wall and hoped they didn't round the corner to find him there.

"He almost never comes out for battles anymore, he has no reason to fly in for us this time," Armeena worried aloud.

"Ren's been withholding troopers from that region of space since he has been on that throne. It's either due to pure incompetence or there's something out there he knows about and wants to hide."

"A Resistance plot?"

"Someone in the Resistance. The scavenger, more specifically."

He had known about the true nature Snoke's death this whole time. He had known the extent of Rey's involvement and his. The blood in his veins ran as frigid as ice water.

"They're allies. These Force users always are. We lure him to Nov Sensum and blow him out of the sky before he has a chance to reach that desert rat. And if her and her precious Resistance show up somehow to stop us, we'll take care of them and secure that Imperial base. You could say it's like killing three ships with one cannonblast."

Ben almost wretched at the smugness in his voice.

"Excellent planning, sir!" Armeena exclaimed. "Shall I alert the rest of my colleagues?"

"No need, I have passed the word down to everyone who needs know of this."

"I assume you'll take Ren's position once this is all over?"

"Precisely. Penma shall take my place as general and the First Order will enter a new era of power in the galaxy. We can't count on that madman to take us there. He was talking and shouting to no one when I was passing his chambers earlier. If our cause is to survive, someone like him has to be rid of, and quickly."

Kylo had heard enough. As quietly as he could he slipped away to the elevator and the end of the hall. Millicent sat politely by Hux's door, staring up at him with big yellow eyes. The supreme Leader never understood why his general owned a cat. A snake seemed more appropriate after the revelations of the past few minutes.

What could he possibly do? He had no one on his side here. Having the Force did have its advantages, but one Force-sensitive against an entire ship of troops out for his blood? The odds were definitely not in his favor. Fear slowly overtook his rage as he entered the elevator. What he needed to do now was get to the throne room. There it could look like he'd never left at all. His guard would attest to that. Could he trust them at all? What if their allegiance was to Hux now? His heart pounded in his chest and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

The grinding of the elevator's mechanisms ceased to make noise and the air grew unnaturally quiet. The Force had never connected him to Rey twice in the same day, let alone within an hour of the last session. But he did not mind in the least. He had to warn her.

"Ben?" Her hair was completely down and the wrappings on her arms were gone. It must be evening where she was. "Why are you here again, once was already enough for today—"

"Rey, please listen to me," he whispered. "The First Order is planning an invasion of a planet called Nov Sensum in the Outer Rim. They're going to find an old Imperial base and use that as an entry point into the territories there. You have to move yourself and the Resistance out of there for the time being. Part of it is a trap, a way to lure you all out and destroy you." He hit the stop button on the elevator so no one else could enter and interrupt him.

Her look of confusion changed to one of aggravation. "We can't just up and leave our allies to deal with this alone. I know you're only trying to help in your own terrible way, but the others and I have a duty to protect each other."

"They're also trying to kill me, too. The invasion is also a way to get rid of me cleanly."

Rey bit her lip and looked into his eyes. "Ben, I can't help you. I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but I'm sorry."

"I can escape in the ship attached to my throne room. If I can give you my coordinates—"

"No!" Rey shouted. She closed her eyes and held her face in her hands. "I can't take you in, my friends want you dead."

"I can trade information! I can do whatever they want."

"I can't help you. But you'll be okay on your own. Run away. You'll figure it out from there. You're strong." Her eyes turned kind for a fraction of a second at those words.

The connection ended. Once again Kylo was alone in the brightly lit elevator, more alone than he ever had been.

Author's Note: I've had a LOT of free time so this chapter is out a lot earlier than I thought it would be. School is fast approaching, but I will try to get more out when I can. Thank you all for the favorites and follows, I really appreciate your support!