Hux woke up with difficulty. He quickly looked the hour on his datapad which he had left on the table the day before, before leaving for the Enchanted Hutt; eight thirty. He was late for his meetings!
Then the young man looked around and remembered; the rest cycle, the hotel, the bar, the soft bed, Ben ...
Ben wasn't there. He was gone. Hux felt a touch of sadness that he swept away suddenly seeing the pitiful state of the room. Indeed, his clothes were scattered all over the floor. Ben had damn much effect on him so that he relaxed like that! He ordered breakfast and went to the shower after picking up all his bazaar. When putting on clean clothes, the General noticed with horror that said Ben had left some small memories of his passage on his neck; two big hickeys now adorned his white skin. He wasn't going to be able to completely camouflage them with his shirt! What a moron!
Hux blamed himself for being so loose facing of his lover of the night, but it had done him so much good. And then the body of this man was simply divine. But he decided to cut all thoughts for Ben because he felt his crotch wake up and it would be very counterproductive. So he quickly put on his clothes and went to open the droid that brought him his breakfast. It was then that the General heard laughter and Phasma's voice in the hallway. When she saw him, she walked past the droid and without even asking her friend's permission, she stuck some fruit on her tray before entering the room.
"So? I want to know everything!
-You know very well that I can't stand when you do this. What if he was still there?
-And I know very well that you can't stand staying in the morning with your conquests- Oooh .. I see .. This time, he's the one who left! Without you having to fire him! Ahaha you found yourself a non-romantic and you are annoyed not to have had the pleasure of dismissing him in the morning! Laughed the young woman.
-Very funny.
-Oh but I'm also right! And considering how you take it, I suppose it left immediately after or during the night, while you were sleeping!
-During the night while I was sleeping, finally yielded the young man, aware that Phasma would never yield. "
He sat down at the table, inviting his friend who had leaned on the bedframe, to do the same.
"His name is Ben. Well, that's what he told me.
-So what ? Good shot ? Bad shot ?
-Very good move.
-I knew it ! Given how fuckable he was, he could only be well mounted!
-Phasma .. Seriously? Do you have to use this kind of expression?
- Sorry, Grand General.
-Well, and you ? Your party ?
-Oh My .. They were adorable! And imagine that they are a couple and that I was their first for a threesome! And in addition their first human to one as to the other! She laughed. "
The duo continued to recount their respective evenings while swallowing up the platter of fruit and cakes, until Hux pointed out that he had to prepare for the afternoon meetings. Phasma therefore left the General to work alone in his room while she went for a walk outside. They had agreed to meet on the forecourt half an hour before the shuttle took off.
Kylo woke up with a start. He would have slept a little more but a beautiful morning was available to him before getting back on board the Finalizer for he didn't yet know how much rotation without touching the ground. So he started his physical exercises, then a little meditation. As always, it failed after five minutes, the knight being unable to clear his mind. And even more in view of the current situation. A single thought haunted his mind; how would he react when he saw Hux?
He finally got up a little frustrated to have missed his meditation again and more, because of Hux and decided to return to take a shower. He put on his pants from the day before, the only jeans he had left and another tank top before stuffing all his things, helmet included in his big backpack. He went through the kitchen and left a note to Awas thanking him again and left him the code for his datapad. Datapad that Hux had knowingly renamed Xx-BenYolooow-VaDer4EveR-xX well knowing that Kylo had no idea how to change this kind of parameters and even if he did, he would have to find his datapad already.
The knight then sped through the fairly calm streets. On Adarlon, the cities were rather nocturnal and in the morning, only the rare markets including the renowned Marché des Arts came to disturb the tranquility of the place. But Ben didn't linger there; he knew it by heart, having come there very often with his father because the Planet of the Outer Border was a landmark of the strip.
He headed straight for the port of the city. A huge lake connecting two of the main cities of this part of the planet sat at its end and he wanted to dive one last time before leaving. It was already half past eleven and he did not want to arrive late for the shuttle that Hux would have no remorse to take off without him.
After an additional half hour of walking, the young man had finally crossed the rather calm harbor and reached the small corner of beach on which he went with Awas when they were still adolescents. A light wind swept through his still damp hair from the shower, but the heat was already beginning to be heavy. He sank a few meters into the small forest that bordered the lake.
"Hmmm. Let's see if my memory is as good as I think it is. It was usually three rows at the bottom, then right and finally the middle tree! Bingo!"
Kylo grabbed the tree trunk in front of him and started to climb. Two meters from the ground, he grabbed a string which he pulled, causing a rope ladder to fall from a platform that could be vaguely distinguished through the foliage of the tree. The young man gripped it. The ladder began to swing under the weight of Ben but the old Jedi did not seem disturbed and continued its climb to finally arrive at the platform. It was a very small area that Kylo and Awas had made during their young years so that they could hide their things and their food when they left on the lake. Knowing very well that she would not support her weight, Kylo came to deposit her bag directly from the ladder.
He then dropped to the ground and ran to the lake. The knight undressed and was finally able to enter the water. It was slightly fresh, as in her memories, but what did it feel good! He did a few strokes before diving. At the bottom of this lake, a colony of Moncalamari had settled, and had gradually transformed into a huge city. Adolescents, Kylo and his friend loved to try to get as close as possible to these dwellings much less deep than other Moncalamari cities. With active meditation, he managed to push the limits of his body, making him forget the spasms due to the lack of oxygen.
Kylo advanced without sudden movements. He was calm, as often when he entered the water. His big hands and big feet acted like fins, so he sped quickly to the depths of the lake. The dwellings were shallow enough for their lights to stand out from the surface, so Kylo had no problem moving around in this dark body of water and thus avoiding potentially dangerous fish. He nevertheless made himself a big fright as he stared into space, thinking about how he should act in front of Hux, and that a kind of prehistoric fish, chimera of a crocodile and a shark rushed to him on it at breakneck speed. The knight came to his senses and launched a coup in the direction of the beast. Kylo launched a second attack, repelling the beast again, before swimming as quickly as possible towards the edge. The creature was advancing much faster than he and the young man began to feel the lack of oxygen diminishing his abilities. Hux would finally succeed in killing him!
Kylo swam even faster, turning around as soon as he felt the beast too close, to send him another Force roll. The beast seemed to want to give its last jaw, but another fish slowly swimming at that moment right next to Ben. The beast didn't seem to want to tire anymore and crunched the poor fish passing by at random, giving Kylo the opportunity to escape.
He finally saw the surface approaching but his spasms became more and more violent and he began to have the impression that a vice tightened around his skull. He only had two or three movements left and he would be on the surface where he could breathe all the air he wanted. The knight had to draw on all his resources to succeed in doing the few meters that still separated him from the surface and after long seconds of fighting against himself, he could finally feel the sensation of the wind on his wet hair. The air he breathed burned him, but he entered his lungs again and that was all that mattered. His head was spinning and incredibly hot, but he was alive.
He took a few moments to calm the drums constantly playing in his skull and regain a clear view. He would not go to this lake for a while, that was for sure!
The shuttle arrived within an hour, the young man had time to return to town and take something to snack if he did not delay too long on the way.
He crossed the port again barely busier than this morning and then arrived in town where he headed for the Arts Market. A small part of the stands was reserved for local food and with his father they used to buy plates of ravioli filled with fish and algae.
He ate quickly and then headed for the boarding bridge where the shuttle was already waiting for them. Luckily, Hux was not there yet. Kylo hid in a small alley to put on his outfit and his helmet, praying that the shuttle would take off quickly because the heaviness of the climate would not allow him to support too long his clothes planned for Starkiller.
He climbed into the vehicle and got ready to settle in the back seat when he found himself facing the General.
"Ren. Didn't you get lost?"
Kylo not understanding and still not knowing how to react, answered nothing.
"Hey, did you lose your tongue? I think I love this planet!"
Kylo refrained from answering for fear of letting go of everything and shifted to let Hux pass. But the temptation was far too strong.
"One thing is sure, you didn't lose your tongue last night."
Hux already on the forecourt waiting for his men, turned quickly, surprised to have an answer, but didn't rise.
Hux wasn't sure he understood what the idiot in front of him had just answered him and to tell the truth, he didn't want to. Phasma gave him a look of incomprehension before shrugging and resuming his conversation with the pilot.
"Hurry up, please Troopers. We're going to be late," said Hux firmly, seeing the last group of Phasma's men arrive."
He then came to take a seat next to his friend, just behind the pilot.
"So Ren, are you all right, didn't it get too hot?" Laughed the General.
-It depends. Are you talking about when I had my clothes or when a smuggler I met last night took them off? Ren replied from tac to tac. "
Hux taken aback by his response gave Phasma a look of disgust before showing his serious expression again.
They finally arrived on deck many minutes later and the soldiers disembarked quickly, leaving only the pilots, Phasma, Hux and Kylo, in the shuttle. The young woman took her time to finish her conversation with Kit, the pilot while the General waited in front of the shuttle for Ren to come down, looking even harder and more severe than usual. Kylo then took his time to get off and when he passed the redhead, he slowed down.
"It is a pity this air so serious. You are able to make heads so much more expressive and pleasant .., released Kylo softly so that only Hux could hear it, caressing with his finger the cheek of the young man in front of him . "
Hux quickly took his hand away from him and turned red with anger. By what right did this moron dare touch him? But hardly had he had time to realize what was happening that Kylo was out of reach.
The Knight was happy to have worn a helmet, indeed, Hux could not have seen his hilarious head. It had cost him to succeed in throwing this spade without wavering, without laughing, without having a voice that trembled. But once his attack ended he could not hold back any longer and had to shorten his observation with the dazed head of his opposite. Kylo Ren went quickly to his apartments; he had to find his datapad in case Awas tried to contact him and given the deplorable state of his room, it would not be an easy task.
After climbing the steps leading to the upper deck, where the apartments of the "high-ranking" were installed, Kylo crossed a series of long, drab corridors with gray walls. The cold metal of the walls contrasted with the heavy and warm atmosphere on Adarlon. Anyway, here Kylo was happy to have so many layers.
He finally entered his room and was relieved to find his impressive collection of the Empire. Propaganda posters dating from his grandfather's era hung on the walls, while a phenomenal amount of cardboard littered the floor, piling on top of each other, sometimes almost to the ceiling. In the center of the back wall, facing his bed, sat a pedestal on which were placed the remains of Vader's helmet.
He threw his bag in his wardrobe, removed his headdress before placing it on his bed, then began to tidy up. He first reorganized the boxes by category; the official documents, the maps and the few newspapers he had managed to acquire, helmets and uniforms, the histories of the planets linked to the Empire, and many other relics that he tracked down as soon as he could.
It was while moving a box behind a huge pile of uniforms that he finally saw his datapad. He must have put it on one of the boxes and the tablet had ended up falling between two boxes. He grabbed it with pride, putting the cardboard back in its place and lighting it.
Ren was able to see all the notes he had missed for about three weeks, or about 200. He was going to delete them all at once when he saw the note "rest cycle", proving that Hux did not have him lied. He was really going to have to keep it with him more often.
The former Jedi quickly checked his contacts but saw no connections from Awas; his friend had probably not returned from his various affairs.
"No but you realize a little? No you don't realize, no. Obviously!
-No indeed. I don't see where the problem is, Hux. Your men weren't there, we don't care, even I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me! Stop bothering you with this.
-What do I stop thinking about that? Phasma, are you serious? He began to stroke my cheek! Since when has an officer granted himself such a right ?!
-First, he is not one of your officers. Second, he did it to make fun of you so getting upset is giving him what he wants. So you breathe and move on, please. Don't you have meetings to finish preparing instead? Explained the young woman getting up from her chair.
-Do I move on? No, but it's the best! Hux replied.
-You know who you remind me of there? To get mad like that for nothing?
-No, he replied coldly.
-Ren.
-Are you comparing me to him now? But which side are you in the end ?!
-You know Hux, I think you and he should have a fuck. It would do you good, really. There is such a tension between the two of you that it becomes unbearable, she said wearily, walking towards the door.
- Me, sleep with him? There is probably a wookie or gungan head hidden under this helmet. Thanks but no thanks.
-Well, calm down, you have a meeting with your officers in less than an hour. It would be good if you had moved on to something else by then, she said, stepping through the door which closed in a characteristic hiss, leaving Hux to mull over what had just happened. "
He sat down for a few moments and concentrated so that only the professional Hux was visible. But he couldn't get out of his head that rage he had for Ren.
A few minutes later, Mitaka entered the meeting room.
"General, the officers are there.
- Bring them in, thank you Mitaka. "
The meeting revolved around the arrest of a supposed rebel convoy close to Scarif. Hux and his officers agreed to send a ship there and the General took the liberty of sending Ren with them, at least he would not have too much in his paws for the hours to come. And with any luck, the arrest would go wrong, the rebels would counterattack and he would be killed during an exchange of fire. The thought made him smile, then he delved deeply into writing the meeting report and the mission order.
Kylo was watching a lumpy holofilm on his bed when he received his mission order. Tired of being sent to do such a simple task, he did not bother to read the presentation of the supposed rebel crew, nor that in which he was affiliated. He did not miss that said the header of the message that Hux had knowingly put in fat and bold; he was to be in the departure hall in two hours. Ren then took the time to finish his holofilm then he walked quietly to the hall.
With his rather raw gait, his impressive build and his boots slamming the metal on the ground, he frightened the entire crew of the Finalizer. But he liked that feeling; here people respected him, except Hux and didn't speak to him like a child, except Hux. Not like in the rebellion where everyone found him bizarre, not speaking to him, or when in extreme necessity. And above all, where no important task was given to him.
"Too much Vader in him, his mother and his uncle kept repeating to him. His uncle, let's talk about that! He who had gone into exile, annoyed at not having succeeded in training him! And then, it's who acted like a child? Fulminated the knight. He even tried to kill me ... "
Kylo felt a dark hatred rise in him, so much so that he wanted to draw his saber.
Unfortunately, nothing within reach was breakable without risking destroying an important part of the ship. From time to time the ancient Jedi sometimes failed to control his emotions. In fact, it happened to him every day. Sometimes it manifested with excessive anger on the members of the crew present, sometimes it appeared when he was close or in the training room and then he let off steam while doing his physical exercises, sometimes still with crises of rage on the furniture near Ren. The last solution being the one he liked the most because it put Hux in a mad rage, making him fumble for hours on the repair budget that it was going to cost and on the fact that it would be retained on the pay of the knight, who well Obviously, didn't care since he only used his dataries to get out or for his finds from the Empire during their rare leave.
He then contented himself with launching a coup in the direction of two poor officers who were going to the bridge. The two novices found themselves propelled towards the end of the corridor, sliding back to the ground for several meters. Stunned, they both let out a cry of surprise as their backs hit the cold floor of the ship. They got up slowly after a few moments without daring to move and cast a last panicked look towards Kylo before leaving sheepishly from where they came from.
Kylo took advantage for a few moments of the satisfaction which this feeling of superiority brought him then resumed his journey with a sure step, completely calmed.
He arrived on deck a few minutes later, after crossing the Finalizer. Ren entered the gunboat and moved into the aft cabin. The pilot had already arrived, the trooper regiment had also taken place in the room reserved for them. The only thing missing was the co-pilot and the gunner who arrived a few moments later, running. Kylo recognized with unshared amusement, the young soldiers he had sent to the ground a little earlier. The larger of the two was shivered when Ren stared at him through his helmet and they lost no more time in running to take refuge in the shooting and piloting cabin, far from the imposing stature of the one who had been terrorizing the Finalizer for several years.
The vehicle took off slowly and left in the direction of the coordinates indicated.
During the trip, Kylo locked himself in the aft cabin and took advantage of the calm before the battle to try to meditate again. Sitting cross-legged, his helmet placed next to him, he breathed for a long time, trying to empty his mind. The seconds then the minutes passed without him being able to think of anything. Kylo then tried to count, as Luke had shown him during his apprenticeship.
1, 2, 3, ...
But he couldn't get out of Hux's head and his pig character.
4, 5, 6, ...
Hux laughing.
7, 8, 9, ...
Hux taking off his clothes.
10, 11, 12, ...
Hux who- No. He had to stop thinking about Hux. Impatience was beginning to win him over, he felt his leg shaking beneath his hand, he felt the rhythm of his knee movements, the cold ground through his pants.
"No! It does NOT work!"
He stood up abruptly. Edgy. He waited until the little dizziness due to the too hasty movement had dissipated and grabbed his saber before beginning a few movements.
The crackling of the saber and the heat it spread made him feel good, reminding him that with his weapon, he was in control. Kylo started with a few rather slow reels, then slowly accelerated the pace before arriving at a steady pace. Now only a buzzing sound was heard so the blade moved quickly.
The man then moved, moving with surprising skill in view of his build, making elegant sequences before stopping short. He maintained the pause for a few seconds, his legs slightly bent, his right arm stretched forward, the point of the saber in the direction of the door before feeling the vessel slow down; they came in for coordinates. Barely sweating, the old Jedi put out his weapon, picked up his helmet before screwing it on his head and crossed the door to go to the cockpit of the ship.
"How long before we arrive for the convoy? He asked in his deep voice, startling the co-pilot.
-I-In 50 seconds, 48, 47, 46.
-Well. Do not pull. And get ready to dock the ship.
-Uh .. But the orders were to control the convoy, Lord Ren, risked the pilot. "
Kylo said nothing, just turning his helmeted head slowly towards the pilot who had dared to say otherwise. You could hear in the cabin only the slow and powerful breathing of Ren, as well as the rubbing of the uniform of the young co-pilot against the chair by dint of trembling.
"Y-Yes, forgive me, Lord Ren. It will be done.
-Neutralize the guns and rescue capsules, then prepare to stay static, I will then board the ship with a few troopers.
-Good, Lord Ren. "
Kylo left and told the soldiers about the new plan; board the convoy, and kill the entire crew. Then, they will recover what is recoverable and return.
Standing in front of the airlock giving access to the outside, Lord Ren stamped. It had been a while since he'd felt the excitement before the fight. The ship was humming but no longer moving. The door opened and a spacesuit trooper jumped onto the roof of the shuttle and pulled into the hull of the ship, overlooking the airlock of the ship. Ren entered first. He landed heavily on the cold ground in front of a young man he did not recognize. No doubt a person who had just joined the rebellion. The kid's frightened look gave Ren a thrill of pleasure. The young boy wore a helmet with a large orange visor. He took a step back as the ancient Jedi slowly advanced towards him. The child quickly found himself cornered against the exit door of the airlock, looking for the button in his hand, not daring to look at Ren. But as his fingers touched the case, Ren reached out to him. A strong pressure was made on the neck of the young man soon raised in the air. His feet hit the metal walls while the door remained inexorably closed, not having had time to press the button.
Ren heard the Troopers land behind them and get into formation, but he was too focused on enjoying the spectacle; life gradually left the young man's gaze and his feet finally stopped tapping against the wall. Dead silence settled around them.
Ren dropped the inanimate body and stepped over it without even a glance before crossing the door and advancing in the corridor of the small vessel. He recognized him. It was that of Wedges Antilles. It was a vessel of rebellion. Not caring about his Troopers behind him, he made a determined step toward the cockpit. He knew this ship by heart, he had made his first flights there. Having been unable to touch the Millennium Falcon because Han Solo was only very rarely there, Wedges had taken him with him several times to teach him how to fly.
He crossed the first room, surprisingly empty, then entered the next. It was filled with rebels. In an instant, a slew of weapons was aimed at him, the alarm was given and the first shots were fired. But Ren didn't care. He extended his arm again in front of him and the shooting stopped, stopped in mid-flight. With his other hand, he lit his lightsaber, letting it crackle for a few moments, its red light reflecting on the walls and the floor.
The atmosphere was palpable. No one dared to move, everyone waited motionless. Kylo reveled for a few moments, then his movements were linked at a crazy speed. He threw the shots stopped in the air, hitting a few rebels. He chained a few streaks as he walked through the room with exasperating slowness. Panic had taken over the room. The rebels still tried to confront the ancient Jedi, but they did not last long. With a few saber strokes, Kylo had eliminated any opponent. Cut in the flesh, without drawing on any of its resources.
He continued to advance as he heard the Trooper in the distance seizing the other surrounding rooms.
When he opened the door with a force, he prepared to face Wedges. The man he had considered his uncle for several years. But contrary to what he had imagined, it was not Wedges who stood before him, but a rebel commander whom he had already seen but whose name he didn't remember. The man did not seem frightened, on the contrary, he confronted Kylo, holding his position, his weapon firmly aimed at the enemy.
"Don't move on. You don't scare me, he said, keeping his eyes fixed on Kylo."
Ren wasn't used to being held up to him like that, especially after having killed almost all of his crew. But despite a short break, he did not give up on the mission he had set for himself.
Stepping slowly and heavy, ringing his boots on the metal floor, Ren slowly extended his hand to the man.
"Your sleight of hand does not intimidate me, .. young man," replied the commander, before pulling the trigger on his blaster. "
Shooting at lightning speed towards enemies of the rebellion.
But Kylo was quick. Far too fast for such a weapon given in such a predictable movement. With a gesture of his hand already stretched, he deflected the shot then raised his hand to the man and began to apply pressure on his neck.
The commander dropped his blaster and put his hands around his neck.
"Where's Wedges?" Ren asked.
-What do you want with him? Replied the commander in a difficult breath.
-WHERE is Wedges ?! Kylo asked, tightening his grip more firmly.
-He .. He .. He is not .. here ..
-WERE IS WEDGES ?! Kylo got angry, lifting the man several inches, his saber sizzling in his other hand.
-Not .. here .. released the man in a new difficult breath. "
In rage, Kylo pierced the man's body before launching it like an inanimate puppet on the wall behind them. It was at this moment that the Troopers entered, dragging with them the last three members of the crew still alive.
"What do we do with them, Lord Ren?"
Kylo did not even turn around and left in the direction of his ship, releasing a final order.
"Execute them. Search the ship. Get the cargo."
He climbed back into the gunboat, soon followed by soldiers, arms full of crates. They stored what they could in the back compartment and as they were about to leave, leaving the rebel ship adrift, Kylo ordered the vehicle to jump.
Shortly after, they arrived on board the Finalizer. Kylo could not restrain a sigh of annoyance when he saw Hux coming towards them, furious.
"Ren! But what took you? The mission was to intercept the crew not to exterminate it!
-I brought back the complete cargo, arms transport by the way, the encrypted coordinates of the destination of the ship and the rebellion is deprived in addition to the weapons and ammunition they were carrying, of a full crew. On the contrary, I find that the mission is a pure success.
-No Ren. One day, you will have to learn to obey orders! Barked the redhead.
-On orders? You mean .. like the ones you like to receive after dark?
-Sorry ? I don't know what you're talking about! Now get out of my sight! I have had enough of recovering all your overflows! "
Hux ended the conversation, boarding the gunboat to inspect the cargo. He was furious. How could this fool parade like that after what he had just done? Hux was not against killing, but when it was necessary. But this time, it was nothing! They could very well have intercepted the convoy, recovered the goods and let the crew leave! The gain in terror that such a maneuver would have brought about was far more effective than that which Ren had just made. The rebellion would have been pressured with the speed with which they had intervened, reinforcing their feeling of not being anywhere safe. And conveying a message of such indifference to leaving a full crew alive would only have reinforced the feeling that the First Order is safe no matter what they do. And then orders? What do you mean by "the orders he liked to receive after dark"? Huh? Of course he liked receiving orders! It was his job! And if the other idiot was referring to his sex tastes, he couldn't see how he could be aware of anything.
"Hux!"
What would he give to be on Adarlon again with this "Ben" ..
"HUX! I'm talking to you! Said a female voice, tapping her fist on her desk.
-Hun? Sorry Phasma.
-Hux, what's happening to you right now? We are coming out of a rest cycle, why do you seem distracted like that? Asked his slightly annoyed friend.
-Me ? I am not .. distracted! I just ... need ... that asswhole to stop annoying me like that!
-But that's what it does, it's its only reason for being in this Galaxy. So now you stop your bullshit and get back to work please. The First Order is not going to rule like that. Men need clear directions. You cannot get in front of them and lose capacity as soon as this bantha points the tip of his nose.
-I know Phasma .. but he horrifies me with his great airs and his inappropriate reflections ..
-Listen Hux, I'm sure you are going to your head for nothing. Do you really think that a kid capable of exploding a command console simply because he is refused a mission would be intelligent enough to be so subtle? No. He throws spikes at random and you, you dive into your head first, it is you who give him all this importance. To believe that you like that! She laughed, imagining her friend and Kylo playing cat and mouse.
-It's not funny Phasma, replied Armitage, giving him his coldest look.
-Sorry Armi, but still. Acknowledge that lately, you have brought him a lot of interest. He never stopped making you crazy like that, but it never reached you as much. What is happening ? I missed a chapter ..? She insinuated, winking at him.
-And here you go again .. I have NEVER slept with Ren. And I would NEVER sleep with him. Just thinking about it makes my hair iridescent. We don't even know what head he has under this helmet. If it is, he is not even human!
-Hux, we already had this conversation, you know? Anyway. What do I tell my men about the Zeffo raid?
-We maintain. You send three squadrons, they leave in two rotations. "
Kylo knocked, he chained the passes with infinite flexibility, incredible agility. His saber was buzzing, he passed it from his right hand to his left hand, throwing it like a boomerang to catch it a little further.
His warm-up was over. Then the young man approached a panel on the wall of his training room and launched a training program. Immediately, the ground opened to make way for an agility course surrounded by emptiness. Four targets appeared on the back wall as two training spheres emerged from a small window. Kylo grabbed a black scarf which he tied around his face. He wanted to see nothing, feel nothing, hear nothing and just focus his attention on the Force. He advanced on the course, jumping over obstacles, crossing the different blocks and finally reaching a large and thin beam connecting a large void of several meters.
Kylo slowed down. He felt the spheres around him. One of them was soon to fire. He tightened his grip on his saber pointed in the direction of the sphere.
He concentrated and finally felt a slight vibration in the Force. A very slight tremor that happened quickly on him. He turned, accompanying his movement with a saber blow and felt the impact of propagating in his weapon, then his arm, and his shoulder. He took a few fractions of a second to integrate the sensation and then focused on the exercise.
Finally, several shots fired in succession, but Ren had no problem sending them back.
"clack!"
He had hit one of the four targets. The spheres continued to spin around him, shooting him, for a few more minutes. Kylo was playing with them. He could have finished the exercise countless times, but he had no desire to go back to his apartments, so he made it last as long as he could.
He danced on the beam, skilfully dodging the shots but eventually getting tired. Also, he stopped a shot in the air, sending it effortlessly on another target while he blew the third target by blocking the shot from the other sphere. Wishing to finish quickly, he grabbed one of the two spheres, threw it at the last target, the two exploded instantly and cut the remaining sphere in half before joining the other side of the training room and ending the sequence. Ren put on his tunic, put on his helmet and fastened his saber to his belt then went to join the main deck. He had nothing to do at the moment, so if he could glean some information on the next destinations of the Finalizer and if at the same time he could also see Hux, he would at least have done some fun things in his day .
He advanced with a determined step along the metal corridors of the ship until he reached the upper deck. Hux was there, from behind, facing the large transparencier. He watched his men carefully on the landing pad, trying to load and unload the various shuttles.
"Hux."
The General did not even bother to answer. He had felt Ren's tall figure approach and come to rest next to him, in front of the window. the other officers were all busy working on their posts in the great hall. It was this instant that Hux's assistant, Mitaka, chose to come and bring information to the General. He left a small isolated office on the right of Hux and immediately braked at the sight of the tall figure next to his superior.
Kylo laughed under his helmet but he made sure that nobody noticed. If there was anything he loved besides looking for trouble with Hux, it was terrorizing Mitaka. It was so easy that he even felt sorry for him.
"Ge-General Hux ..? Can I speak to you about something please?
-Of course, I'm coming. "
Obviously, it happened that Hux felt sorry for his officer and that he agreed to chat with him far from Kylo, but the former Jedi put his hand to cut that often, Hux enjoyed seeing poor Mitaka panic at try to have a clear speech while Kylo was standing next to them. But the ancient Jedi quickly had to resolve; Hux had just left for the small, isolated office with Mitaka and he would definitely not be back for a while. Also, he decided to finally return to his apartments.
Once the door of his room closed, he took off his helmet and collapsed at his desk. He had undertaken several years before, a big research work to find the lost knowledge of the Siths. Also, he was on the trail of a Holocron Sith gathering vital information for his research, also, he plunged again into the deciphering of an old half-erased text in a language he had not yet identified .