Star Wars: Division

I wanted to keep to Thursdays, but here I am, again, posting on Friday. It's the final week of my semester, so classes got busy and it delayed my writing time. Sorry everyone. I haven't done this in a while, so I think it's about time: time to thank the new followers! The last time I thanked followers was in the Chapter Six header, and the story has had 16 new followers since then! Thanks guys - so much. It really means a lot to me to see my story succeeding.

Eileend704, Roacharoo, RedThunder85, StarWarsFan1011, Emilyla12, LEGOman112, Butteredeggs, cila5, niuavin, Joyca, potterfan32, SuperJDC, Tink508, Ldb0303, meahela87, and kmreece.

Thank you thank you thank you.

Chapter Ten

There was a very brief moment in which, as he freshened up and got decked out in his full regalia, helmet and all, that he was reminded of his parents, and how their careers had always put them at odds. Things would always come between them - shipments, Senate meetings, trade and commerce plans, public relations. He'd seen it happen to them all the time when he was younger, the few moments they had together interrupted by business, constantly. Dividing them into their own respective worlds. It was a similar feeling for him and Rey; as soon as they had their moments together, they were over, gone, just minutes of time in the long stretch of their days. The Force may be able to connect them across the distance between them, but it couldn't isolate them; it couldn't create a new world for them to hide in. Business always came looking for the Supreme Leader and The Last Jedi.

As soon as he stepped out of his private quarters, Sindian pounced.

Before he could do or say anything, she had her palm pressed to his chest and was whispering, "So, our Supreme Leader has a paramour."

"Do I need to threaten you again about that hand," he all but hissed through his mask, which had a very menacing effect.

Sindian recoiled, and let the hand fall from his person, but the glint in her eye was still very much alive. She had a bone, and like any rabid dog she wasn't going to simply let it go. "Who's the lucky lady," she said coyly, giving her eyebrow a quirk in curiosity. Honestly, it had been her ambition to somehow become his paramour, in order to gain that upper hand, but he had barely shown any interest in her. In anyone. Now, it was clear as to why he'd shown no interest - he already had someone. There were two options: find out who it was and use them against him, or find out who it was and eliminate them so she could assume their place. Either way, step one was going to be getting her identity, and Sindian had enough money to hire a lot of spies.

"Don't be shy," she said in a hushed voice as they began the trek to the feast. "We're alone, no one's around. You can whisper your little secret."

Kylo Ren was stiff and silent next to her. As a Senator, and at one time as a Lady, she had a lot of experience with people. It had become secondhand nature to scrutinize them and pick up on their weaknesses of character, to intuit a man with too much pride that she could flatter and have eating out of the palm of her hand. Much of her life had been spent reading people and using them to further her own goals - that was politics. But Kylo Ren was indeed a mystery man, and not just because of the atrocious helmet he wore - god, she hated that thing. No, he was adept at keeping his emotions and thoughts close to the vest, even though that wasn't what rumors had always said about his temperament. From what she understood before meeting him, he was reckless and impulsive, prone to fits of rage and destruction. It scared most people. It had intrigued her. Men with passionate anger issues were malleable, easy to twist and mold into the shape she desired. And at first, it had almost convinced her she'd find her way into his good graces, and then have a direct line to power. It was always fortuitous to be the lover of a king.

Someone, however, had beat her to it. Was this woman the reason for his change in behavior, too? Sometimes that happened with men. Give them a woman and it cooled down their heads, steadied them. If that was the case? She'd definitely want this woman eliminated. It would make Kylo Ren wild, again, even more so when facing her death. And then? Weak and filled with rage, her window of opportunity would open once more.

The banquet was being held in a large, expansive room that, when empty, was austere and grey, but filled with canapes and Senators and other figures in power, suddenly became alive with colorful suits and dresses and the sound of their chatter. Amongst a group of people such as this, with finery and luxury dripping from their fingertips and the hems of their expensive clothing, a tall, black figure like Kylo Ren stood out like a blot of ink on a bouquet of spring flowers. People made way whichever direction he stepped in, parting and scurrying like mice. Next to him, Sindian looked like his evil queen, clad in an array of sparkling jewels and dark plum satin. Perhaps he wasn't aware of how it made her look, but she was - she had intended it that way. Arriving with the Supreme Leader made them look close. Walking next to him as he arrived and made his rounds from group to group made her look like his partner. And she knew the impression wasn't lost on the rest of the Senators when she saw their awestruck expressions. She smirked a very tilted, sly smirk.

The malingering presence of Sindian was an annoyance he couldn't get rid of. As expected from a duplicitous, power-hungry leech like her, she was doing everything in her power to make it look like they had a close working relationship in order to intimidate her fellow Senators. He may not have given a nomination for First Senator, but if she made it look like he had a preference for her, the Senators would pick up on it and fear nominating someone the Supreme Leader disapproved of. That's why politics were such a headache - everything was a game, a game of appearances, niceties, subterfuge, lies, backstabbing. This was exactly the kind of situation he often had found his mother in, returning to their apartments on Hosnian Prime after a day of navigating the muck of the Senate, exhausted and rubbing the flesh between her eyes, ready to sip wine and forget all about protocol and laws.

The difference between him and his mother was she had a taste for it, even though it was a mess, even though it took every part of her, she returned to the Senate over and over because it was where she felt she did the most good; she was in her element. But it had never been for him. It never would be. There was too much wasted time in the Senate because the games that had to be played. Why bother to play games when he could leave that to his assembled subordinates who were all so eager to please him? The sycophants and the greedy, all milling about him for attention and praise. They could play the games. And he could play them.

Sindian wasn't going to get what she was after. She needed to be undermined. Working with him for a few weeks had given her the misguided impression he favored her, or else that she had gained some sort of status amongst the First Order entourage. Of course, that was wrong. He'd only worked with her because Snoke had already put plans in motion, and he wanted to get things sorted out. That, and the other Senators were cowards and had gone into hiding after the events of the Supremacy, unsure of where it left the Republic and the First Order. They'd retreated to their holes to wait and see which way the wind blew. Sindian was too ambitious for something like that, though it didn't make her brave. She'd seen the power vacuum and had jumped eagerly at the chance to fill it and push herself up the ladder. Now, she was feeling too full of herself over the whole situation; she was doing everything in her power, suddenly, to force herself at him, to force closeness between them that didn't exist. It was irritating. So, as he had learned from his own Master, it was time to knock her down.

He would announce his nomination for First Senator at the end of the night. And it wouldn't be her.

No amount of sweet talking on her part would be able to save the situation, then. He'd make sure she didn't get First Senator, if only as a means to humiliate her and put her in her place.

What followed were two painful hours of socialization that he couldn't care less about, but he had to maintain appearances in order to keep the Senate in hand. Unfortunately, becoming Supreme Leader had not given him a complete pass to rule and change the Galaxy as he saw fit, even with control of the Force. People had to be appeased, people had to enforce the law for him, people had to have meetings about the law and changes to the law; the Galaxy was too large for one person to conquer. Even Emperor Palpatine had his slew of underlings, the most fierce of which had been his own grandfather. And Darth Vader had had the 501st - his loyal battalion of stormtroopers that became his right-hand and were feared by much of the population. It was a machine, there were layers to operations starting from the very top all the way down to the very bottom. His job was to make sure the layers worked in tandem to his will, and to do that he had to be somewhat social; he had to make appearances at banquets like these to appease the social niceties the Senators and their government officials expected to be observed.

He saw her everywhere. In every conversation he found himself roped into, he'd imagine her responses - her straightforward, energetic nature that would unseat every last one of the pompous fools aboard his ship. She'd find it all absurd - she wasn't patient when it came to these kinds of things, either. She was a fighter. A doer. And he would know. How different she was than this assembly - smarter, stronger, braver. Like him, she wanted change. These people? All they wanted was money and power.

What he wouldn't give to leave and return to his rooms for the chance to see her.

The way things had been left between them - what a nightmare. Why had it looked like she'd been able to hear Sindian? Usually they weren't able to cross over that completely; they saw each other, heard each other, and yes, they could touch, but their surroundings and everything else existing on their side of the Galaxy didn't pass through their connection. The lightsaber did, he thought suddenly. He'd sank into his thoughts as the feast began and everyone took their seats. As the rest of room enjoyed their food and mixed the clanging of silverware with the hum of their voices and the sickeningly forced barks of their laughter, he sat at the head of the table and thought. His food sat before him untouched. He stared out across the long stretch of the table with his helmet hiding his face and his thoughts, and sat like a dark tyrant observing the room. In a way he was. But he was mostly absorbed in his memories of her.

The lightsaber had been able to bridge the distance when she held it. Because she had held it while he held it, it had somehow been able to exist in two places at once. When Sindian's voice had rang out over the intercom they had been touching - bare-skin-on-skin touching. She must've heard. The hollow sound of her voice had to mean she'd heard. And then, of course, without the chance to set things straight, their connection was closed and she was gone, and he had been left sitting on the side of the bed feeling the weight of her hollow voice in the back of his mind.

If she got the wrong idea it had the potential to set their progress back to zero. And he felt like he was just starting to get somewhere. This was a terrible time to have Rey thinking he was seeing someone else.

Seeing someone else? Am I even seeing her, he mused darkly.

When was the last time he had been able to enjoy such frivolous thoughts? It felt strange to be thinking about a relationship and romance amidst the turmoil of the Galaxy - amidst the fighting, the scheming, the bloodshed, and the secrets. And there he was, Supreme Leader, worrying over his - his what? Girlfriend? The sound of it was ridiculous.

"Not hungry, Supreme Leader," chirped Sindian to his left, who was seated one down from him. It was a transparent joke; he couldn't eat with his helmet on.

"Not particularly, Senator. There's much on my mind," he responded ironically.

"Oh," said Senator Fatil, seated next to Sindian's assistant. "What sort of things are on your mind, Supreme Leader? Perhaps those rearmament plans we were discussing earlier?"

"Actually, Senator," he said, and sat up straighter in his chair, "I've been reconsidering my stance on the nomination for First Senator. Perhaps I should put forth a candidate that I think will work well with my plans for the First Order and the Galaxy."

There was a ripple of discomfort down the length of the table as the assembled Senators let those words sink in. Sindian was the only one who didn't look put out, thinking it was obvious she would be the nomination. Of course, after her entrance to the banquet with the Supreme Leader himself, the rest of the Senators expected the same. Their eyes shifted to her - she was positively glowing. Senators and their delegation members alike looked at her from the corner of their eyes, over the tops of their wine glasses, or otherwise from underneath their brows while they kept their hands busy cutting up the food on their plates.

"A-and, who were you thinking of nominating, then, Supreme Leader Ren," continued Senator Fatil.

It was enjoyable to watch them squirm. He'd leave them to their discomfort and resentment for the remainder of the meal. "I'll inform everyone of my decision at the end of the banquet."

"Of course."

Sindian smirked.

The rest of the Senators deflated; they believed their chances were over.

After that, the room had a subdued feeling, a bit hushed, a bit awkward. Sindian floated on cloud nine while the other Senators ate their meals in bitterness. He began to see the value in choosing First Senator; the Senator chosen would have to answer directly to him, and it showed him exercising his power over the Senate, so that everyone understood he was truly the one in control. Of course, now there was the added bonus of putting Sindian in her place. And the Senator he had in mind was the least sleazy of the assembly - Senator Arbo was older than some of the others, which meant he didn't have the same youthful ambitions or lusts for money and status. He advocated for war and all war-like politics, which would be useful considering full scale war was imminent once more, with the remaining Republic officials seeking to join with Leia Organa. It was only a matter of time. If he had a General-minded Senator to lead the rest of them, it might actually do him some good. Dare he say - make things easier on him?

Even better, Arbo hadn't become a Centrist purely to align Coruscant with Snoke. He became a Centrist because it genuinely mirrored his view of how the government should operate. Actually, there had been a time years ago when Arbo had assigned a guard to his mother as she traveled to Bastatha during the Amaxine warrior crisis. He'd helped Coruscant during the event, as well as helped his mother, and hadn't shown himself to be a snake in the grass. He was a genuine person, it's only his politics didn't agree with Populist ideals. But he was, perhaps, the most stable of the Senators, as well as the most honorable. Working with him and Coruscant should certainly make things easier for Kylo Ren.

The dessert plates were cleared away by droids, and glasses were filled one last time with wine. The feast had reached its end, and all eyes expectantly swept to him.

He stood.

"Senators," he began, "this has been an opportunity to reorganize the Senate and Galaxy after wartime destruction led to the unexpected death of Supreme Leader Snoke. I believe the First Order will be able to continue towards its goal of bringing order and peace to the Galaxy that the Republic was unable to realize. A toast," he said, raising his glass, "to the First Order."

"To the First Order," the assembly rang out in unison, and then everyone except the Supreme Leader took a drink.

"And now," Kylo Ren continued, placing his glass back down, "I'd like to announce my nomination for First Senator. I nominate," at those words, everyone leaned forward in their seats, "Senator Arbo of Coruscant for the position. It's my opinion his military politics are perfectly in line with the First Order's aims, and his long record in the Senate has given him ample experience in leading from the Senate floor."

Again, a hush passed down the length of the table, but it was different than before. This was a hush of surprise; none of them liked Sindian, and all of them were - in at least some way - pleased to see her passed over for the position. Having to answer to Sindian would've been a nightmare. Arbo was certainly more even-tempered, logical, and fair - everyone knew that. He'd be open to negotiations, he wouldn't accept bribes, and everything he did he tried to view through an objective lens. A much easier First Senator to handle. The tension in the room eased, and many of them even smiled and said a quick toast to the new nominee.

Sindian seethed in her chair. Kylo Ren could positively feel the hatred emanating from her place at the table; her assistant looked uncomfortable, with his head hung like a wounded dog. Kylo Ren understood that disposition. When they got behind closed doors, Sindian would take out her rage on him. He was already anticipating it.

She couldn't meet his gaze, though he let his eyes bore into her. Yes, it was a power move, and yes, he expected her to fight back somehow, but the moment certainly felt good enough. Watching her sit with her eyes cast down in embarrassment made the evening.

Then:

"I fully intended to be nominated, but he chose Arbo in front of the entire assembly," she stormed in an angry whisper to her confidant.

Hux smirked despite the situation. "It seems Ren has truly assumed the role he killed to acquire. He's more devious than I expected."

"Killed to acquire," Sindian repeated back, momentarily shocked. "What do you mean?"

Hux drew closer. They were standing in a far removed section of the hallway that led from the room used for the banquet, holding a secret meeting of sorts. "I mean," he said in a low whisper, "that I suspect Ren is the one who killed Supreme Leader Snoke. He claims it was the Jedi girl, but I was there, I saw the aftermath of the throne room. It was completely destroyed and all the Praetorian Guard were dead. She couldn't have done all that alone. It's not possible she fought the Guard, Ren, and Snoke, and succeeded in killing all of them except Ren."

"Yes," she said nodding, "convenient everyone was dead except him. So - " she searched for the right words, licking her lips. "So, you think he doesn't mean to lead the First Order at all? Like a Resistance spy?"

Hux snorted. "No, he hates the Resistance, that I have no doubt of. I've seen him slaughter entire villages." He paused and his jaw worked subtly from side-to-side. He cast his thoughts on Batuu and how that mission had gone awry because of the Jedi - or so Ren had claimed. It was difficult for the General to believe one novice Jedi was disrupting the entire First Order operation all on her own. Perhaps he was young himself, but he had enough experience in war to know that it took one hell of an individual to fight an entire battalion of soldiers, and perhaps she could've done that, but that and fight a Dark Force user like Kylo Ren? She's beaten him before, he thought quickly, recalling the events of Starkiller and the scar that ran down the right side of Ren's face. It seemed like she was always coming up victorious against Kylo Ren - why?

"I think," he began, looking quickly down both ends of the hallway to make sure no one was approaching. "I think it's the Jedi."

Sindian's brows furrowed. "The Jedi? Do you mean you think she's strong enough to - "

He held up his hand. "I think he hates the Resistance," he continued, "but I don't think he hates the Jedi. She has been able to repeatedly defeat him. I wonder if it's because he has developed - " again he paused in search of the correct word, "feelings," he emphasized heavily, "towards her. It's the only explanation. How else would she have killed Snoke and his Guards, but not Ren? And Ren not to have killed her?"

Sindian all but gasped at the revelation. "You think they're working together?"

"I think she is his weakness," he clarified. "I don't know how they'd be working together. I've certainly never caught any correspondences between the two."

Suddenly, a thought came to her. "Wait. I heard the voice of a woman in Kylo's private rooms earlier, before the feast. Do you think it could've been her?"

Hux laughed. "Sindian, please. How could she have snuck aboard the Finalizer without anyone noticing? How ridiculous."

She deflated a bit, but acquiesced the point. "I suppose," she mumbled, though she couldn't shake the thought. If Hux truly believed this woman was Kylo's weakness, then how could he be shacked up in private with someone else?

"All the same," Hux said, "this weakness needs to be exposed. We may know he has no leanings towards the Resistance, but if we can reveal his sympathies for the Jedi, then everyone will assume he must have sympathies for the Resistance, too. Naturally. Then we can reveal he killed Snoke and yes, perhaps as you suggested, make him look like a Resistance spy."

Her chilling grin pulled at the corners of her lusciously lipsticked mouth. "The perfect revenge. And once he is removed?"

Hux's grin mirrored hers in a disturbingly accurate portrayal of their partnership - clinical and sharp. "Once he is removed I'll bid to become Supreme Leader and you, dear Sindian, will not only become First Senator, but we'll work towards reinstating your family title and status. I'm sure we'll be able to bully the Arkanis officials into some kind of agreement."

"I have full faith in you, General."

Down at the end of the hallway dull footsteps alerted the two to an oncoming presence. Kylo Ren came into view and stopped; he turned his head to appraise them, standing as they were so closely they could've been mistaken for lovers. But he knew scheming when he saw it. Without a word, he continued down the hall towards his rooms. General Hux, his greatest adversary, plotting with the likes of Sindian, who he'd just spurned of the chance at First Senator? This was the sort of pettiness that plagued the Republic, and it made it impossible to get any work done. Now, he had to expect an attack.

The two watched their Supreme Leader go, swallowing with a touch of nervousness. But it wouldn't do Kylo Ren any good to know they were plotting - what they were plotting was the big point. And how would he be able to unravel that mystery?

The two's eyes met, their smirks matched perfectly like twins. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's days were numbered.

"And the Jedi," Sindian whispered conspiratorially. "We should eliminate her as well."

"Yes," Hux ruminated. "I wondered if she shares the same sentiments as Ren. If, indeed, the two are working together, it may not be enough to simply dispose of him. If the Resistance is truly to crumble, and the First Order is going to rule, she'll need to be gotten rid of. Having her hang around will cause too much trouble."

"Give me all the information you have on her, and I'll hire spies to track down her location."

"I'll send over a datapad pre-loaded with all the information I have."

"Perfect. I'll be expecting it, then."

Back in his rooms, Kylo Ren released the latch on his helmet and all but slammed it down on the desk. If he could just go murder Sindian and Hux in their beds and be done with the whole thing; how satisfying and simple that would be. Instead, he'd need to persist in his assertions that Hux was the weak link in First Order command, and find other ranking officers who held a grudge against him. If he could band them together against Hux, he could get rid of the General and establish those officials in roles with more clout, ensuring their loyalty and his control over them. After that, Sindian would be easy to destroy. He'd learned from his mother the woman's greatest weakness. If Organa could do it, certainly Kylo Ren could.

Still, he worried for Rey. It hadn't been much, but he'd felt their intentions, and while they were exactly what he'd expected, he had sensed something deeper - something buried and guarded - that made him worry for her. Did they suspect anything? Would they attempt something? An assassination, perhaps? Surely, Sindian had funds enough to hire the best bounty hunters and assassins in the Galaxy. They would devote all their time and resources to hunting her.

He couldn't protect her, not so far away, not so out of his reach. And not when he didn't even know where she was.

It was a relief when he saw her, bent over looking for something. She straightened and turned to face him with a stubborn expression.

I can't protect her, he agonized as he drew her close to his chest and squeezed her.