A/N: Hux's timeline for the Starkiller project is five years from the date of the kickoff meeting. The chapters before this represented the five to six months that he had to pull together a team, a schedule, and finalize the design of the base. Hux is incorrect about the third 'first priority' project. That would be Kylo Ren, but Hux would never imagine one person was as important to Snoke's plans as Starkiller Base, or the Supremacy.
The meeting was drawing to a close and none too soon for Hux's desires. Snoke had been listening silently, but much of the time, the expression on his face was unpleasant. Of the major projects the Order was undertaking, Hux had been familiar with only his own and Daviosa Drewmill's. Hearing about the others had been interesting. As far as he could figure, the third 'first priority' project was espionage and information about the Republic. He couldn't be sure as there were other contenders that had been presented, and as well, the project might not be openly discussed. He certainly wasn't going to ask.
It didn't matter. But Snoke's expression did. It had Hux worried. The lack of comment seemed like a very bad sign. After the last speaker sat down, it was Snoke's turn to address the group and wrap up. From his first words, Hux saw that his concerns were valid.
"We have hardly begun, and yet I am already disappointed in the performance of this team," Snoke said. "You are no longer under the command of your equally flawed peers, who might not notice sloppy work and lack of focus. You are under my command now. I will start by removing those unable to get through a simple project review without letting their thoughts wander in boredom."
There were a lot of darting eyes. Hux had paid close attention to nearly everything because he was trying to ferret out the third priority project. It was an idle curiosity, beyond which he couldn't say he cared too much about what the rest were up to. At the moment at least, he wasn't one of the guilty.
"You." Snoke turned to Chief Production Manager Bosh, who sat to Operations Manager Drewmill's left much as Chief Engineer Cheskar sat to Hux's left. But it put Bosh next to Snoke, who was addressing him. "Should I inform the rest of the table of your appraisal of their physical attractiveness in relation to one another? The details of your ranking system for such?" Bosh swallowed and his eyes widened. Obviously, someone hadn't gotten the memo they were working for a mind-reader.
Snoke went on. "Or should I instead discuss the ways you have abused your access to confidential communications channels to keep up on Republic sporting events?" Bosh was pale and stiff. Hux realized after a moment that he was too stiff. Something was amiss. Bosh's eyes began to bulge. Then he sagged forward suddenly, apparently dead and at least fully unconscious from the uncontrolled way he collapsed to the table.
Snoke made a backhand gesture at him. Bosh's body and his chair flew back violently, knocked halfway across the room. The motion was accompanied with a strange screeching noise that couldn't have come from either. It was a shocking sound. All of them jumped. A woman at the other end of the table went so far as to leap to her feet and flee. She stumbled and slammed head-first into the wall next to the door, with enough impact to crack her skull. She crumpled to the floor.
"Does anyone else wish to admit their behavior is beyond repair?" Snoke asked in a mincing tone.
Everyone else was silent. They sat very straight in their seats – at attention, every one of them.
"Drewmill?" Snoke said. His tone was plain and uninflected.
"Y-yes sir. My b-, my …"
"Listen to me," Snoke told her. "Your team does not take their assignment seriously enough. They believe that because it is similar to their previous work, that they need not fully apply themselves. You will correct this."
"Yes sir." She spoke much more strongly now that it was clear she wasn't next in line to be murdered.
"Good. Also, you will never again bring someone to my presence who is not appropriately focused on advancing our cause."
"Yes sir."
Snoke made a lazy hand wave at one of the two black-clad guards who had hitherto been inexplicably present throughout the meeting. The person wasn't all that physically impressive as far as size and build went. This did not reduce their lethality, Hux knew.
Snoke said, "This is one the Knights of Ren. They are Force users from the far side of the galaxy, given over to the dark arts. He will accompany you back to the shipyards and observe your conduct in my stead. You are to meet with each of your top staff, in front of him, and apprise them of the necessary change in attitude. I will recall him when it suits me."
"Yes sir."
He turned to Hux. "Colonel."
Hux had never wanted to be ignored so much in a meeting as now. "Sir."
"Do not think I did not notice that your projected delivery date for the first construction droids is that it will be late. The project is only now starting and you are already expecting to be behind schedule. Why?"
"The, um," he swallowed, "the shipment time was not included in the lead time that I based my estimates on."
"You were wrong!" Snoke shouted.
"Yes sir."
"Shut up!"
Hux swallowed the 'yes sir' that almost disastrously popped out of his mouth.
Snoke continued. "It was a beginner's mistake because you are a beginner. Are you aware of that?"
Hux hesitated, 'shut up' warring with a direct question. But Snoke was waiting for the answer. "Yes sir."
"Were you aware of that before?"
"Yes sir."
"Then why did you not address it?" Hux looked at him in fear and uncertainty. How the hell was he supposed to address something like that? The only way to gain experience was to gain it. Snoke sneered. "That is a dangerous incompetence and I will not tolerate it again. Get better people on your team! The current ones are children! Like yourself! And them!" Snoke gestured at Cheskar in continuing ill-temper.
Hux shot the briefest look at Drewmill, remembering she'd refused to spare any of the most experienced project managers the First Order had available. But it was a brief look. Because on the other hand, one of those managers was dead on the floor behind her. Hux would rather deal with a rebuke than a death.
Snoke went on, "Be thankful that you had the courage to report this blemish to me now rather than after the delivery date was missed. You have time to rectify it. Do that and I will forget this happened." Snoke turned to the others at the table. "Take this as a lesson to the rest of you."
The rest of what Snoke had to say was pointed at others. Hux tried to pay attention to it, but he'd already exhausted his options on asking or even begging the supplier to ship early or ship by faster vessels. He wasn't sure what he could do.
Cheskar at least had the prudence to wait until they were alone in the lift before blurting out, "He killed Bosh! Did he kill Bosh? Or was he just unconscious? Did he- It looked like he- what …?"
"Probably," Hux said. He surveyed Cheskar with a critical eye. They were fresh out of the academy, top of the class, and just happened to be especially fascinated with megastructures. Hux had considered himself lucky to add them to his team, rather than losing Cheskar to Drewmill's big ship project. Cheskar had been likewise happy to join. A new group meant immediate promotion rather than having to prove themselves over long years. But they were young. Snoke had a point.
"Probably?" Cheskar blubbered. "Probably which? He just kills people? Right in the middle of meetings?"
"Apparently. He looked dead to me."
"Apparently? How do you know?"
Hux looked at them askance. "You've never seen anyone who's dead? How did you get out of school without that?"
"No!" Cheskar gave him a look like he was insane.
"Ah. Technician training doesn't cover that sort of thing," Hux reminded himself.
"Officer training does?" Cheskar continued to sound alarmed.
The lift doors opened on their level. "It should. Obviously." Hux walked out. "I need to reassess our team."
"You need to …? What? That's it? He kills two people in a meeting and you're just going to go-"
Hux slapped Cheskar across the face. "Pull yourself together. That is my superior officer and I am going to do what he told me to do. We're not in private anymore. Mind your tongue." There was a pair of other officers in the hall coming toward them. They said nothing, but obviously they had ears.
Hux glared at his subordinate until Cheskar said, "Yes sir."
"Good." Hux turned and headed down the hallway. Cheskar fell in with him. "Just because we don't have some Force-user shadowing us everywhere and reporting back doesn't mean we were given a pass. We have to figure out how to get the droid delivery back on track. They can only get here so fast, though."
Cheskar reached up and rubbed their cheek sullenly. In a low voice, he said, "You could get Snoke to make another wormhole from the base to the droid company's doorstep."
Hux gave Cheskar a side-eye. Quietly, he said, "That's a good idea. I thank you for it. I don't know how difficult it is for Snoke to do that. Or if he can collapse them later."
Cheskar stopped. "Does it really take them that long to get here?"
He stopped as well. "Yes."
"Are we sure?"
Hux considered it. "Well … I don't know. They said it did. Should we question that? How do we question that? Who would know?" A mouse droid skittered past his feet. They both watched as it took a typically circuitous path that mouse droids always took – this direction, then that one, then a wide, sudden loop to avoid the feet of a pair of stormtroopers patrolling the hallway.
Hux and Cheskar looked up at each other at the same time. Cheskar said, "They're going the long way around."
"I'll bet they are," Hux agreed.