Sorry for a bit of a late update! From now on chapters will be posted ~weekly. Unless enough of you ask for more. ;)
Kylo's footsteps echoed loudly down the corridor as he exited the hangar. Personnel and troopers rushed back and forth around him, careful to give him a wide berth, though some stole inquisitive glances at his normally masked facade. He ignored them, making a b line to the medical bay. Kylo was halfway down the hall when a voice called out to him from behind.
"Sir!" Blasted officers- He didn't slow his pace, forcing the other to run to catch up. "The General has requested your presence on the command bridge."
"The General can wait."
"-Immediately, he said." Kylo stopped dead in his tracks, causing the officer to nearly crash into him. He felt a familiar flare of anger, contemplating choking the dimwit for his insolence; but the feeling quickly passed as he faced the other man, who was all but shaking in his uniform.
"Take me to him."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the ship's central hub, though the trip was made in a tense silence. He could feel the officer's fear roll off him in waves the entire time, though outwardly he seemed well-composed. Phasma must be training them well. As they entered through the sliding doors, Kylo recognized the general from his red hair, which stood out brightly among the sea of black. Or maybe it was because he always looked like he had a stick up his ass. In any case, the man had better have more of a reason than a briefing to summon him.
Kylo strode toward General Hux, stopping and folding his hands behind his back as he watched him finish addressing another officer.
"You called for me?" Hux turned.
"I did." His eyes momentarily flickered to the scar on his face before settling icily on Kylo's,
"Your reckless flying back there cost us two of our best TIE pilots."
"They flew like drunk fools," he replied dismissively. Hux's expression flashed with anger.
"Drunk f...They were your responsibility! Every time you're sent out to the field, more troopers are lost covering your arse than-"
Kylo bridged the gap between them in a single stride, bearing down on the general. Even without his helmet, he cast an imposing presence. "They're yours, not mine. And I don't need they're protection."
"Then remind me, who was it that pulled you from your little escapade in the woods before an entire planet imploded?" Hux asked, tone falling condescendingly. Kylo matched the man's tone, head tilting slightly,
"And who failed to keep it from imploding because of a few tiny Resistance fighters?"
The rebuttal made the general's pale face flush crimson, and he glared daggers at the other man. But before he could respond, Kylo interjected, beginning to turn away,
"If you've called me here just to chastise me like a child, then I have far more important matters to see to."
"As do I. That is not the main reason I called you here." Hux replied, collecting himself. "Would you care to tell me about the security breach last night? Or about how the infiltrator is now in the infirmary?" Kylo stiffened and spun back around,
"That is a matter between myself and the Supreme Leader only, I don't need to tell you about anything."
"Oh, I'm sorry but I'm afraid you've forgotten that this is a military operation, not one of your mystical little Force affairs. What happened can compromise the the integrity of the entire fleet, do you understand?"
Kylo grit his teeth. "Do you think I haven't been searching for answers?" Hux's thin lips tilted up in a cold smile,
"Then you better find them soon, before I set one of my own men to it."
Kylo scoffed, sweeping his cloak around as he made his exit, "Like they accomplished anything last time." Before the doors slid closed behind him, though, he heard Hux call out smugly,
"At least I didn't lose the prisoner last time!"
The R&D labs were on the way to the medical ward, so Kylo decided to make a stop there. After inquiring to a (frankly terrified) scientist regarding a "thin black stick", he was led to a room containing various analytical instruments, all surrounding an imposing machine at the center. Another scientist walked out from behind the machine to meet him, giving a small bow,
"Ah, Commander Ren. I know what you're here for. Please, come this way. We have just finished a full biometric scan of the object you sent last night." Kylo followed him to a table to the side, where the stick hovered, suspended between two pylons. Various readings and measurements scrolled by around it. The scientist brought up one of the holographic screens with a flick, revealing an enlarged three-dimensional render of the object.
"What you brought to us is organic in nature. The outside, as you can see, is entirely plain, polished wood. We have yet to identity the plant of origin, if you were interested in that aspect." A quick glance at Kylo's expression showed that no, he was not; so the man quickly turned back, magnifying the diagram to reveal a cross-sectional view.
"However, this is where it gets interesting. As you can see here, the core is hollow. We conducted analysis of the properties inside the core and found a foreign material within, also organic." The light from the image glowed blue on their faces as Kylo leaned forward in an attempt to examine it.
"What is it?"
"It appears to be...vascular tissue."
"In Basic, doctor."
"Oh, yes, my apologies. There seems to be tissue from the heart of another creature preserved within the core. It is a mystery how it got in there, as you can see the wood is fully sealed around the material."
"Any power sources or hostile capabilities?" The scientist cast a look a Kylo, eyebrow raised.
"This? No, it is completely stable. Unless, of course, you might be able to hit-"
"And you're sure that you ran all possible scans on it?" Kylo cut in, chasing the humor from the man's voice.
"W-well, yes, of course. All the best that the First Order could offer." But it didn't make sense. Kylo's hand involuntarily clenched, making the other man flinch and glance quickly down. Then what did I feel when I touched it? He sensed that the man wasn't lying though, so with effort, he turned away and said,
"Very well. Pack it into a case." The doctor quickly complied, and soon Kylo was striding down the corridor once again, a small black case in hand.
He found that the man had been taken off bacta therapy, having risen to a state of semi-consciousness in the previous hour, and relocated to one of the recovery beds, where he was now fast asleep. Kylo dismissed the nurse attending to him, placing the case on a nearby table before going to stand beside the bed. He looked down at its occupant, trying to keep the indifference in his expression, to ignore the strange tug rising from within, yet all he saw...was himself. Sleeping, the man seemed peaceful, almost. There was nothing to bar him from looking into his mind. Almost hesitantly this time, Kylo reached out a hand, letting it hover just over his head.
And like a wall, the unfiltered visions slammed into him.
He was somewhere dark, and cold. A voice echoed out to him, sending shivers through his soul,
"You've been a good and faithful servant, Severus." A face emerged from the shadows, with a slitted nose and pale, gaunt features. He could hear a slithering, hissing sound from below, but he couldn't move. Couldn't do anything but watch death creep closer.
"But only I can live forever."
Then there was pain, white-hot against his skin as everything tilted and reeled backwards. He heard a scream-his own-and felt a strange, thick warmth spread down his neck. He was choking in it, drowning.
Then he saw the faces: an old man with a long, white beard. A boy with a strange scar and defiant eyes. A smiling girl holding out a delicate flower. A deer, softly glowing. Stored bottles and muttered words, lights and brilliant flashes of color and raw energy and-
"Nagini, kill."
Kylo pulled back with a hoarse cry just as the huge head of a serpent shot out at him from the darkness, fangs outstretched before an empty pit. He realized he was shaking, covered in a cold sweat-
And his wide eyes were met by a second pair of equally shocked, equally dark ones. He was awake.
As always, reviews are welcome! Also Hux is a smug little dick and I love him ok.