CH 14

The Knights had been pulled out of missions since training commenced, and thus it had been months since I'd put on my field gear. It was darker in comparison to my regular gear, and tougher to crack into. These particular articles of clothing were new, I had noticed. I had been given a cloak, something I was not accustomed to but Kylo wore quite often. My chest plate was heavier and my staff had been switched out and replaced with a larger metal beam with a Force-sensitive grip. I willed it to ignite and two bolts of electricity shot out from both ends. I had been given an electrostaff.

I snapped the cloak to my shoulders and pulled the hood over my helmet. The skirt of it slipped along the backs of my feet and flickered up as I walked forward. I groaned at the early hour and grabbed my staff as I headed out the door.

There weren't many officers roaming as they usually do; most were either already in the ship hangar or moving towards it.

I stepped into the hangar from an upper west entrance and peered over the railing. The hangar was open to my right and the shuttles and fighters were positioned for launch. There was a small stage set up and I noticed a few Knights in a discussion. There were all sorts of troopers, waiting in lines to be addressed by their leaders. Soldiers were still coming and going, for they were not to be in order for another five minutes.

The Knights on my team wore cloaks with a deep maroon trim, thick in it's width, while the other Knights' cloaks were simply black. I noticed this on my cloak as well, a feature I had thought nothing of.

I trotted down the steps and made my way behind the stage. I saw Umbre talking with a few troopers. I looked about and my eyes rested upon the scurry of beauty technicians that surrounded Hux. He was to address the growing crowd, and as vanity demands, he needed to look respectable. My head turned and I spotted Kylo stalking towards the stage from an eastern entrance. Two troopers marched behind him and I noticed the body gloves that peeked out from underneath their armor was a familiar shade of maroon.

Hux stood from his chair and motioned for everyone gathered to find their positions. A whistle blew and I could hear the soldiers on the other side of the stage moving about and settling into their organized lines.

The troopers that followed Ren in stepped behind Hux, who began walking up onto the stage. Kylo stood and the bottom of the steps, with Umbre and me standing at either side behind him, and waited until Hux had found his position on the stage. When Hux did so, he began moving and we followed. This is how it went with each official, until everyone had found themselves in front of the troops.

The Knights were to my right and were situated in rows of 8, with a member of my group at the head of each row. In the center there were several groups of troopers, including shadow troopers, jump troopers, and almost any other variation imaginable. It seemed as though they'd assigned regular troopers to new positions just to cover all of the bases. The pilots and any officials not high enough to receive a spot on the stage were in rows to the left. The envy that emanated from the officials reached me as soon as I lay my eyes upon them.

"Today is the end of the republic..."

…

"...and will remember this, as the last day of the Republic!" Hux screeched, and every trooper raised their left hand. He signaled the crowd, and the troopers turned in unison and made for the shuttles with organized speed. Kylo turned 180 degrees and looked and us.

"Head for the shuttle." He commanded, and I followed behind Umbre.

Ren's shuttle was pitch black and had long wings that stretched out on either side of the ship. A door dropped down from the side and we entered the shuttle to find several chairs in the center, a cockpit a few steps to the left, a few beds to the right and a door. Two pilots were sitting in the cockpit, but the shuttle was otherwise empty.

I approached the beds and realized each bed had a pack for each Knight resting on it. There were four bunk beds that popped out of the wall in the main room, and I opened the door to find a new room with six more beds lining the left and right walls. There was another door straight ahead, but was locked with a keypad. I found my bed, the middle bed in between Umbre and Kona.

The ride to D'Qar would be a long one. It was a planet in the outer rim and would take a few days time to get there.

When I exited the bed-filled room I found the other 8 Knights walking about the shuttle. None of us had been in it before, so exploration was floating through everyone's minds. Shono was looking at an array of holo vids that had popped out of the wall at the push of a button and Lestros was spinning in one of the central chairs. I could sense Ren approaching the shuttle and I whistled, grabbing the attention of the Knights in the room. A few popped their heads out from behind the door.

"Master Ren is near, quit touching things" I commanded and they shuffled into seats.

He entered the shuttle and everyone rose, as practiced when seated and an authority like Kylo Ren enters a room. He waved once and people sat, walked around, and retrieved food from a wall compartment.

After a few minutes, the captains ordered us to take our seats. Ren stepped down into the cockpit and took a seat with the captains while we sat in the center of the shuttle. Someone below the ship gave the captain a hand signal and we lifted off the ground, following the TIE fighters and shooting into hyperspace.

...

As I woke from the shred of rest I had gotten due to the other Knight's yelling, I looked up to find a completely empty room. A few of the beds had been made, but many had just thrown their sheets around. I heard shouting and laughing from the main room. I laid back down and sighed, wanting anything but to be thrown into a tiny space with a bunch of intergalactic males.

I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, shutting my eyes and thinking about the solitude I had enjoyed in my quarters on Starkiller.

I got up and pulled my hair into buns. I tugged my cloak around me and pulled the hood up, then I grumpily stepped into the other room. I shuffled past the other Knights, who were engaged in a game of holo chess that had incited yells from each of them more than once.

I walked down the steps to the cockpit and moved past the pilots. There was a door behind them, which I opened and found a small kitchen. I opened the tiny fridge, pulled out a tube of apple sauce, and exited the room. when I returned to my bed I curled up in my cloak and tried to meditate my way to sleep.

…

"All passengers to a seat!" The pilot announced as Knights scurried about the cabin. There were several of them dressing, eating and looking for things. I tugged my hood over my helmet as I settled into a seat.

The ship was approaching D'Qar, and the only thing preventing the pilots from landing was the lack of go-ahead from the troopers.

One of the pilots clicked on his com, looked at the other, and nodded.

"Okay!" the other pilot chirped.

You must follow close behind me. A voice in my head ordered. I looked up, my cheeks hot at the sound of Kylo's voice, as if it were whispering in my ear.

"We're about to land on D'Qar!"