A/N: Thank you for the continued support. We don't have long left in this part of the trilogy so thank you for sticking with me and I hope you guys will continue to follow Rey and Kylo on their journey. Also 1 I didn't mean for this chapter to be so long and 2 I definitely didn't plan for it to be so fluffy but I hope you guys enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the amazing characters!
Chapter 18:
Kylo hated to leave Rey after having spent so little time with her after getting back but he needed his officers up to speed on what was going on even if he couldn't tell them everything. Kylo was pleased to see that Phasma was waiting outside of the conference room as he approached. She held a datapad in her hands.
"Captain Phasma, I trust my apprentice wasn't too much trouble," Kylo asked. "The girl is tolerable and powerful. I see the usefulness in befriending her," Phasma said. "I hear a 'but' coming," Kylo said standing right outside of the door. "But she is immersed in the light. She will never be like you. She will always fight for what the Resistance has taught her is right. I don't see where this is going," Phasma said and Kylo shook his head.
This would be the first time Phasma heard about the threat that was targeting their galaxy. Kylo had suffered and given up too much to be this close to ruling the galaxy for it to all be taken away. He knew it would take the combined might of the Resistance and the First Order to defeat them.
"You will soon," Kylo said, taking the datapad from Phasma.
They walked into the conference room together. Kylo was pleased to see that almost 40% of the senior officers of the First Order were missing. It would seem that IGBC was smart enough to get their people out of there before Kylo could make it back and start removing heads. Kylo took his seat at the head of the table in a chair that looked more like a throne that any of the office chairs that the Officers were seated in.
Phasma sat to his right while Hux and Thalia were already seated to his left. Kylo could tell that they were pleased to be sitting this close to the head of the table. It wouldn't be long before their spots were filled by someone else. Kylo had thought Hux would put up more of a fight when he told Hux that Phasma was taking the seat to the right and Hux would be sitting on the left but the ginger seemed to be fine as long as Thalia was next to him. Kylo stood and immediately the room fell silent and all eyes were on him.
"Look to your left. Now look to your right. Those empty chairs represent the people who controlled the First Order and our funding. I freed us of those very people with the help of Queen Thalia Tartos and the manufacturing planet Jasmenerth. The First Order now generates its own credits, manufactures its own weapons and is now free to rule the Galaxy as we see fit," Kylo said and everyone in the room gave loud, joyous cheers.
Everyone except Hux and Thalia who had been with Kylo when the man known as Ozoroth spoke on freeing the First Order and Phasma who was pessimistic on the best occasions. Kylo let them enjoy their new found freedom for a moment longer. Kylo felt a surge of pride at knowing under his leadership such joy could be had by his subordinates.
"With that being said, I want you to all be aware of the fact that now that we are free there is a new threat that has their eye on the First Order," Kylo said and once again the room fell to silence. Chief Officer Hunana asked, "What threat is left that could even hope to touch us? The Resistance is in hiding. The Jedi Order is dead. The Republic is dead."
There were murmurs of agreement throughout the remaining 20 officers.
"True as that may be there are more powers in the galaxy and beyond that have nothing to do with the Republic, the Resistance or the Jedi. Our galaxy isn't the only one out there and information doesn't just stop because it hit the last known regions of our galaxy. It was proven when the Yuuzhan Vong attacked Arkania and almost succeeded in declaring war on the entire civilized Galaxy. It seems that we may have another invasion on our hands," Kylo paused.
Again murmurs filled the silence but this time they were anxious and worried.
"Supreme Leader, where did you get this info," Officer Loured asked. "I was first warned about of the coming threat through my connection through the force," Kylo said.
Some of the people in the room voiced their distrust in all things mystic and Kylo had to fight the urge to look at Hux. Kylo didn't want to see how much the ginger weasel enjoyed the fact that almost half of the men and women in this room questioned the Force and its validity. Kylo waited until the room fell silent again before he continued.
"I was skeptical at first too. That changed while Hux and I were away on the banking planet Niro. A man appeared wearing black armor similar to what Snoke's guard used to wear," Kylo said and set his datapad on the table.
The hologram that appeared was created from the footage taken from Kylo's helmet during the confrontation in Tiberius' throne room. Kylo moved the hologram and made it bigger for all to see. Hux sneered at the hologram and Kylo had the feeling that taking down this Ozoroth would be one of the few things Kylo and Hux would both enjoy.
"This man, Ozoroth, appeared and told King Tiberius that someone by the name of Master Zroyais advised against freeing the Order of IGBC's hold," Kylo said.
Every pair of eyes in the room was on the man dressed in the metal plated armor.
"As you can see there is a lightsaber on his hip. He never pulled his weapon, so I was not able to judge his skill level. I was able to tell that he is not a force user or even force sensitive. I want to know who they are and what their end game is. As soon as you have any information I want to be informed," Kylo said. "But Sir, our manpower was cut by 30% when IGBC pulled out all of their men. How are we supposed to patrol our territories and search for 2 men in a galaxy of hundreds of billions life forms. They could be anywhere. We've already lost our best scout pilots looking for the resistance in the Amara system," Major Yagadah said.
Kylo knew that over the last 20 or so years IGBC had infiltrated the First Order at various levels. He just didn't realize that those men made up 30% of his forces.
"I never said I wanted everyone looking, just what we can spare. I want new Recruitment centers to set up on any neutral planet that could be beneficial to our cause. I will replace the scouts we lost with men from my personal guard to search the Amara system. In the meantime check with our network of spies to see if there have even been hints of rumors about a new faction cropping up right under our noses. It's bad enough your men let those force users escape Ilum," Kylo said shooting Squad Leader Quinntz a scathing look.
The man squirmed in his seat.
"I am promoting Captain Phasma to General of the First Order's Army," Kylo announced suddenly.
He could feel Phasma's surprise and Hux's anger easily. The little ginger hadn't even seen it coming.
"Admiral Hux will still oversee every battle involving our fleet as well as the training of all the new pilots. Phasma will continue with the training of the new recruits as well as overseeing all of our ground battles," Kylo said.
Some of the men shot nervous glances at Hux but the rest looked to Phasma with admiration and pride. Kylo was confident in his choice. Phasma would be hard on them without being cruel. Hux didn't seem to see a difference. It made the soldiers unpredictable and usually unstable without the programing that Hux insisted on. Kylo wanted to move away from brain washing.
From everything Kylo had seen of the Resistance during his time in Rey's mind, loyalty seemed to work well for his mother. He couldn't release the soldiers he already had, there would be no way to make up for the millions of men that would undoubtably flee if he let them. But from now on there would be no more snatching children from their mothers' arms and no more brainwashing. It was all part of his plan to banish the old ways.
"I would also like to promote Officers Maatis and Nikkinem to Captain and Sergeant, respectively. I need to replenish my ranks with people I can trust. If you are still in this room then I trust you and you are invaluable to me," Kylo said and while looking at Hux and Thalia he mentally added, or I'm just waiting for the right moment to get rid of you. "Ren, you can't be serious," Hux hissed near Kylo's ear. "Deadly," Kylo hissed back.
The men and women in the room gathered around Phasma, congratulating her. Hux's face was almost redder than his hair. Eventually Hux and Thalia stormed out of the room. Kylo didn't care. He watched them go with a smirk of amusement. Hux had given Kylo a list of Officers that he felt should be promoted. Phasma, Maatis nor Nikkinem had been on that list; in fact Kylo had demoted almost everyone on Hux's list back to a Stormtrooper. So Kylo would let the man be pissy for a while.
Kylo rose from his seat. He would let his underlings party and enjoy their promotions without him. He had certainly had enough merriment back on Niro.
Instead he wanted to get back to Rey. He wanted to pull her into bed with him and just hold her close. He had been so surprised when she had kissed him that his mind was still reeling from the oh so soft feeling of her lips pressed to his, the feel of her hands in his hair as she held him close. Gods, he had missed her more than he should have.
As he moved to leave the conference room, Phasma came over to him.
"You aren't gonna stay? We got a bottle of top shelf whiskey and I wanna hear more about this new threat and how training Rey is going to help you defeat it," Phasma said. "Maybe later. I find myself needing sleep," Kylo lied easily. "So that's what they're calling it these days," Phasma said with a chuckle. "I am sure that I have no clue as to what you are talking about," Kylo said with wide eyes under his helmet.
Phasma gave Kylo a knowing look.
"I know the Jedi preach no connections, but I've seen the way she gets when she's thinking or talking about you. If you want the girl, why not just claim her for you own. I know that pilot kissed her back on Xaglosie but during the time you were away she never even mentioned him," Phasma said with a smirk on her face.
Kylo was glad that he had worn his helmet because his face was way too easy to read and Phasma would have seen the joy that filled his eyes at knowing that Rey still cared about him, in any capacity. Phasma was certainly observant enough to pick up on Rey's feelings for him so why wouldn't she pick up on his feelings for Rey.
"Be that as it may, Rey herself stated that we should not let our personal feeling for each other grow into more than what they are. Our relationship is strictly professional. I need her to defeat this new evil. That's all," Kylo said and Phasma looked as though she believed him about as much as he believed himself at this point.
Phasma barked out a laugh.
"Go and spend some time with your girl. I don't blame you, she's beautiful, kind and strong," Phasma commented. "She is but she isn't mine and I don't know if she will ever want to be. Sure, there is heat between us, but I've screwed things up so many times that she felt it was better if we cut off any feelings we might have for each other so that we could work together," Kylo admitted as he and Phasma began making their way toward his quarters. "Thalia, KA-1991, or MO-2778," Phasma asked. "Both Thalia and Kalissa. I told her about Megum."
Phasma let out a whistle.
"You've had this girl in your head since she tried to cut you in half and you respond by trying to kill her and her friends and telling her about your other women. This Rey doesn't seem like the type to do well with having to compete for someone's affection and you kind of made her have to. All with that pilot pining away for her. You're lucky she even wants anything to do with you at this point," Phasma said and Kylo remember why he'd made Phasma his general.
She was smart, wise, capable and gave excellent advice. She also gave it to Kylo straight when everyone else would just tell him what he wanted to hear. She would tell him what she felt would actually help him. But damn if it didn't piss him off.
"I know." "So, what are you going to do," she asked, stopping midstride. "Nothing. Until she says otherwise," Kylo said and kept walking. "She loves you just tell her you lover her," Phasma called.
Phasma shook her head but Kylo didn't look back. He was going to go to his room and sleep. The moment he got to his door he knew he didn't want to be alone tonight or ever again if he could have Rey at his side. Now that he was near her again, he needed to be in her space. If he had to tell her how he felt, then he would have to man up and do it. He couldn't stand the tension anymore.
He headed straight to Rey's room. The door hissed open and Kylo stopped dead in his tracks. Rey was laying on her bed reading from her datapad wearing only a black nightgown and her hair was down around her shoulders. She was lovely.
She sat up and asked, "What's up?"
Kylo pressed the release on his helmet and set it on the desk. Then he took off his cape and gloves and set them on the desk too. Once he felt free of his 'Supreme Leader' persona he turned to face her. He took a deep breath as he summoned the courage to ask what he was about to ask.
"I was wondering if…if I could sleep here tonight with you," Kylo asked awkwardly.
He wasn't used to asking for things, especially things like this. He'd never wanted to just sleep with a woman but the memory of waking with her curled against him had haunted him every day since it happened. And now with the memories of her lips so fresh in his mind, he figured he would try his luck. At best she would say yes and at worst she would tell him to go to hell. Either way he would accept her choice.
"You want to sleep in my bed," she asked confused. "Nothing sexual…just…I thought it would be nice to wake up with you next to me. The night I spent with you was probably the best night of sleep I've ever had, and I know it was because of you and not whatever sedative the doctor had given me," Kylo realized he was rambling and Rey was just staring at him.
He should have known that she wouldn't go for it. He started gathering his things and was going to head to his own room when he felt her hand on his arm. He turned to see her staring up at him. Her hazel eyes had become an almost solid gold and he felt as if he could get lost in them.
"You can stay. I liked sleeping next to you but…I don't know how to feel about you, Kylo. Spending all this time working this closely with you has shown me another side to you but every time I think I am getting somewhere with you, you show me that I haven't. Kissing you earlier…I don't regret it, yet. You say that I am the most important thing in the world to you but most of the time you don't act like it," Rey said.
Kylo froze. Her answer was better than what he'd been expecting. He knew this was the perfect moment to express how he really felt and actually have her hear it.
"I know. I've never had someone I really cared about. I've made mistakes, big ones, but I want to fix that. I know we have shared our consciousness, but I know for a fact that you haven't taken my darkness into yourself and I haven't taken in your light. I think maybe Luke was right about our feelings needing to be involved for our bond to be completed, for us to be at our strongest. But beyond that I genuinely care for you Rey and I am willing to do whatever to prove it to you. I don't want to keep things from you anymore. You can have everything," Kylo said
He dropped to his knees and completely opened his mind to her. He let her see every memory; from his childhood all the way until he decided to take Phasma's advice tonight. He let her feel everything from his anger and self-loathing to his loneliness to his love for her and the peace she gave him. He let her know all his plans for the First Order and the Resistance. He gave her all of him.
And when he looked up into her face he found tears falling from her eyes. What he'd given her wasn't like opening their bond. That had always been controlled but this wasn't. He had kept her in his consciousness and all of his knowledge of combat and the force before, but this was full access to his emotions and memories, everything that made him the man he was today.
The understanding he felt from her as she flung their bond open as wide as it could go made him grab on to her.
"I don't know what made you feel you could trust me with this but I am glad you did…And I think I love you too. I was so afraid that if I let myself actually feel this for you, that you would just leave or tell me I'm being foolish. I know how much effort it took for you to open up like this and I'm not complaining but I wonder where this all came from," Rey asked, wiping tears from her eyes. "Maybe I've finally come to my senses. The literal girl of my dreams has been right in front of me and all I've been doing is running and pushing you away. Even if you don't want to rule with me, I still need you by my side. If you will have me," Kylo said almost pleadingly.
Rey gave him a smile and held her hand out to him.
"There is still so much we need to talk about but for now, let's go to bed," Rey said.
Kylo nodded and got to his feet. He took her hand and she led him toward her bed. Kylo stripped down to his boxers and then climbed into bed next to Rey. She let out a content sigh as he slipped his arm around her waist.
Tomorrow they had so many things to talk about but for tonight, just having her in his arms was enough.