Chapter Two
General Armitage Hux stood tall on the bridge of the Absolution, hands clasped behind his back, chin lifted high. He surveyed the white planet beneath them, tinged with cracks of teal and blue, as he would his own personal kingdom. The frozen, crystalline Ilum shone as a beacon in the darkness of space, illuminating the bridge and casting a sickly blue glow against Hux's pale skin.
"General Hux," Lieutenant Chazy approached, extending a datapad to his superior. "Sector 7 Mining Commander Richou informs me progress has been made into the fourth level of the Halacine Pass. It should be cleared within the week."
Hux flipped through the datapad, skimming the report. This was excellent news. In the weeks since the rise and subsequent decimation of the Resistance forces, the mining expeditions had taken a back seat to the ensuing battles. The completion of the weapons construction had long since depleted the Order's kyber supply, eliminating the need for continued resource milling in some people's' minds. Thus, Hux's orders that the project be reinstated had caused a bit of a stir. Still, the Order's officers were eager to engage in any productive campaign after the humiliation of the previous weeks. Whispers of rebuilding Starkiller Base rippled through the ranks. Small ideas. Mistaking bigger for better. Always eager to repeat, never to innovate.
Hux was innovative.
"And what of the engineer?" Hux asked the Lieutenant.
"Seyla Ren has command of the Sovereign . Her report indicates a lead in the Chonsetta System of the Mid Rim region."
Hux grimaced. The Chonsetta System was full of ravaged, barely inhabited worlds. Torn apart thirty years ago by both Imperial and Alliance weapons, Hux couldn't think of a single planet or moon that would offer anything of value to a refugee, including food and shelter. Why would she hide there, of all places?
"Shall I deliver the news to the Supreme Leader?" Lieutenant Chazy asked.
"No." Hux closed the screen of the datapad. "No, I think it's best to wait for solid confirmation." Ren hadn't as of yet shown an interest in the tasks Hux laid before the other Knights. Why give him a reason now? "Dismissed."
Lieutenant Chazy saluted and left the bridge. Hux turned back to the observation deck, peering into the blackness of the void, but seeing beyond the soulless emptiness of space. He saw the winding pull of a thread. Perhaps it had begun with Rax, words spoken to a young boy too eager to rise above his father. Words that held their own kind of power, a light that threw the shadow of his father where it belonged - in the grave. Hux saw possibilities.
The destination loomed in the distance as a narrow, craggy mountain, constructed and finished with a dull metallic sheen. The Future Imperial Leaders Military Preparatory School. And wasn't that a pretentious mouthful? The shuttle descended to the landing pad, it's wings rising like a great, predatory bird. The platform dropped, and Kylo Ren stalked out of the ship, flanked by a half dozen troopers. The air here was stagnant, only made breathable by the artificial atmosphere constructed by the Order and J-Sec after the ravages of the Contingency. Kylo thought breathable might be a relative description. It stuck heavy in his throat, and he resisted the urge to swallow the dryness.
"Supreme Leader," Commander Teloran greeted him, bowing. "It is an honor. Welcome to Vardos. Allow me to show you to -" Kylo held up a gloved hand. He wasn't interested in formalities.
"What is the status of the Jinata suppression?" Kylo asked, marching forward without stopping, forcing Teloran to follow. That was the only reason he was here. The death of Protectorate Gleb left a gaping hole in the governance of the planet, as well as it's conscription projects in the sector. Kylo didn't care for the methods himself, but he understood the need and desire to build the Order's numbers.
The entrance to the school was more narrow than Kylo initially thought. Barely room for two grown men to walk side by side. He idly wondered if it was a purposeful design, created to instill the ideology of elitism and prestige. Few go in, fewer come out. The troopers behind him didn't hesitate as they walked through the doors. Did they pass through these halls once, alone and frightened after having been abducted from their families? Kylo felt the hairs on his body raise, a frisson of burning cold rippling through him. It was unsettling, to have these thoughts. More so to know they were his own.
"We've captured Captain Domba, my lord. He awaits your presence in the training room." Commander Teloran said, apparently having not noticed Kylo's sudden discomfort.
"You're unable to interrogate the prisoner yourself?" Kylo asked. He had a passing thought that this was to be his role now. Advanced Inquisitor. Supreme Torturer.
"We have, my lord." Teloran said. "However, as the highest ranking officer of Jinata Security forces, he has been very resistant to the droids."
Torture droids. It seemed a common plague of the First Order that no one was able to do anything themselves. With great innovation came great laziness, he supposed. Contract killers were they all, only the contracts got passed from one hand to the next. His now. The bloodiest? Probably his own.
Not by a long shot, kid.
Kylo whipped his head around, the voice seeming to come from all directions in the hall. His hand hovered over his lightsaber, ready for combat. Commander Teloran and the troopers stood at attention, deaf to the gently sarcastic tone.
"My lord?" Teloran indicated the way ahead, eyeing the light saber warily. Kylo straightened and resolutely followed him to the prisoner, ignoring the nagging tingle in the back of his mind.
Around the corner, the tight quarters of the hallway suddenly opened up into a vast room. Kylo looked up to silvered, vaulted ceilings, strung with chains and various implements of pain. The primitive tools cast foul shadows over the polished floor, and Kylo realized exactly what sort of training occurred here. With these methods, it was a wonder any made it into the Order's ranks, let alone remained. This absolutely would not continue, regardless of the Project's status. Resurrection, indeed. This place was a nightmare designed to produce hollowed out shells. It made him physically ill.
In the middle of the room was a metal slab table, occupied by a male aqualish. His hands and feet were bound. To either side of the table were small pools of blood.
"Leave us," Kylo said. Commander Teloran bowed again, before exiting with the troopers in tow. Kylo looked around the room, taking note of the pristine quality of the walls and floor. Except for Captain Domba's own blood, congealing below him, the room was immaculate, belying its purpose. Kylo approached the foot of the table, making mental note of the prisoner's injuries. Any aggressive exertion of the Force could drive a sentient being insane if they were healthy, let alone physically and mentally damaged from the start. Captain Domba lay completely still, all four eyes closed. His breathing was even and measured, if very labored.
"I know you're awake, Captain." Kylo spoke softly. His voice didn't echo, as expected. The interior must have been constructed with noise dampening material - and why not? Perhaps the sound of screaming had a tendency to lower the morale of the other students ?
"Just biding my time." Domba said. He opened his eyes, large, inky pools of black in a sea of mottled green. Kylo hadn't met enough aqualishto distinguish whether that was the man's actual skin color or if it was a sign of disease.
"What are you waiting for?" Kylo asked curiously.
"The end."
"I'm not here to bring you death, Captain." Kylo said. "But that's not what you mean by the end, is it?"
"Why did you come?"
Kylo thought about his answer. Officially, his presence was requested as back up to stamp out the Jinata rebellion. Now, he thought there might be more than one way to skin a bantha.
"This planet belongs to the First Order," Kylo said. "I'm here to ensure the transition goes smoothly." Domba snorted, blood bubbling out his mouth, below the protruding tusks.
"This planet was loyal the Empire, and to the First Order. And both failed us."
Kylo nodded.
"And if Hask were still alive, I'd have him in this room instead of you." Kylo said. Domba frowned. "It's unwise to forcibly remove a governing body without a replacement in mind." As the words left his mouth, the memory barreled into him, unbidden and unwelcome.
She hovered, kneeling in front of him, sweat beading on her forehead as she pleaded silently for both their lives. With the flick of his fingers, his grandfather's lightsaber burst into life. Kylo felt the moment it tore through Snoke's body, as though it were ripping through his own. But it wasn't pain. It was triumphant satisfaction.
"I'm going to be blunt, Captain." Kylo said, his voice more harsh than he intended, trying to banish the memory of his betrayal. "There are two ways this can end. The Jinata can continue in their grudge against the First Order and be put down by the armed troops waiting just minutes outside atmo." Kylo pointed his finger upward. "Or, they can step forward and accept the rule of the Order, as manifested by Commander Teloran."
Captain Domba's breathing was heavier, a gurgling sound emerging from between his tusks. Kylo leaned closer to him, just far enough away to avoid the splatter of blood and saliva with each exhale. He extended his hand over the captain's face, focusing his energy. The aqualish's mind was easy to see, as well as four different Jinata squadrons. Such extraction need not be painful, and Kylo had no intention of hurrying the captain's death. There was no resistance, no wall to break through. The images came to him as though through a holopad.
"It can't be easy, sheltering 400 officers in the Alasian Pass. It looks to be an unforgiving environment." Kylo pulled the information from Domba's mind and retreated, giving the captain complete autonomy in his decision. "Now I have what I came for. But you, you're dying, Domba." Kylo whispered. "Don't take your people with you."
Minutes later, with a bloody, choking cough, Domba gave the stand down order to his security squadrons. A tentative ceasefire was declared. Kylo released his restraints, moments before Domba's heart stopped.
Commander Telaron surveyed the bloody body with distaste, and remained a safe distance away, as though the fluids might somehow defy gravity and stain his uniform.
"Commander, you will arrange negotiations with the Jinata. This is over."
"Yes, Supreme Leader."
Kylo looked around the training room, at the unmarred walls, the perfectly polished stone floor. Not a scratch, not a stain, nothing to indicate the horrors that occurred here. He wondered if there was ever a time that this was something he would have been ok with. Did it matter? He hated it now. Before he could rationalize a way out of it, his lightsaber was drawn and ignited, the red glow and crackling energy burning out the disgust he felt. Commander Teloran pulled a hasty retreat, his officers following him out of the room and down the halls. The storm troopers remained at the entrance, waiting. Maybe they were so accustomed to Kylo's destructive tendencies, that what followed didn't faze them. And what followed was sheer destruction for the sake of it. Kylo dragged his saber along the brilliant shine of the floor, sparks flying as deep, burning scars were ground into the stone. He hacked at the walls, gouging them apart until their very structure became questionable. Every swing and strike of his saber tore new holes into the room, until it finally bore the marks of its sins. Satisfied, he retracted his weapon and walked out of the room. Without a single murmur, without hesitation, the troopers turned to follow.
"Now it's over." Kylo muttered.
Hours later, Kylo re-boarded the Finalizer . He gave orders to remain in orbit around Vardos, in case of a last minute resurgence of J-Sec rebels, but he doubted that would happen. The Jinata had been wary, but relieved to emerge from the wilderness of their hideout. With a new treaty between them in the works, the planet once again belonged to the First Order. As Supreme Leader, it could be called his planet. He didn't investigate the reasons why he couldn't claim it.
"Supreme Leader, I've just received report that our troops are retreating from Vardos." The light of the holoprojection didn't do Hux's pallor any favors. "Why are we not pursuing the Jinata?"
Kylo thought that in any other situation, Hux might have stamped his feet like a child throwing a temper tantrum. That was it. The image was burned into his brain. Kylo knew it was only a matter of time before Hux tried to murder him, but the mental hissy fit he knew the general was having made it impossible to take him seriously.
"An intact, viable planet with a successful governing body that is loyal to the First Order is much more valuable than a burning husk of rock floating in space, General." Kylo responded. Hux seethed, which only delighted Kylo more.
"We are not here to make allies, my lord." Hux said.
"No? What would you like to rule, General Hux? A galaxy of the dead? A vast cemetery of wasted potential?" Kylo narrowed his eyes. There were only so many times he could Force choke the man before it would grow old and tiresome. Today was not that day. Hux's hands flew to his throat as he wheezed.
"As you deem worthy, Supreme Leader."
Kylo released him and severed the connection. The officers on the deck hastily returned to their duties, or at least pretended to. He thought it was a good thing to remind everyone that he was more than just the head of a military body. He thought it might keep Hux's - or anyone else's - homicidal tendencies in check - for a little while at least.
His quarters aboard the Star Destroyer were much the same as the one he maintained on the Supremacy. As the new Supreme Leader, he'd forgone the opulence favored by his former master, valuing privacy above all else, no matter the size or view. And what a thing privacy was.
Kylo couldn't remember the last time he was left to his own thoughts. He removed his cloak, his belt, and outer coat. Left in a loose black tunic and pants, he sat heavily on the edge of his bed. The silence around him, inside of him, was immense. At once wondrous and terrifying. He poked and prodded at the edges of his mind, like you would a wound. Continually checking for the extent of damage. Or healing. It was like he was testing it, baiting himself. He found himself doing this frequently everyday, each time withdrawing hastily, half afraid the cold, rotting voice of his former master would burst through and cut him to shreds. What did it say that he was almost disappointed when that never happened?
Satisfied that he was still alone, he leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. Kylo was beyond exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. He knew his own strengths and weaknesses. Diplomacy fell firmly into the latter.
Coulda had me fooled.
Kylo was off the bed, bent low in a defensive crouch, lightsaber ignited. He turned slowly, searching for the voice, muscles coiled tight for the attack. Nothing. His rooms were bare.
Don't ruin the moment. You did good, kid.
It wasn't enough to have had his mind invaded since he was a child. Now he was hearing voices. Not voices. One voice.
"Show yourself, old man!" Kylo snarled into the darkness. No response. Predictable. Even in death, the bastard liked to play games. "Coward!"
He felt the edges of the room disappear into a low thrumming buzz. A small, stifled intake of breath told him he really wasn't alone in his room. He turned slowly to face her. She sat near the entrance, legs crossed, the broken halves of his grandfather's lightsaber in her hands. She looked different than when he last saw her, almost three weeks ago. Her hair was pulled into a messy knot at the top of her head, strands hanging down, sweaty, in her face. Was she thinner?
"Who are you talking to?" Rey asked.
A/N - Formatting on this site is really getting me down. If anyone has any tips and tricks on how to maintain styles from the parent file, please let me know. Apologies for the previous chapter's multiple uploads and such.
So, disclaimer is that I've never seen or read anything outside of the theatrical trilogies. Everything else is research done online, and that disclaimer will apply throughout this story. So, if you see any errors, please tell me! Also, the quick updates that are going to be happening for the first few chapters probably won't be maintained forever. I have the first few chapter written already, you see. Other than all of that, happy reading! Let me know what you thought.