It was early when Kylo Ren left his room to attend the Executive Board meeting. He knew his entrance would not be too early, which was what he intended. Dark Lords always arrived fashionably late, and Ren liked to stick to that standard. Maybe it was something he had picked up from his father, he was never certain.
His movements were sluggish and he was tired from the lack of sleep he had gotten. Last night his mind had been full of thoughts about Rey, and he had picked apart every detail that had happened that day. Their passionate kisses had been locked in his mind, and it had played over and over like a hologram stuck on repeat. The feeling of her lips was something he couldn't forget – and it haunted him wherever he went. He wanted to kiss her again and his desires couldn't deny it.
He couldn't wait for this meeting to end, for then he would get to see Rey again and that made the Dark Lord a tad nervous. It was not fear of her that was holding him, but rather this excited anxiety of delving into a changing companionship. He was nervous about what would transpire between them today. He was nervous of how exhilarating and calming it was to be in her presences – it was a paradox he couldn't understand. He was nervous of this new effect Rey was starting to have on him, everything about her was intoxicating – her, face, her eyes, her skin, her lips, her smell, her voice and her power.
When he finally arrived at the Executive Council meeting, things were in disarray. General Hux was trying to call the meeting to order, but there was too much arguing and talking. The officers were debating among themselves who would make most viable candidates for Major Brandson's replacement. A few times Kylo Ren heard Captain Phasma's name resonate through the noise. He couldn't be happier that things were falling into place as they should.
The Dark Lord's eyes brushed over the officers, and to his surprise Major Harding was even present. The Major's leg was in a brace, but otherwise he looked fine. He must have gotten to the medical bay in time to fix his leg up. If Harding had been compliant from the beginning, he could have avoided a lot of grief.
The loud obnoxious banter was starting to get to Ren. These officers were wasting his time chatting, and he was an impatient man. Angrily, Kylo pulled out his lightsaber and turned it on and scraped the blade against the floor. As he did so, sparks of molten metal showered across the table, and the room went dead silent. The sound of his lightsaber's rhythmic hum filled the emptiness where conversation had once been.
"I'm glad we could calm things down." Kylo Ren said as his eyes swept over the other officers. He turned his saber off and attached it back on his belt. The others were looking at him with fearful glances – just as they should be.
Hux cleared his throat. "I would like to call this meeting to order. We have old business to discuss, but before we get to that, I would like to address some new business. Major Brandson died from a drug overdose, so we must vote in a new member to replace him."
"I will open the table up for suggestions." The General said authoritatively, as his eyes skimmed over the Council.
There was a thick silence, and Kylo refused to nominate Captain Phasma. She had even suggested he just simply vote for her so he didn't draw too much suspicion to himself. But with no one speaking up, he wasn't certain if he should just nominate her himself.
Finally Major Justicin spoke up, he was a mousy man, who had a brilliant mind for tactics. "I would like to nominate Captain Phasma as a candidate."
The room remained still, until General Hux spoke. "I will allow the nomination of Captain Phasma to be discussed. Any opinions?"
"I think she would make an excellent addition to the Council. She's worked hard for three years without any addition to her rank." It was Colonel Dawson that ironically spoke. He was one of the men Kylo had threatened to vote for her.
General Hux's eyebrow rose just a little in curiosity. "We have two in favor. Should we take a vote?"
"I think we should proceed with a vote." Major Harding prompted. The man's eyes never left Kylo Ren. There was layers of suppressed fear in those blue irises of his, Ren could see it.
"All in favor of making Captain Phasma a member of the Executive War Council say Aye."
There was at least ten in agreement including General Hux himself. The redhead give a faint smile as he called things back to order. "Do we have any objections?"
His request was again met with nothing, and it seemed everyone was too afraid to speak against her.
Kylo felt a little smirk surface from under his mask. He had done his job well, it seemed anyone who objected was holding their tongue in trepidation.
"Shall we call Captain Phasma to the meeting? After all she is our newest member and her opinions should be valued." Kylo asked, he liked the idea of Captain Phasma's being involved and she deserved to be here with the rest of them.
Hux narrowed his eyes at the Dark Lord before he spoke again. "Of course, how could I forget. Colonel Dawson, please call Captain Phasma here and excuse her from her duties."
The Colonel nodded and left the room to call Captain Phasma. It wasn't long until he returned with Captain Phasma in his presence. She was adorned in her usual silver armor that reflected the whole room in her wake. There was an eagerness in her gait as she took a seat next to General Hux.
"Now that the Captain is here, we can discuss our old business. We need to finalize a time to destroy D'Qar and the Illeniemm System. Our intelligence was reported that the Resistance is gathering their troops on D'Qar as we speak. They are mounting a counter strike against us." General Hux reported.
"Let them," Kylo said calmly. "If we allow them to rally themselves we will kill more of those rats, which means we spend less time cleaning them up."
"That's a fair point." Captain Phasma agreed. "I know what it's like to have to clean up. I suggest we let them rally just a few days longer before we strike. We know once we kill them they'll be wiped off the map."
The look on the General's face was pure shock. Obviously he hadn't expected both Kylo and Phasma to team up against him. "But we can't handle an assault too large," Hux countered. "We shouldn't wait," the General said adamantly.
"If you're worried, we can have Captain Phasma increase the shields around the thermal oscillator. That should bolster our defenses." This time it was Major Harding that spoke, and he supported their plan to Ren's surprise. The Major was just trying to make amends for his lack of cooperation with Kylo himself.
"If we wait with the attack, we will probably spend six months cleaning up what's left of the Resistance. If we strike now we will spend a year destroying them," Captain Phasma said matter-of-factly.
The officers seemed to mutter their agreement amongst each other. Captain Phasma seemed to be appealing to the Council more than Kylo expected for a new member.
The look of discontent on Hux's face was undeniable. Even as they had a majority vote to delay the attack, the irritation was still visible on Hux's face. Captain Phasma was proving to be a steadfast ally in which Kylo Ren had not predicted.
General Hux adjourned the meeting in frustration. He was a man who liked to be in control, and having things going his way was always what happened at these meetings. Captain Phasma's ideas that went against his wishes had obviously pissed him off.
Kylo Ren left the Council chambers and was about to head to the cell block where Rey was, but Captain Phasma stepped in front of him. She was tall and it was odd looking another trooper in the eyes. It was rare that anyone was as tall as him or taller; Kylo Ren quite enjoyed towering over everyone else here.
"Lord Ren, I wanted to thank you for helping me. I know I was a bit harsh the last time we spoke, but I would never have gotten where I was without you. Even though women are allowed in the ranks, it doesn't mean everything is fair. I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to be the first woman on the Executive Council." She sounded quite humble which was different from their previous encounter.
"Just don't blackmail ever again." He stated, sharply. "And – you're welcome."
Captain Phasma straightened herself just a little more. "I had never blackmailed anyone before, and I was more nervous than I would admit. You have my word, I won't do it again. And I promise, I'll try my best to keep the girl in cell 110 safe."
Kylo nodded his approval. "You better protect her." He warned, even with his synthetic voice he was surprised how aggressive his voice sounded. "If she's so much as missing a few hairs on her head, you'll be answering for it."
"Of course, my Lord." With that Phasma left in a hurry. It seemed she was heading straight to the cell block, probably to check on Rey. Kylo couldn't stop a smirk that appeared under his mask. Soon he would be visiting Rey to continue her training, and in all honesty he was a little nervous.
After yesterday, everything had changed between them. Their kiss had drastically re-sculpted their relationship. He had expected his bold kiss to be met with resistance, most likely a slap to the face. But instead Rey had kissed him back with equal desire. Now every time Ren thought of the scavenger girl – excitement and slight anxiety would flare up inside him. It was inane to be anxious, but he couldn't ignore or deny the existence of his growing fondness for her.
"It seems you and Captain Phasma have some type of agreement going on between you," Kylo's attention was called from a particular redhead that was standing behind him.
"Nothing is going on between us," Ren insisted to the General.
"You two seemed to take sides against me very quickly," Hux said bitterly.
"Maybe because we both have worked together frequently and have a similar understanding of what it's like to have to fight out there," Ren liked to perturb General Hux as much as possible, it was his duty to keep Hux sharp.
"I know you two think you're superior to me, but I'll have you know I've been studying tactics for longer than you can imagine. I know what's best for this order and waiting to attack isn't," Hux said with vigor.
Kylo couldn't help but smile under his mask. It was entertaining how upset Hux was, and Ren knew the General was frustrated at how little control he'd had at the meeting. Kylo wanted to apply pressure to Hux's wounded pride.
"We voted, and it seems the Council thinks waiting is best," he concluded, smugly.
The General turned a brilliant shade of magenta, and his eyes became livid. "You just suggested the idea so you could spent extra time with your new fascination," Hux spat.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I suggested what was best for the First Order." Ren felt his shoulders tighten. He tried to relax himself, but there was something so unnerving about Hux bringing Rey into their confrontation.
"If you think you can keep the girl safe from me, you're wrong," the General hissed maliciously. "I will make her give me the map, and I prove I'm better than you to the Supreme Leader."
"You so much as touch Rey, you'll regret it. The Supreme Leader has let me have her. I will bring her to the Dark Side and get the map. You know I always get what I want," Ren fought back. Even though he threatened to bring Rey to the Dark Side, he wasn't certain he had the strength to fulfill his claim. She was too good, too pure but he wasn't going to inform Hux of his own internal turmoil.
Hux stood at attention, his hand crossed behind his back. "I know you always get what you want. You've been handed everything by the Supreme Leader without having to work for it, and I will prove to him that you can't handle the responsibility."
Kylo Ren felt his fists involuntarily clench. The audacity of General Hux was sickening, and Ren had to physically stop himself from choking Hux. "Stay out of my business," Kylo hissed under his mask. "You touch Rey and I'll destroy you personally."
"You wouldn't dare, you're threats are empty." Hux shot back – his face was beginning to paint itself a bright shade of red.
"Test me," Kylo growled. "Try taking Rey from me and see what happens," his voice sounded nothing short of feral.
"You shouldn't make threats you won't be able to hold." General Hux said, and he slowly backed away. "I will prove to the Supreme Leader which one of us is more efficient. I promise it won't be you."
[A/N]: Hey guys, sorry for the delayed chapter, I got the flu so I was writing a lot slower. Thank you for all the support and wonderful reviews! I know this chapter was a tad slow, but next chapter there will be an explosion of action, so stay tuned! If you have time please leave a quick comment about what you thought of the chapter. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read, have a good weekend! :)