A/N: This story is rolling right along! This chapter will probably be a couple of parts lol Thanks for your patience on updating this one! Hope you enjoy!

Idiot: Ben

Chapter 7: Insight Pt 1

Hours passed since his meeting ended with corporate side of SPD. He'd been sitting there, staring at the books, trying to figure out numbers and see why everything was in the crapper. He knew money was not adding up, but he still couldn't find where it was. He hated doing math, if he had to be honest. He would much rather just throw it at someone else than have to deal with it himself, but this was his father's company, his now, and he had to put forth the effort to at least try and figure it out. The company deserved for him to try his hardest. It was his father's last thing he had his hands in besides racing, and he refused to touch that.

There was a knock at the door and his eyes shot to the clock on the wall. 4:50pm. Who was still here? He sighed and sat up straight in the chair. "Come in," he said, stifling a yawn. He saw Esther walk through the door, followed by Alexa. His brow shot up a little in confusion. "What can I do for you, ladies?"

Esther glanced over at Alexa, seeing her fidget more than usual. "Sir... we have a problem," Esther said as she held Alexa's hand to try to comfort her.

Ben's eyes shot over to Alexa. When he really looked at her, he could see that she was holding back tears. Great... he wasn't so great with crying women. He didn't know how to deal with them. "What's the problem?"

Esther squeezed Alexa's hand and softly said to her, "Go on; tell him."

Alexa pressed her lips together tightly and took a steadying breath. "Miki is back..." she whispered. He saw her bite her lip to steady herself and, he supposed, gather courage to say what was next. Ben waited patiently, though he really didn't know what to do with a crying woman that wasn't someone he wanted to put the effort into comforting. "S-she yelled at me and said that I was out for her job... She said that Mr. Hu-Hux told her... that I was making complaints against her and trying to get her fired..." Tears leaked out of her eyes, a strangled sob tearing from her throat. "I didn't do anything of the sort, Mr. Solo! I try not to complain about anything! Why would Mr. Hux say that?"

Esther wrapped her arms around Alexa, attempting to comfort her younger companion. "Mr. Solo, Miki doesn't usually yell, so whatever Mr. Hux told her must have been pretty bad."

Ben nodded with a small sigh, growing increasingly more uncomfortable as Alexa continued to cry. He tried to mask it as best he could, choosing to write notes instead. "And you're sure it was Hux that told Miki-"

"She said so, sir," Alexa said through sobs. "Sir, I promise! I never made any complaints against Miki. I haven't even been here long enough to complain about her! I rarely even see her as it is!"

Ben made a note of that, too. "Don't worry about it, Alexa. I'll speak with Miki and find out what happened. I'm sorry about this issue, on behalf of the company, but I promise you I'll figure it out and make sure it's dealt with."

Alexa gave him a small nod and a soft word of thanks. Esther, however, looked over at him, slightly bolder at the weakened state of her friend. "With all due respect, sir... Wouldn't it be better to ask Hux what he said to Miki?"

He looked at her flatly. He had to remember office politics. He couldn't right out call him a lying, lazy, two-timing worm in front of other employees, so he had to word this carefully. If he didn't, and word got out, he could be facing discrimination allegations and anything else Hux could come up with to slap him with. He sighed softly and shook his head. "I'd prefer to speak with Miki, then Hux, and see if things mesh. Besides, I'm getting to know the corporate side of the company, and how else can I do that besides speaking to those that work in this field?"

Esther thought about it and gave him a small smile. "Mr. Solo, I've been here for several years. Your father was a good man, but, respectfully, very naive." She paused and Ben nodded his agreement, not offended in the least. "However, with what I've seen so far from you, you're putting forth a genuine effort to bring the company together, even in areas where you don't have to. I just wanted to say that I look forward to working with you, sir."

Ben gave her a small grin and nodded at her. "Thank you, Esther." He looked over at Alexa, who seemed to have been getting ahold of herself. "Why don't you two go ahead and go home. Get some rest, take some time."

"But, sir, I can't not work-"

Ben put his hands up gently. "Take a day off work, paid vacation. I'll figure everything out and get it sorted out before you get back."

Alexa calmed down and hesitantly nodded. "Thank you, sir..." she whispered, wiping her eyes and smiling softly at him.

Esther only managed a small grin. She reminded him of his mother. "Just like your father," she laughed softly.

Ben gave her a small grin. "Good night, ladies." They nodded their heads at him and took their leave, Esther whispering some comforting words to her on the way and Alexa giving her a soft giggle in return.

He sighed and wiped his face with his hand. Work was getting more complicated, and it was all because of Hux. The man lived for stirring the pot. He really hated that man. He looked at the clock and shook his head. It was time to go home. He grabbed his phone off the desk and made his way out of the conference room, striding toward his office. With any luck, everyone's forms would be there. He heard a soft sigh coming from the main room and arched a brow. Who was still here? He walked toward the sound and saw a woman with blonde hair pulled into a loose braid sitting at her desk. She looked like she was writing something on a paper. He gently knocked on the wall to her office, causing the girl to jump. Her wide eyes shot over to him and he instantly recognized her. "Miki, what are you still doing here?"

She shook her head with a sigh. "Filling out this paper i was told about. I was told it had to be in today, but I was in a meeting with Mr. Hux since I got back, so..."

Ben nodded quietly. "I appreciate you taking the time to fill it out. What did Hux need to see you for?"

She hesitated and averted her sight back to the paper in front of her. "He was catching me up on what I'd missed over the week..."

"Did this catching up include complaints about a certain employee?" he asked, leaning against the door and folding his arms across his chest. He saw her visibly flinch at the question. "What did he tell you, Miki?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line. "He said that I needed to watch how I act around everyone... that there was a rumor that was started by Alexa that him and I were... intimate..." Ben's eyes widened a hair and he had to fight the nausea at the thought of anyone wanting to be intimate with the soulless moron. "But those rumors are baseless, sir... I'm married and have a kid at home. Why would I jeopardize that with an office fling?"

"What else did he tell you?" Ben asked, slowly reaching his limit with the redheaded idiot's conduct.

Miki shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Nothing's going to be done about it anyway."

Ben sighed in irritation. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened. Does he have proof of these complaints?"

Miki shook her head. "He didn't show me any proof. He only said that it happened."

"And he said that Alexa filed the complaints, all the while you were gone on vacation?" Ben confirmed. Miki nodded. He sighed as he thought about it for a moment. "Have you had any problems with Alexa before?"

Miki shook her head again. "No, sir. She's a great worker. A little shy, but she's good at her job and very friendly and welcoming. That's why I don't understand why this is happening."

"Does it make any sense to you that she would file these complaints while you're gone? If she truly had a problem, why wait until you're gone? She could have just bypassed you and went directly to Hux anyway, right?"

Miki hesitated and thought about it for a moment. She dropped her pen on the desk and ran her hands up her face and into her hair in frustration. "Do you think Mr. Hux... lied to me, Mr. Solo?"

Ben shrugged. "I don't think we can exclude it as a possibility."

She cursed under her breath as she sighed heavily. "I need to apologize to Alexa for yelling at her... I was just so angry and betrayed that I... I wasn't thinking clearly." Ben nodded silently. "Mr. Solo, is there any way you can confirm the complaints? I don't know if Alexa really filed them... she never complains about anything really. But I've never had a complaint filed against me, not a single one. Mr. Hux said that the last receptionist quit because of me, but I didn't do anything," she said softly, defeat heavy in her voice.

"I doubt the receptionist quit because of you." Miki raised her eyes to look at him. "Listen... you've been gone, but in that time, we've discussed changes that need to take place within the company. That's partly why these forms are so important. Everyone will be observed for a time, and some may need a position change or extra training."

Miki frowned. "And what about those that don't fit into the company model?"

Ben stared at her for a long minute, seeing the hidden fear behind her eyes and the discomfort in her body language. "Everyone deserves a chance, Miki. I don't intend to fire anyone so long as they're willing to work with me."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'm... almost done with this."

He nodded and shoved off of the wall he'd been leaning against. "I'm going to my office for a moment. Whenever you're done, just slip it in my box." She nodded. "And, Miki? I don't think Alexa filed those complaints. She's a good girl so I don't think she'd do you dirty like that." Miki gave him a heart-warming smile and nodded at him. He nodded at her and walked away towards his office.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Another restless night. He'd hardly gotten any sleep. He'd called Rey as promised, but he wasn't much company, he realized, as he sat there, skimming through the reports. He hadn't even finished them all, but he knew that there was a growing problem among upper management. Hux was definitely a major problem in many of the reports. He packed up the reports into his bag and left with a sigh as he adjusted his tie around his neck.

The drive to work was uneventful. He rode in silence, finding himself missing Rey more and more. When they talked, she seemed happy, but when they realized they had to hang up, she instantly grew sad. It pained him to hear the sadness in her voice, but she was extremely understanding. Both of them had their work that they had to take care of, and she was as supportive of him as he was with her. He found that he relied on her company. When he made that shift, he wasn't sure, but he knew that the desire to talk to her more was there. The desire to see her again was growing, too, which alarmed him. He tried to convince himself that she was just a really good friend and that he missed the contact outside of work, but deep down, he knew it was something else.

He just refused to accept it.

He walked through the door to the office and saw Alexa smiling brightly at him. "Good morning, Mr. Solo!"

Ben quirked a brow at her. "I thought I told you to take the day off...?"

Alexa blushed and laughed nervously. "Y-yes... you did... I just came to get some of my things I forgot last night. And I got distracted... I'm leaving now. Promise."

He gave her an understanding grin and nodded. "Enjoy your day off, Alexa. See you Monday." She nodded her head respectfully at him and he walked past her to his office with a small sigh. Miki was off, Esther was off, and Alexa was leaving. He pretty much had the place to himself today, with the exception of a few workers that were inconsequential to his silence. He walked into his office, closing the door quietly and perched himself at his desk. He opened the blinds, letting some light shine in his dreary office. Sure, he could switch offices, but this was his dad's office and he couldn't bring himself to move.

He sat down in his chair with a soft sigh, drawing out the papers from his employees. He'd dog-eared some that he wanted to look over again and do some research into, but most of them were unread. He didn't realize he had so many corporate workers, but with these papers, he was glad they were rather obedient. He flipped through the pages, making some notes about any complaints. Most of them were regarding Hux and Miki. Having spoken with Miki, however, he wasn't too keen on believing those complaints. Somehow, Hux had manipulated things so the blame fell off of him and onto Miki. What a coward...

His phone vibed on his desk, drawing his attention to it. He let a small smirk come over him. "Morning!" He texted her back a good morning and looked over at his calendar. He'd been gone a couple of weeks now. These past couple of weeks had been torture. His phone alerted him again and he found he was grateful for the distraction. "Want to work together?" His brows tugged together for a moment and asked her how. A few moments passed and she responded with, "We could work while on the phone?" He smirked a little. A video chat would be better. He shrugged and video called her instead, setting the phone up against his computer as it rang softly. The screen showed him the face he'd longed to see and he gave her a small smirk. "Well, this is a surprise."

"Don't act like you aren't happy to see me," he teased.

She laughed softly and shrugged. "Maybe a little." He grinned and shook his head, going back to his papers. However, he found he couldn't concentrate with her here. He skimmed through the papers silently, listening to the clacking of the keys on her end of the phone. "Are you going to get in trouble doing this?"

He felt one of his brows lift against his will. "Seriously? I own the company. Who's going to fire me?" he snickered.

Her cheeks lit up a soft pink as she rolled her eyes. "Fair point..." She tapped a pen on the other side idly and sighed softly. "How are things going over there?"

"Same as last night." He flicked his eyes over at her and saw her zoning out. "Is everything all right?"

Rey shrugged. "Everything's... fine. I guess. Just work stuff."

"Luke isn't being a jerk, is he?"

Rey gave him a small smile and shook her head. "No, Ben. I'm just experiencing a little office politics is all. Anyway, when-"

"Hey, Rey! Have you seen my- Oh, hey, Ben!" Poe said from the other side as he leaned over Rey's shoulder, shirtless with a grin. "Long time no see, man!"

Ben rolled his eyes at his cousin. "Hey, Poe."

He watched as Poe looked over at Rey, nudging her playfully with a mischievous smirk. "You guys dating yet?"

Rey's cheeks turned tomato red as she punched him in the shoulder. "Shut your stupid face! We're just friends!"

"Uh huh. Friends. That's how it always starts!" Poe teased.

Rey threw, what Ben thought was a stapler at him, earning a yelp in return. "Get out, stupid!" It was silent for a few minutes and Rey eventually grunted and turned back to him. "What are you grinning at?"

Apparently, he wore a grin and didn't realize it. He snickered and shook his head. "That happen often?"

"More than you think."

Ben snickered again and shook his head. He went back to his papers in silence, a permanent grin on his face. He tried to read over another report, but he felt he was being stared at. He flicked his eyes up to his phone to catch her staring at him for only a brief second as she averted her sight off to the side like she was working. He suppressed a grin. "I think once I get a few things done here, I'll be able to visit again. Maybe another month or so."

Rey's eyes lit up as she beamed at him. "Sounds good." Her phone vibed, knocking it down and she cursed under her breath. "Shoot... Ben, I need to go. I'll talk to you later."

Before he could say bye, she was gone. And the room felt more lonely. He brushed it aside as best he could, forcing himself to return to work. It was then that he decided he needed to make a list of things he needed to do before he left to go back to Poe and Rey's. He grabbed a pad of paper with a sigh and plucked a pen from the cup. He wrote his list quietly, pausing only to think of things that needed to be done. So far, he needed to put Ushar through phone training, write up Hux for inciting conflict or instigating a hostile work environment or something, provide additional training for Alexa, collect all the books from the last five years, observe the Ren brothers to determine repositioning, sift through employee survey forms to determine more problems...

He groaned quietly to himself. The list just kept growing... His eyes drifted over to the number for his lawyers and frowned quietly. Could he call them? What would he tell them? That Hux was a pot-stirrer and he wanted him to leave? Pot-stirring was hardly a reason to fire someone. No, he knew that if he fired Hux without just cause, the rest of the company would think he's an irrational dictator. However, he couldn't just let this go. He had to deal with it because he knew that Hux would never change. He groaned and shook his head as he picked up his cell and dialed the lawyer's number.

He waited patiently while it rang, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and wondering if this was the right way to handle this. But at the same time, he didn't know what to do about him. "Council and Tance," answered a woman on the other end.

"This is Ben Solo, with Solo Parts Delivery. I need to speak with either Mr. Council or Mr. Tance on a termination inquiry."

The woman was quiet for a moment as she debated what he said. "Certainly, Mr. Solo. One moment while I connect you."

He waited as he anxiously drummed his pen on the desk, waiting for the lawyer to pick up the phone. The hold music was dull and irritating, but he didn't have to wait long. "Mr. Solo, this is Jhed Council. How may I help you?"

"I have a bit of an issue with an employee. I'm debating termination, but don't want to do it the wrong way. I was wondering if you could offer any insight."

"Well, Mr. Solo, I don't usually handle HR problems-"

"I don't want to speak to HR. I just need to know how I can get rid of him without facing wrongful termination allegations," Ben said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

There was a brief silence on the other end, then a small huff of defeat. "All right. I'll help anyway I can. Why do you want to terminate the employee?"

Why didn't he? Ben realized he needed to keep his personal feelings out of it, and he knew he had to stick to the facts. Opinions had no place in legalities, and he wasn't about to screw himself over right out the gate. "There's quite a few reasons, but mainly, he's inciting a hostile work environment and turning other employees against each other. For the benefit of the other employees, I think it's best that he is terminated. That, and he refuses to follow direct instructions from management."

Jhed sighed on the other end, humming under his breath. Ben heard a squeak, assuming he leaned back in his chair. "It seems that's a tough situation to be in, for sure... Have you done anything to give him a chance to correct this behavior?"

"What do you suggest?"

"Well, in my experience, it's best to document the behavior. Allow it to happen a couple of times, and make sure you have dates and times of the incidents, as well as when you speak to him about it. Make sure to document any witnesses that either observe it or that are involved in bringing it to your attention. Once you have something documented, speak to him privately. Give him an opportunity to talk to you behind closed doors and give him specific examples of what he's been doing, and how it affects the team as a whole. Then, give him the benefit of the doubt. There may be some underlying reason why he's acting this way; and it may be too personal to talk about with his boss. I would suggest asking him if he's ready to be part of the team, or if he's ready to be a positive team player. Once you've done all of that, closely monitor his actions. If his behavior has changed, you've done what you needed to do. Acknowledge their changes and thank him for his effort. If not, it's time to discipline him, and possibly look at termination."

Ben looked over the notes he'd been making as Jhed spoke and he frowned at having to do this with him. He knew that none of this was going to go well with Hux. It may go well with another employee, but Hux was a different animal. He lived for opposition. He dropped the pen on the pad and sighed irritably. "With all due respect, I don't think this will work for this particular employee. He's very strong-minded, and he's very defiant with any and all management. I'll give this a shot, but if this doesn't work, how can I go about terminating him without repercussions?" That was his original question, wasn't it? It seems Jhed had completely overlooked that.

"You said that he's causing an uproar and contributing to a hostile work environment? Has he caused emotional or physical harm to any employees?"

Ben's mind instantly went to Miki and Alexa. "Emotional harm, I believe. He's made a good manager highly insecure about her job and could have caused hostility between worker and management had I not intervened."

"I see. Then that's plenty of reason to fire him if this doesn't work out. But, Mr. Solo... I highly advise you follow the advice I gave you and do things the proper way. If you don't, then the only reasons you can fire him without legal repercussions or paying unemployment are theft, excessive unexcused absences, failing a drug test, coming to work under the influence, safety violations, sexual harassment, and the physical or mental abuse of employees."

"Understood," Ben said with a small smirk. He'd written down all the reasons to fire someone without having to pay unemployment. He'd only hoped that once he observed Hux, he'd find a reason to sack him. "Thank you for the advice, Jhed. I appreciate you for taking the time to speak with me."

"You're welcome, Mr. Solo. If I may... why don't you want to speak to HR about any of this? This is more their department..."

Ben pressed his lips into a thin line. "I believe HR and this man are having an affair. If I'm correct, she'll do whatever it takes to cover for him or sweep something under the rug."

"Ah... that's quite a situation you're in... Well, I wish you luck."

Ben ended the phone call and sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, rereading the list before him. He would need to have this chat with Hux eventually. Today was not that day though. He'd do it Monday. For now, he was going to make sure Ushar got started on that training program. He grabbed his paperwork and stood from his desk before walking out of his office and towards Phasma's. It was a short walk, but he made it there without delay. He knocked at the door and Phasma called from the other side to come in. He observed her office for the first time since he got there.

It was minimal and tidy. Everything had a place. There were books on the shelves about Human Resources topics and Business Psychology and many other things he had no interest in. She sat at her desk, typing at her computer. Her glasses reflected her computer screen and her blonde hair was up in a bun being held up by chopsticks. She looked like a typical secretary. Her eyes flicked up at him and she stopped with her computer. "Oh, Mr. Solo. What can I do for you?"

"I came to tell you that Ushar needs to be started on training Monday. Call him today and tell him that it's a requirement."

"Sir, that's Mr. Hux's jo-"

"I'm well aware of that, but, in case you haven't noticed, he hasn't done a single thing I've told him to do since I got here." She was silent at that, giving a curt nod. "Now, are you going to call him or not?" She hesitantly nodded with a sigh, reaching her hand out to take the file from him. He handed it to her with a nod. "And by the way, it is your job to contact him. Especially when he's a liability. As HR, your job is to maximize productivity and protect the company from any issues arising in the workforce. So, technically, this falls under your jurisdiction."

Phasma gave him a small short smile before schooling her features. "Yes, sir. I'll call him right now."

"Good. And if he refuses, tell him he'll be suspended without pay until I can place him in a different position."

"But, sir, won't the other Ren's quit?" she asked, a brief panic coming through her usually schooled features.

Ben shook his head. "Let me handle the Ren brothers. Just do what I told you and everything will turn out fine. Besides, the suspension will only be until Monday," he said with a smirk. He knew Ushar had a love of money, so he knew that if he suspended him for too long, Ushar would get irritated and realize he had to take Ben up on the training. Phasma nodded quietly. "Great. See you Monday. Call me if you need me." He turned on his heel and Phasma spoke up again.

"Sir, what should I tell Mr. Hux?"

Ben paused with the door open and threw a look over his shoulder at her. "Tell him to call me if he has any concerns." With that, he left her office and left the building to go home.