The Private arrived on the bridge. He wasn't sure why General Hux ordered him to summon Kylo Ren, when instead a simple holo-communication or announcement would do, but he wasn't stupid enough to question superior command. Often times the higher the rank, the crazier the person, and General Hux was surely a few bolts shy, and that went especially for Kylo Ren. A few bridge crewmembers gave him anxious looks as he approached the cloaked force-user, standing motionless as he had for the past few days. As he approached him, the Private slowed to a slow crawl, his insides twisted into a knot, his skin grew clammy, his legs were quite literally shaking in his boots. Every instinct told him to make a mad dash as if his life depended on it, which, if the rumors around Kylo's attitude around personnel that displeased him had any merit to them, might be truer than he knew. He was soon in arms reach of him, and yet he remained as still as a statue. The Private opened his mouth to speak when: "What is it?" Kylo asked. The deep distortion of his voice sent a chill down his spine that coursed through his entire body "I... erm…" the private stuttered out. Kylo's presence was overwhelming him like a storm, he just couldn't find his voice. After a short while, Kylo grew impatient. "Out with it, Private." He demanded. The Private flinched. He took a deep breath and tugged on his collar, still shaking in terror. "M-my lord… Gen-General Hux reque-quests your presence at…at once." He managed to say. Kylo unfolded his arms and turned to face the Private, completely towering over him. The Private couldn't see anything behind the black visor, and that made the fear he felt all the more real. No signs of anything resembling human, just a mask personifying the monster behind it. "He sent you… a Private…to fetch me?" he asked threateningly. The Private was completely paralyzed with fear. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't even think. Kylo looked down on this insect for a while longer, then grew bored of the matter and begrudgingly headed for Hux' office. The Private remained in his trance as the bridge doors closed, standing motionless in the same spot as his phobia once had.
General Hux was shifting through reports when Kylo Ren barged into his office. "Have you grown so lethargic that you would send newborn cadets, all but ready to piss themselves, just to summon me like some mongrel pup?" he demanded, bordering on yelling. Hux merely sipped his tea and closed the door with the press of a button. He put his cup down and looked Kylo right in his visor. "I have come to learn the reason as to how Starkiller Base was infiltrated and destroyed, I dared not leave this room unattended, nor would I use any holo-communication, lest someone else favors to listen in." he explained. Kylo tilted his head back. "Spies?" he suggested. Hux nodded. Kylo slowly walked to the front of Hux' desk. "So instead of communication, you send some fresh Private to ask for me in person, on the bridge, where the rest of the bridge-crew reside?" he asked menacingly. Hux leaned over his desk. "The personnel are aware of our rather, volatile nature towards one another, so sending the Private wasn't too out of the ordinary." He countered. Kylo hummed in response. Hux looked satisfied. "Now…" he turned towards his monitor. "A trusted source of mine has informed me that Starkiller Base's shields were shut down from within. The Resistance scum were not privy to the access codes to the shields prior to the attack. Therefore, they received them from one of ours." He explained. Kylo tilted his head. "An infiltrator?" he said, just above the volume of a whisper. Hux looked back to Kylo. "Indeed. And it very well might be possible that they escaped the destruction of the base and are still operating for The Resistance." He warned. Kylo began to slowly pace, why hadn't he sensed this? "Have you drafted any leads?" he asked. Hux shook his head. "I'm compiling a list, we'll soon know enough to expose the traitor, and do away with them. In the meantime, I believe we should alter our plan of attack. The element of surprise may no longer be an ally to us. We must come out of lightspeed further away from the planet, survey their formation, find a weakness." He detailed. Kylo shook his head. "It doesn't matter if they know we're coming, we still have the superior numbers, any attempt to anticipate us would be a useless gesture. We'll simply overrun them." he countered. Hux' shook his head back. "What if they bring in allied reinforcements?" he asked. Kylo stopped pacing in front of Hux' desk. "They have no one to turn to. No one would dare help them after our display of might against The New Republic." He stated. Hux' brow furrowed. "You're forgetting we lost that weapon to The Resistance." He countered.
Kylo balled his fists. "And whose fault was-" he began. Then he felt it, that familiar feeling. A tremor in the force, he knew it well. His knights were calling out for him. Hux noticed the change in his demeanor. Kylo looked back towards him. "I must take my leave. We stay on course, continue your work here." He commanded. Before Hux could say another word, he was out the door.
Kylo traveled to the turbolift. He inputted a special code into the directory, one reserved only for his use. It was a long ride down, but eventually the turbolift reached the special floor. The floor was only one hallway and a chamber, crafted specifically for Kylo and his knights. Kylo traveled down the hallway and opened the doors to the chamber, he was greeted by a void of blackness. He stepped into the chamber as the doors closed behind him, he was all but engulfed in darkness. A lesser being would have been overwhelmed with fear, crushed by its depths. Kylo Ren however, was no lesser being. "Arise, my Knights of Ren." He commanded. Red lights slowly began to illuminate both the room, and the knights. From left to right, there was Nacht Ren, Abgrund Ren, Torva-Messor Ren, Ma'el Ren, Vatra Ren, and Sinlos Ren. The knight dubbed Vatra spoke first. "We grow restless, Master." She hissed. Nacht spoke next. "Skywalker has returned." he uttered. They all twitched as if their skin had been wrapped on incorrectly. Kylo nodded. "I have sensed it for myself, so he has." He stated. Nacht turned his head towards Kylo. "Our mission has failed, then." he said dismissively. Kylo turned to face him directly. "You lack adaptability, brother. Let the old fool have his reunions, we'll kill them all the same. They are nothing but ants in the face of a lion." He announced. The knights seemed to grow less agitated, save for one. Torva-Messor stood and strode towards Kylo. "You all can stomp on the ants to your satisfaction, but the old man is mine, and mine alone." he proclaimed. Kylo took a step forward and stared him down. "No. He is more powerful than you know, we face him together." He stated. Torva cocked his head to one side. "Growing soft, are we, 'Master?'" he challenged. The other knights swayed from side to side, feeding off the tension in the chamber. Torva continued. "If you lack the spine, perhaps I might remove it from you, and proclaim a new 'Master of Ren.'" He threatened. Even though Torva was larger than him, Kylo didn't flinch in the least. "Must we go through this exercise, again?" Kylo asked with menace. Before Torva-Messor could react, Kylo froze him in place, and slowly pushed him back to his place in the chamber, his boots grating against the floor the whole way. Kylo turned to his other knights. "In the past, Skywalker and The Resistance have always managed to drive us back or elude us. No more. This battle, we end it. No more retreats, no more defeats. Today, we will bathe in the despair we inflict upon our foes, we will teach the galaxy what it means to fear The First Order, and we will wipe out those petulant remnants of the Jedi religion once and for all!" he stated. He let go of Torva, causing him to stumble back into the wall, then turned and left his knights to rest for the upcoming battle.
Kylo rode the turbolift back to the upper levels of The Supremacy. Suddenly his breath grew ragged, and he put his hand on the wall for support. He took a moment to recover. Kylo closed his eyes, you must never show weakness in front of your subordinates, no matter what. He recomposed himself before the doors opened again, he made a silent promise as he strode out onto the open floor, to see this through to the end, no matter what his grandfather's words were.