Chapter Text
Kylo Ren stood alone in the cold dark room beside the towering holo-image of Supreme Leader Snoke. The holo-images of General Hux flanked by Captain Phasma and Lieutenant Mitaka appeared in front of him. Kylo Ren remained hidden to all but Snoke. It was a measure of how much Kylo Ren had regained Snoke’s trust that he was allowed to participate in the holo-meeting, albeit not physically by his master’s side.
“General Hux. The completion of the Dastron Forces does not appear to be on schedule,” Snoke said. His voice held an air of benign enquiry but Kylo Ren knew Snoke was furious. The hunt for Skywalker had come so close only to have his location slip through their fingers. Their retaliation against the Resistance had been swift and harsh over the past six months. The Resistance was on the run but even an army of the Frist Order’s size needed resupply. Their forces were not yet returned to full capacity after Starkiller Base.
“I assure you Supreme Leader, the anomaly has been noted and we have made our own enquiries…”
Snoke’s lip twitched and a half raised forefinger pointed at Hux was his only indication of annoyance. Hux stopped mid-sentence on seeing it.
“The First Order is not a money pit for criminal organisations to feed off. You need to do more than make enquiries General.”
Hux straightened his back and his eyes narrowed. “There have been reports of Resistance activity near the Dastron System. Perhaps a show of force from the First Order is required. A reduced fleet here will see to the last of the Resistance in this sector now.”
Snoke nodded. “Agreed.” Kylo Ren waited for his master to continue. He had spent the last six-months in strict training. His body still bore the brunt of that training. Other scars had appeared in places less visible than the one left by the scavenger. His mind and body had been honed and hardened and any weaknesses rooted out and crushed.
“My servant Kylo Ren will accompany you on this mission.” Kylo Ren had been expecting this and so he had moved forward closer to Hux’ holo-image, almost in the officer’s face. Kylo was taller than Hux and so when his image appeared to the others, Kylo Ren was satisfied to see the alarm in Hux’ face on seeing his masked visage staring down at him from such proximity.
Hux recovered quickly and looked past Kylo up at Snoke.
“As you wish Supreme Leader.” Hux clicked his heels together and stood at attention. His image and those of his officers disappeared. Kylo Ren turned to Snoke and awaited instruction. Snoke was silent for a while. His voice was low and benevolent when he finally spoke.
“I look upon you with great hope Kylo Ren, but there is still the matter of Skywalker and now this scavenger.”
Kylo Ren remained unmoved by the reference to the Jedi and the young woman who was now likely to be his student.
“They must be destroyed.”
Kylo Ren had forsaken his compassion but he had not forsaken his instinct.
“The scavenger, she is tempted by the power of the dark side. I felt it in her.”
Snoke waved a hand in dismissal. “She is of no interest to me.”
Kylo Ren knew he would be a fool to push on this any further but the desire to teach her plucked at him. Snoke scowled down at him, knowing his thoughts as he always did. “She will not be your student. She will die beside Skywalker. Now go.”
Kylo Ren bowed his head and the image of Snoke disappeared. Alone in the dark room now he stood impassive and unmoving. He thought of the girl who had defied him and clenched his fist. Inside he felt the bitterness of his defeat and ensuing punishment. At first he let the feelings rage and then recede leaving his heart hardened. He pushed away the thought of the man whose life he’d taken only to find a pitiful gaping hole left inside instead of the strength he’d hoped for. He focussed his fury against those who had undermined him on that day. A Stormtrooper who had become a traitor, a pilot who had escaped and a girl who had rejected and scarred him. They would each pay, with their lives. His weakness would be no more.
General Hux was sure Kylo Ren had seen his alarm for just a moment when he’d appeared in front of him in the holo-conference. Snoke’s dark servant always unnerved him. In spite of his relative youth, he still held the power to intimidate. The problem was that Kylo Ren had a pedigree in power that was as high as his own as it was different. Kylo Ren knew how the game was played, and how the rules could be broken with impunity. One thing Hux was sure of was the loyalty of his officers to him above Ren. He had been sure of the loyalty of his Stormtroopers too until one…
“Captain Phasma. We may have a lead on FN-2187.”
A technician stood to attention at the rear of the main deck. He held a schematic out to the Captain. General Hux stopped as the Captain also stopped and took the proffered piece of equipment. Hux knew that the full database on Stormtroopers had taken a while to reconstruct after Starkiller. Much had been lost and not just military hardware but information as well. Locating the traitor had had to wait.
The Captain perused the information and nodded and thanked the technician who retreated. She turned to Hux.
“Blood isotopes specific the FN-2187 were detected on the planet Corellia only 24 hours ago. Security footage identified a man fitting his description boarding a small freighter bound for the planet Umarin.”
General Hux allowed himself a hint of a smile. There was one thing he’d still like to fix after the Starkiller disaster. He looked at Phasma. He couldn’t see the expression on her face behind the chrome mask but he suspected it would give away as much as her current body language, feet comfortably apart but body tipped slightly forward, at ease but filled with latent tension.
“And you would like permission to go after him.”
“It is my duty to account for every one of my Stormtroopers under my command.”
General Hux nodded. Captain Phasma had been overpowered by some giant alien furball called a Wookie, while FN-2187 and Han Solo had forced Lieutenant Hadrel to take down the shields on Starkiller base. The lieutenant had been killed at the base and the Captain had only barely gotten out alive after being thrown into a garbage chute. He figured her desire to retrieve FN-2187 was more personal than professional. Hux had wondered at first if she had told him everything about what happened on Starkiller base but there had been no way of checking the facts after the planet exploded into a star. She had been an exemplary officer both before and after that incident and so he was inclined to believe her.
“I would like to get my hands on the traitor as well,” General Hux said. He thought about the logistics.
“I could take a shuttle to Umarin and arrest FN-2187 and then return before we rendezvous with Kylo Ren.”
General Hux grimaced. “At least you would be bringing a passenger on board I would be happy to see.” The Captain remained still. She would never think of questioning her superiors.
“If you leave now I will have co-ordinates sent to you for our rendezvous with Kylo Ren. That will give you plenty of time to retrieve our deserter before we head to the Dastron system.”
Captain Phasma remained still for a moment longer.
“Is there anything else,” Hux said.
“We recently confiscated the ship of a bounty hunter after he failed in returning his last mark. I think this ship would provide cover so as not to cause suspicion when we land on Umarin. I believe the element of surprise would be in favour of a quick resolution to this matter.”
No doubt Captain Phasma had already fitted out the ship with her own details Hux thought and was eager to take it for a spin.
“Very well. If you’re not back before we leave be sure not to miss the pickup point.” The Captain saluted and stepped back before she turned and strode from the main deck with what seemed to Hux like a spring in her step.
Hux turned back to his office. He would need to make sure Kylo Ren didn’t find out that they had FN-2187 back in custody. He didn’t need him messing with the traitor’s head before he was reconditioned. As far as Hux was concerned Kylo Ren was a problem he didn’t need.
Rey woke with a start. She sat up looking about in the dark. He was leaving. She wanted to call him back but when she opened her eyes he was already gone.
“Rey.” The familiar voice from the other room of their shelter pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Luke.”
“What did you see?” he called out in a gruff, sleep edged voice.
Rey squeezed her eyelids together trying to catch the images of the vision.
“You must write it down,” Luke said.
Rey ran a hand through her sleep mussed hair. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her. She could make out Luke’s shadow in the doorway of the tiny room she slept in. The shelter they inhabited provided small comforts but comfort wasn’t the aim.
Rey closed her eyes again and let the vision flow.
“It was my grandfather. He spoke to me.”
The lamp beside her bed began to glow. “You must write it down,” Luke insisted. Rey nodded. She looked about her for her datapad. She picked it up from the floor beside her bed where she’d left it from the night before looking over an X-wing schematic.
There had been many things she’d seen in dreams since beginning her training and Luke always insisted she write them down. He’d insisted she write down what she’d seen that day in Maz’ castle so they could work on its meaning together. Sometimes she would hear her grandfather’s voice but often they were images and words she didn’t know the meaning of. They were for other times, for meditating on until the Force chose to reveal their meaning to her.
The vision she’d just had seemed more immediate. And someone else had been there too.
“I also saw Kylo Ren.” There was a moment of silence.
“Hmmm,” Luke said. He retreated from her doorway. “Write down as much as you can remember. We will work on it in the morning.”
Rey rubbed at her eyes and focussed on the datapad. The vision had started when she thought she’d woken and walked out on the peninsula that stretched out into the lake of which their little shelter was built on the shores of. There her grandfather had spoken to her of things that were soon to happen.