Fandom Fight for Control [closed]

[cleopat]

Kylo did not like the answer she gave. “And you didn’t have to claim the role at all, in any aspect.” He took a step closer, but no more. “I was ousted when I was their leader, and to come back as something less would be confusing to them as well.”

He didn’t watch his tongue when he should have. Nyx was still more powerful than he, a fact he failed to remember. “It is the role I, myself, have earned.”

Screw their position between one another in privacy, when he trained under her. That mattered little to him in the scope of the First Order. “I know more about the First Order than you do. Ever since we’ve arrived, I have done more to dissuade the officers from relatiation.”

He had been the one to kill Schaeffer. He still killed one Cadet, even if the others escape. And what did she do while I was away?

~~

Oola sat up and clapped her hands together. “Oh, what kind of datapad games?” Valo groaned beside her, but she quickly hushed him. “I’m a sucker for those story games.”

They offered her a distraction from their stark reality, and so she was eager to soak in all of the stupid romance games that she could.

“Naps are a luxury around him, but damn if we don’t enjoy them.” Valo often took his own naps in random nooks and crannies of whatever base they were on. Rarely in his own bed, due to their schedule. He could appreciate a nice nap.

The question was directed back at them. Oola outright laughed at the implications for Valo, while he merely rolled his eyes. Well, she wasn’t wrong, but did she have to point it out?

“I enjoy flying,” Oola said. She would flew anything she could, but her role in the Resistance put her into several different positions as needed, after their numbers dwindled down to nearly nothing.

She stuck a finger in Valo’s direction. “And he enjoys riding.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes once again. “I actually enjoy some holofilms and holobooks, as surprising as it may be. I can be a man of many talents.”

~~

It was a bad situation, all around. Their lives were flipped upside down, and she was to blame for it all.

If Lavinia had never entered the First Order, Kylo may never had been thrown from the Order. Kos’tel’lanni may have never considered learning about the Resistance and betraying her friends. Reveille may have never blown up her own ship. Armitage may have never been falsely labeled as a traitor.

She was to blame for everything.

“I’m just no one with no side to claim loyalty to.” She shrugged off their hands and moved to sit in the co-pilot’s seat. Borran had flown them into the outer atmosphere and prepared for hyerdrive.

“But you still want to help the less fortunate.” Tanis finally spoke up. Lavinia could not deny her statement. That was what motivated her in the very beginning, after seeing how truly horrible the galaxy could be.

But it was a big place. She couldn’t help everyone, or even the population of a singular planet, like Taris.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo Ren was caught in his fury. In his entitlement. No surprise from the grandson of Vader, son of Leia, really. He had a lot of that. How would he react to know it wasn’t at all confusing to the Order that she was the one charge? That none had questioned which of the two were in charge, despite all that Kylo had supposedly done?

Killing Cadets was useful, but it had, in no way, done more for the Order. “I do understand your frustration,” she did, “but you are in the wrong, Commander.” And this time, the use of his position was, for once, meant to refer to his own position in relation to hers.

“Killing the cadets was necessary work, and it is appreciated. Yet it is not all that needed to be done. As you say you know more of the Order, I have learned the leadership and met with them. I have connected them to my own network, and brought the worlds we have taken, into the fold. My other allies, as well, have joined this cause, and learned their place in all of it, just as well.”

Kylo had nothing but himself to bring.

“Without me, the Order would have tossed you out once again. Perhaps this time, they would have killed you. There was no confusion about who is in charge, between the two of us, to them.”

~***~

Oola it seemed was more than eager to continue sharing information. She was a pilot…and also enjoyed ridiculous datapad games. Valo had his holofilms and books, apparently. “I’m sure you can be, Valo.”

All of them were decent ways to escape, and Reveille added a bit to her earlier statement, “It’s the story games as well.” If Oola enjoyed them, then she likely knew plenty about how they were.

She wondered briefly how ridiculous that must make her seem. Pink hair, lemon drops, and now stupid datapad games.

She really needed to get red hair again. Once this was over and she had her ship back.

“Who is one dead person you’d like to have a conversation with?”

~***~

There was one thing the group could agree on: they all wanted to help those less fortunate, and so, Kos’tel’lanni roped herself into their schemes in an effort to unravel what Hux had said about her. In an effort to see how the galaxy could be changed, and if, indeed, there would never be a right time for the Chiss to step in…and if she could find a way to explain to them the need to do so, anyways.

Or if they would forever isolate themselves from all others.

Kos’tel’lanni ended up getting a pair of sunglasses to help mask what she was, as their missions proceeded. It would also help to mask who she was. She went by Chi outside of the ship or with others, since it was a common enough Pantoran name.

She did have to sell the lie.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo’s nostrils flared. Nyx continued to remind him of his position. Calling him Commander. Would he forever be seen as nothing more than someone else’s lackey?

He didn’t want that anymore. He thought he would be able to reclaim the First Order, and had Nyx at his side, but it seemed she thought different, and not backing up on her claims. “You met with them while you distracted me with another mission. The meeting could have waited, and yet you didn’t.”

Nyx had simply been the one to speak up first. Before Kylo got the opportunity to do so. “They’re just need to be reminded of who is in charge. It’s not a position I’ll give up lightly. I refuse to be demoted.”

~~

Oola enjoyed the story games. They provided her a momentary distraction from war, by imagining cliché romantic situations during a period of peace.

One day she hoped to be able to live out those fantasies.

Reveille asked another question. The expression on Oola’s face soured immediately, and she looked away. “I’m done playing this game.”

Valo opened his mouth to say something to Reveille, but the door to the conference room slid open, interrupting him. In walked General Organa, Poe, Finn, and an additional person from their earlier meeting in Leia’s office: Rey. The Jedi who could help bring down Kylo Ren once and for all.

~~

Lavinia forced herself to push to the back of her mind what had happened. She numbed herself so she could continue with the plans of Borran and Tanis, until she could decide what she wanted to do next.

Maybe there wouldn’t be a next plan though. Her friends offered her a place to stay with them if she desired so, which she knew she may end up formally accepting. Where else is she to go? They were all she had left. And Kos’tel’lanni, for however long she would remain with them.

They had all busied themselves with small side jobs in the days since Armitage left. Smaller missions that would end up with another trip to Taris.

For now, they relaxed on the ship as it traveled through hyperspace. Borran and Tanis bantered over a game of dejarik, and Lavinia had thought Borran was winning, but she stopped paying attention long ago. She herself fiddled mindlessly on a datapad.

A message pinged on it. She frowned. The messenger was unknown, but she opened the message anyways. A quick read through. Eyes widening. A sharp inhale of air. “No fucking way,” she breathed.

Borran and Tanis glanced over at Lavinia. “What is it?” Borran asked.

“Reveille Hux is still alive and teamed up with the fucking Resistance.”

 

[Lucyfer]

“It could not have waited, Ren. Quick consolidation was necessary to close gaps and secure our station,” hers, and his – the Nightsisters, and her entire organization, which Kylo seemed to now want to challenge her leadership on.

She quirked a brow. ‘Perhaps you need to be reminded who is in charge.’

“Very well.” Nyx gestured to the door, “You admire Darth Vader. Perhaps we should handle this as Sith, then, as you believe you should have control over my organization,” for it was hers, now. “Though I am not a fan of the Rule of Two, it had its purposes in showing an apprentice when they had outgrown their master.”

And she only called Discord apprentice. Not Kylo. Not any of the Nightsisters.

Kylo wasn’t likely to notice that in the moment. “Are you willing to take your claims so far as that, or are you willing to concede that you still require my presence?"

~***~

Oola’s violent reaction to the question was a curious one. ‘Someone she loved died.’ Likely to the First Order. Reveille assumed that, for the moment. It would come up again. For now, she filed it away for another time, as the party arrived.

She recognized them all.

And one had her stepping away from the table, the dark room suddenly so much smaller, as her gaze fell on Rey. “I never agreed to any meeting with the Scavenger present.” Reveille perhaps didn’t have a say in these matters, but it caught her off guard in the worst way.

She didn’t know Rey, except to know Rey had been the one to defeat Kylo Ren twice. That should have been enough, but she also knew Rey was powerful in the Force. She wouldn’t have beaten Kylo otherwise, and that primal fear reared its head immediately.

Finn arched a brow at her reaction. Fear wasn’t what he expected. Rey must be legendary in the First Order, then! “What, scared of a little scavenger, Grand Marshall?”

~***~

Lavinia’s reaction drew Kos’tel’lanni’s attention.

Her words, however, made no sense.

They were in basic, and she understood each individual word, but Lavinia may as well have been speaking a foreign language. Kos’tel’lanni stared at her, trying to make the words sink into her mind. Reveille – alive?

With the Resistance? Not only with, helping them?

None of that made sense. Even if Reveille was curious over them, Kos’tel’lanni could not imagine her willingly helping the Resistance. “Who is that message from?” She asked, “How are you certain it’s true?”

Kos’tel’lanni was inclined to disbelieve it entirely, but why would anyone tell Lavinia that information if it was a lie? What could it help them with?

 

[cleopat]

“Your organization?” Kylo scoffed. Nyx wasn’t the one to spend many years of her life serving alongside the Supreme Leader of the First Order – he was! “You have not nearly done as much for the First Order as I have.”

She agreed to challenge him on this claim. He furrowed his brows as any logic left his mind in that moment. Kylo should know Nyx could best him at nearly anything he challenged her at, and yet he neglected to remind himself of this fact.

It seemed that Nyx wanted to move this quarrel elsewhere, but why should they? For all he knew, her new quarters worked just as well. The lightsaber was unclipped from his belt.

He didn’t answer her question. One hand shot out, using the Force to throw a nearby chair in her direction before he swung at her with the lightsaber.

~~

The woman who caused such a startling reaction from Reveille tilted her head in confusion as she spoke of how she didn’t want Rey there. She had never met this pink-haired woman before, and yet she could feel the fear that radiated from her.

“You’re not exactly in a position for agreeing to anything.” Poe considered her reaction a bit odd as well. He would’ve surmised that she and Rey met before, but Rey didn’t appear to know her at all.

Leia shot both Finn and Poe a glance. “She needed to be present for our meeting with Governor Tarkin.” She didn’t explain her reasoning. They all knew.

Rey had been the only one to fight Kylo twice, and left with no injuries of her own. Just those she inflicted on Kylo.

As if knowing why Reveille seemed to afraid, Rey spoke out, but did not take a step closer to her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

~~

Lavinia took a second to scan the rest of the message, her eyes widening as more information was revealed. Her sender became obvious at the end of the message, and she knew it was no joke. “It’s from Valo.”

She swallowed, and looked up from the message to glance between the other three. “Not only that, but Kylo Ren is back in the First Order, with some help.

Borran and Tanis exchanged a glance of their own. While not supportive of either side, neither wanted Kylo Ren in control of the galaxy. They knew of the horrors he could bring. Planets like Taris would only get worse.

“What do we do?” Lavinia whispered, and her gaze once more focused on Kos’tel’lanni. Did they tell Armitage? Do they just leave him be, and go to the Resistance? Or complete ignore everything?

She knew she couldn’t ignore though. Her heart wouldn’t allow that.

 

[Lucyfer]

He raged like a child before her, and did not seem so inclined to take the fight out of the room. That was to his own detriment. Outside may have allowed humiliation, but it also would have allowed more fairness, before an audience of their peers.

In here? Her room? Her domain?

Kylo wouldn’t see such mercy. He was lucky it wasn’t entirely set up; her dominion over plants and items she owned would have crushed him in seconds flat.

He hurled a chair, of all things, and it stilled in the air before ever hitting her. She didn’t even bother moving it in front of the saber, nor did she pull for her own.

Nyx lifted her hand, and pushed outwards, the air around Kylo seeming to thicken. His ability to move would slow to a crawl, allowing her to step around him as his blade would come down to where she’d been in slow-motion.

Pressure would intensify around him, as if that field of invisible molasses was crushing him – his chest, his groin, like the choke only now with the threat of breaking ribs and crushing other, sensitive, areas. It would move with him, rather than hold him place, just as that slow field was around him, moving with him, rather than being in one place. “Are you so certain you wish to strike me down already?”

Cooing words.

“Do you have any idea what I’m capable of?” Flame flickered on her hand, so easily – something Kylo still needed to master.

~***~

‘No but I can cease helping with Tarkin.’ Reveille wanted to snap at Poe, but it wasn’t Poe she should care about, nor Finn, so she focused her gaze on Leia, who offered no good explanation. Perhaps the others knew, but Reveille didn’t know why she was necessary.

The Scavenger in question stayed back as the others filled spaces in the room. She promised not to harm, but Reveille didn’t trust it. How many others had said similar things? She grew up knowing not to trust it.

She didn’t really have time to get to know Rey, or argue the point. It didn’t ease her fears any, being in a room of rebels and Rey, to talk to Tarkin. Still, she forced herself to take a step back to the table, even if that put her closer to Rey. “Fine. Let’s get this over with quickly.” The tension didn’t drop from her posture, nor did the fear abate, but she was used to pushing through these things.

Threatening Tarkin with Terex seemed more appealing just to hasten things now, but she’d resist.

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni was not pleased to hear that Kylo Ren was back in the order to any degree, but it seemed to answer one question for her – why Reveille would be with the Resistance. Though, this couldn’t have been her original plan. No, Kos’tel’lanni didn’t believe that. ‘So she faked it….’ Which meant she had been running.

She must have heard of Kylo and what he was doing, then.

Did she know her brother was alive?

Did she know where he was?

Kos’tel’lanni wondered if it would be wiser to try and reach out to Reveille and tell her about Taris, or reach out to Armitage. ‘She doesn’t want contact with us.’ That thought hurt. No, Reveille likely didn’t want to see her again, anyways. Perhaps Armitage, but not her.

“We should tell Armitage,” Kos’tel’lanni said. “He deserves to know. After everything that happened….” After he thought he lost his sister, after losing the Order – he should know about Reveille. Maybe they could stay quiet about Kylo…but probably not.

 

[cleopat]

He made a grave mistake. In an instant, Nyx held the upper hand over him. His movements slowed to a crawl, by methods he knew were her own. How. What is this. A technique he didn’t know yet – of course.

Nyx has far more years of experience over him. She studied with Darth Vader. She would know more of the Force than he would. And he would be crushed under her power.

Maybe literally. The Force tightened around his body. Pressure crushed at several points on his body, and pain accompanied it. He grimaced at the pressure, and his body slowed to a stop.

It would be foolish to continue to try and fight her. The flame in her palm was proof.

He still hadn’t mastered that technique.

When his lightsaber struck nothing in its slow movements, Kylo didn’t swing with it again. He turned it off and remained standing were he was, a glare etched on his face. She won so easily. He had been foolish to strike at someone with as much experience as she had.

But he didn’t answer her. Not yet. He stilled his movement, and glared, but admitted defeat in his mind.

~~

The internal struggle remained obvious to Rey, but she stayed silent as everyone settled in the room, taking their seats.

Valo and Oola had both shot Reveille a glimpse, but they focused back on General Organa as she took her own seat. They had their guesses as to why Reveille acted that way. She always reacted in some way when Kylo’s name was mentioned, and to act like this with Rey? Rey was harmless, unless you were Kylo.

She obviously had too many negative encounters with Kylo and his Force.

They turned back to Leia as she fiddled with the holoprojector in front of her, sending a communication signal to Tarkin. Once answered, his hologram would appear in an empty seat at their table, as if he was with him.

~~

“And after everything that happened, why should we tell him?” Lavinia shot to her feet as the rage flowed through her. “He’s made it obvious he doesn’t wish to speak with us anymore, so why should we go against his wishes and do just that?”

Hysteria grew with every passing words. Tanis recognized this, and she slowly rose to her feet, as if she would approaching a skittish creature.

“Please, Lav, reconsider this.” Tanis recognized the pain, but she considered the possibility of how Armitage would move forward if he knew of his sister being alive. It was something he deserved, was it not?

She shook her head. “He has a new life on Taris, does he not? Why should we interfere with that?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Nyx did not relent on the pressure of the Force.

Nyx did not remove that slowing barrier.

Kylo did not answer her, after all, and his glare spoke to his anger that she could feel easily through the Force. He may not be swinging at her, but he was not defeated. He would bring this topic up again, and again, until he had learned his lesson. She had hoped she could have been nicer to him, but it seemed, there had to be a bit of punishment alongside his rewards.

And he also had to speak his intent.

“Still angry – but it’s all impotent rage. You cannot do anything to me, but still you wish to rage, to struggle, and fight me on these claims,” she did not at all seem happy, or even smug. It was not a good thing to have to teach harsh lessons. “Very well.”

The pressure would release, but not the slow – no, she found that to be quite effective, when a person could move, but never fast enough. They could see what was happening, feel it as it happened, but all for naught. It was not the same struggle as being utterly paralyzed, and for some, it was so much worse. Because there was control, there was power, but it wasn’t enough.

It was a different brand of helplessness. “You cannot even control the fire when it already made.” And that fire would coil around her hand, lengthening, twisting shape to her whim until it was a tendril of flame that she would use to lash him with, speeds far beyond that of the norm.

But of course, the Force helped her with that, giving agility to her hand, to burn through Kylo’s armor. His flesh. To remind him he could stop none of it, even though he wasn’t bound, even if he wasn’t paralyzed. He couldn’t control the fire. He couldn’t control his own speed, or his movement.

It was all so far out of his control – and he dared to think he had any rights to the Order.

~***~

Reveille did not sit. She could not relax enough to sit down, to offer even that small advantage to Rey. Not even when Leia took her seat, after adjusting the projector.

Tarkin appeared sitting, though. Relaxed, except for a certain tightness to his features that had not been present when Reveille spoke with him before. She thanked the fact that she would appear as a blue hologram to him – he wouldn’t know what she’d done to her hair just yet. “General Organa,” Tarkin greeted, his eyes skimming the others.

Clearly, they were all unimportant to him. Even as his gaze touched her, though there was the slightest hint of a smirk. Something unsaid, but thought, before he adjusted his gaze to Leia once more. “I received your earlier briefing,” he noted, “While you know I am certainly on board with removing the threat of the First Order, and have been, I’m afraid your message left quite a bit wanting.”

“We’re stealing the Exigency and we need your Force-hindering items and a stealth ship to do it.” Reveille stated, and his gaze shifted to her.

“Really? Is that General Organa’s plan?”

Reveille wanted to punch his damn face. Her fear was at least evaporating back into hot rage at his usual, blatant, disregard for the ‘inferiors’ in the room.

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni had not expected such rage from Lavinia. She was taken aback by it, though of course, none of them had really mentioned Hux since parting from him. It seemed that the terrible situation facing Hux had not sunk in for Lavinia.

She clung to her anger, and her personal offense.

Tanis was the one to rise and try to speak sense into Lavinia, but it did nothing.

Kos’tel’lanni considered confronting it head-on, but opted for another method, instead. “Borran, when we reach our next destination, if it is all right with you, I’d like to take my small cut from the jobs we’d have so I can return to Taris.” She would go on to tell Hux alone, then.

Although, she expected a protest from Lavinia. Expected that simply denying Lavinia the opportunity would cause more argument that could lead to her going along with this plan.

 

[cleopat]

The pressure did not release. Kylo groaned under the weight and pain; it felt like Nyx was squeezing every part of him, with the pain greater on his ribs and groin. It was nearly enough for him to concede then.

Give up. She’s much stronger than you. She has trained in the Force longer than you have been alive.

Then she talked. Words that bordered on ridicule in his mind. The pressure released, and Kylo immediately sucked in a gasp of air as his ribs were able to expand. But there was still the issue of the Force slow. Further proof of her power over him.

And as she commented on the fire – his inability to control it – his eyes widened with the realization of what she had planned next. Kylo couldn’t move far before the white hot pain of the flame pierced his armor and seared his skin.

You will never be enough, boy.

He dropped to his knees with a loud cry – a movement that was slowed to the point of great frustration. He couldn’t even react properly.

A plea for mercy silenced before his lips. Kylo didn’t want to give up just yet, but the odds were against him. “Was this the plan all along?” he hissed through clenched teeth, through the pain he bit back.

~~

Reveille did not sit; Valo shot her a concerned look, but nothing more could be done as Leia started the projector, and thus, the meeting.

Governor Tarkin sat and spoke with the same poise and elegance as his namesake elder cousin. “Governor Tarkin,” Leia greeted back with a slight inclination of her head.

No one else dared to utter their own greetings. It was pointless, and would go unheard.

“I apologize for the short message. Time is of the essence right now, and it would be easier, and faster, to explain everything in person.” Or through a conference. Less chances of misunderstandings and easier to answer questions without delays.

Reveille spoke up, to which Tarkin easily dismissed with a counter question aimed at General Organa. In far different circumstances, Poe would have chuckled at her apparent exasperation.

“That is what we’re discussing right now. With Kylo Ren at the helm of the First Order, we need to try any tactic we can to stop him and his new allies. Reveille Hux holds great knowledge of the Exigency, and it was mentioned that many of its crew would not view Kylo as a viable leader. This may be our only chance to drive a wedge into the First Order.”

Leia paused to allow a moment for Tarkin to offer his thoughts on the rather foolish, dangerous mission that she knew anyone in this room would be willing to put their lives on the line for.

~~

All three of them looked to Kos’tel’lanni, varying degrees of surprise evident on their faces. Lavinia stared at the Chiss for a moment, while Borran silently nodded, but he stood up and made his way over to the pilot’s seat.

He was aware they would all be making a trip back to Taris. It was a matter of when Lavinia would accept that.

“Why?” Her question came out no louder than a whisper. She cleared her throat and asked again, this time louder. “Why would you do this for him?”

But she knew she wanted to see him again. And he would turn her away cruelly, as he done before.

Between that possibilitiy, and abandoning friends in both the Order and the Resistance, Lavinia didn’t know how much more her soul could take.

 

[Lucyfer]

One strike, and Kylo fell under the searing pain. Nyx let the fire wind around her hand again, no harm befalling her as she let him drop without releasing the field around him. His frustration was obvious. Even without the Force she would have felt that.

Her gaze was impassive as she looked down at him. Her tone was almost sorrowful, “No, Ren. You have forced me to act this way, so that you see that you are not yet ready to lead. Not yet capable.”

She flicked her wrist, and the flame lashed out again and wound around his neck, like a collar of searing heat. Yet it would not burn, only threaten to do so, as Nyx looked on. “Do you yet understand? By keeping you beneath me, I seek only to aid you, Ren. To bring you up to my level.”

‘Yield. Yield and submit.’

“This does not have to go any further. We can return to our relationship, of teacher and student. You can take to the duties I will give to you, and build yourself into a capable leader, or I can continue to show you how much more you have to learn.” Without even picking up a lightsaber.

~***~

Tarkin considered it when Leia Organa agreed that it was what they were there to discuss. Not that he had doubted it, of course. It was just one small way he managed to keep order in everything around him.

“A ship such as the Exigency would be trackable, and difficult to keep from being recovered.” He noted.

Reveille shook her head, and he arched a single brow. When she didn’t speak, he almost smiled, but said, “Explain yourself, Reveille.”

“The Exigency does not have as many trackers on it as the other ships, and I know how to disable them at a moment’s notice. I still build much with stealth in mind, even if I cannot cloak an entire ship, I can take it off radars. I have clearance codes specific to myself, as well. That is how we’ll get onto the Exigency.”

Tarkin considered another moment. A stealth ship, specific codes the crew would recognize, and a destroyer that could be taken from radars. Useful. And his items would help them get around the Force sensitives on the ship.

His grin became vicious. “Well, well, I think we may do well to put a bit of fear into the First Order’s new leadership. However, I only have three of project Void left to me, and obviously, if we’re taking my stealth ship, one of these is staying with me. Reveille, it seems, will have to be along as well for the clearance codes, and this being her former crew.”

That left one person to be appointed to the party.

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni gave Borran a small smile as he gave his agreement, before her attention shifted to Lavinia. Still so bitter, still so upset.

“I am not angry with Armitage Hux,” she told her, honestly. “I have no reason to be.” She understood his actions, and why he had been angry with them. Her. They had upended his life. They took everything from him, in one motion. They could have done things differently, but they hadn’t.

In doing so, they had damned him and his life work, at an already difficult time for him. He thought he’d lost his sister. “We both loved Reveille. It is only right that I make sure he knows her choice, so that he can consider her actions as well, and know that she is at least alive.” And now that he wasn’t with the Order, perhaps he would consider aiding the Resistance, once he had helped Taris.

In either case, what she said was true. Unlike Lavinia, Hux had not offended or upset her.

 

[cleopat]

Not yet capable.

Kylo refused to admit she was right. She couldn’t be. He led the First Order before, he’s led his own squadron, he could lead!

And look where you are now.

Nyx was right. He still needed help. Guidance.

He flinched when she lashed out again, wrapping the rope of fire around his neck, but it didn’t burn him. The threat was there though, which was why he didn’t immediately grab onto the flame with his hands in reflex.

His dark eyes, so full of confusion and helplessness, gazed up at Nyx. Yield and submit. She was far too powerful for him to do anything other than yield.

“I accept my position beneath you.” The words pained him to say, but he knew they were the truth, lest he wanted to ended up with more burn scars on his body, further add to the growing collection of scars he held.

More than the physical ones he wore. “And I accept the guidance you will give.”

~~

The technology of the First Order proved to be far superior than what any of them had seen before, but the capabilities of the Exigency just added on to that amazement. And fear.

How would any of them know their brief alliance to take care of Kylo Ren won’t backfire on them in the future? They didn’t, but the alternative would be worse for the entire galaxy.

The grin on Tarkin’s face did not sit well with Leia. She knew of that grin. It was one he shared with Wilhuff Tarkin, but they wouldn’t be the victims of whatever thoughts ran through his mind. I hope.

“I’ll go.” Valo was quick to volunteer as soon as the offer came up.

Leia only nodded; she didn’t reject his going, though it looked as if Poe wanted to go himself. To many people know your face.

“And I can go.” Rey had a determined look in her eye, the knowledge of challenging Kylo again weighing heavily on her thoughts.

~~

Kos’tel’lanni’s words resonated in her mind. Lavinia sat down in the nearest seat, her eyes shifting to the floor, her loose hair moving to frame her face, as she attempted to processes what had been said.

Borran, sensing that Lavinia would not pay any attention to what he was doing, took the ship out of hyperdrive, before changing their course for Taris.

“And you’ll give him someone else to be angry at.” She didn’t have a sibling, so she couldn’t bring herself to understand that pain. She didn’t even have a close relative she cared enough about.

“Besides, how do you know he’ll want to listen to anything you have to say to him?” Her gaze shifted from the floor back to the Chiss. She wanted to see him...but she didn’t. And for some selfish reason, she didn’t want Kos’tel’lanni to see him out of the fear that Armitage held out even more anger over her.

 

[Lucyfer]

Nyx humored the thought of branding him with the flame. A permanent reminder of his failed attempt on her life. Something others might see. However, she dispersed it with a wave, and the slow slipped away, melting into the air.

Nyx took a knee in front of him, and reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder.

She didn’t look smug, nor happy.

She looked disappointed.

Tired. This wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with disobedient people, nor would it be the last. “Your ambition is worthy, Kylo,” she told him. “You will claim it all, one day, but trust in me a little longer. I want what is best for all of us – not only me, but for you, for Discord, for Thenn. I don’t want to harm you in this process.”

But she would. Far more than she’d done already.

~***~

“Who is he?” Matja couldn’t help but ask. Valo’s face wasn’t one he knew – likely, a good thing for Valo, even if now he was going to be known. “You do realize we’re going to be fighting trained Force sensitives, correct? Even without the Force, they know how to fight. I think I’d trust the traitor Trooper over you.”

“Hey!” Finn snapped. Was that a compliment, though?

He knew Rey, and didn’t question that.

Reveille wouldn’t speak up to introduce Valo. She couldn’t really say if he had any credentials as a fighter. She wanted to protest Rey coming along, but kept her mouth shut. She’d have one of Tarkin’s ‘Void’ items soon, and then Rey wouldn’t matter.

If she tried to do anything after that point, Reveille would be able to handle it.

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni noticed the shift, and would hardly complain. Although, she wondered if the clearance codes they had before would work, or how they would go about landing. Kos’tel’lanni hadn’t thought so far ahead, in truth. She wasn’t thinking terribly far ahead at the moment anyways.

Lavinia was still behaving in a bitter fashion. Kos’tel’lanni could only shrug her shoulders, “I do not know, nor do I care much.” Her lack of attachment was likely some help, even if it was her attachment to it all that made her need to go tell Hux what she knewee.

She wouldn’t expect the same from him.

It wasn’t about that, though. This was something of a duty, even if he might find out on his own. “I doubt he’ll want to even seen me, but it isn’t about that.” She answered. Reveille had come out of hiding, and was with the Resistance.

Reveille would also know that meant people would find out. Including her brother. She had weighed that and decided it was more important.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo released a breath he didn’t realize he held with the fire around his neck. His upper body fell forward until his hands held him up, and he took a minute to steady his breathing.

A gentle touch on his shoulder brought his attention back on Nyx. His head tilted up to look at her. She was disappointed.

He would rather have her angry at him. Anger he knew how to deal with. But sheer disappointment? It only emphasized his own failures that seemed consistent.

Nyx only wanted what was best. For him. For Thenn. He slowly nodded. One day, he’ll get what he deserved. For now, he will listen to Nyx, even if that meant holding off of leadership over the First Order.

“Of course.” Kylo sounded defeated. “I hope you will forgive me.”

~~

Valo bristled at Tarkin’s callous question. “He is called Valo Rivas, and happens to be a very capable fighter trained within the New Republic army.” Before he, similar to Poe, turned to the Resistance later on.

Leia gently raised a hand, which silenced Valo. “He is high skilled and trained, and like the others in this room, I would trust him with my life.”

Trust didn’t always translate into skills, though, but Leia deemed the matter closed. Very few in the First Order knew Valo’s face anyways, unlike Poe or Finn.

“This will be a fun time.” Poe’s words didn’t quite sound believable. But the tension in the room grew. They knew the mission that faced them, and the high dangers they risked in going straight to a First Order star destroyer.

~~

Lavinia sighed. When Kos’tel’lanni had something on her mind, she would be hard to change. “Will you come back? You don’t have to leave.” I don’t want you to leave.

It may have been for pure selfish reasons, her not wanting for Kos’tel’lanni to leave them and go off somewhere else. Back to her home world? Another adventure? To find Reveille?

“I’ll come with you,” she decided, to which Tanis gave her a look. “I can stay in the background, just to make sure you’ll be alright. Besides, I hardly think he’ll recognize me.” She motioned to her colorful outfit, a contrast to the black she’d grown used to, and loose hair, for once free of the constraints of a bun.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo relented more easily now. His defeat was apparent in the way he held himself, and the manner in which he spoke. He was apologetic. Once again, he submitted, and Nyx brushed her hand over his shoulder, letting it go with that small caress.

“In time, you will prove yourself worthy of that, as well,” he was not immediately forgiven. No, this would be something to work for, to prove he had truly understood this meeting.

Nyx rose to her feet, and offered Kylo a hand up, “For now, I believe you should return to your quarters, and rest. There will be much to do in the coming days, and I will need your input in how we organize the fleets and officers of the Order.”

He had use still.

He had a role, still.

And things would proceed, as before.

~***~

Matja laughed as Valo said he trained with the New Republic army, but he held back a bit, letting it subside, “Honestly, Rivas, I would have preferred you a street fighter to a New Republic soldier, but if General Organa thinks you are capable enough, I shaln’t argue further,” he shrugged.

He wouldn’t suggest he didn’t think he needed anyone.

If only for the numbers, they were useful. “When shall this mission begin, General Organa?”

Reveille wanted to say immediately, but didn’t. This was a question for Leia, not her. Leia would decide how and when they would strike, and Tarkin was at least on board.

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni could only shrug at the question. She did not know. She knew Hux hadn’t wanted her at his side before, so she likely had no place there, still. She could go to the Resistance proper, but she wasn’t so sure Reveille would want her around, either. Perhaps Reveille wouldn’t have a say – General Organa would – but it was something she wasn’t necessarily prepared to confront.

Giving Hux news was easier, when she knew she also wouldn’t be staying.

“I will be fine, Lavinia. I doubt Armitage is going to shoot me simply because I have shown up. He’ll be curious as to why,” he’d be curious why Lavinia was there, as well. Kos’tel’lanni was fairly certain he would recognize her.

He’d seen her in red before.

Kos’tel’lanni didn’t mention that, though.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo wanted to prove himself worthy. He yearned for that moment, for someone to finally accept him as good enough. That little bit of praise had always been denied for him, and now, in his eyes, Nyx wanted that to happen for him.

She wanted to change him, to better him, and seek his greatest potential.

And he will.

He took the hand she offered, and he rose to his feet. “Of course.” Little rest would be had, but it will give him a chance to look over the burn etched on his skin. “And I will offer you my expertise.” As someone underneath you.

If Nyx had no more to say, Kylo would leave her quarters to return to his own to allow himself the chance at some rest. To clear his mind.

~~

Valo glowered at Tarkin. Every rumor he heard of the Governor was proving to be true. Maybe he made a slight mistake in volunteering himself to join their party; the desire to kill Tarkin may turn out to be greater than the desire to kill Kylo Ren.

“Enough, Governor,” Leia calmly, yet firmly, stated. She didn’t need a verbal sparring match before the mission. She didn’t need for them to be in a situation where they would have to trust each other, right after a tiff.

She redirected back to his question. “How soon are you able to be ready? That is when this mission will begin.”

Rey would be ready, and so would Valo. Leia didn’t know about Reveille, but if she knew anything based on what she heard and observed of the woman, she would be ready as well.

~~

Her shrug wasn’t comforting for Lavinia. In her mind, she felt that Kos’tel’lanni was always convinced that she would leave. I don’t want to lose someone else. Which she kept repeating.

She still had Tanis and Borran, who acted as a surrogate family for her. Lavinia would stay with them, maybe for good, after everything was done. Telling Armitage of his sister. Would they get sucked into the war between the Resistance and the First Order?

Lavinia had no more reason to. She had no more ties to either of them. Only ties to herself. Loyalties to none. A fact she hated. And one that still didn’t feel right. If Poe asked for help, would she help him? If Rani asked for help, would she help her?

Kos’tel’lanni seemed confident that she’ll be fine. Maybe she would be. Lavinia shrugged before wrapping her arms around herself.

Their ship would continue on to Taris, where they would use a new set of clearance codes they already had saved for another mission. That didn’t bother Borran though. There were many ways to get past the embargo with little trouble.

 

[Lucyfer]

There would come another day when Kylo Ren challenged her authority, but for now, Nyx was satisfied with his submission. It would hold a while longer, and they would move through the next day with organizing the Order and learning leadership, with people tagged for watching.

Rani was certainly on that last, and for that, the Exigency got four Nightsisters, and two brothers, including Thenn. Zeme’lodi’csapla and Kylo would remain on the Finalizer. The others were spread across the other ships and worlds, as needed.

The Exigency was also sent back to Lothal, with a promise made to Kylo that he could be the liaison between them, a personal starship granted him so he could move between, at least once a week, to check the situation and check on Thenn.

With the reorganization done, and the Exigency sent back to Lothal, Nyx couldn’t ignore the irritating thought that something was missing. Something was wrong. But she didn’t know what; the Force offered no insight.

Regardless, the following day she reserved for additional training with both Discord and Kylo, fairly certain Kylo would want to better know what had happened to him with the slow.

He’d likely be upset to learn it was a Jedi trick, but it made sense. Slowing someone made them easier to incapacitate, and the Jedi always favored that over death.

~***~

The amused glint never left Matja’s gaze as he looked back to General Organa. “Provided coordinates to your location, I’ll be there in two or three hours, tops.” He offered, hardly intending to delay.

The longer they allowed the Order to exist under it’s new leadership, the more comfortable, and fewer opportunities, they would have to take it. Matja had no plans of letting them get that settled, where he could prevent it.

Reveille was only mildly cross with that. She would have to suffer returning to the Order with pink hair. There was no way she was getting red hair dye now, two hours before leaving. She would, after she had her ship back. Her crew.

Whatever remained of her dignity.

She wasn’t sure there was much of that left beyond shreds, and returning to the Exigency like this? She was willing to suspect she’d lose most of it.

~***~

The codes they had worked, and as they entered the atmosphere, Kos’tel’lanni realized one thing: she had no idea how to find Armitage Hux on this planet. “I do not suppose either of you know how to locate the local leadership of the uprising at this time, do you?”

Borran or Tanis would likely know.

Whether or not Hux would be there was another matter entirely, but it was better than attempting to step into the wealthier parts and see if he was attempting sabotage that way. It was possible, in either case, but Kos’tel’lanni suspected that she wouldn’t be appreciated in that area.

With that as a thought, she did reach for her sunglasses she’d taken off after their last mission.

It wasn’t the best disguise, but it covered what was important – those glowing eyes.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo wished he could have kept Thenn closer to him. He still didn’t agree with Nyx’s reasonings for having her so far away. He could teach her so much! But he couldn’t argue. Not while the burn scar on his body remained fresh.

His desire to bring her back only increased, when he felt something wrong. He didn’t know what; he couldn’t pinpoint where this feeling was coming from, but something would happen soon. Or maybe it would be days to weeks from now.

And it was simply a reminder to Kylo that he needed to train hard. Harder than he had before.

So he will. He will meet up with Nyx in the training room to seek out more of what she had to offer him, and more of what answers she could give, which only increased since their incident in her quarters.

~~

“I will send you the coordinates after this meeting had concluded.” And she would, the moment Tarkin’s hologram dissipated, he would receive their coordinates. There was no reason to delay things any further.

The longer they allowed Kylo Ren and the Nightsisters to control the First Order, the stronger they will grow. Even if they managed to capture the Exigency, they would still be outnumbered. But there would be a chance.

“I have a great feeling about this.” Poe’s sardonicism did not go unnoticed by Valo, who snorted.

“We don’t have much a choice.” Leia remained calm, though the trepidation ran deep through her as well.

~~

Lavinia looked towards Tanis, who held a knowing grin on her face. “Sure do.” She pulled her datapad out and immediately began her work, scanning security systems for any flare in suspicious or insurgent activity.

It would lead them to the right area.

While Tanis scanned her datapad, Borran flew low to the planet, keeping in line with the traffic. “Try not to take too long. I can only keep my trackers offline for so long.”

She waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. I’m working as fast as I can.” A huff was heard from Borran, but Tanis didn’t lift her gaze from her datapad.

Lavinia shifted in her seat after a few minutes passed. Tanis grinned, and her attention shifted from the datapad. “Okay, I got a possible location. Sector B-5.”

“Alright, off to sector B-5,” Borran muttered as he shifted the direction of the ship to the area.

 

[Lucyfer]

Nyx was not alone with Kylo Ren arrived.

Discord stood in the training room. “…not able to tell what.” Her gaze shifted towards Kylo Ren as he stepped in. She was aware of what had happened to him, not from his wound, but Nyx herself had told her.

She wouldn’t comment on possessing such knowledge, of course, and she looked back over to Nyx.

Her answer hadn’t satisfied. “I’ll look forward more,” she promised.

Nyx just sighed and shook her head, “It may be fruitless. The future is never set.”

Still, she knew Discord would try, and she would not stop her. Discord stepped aside, “Kylo Ren,” she gave a nod to him, and intended to leave them all to their own training.

~***~

Poe was not enthusiastic. Nor was Leia, Reveille noted. They were still going along with the plan, and Reveille decided that it would not be a good idea to mention she was confident because she was pretty sure she could take down most of them.

“I’d feel more confident about this mission if I was allowed a weapon.” Reveille noted, and Finn scowled at her. She shrugged. “I have nothing against choking someone to death or biting out someone’s throat, but it would probably make things go quicker if I had a weapon.”

Finn’s expression twisted from a scowl, to contemplation, to a scowl again. She had a point, but, “Maybe a stick?” He wasn’t being serious. But he still didn’t like the idea of her being armed.

Reveille shrugged. “I can make a stick lethal.”

~***~

The sectors meant nothing to Kos’tel’lanni, so far as what to expect. She watched the buildings move by out of the viewport, and tried to look for any signs of a rebel faction, or even an army. Anything.

“Is there anything I should know about those we may encounter in this sector?” Or those of Taris in general. She doubted they were all exactly like Tanis, “I know some of the history of the world and what is going on, but I’ve never been.”

Her one time here, she didn’t leave the ship. She simply spoke with Hux, and told him to go find his life outside of the ship, on Taris.

She liked to think it was working out for him, but she hadn’t much considered the culture or environment he was walking into, beyond the fact the people needed a leader with military experience.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo’s gaze first landed on Discord as he stepped in the room, noting he had walked in at the end of a conversation. Nyx then spoke, and so his eyes shifted to her, until Discord move towards him, if only to reach the exit.

“Discord,” he greet with his own nod, and watched as she left. Once alone, his attention focused back on Nyx, with one eyebrow raised.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it you two were talking about when I walked in?” She may ignore his question, or outright dismiss it as something he needn’t concern himself with.

But he was curious. What was fruitless?

~~

Leia considered Reveille’s request for a moment. She was right; she needed a weapon. If she didn’t have one once on the First Order star destroyer, she could be helpless until they find an armory. “Very well,” Leia sighed. “You’ll get your weapons back right before you leave for this mission.”

Valo couldn’t argue with that. He would feel safer if she did have something with her, even if the chance of her turning on him and killing him was just as great.

But Rey would be there as well. She was still a capable fighter without the Force.

“If there isn’t anything else we need to discuss, I would like to return to my quarters to prepare before my leave,” Valo said.

~~

Lavinia stood and watched the buildings fly by as Borran navigated them to a safe landing ground. “The people there will be among some of the hungriest in the Lowercity. They suffer from lack of food and proper medicine, but because of this, because they have nothing else to lose, they’re also some of the most resilient people on the planet.”

Tanis chimed in, “The citizens there will also be just as diverse as you would imagine the population of any city-planet would be, and despite having nothing themselves, they’ll offer you the shirt off their backs if you need it.”

“They know pain and suffering well, so they don’t wish it upon anyone else.” Lavinia shifted on her feet, and the ship lowered. The sunlight filtering down from above began to darken.

Borran landed in an empty hangar inside the district – underutilized from the embargo. He stood up and faced them, “I’ll stay with the ship to guard it.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Nyx did not hide the answer from Kylo, answering simply, “The Force has been speaking to us, but what it is saying is clouded. I cannot pierce through to what it is trying to show, nor has Discord, though she intends to attempt to look further. Her talent for it is better than my own.”

A truth she had no shame in admitting.

It was rare to find someone who could control their visions, and look forward as they chose. Discord was that, her training with the Chiss granting her power over her foresight, but there were risks to it, just as well.

“Have you felt it?” She opted to ask, rather than simply dismiss it. It would be good to know how many felt it, and if anyone had a clearer idea.

~***~

Reveille would accept what Leia offered. She did not have much of a choice, though she might have liked better weapons. Nonetheless, she’d make do with what she’d packed. She had planned on those helping her through anything, anyways.

There was nothing else to discuss, it seemed. Reveille certainly couldn’t think of anything, and Finn had nothing to interject. “Is it all right if I just wait it out in your room until it’s time?” Reveille asked Oola.

Sure, it was their room for the moment, but Reveille had only just arrived, and now she was going on a mission with Valo to get the Exigency back. Oola might be bitter since it was her idea. Even if Valo volunteered. “I’ll be silent.” Perhaps she just wouldn’t want to talk anymore after their last venture into questions.

~***~

Hardship could do much to people. For some, it made them generous. For others, it made them monsters. Kos’tel’lanni was glad to hear that these were thought of as generous, though meeting them would tell. She had to believe that, though, given how Tanis was, and how much they all seemed to help Taris.

She was off the ship with the sunglasses on soon enough, and she gave a nod to Borran who intended to stay back.

They’d have to be quick to deliver the message and leave.

“Lead the way, Tanis.” Not that it needed to be said.

 

[cleopat]

Nyx’s answer did not put Kylo in an even better mood. He had hoped he was just being paranoid about something, but Nyx and Discord felt the same thing he did.

“I have felt it as well, but like you two, the meaning eludes me. I do think something will happen soon, but I don’t know what or when exactly. Or even where.” And he wanted to go to Thenn and make sure she remained unharmed, until this feeling passed.

Did he dare ask Nyx of his request?

“What are we to do it about? Are we to simply wait until something happens, or until Discord has a better glimpse at the answer?” Kylo didn’t want to do nothing, but without knowing what the Force was trying to say to them, much couldn’t be done, except to proceed with their day as normal.

~~

Oola had been glancing at Rey, but her attention shifted when Reveille asked her a question. She nodded, “Of course.” Her gaze flickered to Valo, who seemed to understand the silent request.

He chuckled as he rose to his feet. “Come, she’ll remain a little longer. I can lead you back to the room.” Reveille still shouldn’t be left alone, and he doubted she knew her way back.

Once they were out of the room, Valo would then turn to Reveille and explain, “Oola has had a bit of a crush on Rey for a while. She wouldn’t be giving up this opportunity to talk to her.”

~~

Tanis took up the front, and Lavinia remained closer to Kos’tel’lanni. Seeing her in the sunglasses, in an area that received as little sunlight as the Lowerciy did, was amusing, if not suspicious. But the glowing red eyes may have been even more suspicious.

She wouldn’t lead them in any particular location. Tanis couldn’t pinpoint an exact location down for potential meeting spots of the insurgents, but she had at least narrowed the search down to the radius of a few city blocks.

“Keep an eye out for anything that may look like what we’re searching for,” she told them. And Lavinia would. Armitage’s voice and hair would be distinctive there. She didn’t have her blaster in her hands, but it remained easily accessible in case their side-mission turned sour.

 

[Lucyfer]

Nyx could not say she was surprised. That three of them felt it, and felt it as something bad, suggested to Nyx it would impact them. How? Where? That was, indeed, the question with no answer. Nyx could not say, nor predict it.

As such, there was nothing to do.

Sometimes action was what caused these things to begin with. “Yes, we are to wait. To do anything without further knowledge would benefit no one. We will know in time, and we will respond once we are aware,” Nyx answered him. “There is the chance that Discord will see more, but the distant future is not set, and has many branching paths. She may not see the one that occurs.”

Nothing was set. It was a hard lesson for even Discord to learn, and why she did not often look too far ahead. The paths began to branch, more and more, fracturing the vision of the future.

~***~

Reveille parted from Oola as she indicated, walking with Valo. It was true, she didn’t quite have the way memorized, though she wouldn’t have confessed as much. The reason for Oola staying behind had Reveille wrinkle her nose, though.

Perhaps Rey was pretty, but Reveille wasn’t seeing much beyond the fact she had the Force. She didn’t know or understand why anyone would want to be around that.

Still, she didn’t speak to that, just shrugged it off. “I wish her luck in her pursuit.” She wouldn’t get in the way, at any rate. Oola could have Rey all to herself; spare others the hardship of dealing with the Force and someone who could wield it. “I hope Rey isn’t as prone to temper tantrums as other Force users.”

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni nodded, and as they walked, she did start to notice a few things. Gradually, the area seemed to become more militarized – not in any obvious way, but with the way things were stacked, and what they covered.

It was only too late that she realized they’d followed a path that took them to where guards were posted, and they definitely had weapons, which were aimed down at the trio. “State your name, and business.”

Professional. Or professional sounding. The way they were holding the blasters, while efficient, was lacking. The grip wasn’t good. The gun leaned a bit.

“Kos’tel’lanni,” she introduced herself, “But you may call me Stella. I am looking for Armitage Hux. Red hair, blue eyes, tall,” she gestured. “We have a message for him.”

And she had a feeling these guards did indeed know him, and that he had already set about his work and securing space…and taking munitions.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo nodded. Nyx was right; it would benefit no one to act on something they had no knowledge of. It would waste their resources. “We’ll just have to remain on guard for what it could be.” Before it happens.

He then changed the subject, straying back to why he was there to begin with. “What are we to begin with today?” His fingers itched to practice more of the Force, practice what she did to him.

He could stop his opponents, but there would be something more satisfying in simply slowing them down. Allowing that fear and frustration to build in them as Nyx had done to him.

Or study more of the flame and control it better, turn it into a whip as she had done. Allow it to not burn the victim.

~~

Valo shrugged. He hadn’t had any negatives experiences with Rey, nor has he heard of anything bad about her. It had all been great, especially coming from Poe and Finn. And how she helped them against the First Order couldn’t be overlooked.

“I haven’t heard of her throwing any temper tantrums. In fact, she seems to manage to maintain her cool in any situation thrown her way.” He had talked to her a few times before, and it was obvious to him that Oola had been charmed by the Jedi since the very beginning.

It was quite endearing, but he hoped that Oola wouldn’t get her heart broken if Rey didn’t feel the same way.

“But no matter what, she may be our biggest chance in taking down Kylo Ren.” He stopped before their door. A quick punch of the code, and the door slid open.

~~

Lavinia frowned at the noticeable militarization of parts of the district. He did all this in a matter of days? His genius and ambition had always been evident to her, and now she could see it in how he could create soldiers from nothing.

Tanis noted the same thing. This hadn’t been part of the city before, and neither had the guards, who pointed weapons at them. Remind me to never get on his bad side.

She cleared her throat before answering, “I am Tanis Selmur. All three of us are looking for Armitage Hux in delivering a message to him.”

Another guard barked at them, “And why do you need three people to deliver a message?”

Tanis shrugged. “It’s a big message?”

Lavinia hesitated, wary of their weapons. “She is our guide here. I am Lavinia Aburius.”

The guards looked towards each other, muttering to one another. Then, with a nod, they gestured the women through.

 

[Lucyfer]

Nyx would not linger on the topic longer than necessary. Kylo understood the futility of trying to do much of anything, when they knew nothing. “You’ll recall how it felt when your body was forced to move slowly?”

She doubted he had forgotten it, though she wouldn’t bring up the circumstances of his learning of it. “I thought we could start with that. It is an old Jedi trick, actually,” she noted, “Using the Force around an opponent to slow their movement.”

It was thus different than the paralysis, as it did not grab hold of the victim’s body, but simply used the Force around them. “The Jedi were never fans of killing, and this was a way to gather the upper hand in combat situations, particularly against a more skilled foe.”

She did not move to work the Force against Kylo, but she did manipulate an area in front of her, and she tossed her own lightsaber into the field. It fell slowly in the air before them. “You may examine the field…see if you can understand it.”

~***~

For the moment, it seemed that Rey’s reputation was not nearly as bad as Kylo. Reveille hadn’t expected it, but she could still hardly keep herself from wondering. ‘They aren’t all the same.’ True, and yet….

“Good. I hope she remains that calm on the mission,” Reveille knew she had taken down Kylo not once, but twice. She wouldn’t begrudge Rey a third time. She’d hope for it, really.

The door slid open and Reveille stepped in. “I suppose I’ll see you in a couple of hours, Valo.” She supposed he was a better choice than Poe, so far as group dynamics would go. She could only imagine how bad things would get between Tarkin, herself, and Dameron.

Valo at least didn’t seem to get riled up quite so easily. Or was as prone to terrible nicknames.

Without Oola in the room, falling asleep would also be easy.

~***~

Kos’tel’lanni wondered how this would work out, or if they’d be turned away. Apparently, Armitage hadn’t offered any indication of their names to the guards, or at least not hers. The guards waited until all introductions had been done, before allowing them entry.

“Follow me,” one guard said, leaving the other to retain their post, as they lead them deeper into a clearly rundown area of the town, and towards what looked to be a grocery-store turned base. It seemed like some mix between an armory and a food bank on walking in, and they were led through aisles until they reached a back room, where the guard pressed on the comm. “Hux?”

Apparently he was sans titles.

“Yes, what is it?” And he still sounded tired.

“There are three people here with a message for you. A…Stella, Tanis, and Lavinia.”

There was a noticeable pause. “What message?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You didn’t—” his frustrated huff was obvious, but he came to the door, “you cannot let people in here without asking for more information, Skylar. We’ve been over this.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“And is anyone covering your position?”

“Well, Derek stayed—”

“I didn’t ask if anyone was covering Derek’s position.”

“No…sir.”

“Go back.” He directed, and Skylar didn’t linger, allowing Hux to look over the three women who had arrived. He didn’t seem pleased to see any of them, but at a meow from within the back room, he gestured them in.

“What message do you have?” He asked, retreating into a room where a large map was – created and pieced together as a joint effort. Places were marked for strikes and raids on it.

 

[cleopat]

Kylo didn’t answer her question, but he did slowly nod his head. Of course he remembered how he was forced to move slowly. It had been embarrassing and frustrating. She knew he wouldn’t forget so easily. That was why she did it.

“An old Jedi trick...” he mumbled. Of course. Of course it was. As Nyx mentioned, they didn’t killing those they pursued, if they could help it. That was laughable.

“It would be a useful trick for the Sith as well.” A great way for them to instill fear into their victims. What crueler torture could there be than to create the illusion of an escape, knowing it wouldn’t happen?

At the instructions, Kylo took a step forward, pausing right before the field. One hand lifted and reached out, allowing tendrils of the Force to seek out what was in front of him. What was creating the field and how he could hope to recreate the skill.

“You’re literally just slowing the air,” he muttered. A manipulation of another element. He had begun his lessons on manipulating fire and water. Air should be similar.

~~

“I hope she does whatever is necessary to win this fight.” Valo didn’t care so much about her remaining calm, but he hadn’t seen the temper tantrums Kylo threw. He heard rumors, but nothing more.

And he didn’t consider that Reveille may have been a victim of one before.

Reveille stepped into the room. Valo, in a reaction that surprised himself, shot his hand out to grab hers. “Or maybe we could talk a little more,” he suggested, his dark eyes flickered between the blueness of her eyes and her pink lips.

“After all, we are about to go on a mission that will require some trust. It would hurt to...learn more about one another, would it?”

~~

Lavinia’s heart felt like it wanted to jump out of her chest just at hearing his damn voice. She was doomed when they actually saw him.

Her heartbeat could have joined the percussion section of the Coruscant Orchestra when he stepped out.

The room he directed them into hinted at how much he accomplished in a few short days. He was not one to waste a single minute, and his strategic genius showed through in the details of the map.

All the qualities that Lavinia had admired about him before came forth in the office space.

“You may want to sit down for this one,” Tanis suggested. She remembered how Lavinia and Kos’tel’lanni reacted. Armitage couldn’t fare any better.

Regardless of whether or not he sat, Lavinia continued where Tanis left off, though her gaze remained focused on the map. As if she was back in the First Order uniform, she subconsciously looked for any weaknesses he may have missed. “Your sister is alive and working with the Resistance.”