Fandom Star Wars

[KyloGlenn]

Ariel hated starting fights. Well, training fights. With Kylo, specifically. It rarely, if ever, gave her the upper hand. Maybe with someone else, someone not as attuned to the language of combat as Kylo. Ariel knew she wasn’t a bad fighter. Especially with the Force. But she supposed she needed a tune up.

She saw her move failing as she went in for it, but it was too late for her to move into something else. Kylo was already moving with the attack, countering it.

Ariel maneuvered backwards, even as her vibroblade swung upwards to block Kylo’s swing. She too thought they should’ve used training sabers, as Kylo’s crackled just a little too close for her liking. But that would remove all the fun from this, wouldn’t it?

She twisted her vibroblade around Kylo’s lightsaber, originally going for his hand, but remembered not only the cross guards, but Kylo’s lightsaber was longer than her weapon. Her hand would get cut before his. It was funny, Ariel remembered making bets with Kevan and Gnaeus as to how and when Kylo would get his hand cut off in that Skywalker fashion. Gnaeus beat him to the punch.

She pretended to continue through the motion, pushing his weapon away from her as she lifted her leg to kick him in the stomach. She knew it was an obvious move, but she hoped she’d be quicker than his reaction time.

-

Paquin wanted to learn how to heal with the Force. Even if it didn’t seem like it with her protests. She wanted to be able to help beyond what she already knew. To help to her best ability, like she’d always wanted. And she knew that’s what Kylo and Gnaeus wanted, too. Or at least, so she could help them.

But Paquin didn’t know anything about the Force. And even once she had some clue, how was she going to learn? There was no literature to study, and as Gnaeus said he couldn’t teach her, none of them could teach her exactly how healing with the Force went. That’s what she and her medical degree had to figure out.

But Gnaeus wasn’t leaving her on her own to figure it out. His suggestion of playing with bacta actually seemed like a good one to her.

“That’s actually not a bad idea. Learning to manipulate macromolecules is…a start.” They were enzymes, proteins, DNA, stuff like that. They all made up cells which made up tissues and organs and all the workings of the body. And it wasn’t an actual person. She just somehow…had to figure out how to work something so small. And millions of them. Possibly individually, and possibly at once.

She stood, too, but didn’t need to follow him. She was finally starting to get her bearing of important places. Not that it mattered now.

And as good idea as Gnaeus had, she couldn’t manage anything spectacular with the bacta. Maybe because it was a liquids substance, not a solid one like she was used to. It was funny that a liquid was what helped her get some bearings in the Force, yet she couldn’t control it. Yet.

-

Finn’s grin widened even more when Mace agreed, if that was even possible. He was glad to hear it, it was good. It meant there was hope for Mace yet, Finn figured. “Yes, let’s return to Eriadu.” To Mira. Or Master Vallens, as Mace seemed to mockingly call her. Finn more so wanted to see how she was doing. He wasn’t anxious to see Mace try and squash the Grey Jedi. If that’s what he wanted to do.

He also wanted to check in on Poe. He hadn’t heard from him yet.

And he wondered if Rey and Luke had made it to Eriadu yet. Or if Luke would have taken the opportunity to dash.

Without any further ado, Finn started up the ship and set the coordinates to Eriadu. He sent a mental goodbye to his mom as he lifted the ship and set it on its path. Once they went into hyperdrive, the trip would be quick.

But silent. Finn didn’t know what to say to Mace. Small talk seemed silly to make with the man. He seemed so serious, very intimidating. If Mace was going to stick around, Finn decided to make a point of getting to know Mace better. Beyond his mother, beyond the Jedi.

Since their ship was unfamiliar to Eriadu’s scanners, they were stopped and forced to identify themselves. But once Finn relayed who he was, leaving out Mace, he was allowed to land. He kept an eye out for Mira’s ship when he landed, but what caught his eye was Terex. Talking to the Tarkins. Finn secretly hoped August would do something to Terex. He couldn’t wait to complain to Poe about the man.

-

Hux didn’t think twice about the noises, whatever it was would go away.

The fear so apparent in Mira distracted Hux. It was jarring to see it in Mira. But it didn’t worry Hux. Even if it should have. He worried about her, but not Snoke. Hux was tired of being scared of Snoke. Now he was just an issue they needed to take care of.

“I haven’t witnessed it myself yet, but from what I’ve heard, yes.” The accounts of Jarrod Pandion, which he somehow believed. And Liberation Day, which he decided to use as an example. “Assuming you’ve heard of Liberation Day,” Hux couldn’t be sure what she knew and what she didn’t. “The prisoners of the Lock that tried to assassinate leaders of the Republic were under some mysterious control that we’re now theorizing that it might’ve been an example of Snoke’s mind control.”


Hux gestured to where she’d slipped the stone back into her pocket. “We should tell the others about the stone.” The others being Leia and August, at least. “That’s the closest—the only clue we have to potentially halting Snoke’s control on Lothal,” other than killing the alien, of course.

“And next time you think up such a stupid and irresponsible idea, consider consulting someone living about it.” Hux noted that he sounded harsh, which wouldn’t typically be something he cared about. He didn’t mean to be so harsh with Mira, but it was only because he cared. Which wasn’t something he’d readily admit. He sighed, his tone lightening ever so slightly, “Just…be a little more careful from now on. I can’t afford to lose an admiral.”

Speaking of being careful, “Which leads me to my next subject, we’ll talk more about Snoke with the others,” he offered all he really knew on the subject, anyway. “August Tarkin wants you to accompany him to a Senate meeting tomorrow morning. I told him I’d ask you. I’m going to tell you right now, I don’t trust August and whatever plans he has for you. Ultimately, it’s your decision. But the Tarkins are slimy,” sneaky, “and always have been. I just warn you to keep your wits around the man. And his wife. Even his kid.”

-

As if Terex would ever willingly go into the wilderness alone with a Tarkin. They both knew that camping trip was never going to happen.

“Thanks for the tip, August. I’ll keep that in mind. I think I make a mean cup of caf. Splash a whiskey, topped with a little cream. Just like they do on Arkanis.” Yeah, another thing Terex would never do. He hoped Snoke’s plans would escalate before she ever thought about asking him for coffee. He wasn’t giving up that much pride.

“Then again, dearest Admiral doesn’t handle her liquor very well. Spiked probably isn’t the best idea for her. Though,” Terex leaned in ever so slightly, “I doubt that’s what you really want from her.” Implications of infidelity were idle, even Terex knew a strong couple when he saw one. But, they were always fun. Who knows, maybe he’d drop one when they’re in a rough patch one day.

Terex leaned back and looked around, as if he was actually looking for the woman. Though, he did wonder who Lares was. “I saw her run off with her preferred ginger,” Hux. Who else? ”Which I don’t understand why she’d favor him over you, since you know so much about her.” Knowing she liked coffee wasn’t much, but Terex liked to tease. “I’m sure they ran off to one of his ships.” Terex shrugged.

“Go interrupt the lovers, if you’d like. I’ll make sure to catch up with you two at Spiked tonight.”

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Ow.’

It was a minor pain, when Kylo woke from the deep sleep he’d been in, that came to the forefront of his mind. Most of the wounds he had taken from his spar with Ariel were healed now, but somehow that kick to the abdomen lingered as painful that morning. They’d gone through many rounds, and eventually set aside weapons so Kylo could help Ariel with feints, guarding, and melee tricks.

Though, she had a pretty good handle on those. He stretched himself up and let out a groan as he sat up on the bed.

Snoke’s presence was definitely gone. He did not know where Snoke had chosen to go, but he apparently did not take the damn birds with him. Kylo heard those clearly through the walls of Kamino’s base. ‘We have to leave.’ Reminded himself. Mira could show up, or the First Order, or any of them, and they weren’t allowed to deal with that.

She had something that confused Snoke.

Kylo forced himself out of his bed and went on to clean up for the morning, knowing they would go to Takodana first, and then on to Grakkus’s casino to see what he had. Then, Korriban. Again. The thought wasn’t appealing, though it might mean more training with Ariel. They wouldn’t do any runs on Sith tombs.

It would take more than one session for Ariel to commit so much to memory, after all.

He pulled himself into a shower, letting the water run over him until it ran cold. He had drifted into meditation, and realized it with the shock of cold, and the split of the water away from him as he directed the offensive temperature away. He rolled his eyes at his own reaction as he pushed away from the shower, and shut it down, drying his hair off with a towel before going to get changed again in his room.

He’d get breakfast.

If everyone hadn’t shown up by the time he was ready to leave, he’d be kicking them all out of bed.

~***~

Gnaeus had enjoyed Paquin’s attempts with the bacta, even if it was difficult. He did let her know that it was a difficult task. Most thought that lifting a heavy boulder or ship with the Force would be harder, but it wasn’t true. Manipulating many, light-weight objects, was much, much harder than one single object. Enough pressure from one side of an object moved it. Sand? Sand wasn’t a lump. It was many, many pieces.

Bacta was similar.

But it was a start to let her figure out how to manipulate several small things, and that would lead to her learning to manipulate things on a cellular level. At least, he hoped so, and he let her practice with it while he did try to encourage his own body to heal. Tried to command it – but it wouldn’t heed.

In the morning, he was quite tired, and heard Kylo’s heavy steps outside of his door. He didn’t pause there, but went on, and Gnaeus felt relief. ‘Sleep….’ He let himself slip back into it, tried to grab the pillow, and his stump just uselessly hit it instead.

He turned away from it.

~***~

Mace sat silently in the cockpit of the ship with Finn, and let him answer to get them onto the planet. Security seemed lax for a Tarkin. Anyone could lie about their identity and get in – how was he sure this was Finn? Did Tarkin actually know Finn that well? At least they got on the planet, though, and the ginger that was August Tarkin was obvious, chatting up Terex.

They landed, and Mace let out a deep breath when the ship settled. He didn’t know how he was going to do this.

Exhale.

Inhale.

The planet was alive. He had not truly known it before, but there, in the cockpit, he was able to feel the Force of it, as alive as Coruscant – perhaps more alive than Coruscant. It didn’t feel as if it were decaying, and he could almost imagine its appearance. A spiral, a hurricane, but moving slow, with the Carrion Plateau no doubt right at the center. Perhaps the Spike itself at the center. And though that was the heart of it, the current of the Force moved from it, and continued outwards, forceful all around them.

Pleasant.

Dangerous. How weren’t the Tarkins Force-sensitive?

“Come on,” Finn patted his shoulder, taking him from the meditations, as Finn climbed over the pilot’s seat, and Mace glanced back at him.

‘He’s completely oblivious.’ Poor kid. He pulled himself up, “I suppose I have to go meet the Tarkins to get clearance here, or…?” What exactly was protocol?

The droid didn’t think so, but what would it know? It wasn’t a protocol droid.

~***~

‘Snoke’s been playing.’ Mira couldn’t help but think, feeling her heart sink as Hux confirmed it, and not only that – he spoke of Liberation Day. Mira knew of it, how could she not? She hadn’t known what happened, but no one did. Not really. Hux wasn’t telling her of an example of one person, no, he spoke of many.

At once.

That level of skill….

How was she still alive? It felt like so much of what she knew came crashing down on her, and what she knew of the Force. She glanced at her own coat when he gestured. “Mm.” Yes. Agreed with that, and agreed with his concern. Talk to someone living. She couldn’t help but laugh a bit, “I suppose I should stop listening to ghosts on everything. They’re dead for a reason.” Qui-Gon couldn’t hear her. “And droids.”

The Senate was spoken of, and August wanted her there. She arched an eyebrow. ‘Really?’ There was…potential there. That was when Hux mentioned his wariness. Perhaps she should listen…the thoughts were suddenly too tempting. She knew what she could do if she could get her foot in the senate. She was a woman of Coruscant – how could she not know? Another nod, “I will be,” she said, then took the stone back out, only to hold it.

It was some comfort now, knowing what strength it had to protect her. “I will go and see. I will speak to him before. Do you know what time it will be?” Asked, as she turned the stone over, “I intend to start lessons with Finn tomorrow, but I can plan it before dawn if necessary. I could pass the stone to you in the morning – it will only hinder me in training Finn. We can make it common knowledge, but it should also be…studied.” That required it leaving her. “You could see that done, as well.” Turned it over again, then folded her fingers over it once more. “Will you be going to the Senate?”

~***~

August had to laugh as he suggested how to make a cup from Arkanis, “Well, I’m glad you’ve learned to become so servile to your General and his Father.” Smirked then, hint there, that Terex might just be good for this role as someone’s dog. Go and fetch. Do all the necessary chores. There was pride in it – pride that Phasma clearly took in her role, and pride he’d had in aides, but he knew Terex saw no pride in it.

But August would love to see him so degraded.

Might have to whisper a few suggestions into Mira’s ear. Though, he was more intrigued by the idea of a drunk Mira. Now that was intriguing. He wanted the story, but didn’t press, just let that curious smile linger on his lips, and he let it twist coyly as Terex leaned in to whisper. Sure, he wanted to put the blaster right into his gut, but he resisted, “You can read me like a book,” chuckled.

Julia just rolled her eyes at their banter.

Gingers were brought up again, and a ship moved overhead to land near Terex and Mira’s ships. “Mira’s only just met me, don’t worry, Terex,” he kept that sly grin on his lips, “I’ll steal her away from Hux, and from you, soon enough. Then, I’ll have my ship back.” An Admiral could order it. “Might want to learn how to make that coffee the way she likes before I get in her good graces.” He moved then, towards the newly landed ship.

He knew where Hux was. He wouldn’t interrupt them just then, first, new people. And Lares returning to his heels, apparently irked, and the Nexu gave Terex a passing glare as it fell in step. “I’ll see you this evening.”

 

[KyloGlenn]

Ariel woke to the birds screaming. Thanks to a headache pounding in her head, the fuckers sounded amplified. If they weren’t leaving that same day, she would’ve gone out there and killed them.

She rolled over with a groan, feeling aches all over her body. Ariel was by no means unhealthy, apart from the alcoholism, but it had been a while since she’d had to move in such a way. Not to mention the aches from getting her ass beat. Though, not as bad as she thought it was gonna be…

And then there was the distinct feeling when there wasn’t enough alcohol in her system. She felt ill, her limbs felt weak. She briefly thought that maybe she should quit drinking. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about not having access to alcohol. But then she knew that sobriety was paired with having to face unpleasant feelings. She couldn’t ignore her problems by drinking alcohol.

So she shook that thought from her head and pulled herself out of bed. She didn’t bother hitting the showers yet. Didn’t feel like it, although she probably needed to. Instead, she headed for the cafeteria.

She spotted Kylo and only Kylo. She was surprised that she was up before Paquin was. Not so much Gnaeus, though. “Morning, Kyle,” she grumbled, grinning to herself as she walked past him, going for coffee. She didn’t feel like eating. She did, however, dump too much sugar in her drink. It would wake her up. But would also sober her up. But, they’d be getting alcohol soon enough.

Maybe she’d try and get the others drunk again. Without Anakin this time.

-

Paquin hadn’t expected to be able to do anything with the bacta, but it was still disappointing nonetheless. But, it was a place to begin training. Whether it would actually lead to healing with the Force or not, it was still something.

Before she’d gone to bed that night, she tried meditating again. Imagining the water…maybe it worked better that time because she was already tired. It was easy to sort of zone out. And everyone else was quiet. At some point during it, she had fallen asleep. She slept a lot heavier than usual, only waking up when the first sounds of Kylo getting up were heard.

And those damn birds.

But she didn’t get up right away. Instead, she went through the process of meditating again. The water, the shitbirds. It reminded her of the actual shitbirds on the roof. But everything still merged together, the pulse of life. All the way until she couldn’t even hear the screaming birds. It all became one steady noise. And then her stomach growled, snapping her out of her daze.

She decided to get up and shower before eating. Walking out of the room, she spotted a bundle of black right by the door. Armor. Right. She forgot about that. She almost missed wearing normal clothes. Less bulky clothes. It’d been a long while since she’d actually wore something less bulky or colorful. And did she really need to wear armor to go to Takodana? Either way, she moved on to take a quick shower. She spent most of her time on her hair. She missed her old conditioner already. She missed a lot of things.

She didn’t dwell too long before she moved on to what she really wanted; breakfast.

-

“Um, I don’t know, either.” Finn shrugged. “I haven’t been on Eriadu before.” He was surprised ‘Finn from the Resistance’ worked to get them through. Maybe they added some Resistance members to the security detail?

Or maybe Finn was thought to be a big deal in the Resistance!

Probably not.

Finn briefly wondered if using a last name would make things easier instead of Finn from the Resistance. He was planning on using Windu. But now that he knew his father…would Mace be okay with him using Windu? If not, he supposed he could always use Zain. “I suppose we could find them, if you want.” Finn knew that Mace would want to meet them.


Speak of the devil, it was then that Finn saw the Tarkins coming towards them. August, his wife, and some animal. Reminded him of a cat in the way it moved. But definitely not a cat. “I guess we’re about to find out,” Finn gestured to the ginger and his posse. That made things easier, he supposed.

He briefly wondered about Mace’s relationship with the Tarkins. Did they like each other? Would August like Mace and vice versa. Hopefully, because Finn didn’t want his father getting booted off the planet. Who knows if he’d be able to find him again.

-

Hux was a little concerned with Mira’s plan to fork over the stone in the morning. Though she should be able to sleep with it, he wondered if Snoke would be able to pick up on her usage of the Force or something. Or Finn’s. And with this whole mass mind control thing, it seemed Snoke was a bit more powerful than they thought.

Hux wasn’t going to worry too much about it. He supposed it was a little much. If that were the case, they’d all probably be under Snoke’s control right now.

“It’ll be early. I’d plan for before dawn.” He informed her. Everyone would still be up then, anyway. He assumed with the celebrations. He still didn’t know how Tarkin planned on getting up in the morning if he planned on drinking. Mira asked if he’d be attending the Senate meeting and he shook his head. “Tarkin asked me to distract Carise Sindian during the meeting. Probably as some sort of revenge.” Hux shrugged.

“Carise is blaming Tarkin for disturbing the peace,” Snoke’s blockade and things. “And she didn’t bother confirming if that was okay, so now we’re meeting her beforehand as well as clearing Ransolm Casterfo’s name.” He elaborated. Since she hadn’t been around for all that.

“Besides, I don’t think anyone would be thrilled to see me in the Senate. But I do need to make an appearance sometime soon,” Now that Snoke was the enemy of everyone now and not him. Technically. And pitch the idea of something to replace the current political system. Not a dictatorship. Some place between what they all wanted. They should be happy about that, at least.

And with the looming threat of Snoke, the General hoped they’d realize it was the best option.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Kyle?’ Kylo lifted his head as he heard the feminine voice call him ‘Kyle’, and he scowled at Ariel. Clearly, he hadn’t kicked her ass hard enough yesterday if she felt like being cocky and calling him Kyle that morning. Pity he wouldn’t be able to later that day, probably. Not with Takodana on the agenda and then Tatooine. ‘But we’ll get her ship.’

That would make up for things. Some things. He shook his head and went back to eating his meal, which was loaded with proteins that morning – eggs, sausage, bacon, and then lots of hashbrowns covered in gravy. He knew that it was not healthy, but he really did not care, he felt starved once the scent of food hit his nostrils, and he grabbed what looked appealing.

Ariel’s coffee did not. It looked ruined when she came to join him, and his nose wrinkled at the sight of the concoction. “You should eat,” he noted the lack of food, “I wouldn’t trust the food at Takodana or Grakkus’s,” even if Grakkus was sworn to them…they had traitor issues lately. He wouldn’t trust anyone. Especially not someone who let Mira get away with precious artifacts.

He saw Paquin then out of the corner of his eye, and looked towards her, clearly washed up for their trip, and she seemed relaxed. Calmer. He hoped that meant that Gnaeus had done a good job at teaching her about the Force yesterday, but he’d be sure to ask once she came to join them with her own meal.

And fortunately, Gnaeus wasn’t long behind her, though he did not appear nearly as put together. He was in his armor, at least, but Kylo noticed he had adjusted it in a rather disturbing way. He’d found a way to tie the sleeve over his chest, pinning his stump against his chest as if it were a half-straight jacket or something. Perhaps it would help him not to use it, but…Kylo didn’t like the image, and quickly averted his gaze from it.

Looked right back down at his food, “We’re getting him that arm immediately,” he said so Ariel would hear, his disturbance visible. He did worry. He did care. He had to be hard though, “He can’t continue like this.” He couldn’t be kind. When Gnaeus came to sit, he was breaking whatever configuration let him keep his arm pinned like that.

~***~

“Not really,” Mace started to say, to wanting to go find the Tarkins. Of course, he wouldn’t get a choice, as Finn indicated right outside. Mace looked and, sure enough, that was a Tarkin. Red hair, blue eyes, and gaunt features that were somehow not unhealthy. Natural. The man was in a peak condition even if his face had a disturbingly skeletal appearance. Angular. Handsome to some, perhaps. Likely his wife.

Though his wife was definitely not skeletal. Well, perhaps opposites attracted. She was traditionally beautiful. The creature, though, raised Mace’s hackles. “What is he doing with a nexu?” He muttered aloud.

He remembered those things too well.

But, out the door he went, as Finn said, “I don’t know…is that what it’s called?”

“Yes,” Mace answered, and they came before the Tarkins, who paused in their approach. Julia immediately lifted her datapad, and the blue light came on at the back. Mace canted his head at the gesture.

Finn was the one to speak, “I hope it’s all right that we’ve come here, ah…Governor Tarkin,” that was probably the way to address him, right? Now it felt odd, “General Hux called Mira back, and I’m kind of traveling with her, so….”

“Yes, as a Gray Jedi, you are welcome here, Finn,” and he took one glance at Julia’s screen to confirm what was suspected when he laid eyes on the man at his side, “Master Windu.” Finn looked surprised to hear August speak the name almost casually, as if he had no doubts or surprise over Mace’s arrival.

August had never met him. The Jedi were a legend by the time he was a child, but he knew of him. “I am not so sure if you are welcome here.”

Mace tilted his head slightly down, but it was not a gesture of submission, but one that August could clearly read as that of someone not going to back down nearly that easily. “I have matters to tend to with Master Vallens. I mean no harm to your planet, Tarkin.”

“I have no doubts,” he cast his gaze towards Finn, and then again towards Windu, “Unfortunately, you have a reputation for going against law and order – admirable quality, usually, but I can’t have you executing a heathen on my planet when they’re under my protection.” He wasn’t about to see the Grey Jedi end here. He was too aware that Mace was once going to execute Palpatine, just for being a Sith. Something he should have done, of course.

August wasn’t going to have it happen here. Nor did he want the Jedi returning to the forefront. Mace was a threat to all of his designs. He could restore the Jedi too easily, have a following at the snap of a finger, and August couldn’t have that. “He isn’t going to kill her,” Finn jumped to the defense immediately, “I promise – I’ll keep an eye on him!”

BB-8 beeped its agreement – it wouldn’t let Windu do anything foolish.

August chuckled at the sentiments, but his expression didn’t lighten. This was…an unexpected wrench in his plans. He supposed he couldn’t deny Mace…and it was intriguing that he was here. “Very well. I will consider you under Padawan Finn’s protection, Master Windu,” amusing, really. “Should you do anything to cause trouble, it will be Finn who takes the fall.” Let’s see if Finn was still willing to vouch.

~***~

Mira nodded. Before dawn worked. She’d be sure to set an alarm on her datapad and alert Finn to the details. The plan for the morning seemed heavily political – distract a senator, so that August could handle whatever the Senate was trying to do with his world. Mira gave a nod; she did understand these things. She used to devour books on such things, when she was younger and isolated.

Coruscant was ever-intriguing.

“Then I will do my utmost to make a good appearance in the Senate,” she did not quite know what her role was, or why August would want her there, but she did see the opportunity, for herself, and for the First Order. She was representing multiple parties. If they could come to accept her, then perhaps, they’d accept her opinion.

Leia had spoken with Hux and worked things out, somewhat. If she could influence others to do the same…then it might be easier for Hux to get his foot in the door. “I suppose I’ll need to set an alarm for tomorrow then,” she took her datapad out, and then, remembered. She quickly handed it towards Hux, and the words came quick, “I bought your ship back on Hoth – with Snoke’s money. We may still have access to it.”

Meaning, they should funnel it – quickly – away from Snoke. She turned the pad on, and quickly moved to all the accounts that Kevan had access to. Hux would certainly be able to recognize which were tied to his own accounts with the First Order, and which were not.

~***~

General Leia Organa’s eyes glittered over the rim of her wine glass, the blue liquid shimmering in the light as she tried to stifle a chuckle. Ransolm Casterfo just sighed and shook his head, smiling as he sunk into the seat across from her, “Go ahead. I know, my hair needs toned. There’s a lot of orange to it.”

Leia let some of the laughter flow more freely, but she still kept it in, and reached out to touch his arm, “You look fine, really,” she reassured him, “I would have recognized you like this far more easily,” and she retracted her hand then, a sigh parting her lips. They were both in the rather large bar known as the Spiked – multi-floored, pointed like the Carrion Spike itself, and not yet busy, though she could see people preparing. “We have much to catch up on,” she noted.

Ransolm nodded his agreement, “You left the Senate right after the mess.”

“Yes,” Leia looked aside, “and I can tell you all about that,” she said, looking to him, “but first, tell me about your survival, and what you’ve been up to. How did you get involved with Tarkin to the point he would save you?” That seemed the mystery.

“We were both a part of the Centrists. August hailed me after a session,” he couldn’t even remember what it was over that day. “He wanted to thank me for my input and helping to get a motion passed through,” that much he remembered. It had still been a good day for him, the start of his own career, that August boosted from that point on. “We started talking, and we became friends. I took his wife to the theater, we sparred, we shared ideas…we were among the few Centrists who were moderates, and I became his voice in the Senate for a while.”

Everything August liked was a tool in some way. Ransolm learned to accept it, even if there had been a time he was offended by it. Of course, Julia eventually sat him down and talked to him. “Since there were people who would try to just go for the jugular. You should remember how they were with you and Vader….” They ousted her. August wasn’t going to allow that, so he worked with a network, developed it, until he finally had enough sway and position again to speak his own mind. “I guess I became so useful to him, he couldn’t bear to see me go,” a touch of a smile, and then he shook his head.

He wasn’t sure when, or why, but they had truly become friends. “The ship that was going to take me to Riosa was hijacked by pirates. They weren’t pirates, of course.” Nexu Pride. That became obvious soon enough, but they killed everyone on board, except him. It was just assumed he was dead. “They took me to meet August on Takodana,” funny how small the world seemed when he thought of Takodana. “He told me I could hide, or I could help him take down the First Order…and now we’re here.” Working with them. Leia could hear the disappointment, “What are we doing, Leia?”

Before Leia could answer, they were interrupted by Bertrand popping up, and coming to her side, “Yo, General, do you know where Po’ boy is?”

Leia arched an incredulous eyebrow at the way this one referred to Poe. “Poe Dameron?” He gave a nod. “Why?”

“He’s the best pilot in the Resistance, right? I’m the best pilot on Eriadu. I need to meet him. I saw him out there doing his stuff, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of him. I need to talk ships with him.” The enthusiasm was too sincere, and too endearing, for Leia to think this man meant anything wrong.

“So you’re Nexu Omega?” Heard of him. Didn’t meet him. Again, he nodded. “Well, I’m not sure where Poe is, but I will be sure to mention that you are looking for him when I see him.”

“Thank you, General! Ransolm,” he gave a quick nod to him, and then bolted off, leaving Leia to laugh softly to herself, and then shake her head, before looking to Ransolm. Her smile softened, “One could ask you why you support someone who’s family was tied to Darth Vader. You should know better than I, that people are not their families, and people change. General Hux was a young man swept up in the rush of power and position he held, and though I believe many of the First Order’s ideals are his own, I do not believe he is wholly evil, nor do I believe the First Order itself is. You may have more in common with them than you want to believe.” Centrist.

Casterfo rolled his eyes, “Is that what your intuition tells you, General?”

“Yes. That is what the Force tells me,” and here, on Eriadu, she felt rather confident in that small ‘voice’ in the back of her head.

 

[KyloGlenn]

“I’m not hungry,” Ariel rejected the idea of eating. She probably should eat. It would likely be a long while before she had the chance to since she likely wouldn’t eat on Takodana or Tatooine. But at the moment she didn’t feel up to it.

And she really wasn’t hungry when Gnaeus walked in. The sight was just as disturbing to Ariel as it was to Kylo, but unlike him, her eyes didn’t move from him as he moved through the cafeteria. She tried not to be obvious as she stared at his disheveled form, but it wasn’t like she could hide behind anything. Ariel sighed as Kylo spoke to her. “Agreed. Thankfully we’re getting it soon.”

She tore her eyes away from Gnaeus, turning to Kylo. “Hopefully it’ll lift his spirits, too.”

Paquin settled on oatmeal with berries on top, and her usual muffin and black coffee. Her meals were typically monotonous, which she’d accepted at this point. She turned, catching sight of Gnaeus. She frowned ever so slightly, but wasn’t as perturbed as the others. She knew it was only temporary. Whether it be because of the prosthetic or her somehow magically restoring his physical hand.

She joined the two at the table, taking a glance at Ariel’s lack of food. Wasn’t this the same girl who had been so defensive over not eating breakfast the previous day? “You should eat something. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

Ariel had to snort. “So it is.”

-

“I accept that.” Of course Finn was still willing to vouch for Mace. “Thank you, Governor Tarkin.You won’t even hear a peep of him being slightly inconvenient! Right, Master Windu?” Finn questioned Mace purposefully—and called him Master Windu to seem not so casual—so Mace would be forced to agree with being good if he wanted to freely walk on the planet. Or at least that’s what he hoped for.

Of course, Finn didn’t think there was much he or Mira or probably even Tarkin could do if Mace did decide to disagree or do anything, really. Which was worrisome.

But Finn would hope he could trust Mace enough not to do anything. That Mace would be a better person and decide himself that he shouldn’t do something. Or at the very least try not to get his son in trouble with the Tarkins. While Finn hadn’t witnessed August do any action to induce fear, the man still worried Finn. The name still worried him.

Though Finn doubted that Mace considered them close enough to think of Finn’s safety in his decisions.

All Finn could do was hope. He still didn’t know Mace well at all.

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to vouch for Mace, but it was too late to withdraw his statement.

-

“Good luck in the Senate. Just remember, no one there is your friend, as welcoming as the may seem.” Every interaction between Senators and their parties were for personal gain. Or at least it was for the smart ones. Like Tarkin. “The Senate is a whirlwind and has a tendency to chew you up and spit you out, but I have no doubt you’ll be able to keep your wits about you.”

And while Hux did believe his words to her for the most part, he did worry. With whatever August was trying to do, with how many people were actually in the Senate. Mira may have been from Coruscant, she may have extensive political knowledge, and she may have experience in diplomatic dealings but the Senate was something else.

The subject quickly changed as Mira’s words came hurried. Buying his ship back, access to Snoke’s money, and then she was holding out her datapad, Kevan’s accounts being displayed on the screen.

His red eyebrows furrowed as he took the device from her. “If you bought the ship with it, we likely don’t have much time at all.” He mumbled as he transferred the data to his own pad. He imagined it was somewhat of a large purchase. A noticeable one to go missing.

He handed back Mira’s datapad and picked up his own. Hux typed away, sending the instructions back to the Finalizer to have someone funnel the money to a new account, something someone he paid could do more efficiently than he could on his datapad. Meanwhile, Millicent brushed herself against Mira’s leg. Her tail swished, slightly perturbed by the sounds from the nexu. She knew it was Lares from his wild scent.

It made her a little frisky, playful. Millicent considered Lares a playmate.

 

[Lucyfer]

Gnaeus Ren did find that the way he’d tied the sleeve made it easier to remember that his arm was useless. Sure, it was also probably disturbing his comrades, but with the arm held snug against him, he didn’t have an urge to try and use it, and that was a respite to his mind. There would be no errors, no attempts, that would then remind him that his hand was not there. So, he was able to remember to use the Force to pick up what he wanted.

His plate. His biscuits and gravy. Strips of bacon – horribly greasy bacon, which was slathered in more gravy, before he added the shredded potatoes over the top of it all…and then more gravy. He was not feeling like eating healthy, at all. His meal was a stark contrast to Paquin’s when he came to join them at the table, as Ariel snorted over breakfast.

He also eyed the lack of food, before he shrugged it off and just dug into the food with a spoon, cutting the bacon up into and eating it as if it were a really thick stew.

Kylo just gawked at him and the mess of gravy. “What is in that?”

Gnaeus shrugged, “Food.”

Kylo shook his head, disgusted and fascinated at the same time, before he decided to just go back to his own meal, “Ariel isn’t going to be eating for some reason,” Kylo noted. Yesterday she had been so upset with him for denying her food, and now she didn’t want any. “She’ll regret it by the time we get to Takodana.” He surmised, “and then poison herself on something Maz Kanata gives to her.”

Gnaeus looked Ariel right in the eyes, “Do not eat anything Maz gives you.” He wouldn’t doubt that it was poisoned. Maz wasn’t exactly their ally. Sure, she said all were welcome…but Gnaeus didn’t believe that for a second. Not after what the First Order had done to her castle. “Wait, how is Maz going to know who we are?” Before it dawned on him. She’d probably recognize Kylo…somehow. Kylo even gave him a look as if it were obvious, “Sorry.” Went back to his messy meal of gravy and other things.

Kylo just shook his head, “Does anyone need to do or grab anything after breakfast?” He was used to just packing up and going, so he’d extend the question as an offer to make sure they didn’t forget whatever was needed before heading out. His lightsaber was already on his belt, after all.

~***~

The words rushed from the padawan’s lips thoughtlessly, and August could see it in the moments after, the doubt that suddenly tarnished that naïve light in his eyes. He had a lot to learn, this ex-stormtrooper. Hopefully, Terex wouldn’t be able to sink his fangs into this one. Doubted it; Finn renounced the First Order, after all.

What a tangled web of alliances…. ‘And they lead to her.’ Two hers. Leia Organa and Mira Vallens, an alliance that wouldn’t be possible, if it didn’t in the end, tie back to Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Academy and its failure, that needed to be permanent. It all twisted back to the women, the ones willing to make the necessary moves, the strength of this…Resistance.

“Very well,” August accepted it, “Then welcome to Eriadu, Padawan Finn, Master Windu, and…BB-8.”

The droid beeped its own acknowledgment, awkwardly, apparently not expecting to be formally greeted. “I am not certain where General Organa is at this time, but plenty will be going to the Spiked so you may find people who know there. Master Vade—Vallens,” he was having fun with that, too much, “has gone to see General Hux, or so Terex tells me,” and he didn’t have a reason to mistrust him in that regard. “Master Skywalker is not here,” he saw Windu huff at that, “Not a fan?”

“What do you think?”

“Good.” Stated simply. “Do either of you need anything, then?” He felt the pull to leave.

Mace shook his head. He wanted to be rid of the presence of Tarkin immediately, and made that clear. He had no interest in continuing to trade barbs with the Senator.

~***~

The datapad was taken, and the account information quickly copied over – Mira wasn’t sure if anything else was, but would trust that nothing else was, when the pad was returned to her for the funds to be funneled. “If we’re lucky, Snoke won’t recall all the places Kevan had access to,” it was quite a lot. He might miss one, and they’d be able to drain it before Snoke realized it.

With luck, it’d be all, but Mira didn’t think they would be that lucky.

She half-expected that communications device to go crazy when Snoke did notice, though.

She was distracted from the thoughts by Millicent, and she bent a bit to pet her, noting the agitated swish of the tail. So long as she wasn’t trying to murder her, she’d be fine with it – though if the cat wanted to play, she’d humor it. “Is there anything else that I need to be briefed on, General?” She glanced up at him, gaze leaving Millicent, curious if there was more to discuss after the revelations of Snoke’s power and the Senate meeting.

It seemed like quite a bit already.

 

[KyloGlenn]

“Maybe I want to eat poison and die. Ever think of that? Nice, peaceful death. Drift off to sleep. Nicest death I’ll ever have the opportunity to get.” Ariel was joking of course. She didn’t want to eat poison and she didn’t want to die. Maybe it wasn’t a very good joke.

“Contrary to popular belief, death by poisoning or similarly death by drug overdose is not painless. It may knock you unconscious but often times, poisons and drugs lead to major organ failure. Which is incredibly painful and you most likely feel. Feeling your liver go, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain. Choking on your own blood or vomit sometimes…happens with alcohol too.” Paquin rattled off as she ate.

Ariel stared at Paquin, blinked. “There’s these things called snacks, you guys. I’ll bring a protein bar. voids,” Ariel shook her head. “I wouldn’t have to if Kylo knew how to be subtle.” She teased. She honestly trusted Maz’s food more than she would trust Grakkus’s, their own ally. Maz wasn’t their friend, but if Ariel was separate from the Knights, she doubted anything bad would happen. Grakkus on the other hand…

She downed the rest of her coffee, standing up. “I need to go shower.” She answered Kylo’s question. “I’ll meet you guys at the ship.” She felt gross and hopefully a shower would make her feel better. They still had to finish eating and it wouldn’t take her that long.

“I need to get my lightsaber,” Paquin should just start walking around with that thing, even just for breakfast. She always seemed to have to run back and get it.

-

“No, that’s it. Thank you, Governor Tarkin.” Finn answered, placing a hand on his father’s shoulder to usher him away. Before Tarkin could change his mind or before Mace could do something to change his mind. Thankfully, Mace seemed like all he wanted to do was stop talking to August. Finn nodded to Julia, to be polite. Glanced to the nexu as he walked past the creature.

Once a ways away, approaching some First Order ships, the one Mira bought back off to the side, There was that same lack of feeling which Finn knew meant Mira was around. Or the stone was, anyway.

Finn turned to his newfound father, then. “I’m assuming you’ll want to interrupt Mira and Hux?” He questioned. Finn’s thoughts had been shifted by August when he mentioned Leia and Luke. It reminded him of the fact that he wanted to check on Poe and everyone else to make sure they were all okay. It also made him wonder. Luke isn’t here which meant Rey wasn’t.

He wondered what they were up to. He hoped they were just back on Cimarosa. That they’d be heading to Eriadu soon. That they wouldn’t be disappearing again. Finn missed Rey.

He also was curious as to what was happening at this Spiked place…maybe Poe would be there.

But back to Master Vallens and Hux. They’d probably have to figure out where they were. Mira was close, just needed to pinpoint which ship. That’s what Stormtroopers were for, he supposed as he saw different groupings walking around.

-

“We’ll see. The First Order’s lucky streak has gone on for a while now,” Hux was prepared for their luck to run out. He was always prepared for the unfortunate. Though he had been enjoying the luck that they’d had thus far and they had to at least try to get the funds. Hux wouldn’t hold his breath.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t get such funds. The First Order was well of enough. The only downside was that Snoke would still have and be able to use the money.

As Mira looked away, up to Hux, Millicent rolled onto her back and would wait for Mira to scratch at her stomach before grabbing her sleeve with her paws. She wouldn’t sink her claws in, just try to pull her hand down for her to nibble on. Hux looked on, amused. He started thinking that he should probably get Millicent some cat toys. A cat tree. A collar. If he got ahold of any of Snoke’s money, that’d be the first purchase he’d make with the funds.

“No, thank the Maker.” That’s all the shit news he had for her. At that moment. That was enough to fill her in on for the time being. Too much all at once, he’d say. “You’re dismissed,” had to add that formality. “There’s celebrations being held at a bar, Spiked, if you’re interested.” He did inform her of that, in case that was something she’d want to do. “Apparently Tarkin’s going later.” Hux shook his head at that. He was still surprised that it was tempting to August.

General Hux didn’t understand the appeal. Bar atmosphere wasn’t quite his thing. He’d prefer a quiet glass of wine before going to bed for a long time.

 

[Lucyfer]

Gnaeus and Kylo Ren both slowly stopped chewing the food in their mouths as Paquin began to explain how painful poison could be once ingested. The thought of swallowing the food became no longer enjoyable, even if they were pretty certain it wasn’t poison. They swallowed those bites, though, and then Gnaeus pushed his plate aside, deciding he was definitely done with food for the time being.

Seemed like they were at least all ready to go then. Kylo rose, as did Gnaeus, who was glad Ariel would at least grab a protein bar. It was better than nothing. “Don’t hope for the impossible, Ariel,” Gnaeus stated. Kylo was never subtle.

Subtlety was not needed. Not in his opinion. Perhaps that was why they were having issues, though. Still…how could they be subtle in black garb and masks? People heard rumors of the knights. Kylo could dress normally, but then he’d be without armor, and that wasn’t happening. He needed his armor. “We can go get your ship, then we’ll wait for Ariel at the ship.”

“If you’re finished.” Ariel taking a shower would take longer. Gnaeus was quick to add that, realizing he and Kylo had only decided they were done after Paquin’s poison story. She might be just fine with continuing, and he could sit back down. Though, he did notice the irked look he got from Kylo for offering. Didn’t understand it.

No, it wasn’t like Kylo was bothered that Gnaeus was being nice to Paquin. Nicer than he was being. Not in the least. The thought occurred to Kylo to override it, but he was right…a shower still took a few minutes, and then getting dressed and prepared again. He just sat back down as answer and acceptance.

~***~

Finn could read him well – perhaps just read people well. Mace did want to interrupt Master Vallens. He wanted to get this hashed out, and make sure his son was in good hands, if this was how it was going to be. If not…then no, he didn’t mind breaking August’s rules and killing her, stopping a new Sith regime before it began. This time, he wouldn’t run away and hide. “Yeah,” he answered, and Finn gave a sharp nod, before he parted from his side.

Calling out to the Stormtroopers, still with that authority he’d felt on Cimarosa. “Excuse me! I need to find Admiral Vallens,” made sure to use that title. Master Vallens wouldn’t mean much to the First Order. “She’s at Hux’s ship – can you point me that way?”

He could see the disdain, even if they were all wearing helmets, in their body language. They seemed to quietly debate if such information should be given to a traitor, and he was about to ask again when Mace came to his side. He wanted to use the Force to command them, but just gave a glare in place of it, hand upon the old lightsaber.

One sighed at last and just pointed, “That way. Should be obvious, not many other ships too close,” like they were here, a bit packed together. Hux’s ship had space around it.

“Thanks,” Finn said, patted Mace’s arm, and started to walk.

BB-8 beeped that she was probably going to be upset with the interruption.

“I know,” Finn sighed.

“I don’t care.” Mace said. When he saw the ship, he moved ahead and was at the door first to knock, “Vallens!” Sharp tone. They were far from done.

~***~

Mira was a fan of their lucky streak. If she could keep it running, she would, but she knew it would break. Snoke wasn’t so easily taken down, or Kevan would have done so ages ago, she imagined. She might have…she wouldn’t have such fear of him. She wouldn’t need this stone. Yet, she did. ‘You are skilled at finding what you need.’ Snoke’s words, and Snoke knew now she had found what she needed.

But it was another crutch, not a fix to the problem of the Force, though the thought broke as Millicent drew her hand to nibble on, broke with a chuckle as she let the cat do just that, lowering her other hand to continue petting. She was dismissed, and gave a nod, “I may have luck speaking with him there, then,” she wasn’t one for the bar atmosphere, but it was an easy way to speak with August.

There was a shout from Hux’s door then, and Mira stiffened, before she drew her hands up and away from Millicent. Did she mention this? She didn’t recall, “That would be Master Mace Windu of the old Jedi Order,” someone who should have been dead, “Finn’s father,” added, “I met his mother on Coruscant as well…sorry,” taken the information and ran with it. “I do not think Mace is a fan of the Gray Jedi.” Rose then.

She had a lot to learn. Leading an organization. Being an Admiral. The Senate. “I’ll keep my datapad on me. I will likely be in the Nymph for the night, after I’ve seen to everyone, and I’ll come by before dawn to pass the stone off to you,” hopefully he would be awake then. With the plan of attack outlined, she would move to take his dismissal, a short inclination of her head, and then she’d go see what Mace wanted of her.

 

[KyloGlenn]

Paquin wasn’t done eating when the others stood up. She briefly felt disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to finish her food, but she wasn’t about to argue it. She was about to stand when Gnaeus added the bit about her being finished. Paquin wasn’t going to deny the opportunity to eat, but she caught Kylo’s irritated look. It wasn’t until Kylo sat down and seemed to allow it that she started eating again. “Thanks,” it was mainly directed towards Gnaeus, but Kylo hadn’t fought it.

“Sorry,” it wasn’t hard to piece together that they stopped eating because of her explanation. It wasn’t her intent to disturb them that much. “I guess I’m not aware of what’s meal time appropriate and what’s not.” She forgot that not everyone could simply brush stuff like that off and keep eating like she could.

She felt a little awkward with them just sitting there while she ate and she didn’t want to irk Kylo any further, so she didn’t spend much longer eating, finishing off a few more bites and the rest of her bland, bitter coffee. She stood, throwing the stuff away and putting the tray up. She returned to the two, “Alright, I’m finished,” she was ready to go.

Meanwhile, Ariel didn’t take very long either. She showered just long enough to wash her hair and body and afterwards she simply put her old clothes back on. She didn’t have any others on Kamino. She did on Korriban and on her ship. She hoped her ship was where she left it, not only for the alcohol but for her personal bits and bobs as well. Like her clothes. She didn’t wear such heavy armor when was alone, and certainly not on Tatooine. She knew how to blend in.

She threw her hair into a loose side braid, bits of wet hair too short to pull back were hanging out. She briefly considered cutting all the red strands shorter, but shook the idea from her head. She was probably going through a mid life crisis. Or end of life crisis, as Ariel didn’t think she’d live another twenty-six years. And then she was off to grab a snack and join the others.

-

Hux snorted, about to wish Mira luck for when she spoke to Tarkin, but before he could there was a banging at the door. Hux frowned, the voice calling for Mira unfamiliar, Who thought it was a good idea to come screaming to his door, interrupting? Even if it was for Mira. Anyone in the First Order would know better.

Even Millicent stiffened at the knocking, staying frozen for a second after Mira retracted her hands before she rolled back onto her feet, tail swishing as she jumped onto the pilot’s chair.

The General’s eyebrows furrowed at her explanation of who it was. No, she did not mention that. “Mace Windu is dead.” He had been fairly certain anyway. He thought it had been a silly coincidence that Finn’s last name had actually been Windu, but if Mira was telling the truth… And had Mira been anyone else, Hux would’ve been furious that she took those files and ran with them. Even if Finn was no longer apart of the First Order. But he supposed with the rank he bestowed upon her…

Hux sighed, running a hand over his red head as Mira took her leave. “Careful, then. I’ll see you in the morning,” was his departing message. The General glared out the door at the door’s assailant upon it’s opening, but did nothing to reprimand. Not his place, he supposed. Though, if anything happened to Mira or anyone else in this planet, he wouldn’t hesitate. Whatever he could try on such a Force user…

Finn tried to stop Mace from being so abrasive, but his father was already banging on Hux’s door before he could try to stop him.

Mira stepped out and Finn greeted her. “Hey, Mira! You got back in one piece! Sorry for interrupting—“

“I’m not,” Mace interrupted once again. “C’mon, Master Vallens, time to talk.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Gnaeus shook his head, “Don’t worry about that – it probably isn’t healthy for me to eat that much gravy, anyway,” he was becoming a bit more awake as the day moved on. Still wasn’t going to change how he’d decided to pin his arm to his own torso, though. Kylo just shrugged. He’d mostly finished, anyway. He had gotten there first, but Gnaeus definitely did not need to eat that much gravy. He didn’t need to do a lot of things. “Probably don’t talk about poison reactions at the table. Especially since we’re all wanted dead by lots of people in the galaxy now.”

They were before, but with the First Order against them now, and the traitors, talk of poison was bad. They started it with Maz, so it was kind of their fault, but talk of how it actually treated the body had been a bit extreme. “Do we have many antidotes around, Kylo?”

The Knight just shook his head. It wasn’t a thing heavily invested in – Kylo was relatively sure he could purge poison of his own body, anyway. It wouldn’t be the best method, but then, his improvisations never were. Like cauterizing a wound with a lightsaber. Before Gnaeus could ask about getting some, though, Paquin announced that she was done and put away her plates. Gnaeus levitated his own plate away, but Kylo just left his things at the table for someone else to handle as he rose, empty-handed.

“We’ll head by the rooms so you can pick up your lightsaber, then we’ll go meet Ariel at the ship,” and then get a much better ship on Tatooine. How he missed his ship…he didn’t think he would. It was just a ship. He was always annoyed with his father for being so attached to the Millennium Falcon. He loved that ship more than he loved his own son. ‘So I shouldn’t be attached.’ Hadn’t named his ship…but he was attached. He did miss it, for more than the practicality of it.

He ignored those thoughts, though. Walked on ahead to take them back towards the rooms, and he would stop outside of Paquin’s to let her get the lightsaber, before looking to Gnaeus, “Don’t you need your blade?”

“What’s the point of it, Kylo?”

“Go get the vibroblade, Gnaeus.”

There was an irked look that crossed his face, but he turned to heed the order rather than argue it.

~***~

‘I wish he was dead.’ No, Mira did not wish that, but right then he was definitely annoying her. Even if she was on her way out anyway. Mira just gave an acknowledging nod, smile, before she followed his glare and went to the door, opening it to see Mace right there, front and center, and Finn off to the side, apologizing.

Mace wasn’t. Of course. “Keep calling me that – I’m starting to grow fond of it.” Mira noted, adopting the tone she’d used when speaking to Hux on the ship she’d traded, not so long ago. She stepped onto the ramp quickly though, so the door would shut and not let Millicent out.

Finn huffed a bit at the words, but the smile returned just as quick, “I’m not sure where exactly we should have this talk,” he was including himself in it. This concerned him, too, after all. He knew it, even if it was likely just going to be about Force philosophies and other such things. He needed to hear this, needed to understand the varying views in the galaxy. He would have wanted to ask Rey, but…well, he wasn’t sure where she was, or Luke.

“The Spiked is going to be a busy place. It would drown it out,” likely. “But I need to swing by the skiff first, either way.”

“Why?” Mace sounded a bit hostile, as Finn took the initiative to start back that way, to show her where they were parked.

“I think I left some of my old armor in there, and I’m not wearing this dress the rest of the night,” she wanted something comfortable. Even with the reputation that armor had, she wanted it, or anything that would feel the least bit normal. “I know I left some with Kevan once so he could get it patched up,” while she tended to his business, after he’d ventured with her. She hadn’t reclaimed it, that she remembered. Odds were in her favor it was in one of the boxes.

Or else she could make his clothes fit, with some of Hux’s clothes from his ship. If she hadn’t just given Hux the keys and locked herself out of it. ‘Damn it.’

“You’re just stalling.” Mace argued, but Mira ignored it on the way back to the skiff.

Well, except to say, “You haven’t told me where you want to talk – in public, or private?”

 

[KyloGlenn]

Paquin would keep that in mind. No poison talk at the table. She’d go ahead and cross off the majority of body functions as well. She didn’t think anyone enjoyed her mini lessons anyhow.

She dipped into the room, she wouldn’t call it her room, just as she wouldn’t call the one on Korriban hers. Didn’t feel right to her. Not yet, anyway. Her lightsaber lay on the nightstand next to the bed, she quickly snatched it up and left out the door as Gnaeus seemed to be instructed by Kylo to go get his vibroblade. Paquin said nothing, just frowned ever so slightly as Gnaeus went to retrieve it.

Her free hand reached up to pat Kylo’s shoulder. They were all probably going through a…strange time. With the constant losses of all types. She wanted to urge them all to be patient with each other but kept quiet. Patience seemed to be a virtue that not all of them possessed.

Her hand slipped from his shoulder. She clipped the lightsaber at her hip as they waited for Gnaeus to return. There wasn’t an official holster for the thing, but it would work for her.

Meanwhile Ariel finished her shower, sauntering to the hangar where she found herself to be the first one there. Even after showering and grabbing a snack. ‘Slow pokes.’ She braved the rain, which was fortunately only a drizzle at this point, to reach the ship. She decided to wait for them inside the ship instead of in the rain, loading herself in and plopping her butt in the co-pilot’s seat.

She wished she had a datapad to play games on or something as she waited. Again, all in her old ship.

-

Mace rolled his eyes. He didn’t think growing any more irritated was possible at this point, yet he was proving himself wrong. Mira was proving him wrong. “It doesn’t matter,” he was sure she was further enforcing her stalling. And it really didn’t matter where they spoke, wherever they were, it wouldn’t change his response to whatever conclusion they reached. “We’ll start on the way to Spiked.” He didn’t want to delay any further, and he wasn’t going to let her delay any further.

Besides, he needed a drink. Though, he wasn’t sure how much he could trust a drink of his to not be spiked there. Though, he was sure the bar was named after the Carrion Spike and not the poisoning of drinks. Either way, he wasn’t sure he could trust anyone under Tarkin’s control to provide him with drinks. Or Mira. ‘Fuck it.’ He was gonna drink something.

“You’ve got two minutes to change before I go in and carry your ass to the bar.”

“Two minutes? Even I take longer than two minutes to get dressed.” Finn interjected, knowing Mira would need more than ninety damn seconds to find clothes and change. His father was being unreasonable. Even if Mira was, in fact, stalling.

“Fine. Five minutes. Then I barge in.” He didn’t want to spend so much time waiting, talking, to come to the result that he was simply going to kill her and end this 'Gray Jedi' bullshit. But he hadn’t come to that conclusion yet…keep an open mind or whatever. Yeah right. “That’s it. Time starts now,” He said as the reached Mira’s skiff.

Finn offered Mira a shrug, the gesture saying he tried.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kylo waited as patiently as he could for the two Knights to return to him, Gnaeus going for his vibroblade, Paquin for her lightsaber. It was strange how the newest one, was now the only one with a lightsaber. They would remedy that after Grakkus, of course. Crystals would be found for Ariel and Gnaeus. They would have proper weapons once again, soon, and be feared again. Turn the galaxy towards the proper path.

‘I hope.’

Doubts were manifesting, but he had to pretend they weren’t there. He had to trust the Supreme Leader, and remain firm and in control. He could not coddle the Knights or he would kill them. Yet, when Paquin came out and put a hand on his shoulder, that desire to be more welcoming and friendly, more of a teacher, returned. ‘There is no time for that.’ Even if he enjoyed that pat, and wished he could respond. ‘You were already too kind offering her more time to eat.’ He hadn’t planned to, but once Gnaeus spoke….

And there he was, coming out with the vibroblade at his hip, awkwardly tilted in a way Kylo couldn’t quite place, but it just wasn’t quite right. Nothing was quite right with him. Maybe it was just his missing arm that made it seem awkward. “Ready now?” Gnaeus seemed to be asking permission, making sure he had everything needed.

Kylo gave a nod, “Yes, we should be ready,” Paquin had her lightsaber, he was prepared, Gnaeus had a weapon, “Let’s move to the ship,” and then on to Takodana. Then, Grakkus. He took the lead, Gnaeus falling a couple of steps back, and found Ariel already there waiting. Kylo did look a bit annoyed with that – it wasn’t his fault they were late. Gnaeus and Paquin were the reason.

He had the keys within the pocket of his armor already, and he dug them out, unlocking it before he so much as reached the ramp, “We’ll get to Takodana and get out.” Quickly. He headed right to the cockpit to get them set up to leave.

~***~

Mira almost rolled her eyes at Mace’s attitude, not nearly as irritated with him as he was with her – too used to people being annoyed and disliking her. It was a trend now. It seemed the only ones who didn’t, were Leia, August, Hux, and Finn. Perhaps Maz. Maybe Terex – Terex at least amused her even if he did dislike her. Difficult to read without the Force.

She was about to protest two minutes as well. She didn’t quite know where her armor would be, or if it was there, but Finn spoke up on her behalf. Five minutes. “Fine.” She could do five minutes, rushed. She almost wanted to hand the stone off to the droid and send it away, so she’d be able to grasp at the Force to help pull things from the boxes quickly.

She darted off into the ship and did immediately go to the boxes and began to pull them apart, pulling out items, and counting.

At three minutes, she said fuck it. Grabbed the first pair of pants that were Kevan’s, a belt to hold it on around her hips, the tank with the damn white cherry on it. “That’s five!” She heard him shout as she heard his steps on the ramp. She pulled the coat close around herself and moved to the door as Mace opened it, leaving the dress behind and glaring at him.

“Good, you’re dressed.”

“You’re rather immodest for a Jedi, barging in on a woman changing." A tad annoyed. At least she'd dismissed the idea of putting on her armor since she couldn't find it. She wasn't happy with the shirt, but it was better than the dress right now. If she just held the coat close and closed...she supposed she could button on, but that felt somehow wrong in this climate.

His nose wrinkled and she moved by him in that moment, looking to Finn who waited patiently behind. Mace caught up, “Let’s get to the Spiked.” Mira said. “Do either of you know the way?”

“Not…exactly, but I’ll ask someone,” Finn volunteered. “Someone who looks local.” Which would probably happen when they got out of the hangars.

 

[KyloGlenn]

Upon reaching the ship, none of them wasting any time piling in, Paquin moved to take her usual seat. Only for Ariel to have already claimed the co-pilot’s seat. Paquin felt a silly disappointment over it, but shuffled herself back to one of the seats behind them, settling in. It felt strange. She’d been riding in the co-pilot’s seat since the first time she was in Kylo’s ship.

She didn’t dwell long on it. Instead, chuckled to herself as Kylo spoke of getting in and getting out. “We can sure try,” if Paquin knew anything about Scoresby, it was that he had some long story for every sentence spoke. Some life experience he’d spend hours sharing. But Paquin would try to hurry them along. so Kylo wouldn’t grow irritated and so they could move on to Grakkus’s. Try to avoid getting into too many stories.

Just get the hand, figure out how it works, and go.

“Who’s this guy again?” Ariel asked, propping her feet onto the dashboard.

“An old professor of mine. He’s nice but…quirky. I suppose that works in our favor.” Creative enough to come up with a detachable hand for Gnaeus.

“From the First Order?” Ariel questioned, figuring she’d been apart of the First Order’s education system or whatever it was. Wondered how that would work exactly if they were wanted dead by them.

“No, from Rhinnal, where I went to school. He’s trustworthy. Just strange.” Paquin assured.

Ariel shrugged. As long as they got a damn hand for Gnaeus, preferably with none of them dying.

-

Finn spared a glance at Mira, briefly observing what she’d managed to throw on in the short time Mace had given her to get ready. He observed too big pants, a belt struggling to keep them from falling off Mira’s lower half. Hux’s coat, being held tightly over a shirt. He could barely see the top peeking out of the coat, but he knew what it was. Remembering the t-shirts they’d found Kevan had possessed. Didn’t blame her for wanting to cover up whichever one she was wearing.

He had to stop himself from chuckling, turning himself around. Mira needed to get some clothes of her own. More than just her cute dresses, but functional clothes as well.

Finn followed his instinct and led them out of the hangar, towards the town where they were likely to find more locals. He supposed he could look around for some of August’s men in the hangar, but he figured they’d have to head into the city anyway, right?

He saw a group of people, casually dressed, and figures they were his best bet.

He jogged towards them, “Hey! Excuse me!” The group stopped and looked at him, didn’t show any sign of recognizing them. “Sorry to bother you, but can you guys point my friends and I towards Spiked?”

The only woman of the group nodded, speaking up, “Yeah! Go up the street, take a right, then-” the woman continued giving directions, Finn nodding along as he tried his best to remember them. “It’s in the middle of everything, you can’t miss it. If nothing else, I’m sure there’ll be a lot of people heading to the bar!”

“Alright, thank you!” Finn offered her a smile, returning to his people. “I’ll lead you guys!” He informed them.

“Good. Time to talk, Vallens.” No ‘Master’ this time. “What sort of bullshit are you trying to start with this Grey Jedi crap?”

 

[Lucyfer]

As they spoke of Scoresby, Kylo began to lift the ship from the platform. The weather was rather calm, and he wondered if it was because he could no longer feel Snoke there. How much influence did Snoke have over the weather? ‘And where are you now, Master?’ He was not meant to know, and perhaps…perhaps that was best. He could not give it away then, if the worst were to happen. He would have no information to give to the First Order or the Resistance.

Which, thankfully, Scoresby was a part of neither. Though there would be people a part of either at Takodana. That was just how that place he worked, he knew. Someone would likely alert either side of his location. He had to hope that the Commandant could at least prevent any word from getting to the General himself and Mira, as well. He wasn’t sure there would be any way to stop word from reaching Leia, though.

That could be problematic if she tried to send others after him, but hopefully, they would be too busy. ‘She’s never too busy for that.’ Fair.

“You didn’t go through the First Order academies, did you?” Gnaeus found himself asking then, sitting behind Kylo in the ship. He wouldn’t have even tried to take the co-pilot seat like Ariel. “Are they…did you want to join them when you were younger?” He was curious how those outside of the Order ended up involved in it. It had always seemed so exclusionary. Hux and his brainwashed Stormtroopers didn’t leave much room for outsiders.

He wondered even how the Knights ended up involved in the First Order, or better said, Snoke. What drew Snoke to them? Or did the First Order contact Snoke? He had never asked, never explored the bond. He had just accepted it, thought it was a bit stronger than it was…apparently. Kylo, Hux, and Snoke seemed a powerful, if unstable, triumvirate…with Snoke clearly at the head.
Kylo didn’t focus on the conversation, only on getting them into hyperdrive, and then out, in this clunker of a ship. He sighed once the stars started to blur around him, leaned back in his seat. His dislike of the ship was obvious from the way his eyes flickered over the buttons and screens. His mistrust of it. Shoddy. Why couldn’t they get a better ship from Snoke? “I can’t wait to leave this thing behind….” They could blow it to pieces on Tatooine for all he cared.

~***~

Mira and Mace walked after Finn, not speaking, waiting – Mira wouldn’t speak first. She considered again getting rid of the stone. Discussing the Force, philosophy, her plans…it seemed she should actually have access to the Force, but to what end? She wasn’t trying to convince Mace by Force, and showing skill with it would be meaningless. She didn’t want to threaten him, nor try to twist his mind with more than words.

No…the Force wouldn’t help with this, either.

Finn was quick to find some locals once they were out of the hangar, and they were offered directions. Again, she and Mace waited behind, and when Finn came back to their side to let them know he knew the way, Mace finally spoke. They had what they needed – so they could talk now without worry of losing track.

Mira sighed, “I’m not trying to start any bullshit, Mace.” Where was Qui-Gon when she wanted him? Oh right – outside the barrier of the Force Killer. “I’ve been taught by the Jedi ways, and I’ve been taught by the Knights. The Sith never appealed to me. Snoke spoke of balance, and Snoke lied. I want to see an actual balance cultivated in Force-users like myself.”

Mace snorted, “The Jedi kept the balance.”

“No…they denied certain teachings of the Force. That isn’t balance. The Force is supposed to be natural, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So why do the Jedi ask for emotions to be suppressed and controlled? Why do they deny the natural procreation of other beings in their Order? Why do they deny attachment? All of these things are also natural and accepted, but the Jedi teach as if they are bad.”

“Attachments lead to going against the Order, as I did…emotions, as well.” If he hadn’t been so emotional, he wouldn’t have tried to kill Palpatine right there.

“Then why not have an Order that isn’t so stringent?”

“Because there are reasons we didn’t teach those things! There are reasons we didn’t teach about Force lightning, and reasons that we asked this of other Jedi. Force lightning doesn’t do any good – we’re peacekeepers.”

“Peacekeepers,” she repeated, “who went to war, using a weapon you did not fully understand, and not letting others fully understand it either.”

Mace opened his mouth, but then closed it. She had a point. She had a very sound point. He couldn’t use Force lightning, and he had no idea how to defend against it, either. Yoda had figured some things out just from his long life, but he did not share it. “I don’t believe in your ways. I think it would be better to know the Force, to know what it is capable of, and to teach it. I think it would be better if this knowledge was not sequestered into religious cloisters, because the Force doesn’t care about religious doctrines. Sith, Jedi, anyone who can use it, can use it…and even those who do not want to use it, will use it. The Force didn’t care that I didn’t want to use the lightning and had no understanding about it – it didn’t care that I didn’t want to hurt other people, and people just told me not to feel, and it would stop. Kylo Ren, thankfully his parents were better, but the Force acted with his emotions as well, but his training diverged with Snoke…he learned to focus it.” To feed it. “So unlike me, he is actually able to will the Force lightning to do what he wants. I, unfortunately, have to avoid getting angry.” A glance to Mace, “I’m sure, I am not the only one…,” the look was pointed.

He had no reason to disbelief her experiences. Something put her on the path now, and even if he’d like to believe it was evil or the Dark Side, he did not believe her intentions were bad.

But of course, Anakin’s hadn’t been, either. “No,” he admitted, “No, there’s always been those like you, and this Kylo Ren, where the Force moved too strongly.” He was one of them, but he didn’t say as much, it was apparently obvious, “I learned to focus it into Vaapad, but not all could,” some were difficult to focus it. They didn’t become Jedis, usually. “And that’s only for those who have good control of their emotions, and can channel it without risking falling to the dark side. Which you seem to have done.”

“Once,” couldn’t deny it.

“So you’re going to teach people, all about the Force, when you don’t know the half of it yourself? When you can’t focus your own emotions to make sure you don’t hurt others?” A challenge to her status as Master.

Finn cut in, “She knows a lot about the Force, and she doesn’t lash out,” he wasn’t sure if she really knew a lot, but she did seem insightful about it. More than that, perhaps, she seemed…tolerant, “She’s been doing the Jedi job of peacekeeping as well, she helped bring the First Order and the Resistance together. She’s an advocate for peace, and she’s trying to get better!”

Mace shot Finn a sidelong look for his defense, and Finn quickly looked back ahead, leading.

Mira answered, “No teacher knows everything, Mace. I am willing to admit that, and I am willing to learn more. I want to find the rest of Qui-Gon Jinn’s holocrons on the subject of the Gray Jedi, and I want to find a way to control how the Force moves with my emotions. My personal growth won’t stop because I start a new school of thought.”

“New school of thought? Not some hostile takeover of the senate, or the universe, just a school of thought, huh?”

“I don’t know what the Gray Jedi will become – I can’t see the future,” like some, “But…yes. I’d prefer to think of it like that. More of a university, or a school. People can take the lessons, and do with them what they will. I believe an order of Gray Jedi will exist, but…,” that was the struggle, “I don’t want them to be as the Jedi or the Sith, yet I’m not sure how to avoid it. I do not want to teach an all-or-nothing dogma, or force people to fight for causes.”

“You’re an Admiral of the First Order.”

“Because I believe in it.”

“You don’t believe in your Gray Jedi Order, and what you’re going to teach as moral truths?” Mace scoffed, “The Jedi Order at least knew what it was doing and we believed in it.”

“I don’t want to teach moral truths, I want to teach people to think and to explore. I want people to accept their anger, and accept what they do in their anger. I want to teach responsibility, not blind faith to a dogma, to a leader, or anything else, but how do you teach that with an organization that will end up having a hierarchy and official honors and placements?” That was where Mira shook her head, “I believe in it…but things change. There were times in this galaxy when slavery was acceptable. Five hundred years from now, how can I predict that I knew all that was morally good and just, that time won’t prove me wrong? My Order has to be able to change with the times. I want something fluid, but…it also has to have all the trappings of authority and organization,” she sighed there, “and I can’t keep it out of politics or influencing the galaxy, because Finn and I are doing that. There will have to be guiding tenants, authority, and rules…but I hardly know where to begin.” After all, there had only ever been the Jedi Order as an example, and she had not been a part of it.

A crowd was growing, moving ever forwards, and Mira looked to Mace, “You may doubt me, and you have good reason to, but I promise you my intentions are not to bring ruin and chaos to the galaxy. I like order – that’s why I am a part of the First Order and why I believe in it, but I think the Jedi Order failed, as the Empire failed, but not all of it was bad, Master Windu.” She gave him that, then, “You could help. For Finn’s sake, for the future of the Galaxy, if you want to be a part of this and help guide the direction of the Gray Jedi, I would not deny your input or assistance…but if it is not to your tastes, then I am sure Leia can tell you how to connect with Luke Skywalker, and you can rebuild the Jedi Order with him.”

~***~

The screens in the Spiked flickered, “Oi, everyone shut up!” The man at the counter shouted, the one clearly in charge. Ransolm had known him, and despite how gruff and grumpy he looked – and sounded right then – Leia had seen his humor sparkling in his eyes. He was clearly the owner of the Spiked, someone quite a few years older than August himself.

And the reason for shutting up did seem to be the Tarkin man, appearing on the screen, with soldiers lined up before him. His soldiers, and likely the Imperial allies. The Resistance hadn’t been told to gather, nor the First Order, and Leia observed the numbers. The straight lines. The order…and she briefly had a sick feeling in her stomach as she thought of the Empire, and Wilhuff, and the way people moved and acted for him.

How much August looked like him then…when he gave the Tarkin Doctrine to the masses. TIEs decorated the stage, opened doors, and the Revenant was there as well, behind him, likely where he had exited from to make the scene complete for the soldiers, the citizens.

“Residents of the Seswenna Sector,” his voice spoke above the din of the Spiked, “Today is day one of our war with Snoke and the Knights of Ren. Today, we have earned our first victory, though our own land has been attacked. Eriadu was placed under an illegal blockade by Snoke’s faction, and it was broken through our alliance with the First Order and the Resistance, headed by General Hux and General Organa, respectively. Snoke wished to create an alliance with Eriadu, and has courted me for an alliance in the past, and I have refused, and will continue to refuse, these advances – but you, those harmed, and those assisting in the fight, deserve to know what is going on.”

August still had a way of looking at everyone at once, still a trained politician, as much as he was a trained soldier. Leia could not help but think his role was better suited here, though. He was a sniper, she knew, and he had proven capable on the field, but Adelaide had seemed more suited for it than him.

“This war goes beyond Eriadu and the Seswenna Sector. Snoke is a new Palpatine, worse than Palpatine, perhaps, and the Knights of Ren his coerced servants.”

Leia’s brows furrowed at his word choice there, wondering at it. He could have just said ‘servants’, but he added….. “His army is a clone army. His allies are few, but his reach is far, and his powers with the Force have not been measured or tested. We will remain vigilant here, but we are not going to allow him to simply come back here and strike again. We will be taking the offensive. We know where he is.”

‘Do we?’ Leia had heard ideas floated, then realized it didn’t matter. He was lying, to embolden, and because Snoke could move between then and now. They had ideas of where he had been, where the Knights went, and they could go to any one of them and learn more.

“We will put him on the run, but we will not let him escape. We will follow him into the dark recesses of the galaxy, and put an end to this threat before it gets larger. Before my son, Johann, or his children, grandchildren, have to deal with a wiser and more powerful Snoke.”

Leia did smile a bit at that. Ever a family man. “Tomorrow, I will speak to the Senate and I will try to convince them of the threat that Snoke is – the threat that has united disparate parties like the Resistance and the First Order – and give Snoke no quarter, and his allies, no help. I will address the matter of this illegal blockade and the actions taken against it. If the New Republic refuses to aid and to acknowledge this war, it will still go on. If the New Republic chooses to stand in our way, we will know that Snoke has coerced them as well.” They could stay out, or help. If they stood in the way, August was going to destroy them.

Ransolm shook his head, and Leia heard him mutter, “They won’t do anything.” Especially with that statement looming over their head. Snoke had coerced them.

“I suspect that they will choose to do nothing.” He stated flatly, “And we will be in this without the aid of the New Republic, but we have already repelled one attack as a united system of planets and organizations. We will not be alone in this fight. More systems will join us, the Resistance, or the First Order. As Lothal came to our aid, so will others, and we will go to theirs. This is an open invitation: those planets who wish to join the alliance against Snoke, those individuals who wish to do so, may reach out and join. You have the assistance of the Seswenna sector.”

And then that smile came to his face, the one that made him seem…human. “But, tonight, we will celebrate our first victory, of many. As has been tradition since the Battle of Jakku, the bars will be open around Eriadu, and all will be free to indulge in. I myself will be at the Spiked, so do not hesitate to see me if you would like, I am available to all.” Rank and file, citizen, it did not matter to him on nights such as these. “We have stepped into a new age, and a new war – so let us toast it properly.”

There was an explosion – fireworks, and then cheers lifted from those orderly soldiers, before the volume was dimmed and the bar around her and Ransolm seemed to erupt in noise once more.

 

[KyloGlenn]

Ariel spoke to Kylo as the two behind them spoke about schools or whatever. “Don’t get too excited, who knows if the ship is still there. Besides, we should probably keep this ship, so we don’t just have the one.” And so they gave Snoke no reason to further be frustrated with them, even if it was just a shitty ship. Ariel supposed she’d see if Kylo would listen to her soon enough.

Paquin shook her head to Gnaeus’s first question as he asked it. No, she hadn’t gone through the First Order academies and she was fairly certain she was glad that she hadn’t. From the recounts she’d heard from her co-workers…it was other people’s cup of tea, not hers. Not that First Order academies had ever been an option, as Gnaeus’s second question reminded her.

She paused in her movements, went as far as frowning, before shaking her head again. “No. I didn’t even know the First Order existed until I started at Rhinnal.” She didn’t want to join the First Order when she was younger. What she imagined was she’d become a doctor and work in a hospital on some big, busy planet. Somewhere in the Core, probably. Not the First Order.

Again, not like she’d even known it had existed. Maybe it was because it seemed to be just beginning when she’d joined them? The first of Hux’s Stormtroopers had been young. She remembered feeling the need to remind those who hired her that she was not a pediatrician and being told that they didn’t hire her to be one.

“How did you not know that the First Order existed?” Ariel had to ask, tuning in to the conversation. “What world did you live on?” She was pretty sure the First Order had been a thing, even just an idea, as soon as the Empire fell, before any of them were born.

Paquin just shrugged as they drew closer to Takodana, the greenness of the planet soon encompassing them. The world felt familiar to Paquin, but she couldn’t recall ever actually coming to the planet. Maybe it had been in her earlier years, before she could remember. All she knew was that the place felt…alive.

-

Again, Mace didn’t think Mira’s intentions were bad. It seemed that she simply didn’t want anyone to face the same struggles she has. Mace could respect that, he supposed. She wanted organization, again something he could respect. That was just the purpose of the Jedi Order as well. To keep a peaceful, orderly galaxy. Free from the Sith. Evil, he guessed could describe it.

And that’s where his problem with Mira’s…ambitious idea lied. There was no one to keep the peace as the Jedi did, but furthermore there was no one discouraging the Sith doctrine, as far as he was concerned. The Admiral was giving Force sensitives the tools they needed to live and expand on the abilities given to them and then they could go and use that for whatever evil.

Obviously, there would always be Sith. But there clearly wasn’t always going to be the Jedi that the galaxy needed in Mira’s future. Or the Jedi that Mace believed they all needed, anyway.

He wondered how was that going to keep the order and balance she so sought after?

And then she spoke of helping, for his son’s sake. And Mace glanced to the man leading them through gobs of people heading towards that damn bar. Oddly, Mace felt a want to help. For his son, anyway. And a little guilt that he wouldn’t admit out loud. For not being there for Ada or his son. Or the galaxy when they needed some semblance of a Jedi the most. Instead he’d been wallowing in some form of self pity.

And now was his chance to be there for all of the above.

Mira spoke of contacting Luke Skywalker, and he snorted at that. He was not eager to work with another Skywalker, even how many years later at this point.

“You…have a point.” Mace would admit to her. The Jedi did fail. Twice now, he supposed. Once with Anakin, and then a second time when Luke tried to rebuild it. The Jedi Order had worked for thousands of years but time changes things. The galaxy changes and he supposed he and the Jedi needed to adapt with it. Somehow.

And Mace looked at Mira. Really looked at her. She was just a kid. To him, anyway. She couldn’t have been but her late twenties-early thirties. She had one of the freshest outlooks on the galaxy. But at the same time she knew nothing truly of peacekeeping. Of maintain an order on the scale of the Jedi. And that’s where he could step in. Where even Luke Skywalker could step in and they could assist and shape it into something.

“How do you expect to maintain order by simply teaching the ways of the Force? There will be those who decide the way of the Sith is for them. And who will protect the galaxy? They can’t do it themselves. The Senate can’t protect from Force sensitives, that much is clear. How do you figure this will better those with the Force? Or the worlds themselves?”

It was then that they walked into the bar, just as fireworks went off and the bar became truly rowdy. It looked like they had really missed something there.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘This ship sucks.’ Kylo didn’t say it, though he supposed Ariel had a point. “Fine, but I’m not driving it,” nor riding in it. Though, as he realized there were, in fact, only four of them and Gnaeus couldn’t drive alone with his hand this way, and Paquin simply didn’t have enough seniority to be trusted alone, he realized the mistake in saying that. Paquin and Gnaeus would have to continue on in this ship, and follow after them. He should think that was good, it would give both of them time while the ship was in hyperdrive to practice the Force, but he didn’t like that idea at all right then, and he wasn’t too sure why he wasn’t feeling good about it.

‘Too close.’ He determined. They were all bonding too closely without being strong enough. It was a bond that would weaken them, rather than make them stronger. He’d have to find a way to teach them that, so that they didn’t all end up dead as Snoke was concerned with.

Paquin’s conversation drifted to talk of the First Order, thanks to Gnaeus, and Ariel seemed surprised that the doctor hadn’t even known it existed. ‘You would be surprised.’ Despite the fact the First Order had once been involved in the Senate, it wasn’t truly known after they vanished. Like the Jedi, they just kind of…vanished. He wondered if Snoke had a hand in that, then, realizing how odd it was himself. He hadn’t thought of it as so, until then. “People don’t like to acknowledge things that are important.” Words Leia had said, during her frustrations with the Senate.

Or at least, something similar. “The First Order remained off the radar for years, and so did the Knights of Ren. If we kept a low profile for a year, they would probably all forget about us or think we died.” No they wouldn’t, that was wishful thinking now with the enemies they faced – Leia, Hux, Tarkin, Mira, Luke. The five seemed distinct then, even if they were allies. A five-headed beast to be dealt with, and to pray the heads didn’t grow back.

But who could replace any of them? ‘Another Tarkin for the Tarkin.’ But the others…no, there was no replacement.

“It doesn’t matter now. Everyone knows of the First Order, and now everyone knows of us, and we won’t be lying low for that long.”

“We’re lying low now?” Gnaeus didn’t seem to think so as the world appeared around them, beautifully green. He lifted a bit in his sea to look out the window.

“Yes.” Sort of. “The clone troops were withdrawn, and we’re not causing any damage.”

“Yet.”

Kylo chose not to honor that comment with a reaction. He just drove on towards the docks, and found a space. “How long do you think we will be…lying low?”

“I don’t know.” He didn’t think it would even be a month, and yet, how much stronger could they truly get in such a short amount of time? He didn’t know what was on Snoke’s mind.

~***~

“You…have a point.”

It was enough to relax Mira a bit as they walked on towards the crowd that was gathering. Enough, for her to truly look at Mace and examine him not as a potential enemy, but now, a potential ally. It seemed he had chosen to do the same, and she almost wished then that she didn’t have the stone so she could reach out and get a good grasp of his energy in the Force – his feelings, then, and see if there could be a way for them to work together.

He was older, far older, and had been through so much more than she had. He had created a technique to use the Force and channel it, and she did imagine he could be a good teacher, if she let him. If he was willing to learn in turn, perhaps not what she knew of the Force, but philosophy, politics, and open his mind to the change.

“There were those who decided the way of the Sith was for them even when the Jedi taught. And there were Sith, I imagine, who fell out of it and into…this. I’m not the first Gray Jedi.” And she would never be the last. “My goal isn’t to stop evil from ever occurring. That’s impossible…but I think if there is a better understanding of the Force all around, that is a start to helping those who would stand against those who choose to use their powers for…evil,” a chuckle, “be they Sith or anyone else.”

She shook her head though, “The organization part, peacekeeping and enforcing it…I’m not sure about. I don’t want to become like the Jedi of old, and I don’t want people to get that impression, either. I want the scholarship of the Force to be open, but I suppose…a route should be open to those who would want to advance and work in tandem with whatever systems are in place to keep law and order about in the galaxy, as peacekeepers, but I don’t know what that would be.” Not truly, “I would need your help there. You knew the Jedi Order, you must be able to see some of the ways it failed. I wasn’t a part of the original, but I still disagree heavily with many of its strict dogmas regarding emotions and behavior.”

“Such things could be limited to those who would go the peacekeeper route.” Mace said. He understood the want for scholarship, to open up study of the Force to many. He supposed that part of her plan wasn’t going to be changed, but they could formalize a way for those who wanted it, to proceed up into the ranks of a ‘knight’, or ‘peacekeeper’. They could create an organization of it, as likely there would be routes to becoming a teacher. Where would this academy even be based, though?

He shook his head. First things first, they had to agree on just what the hell they were even going to do with it.

“Some of them may have been good…but I don’t want the full Jedi code enforced on them. Obviously, limiting killing and maiming would be good,” she chuckled, “but I think if we make normal things forbidden, it will only come back to damage us. Didn’t that start all of this…Anakin’s affair with Padme?”

“Don’t get me started,” Mace grumbled. “He shouldn’t have even been taught in the first place.”

“Age limits are also problematic.”

“Hey!” Finn finally shouted back at them. He had gotten to the counter of the bar by then, “Do you two want anything to drink? Nothing alcoholic for you, Mira.” Finn teased.

“Tea. Green tea if they have it, I don’t care what blend.”

“Coffee,” Mira answered, and Finn turned back to place the orders. Mira realized then that they were actually in the bar. She’d tuned it all out, and only now took a moment to look around and get her bearings…or rather, find she didn’t truly need to, without the Force pressing on her and the sensation of every other life around her. Her eyes would fall back on Finn.

“He’s a good kid,” Mace spoke, almost as if from a distance, conversation broken for a moment.

“Mm. Saved my life.” She owed him. Him and Poe, both, for getting her out of that mess with Kylo. For trusting her enough. “I don’t want any harm to come to him. I promise you that.”

“Yeah…I figured that out,” Mace smirked a bit, and glanced around the room to find some dark corner to hide away in while he tried to get his own bearings in this strange and noisy environment, on a planet led by a man who would otherwise be hostile to him. Of course, with the bar as packed as it was, that was a bit hard to locate, and he couldn’t just trick someone out of it with that damn force barrier still in place.

At least Finn came back with their drinks, and asked, “So, you two got things figured out yet?” He looked far too hopeful.

 

[KyloGlenn]

Ariel stood from her seat as soon as the ship was docked and they were still. She turned to the backseat to face the other two. “Not that long, I bet.” Ariel added a response to Gnaeus’s question after Kylo gave only an ‘I don’t know’. “Remember what I said? Subtlety isn’t Kylo’s strong suit. Or any of ours, really.” Snoke was the only one who could successfully lay low. Maybe if the Knights never left Korriban for a long time. Or if they did leave, looked like a normal group of people.

Ariel had worked fine on her own. Gnaeus, Kylo, them too. But now that they were all together. “Maybe on our own, but…”

They’d be ripped apart.

They’d stand no chance individually. Not now, anyway. That much was clear. Maybe Kylo. But him alone. Ariel was an alcoholic and it seem to become quickly a hinderance. Gnaeus’s hand issues. And Paquin didn’t even have half the training the rest of them did. But she supposed all Snoke really needed was Kylo. “Supreme Leader Snoke won’t wait long. He can’t. It gives the others too much time to recover.” Even Ariel knew that much. It also meant they didn’t get much time to recover.

Paquin rose as Ariel began to move past the backseats to exit the ship. “C’mon, Paq. You’re the only one who knows what your nutty professor looks like. Lead the way.” They weren’t far from Maz’s Castle at all, Paquin could lead them there easy.

“Alright,” Paquin agreed as Ariel let her past to go first, stepping out into the greenery.

Ariel could tell that Maz’s Castle had gone through some damage, thanks to her buddy Kylo. And she could tell where things had been repaired or were in the process of it. And then she took in the green. Ariel like the color green. She felt it really complimented her looks, as vain as that sounded. The green went with the red of her hair, she supposed.

Paquin liked it too. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been on such a green planet. Had to be long before Starkiller. Before she met Kylo and the Knights. Since then she’d only been dragged to barren, desert-esque planets, it seemed.

-

Mace was damn near tempted to ask, or rather demand, Mira get rid of that damn Force-killer or whatever she called it so that he could get people out of his way. But Finn came back and erased the thought. The boy was hopeful. “No,” Mace answered, accepting the tea offered to him. He saw how Finn’s face fell ever so slightly. “Not completely, anyway.” He added, as if to cheer the kid up. And to tell him that just because not everything was figured out, that nothing would come to light.

Mace…may have come to a decision. He still had a lot of problems with Mira’s barely sculpted plan. He supposed a few of the old Jedi rules could be…waived. For the sake of Force-sensitives. But there had to be something to keep the peace. A separate branch, sure. Different from the Jedi, but an option. It would have to be something worked out with those of the New Republic, Senate.

Or whatever there would be after this war. Or during, if that’s what it took to end Snoke and these Knights of Ren.

But that was simply the Jedi—or not Jedi—side of it.

“There’s still too much to discuss. There has to be something to enforce the safety of the galaxy on a Force-sensitive level. That would have to be brought to politics. And you can’t start a school with three people, no base, and no material to learn from.” And only one of them had enough experience in the Force to actually teach it. In his eyes, anyway. And he was biased.

They had to teach the history of the Force. Jedi, Sith, Grey. All of it, if it was to be a truly neutral education system. “The Jedi were destroyed and scattered across the galaxy. What is there of Grey Jedi, apart from accounts of people and Force Ghosts?” Jinn, who was not here to defend himself. There was more Sith material alive than anything else.

“There won’t always be just the three of us! Things have to start from somewhere don’t they? Besides, I can already think of those who could help expand.” Rey. Luke. Even Leia. “And Force Ghosts can teach, too!” Given that others could learn how to speak to them…like he needed to learn. If nothing else, the ghost teachings could be recorded by those who can see and speak to them.

Finn had some points, Mace had to admit. “Well, that’s exactly what needs to be discussed.” If they could find a place to sit.

-

After his father’s grand speech and the fireworks and all, Johann quickly made his way to spiked to have some fun. Johann had consumed alcohol before. At events he’d had a glass of wine or champagne or something of the likes. Nothing to get him drunk and nothing that anyway would bat an eye at a young man, a Tarkin, drinking. But technically, he wasn’t of the legal drinking age on Eriadu.

Close, but not yet.

He was on a multitude of other planets. Like ones where the age was 16 and over, 18 and over. Not here, however. But that’s what made it fun.

Spiked was crowded. The bartenders were well and overwhelmed with the amount of people. Perfect time to strike.

Johann worked his way through the tightly packed sea of people to get to the bar. He felt the slightest bit of triumph when he came to rest on the countertop. There were no seats available, so he stood. “Welcome to Spiked, what can I get you?” The bartender asked, slapping a square napkin in front of him. But it didn’t seem like the man even looked at him, occupied in cleaning and handing out drinks. Didn’t seem to recognize him.

“Uh, whiskey. Neat.” In truth, he didn’t actually know what that meant. But it sounded like something someone experienced would order.

The bartender disappeared for a second before reappearing with a glass of something that even Johann knew wasn’t whiskey. He took a sip to find it was soda. “Nice try, Johann.” The bartender did in fact recognize him. New his father personally, even. “On the house. Go, have some sober fun.”

“Damn it.” The young Tarkin swore, but good natured. He looked too much like his father. Too much like a Tarkin, with the red hair and the gaunt features. When he was older he’d probably be able to pass for his father, at a glance. But then it wouldn’t matter.

He took the soda and wandered off, moving back towards the entrance to see if he could find anyone he knew as they came in. And he did find some people he knew, but they weren’t exactly his friends.

Alexander led his twin into the bar, spewing words, bragging of their success and how he had earned a drink and someone to warm his bed that night. Plenty of women and men would love to sleep with an Admiral. He told his brother, Caius, that not only in reference to himself, but that it was an option for his brother, too. But Caius already has a woman back home that he wanted to date or whatever. Something stupid to Alexander.

The twins spotted Johann as he spotted them. “Johann! Ditch that pop, I’ll buy you a real drink.” Alexander offered the boy with a smirk, winking at him.

“No you won’t,” Caius rolled his eyes at his brother, but went on and greeted Johann warmly.

“I will once we ditch you.” Alexander spat the words. “Come, Johann, join us. I’ll teach you how to pick out women.” Not pick up women, since Johann wouldn’t have a problem with that, being rich and a Tarkin. The twin threw his arm around Johann’s shoulders, leading him back to the bar.

 

[Lucyfer]

Ariel and Kylo were on the same page, at least. It wouldn’t be long. Snoke wouldn’t want to give their enemies too much time to regroup, but that had the side-effect of them not being given too long to regroup, either. They likely needed it far more than the First Order, Resistance, or any of their other enemies needed it. ‘They may not have the Force on their side.’ Not to the level of the Knights, anyway, ‘But they have the numbers.’ And numbers had devastated the Jedi Order, more than the Force or anything else. The numbers and surprise of the Clone attack on the Jedi had done them in.

He still shot Ariel a rueful look about subtlety, though – even if she added that it wasn’t any of theirs. “Perhaps Paquin,” only because she didn’t know what she was doing as a knight to get them all caught. The rest of them were not subtle. Not together. Paquin would be the only one that seemed normal.

And Paquin was the one put in the lead, for indeed, they did not know who they were looking for. Only Paquin knew that. So, out of the ship they went, and onto Takodana. Even Kylo Ren took a moment to examine it. The feel of it was the same as ever – the Force moved powerfully here, as it always had. He’d heard a story that it was the sight of a grand battle of Force sensitives, but he didn’t know how true it was.

Perhaps he should have asked Maz when he was younger, but….

“BEN SOLO!”

Why?

Kylo struck his forehead as he heard that voice boom out from such a small creature. Gnaeus arched an eyebrow at him, as the woman came forward, clearly not at all intimidated by them. “What are you doing here?” She demanded of him, and he forced his gaze to her.

It was Gnaeus that tried to speak, though, “Kanata, you claim that all are allow—”

“Yes, yes, yes, so long as my rules are followed. This one broke my rules.” She pointed at Kylo.

“Your rules say no fighting in your castle, it says nothing about outside of your castle.” Kylo said, monotonous as he reiterated words he knew too well, words he’d heard every time he came there by Leia. No fighting in Maz Kanata’s castle. No destroying anything. There were no real rules but that one.

For a moment, there was tension. Kylo expected she wouldn’t care, but then, her lips widened into a smile and she laughed. It was grating to Kylo’s ears, and he glared down at her, “Always the black sheep, just like your father.” More and more it grated on him. “You should tell Chewie to come visit. I’ve got the tree all set up, even without that man’s help.” Her eyes moved over the others, faces she’d seen before, but not one. Not for a while, anyway, and the smile turned a bit more gentle then, “Aah…I remember you. I hope your parents are well, I have not seen them in too long, either. Keep them in line,” She turned to walk away, “You all can stay. Fight inside and you will be permanently removed, Solo!”

“…can she…actually…?”

“No, but humor her.” Actually, Kylo wasn’t so sure about that, but he wouldn’t admit it. He knew that she apparently had some powerful droids in her service, and she was Force sensitive to boot. He didn’t know if she was capable of much beyond her creepy sight, but some things were better off not knowing.

“How do you know Maz?” Gnaeus then asked Paquin, curious.

~***~

Mace made good points, of course. They were too small right now – but it had to begin somewhere, didn’t it? Finn seemed encouraged, believed it was possible. Mira nodded to agree with his words, trying to accept his optimism even in light of Mace’s concerns. His were legitimate, after all. That was why she wanted Mace on this side, to help figuring out how to go forward.

“I agree – and we do have some material. Others can be found. Holocrons and books,” Mira reminded, finally thinking she spotted an open table and going towards it. Mace was relieved when they pushed through the crowd to it, that it was even a bit secluded. They were all able to take seats and set their drinks down, hunker together, as music started to blast and someone – not the actual singer of the song – sung along to it.

“Karaoke?” Finn asked, amused, easily distracted. Mace grunted.

“We got Kylo to sing karaoke once,” Mira mused, recalling it with a certain fondness.

“What?” Finn sat right back down and looked at her, “What song? When? Is there video of this?” he clearly needed it.

“Later,” Mira said. There wasn’t video, but she and Mace were still talking of adult things. “You’re right, Mace. We’re small now, we don’t have a place to be, but it won’t last. We do have some material to teach from, and we can get more. Ada may have some interesting things at her museum, or connections that could help us.”

Mace didn’t seem to be a huge fan of that, but didn’t deny the possibility.

“And we don’t need to limit instructors to those who can wield the Force.” There his look became dubious. “History. Theory. Philosophy. It’d be…good, I think, to allow non-Force sensitives to speak on these topics. If all living things are tied to the Force, expanding it to those not as in-tune with it as us may even help us understand it, through their own attempts to wrestle with it.”

“The outsider perspective, huh?” Mace could see why she’d find the idea appealing. For history, he supposed, it wouldn’t be too bad. Theory, philosophy, those things could get dangerous, “You really want to start involving everyone in the Force, don’t you?”

“They’re a part of it,” Mira said, as if it shouldn’t be an issue at all.

~***~

August wanted to slip into the Spiked and he wanted to avoid it all at once. He never could reconcile his feelings about the place. He found it noisy, he heard the karaoke already starting, and he walked into the mess with Julia at his side. People instinctively moved aside. He never had to push through, and so he made it to the bar, glancing over and noting his table was occupied…by the Admiral. ‘Outsiders.’ Of course they wouldn’t know to leave that table well enough alone.

Well, he could mess with them later.

He caught the eye of one of the younger bartenders, the son of the owner, and without a word he had a whiskey on ice placed before him, and he frowned as he picked it up, seeing the round ice cube in it. The Death Star ice cube. He lifted his blue eyes over the rim to find the man smirking as he turned away, only to return with a glass of wine for his wife.

“Your son here tried to get some whiskey. Neat, he said,” with a laugh. “Knew he wasn’t ready yet. Where did he pick up that kind of fancy language?” Here you just shouted ‘and leave out the fucking ice’.

“Julia,” August blamed her immediately as he sipped his drink, “How long have you been waiting to use these ice…molds?”

“Dad’s been waiting months.” He snickered, “Hoping Hux shows up to get something so he can see it.”

“I am sure he’ll be around soon,” just had a feeling. Curiosity. His Admiral was here, too, after all.

“Your blonde friend is on the upper decks, by the way. Hanging with Organa.”

“Mm, not the blonde I’m looking for. But I know where she is. Who else?”

“Admirals are here, corrupting your son. Phasma was around, or I’m lead to believe that bombshell with the pixie cut is Phasma. I saw her around some nerdy looking dude. They were talking about cats.” His eyes cast around then, “Oh, and Terex. I saw Terex. Should I poison him?”

“No,” Julia waved that off, “but thank you, I’ll let you know if we need anyone taken care of.”

“Right on, Mrs. Tarkin. So, your blonde?”

“Hux’s coat. Has she crossed path with my Admirals yet?”

“No.”

“Good.” He did not want to miss that.

 

[KyloGlenn]

Paquin was lost as soon as Maz appeared in front of them. She was unfamiliar with Maz’s rules and there was talk of Kylo’s father, but Paquin barely listened to those parts. She was more amazed by the fact that this creature was smaller than her. It was rare Paquin met anyone shorter than her, even if Maz wasn’t human. Paquin kinda like feeling tall for once.

And then there was talk of Chewie, that Wookiee from Bespin, and she was reminded that she wasn’t that tall. And they weren’t exactly in the fuzzy creature’s good graces, there’d be no communication, informing the Wookiee of this…tree. Paquin briefly wondered what the tree was for but that thought was dropped when Maz looked at her and spoke.

Paquin was clearly confused. She didn’t recall ever meeting Maz before. And she was slightly perturbed by the mention of her parents. Or the mention of parents that might be hers, as she thought that maybe Maz had her confused with someone else.

The alien woman permitted them all to stay before she walked away and Paquin was amazed at how civilized she had acted towards them. Or towards Kylo, after what he and the First Order had done to the place not too long ago. Ariel seemed to feel the same as she mumbled, “That went better than expected.”

Gnaeus asked Paquin how she knew Maz. Paquin shook her head, shrugging as she glanced to him. “I don’t. Maybe she confused me with someone else.” But Paquin couldn’t deny that this place felt familiar. Even Maz felt familiar, even if she didn’t remember ever meeting her. “I suppose it’s possible my parents brought me here at some point…” When she was much younger. She was tempted to ask the tiny being how she knew her, but remembered their actual purpose there.

Her gaze moved about the place, looking for her old professor. Scanning over a bunch of strange species and humans alike, she spotted that familiar afro. Though it was much more gray than how she remembered it. “Come,” she gestured them to follow her, heading towards the old man. He seemed to spot her, as he dismissed himself from whoever he was talking to to come greet them.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about our little doctor. Where do you find these people, Kylo?” Ariel joked as she followed after the woman.

“Ms. Kent!” Before she could even offer it, he took her right hand in both of his, shaking it. “Lovely to see you again! Look at what a fine young woman you’ve grown into!” He seemed to notice her companions then. “And you brought quite a beautiful group with you. I take it this is the one the hand is for?” Scoresby gestured to Gnaeus without even looking at his hands. His proportions were the only ones that matched up. The other man was too big, the redhead too skinny. Paquin obviously had her right hand.

-

“Now, Johann. You’re young, you’re a stud. You’re a Tarkin. You’re a young man and it’s time you get laid, right?” Alexander began as he received a drink of his own. Caius wouldn’t let him get one for young Johann, so the ginger simply sipped on his soda.

“I mean, it’s not very high on my list of priorities—“

“It should be. Now, you can get any woman in this bar. But you don’t want every woman in this bar. You gotta pick out the good ones. The ones who will be gone when you wake up in the morning. The ones who don’t want to cuddle or whatever it is clingy women like to do—“

Johann paid little attention to the ‘tips’ Alexander was giving. He didn’t take any of them seriously, as he wasn’t actually looking to have sex with anyone. But Alexander was amusing. He really was quite the character. “—women like your mom, those aren’t the one night stand types. Those are the ones that you keep, like your dad scored. But you don’t want to settle down until you’re in your forties.” Now if Julia or August ever found out what Alexander told their son, they couldn’t say that he gave him only bad advice.

“Scan the place, pick someone and—“

“Who’s at August’s table?” Caius pointed out, having been lazily following along to his brother’s instructions. Not August, obviously. Unless he and his wife turned into a blonde and two black men.

Johann perked up at that, looking in that direction. “Oh, that Finn, from the Resistance. Mace Windu,” he said that casually. And he saved the best for last. “And Hux’s admiral, Mira Vallens.”

The twins looked at each other then, Alexander actually laughing. “Admiral, huh? The one who didn’t show up for a lick of battle? She shows up afterwards to the celebrations? What kind of business is Hux running?”

“She’s wearing a General coat, not an Admiral one,” Caius pointed out.

“She probably picked up Hux’s by mistake after she left his bed this morning.”

Johann’s eyes widened as he just sipped his soda. He wasn’t saying anything.

“I think we go teach her a lesson—“ Alexander began as he stood, taking his drink with him.

“You’re not gonna hit her, are you?” Caius interrupted.

“—in being an Admiral,” Alexander finished. “I would never even think of hitting a woman. Especially not one that we’re allied to.” That was a lie. “C’mon,” Alexander instructed his brother to follow. Johann picked up his soda, sipping out of the straw as he followed.

-

“They may be apart of the Force, but that doesn’t mean they need nor should be involved. It could be dangerous having non-Force users teaching the Force to untrained children. After all, they can’t actually use it.” Mace wasn’t denying the idea. Outsider views could be helpful if there’s only teachers set in their ways, such as he would be. But teaching potential out of control children theories and philosophies of their own?

Mace would be wary. They didn’t have the same understanding of it.

But if everyone, users and non-users, had some understanding of the Force…who knows what could happen. Maybe they’d be less afraid of Sith like the Knights and Snoke. Maybe those who didn’t know they could use the Force could learn to.

“People who can’t use the Force can be insightful! I mean, there’s Mom! She collects history for a living! She was involved with a Force-sensitive,” also known as Mace, “She’d have her own theories and ideas on what could be improved, or what could be helpful.” Finn offered, even if Mace clearly wasn’t very thrilled with mentions of Ada. But his mom seemed like she’d have endless amounts of information that she could share.

And he had a feeling that she’d enjoy sharing it.

Mace opened his mouth to respond as one man slammed his drink on the table, taking up the empty seat that was left. “What is this?” Mace questioned, eyes narrowing.

“Admiral Vallens,” the words were spat as if they were a joke. Alexander examined the woman. Blonde hair decorated with gems or something. Hux’s coat, a t-shirt. He could make out ‘I-T-E’ and ‘C-H’, not being able to piece together what it was quite yet. He glanced back to his neat brother. “Professional.” He was sarcastic as he said it. Even his uniform was more put together than hers, and he was a mess. He turned back to the woman, ignoring the other two.

Johann, meanwhile, sipped at his straw. If only his beverage had been tea. He glanced around, looking for his father. He knew the man wouldn’t want to miss the Admirals.

“Have you ever had a lick of military training in your life?” Alexander didn’t bother introducing himself or his brother. He imagined that if she did know what she was doing, she’d know who they were.

Meanwhile, both Finn and Mace glanced to Mira, silently asking if she wanted these intruders to be taken care of.

 

[Lucyfer]

It had gone better than expected, and Gnaeus did nod his agreement to Ariel’s muttered words, but didn’t speak to it himself. They weren’t all kicked out. Kylo wasn’t even kicked out, because he hadn’t fought ‘inside’ the castle. Gnaeus wondered if anyone would be kicked out from the First Order then – had anyone actually fought inside the castle? Maz’s rules were…odd.

“Maz doesn’t confuse people,” Gnaeus said, but didn’t elaborate as they were quickly distracted by the one they were looking for. The one who would have the removable hand. ‘Her parents must have brought her here.’

Kylo considered the same, as Gnaeus and Paquin walked ahead. His eyes narrowed a bit on Gnaeus’s haste to trail after Paquin, before he shook it off. Of course he followed close – hand. He shrugged at Ariel’s question. “Dumb luck?” Technically, Mira found her. And Kevan had found Gnaeus. These people just…popped up in the oddest places. ‘It may be better that we don’t know much of her.’ He didn’t say that, though.

The more they knew, the closer they would be to knowing what it was she would need to destroy in order to actually be a part of their organization. Sure, she was a Knight…but she hadn’t undergone the real trial. Being kicked out of the Order wasn’t exactly a trial.

Besides, Kylo was meant to keep a distance from them anyway.

And he should tell Gnaeus that, too.

Scoresby closed the distance, and they caught up as he noticed Gnaeus. The man gave a nod, and reached with his good hand for a handshake, which Scoresby took, but he didn’t grip the hand. He gripped the arm, and shook, clearly confusing Gnaeus. “Wonderful to meet you! There aren’t many that want a prosthetic like yours, ah, let’s see the stump then, shall we?”

Gnaeus didn’t quite like it being called a ‘stump’, but he obliged, undoing the sleeve so he could reveal his handicap. “Oh, and where are my manners. Your name?”

“Gnaeus Ren.”

“Mr. Ren! Pleasure, pleasure – and your friends, Ms. Kent?”

“Kylo Ren, and Ariel Ren,” Kylo introduced, gesturing to Ariel.

Scoresby looked at them, the three Rens, their features, blinked, and then smiled, “Ah, the family then! Well, I’m happy you’ve come to support your brother, Mr. and Ms. Ren.”

Kylo canted his head, realizing he thought they were somehow…blood-related. ‘Is it worth correcting him?’ No, he determined, it definitely was not as the man was swiftly distracted by the revealed stump.

~***~

Finn was, literally, backing her on everything. Mira was thinking of Ada when she mentioned non-Force sensitives, but not only her. The Force was always isolated to the Jedi or the Sith. People like her parents had known nothing, they hadn’t known the volatile nature of it, the emotional complications…nothing. Information such as that should be accessible to the general public, and she was also curious what the scientific community could do with a better understanding of the Force.

Perhaps they couldn’t access it like the Jedi, but if machines could be built that could channel it, the way kyber crystals could be used, or in conjunction with kyber crystals, then the opportunities to expand on galactic technology was endless.

There was so much more to the Force. “See? There are good people out there who could help,” Mira smirked, but it faded a bit when a glass slammed itself down on the table and she lifted her gaze up to see a stranger slip into the empty chair at the table. He was unrecognizable to Mira, but his attire screamed ‘Imperial’. There was a twin behind him, and Johann, as well, which added to the theory this was some sort of Imperial Officer.

She glanced down, hoping BB-8 was still there, but the droid seemed to have run off. Likely to find Poe. ‘Darn.’ She would have liked to slip it the Forcekiller and send it scurrying off. No such luck.

She looked back at the Imperial. “Imperial or First Order military? No,” she answered him, “But Jedi, Knights of Ren, and general survival training – yes.” Being dropped in the middle of fucking nowhere and learning to survive seemed a bit more important than formal military training. “You ever had a lick of Force training, ah…do either of you know who he is?”

Finn shook his head, and Mace answered, “No.” Bluntly. Said with the clear indication he didn’t think this individual was important enough to be interrupting their far more important conversation about the future of the Force in the universe.

Mira looked back at the stranger in the seat, “Sorry – you seem to know me, but I have no idea who you are,” and there was just a hint in her tone that he wasn’t important enough to know, if only because she didn’t like how he joined them, and the tint of alcohol on his breath. She didn’t need this man questioning her capabilities when he wasn’t even part of the First Order.

~***~

“There you ar—”

“Scht. Scht. Scht.” It was the weird sound August made when he absolutely did not want to be disrupted, and Ransolm frowned, tried to see what August was looking at. “If you disrupt the best show of the night, Ransolm, I will not forgive you.” He was glad he was able to see over most of the heads, to see that the Admirals had clearly recognized the invaders of his table. Alexander had gone over with all that arrogant swagger, and August could tell that Mira was none too impressed.

He absolutely wanted to see how this played out.

“10 credits Alexander gets Force choked.” Julia said from his side.

“I’m not taking that. She’s Vader. Of course she’s going to Force choke him.” Vader always choked Motti. Rules. And then Caius would get involved.

Tempting as it was for August to get closer, he knew that if he did, it would ruin it. Johann would just have to brief him on what went down, verbally. “I’ll take it,” Ransolm shrugged. “Or that the older one punches Alexander.” The two men both looked tense.

“I’ll take that,” August said. Mace wasn’t going to lose his cool here. This was a bet he’d win.

“Do you even know what 10 credits look like, Governor?” The elder bartender asked, curious as to what had man’s attention.

“Yes, I still like to buy coffee at that ridiculously pricy place on Coruscant. You should look into buying their beans.”

“Their beans are shit. It’s their roasting that covers up the shit beans.”

“Then you should look into a better roaster so your good beans don’t taste mediocre.”

“Or maybe you should learn to stop ruining a good cup of coffee.”

“Why do I come here?”

“You like the abuse.” Julia said before the bartender could answer it, just as casual as ever.

 

[KyloGlenn]

Paquin had to look at all three of her companions when Scoresby took them as siblings. She shook her head ever so slightly, not seeing any resemblance between them. She shrugged it off, returning her attention to Gnaeus and the professor.

“Hm, not cut off…it’s not a clean cut. Not acid…interesting..” Professor Scoresby mused as he examined Gnaeus’s stump of a hand, his own hands holding Gnaeus’s arm ever so gently. “Alrighty, then! Should work! I have a table! Come, come. Sit, sit!” He urged, letting go of Gnaeus to lead them to his claimed table.

Atop the table sat paintings in frames, but they were turned down so the image couldn’t be seen. Paquin knew what lied beyond. And atop the paintings sat a box that Scoresby grabbed as soon as he sat down. Paquin placed her hand on Gnaeus’s good arm to lead him to sit next to Scoresby. She gently squeezed his arm before she sat down, attempting to offer up some comfort to him.

She knew this had to be weird.

Paquin sat next to Gnaeus, so she could see what Scoresby was doing. Ariel sat on the other side of Paquin, she too wanted to see how it worked. Just in case she needed to. Scoresby pulled the detachable hand out from the box. “Ms. Kent left out what your skin color was, so I simply assumed.” Scoresby said.

“I can make any cosmetic adjustments he wants.” Paquin said, mostly to assure Gnaeus.

Scoresby smiled and nodded, his afro swaying with the motion. Scoresby held a hand out to Gnaeus, asking for his stump once again, “If I may? Putting it on is incredibly simple, all you must do is slip it over and twist. In theory, of course. I haven’t been able to test it.” It should create a seal, locking the stump and the technology together, close enough for the technology to read brain signals sent to the nerves. “I do warn you not to engage in anything that requires a gentle hand. Such as painting, handling glass, or sexual practices.”

-

Alexander rolled his eyes, of course she hadn’t had any formal training. If she had, she would’ve been aiding earlier that day. Whether it be on the front lines or from above. But no, she wasn’t there at all. And Hux wasn’t bothered by it! ‘August needs to give Hux some advice.’ Honestly.

The younger twin took her comment as a snide one, his lip twitching upward ever so slightly. Before he laughed. He looked back at his brother, a smirk on his face. “Figures.” He turned back to the woman. “I don’t understand why Hux gave you the position of Admiral. Oh, wait. Yes, I do.” He waved his hand, dismissing that comment. “Admiral Alexander Motti. My brother, Caius Motti. Also an Admiral. And I understand you know Johann already.”

Johann, silently, told Alexander to leave him out of this. He was simply an observer. He would relay their dialogue to his father later.

Finn seemed to piece it together then. “You two, you’re Conan Motti’s kids?” They had to be? Finn knew of the original Admiral Motti, from his ‘studies’ during his Stormtrooper days.

“Yes! Exactly, good job.”

Mace didn’t exactly appreciate this man’s tone, neither with Mira or with his son.

“Admiral Motti, from the days of the Empire,” Finn ignored the twin to inform Mira, in case she didn’t understand yet.

“Son of a dead Admiral or not, he’s annoying. Do you have a purpose here or not, Admiral?” Mace grew irritated with this kid’s presence when they had more important matters to discuss.

“Oh! Mace Windu! Welcome back from the dead. I’ve heard many stories about you. Tell me, did you ever find your hand?” Alexander grinned. Mace simply rolled his eyes. Fucking kids.

“So, where were you today, Admiral?” It was Caius’ turn to speak up, diverting to the real reason they’d ventured over. Not to start fights with an old Jedi.

“Yeah, Blondie, where were you? Even your beloved General was out on the field. He even ventured into the Carrion. Yet, there was not a single sight of you? Not during any meetings or even during battle.” Alexander clicked his tongue disapprovingly as, raising his drink to his lips. He leaned back in the chair, awaiting the woman’s answer.

 

[Lucyfer]

Paquin also seemed to think it was odd that they were considered siblings, just because of the surname. Perhaps it was a good thing she didn’t introduce herself as a ‘Ren’ in this situation, either, though they hadn’t actually discussed her changing Kent, had they? Or even Paquin, for that matter. ‘Leave it.’ He told himself, reminded himself he was not to get involved or interested in such matters. It was a small thing, and Snoke wasn’t addressing it, nor her need to remove herself from her past life more fully, so Kylo wouldn’t bring it up or pry, lest that get them all started.

He shouldn’t show that kind of interest. He kept repeating that reason as if it might drown out the others that popped up, and then exploded like balloons, too quickly for him to actually grasp what they were. Just the sensation, like that sensation that bubbled up as Paquin took Gnaeus over to Scoresby and sat him down.

“There was a small explosion,” Gnaeus answered almost timidly as Scoresby spoke of the stump and how the wound looked. Gnaeus went along with the movement, and he was truly grateful for Paquin being at his side. Scoresby seemed…nice, but also a bit touched in the head. He supposed that had been necessary for him to be able to make what Gnaeus wanted, though, and he gave Paquin a grateful smile as he felt that squeeze, and they took their seats so Scoresby could get to work.

The new hand didn’t match his skin precisely. It was of the Caucasian variety, but paler than he was. It might have fit on Kylo, but he actually knew how to get sunlight even when he was under all that armor. He didn’t truly care, though. This wouldn’t be his hand, “Make it green.”

Kylo rolled his eyes, “You want a green hand when you have to wear it forever?”

“I don’t want to think it’s real,” he told Kylo, who had taken the seat besides Ariel, arms folded over the table as he, also, leaned forward to watch.

“If you really want it to seem unreal, just do a plaid pattern. Ooh! Wouldn’t that be interesting?” Scoresby asked aloud, to no one in particular, as he held the stump and twisted the hand on as he had. He heard the suction, and saw Gnaeus wince, “Does it hurt?”

“No,” Gnaeus denied. It was just weird pressure.

“Try and move the fingers. Go on!”

Gnaeus gave a nod, and looked at the not-hand. He wasn’t really sure how, it felt so foreign on his arm, but fortunately, he didn’t really have to think about it. Just thinking of squeezing the fingers together sent the message down his arm and to a phantom limb, that the false one picked up on. The fingers curled into a fist.

~***~

Mira knew the name Motti once it was spoken, even without the addition of Conan. Was she going to give either of them that satisfaction? Absolutely not. Not with the implication of Alexander about why she got the job with Hux. Where was BB-8 when she needed the droid? So, Mira just shook her head when Finn offered that tidbit, as if she didn’t know. As if Conan wasn’t important enough to know.

Mace got them to the point, even if he had to suffer a barb for it. They were there to prove that they were superior to Mira, and she almost laughed. The smile that had curved on her lips wasn’t friendly, though. “I see,” she said, not answering the question, “So two boys who are only admirals because of their father’s name want to try and prove that I’m unworthy of their dynasty title,” the hint that they might not have worked for it, either, wasn’t at all subtle. It was a very clear ‘fuck you’, as she took the coffee into her hands and took a sip of it, leaning back in her chair.

How she wished for the Force again. Sense out their emotions. Sense out their thoughts. Fuck them over royally. ‘Why are you like this?’ Admittedly, it was fun. “Well, Admiral Motti, there are more battles than those in the skies. General Hux asked me to tend to other matters that concern the First Order, and by default, you.” She wasn’t going to lose her practiced calm. “If you haven’t been briefed on it already by Governor Tarkin, it must be above your paygrade.”

Did Tarkin know? Probably not. Did she really care? Nope.

Finn looked a bit anxious by the attitudes, Mira’s own cockiness and the testosterone-fueled twins – well, at least one twin. He didn’t enjoy the way they that the two came over, but he didn’t really need more chaos in a bar. They dealt with enough in the casino for a lifetime. He thought of chipping in that they had definitely been doing some important things, and he supposed it was. Not really First Order stuff, though. ‘Well maybe Grakkus could be considered that….’ He was an enemy of the First Order, aligning with the Knights.

And they had stolen something that could be useful against the Knights. Anyone with the Force. That could count. Yeah, he’d vouch, if necessary. Super weapon against the Knights.

Then something put its paws in his lap, and Finn jumped, startled, before he saw himself looking down at the many-eyed, and many-toothed, creature. “Aa…aaah, good kitty…”

Mira looked back, “What is a nexu doing here?” She asked, as the thing pulled itself onto Finn’s lap, and then onto the table. Mace drew his tea back quickly before it spilled it, and Finn caught his own drink before it toppled to the floor. The nexu ignored Alexander. It was set to investigate the weird reason the Force was gone, and it had determined this was the area. It sat down in front of Mira as if she had some explaining to do.

“Remember, Tarkin’s?” Mace spoke to his son, not that it made him any easier. “He needs to control his damn beast.” Except August hadn’t brought it. No, August had locked it in the manor, and he was now watching it, wondering idly if he needed to put a dart in the back of Mira’s head. He had wanted to find out if she had come to Eriadu normal, or…otherwise…the cat might have sniffed out something amiss.

From where he stood, that weird sensation was still around that he’d felt at the docks, but it was easier to ignore in the crowd.

 

[KyloGlenn]

A single, loud clap startled Paquin. She looked to the culprit, Scoresby. “Ah, wonderful!” Scoresby was pleased that his invention had worked.

Paquin turned her attention back to the artificial fist, frowning ever so slightly. Not because she was disappointed in it, but rather Gnaeus’s want for it remain foreign. He could so easily grow use to it. But he refused to, probably because he believed Paquin could restore his natural one. “I’’ll make it the color of your skin. We’ll try that first,” she insisted, but gently. She wanted Gnaeus to at least try to get used to it.

“Can you feel with it?” Paquin asked. “Sensations, I mean.” She clarified. For example, if he were to place his hand on something hot, or dunk it in ice water, would he be able to feel such things? Or if he ran his hand over something with texture, would he feel that?

Ariel watched on, curious. Amazed, even. Medicine was weird. Technology was weird. Ariel watched Gnaeus’s face, and she felt disappointed. She had hoped for a noticeable change in Gnaeus once he had his hand, but he seemed to be more of the same.

“Ah, yes! Of course, good idea, Ms. Kent. If you don’t mind,” Scoresby took his glass of water, still cold, and placed it in Gnaeus’s new hand. A good way to test was if he felt the cold.

As her old professor did so, Paquin asked, “What do we owe you?” She glanced to the man briefly, before her eyes returned to Gnaeus’s hand.

Scoresby scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. “Nothing. I find no pleasure in receiving payment for basic rights anymore. Besides, I make enough money to live off of my paintings.” It’s not like he had to pay for anyone but himself anymore. Well, on occasion he lends his son money. He often told himself his son wasn’t a mistake, but a happy accident. Then he sprouted an idea. “Not necessary, but I have some of my paintings, if you find yourself interested!” He offered. “You look like the artsy type, Mr. Kylo Ren.”

Paquin immediately shook her head. “No, I don’t think Kylo likes art.” She would attempt to save them from having to look at the…art. It was graphic and often looked like it came from a nightmare. A very erotic nightmare. Weird to come from such a positive, upbeat man. He once showed a piece in one of her classes with him. She’d been quite traumatized by it.

-

Alexander was never good at concealing his anger. Well, he never tried to. When he was enraged, everyone knew it. Caius insisted it was a bad quality. And that angered Alexander.

But right then, in that moment, Alexander swallowed it. He knew this Mira woman wanted that kind of reaction from him. But Alexander liked winning a lot more than he liked being angry. And so he would give her no such satisfaction, just as she had not given him the satisfaction he wanted. But make no mistake, Alexander wanted to wrap his hands around the woman’s throat right then.

“Our dead daddy got us nowhere, Vallens. We’re where we are because we’re not a joke,” and she most certainly was. Being an Admiral requires a certain level of skill and my brother and I happen to excel in what we do. You’ll realize soon enough. Force or no Force, we know what we’re doing.” Alexander stood then, looking down on the woman.

“And if whatever matters you attended to were nearly as important as you think they are, we’d have known by now.” Caius added. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. If it was something that August deemed fit for them to know, they’d know it. If it really was that important. There would be a case in which August could decide the matter needed to be kept secret. But for their case at the moment, Caius left it out.

Caius didn’t often stoop to his brother’s level. And luckily this was above Alexander, which surprised Caius by how well his brother was holding himself back. But the First Order’s new Admiral had even rubbed him the wrong way.

It was then that the feline jumped onto the table to rest in front of Mira, ignoring the twin standing above it. It was set on the woman.

Alexander finished his drink then and let the glass sit on the table. “Welcome to war, sweetheart. Feel free to leave the Admiral duties up to us. You have a goodnight, celebrating a success you had no part in.” He offered her a smirk, looking her up and down once more. This time her shirt wasn’t concealed. “I see why Hux must’ve picked you now.” Alexander turned, being petty enough not to let her get another word in. His brother followed and as soon as they were away from the table, Alex’s face dropped. “I hope August’s animal gouges her eyes out.”

Johann, finished with his soda, watched the brothers leave. “I—Sorry about them?” Not that Johann had any control over them. He supposed he should get used to doing damage control, but…

Johann ran a hand over the nexu, the beast not budging from its examination of Mira. “I don’t know how he got here. I’ll see what I can do about getting it out of here.” By that, he would go talk to his father. Because the cat had obviously sniffed something out and Johann wanted to know if they should allow the cat to do it’s thing or not.


It was then that the ever talked about General arrived. He’d not dressed any less formal than he normally would. The only thing missing was his greatcoat and, surprisingly, his leather gloves. Neither were needed for the weather or the situation.

The ginger had come because he’d heard Phasma decided to take part in the celebrations, and that was something Hux wanted to see. And he’d also heard something about August’s great speech or whatever, so it seemed Hux had been missing quite a bit. So, he left his cat to wander about his ship in order to join those at the bar.

The bar was most certainly not his scene. He very much so felt out of place, growing irritated by the person singing awful karaoke. He managed his way to the bar where he would scan the crowds, looking for familiar faces. He’d not heard anything of Mira coming yet, but he kept an eye out anyway.

And it was then that the bartender thought he finally had his chance. He broke away from the busyness of the bar to greet Hux. “General Hux! Welcome. What can I get for you?”

“Water.” Hux wasn’t there to drink.

“Water? Alright.” Not very exciting, but whatever. He could still utilize the ice cubes. Or ice spheres.

 

[Lucyfer]

Gnaeus let out a sigh as Paquin mentioned the fist would instead be made the color of his skin, but he didn’t speak up to protest it right then. He’d still know it wasn’t, and seeing it there, trying to imitate his skin, wasn’t going to make it better. He’d always know. Perhaps if he just kept it away from her, it could remain too pale, and that would be good enough. ‘I won’t need this forever.’ No, one day, Paquin would advance enough. She may not believe it, but he did. He needed to.

He was asked about sensations though, and frowned. He wasn’t sure, but before he could look for something to test it on, Scoresby acted and thrust into his hand, which he opened quickly, a cold glass of water. He wrapped his fingers around it, but there was a bit of a lag he noticed. They did act, but not as quickly as his natural hand could. The chill was also not as intense. He made sure to feel it with his real hand then, and the cold went straight down his arm.

With this fake one, it was dim. “Yeah…I can feel,” he didn’t express how dim it was comparatively speaking, as they finished up talk of payment. His lackluster reaction was overshadowed by Scoresby needing to show a painting, apparently thinking Kylo was the creative was.

“Nonsense, nonsense, he can judge for himself!” Scoresby answered. Gnaeus shot Kylo a glance and saw his bemused expression, before it turned to something like shock. Gnaeus had to look over to see, and he quickly looked away.

Kylo’s eyes had widened at the graphic nightmare painted before his eyes, not at all believing it could have been drawn by the individual sitting before him, with the funky afro and cheerful demeanor, who gave Gnaeus a hand. Literally. He was glad he didn’t have anything to drink because he would have chocked on it.

Though, his eyes didn’t dart away as hastily as Gnaeus’s, but loomed over the details of it, the twisting images, the hues. Perhaps he wasn’t artistic, but then, art wasn’t usually this interesting. It was usually boring landscapes and portraits, or abstract things that didn’t make any sense. This made sense in a way. “You like it, don’t you?” Scoresby lit up, “I can always tell!”

“Er…,” Kylo supposed he’d looked over it too long, when Gnaeus had quickly looked away, “It’s not what I was expecting.” At all. He looked away then, eyes down to the table, even if he wanted to peek back up. “That’s all.”

“What were you expecting?” Now Scoresby was curious.

“Maybe happy little trees and forest animals,” Gnaeus muttered.

“Something…happier, yes,” Kylo agreed with Gnaeus.

Scoresby looked surprised, looked at his art, then back at them, “This is happy! Well, in a way, I suppose, you have to really understand it,” like all art.

~***~

Mira had pissed off the young man, but not enough to lash out. He continued with his wit, and Mira almost had respect for him with that. He wasn’t as bad as Kylo, even if he was an asshole. Kylo would have reacted with violence then, since it seemed his dad was a sore point. ‘Damage control, later.’ They started this. They wouldn’t get an apology from her then.

Perhaps not later, either. Alexander’s gaze drifted down, and for a moment she assumed he was simply checking out her chest, but as she thought to rise, she recalled what was written on the shirt and glanced down herself to see that it was, in fact, showing. Her cheeks went bright red and she closed the coat right back up as Johann came forward.

“It’s all right,” Mira muttered as the nexu reached out and batted at the hand holding the coat closed. She thought to bat it away with her other hand, apparently forgetting she was having absolutely no luck with animals that day. “I’m sure they’re both good at what they do. They’re just assholes.”

Lares didn’t like having his paw batted away. Instead of relax under Johann’s grip, it bristled, shifted its weight, and launched itself forward.

“Mira!”

Mace and Finn both rose as the chair clattered to the ground and Mira was pinned, taken by surprise. ‘Hells.’ It didn’t attack her, though, pawed open the coat and managed to nuzzle out the stone it wanted, as Mira managed to reach her lightsaber. Mace had tried to come over to remove the beast, but it leapt away with its prize and moved through the crowd that parted to go right over to August at the bar.

Mira rose to her feet, the lightsaber in hand but not lit, trying hard not to just light it and throw it at the beast. Finn came up to her side as August idly reached a hand down and the beast dropped the stone into it, clawing up his pants to stand to do so.

“I do like this one,” he murmured, “I didn’t even teach it that,” more to his theory that the beast was something far more than the norm. He lifted the stone up to examine it. Not kyber. It looked more like a meteorite, but he hated it. He wanted to crush it and destroy it immediately, but he knew not how. “I suppose it likes Alexander,” he chuckled, and others seemed to find that to be amusing, too. “Good Lares,” he stroked its head, “Defending my Admiral’s honor.” Mira hadn’t bothered to close her coat then in her frustration with the beast, and August was amused with the shirt he saw, but wouldn’t comment right then. He needed to get the crowd’s attention off the situation, let them think this was nothing but play.

Not that hard.

He pushed from the bar, and went through hole that Lares had made in its pass to go to his usual table, and put the stone back in Mira’s hand, which seemed to settle the crowd. Made them think it was all nothing. Yet, he didn’t let go of the hand once he had it, pressing the stone into it. “You have a few seconds to tell me what that stone is, and convince me you aren’t possessed by Snoke.” His voice was a low threat, but easy enough for those gathered at the table to pick up on, including Johann.

The party had easily picked back up around them. To the outside world, it looked only like August was having something of an intimate conversation with the woman he stood too close to.

“Woah, she’s not!” Finn said quickly.

“That stone, that Forcekiller,” stupid name, “removes the Force from an area. Sucks it in. More properly called a void stone. Snoke can’t possess her with that around.” Mace added, talking quickly, even as Mira shot him a glare for the information he provided so liberally. He was pretty certain Tarkin wasn't bluffing with his threat though, and the last thing they needed was for there to be any carnage right now. “Not that you’d know such things, Tarkin.”

Tarkin gave Mace a look, “I felt this earlier. I don’t enjoy being disconnected from the Force, either.” That did explain it, though. “So this is what you got from Grakkus….”

“You know of that?”

“I know many things, Mandon.” He had his beloved intelligence officer for that, who was somewhere in Spiked, on his tablet, no doubt. Cibor Yularen was obsessed.

It was very good for Tarkin that Mira couldn’t use the Force right then. And that one hand was held by him, while the other held a lightsaber, because she wanted to punch him right then. Shock him. Choke him. Just for that word, and the way he said it, as if it were another threat easily slipping from his lips.

~***~

Water was indeed retrieved for Hux, in a rather tall glass. He floated two of the icy Death Stars in it, before he gave it to Hux, “Here you are!” He set it on the table just as there was a clatter, and then he laughed a bit at the scene of the blond at August’s table being tackled by a beast. “August, you shit, I told you no animals!” He shouted to the Governor. Yet, his eyes watched Hux for a reaction to the icy spheres.

And then he noticed the Governor’s stance. It was brief, but it was not the casual lean, not the light-hearted. He saw the man’s hand on the blaster at his hip, ever-present, before that posture relaxed. The predator returned to his camoflauge, and he looked to the bartender, “I didn’t bring it. I left Lares home.” He told him, “It seems not to like blondes, didn’t like Ransolm much, either.”

August noticed Hux there then, wondered if he had caught any of the Admiral scene. Likely not. He seemed fresh. His attention, however, was turned by the nexu, and the bartender turned his attention around to others. He had to stay on top of his work, just like August – never a moment’s rest.

He saw Cibor lift his hand in a wave, and he moved quickly to fetch another mudslide for the man, placing it down and glancing down at the datapad to try and see what he saw. Except, he never could. Cibor’s eyes wore contacts, and the datapad revealed a mess of coding he couldn’t see through. All of it, encrypted, and he knew Cibor was seeing far more than what was on the pad – or rather, he had used the pad to cover the room with points for him to look at and play with, explore, forever hooked to his technology.

“How’s the pod race going?”

“The one you bet on is in second,” he answered without looking up, hand wrapping around the cold drink and sipping at the chocolately goodness.

“Sweet!”

And Cibor’s gaze lifted, blue eyes quite literally glowing, seeing the room and everything he had lain over it, and he focused in on another blonde with short hair, who lingered with those of the First Order at a table. “Who is that?” The bartender could at least follow the gaze.

“Phasma. New Lieutenant-General of the First Order, out of her silver armor.” Not out of all of it. Pieces remained over the white dress uniform, and she had risen with the disturbance, while another man put a hand on her shoulder as if to push her back down, to insist it was all right. Her cheeks were reddened a bit from the drinks she’d been convinced to have, and she did laugh it off then, noticing the shirt the Admiral was wearing. Apparently that was enough to convince her nothing serious could be going on. “I’ve been trying to figure out her history. Where she comes from. Hacking those files have been difficult.”

“You’re hacking the First Order files?”

“No,” he shook his head. August told him to stop that. “I got a lock on Snoke’s things when I cracked into their blockade waves. I’m hacking his files. They’re all off planet, now, of course.” Kamino, he knew. Wouldn’t say it to the bartender, no matter how good a man he was. Cibor wanted to be closer. He wanted access to the mainframes. “I think he’s figured it out, though.” They started to vanish faster than he could move, the signals changing over the waves. “So now I have to try other methods.”

“Well…good luck. If you need anything stronger than these, let me know.”

“Just start using stronger liquor.” Alcohol made him…creative in his information gathering.

“Will do!” And back it was to his rounds.

Cibor lifted his hand again, but it wasn’t for the bartender. It was for the Mottis. He wasn’t good at interacting. He was the shadow of the Empire – but those two were. And he could go see if they could get any hints from Phasma. She was drinking, after all. And they were pissed. He’d offer them whatever information they wanted or needed to improve their mood if they’d get him what he wanted.

They were the ‘young ones’, with Johann. They had to stick together.

 

[KyloGlenn]

“You see, what I envisioned as I was creating this piece was the love between two people. Not what’s on the outside, but on the inside!” Scoresby explained, looking over his creation lovingly.

“Literally.” Paquin’s face held an amused smile as she rested her face in her hands. She had tried to save them from the horrors of Scoresby’s paintings, but she couldn’t help but find their reactions to the painting funny.

“Yes, literally! Reminds me of my wife and I…” His long deceased wife. He sighed, dreamily. He was no longer sad about her death, having the ability to look back fondly on her. In the earlier days.

“We’ll take it!” Ariel decided for them. “I’ll hang it up in my room. I need new decor, anyways.” Besides the empty bottles of alcohol. Those gave her more nightmares than the painting ever would. It sure was graphic, but interesting. And she could tell Kylo wanted to look at it some more. It would be a conversation piece! For those that walked into her room on Korriban, anyway. “How much?”

“Fantastic! I knew someone would like it! It’s an acquired taste. For this, I’d say…twenty credits.”

Ariel reached into her bra, dug around, and pulled out some currency. She didn’t have enough boob to really need a bra, so it was mostly used for storage since her armor failed to have any pockets. She sorted through it, the different types of money. “I’ve got fifteen.”

“I’ll take it!” Scoresby held the painting out for Ariel, the two exchanging the painting for the credits. “The painting, it reminds me of you two, as well.” Scoresby was looking at Gnaeus and Paquin then. “You two, a lot of love for each other. I see it now.”

Paquin’s eyebrows furrowed and she opened her mouth, but closed it. She simply shook her head. “If that’s all, and if you’re happy with the hand, Gnaeus, I think it’s time we should get going. We greatly appreciate your help, Professor, really.”

-

Hux mumbled a thank you to the bartender when he received his water, unconsciously looking into the cold cup. He had to do a double take once he caught sight of the Death Star shaped ice cubes. He stared at them for a second, an eyebrow raised. ‘Cute.’ Then he took a sip of the water.

His attention snapped to the red-haired man being scolded for an animal. That damn nexu. But it wasn’t until the nexu returned to August and the Governor began walking towards where the beast had come from that the General became alarmed. He spotted the familiar blonde hair with the crystals entangled. Finn and apparently Mace Windu. With one more sip of water, he began making his way towards them.

At a glance, it didn’t look like there was anything untoward going on. Hux still didn’t like it. And upon further inspection, Hux didn’t miss August’s free hand on his blaster or how tense Mira was.

Hux caught the end of August’s sentence. His threat. He heard the name ‘Mandon’ and his jaw tightened.

His strides came to a stop next to Mira, his hand wrapping around her upper arm, gently pulling to urge her to pull her hand away from August’s. He understood the need to make a scene here in the bar, in front of all these people. So he kept it quiet.

“What’s going on?” Hux questioned, his tone not curious but demanding. “If you have an issue with something, I’d like it to be brought to me and not my Admiral.” This, August’s mention of Mira’s birth name, it did nothing to ease Hux’s suspicions that August’s intentions were not in Mira’s best interest. But he said nothing of that.

“Uh, there’s just been a misunderstanding, General. The nexu, Lares, he wasn’t a fan of…Forcekiller My father was unsure of it was and we’re just clarifying it, that’s all.” Johann attempted to ease the tension. This had all been blown too far out of proportion. First Alexander and then Lares. This was a time for celebration, so he tried to urge the group to calm down.

“Bullshit. Tarkin knows about this Grakkus. Apparently he knows a lot of things.” Mace probably wasn’t doing well in getting into Tarkin’s good books. Johann gave the man an exasperated look.

-

“What a good kitty.” Alexander had smirked when he’d turned to see Lares pounce on Mira. He was only disappointed when her eyes hadn’t been clawed out as he hoped they would be. “We’ll have to work on the attack bit.”

“The nexu didn’t jump on her because of you, it was because she had something.” Caius rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to make out what exactly it was that the beast had snatched from the so called Admiral.

It was when they turned that they saw a hand waving. The twins’ eyes followed the hand to its owner, recognizing the man as Cibor Yularen. “He’s waving us over.” Caius observed, informing his brother.

“Yeah, I see that.”

“Let’s go see what he wants.” Caius began to lead the way.

“I wanted to get another drink, though! I need more after talking to that bitch.” Alexander complained. “And I still want to get laid tonight!”

Caius rolled his eyes. “You can wait two seconds while we talk to him.” The elder twin led them the rest of the way to the techie’s table, Caius slipping into a free seat across from the man as Alexander flipped the other free chair around, straddling it as he rested his arms on the back of the chair.

“What’s up, Yularen?” Caius questioned as soon as his brother was settled.

“Yeah, what’s up? You need some wingmen? All you do is nerd out all day, every day.” Alexander’s voice was uninterested as he spoke.