Pride

Chapter 4: Protector

Brenko's eyebrows shot up, an immediate objection coming to his lips. "Supreme Lea-," he began to say, but was cut off by Ren.

"General Snider and his more experienced Ambassador will take over from here. We can't risk failure on this mission at the hands of a girl who knows nothing."

I felt the back of my neck heat up as immediate rage began to fill me.

A girl. Who knows nothing.

"Excuse me, Supreme Leader," I interjected, causing every eye in the room to turn to me. I could feel the warmth of blush pulling at my cheeks at their stares, but I pushed forward.

"While it is true I am new to my position, I do have some insight on Sump which may be helpful. If the Oceans are truly rich with Sulfuric Acid, then their rains must have a drastically high concentration of Sulfur. With that much sulfur in the water, their primary harvest crop must be dying out. Most Nuknog colonies are farming communities. If we provide them with a new harvest crop which could survive in the sulfuric conditions, they may be more likely to allow us to harvest the Acid as a waste product. Rapeseed can survive large concentrations of sulfur in it's soil, and it can be processed into Erucic Acid which they can sell for a profit to other trading posts." I said.

Ren looked at me, the twitch under his eye almost constant now.

"Aha! Wonderful! Look at that, Supreme Leader. She may be the best Ambassador I've had to date," Brenko praised, clapping his hands together.

The man to Ren's right nodded his head appreciatively.

"I must agree with General Brenko. While my ambassador is much more experienced, he does not have this level of knowledge on agriculture. Brenko and his new ambassador should lead this mission. Is it what is best for the Order," the man, who I assume to be General Snider, said, bowing his head to the Supreme Leader.

Ren continued to stare at me, his eyes boring into mine, before finally nodding his head once. The Generals around him began to rise from their seats, the Supreme Leader's silent agreement seeming to bring the meeting to an end. Turning on my heel, I followed General Brenko from the meeting room and down the hall. We made our way through the maze of turns before stopping at a door. The metal slid to the side, revealing a large office. General Brenko walked inside and sank into the large leather chair behind the desk.

"Ela, Ela, Ela." He began, swiveling from side to side in the chair. "You may just be the best thing that's happened to my career. I've never seen someone have such quick problem solving, especially in front of the Supreme Leader. How in the Void do you know so much about Sulfur?" He asked, bringing his right hand up to twist the edge of his mustache.

"I've read many books about fauna," I replied.

"Ha! Fauna? What an odd child you are," he laughed back, continuing to swivel in the chair.

I gave him a tight smile, the remark leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Is there anything else I can do to help prepare for the mission, sir?" I asked, interlacing my fingers behind my back. 

Brenko pulled his chair up to his desk and began shifting papers around.

"Yes, yes. You are right. We should get right to work. Here," he said, handing me a stack of spreadsheets, "Take these to General Sniders office down the hall. His Ambassador will be able to help you include your plans in the budget. You'll need to put together a full cost to profit analysis to submit to your father by tonight."
"Yes, sir," I responded, taking the documents and exiting his office.

Perhaps having a job wasn't going to be so bad. Aside from the whole Monday through Friday, 0800-1700 thing, It was nice to finally be heard. I have never had someone care about my opinions on important matters before. Yes, my mother has asked me what my thoughts on the new drapes were, but no one had ever truly cared what my brain could offer.

I walked happily down the hall, a slight skip in my step. As I rounded the corner, I ran directly into a large, black-clad chest, causing me to stumble backwards. Large hands gripped my shoulders, turning me and pushing me towards a door across the hall. My sympathetic nervous system immediately went into effect, causing my heart rate to skyrocket as I was pushed into a dark closet. My knee bumped into something metal and a loud clatter resonated through the room. I tried to turn to face the man, but strong arms wrapped around my waist, rendering me immobile.

"Stop," the man said, his chest vibrating against my back as he spoke.

I recognized that voice.

"Supreme Leader?" I asked, attempting again to turn around.

His hands dug into my hips, keeping me in place.

"I thought I told you to call me Kylo," he said, his breath ghosting over the back of my ear.

"Kylo," I breathed out, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, his fingers digging into my flesh to an almost painful extent.

I winced, my body going rigid. "I work here. My father thought it was time for me to begin serving the Order."

I felt his chest move as he let out a gruff laugh.

"There are other ways you can serve the Order," he said, leaning his nose to rest against my hair. Slowly, almost nonchalantly, he inhaled, breathing in deeply before releasing the air slowly through his mouth. "You can serve the Order without putting your life in danger."

I scrunched my nose, tilting my chin towards his.

"Being a Planetary Ambassador isn't dangerous," I said.

"Being Brenko's Planetary Ambassador is," he replied, catching my chin between his thumb and finger.

"Why do you think there's a position open?" He asked. "Why do you think a man like Brenko still has a position within the First order? He's bloodthirsty. He's a killer."

He pinched my chin harder.

"He left his last Ambassador on a planet as the Troopers showered bullets into the crowds. He doesn't care about the people around him. He only cares about himself. I was trying to protect you." His grip on my chin tightened, causing a small whimper to leave my mouth.

His eyes darted down to my lips, his tongue running along the inside of his bottom lip.

"I just wanted to protect you," he repeated, clamping his fingers together again, causing my jaw to pop open and my eyes to burn from the pain. A single tear balanced on my lower lash line before slowly breaking free. He followed the progression of the tear with his gaze as it travelled down my cheek before coming to a stop just above my lip.

Kylo Ren stared at the tear, a confused look on his face, before leaning down and placing his mouth over the salty drop. My breath stilled in my lungs, all sense of reality coming to a sudden halt as I felt his hot tongue caress my skin.  He lingered there, his breath brushing against my skin, and then placed his lips against my flushed cheek, kissing away the tear.

He released his hold on my chin as he straightened to his full height.

"Make sure you're fully prepared for the mission. I'll be accompanying to ensure everything goes as planned."

With that he turned and exited the room, leaving me standing alone, more tears falling to replace the one he had graciously rid me of.