His new hire proves her usefulness... to an extent.
Phasma is grumpy, Kylo makes a point, and Hux just needs everyone to give him a minute.
Given the sensitive nature of her operation and the high level clients she entertained, secrecy was of utmost importance. The dimly lit hallways had many twists and turns before finally coming out at one of the many secret entrances. The Baroness owned everything on this strip, and the hallways were skillfully run through multiple legitimate businesses. Phasma and two others waited for him at the entrance. She stepped forward to stop the figure trailing behind him.
"Sir. Who is this?"
"Phasma, this is Ichara. She works for me now, apparently." As soon as the words left his mouth a ship flew dangerously close overhead, dropping off 5 shabbily dressed men with a thud.
"We need him!" one shouted, pointing at the General. In his hurry to leave, he'd forgotten the black hooded overcoat he wore to obscure his identity. His trademark copper hair could be seen a mile away. Phasma whipped out her blaster and easily struck one down. Ichara's red saber lit up the platform, whirling in the air as she ran over to them, striking low and fast, cutting two down at the knee and coming back up to decapitate them. She deflected a poorly aimed blaster bolt back into one of Hux's men as the other was taken down by one of the two remaining kidnappers. Phasma shot one between the eyes, pausing to shoot the other when Ichara yelled "Wait!", voice crackling through the vocoder.
"Who sent you?"
"The-- the Resistance"The last man grabbed his throat, struggling to stutter his reply through a closing windpipe.
"How did they know we were here?"
"I don't know, I-augh!" she dropped him to the ground. Hux could tell by her silhouette against the bright lights of the city below that she was doing the same terrifying mind probing he'd endured at the hands of Kylo Ren.
The man's breath gurgled in his throat as she stabbed into his consciousness "Hmm. No I do agree with you there, that was quite an oversight." She held him in the air again; her saber sputtering as it cauterized blood and flesh, slowly removing both legs just above the knee. The man screamed, and she squeezed harder to stifle the sound. The greasy smell of burning flesh was thick in the air, and Hux thought he might vomit.
"You tell your Resistance friends that the droid maker downstairs will have nothing for them, and you let everyone know, that the bitch of Bakura's fangs bite for the First Order now." She flung him over the edge of the building and onto a trash pile below.
She turned to the General and bowed her head "I hope I have served you well, Sir."
His face was contorted into an expression of disgust. "We need to leave" was all he could manage to say, and marched up the ramp with Phasma dragging the two fallen troopers by an arm. Ichara followed close behind.
"Use a less, obviously First Order ship next time, General. Canto Bight is a playground for those both wishing and not wishing to be seen. They were just run of the mill black mailers, but when they saw you land they contacted the Resistance. Even they know better than to try anything serious on Canto Bight, though."
Cantonica made a point to be a neutral territory, and both the First Order and the Resistance had too many resources there to jeopardize their good standing. An attack from one or the other could get the aggressor banned from Canto Bight. Both sides bought most of their military equipment from suppliers who spent their time in the luxurious city, and to lose that safe zone would be too big a detriment to gamble with.
The return trip to the ship was made in awkward silence. With Phasma at the controls and the other 2 guards unconscious, the General sat quietly across from Ichara, randomly glancing over at her. He was uncomfortable that he couldn't follow her eyes behind the smoked visor glass. Knowing her force sensitivity, he also found himself trying to think of nothingness. Flashes of blood, the belt, the way his face felt against her skin, all flashed through his mind despite his best efforts to keep them down.
She sighed, set the holopad on the seat beside her, and reached up to take off her helmet, setting it on the floor.
"General Hux. Can you please try not to think of nothing so loudly? It's all I can hear. I will not pick through your thoughts unless you ask me to."
"Why the hell would anyone want that?"
"I signed that contract- I'm here to serve you. You need to trust me or this is all going to be very difficult."
"Forgive my trepidation, I've had naught but negative experiences with you lot, and I hadn't expected to be saddled with... this ." his voice came out a lot harsher than he'd expected.
"I know. I'm sorry." The genuine softness in her voice threw him off.
She picked up her holopad and went back to typing. "I'm informing Mistress Orgida of the rooftop incident. It is the responsibility of business owners on her strip to adhere to strict security guidelines. They will be punished for such laxity in the attention they pay to their surroundings. There is no reason those spying scum should not have been quickly noted. Their laziness will not come without severe consequences."
He liked the venom in her voice. Maybe this won't be so bad after all he mused. After all, she was here to serve him, and she has proven herself to be excellent at what she does.
In many ways.
He stuffed the thought down as soon as it arose. There couldn't be any more of... that type of behavior now that this was a working relationship. Hell, there was still the chance that Kylo Ren might strike her down on sight. Aside from his infatuation with that scavenger, who knows how he would react to her. Her eyes flashed up at him for a second at the thought, and as he caught her gaze she quickly looked back down to what she was doing.
Part of him felt certain that she was the mechanism in some elaborate trap.
Only time would tell, and he was good at waiting.
-
-
Kylo sat bolt upright in bed. He leapt up looked around frantically, expecting to see Rey somewhere in his quarters. No- this force swell was across the ship and had the distinct dragging of darkness calling. For a split second he was terrified that somehow Snoke had come back from the dead, but his signature in the force was darker and more distinct than this.
He dressed quickly, taking a moment to run a brush through his hair and mist it with some ridiculous oil Mitaka had suggested. Kylo had choked the man after overhearing he thought his hair looked "comically unruly", but had to admit it did make quite a difference in his appearance. Instead of thanking him, Kylo assumed obviously taking his advice through a more polished appearance should be complement enough. After hastily getting dressed, he flew down the hall way.
He was concerned that if Hux had something to do with this he might not like what was waiting for him. The General rushed to Canto Bight after a particularly heated meeting earlier that ended in him being thrown against the wall and Kylo Ren storming out of the room. There were all manner of wild accusations about what he did there, only ever taking Phasma and a small handful of loyal soldiers. The darkness grew as he neared the hangar, and did so the mixture of dread mingled with excitement welling in his chest.
The doors were closed with an out-of-commission code due to "Hazardous Conditions", requiring... of course... only Hux's override code. Proof again that whatever it was the General did on that planet was something he wanted left unknown. Kylo reached out and forced the blast doors open, sparks flying as he strode through, only serving to make his presence that more striking.
"General, I thought this hangar was out of commission" he called out sarcastically as he crossed the threshold with long strides "It seems to be working fine." He saw a robed figure in a mask to his left, and could feel the force swirling around them. His heart was pounding with the thrill of meeting another, and was determined to make a striking impression- in part from ego, and in part to ensure it was known he was the one in charge. He pulled out his saber and ignited it as he approached.
This is it. It's him.
Her heart leapt in her throat as she stepped in front of the general, stepping into a wide L stance. She drew her saber, holding it horizontally in front of her.
"Lower your weapon" she ordered across the hangar.
Kylo broke into a run, and she launched forward, running to meet him.
Hux was frozen, and watched everything unfold as if it was in slow motion.
Sparks flew as their blades collided; he swung high and the force of his blow pushed her underneath him, staring with wild eyes across the crackling blades. They parried for what felt like forever, both grunting and snarling at each other as blades danced across the hangar. She flicked the point of her blade low and leapt up to the side. All of his downward force was directed at the floor with the sudden change and he stumbled, almost falling. He barely caught himself, and roared as he spun around, swinging wide.
To his surprise she was directly behind him, saber holstered. She jumped on his back and hooked an arm around his neck, tightening like a vise.
"I told you to stop" the vocoded voice crackled into his ear. He cursed, stumbling from her sudden weight. He then pushed himself backwards, falling on top of her with all his weight. His saber cut off and clattered across the hangar floor as they both hit the ground with a thud. It worked, though- he knocked the air out of her. He leapt up and spun around, summoning her lightsaber from her belt and igniting it. She tried to crawl backwards but collapsed, wheezing, and held her hand out in surrender.
Stars you are a heavy fucker. She whispered into his mind.
"You will tell me your purpose here, or I will take it from you." He loomed over her, taking another step forward to prove his sincerity.
She glared through the mask, angry that she was prostrated at the point of her own blade.
"That's enough, Ren!" Hux shouted in an exasperated tone, as if reprimanding a child. Kylo's attention snapped back to the General. "She works for the First Order now." He furrowed his brow, and walked over to the General, ignoring his quarry.
"I hired her on Canto Bight. I could have told you this had you not burst through the doors like a feral animal. Ichara, come here." the General motioned for her and she ran over in time to slip between him and the towering man. He stepped forward until she had to crane her neck up to look at him.
"Remove your mask"
She stared at him, unmoving, chest heaving.
"Remove it. This is the Supreme Leader of the First Order." the General repeated behind her. Kylo's eyes flicked up at the General, irritated, before back down to the woman in front of him. Hux enjoyed the pause, making a point that she responded to him instead of Kylo.
She removed it and shook her hair out, still trying to catch her breath. She looked up into the dark, angry eyes staring down at her. "I'm Ichara Orgida, recently returned from a stint on Bakura. Baroness Orgida, my cousin, wishes for me to serve at the hand of General Hux. It is an honor to meet you, Kylo Ren."
His eyes searched hers "Why have I been unable to feel you across the force till now?"
"I abhor politics, and I didn't want to be found... but I'm here now, and I pledge my loyalty to the First Order. That's all that matters."
His voice was pointedly condescending "I should kill you for your blatant insubordination, but it was out of ignorance. You will not be afforded this luxury should you strike out at me again." His eyes locked with the General's as he finished his sentence, implying that it was a warning to both of them.
He knows exactly why she's here.
His attention turned back to Ichara, and he stared into her, cupping her face with a gloved hand, gently poking into her mind. She gave little resistance this time. He got a glimpse of the General's silhouette staring down at her, which quickly flipped to watching the him sign the contract, striking down the attackers on the rooftop- he went deeper and felt a sharp pain as he saw a night sky illuminated by raging flames.
Graceless She made a point to think loudly, and jerked her head back.
"Interesting" He shoved her saber towards her and she snatched it from him, holding it by her side instead of holstering it. "General Hux will bring you to my training area at 0900 hours. You are clearly not a threat, but I want to be aware of your abilities." She scowled at him, but said nothing. He turned, cape flowing behind him as he left the hangar. The three stayed still until the door closed.
"I stand by my earlier statement regarding him." she muttered.
Hux grabbed her arm and yanked her around. "Don't be an idiot- he could have killed you. You'll be no good to me dead."
"Only because I wasn't trying to kill him" she retorted "I knew exactly who he was. No normal person would dress that dramatically."
He cocked an eyebrow and made a point to look her up and down.
She narrowed her eyes at him and huffed.
Phasma was exhausted and over the stress of the evening. "Sir, I will get her set up in temporary quarters before we find something more permanent... should we eventually find it necessary." She had enough to worry about with Kylo Ren, and was irritated at the prospect of another force user slashing the ship up with impunity. If there was an attempt at hiding her distaste for the situation, it was a poor one.
"Those are halfway across the ship, should I actually need her it'd take ages to get to me. There are vacant quarters on my level. Choose whichever you deem fit- at the moment I have more important things to tend to." Hux walked away as quickly as he could without running. His head was spinning- none of this had sunk in yet, and he just wanted to be alone... in a shower as hot as he could stand.
-----
Phasma marched down the hallway with Ichara struggling to keep up with her long strides.
"So, you are the General's right hand?"
"I am a Captain."
"You don't like Kylo Ren much either I take it"
She stopped and spun around abruptly, Ichara almost running face first into her gleaming chestplate.
"There is no like or dislike. My life and my loyalty belongs to the First Order." Irritated, she turned and marched even quicker down the hallway.
Ichara probed gently at her mind to see what she could find. Just flashes of exasperation, anger, and concern.
"Your chambers are here. You will be given clearance codes for select levels in the morning. Do not leave or you will be locked out. Troopers will be here with your belongings momentarily."
Before she could ask any other questions Phasma sharply turned on her heel and marched back to the lift. The General was her friend, but she swore she was going to have some choice words with him in the morning.