Phasma is officially over it, Hux gets more frustrating, and Kylo is finally starting to catch on to the underhanded world of politics. Rey is starting to worry.
(Also we meet Phasma's adorable gf)
-
Phasma had set her alarm to get up earlier than usual, and her mind instantly flooded with dread upon waking. She wanted to get this favor for Hux out of the way not just to get it over with, but because she was genuinely concerned for him. The anxiety he was wallowing in over this 'relationship' (she rolled her eyes at the thought) with the mercenary had to stop. It wasn't anything official, but Hux saying he even so much as enjoyed anyone's company without being sarcastic was tantamount to a declaration of love on the spot. She could appreciate Ichara's fondness for violence and felt she was actually capable of keeping the General safe; however, she was wasn't entirely sure that the General was safe from her. Kylo Ren's sudden interest in the woman aroused suspicion. Although Hux was fond of her, Phasma wouldn't hesitate to kick her out of an airlock.
Her girlfriend rolled over in the bed they shared as the alarm kept beeping."It's so early, babe, I thought inspections weren't for two more days." she mumbled sleepily.
"I have to fix something for Hux. He pissed off his girlfriend being himself... which is understandable." Phasma grumbled as she threw the covers back and started getting dressed.
Mara rolled up onto her elbows, smirking through the haze of sleep. A wavy waterfall of auburn hair spilled over her shoulders, and hazel eyes sparkled over freckled cheeks. She was like the soft breeze of a gentle summer- something not found on Pernassos, Phasma's home planet. She was rare and sweet, and the only thing Phasma enjoyed other than her job.
"Wait, are you telling me he has more emotions than smug or pissed off? I can't imagine" she laughed. "So they are actually... you know. I've had people bugging me to ask you, but..."
"You know I can't speak on any of that. It's... ugh. I don't know that he even knows what it is. He's being a complete ass about the whole situation. Kylo Ren has interfered the past two days and I need to get this over with before it escalates. I really don't get paid enough."
She rolled onto her back and grunted in disgust "Oof. Ren. So glad he never has any business in engineering- he needs someone to tell him off one good time, the amount of time my men spend repairing his tantrums is ridiculous. He's such a cunt. "
"Unfortunately he's a necessary one- apparently the only reason he's still alive is to keep the financial backing from someone in the Outer Rim."
Mara wiggled out from under the covers and hopped to her feet, running over to her grumpy, shiny girlfriend. "Ah-ah, no helmet yet." She stood up on her tip toes and kissed her, wrapping her arms around her neck. Phasma picked her up as if she were weightless and carried her back over to the bed.
"Sorry to get you up so early, Mar, but at least Hux is going to owe me a huge favor after it's all done." she threw her on the bed and Mara laughed as she bounced onto the covers. Her relentlessly cheery attitude would be insufferable from anyone else but on her Phasma found it endearing.
"Well, I'm going back to sleep. Don't kill anyone if you don't have to!" she called after her.
Phasma sighed as her helmet hissed into place. She was hoping it wouldn't come to that, but there would be no hesitation should the situation turn.
-
Ichara was rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she answered the comm at her door. When it opened to reveal Phasma she assumed the worst and her heart jumped in her throat. "Is everything alright? What happened?"
She stepped through the doors, leaving her mask on as she addressed the issue at hand "I'm going to be brief and to the point. I lied to you in the hangar. Hux is my General, but also my friend. I've been suspicious of you since the day he brought you aboard. After finding a vial of extremely potent sedative in your cargo I brought it to his attention, and unfortunately he assumed you were going to kill him with it."
She wanted to be angry at Phasma, but the last sentence caught her off guard. "He, sorry, what?? How in the hell did he come to that conclusion?"
"As General of the First Order he has had multiple attempts on his life. It will come as no surprise to you that he has... handled... a lot of people to get to his position. It's not just the Resistance that wants to take his life, many more trying to move up the ranks have attempted that as well."
Stars... that ruthlessness is just something else to love about the man. Oh stop it! What is wrong with you? She cursed herself for how deep he had sunk his claws into her.
"Your force abilities help you to find these traitors better than I can; because of this it is in my interest that you stay here. I also hate seeing him like this- frankly, he's too neurotic to know how to apologize like a regular human being."
"That may well be the case, but he's made it blatantly apparent he doesn't want to apologize, nor does want me here. I'll be leaving in a few days and then we can both have peace."
She sighed. "The man is a high-strung mess, Ichara. I hope that by understanding why he is this way you can at least forgive him enough for him to function. He's on the verge of a heart attack and it's interfering with my work."
"Alright, I'll speak with him." she grinned and shook her head, "If I really wanted to kill him I wouldn't have to be so underhanded, you know. I'm almost offended."
Phasma said nothing and just stared at her.
"I mean, I don't want to, of course! I thought that could go without saying. Trust me, if I had my pick it would be Kylo Ren." she followed with an awkward laugh, unsure in her still groggy state if threatening the Supreme Leader to a captain was really a good way to start the day.
Phasma almost smiled under her helmet in appreciation of the sentiment. "Agreed. I appreciate you speaking with him." with that she left.
The more Ichara thought about everything, though, the angrier she got. Years of being alone made her unused to scrutiny and having to work well with others. It was frustrating to constantly have people looking over her shoulder, and absolutely ridiculous that Hux would suspect something like that from her.
-
Again, the General was in his office early. He wasn't expecting to see her and jumped slightly when she strolled through the doors, stopping at the edge of his desk.
"Let me see your hands"
"No." His palms were littered with tiny cuts from the night before, and he had been making a point to press his fingertips to the wounds every time she crossed his mind, as if the stinging would teach him a lesson.
"It wasn't a question." Even through her vocoder he could tell her voice was strangely non-combative. He hadn't known what to expect and the dread had been twisting in his chest like a serpent since he'd risen.
He glared up at her, unmoving.
She sighed, and held her hands out- he clenched his hands into fists at the strange tingling sensation, noting that the stinging pain from earlier was gone. "That was all I wanted." she said somberly, drifting around the desk to stare out at the stars.
He was uncomfortable with her lurking but did his best to pay her no attention. He had decided any emotions unattached to work needed to be killed off. His life was dedicated to the First Order, to ruling the galaxy, and she was a distraction in a way he had never dealt with before. Interfering with my work holds back the First Order. It's tantamount to treason. He kept repeating over and over, wanting desperately to believe it.
A few minutes passed before she broke the silence. "Is it true what Phasma said? You thought I was going to kill you?"
"Yes."
She snorted derisively, but swallowed back the cutting retort on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to keep calm. As frustrated as she was with him, she found herself wanting to fix the rift between them. "You do realize that if I had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."
"Yes." He took an intentionally disinterested tone in his responses.
"So what brought you to such a brilliant conclusion?" The mono-syllabic answers were getting under her skin and it was becoming a concerted effort to not lash out.
"You and your cousin are plotting something." He poked at his holopad, only pretending to work as he was completely unable to focus.
She froze, wondering what exactly her cousin had told him. Had she been trying to play both sides of the field? Did she go over Ichara's head because she was impatient? Was she that angry with her? She felt guilty for jumping down her cousin's throat over something that turned out to not be her fault, but didn't expect her to flip so suddenly.
"And what makes you think this?" Afraid to be caught in a lie, she avoided outright denying it.
"Messages."
"From who??" Ichara irritatedly tapped a finger on her armor, telling herself she would drag every sentence out of Ruxinn herself next time she saw her.
"You."
"Excuse me?" she spun on her heel, Hux still staring down at his work.
"Surveillance."
She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she involuntarily twitched underneath her mask, physically swallowing the rage back. It was a rookie mistake to have messages intercepted- as secretive as she had tried to be in the content sent out, her cousin wasn't exactly as covert.
"My cousin wishes to be Canto Bight's representative in the Cantonica senate, and she feels the backing of the First Order would help her. She wanted to meet Kylo Ren, which we can both agree is laughable, hence the reason I never brought it up." her good-will was cracking, and venom laced the last few words of her sentence.
"I see."
Hux agreed it was an absurd plan- Kylo was little more than a volatile monster with zero interest or experience in politics. Someone wanting anything from him in that area was a fool. Besides, anyone with even the slightest knowledge knew that he was "Supreme Leader" in title only- the General was the one that truly ran the operations. He quickly pushed down the wisp of regret rising in his mind, telling him that this entire mess was truly over nothing.
Every curt response simply made her angrier. She wanted to snatch him up and pull words from his throat. "So you managed to bug my holopad... and in reading things you didn't understand... you invented an elaborate conspiracy." she said indignantly
"Yes." he muttered through clenched teeth, his own front beginning to slip under the tension in the room.
She very slowly walked back to the front of his desk as she removed her holopad from its holster. He still refused to look up at her and she snapped, pulling her arm back in a dramatic arc and smashing the holopad on the edge of his desk, sending shards of glass and bits of tech flying everywhere. "This should ease your mind." she spat, tossing the bent case into the way of whatever work he was so fixated on, sure that would get a reaction from him.
Without looking up he nonchalantly brushed it to the side. "I would very much like for you to leave."
Trembling with rage, she fought the urge to fling him across the room. After a deep, shaky breath, her voice came out low and sharp "I came here to fix this- I will not make that mistake again. You are no longer my client- you're fired. The next time I have to deal with you I'll be dead and in hell." She flew out of his office, trying to talk herself down from what the fury inside wanted to do.
-
Kylo had been practicing for about an hour when she burst into the room like a whirlwind, storming over to one of the benches lining the wall. He spun around, surprised at her presence. He was used to being alone in the mornings, and suddenly felt somewhat sheepish, dressed in only his work out pants. Given their strange altercation the day before he wasn't entirely sure how to react. She yanked her helmet off and carelessly tossed it to the ground before unbuckling her outer armor to reveal a tight-fitting under armor tank-top underneath. She put her face in her hands for a moment, releasing a dramatic sigh before slowly turning to the room behind her. So lost in her own mind, she hadn't even noticed he was there till she turned around.
"Supreme Leader... Can we spar... please?" she was actually relieved at his presence.
He raised an eyebrow at the desperation in her voice. Frustration swirled thick around her and it piqued his curiosity. "If you wish."
She'd abandoned her usual serpentine style of fighting and swung hard, grunting from exertion with every blow. Sparring like this was more enjoyable for him, and without having to focus on dipping and dodging she lasted much longer. She was still no match for his strength or stamina; panting, she raised her hand in defeat. She'd pushed herself almost too far, and she found it difficult to catch her breath, stumbling backwards till she found a wall to lean against.
"What happened?"
She looked up at him, still trying to catch her breath, unsure if there was any sincerity to the concern in his voice. "I'm terribly out of practice. I've never really had to fight a force user before." He stood in silence for a moment as she recovered, finally pushing off the wall and brushing back the stray hair that had escaped into her face.
"That's not what I was referring to."
She straightened "I had a frustrating morning and needed a physical release for my anger. I am grateful for your time, Supreme Leader."
He shook his head "You still didn't answer me. What happened."
"I..." she took a deep breath as she considered the best way to word her response "I relieved the General of my services due to irreconcilable differences... I will be returning to Canto Bight for a new assignment in a few days. My talents are a waste on someone so... unappreciative... of my abilities."
Kylo looked away for a moment as if distracted, swallowing back a smug grin. "Ah, I see. I am confused as to how I am supposed to continue your training if you leave. I believe we have established how lackluster your sparring is."
She was taken aback by his response- "I didn't want to inconvenience you, Supreme Leader, but if you would have me stay-"
He cut her off "I would."
Ichara smiled up at him "I would like that very much."
He ushered her back to the ring and began critiquing her opening battle stance. She could have burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation- if someone had told her as little as a month ago that she would be training under Kylo Ren she would have sliced them down the middle, yet here she was, with her arch nemesis perfecting her ability to kill him. They practiced until her arms shook from fatigue.
As they went to part ways, he put his hand on her shoulder. Alarms went off in the back of his mind, but he couldn't help himself. "Ichara, wait."
She turned to face him, slightly apprehensive "Yes, Supreme Leader?"
"When it's just you and I, please, call me Kylo. And I meant what I said the other night... neither of us have to be alone, not anymore." he cursed himself for pushing too hard again.
The first thought that crossed her mind was how she could use this to torture the General that scorned her; the second that maybe she was tired of being alone. She stepped towards him, placing her free hand on his chest. Staring back into his dark eyes, she whispered "You were right, Kylo, no one else can possibly understand what it's like to be what we are." Part of her pained at genuinely finding truth in those words.
He pulled her up to him, sharing one long, passionate kiss before pulling away. "Your training begins tomorrow morning, I will see you here at the same time."
"Yes, sir" she replied breathily, eyes lingering on his before turning to leave, pulling her helmet down over her face. She smirked as she made her way back to her quarters to shower and mull over the rather extreme change in plans that unfurled before her.
-
"You did what?"
"I admitted to bugging her pad and then I asked her to leave. She smashed it like a..." he couldn't bring himself to call her a beast- in his own twisted way it was a term of endearment. He cleared his throat "Ahem, like an animal. You were correct, Phasma, this situation has put an undue amount of stress on me. I have dedicated my entire life to the First Order and I am not going to ruin it."
"How is... oh stars, Armitage..." she sighed in aggravation "How is having a relationship with someone ruining your life? Hell, you were the most sane I'd ever seen you when you two were together, you absolute idiot. Sometimes I wonder how you got this far without any common damn sense. "
"Now as your General-"
She whipped around and shoved her index finger in his face "Armitage if you dare pull that rank bullshit on me I will backhand your teeth to the outer rim."
He pursed his lips in irritation, knowing full well it was a weak move, he just didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"I'm tired of this topic. It is done. I'm considering it a learning experience and returning to what is actually important."
She shook her head. "If you insist. Had I known this was going to be a complete waste of my time I could have slept in."
"Yes, well, circumstances changed since our last conversation. It would seem Kylo Ren has taken a certain, ah..." the thought made bile rise in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to actually put it into words; he swallowed it back mid sentence. "A certain interest in her, so it's a moot point."
Her mind flashed back to her brief conversation with Ichara earlier "Well considering she expressed the desire to murder him this morning I doubt it's reciprocated."
"Phasma, it is done." he yelled, fist slamming down onto his desk in emphasis. Every bone in his body felt as if was about to snap, like the very air itself was pressing in around him.
She stared at him for a moment before responding- he could feel her gaze on him but refused to meet it. "Fine, be a stubborn bastard but don't ask for my help with this again. You're not off the hook, either, you still owe me" she grumbled as she returned the helmet to her head. "Mara and I are well past time for some shore leave, though I gotta say... Ichara is the only one I trust other than me to watch your ass." she shrugged, before leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He put his elbows on his desk and clasped his hands, resting his forehead on them, eyes closed. One lone tear perched at the corner of his eye, threatening to mar his face with evidence of the sorrow growing in him. He quickly wiped it away, leaning back in his chair.
This is for the best, she was a mistake. You are above this. This is for the best.
Even the voice in his head faltered, knowing he didn't believe any of it.
-
She had gotten up every morning to train with Kylo Ren until she was physically unable to continue. Mercenary work required rigorous practice, and her time as a smuggler had forced her to be skilled or die- but this was unlike anything she had experienced before. It was as if he was training her to be a battle axe. She knew the undercurrent of distrust was still there, and suspected that's why he had done nothing with her in the ways of the force. It was of no concern, though.
He might be stronger, but he's not smarter than me, she mused as she spent her evenings memorizing every page of the book he'd leant her, practicing things on troopers when she knew she could get away with it. There were warnings about the dangers of Sith magic, though, and the deeper she got into the book, the longer it took for her to recover. It was something she decided to address later- trying to navigate her interactions with Kylo Ren was her top priority at the moment.
Every practice session ended with him kissing her goodbye- it was almost sweet. Perhaps after their first encounter he was still afraid to do anything more.
Afraid I might see the scavenger. Ever prideful, she was determined to snap the girl's neck when she found her.
She stepped out of the ice-cold shower, groaning at the soreness lingering in her muscles. She had just slipped into her pajamas when there was a beep over the comm at her door. Hux and Kylo had never afforded her the courtesy of knocking before entering, and she'd noticed how irritatingly entitled they were to her space. Thinking it was Phasma or another trooper, she was still toweling her hair when the door opened to reveal a flushed General standing before her. She froze for a moment before tossing the towel off to the side.
"To what do I owe this grand pleasure, General?" she scowled.
Every morning he kept expecting her to walk back into his office, and every day his conscience wrestled with whether to apologize or continue ignoring her. He wanted to apologize, to ask her to stay, but kept repeating to himself that this was it- that he was done. That same internal voice had told him earlier he wasn't even going to say goodbye at all, and it chastised him as he found himself pulled down the corridor towards her quarters. The internal struggle was still going on when the doors opened. Wet fronds of raven hair framed her face as she stared up at him. He swore her eyes were even brighter than he'd remembered, and rendered himself speechless for a moment.
"I understand you are returning to Canto Bight in the morning, I-I wanted to thank you for your service." the sentence stumbled clumsily from his lips, and he fiddled with the seam of his glove.
"I am so glad to have been of service to you, General." she said sarcastically. She found herself both confused and slightly concerned at the look of hurt on his face. "I distinctly remember you saying you would 'really like' it if I would leave, so I am going to go."
She cut him off as he opened his mouth to respond "Oh sorry, I meant was. I was going to go, but unfortunately I must inform you my stay has been extended. I do apologize." she said mockingly.
He furrowed his brows in confusion, and cursed the way his heart fluttered at the news. "S-Staying?" he stuttered
"Indefinitely. Kylo Ren has taken me on as an apprentice, and he can't very well train me on Canto Bight, can he?"
The fact she was staying for him was a punch in the gut, and in reaction he responded without thinking. "Taking you on as an apprentice... is thatwhat they're calling it now? So does he pay you or do you pay him?" he spat, lip curled in disgust.
No matter how angry he made her, she'd never used the force to hurt him. Kylo and Snoke used it abusively; grinding him down, and she swore to never be that cruel to him... to prove she was different from the others, but now it seemed nothing she did mattered. She glared at him for a second, grinding her teeth, before reaching out and throwing him against the wall, clawing her fingers to catch the air in his throat.
"I know how much you loathe people like me." she snarled, voice rising to a crescendo "Well don't worry, my dearest General, you reminded me that I don't belong with people like you!" She glowered at him as he clawed at the invisible force crushing his windpipe.
She held him for a moment more to stare up at him, a tear sliding down her cheek before releasing him; shaking her hand as if to physically remove the disdain she felt at her own actions. Looking down at the man on his knees, gasping for air, she slowly walked backwards through the open doors.
"I suppose I should thank you for that. Now leave me alone, General. I'm done suffering for you."
She stumbled back as the doors closed. A choked sob caught in her chest- between the brutal training, the hell her emotions had been through, and the self-loathing at using the force against him, she was drained. She fell to her knees and picked up the damp towel, sobbing into it to muffle her anguish. She hadn't cried like this in years; it was painful, as if the very core of her was being forced up through her throat.
I feel so weak, but I'm not weak. I know I'm not. I just need rest. That's all.
Hux put his hand on the door and stared at the ground, still catching his breath. He could hear her muffled sobs and it twisted the knife of guilt in his heart.
You've done enough damage. This is done. Ruined. Focus on what's important. This is for the best, she was a mistake. You are above this. This is for the best. He repeated his mantra as he drifted through the corridors, desperately grasping at the words as if they would save him from drowning in himself.
-
Kylo noticed the zeal in her training the next day, but didn't ask about it. Today was her intended departure date, and he had no doubt about who had something to do with her reborn fury. It still irked him that she found anything worth seeing in the man, but he reminded himself it was irrelevant now- he won. It was perfect timing for him to give her a specific gift this evening- one he was going to be sure to rub in the general's face. At the very end of their session, still sticky with sweat, he pushed her up against the target projector in one swift motion. He ground against her with his hips as he kissed her, and she moaned into his mouth at the friction. He pulled away, leaving his forehead against hers; both still short of breath from their training session.
"I will call on you tonight. I have something to give you." he panted.
"I look forward to it." She smiled, though flicker of nervousness crept under her skin.
-
Kylo retrieved a chest from the hangar and placed it on the table in his library, opening it to check the quality of the goods. Naboo was known for their detailed craftsmanship, and the shop he was referred to did not disappoint. Perfect.
He stopped what he was doing and put his hands behind his back, looking up to the ceiling. "I haven't seen you in quite some time, scavenger." he drawled.
"I don't know why you insist on calling me that, you know my name"
He turned to face Rey, who had appeared a few feet behind him in his library. "I know your name, but I also know what you are. You call me a monster, and you're right, because that's what I am." he picked up a glass of amber liquid and sipped from it before finishing his sentence.
"I call you a scavenger, and I'm right, because that's what you are. Tell me, why are you here? Come to try and scavenge me again?"
There was always some glimmer in him every time she was pulled away, but the eyes that stared into her were cold, and she found the change in him frightful.
"I felt... well... I could feel something that was almost happiness across the force... which I thought was impossible since you get more and more horrible every time I see you. I suppose it's because you're drinking? Is that how you live with yourself?"
She would have considered the laughter that followed warm were it coming from anyone else.
"I'm actually celebrating, scavenger. The woman I've been training is free from her contract and will officially become my apprentice tonight. It's quite the victory." he stalked towards her. "She's going to help me find you, and then perhaps there will be three monsters in the galaxy."
"I will never turn, Ben!" she stomped as she clenched her fists by her side, absolutely furious with the man in front of her.
"How many times have I told you- Light, Dark, none of it matters. Besides, you won't be turning from anything. You'll be embracing who and what you are." a sly grin slowly crept across his face before he took another sip. "I think you're more angry at what's inside you because you know I'm right." his eyes narrowed as he finished his sentence.
She shook her head, still hoping to get through to him "I thought I could save you, Ben Solo. But every time I see you, there's less and less of anyone worth saving."
"Stop projecting yourself on me- I'm not the one that needs saving. Not anymore."
"I don't understand how-" he waved his hand to cut her off.
"I know you don't understand, Rey- you never did. Just like the rest of them. Now... go away."
She looked pained before disappearing. Something far away in him hurt at the expression on her face, but it was distant. If anything, this was actually pulling her closer into his clutches.
He finished his drink and left to go collect his apprentice. After his disgraceful loss on Starkiller and the death of Snoke, the First Order seemed to be losing their hold on a place in the force. By formally taking on an apprentice this would solidify his position as Supreme Leader, especially as most everyone thought force users were basically extinct or a myth. The sudden appearance of someone already fairly talented would make the galaxy wonder what other secrets he was hiding.
Perhaps I should thank Hux for finding her he mused, relishing the other joy he would get in formalizing their arrangement. The General was going to be absolutely livid, and there was nothing he could do about it.