Ginger Gears

Gears in Motion

Hux stood on the bridge and paced back and forth. The battle drill with his fleet was going according to plan, like an intricate puzzle the gears of the war machine worked exactly as they should. Watching the fighter perform mock battles had an odd aesthetic quality to it – as if they were performing a dance.

Lieutenant Mitaka stood at the console and received updates from the individual ships, everybody was busy filling out their roles. Hux watched them with satisfaction – this was what the Order was about. Military efficiency and professionalism.

For a moment he wished that Rose was with him, witnessing the order and the perfection displayed by the soldiers of the First Order. He inhaled. Perhaps she would at some point understand the necessity of ruling the galaxy with a strong hand. Then they could work together on the important projects and- what was the matter with him? He had to focus.

He straightened his jacket and turned his attention to the mock battle.

He spent the afternoon working his way through reports and signing off budgets. From time to time he made the effort to check the numbers,sending messages to the head of the department to check on some odd spending. The work itself was a waste of his time, and frankly beneath him. But the psychological effect was important, of course – his subordinates didn't know that he only checked a fraction of the reports that came across his desk. Once they thought he was actually reading them in detail they tried everything in their power to make the spending bills and their reports perfect.

He scanned over the spending bill of the maintenance department, curious to see how Rose's department was doing. As he glanced over the budget, he noticed that they had spent more than projected on droid replacements parts. He rubbed his temple and crosschecked the other reports from the department.

Hm, there was no indication why they had used so much more money than in the previous quarters. He activated the holo on his desk and called Mitaka.

The small bluish holo figure of the Lieutenant appeared. "Sir?"

"Send Lieutenant Chitundu into my office. Tell her I have questions concerning her budget."

"Right away, sir."

Hux turned off the holo and poured himself a new cup of tea. Once again it had paid off to check the numbers. He pulled up Chitundu's file and glanced at her last evaluation. She was rather young, but she seemed to be thorough – at least according to her superior officer. No negative reports.

He tucked at his leather gloves. In his experience young officers were nervous enough when called to his office – there was no need to be harsh.

His father would have disagreed, of course. He pulled the corner of his mouth down. Brendol Hux had honestly believed that making his subordinates shake in fear, breaking their spirit, was the right way to lead them. Hux hated the blunt way he had used his archaic methods to install fear into those around him.

The door chimed and Hux opened it pushing of a button on his desk. He got up from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back.

A young dark-skinned woman with a shaved head entered and walked towards him. He took in how she clutched the pad in her hand, and the stiff way she walked. She was trying to appear unfazed.

She clicked her heels. "You called for me, sir." Her voice was a little too loud.

He came around his desk and closed in on her. She was tall, but he was still towering over her. "Indeed I did, Lieutenant. I checked the budget... why have you spent 48,000 credits more on droid parts than planned?"