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Captain Phasma greets me as I fly into the hanger bay of the massive Finalizer. She steps back as I land, shaking out my head and wings. Once I am back in human form, she approaches, and offers a hand.
"Hello Shade."
"Hello Phasma." I grin. The lights of the hangar bay reflect off her silver armor, nearly blinding. I have never seen her take her helmet off before. The pinnacle of Stormtrooper obedience. She is a good fit to lead the training of the soldiers.
"I am glad to be back with at least one friend." She says. "Snoke has grown irritable, and Ren is no better."
"He's still breaking things?"
"Choked one of our radar technicians the other day for looking at him wrong. The man survived, but the oxygen loss made it so he can never view a screen again or he feels immense pain. He took that man out of a job."
"He needs to be put in check. Snoke isn't exercising the leash he used on Hux and me. I was never allowed to use my powers on another person."
"Perhaps he is afraid of what you can do." Phasma offers, turning to see the Xi-class shuttle glide into the bay. I snort.
"Snoke will never be afraid of me."
Phasma hums, watching as Hux and several other officers disembark from the shuttle. "It's more likely than you think."
~~~
"His name is Lor San Tekka." Admiral Griss says, swiping through a hologram displaying the man. "He lives on Tuanul, Jakku."
"He has the map leading to Skywalker?" Kylo Ren leans forward, voice harsh from the modulizer in his mask. I wonder how well he can see in that helmet, or if it is to act as a set of blinders, keeping him moving forward.
"Yes." Griss says. "The town is small, with primitive technology. We've scanned it in preparation and found no weapon or fighter signatures."
"This should be an easy in-and-out mission, then." Hux reclines slightly in his chair. Griss nods in agreement
"Your positions are as follows - Hux, you will remain viewing from a vantage point and direct the Troopers. Ren, you will be on the field dealing with Lor San Tekka directly. Shade, you will provide stealth air support."
"Thank you, Admiral." I tell him and he inclines his head respectfully. The door slides open and the hologram closes, and I exit the room, blinking in the brighter hall light. The corridor leads to the hangar, where a Command Shuttle awaits for liftoff.
"Be safe." Hux murmurs to me as he passes.
"Always am." I reply, and a hint of a grin passes over his mouth. Someone sniffs quietly, and I turn to see Ren watching me, having paused at the end of the hangar near the ship. I bare my teeth at him, and twist on my heel to approach the shuttle.
"When this is over," Ren snarls to me once I'm seated around the table in the center of the craft. "I want that place burned to the ground."
I stare into the dark eyepieces of that horrible mask, barely masking my contempt.
"That will not be an issue." I tell him. "It will be destroyed."
"No." Ren says, almost feverish. "I want no trace of that town to ever exist again. Everyone there dies, and the city ground to dust."
"I said... that will not be an issue."
The Force rears its head as Ren raises a hand, and my wings tear into existence. I slash my hand and dissipate the grip Ren was attempting to send my way, and he steps back. Hux watches this invisible battle go down with a cool, bored look in his eyes, though his hand rests gently over his blaster.
"You do not get to strangle me the way you so mindlessly strangle the other workers on this ship." I say softly. "Unfortunately for you, I am both in control of the Force, and trained by Snoke."
"You aren't trained by him anymore." Ren hisses, hoping to wound. Instead I grin, and my teeth have again sharpened into fangs.
"Perhaps the reason my training is complete is because I made him proud." I offer, and Hux snorts, awkwardly covering it with a cough. Ren tosses his head and stalks to the back of the ship, and I revel in my tiny victory.
