Stronger Together (Kylo Ren x Reader | Maia)

General Hux

Maia, Starkiller

We hadn't even landed yet, but I felt the cold, somehow. The planet was like nothing I could have prepared for, the small dwarf planet-turned weapon. The trench was the largest piece of architecture I'd ever seen. It had the appearance of strangling the planet.

The chill did not go away as we landed, but rather, I lost focus on it. The place was... haunted. That was the best word I could use to describe the feeling I got the moment the ship touched the surface. It did not matter, apparently, that I was not open to the Force. It was far too powerful to matter.

Nothing was actually said, no words registered in my mind. And yet, the odd feelings made me think I was hearing people talk, lots of people, all at once.

I swallowed it down, physically shaking myself before standing and following Kuruk off the ship.

The cold returned to my mind as the freezing air whipped my skin, even through my heavy cloak. Hell, even through my thick, practically impenetrable boots, I could feel the wind. Never could I have imagined such cold, though I recognized that only a few minutes exposed to the elements would bring death.

I knew the Jedi once moved through tunnels beneath the surface, searching for their precious kyber crystals—but the image of being anywhere on this planet for long made me feel sick. I did not think it was because of my gloved hands that felt like ice, or my exposed face that seemed to be burning off in the freezing air. No, it was the lingering feel of the Jedi that churned my stomach.

Hux's office was warm. So warm, in fact, one might forget they were standing on an ice planet. It brought me minor comfort, but I was grateful for it, nonetheless.

"Ah, Admiral. What brings you to Starkiller base?" Hux said when I entered his office, looking only mildly annoyed I hadn't notified him I was coming until I was in Starkiller space.

"This is really where you choose to keep your main office?" I asked as I took the seat he gestured at. There was a window behind him overlooking the main hangar bay, the endless activity distracting. I could imagine him turning around in his chair and staring out at all the people, like his little ants building his colony. He loved Starkiller, for some appalling reason.

"You don't approve?" he retorted with a sliver of humor to his tone. He had, of course, used the Finalizer until about three months into my leadership, when he decided he didn't need to be on the go so much. I didn't know how often he came here now that he had the Supremacy, but he clearly considered it his home base.

I shrugged. "It's not the cold that bothers me," I said quietly. It was the footprints in the Force of what the planet once was.

He nodded, though I didn't think he understood. I crossed my legs and smiled at him. If all went well with Hux, perhaps one of the generals would stop resisting our new path.

"How's Naboo treating you?"

"Unfortunately I haven't found much time to be there." Ah, perfect. The light-skinned, reddish man appeared disappointed by the fact.

"Well, let's go then."

"Now?" he asked with raised brows, making him look younger, all of a sudden. Perhaps because I'd known him so long, I'd forgotten he wasn't too much older than me.

"Yeah. I have an idea." We never got into shenanigans when we were young, both of us too busy fighting for our lives—and we hated each other. Perhaps we could try, now. We were not, after all, exactly permitted to go wherever we want whenever we wanted to.

He thought about it for a moment, then gave me a shrug. It was the first time I'd ever seen him do it. The motion was so normal, so casual, it was almost uncomfortable to watch. "Alright then. You're flying."