A General Idea

2: The Important-Looking Man

I looked at my outfit, and then at the closet. I only had one captain's uniform, because there was no reason for me to be decorated in the field. It was best for our opponents to view us as a single force- harder to take down.

My trained eyes scanned the room, looking out for cameras or anything that seemed out of place. However, my new home looked secure. And quiet, too quiet. But I still had a meeting to go to, frustratingly enough. Maybe there was a droid or something I could talk to about getting my things from my base back at Kuat. 

I rifled through the closet, immediately disappointed to see only one training uniform, and four uniforms identical to the stiff one I was wearing now. It was unnatural- I'd have to re-learn how to shoot a blaster now that my range of motion was trapped under this uniform.

There was clearly nothing else to wear. Would it be appropriate to wear the training outfit to the meeting? I longingly trailed my fingertips on the smooth, luxurious material. It felt silky. 

I looked in the floor-length mirror, fixing my hat. My datapad beeped again. It was ten minutes to eighteen hundred, time to get to this meeting. I'd never felt this underprepared- I didn't even know who would be there.

The door to my quarters slid closed behind me with an electronic beep. I routed my datapad to completely avoid the corridor overlooking the trooper training center. I felt my face heat up when I remembered my encounter with the important-looking man. I'd have to apologize next time I saw him, although I hoped it would be never. 

I followed the smooth hallways, adding a 2-minute extra elevator just to avoid the glass walkway. Who makes an entire hallway out of glass? Maybe the important-looking man just liked to stand and watch his loyal subjects below him, training away.

I almost scoffed out loud thinking about it. What had he been doing there, anyway? That hallway led to some small conference rooms and higher-ranking personnel. Was he another Captain? There were plenty of captains, but I heard only a few on the Finalizer. He didn't have a captain's badge...

My route took me along the outside of the ship, allowing me to look out the windows and into the vast cosmos. There was a solar system which I didn't recognize nearby, and it seemed the Finalizer was keeping a low profile today, with the lack of core galaxy systems around us.

Everything here was black, steely, and sterile. Kuat was a huge expanse of water- way more water than land. Subsequently, everything was always a little salty or wet-ish. But the First Order loved Kuat- the KDY had produced their best naval and land ships, and some damn good soldiers, too. Surprisingly, only Terroso and I were from Kuat. Reno came from Corsucant (we made fun of him for being so fancy), Leah came with shining recommendations from Vardos, which had the best military school in the entire system.

Riven was from Naboo, and he sure acted like it.

My datapad beeped a warning at me- the meeting started in five, and I was almost there. Steadying myself, I crossed my arms over my datapad, trying to keep breathing through the nerves. I felt less anxious when we attacked Mon Calamari. 

Breathe. Breathe. One minute left. I quickly stepped into the conference room, my eyes darting around, assessing my surroundings. 

The room was huge- I the ship seemed to have endless rooms. The table seated over twenty, and I took my seat at the black-frosted glass table, trying not to seem out of place. The rest of the seats were filled, with a couple people filing in. I didn't recognize anyone; I didn't see Pryde, or Leah. I felt invisible, and honestly- alone, for the first time in years. My team was always looking for me, needing my help, awaiting directions. 

But here, no one needed me, and I was the one who had nothing to offer. 

I scrolled through the five or six emails on my datapad, trying to look busy. I scanned the room, all unfamiliar faces. I wanted to offer up a smile, but no one else did, so I tried to look as stoic as everyone else, who was now facing front. I turned a bit to my right, looking at the front like everyone else.