A General Idea

3: The New General

A low beeping woke me up, and it took me a minute to recognize my surroundings. The first think I noticed, (other than the weird simulated light coming from under my curtains), was the silence. On Kuat, since almost everyone was an engineer or naval assembly worker, the naval station was tiny. I'd shared a room with Leah, and always woke up to her datapad's alarm: some bubbly pop song.

But the steady thrumming of the air filter and the quiet sound of the alarm felt so... formal. I had high hopes for whoever General Hux was. His calendar was chock-full of meetings, so people must really like meeting with him. I noticed that he didn't have any other recurring meetings with any other captains other than myself.

My heart leapt in excitement at the potential of getting to lead my own special operations team. When Pryde re-assigned me, he didn't mention it was a promotion. 

That didn't surprise me.

I put my uniform on, adjusting all of my lapel pins. I was nervous to meet my new general, but getting to train with Leah right after would be refreshing. 

Breakfast options were simple here- Captains and above had the option to get it delivered to their quarters, a service which I utilized this morning. It was so weird not waking up looking out at one of the many harbors on my home planet, with most of our cooking being done by a droid who did not want to deliver food to our rooms. 

The water here was too clean- Kuat natives were used to drinking salt water, it was one of our evolutionary traits. I rummaged around the cabinets looking for salt, but they were bare. I supposed that made since, since we didn't have to make our own food.

I did some stretching before leaving at a quarter to seven, as my meeting was in the General's office, which was a solid ten minute walk in the opposite direction. Luckily, this walk didn't require me to go anywhere near that glass corridor. 

I passed a squadron of troopers, who all saluted me instantly. I was taken aback, all I could do was offer up a wave. The Senior Lieutenant leading the squad gave me a quick salute as well. We didn't have many troopers on Kuat; most of them started on Vardos, Leah's home planet at the military training school there.

I wasn't used to being saluted.

Refocussing on my datapad, I followed the walking instructions, walking close to the wall, not wanting to get in anyone's way. 

"Are you the new captain?" A robotic voice from behind me made me jump. I quickly stood my ground, turning around.

A woman dressed in full trooper gear stood in front of me, but her uniform didn't look like the other troopers. It was fancy and decorated with medals- she had a captain's pin as well.

"Yes- Captain Ela Duna," I introduced myself, shaking her hand.

"Phasma," she replied. "Trooper Unit."

"Nice to meet you," I said, hoping she'd be friendly. I hadn't met anyone friendly yet other than the kitchen droid.

"Likewise," she replied formally. "I understand you're meeting with the General?"

"Yes, soon here," I replied, my nerves flaring up again. "Is he nice?"

Phasma let out something that could have been a laugh. "I'll see you around, Captain Duna," she said, and it sounded like she was smiling through her modulated voice.

I gave her a salute, which she returned. She left without answering my question. If Captain Phasma led the trooper squadrons, what am I going to be doing?

My stomach was doing backflips as I reached another hallway. This one; however, didn't have any windows to look out of. Doors lined the hall, spaced far apart. If these were the offices, they must be gigantic on the inside.