Let It Burn

Where Are You Now?

Lyek Ren was supposed to shadow Brendol Hux and his son. But his master had insisted Iton Ren have that task. It made sense. She was the best of them – after their leader, of course. And the Hux family was the most likely to cause problems. She was not, however, as skilled at subterfuge as Lyek and he couldn't help but think his talents were somewhat wasted here, on Entralla. Beid Byehtho was governor of the planet, and he was at least somewhat cowed after Kylo Ren had put him in his place.

But Lyek had taken his vows many years ago – he was used to waiting. He'd waited for Snoke to come, for Snoke to call them out of hiding, for other Force-users to out themselves, for Kylo Ren to prove himself, for Kylo Ren to take Snoke's place. More waiting was hardly unexpected. And Byehtho certainly needed watching – he did not appreciate what he perceived as disrespect from his new leader. And was not fond of having a Knight – a spy – in his own household. It would present a pleasant challenge to discover what the man's intentions were.

So while his sister stayed close to their master, he waited patiently for Byehtho to make a mistake. Lyek was not privy to his dealings, but there was little he could really hide from someone Snoke had trained. They were all adept at reading the minds of others, though Kylo Ren had always had the most talent. More than Snoke, perhaps. It would explain how he was able to kill their former leader without him suspecting it. The old man was wise but physically weak, and none of them were too bothered by his passing – it was the way of the Force.

Finally, the waiting paid off. Though untrusting of Kylo Ren and the other Knights, Beid had proven himself loyal to the order by being in contact with the Corporate Sector. Valuable funds had been transferred, and some had made their way into senators' pockets to keep the Republic blind to what the First Order was doing. Now that was no longer necessary, and Kylo Ren sent Beid to get his people out of Coruscant before retribution was sought.

"Sir, surely my presence isn't necessary," Beid protested.

Kylo Ren's glare via a hologram was no less intimidating than it would have been in person, and Byehtho fell silent. "This was your responsibility. Clean it up."

"Yes, sir."

"Lyek Ren, protect the governor and see that he returns home when he's done."

"Yes, Master." The Knight bowed his head and the holo disappeared.

Beid looked at Lyek suspiciously. "I have my own security detail," he stated stiffly.

With a thin smile, Lyek wrapped his cloak around himself. "I'm sure they are capable when faced with most threats. But there are Jedi now."

Kylo Ren continued staring at the spot where Beid and Lyek had just been, deep in thought. Then he shook his head slightly and got to his feet. A few measured steps brought him out of the viewing room to the main hall, where Hux was waiting patiently. He gestured briefly to allow the other man to speak.

"Leader, we have taken another system. Loss of men was under 30% and we have gained a good number of new conscripts to replace them. They will need to be trained, of course, but our numbers are increasing. Soon all of the neutral planets will either be our allies or under our control," he stated confidently.

Hux was ostensibly his second-in-command, but he would prefer to deal with Captain Phasma. The zeal and self-assured nature of the General rubbed him the wrong way. But he pushed the thought away – personal preference couldn't be part of his considerations anymore. Striding over to the dais, he sank into the throne and sat back to assess Hux.

"Good," he replied after a moment. The other generals were displeased when he spoke to them in monosyllables, but Hux didn't seem bothered. "What news of the Resistance?"