Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXI

I stared at him, shock sending prickles through my body. "Why the hell not? I'm ready for this, Kylo. I have been for a while now. You can't—"

"I can do what I want!" His shouted words startled me, making me jump backwards. "You're not going!"

My heart was pounding in my chest as I stared at him in disbelief. Anger began to spread like fire throughout my chest. "I've already notified Captain Phasma that I will be in attendance." I lied, my voice cold.

Kylo seemed to be too agitated to read my mind and detect the falsehood. He began pacing again, his fingers pulling angrily on the roots of his hair.

"Why do you even want to go?" He asked, a sharp edge in his voice.

I stared at him for a second, speechless. "Because it's my job. It's what I was brought here and trained to do."

"Do you even know why we're fighting?" His words resembled a growl. "Why we're raiding all these cities and towns?"

"No," I admitted. "But that doesn't matter. My allegiance is to my leader."

Kylo turned sharply to stare at me. "You've said that before. What does that even mean? What does it even mean to you? It seems to be something you heavily depend upon."

I met his glare evenly, offended by his obvious mocking of my words. "It means that I am assigned a job and I do it. I follow your orders no matter what, whether or not I agree with them. My own opinions do not matter. You have my allegiance, and therefore I will do anything for you or whoever is my assigned leader." My voice quieted dangerously. "Such is the life of a Stormtrooper—we do as we are told, and nothing else."

He stared at me, seemingly at a loss for words at my unmasked anger. He opened his mouth to say something, but then changed his mind and closed it. Instead, he regarded me with a frustrated expression and waited for me to speak again.

I fought to steady my voice, trying to tame the anger that was brimming every word. "If I've been physically cleared to return to service, then there's no reason for me to stay behind on a mission. I refuse to be a waste of space here, and I'm not going to sit at home while the others go and do my job for me." I met his glare, lifting my chin. "So I'm sorry if that somehow offends you, but I am going tomorrow, and that is final."

I turned abruptly and pressed the button on the wall to open the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mission briefing to attend." I gave a mock salute. "Lord Ren."

"Calia—" His voice was cut off by the door closing behind me. I lingered for a moment outside his door, taking several deep breaths to calm myself. The sound of a crash from inside alerted me that he was trying to do the same, albeit through different methods.

I made my way to the trooper conference room a floor below. I was one of the last to arrive, so I took a spot in the very back as we waited for the presentation to begin. I ignored the glances I received, and set my jaw at the obvious whispering. I made no attempt to speak to anyone as we waited, my eyes fixed on the blank screen at the front of the room. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights dimmed, and Captain Phasma entered.

She stood tall at the front of the room, confidence exuding from her stature. I leaned forward slightly, eager to absorb her every word.

"We have received word from our source within the Resistance that they are organizing a covert mission to deliver goods to a known rebel base on Jakku. This city has already been sanitized by a prior mission, but a few survivors have regrouped and are now using it as a military base." Her sharp eyes scanned the crowd. "The Resistance plans on delivering food and water, as well as weaponry, while it is still dark. It is vital that we intercept this delivery, as well as exterminate the city's inhabitants and the Resistance fighters making the delivery. We cannot retain control if we cannot reinforce our own past actions."

A map of the city ignited the screen behind Phasma, and she turned to face it, pointing at specific parts as she spoke. "Our plan is to have one ship waiting undercover a short distance away from the city's limits. Once the Resistance ships arrive, that ship receive notification from aerial droids, which will be in flight nearby. The first ship will then notify the other two ships, which will also be in the air. We will attack while the exchange is being made, as that will assure that the majority of the rebels will be exposed. Upon notification, the two extra ships will release both aerial and ground fighters."

She scanned the crowd, looking for raised hands indicating questions. There were none. "This should be a quick and simple mission. Lord Ren will be commanding the first ship, while I will be on board one of the two floaters. General Hux will stay behind and send reinforcements if necessary, as well as manage communications with aerial fighters." There was a pause before she spoke again. "For now, you know the drill. Rest, hydrate, and I will see you all in the morning."

There was a pounding of feet as the troopers rose to their feet and exited in a large mass, filing slowly through the single door. An excited hum arose from the crowd as we made our way to the barracks, and I couldn't help the smile that made its way across my face. Things were finally feeling normal again.