The Balance

Deception

General Hux's head spun at the sound of approaching troops. He hid the papers behind his back, hoping that the storm troopers were too stupid to notice them.

"General Hux," the leader approached rapidly.

"What?" he practically spat, glaring with the gaze his icy blue eyes often held.

According to it's uniform, the trooper was hardly qualified to look at him, let alone speak to him. Rage boiled within him.

"Where is Kylo Ren?" it replied.

That name gave Hux a nauseating sensation throughout his whole body. Kylo Ren was barely qualified to breathe, let alone receive information that even Hux wasn't qualified to see. That treasonous bastard.

"He is calling for The Knights of Ren to keep you people in your place," Hux said nonchalantly, "I'll take the message for him."

The troopers looked at one another in indecision. They eventually nodded in agreement.

"There has been a resistance spotting by some locals on Tatooine," one began, "I-"

"Shut up!" Hux interrupted, "Send a fleet there and end them!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kylo's brain ached with tremors of anxiety that circulated throughout his whole being. Despite having the entire galaxy at his fingertips, the constant reminder of his personal problems, more like personal problem, made the task of being Supreme Leader far more complex and unenjoyable.

He looked up once again at the array of characters sprawled around him in red tinted holograms.

"Once more, I must have your binding oaths to allow you to participate in any of these hypothetical battles. You must all swear upon it, upon your lives to never turn against me, your Supreme Leader. Swear it," his voice echoed in the room.

There was silence.

"SWEAR IT!" he bellowed.

"We swear upon it, Supreme Leader," they replied in unison.

Kylo smiled, knowing that these people, perhaps, were the only ones in his entire order that were solely loyal to him. They could defeat any weaknesses in his troops, even the entire First Order, without exerting themselves. He had endless power at his fingertips too, but a reminder of something, something more important, induced him to say one thing more.

"I need another oath, a final oath. This one must be listened to at all costs. You must swear to protect and be loyal to one more person in this galaxy, no matter the cost. Understand me?"

"Who is it, Supreme leader?" the youngest member, a young woman, asked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rey gasped, looking up from the spot in the deserts of Tatooine where they had just landed, moments ago.

All around her was a canyon, with hundreds of layers or rock so thick and rich in muted colors that she could not help but be struck at how different this planet was from her own, Jakku. But there was something different, another piece that wasn't physical that added to the beauty of this place.

It was like a magnet, inching her closer and closer to it. She couldn't resist it.

Turning back towards Finn, she called, "What do I need to do?"