Bonded

Chapter 4: No Secrets

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Rey and Kylo confront one another with their worst fears.

Thick boots click briskly down the hall of the dreadnought.

A unit of Stormtroopers disperses, stepping to the side to let the black-clad figure pass through.

Kylo Ren doesn't acknowledge their presence, nor anyone else's. He might as well be the only living thing on this ship, the way he storms through the halls like he owns them.

Technically, he does. Now that he's Supreme Leader, he owns all of it, the whole First Order and the systems under its control.

A couple of officers halt not far ahead, changing course when they see his figure heading towards them. He smirks under his mask.

Good.

Now more than ever, it's important that people fear him. That's the purpose of the mask— intimidation. That and to conceal his face. Because he must appear as more than just a man... he must appear as Supreme Leader. The most powerful living thing in this galaxy. The ultimate authority. Above question. Above challenge.

Though... he must admit, being Supreme Leader isn't exactly how he imagined it.

Snoke was forever complaining about incompetence— the generals, the commanders, the operators, the field agents... the list was endless. Now, Kylo knows why.

Case in point— the Garos debacle. Right now, thousands of natives have barricaded themselves inside the planet's mines to keep the First Order out of them, mines they need to finish the construction of Starkiller 2. And why has this happened?

Incompetence.

For all his boasting of strategic prowess, Hux has an appalling lack of foresight. Of course the natives of Garos would protect their planet's most valuable resource by any means necessary. What did Hux think would happen? That he could just show up with the might of the First Order at his back and the whole planet would cow to him? "Yes, please... take it all, sir. No need for reparation. Never mind us. We'll just waste away and die here."

What an idiot. He's dead set on a "blasters and blood" tactic, striking with lightning speed and maximum casualties. The idea is to scare everyone into submission, show them how outmatched they are, how futile it would be for them to fight back.

Clearly, no one learned a damn thing from the fall of the Empire.

The better strategy would be to approach the owners of the mines, make a deal, even let them run the extraction. It would be more expensive, but more efficient.

But Hux isn't interested in efficiency. He's only interested in pushing his vision of the First Order by whatever means necessary.

Kylo grits his teeth as he walks.

He slows as he nears his quarters. He stops, entering a security code on a pad.

The door whirs open, and he steps into the room, the lights fading on. He removes his mask, placing it on a column to his right. He pulls off his gloves as he walks to his bed and sinks onto the mattress, lost in thought.

No, being Supreme Leader isn't like he thought it would be. He assumed he'd feel more in control. Instead, it's the opposite. Before, his work was focused. Now, there are so many moving parts, so many things to keep track of. He can't help but always feel that he's missing something... somewhere, there's something going on right under his nose, something that will undo him. But he just can't see it...