Bonded

Chapter 40: Hope

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Kylo Ren deals with the effect of rumors on his authority

Heads up: This is a "no Rey" chapter. There will be two more of these before the final chapter— one for Rey, one for Kylo/Ben.

Colonel Russo snaps up.

The older officer had only been half listening before, but now he's alert, eyes on the two young colonels across from him.

"He announced it this morning," Colonel Talos is saying. "He's closing his slave markets by the end of the week."

Colonel Cera raises his eyebrows, surprised but pleased.

"Well then..." The pudgy officer rests a forearm on the table. "That makes our job easier, doesn't it?"

"To a degree." Talos tilts his head. "There are plenty of other slavers in the Colonies."

"But Raiden must be the most prominent." Cera leans in. "He's the biggest merchant in the region."

"He's quite influential." Talos nods. "It's possible others could follow his lead."

"Excellent." Cera smirks. "First Chandrila, now this. If it keeps up, we'll hardly have to enforce the law. The slave markets will close themselves."

Russo narrows his eyes.

"Don't be naive." The older man's tone is paternal, like a father giving a warning to his sons. "The Core Worlds view slavery as a stain, but you'll find the locals much less accommodating in the other regions. And..." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "Raiden is a special case. No other slavers in the galaxy have such a pressing motivation."

"Yet." Cera stiffens, catching himself.

Every man in the room glances to the Supreme Leader, waiting for a reaction.

But he does nothing. He just stands with his hands clasped behind him. He's unmasked but no one can see his expression. He's facing the observation portal, studying the engineers and technicians as they scurry about the port. He appears not to hear the conversation, though everyone knows better.

He's listening to every word. He does this in all the meetings, stands impassively to the side until abruptly breaking his silence.

Sylas studies him. He's the only one who noticed him tense when the discussion turned to Raiden, but the movement was slight, nearly imperceptible.

Sylas shifts, his chair teetering under him. He's crouched atop the seat, elbows propped loosely on his knees. He has the air of a bird perched on a branch, and he's certainly as watchful as one.

He's followed the conversation closely, eyes darting between the Supreme Leader and the three colonels, but he hasn't said a word. He's learned not to draw attention to himself in these meetings, so he usually does what he's doing now— sits away from the table, several paces behind the colonels, observing.

Of course, this could less about not wanting to insert himself and more of a natural inclination to follow Kylo's lead. He's noticed the Supreme Leader spends most of his meetings listening rather than speaking. It's like he tries to fade to the background, though everyone in the room is keenly aware of his presence.

Yet he seems intent on minimizing the effect, picking a spot to remain silent and still. Sylas once asked him why he does this, and he's thought a lot about his answer. He said half of leadership is managing politics, and to do that, one has to understand how people in the organization shape each other's thinking. The best way is listen to their discussions, pick out the influencers from the followers.