Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 45

The First Order generals sat talking with agitation until Hux stood and called for silence.

"This is totally unacceptable!" General Pryde said standing too, "The rebels have used their disrupter a second time and taken out four more Star Destroyers! I must insist that the spy be discovered and removed immediately!"

"Calm yourself, general," Hux said.

"This is no time to be calm! Every single one of our vessels is susceptible to this device! If they replicate it, we could see the fall of the First Order in a matter of weeks, maybe days!"

"There is no need for dramatic statements."

"These are no mere statements!" General Pryde snapped, "And where is the Supreme Leader? He should be here."

"He is...addressing another concern."

"Our enemy has the means of disabling and destroying our ships and he has other concerns?"

"As I said," Hux said sitting, "calm yourself and sit."

Something in his tone made Pryde comply.

"Now," Hux said, "I can understand your...agitation at this unexpected course of events, but I can assure you that everything is perfectly in hand."

"Forgive my pessimism, but we need more than your word, Hux. What do you know?"

He smiled coolly, "If I can be assured that everything I impart to you does not leave this room, I see no harm is telling you now."

They nodded.

"Very well, I have been the one providing the Resistance with their information and equipment."

"Traitor!" General Pryde exclaimed.

"Come now, you all know where my true loyalties lie. It was a calculated risk, but I felt there was no other course of action after the Resistance stopped confronting us directly. I needed a way to draw them out and I believe that it will pay off."

"You gave our enemies information that has led to the deaths of our soldiers and the loss of territories and vessels."

"Acceptable losses," he said, "I never gave them anything truly useful. A training base here...a spy hidden in their ranks there...nothing important."

"You gave them plans for our autocannons and the hyperspace tracker."

"I had been assured by my engineering team that they would be unable to decipher anything useful from it...as it turns out they were incorrect."

"You very well may have handed them the galaxy!"

"Not when we have found a way to nullify their disrupter."

Stunned silence followed.

"Yes," Hux said smugly, "I told the Resistance about the location of those four Star Destroyers, but what they were not aware of was that there was a fifth vessel with modified deflector shields concealed on other side of the system that was totally unaffected by their attack."

To hammer his point, he activated the holographic projector that showed a probes view of the shockwave as it hit and flowed over a Star Destroyer, its lights and systems still perfectly active.

"Are they aware of the identity of their...spy?" Pryde asked.

"There is no direct contact. I created a false persona...some middle level major with a guilty conscience; then I chose a Resistance smuggler...a person from one of their colonels past...someone they would trust. Over the past year I have been trickling them information, accurate information, that they can use but won't cause too much harm. Now they completely believe in the validity of what I give them, they rely on it...and now we can lay a final trap and end their paltry attempts at insurrection."

"What are you planning?"

"The Supreme Leader has found the location of Mortis; he wishes to go there immediately to get a new source of power to increase his...abilities-"

"We are not interested in the Supreme Leaders religious superstitions."

Hux glared at him, "I propose that we tell our smuggler where he intends to go and inform them that our entire fleet will be there. They will arrive and fire their disrupter, thinking that they will wipe us out."

"When they see it is ineffective they will turn and run."

"Not far," he said, "Our scientists have analysed the data from their disrupter blast and have made one of their own. The missing ingredient appears to have been kyber crystals. Thankfully we still have quite extensive stores of its synthetic, not as powerful as the natural crystals but still effective. Whilst we have been unable to take out all systems successfully it does disable long range communications and the ability to go to hyperspace."

"Will it affect our hyperdrives?"

"...No."

"Is the Supreme Leader aware of your plan?"

"...I attempted to explain it to him but he appears...uninterested beyond his own interests on Mortis."

"So he will...make his pilgrimage and we will end this war."

"We will win this war."