Insight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Tender fingers woke Jade from her sleep, Kylo's hand raking through her soft hair. She groaned as she stretched a bit before looking at him through the dark. Space was so unforgiving with natural light. "Hi." Her voice was quiet, matching the stillness of the morning.

Without a word, he leaned down and kissed her lips, lingering there for a moment longer than expected. As he pulled away, her smile was revealed up at him. "Morning." Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, he kissed her cheek. He stood up from the bed, his naked body moving into the bathroom.

Jade flipped over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling and sighing. It was the first time in a while she felt so good, so light. Like her old self again. Pushing out of bed, she made her way to the closet and put on her clothes for the day. She knew there would be a meeting about what happened yesterday, so she wanted to be ready to face whatever was to come.

Just as expected, Kylo's hologram device lit up, revealing an older man. "Council meeting in 20 minutes, all personnel required. That is all." The projection disappearing into the box, leaving her with a moment to collect her thoughts.

The door to the bathroom opened once more, Kylo seeing Jade already dressed. "No morning sex?" He pulled her into him, his smile bright and goofy just like the night before. Jade laughed and pushed his hair back a bit. "No, we need to tend to the 'problem' at hand. They called all personnel to a council meeting in 20 minutes." Dropping all happy expressions, they were pulled back into the harsh reality.

"Leave the talking to me, if they ask questions. Okay?" Kylo was now gripping her arms, making sure she understood. Jade nodded before getting on her tiptoes to give him one last sweet kiss.

The two stalked down the hallway in full uniform. Jade wore her long cloak, a staple in her wardrobe now. Her hair was up in one single braid, tight against her scalp. The nerves that shot through Jade made her numb, which was to her benefit.

Eventually, they reached the hall where they were greeted by two Stormtroopers standing guard outside the doors. The moment they saw Kylo, they stepped aside and he pushed the doors open.

The council members were all seated already, waiting for the two to come in. Once at the head of the table, Kylo motioned for Jade to sit. She sat in the large chair, staring ahead at all the elders staring back at her. "The Supreme Leader is dead." There was no discussion, no chatter, no response. Just silence. "The scavenger killed him and escaped before we could catch her."

"How did she escape? There were guards surrounding the area, red guards in the throne room, and Stormtroopers at the hangar." A member spoke up, looking around at the nodding heads in the room.

Jade sat up a bit, placing her hands on the table. "If I may," she said, glancing up at Kylo who was looking at her through his mask. He gave her one quick nod before she stood. "I went to find the scavenger after it happened. There were no Stormtroopers watching the hangar. They were not doing their job." Quickly, she sat back down and was greeted by a moment of discussion, everyone glancing at Captain Phasma.

"My Stormtroopers were on duty. There has to have been a mistake." Phasma now was standing, fists tight at her sides.

Kylo shook his head and slammed his hands onto the table, silencing everyone and causing some to jump in fear. "The scavenger is powerful. She is strong with the force. It doesn't matter how she did it, but the main issue is she escaped."

Another member raised his hand, sitting slightly straighter in his seat. "And where is General Hux? Shouldn't he be here?"

"General Hux is dead," Jade spat out unknowingly. She could feel Kylo's glare on her, but she kept her eyes straight.