Threads of Silver

Ice

You had quickly been escorted from the conference room- so quickly, you had barely had a chance to sneak a glance at the Commander before you left. He was turned from you, so you were unable to read his expression. 

Now you were seated on a small bench in a hallway you had yet to visit prior. You assumed it was near the loading dock. You were dressed in a new outfit- more fitting for an icy planet. Thick fabric and insulation designed for freezing temperatures. A fur-lined hood, snow terrain lace-up boots. It was, of course, in strict First Order fashion-all black. 

You glanced over to the Trooper standing guard, casually stationed against the wall. Passerby's might not have noticed you were being guarded- he was far enough away from you to give the illusion you were there of your own volition. 

You shifted, starting to feel overly warm in your gear, and the Trooper turned to you quickly. Reminding you that you were, in fact, carefully being watched. You nearly rolled your eyes. 

Hux's instructions were clear. This could potentially be a dangerous mission. Why not utilize having someone go that they could afford to lose? You glanced down at your feet. Your heartbeat spiked slightly, thinking about Kylo standing in the conference room. 

Why did he refuse to look at you? You bit the inside of your cheek- you knew why he didn't want to look at you. And you didn't blame him. 'Please, Ben.' The words haunted you. 

The sound of several armored footfalls made you look up, glancing down the hallway. 

And of course, there was Kylo, followed closely by a group of soldiers. His helmet was on, silver accents catching in the florescent lighting. His cowl flowed behind his broad strides as he neared, towering over the Troopers at his sides and back. You kept your gaze on his- or where you assumed it would be, the visor hid all means of his expression. His uniform seemed the same, and just as he neared, you felt your anxiety rise, anticipating his barking of orders to you, or harsh demands-

.... but instead he strode right past you, not even bothering to glance your way. He continued right past you as if you weren't even there. 

You nearly scolded yourself, bringing your head down and feeling your cheeks heat with color of embarrassment. He didn't just make you feel small- he made you feel nonexistent. 

Your Trooper stood in front of you, and brought you out of your thoughts. He motioned for you to get up, and you followed without questioning . You prayed no one had noticed the warmth in your face, glancing sideways at the Trooper assigned to your guard as he escorted you down the hallway. Was this Kylo's idea of punishment? The silent treatment? Refusing to acknowledge you exist?

You nearly shook the thought from your head. The connection you had with Kylo- after bearing witness to his past memories- couldn't have been one sided. How was he so easily ignoring that?

You reached the loading dock and your stomach churned seeing who stood at the end, even though you knew to expect it. His back was to you, of course, and he was flanked by two upper ranking stormtroopers. You wanted to call out- to speak to the Commander. To get an idea of where he stood with things... but before you could think further on it, Hux intercepted your path just before you reached even a stride from the group. You nearly crashed into his chest, and quickly took a step back. 

"I trust-"his cold gaze bore into you intently as he spoke in a hushed tone, "-that there will be absolutely no transgressions on this expedition." His tone was clipped, threatening. His jaw was set, hands tightly clasped behind his back, eyes not leaving yours. You nodded, hoping this response would suffice. This was a direct threat, and you knew it. You weren't sure exactly how he thought you would even be able to defy their orders on this mission- the planet was desolate, full of ice and snow. You'd die of hypothermia if you decided to attempt an escape.