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THE last thing Raena wanted after the long couple of days she had endured was to be woken by a loud knock on her door. She practically crawled herself out of bed, venturing into the dark room to flip on a light switch. Raena then unlocked her bedroom door and it slid open to reveal a bright-eyed Gerardo. Raena blinked rapidly. "What?" She asked lazily, leaning her back on the door frame and wiping the drool from her chin.
Gerardo raised a brow. "You're wanted at a meeting in fifteen."
"Seriously?" She let out a loud groan, stretching out her arms slowly. Raena was close to asking if the meeting was mandatory, but after realizing this would be another chance to get first-hand information to return to Leia, she decided it was probably best to go. "Okay," she sighed, "I'll be there."
Gerardo nodded his head before leaving to go to the meeting. Raena ran a hand through her tangled hair. As much as she needed a shower right now, she knew there was no time, and the last thing she wanted was to use the communal bathrooms again. Raena turned to close her door again, but not before glancing to see the commander walking past her quarters. His eyes caught her own as the door slid closed.
"This mission is going to kill me," she muttered to herself, "metaphorically, of course."
Raena wrapped her hair in a quick braid, allowing it to dangle across her back. She tugged on a pair of black pants, along with her overused boots. She took a few minutes to put on a red button-up, seeing as she kept mismatching the buttons. Raena thought about wearing her old officer cap, but after deciding that it still looked ridiculous, she finished off her outfit with her regular commanding officer jacket.
She was sure the bags under her eyes were dark and said more about her mood than talking. It seemed that the more she stayed in the First Order, the less sleep she got. Raena walked down a few corridors to the conference room, realizing it to be full already. It wasn't like she was late. Why did it seem like they were all waiting for her?
"Finally," General Hux snapped as Raena entered.
Raena checked the time on the wall. "I'm early," she stated, though it came out as a question.
No one wanted to answer her. Kylo sat at the head of the conference table, slouching in his chair like a small child. Hux stood beside him with his hands behind his back. To Kylo's left sat Captain Phasma, and right next to Phasma was an empty seat. The room was full of lieutenants and sergeants, and Raena walked over to take the empty sit in between Phasma and Gerardo. "I thought you died," Phasma said in her usual electronic voice. Everyone in the room turned to look at the captain.
"Join the club," Raena muttered as she sat down. She looked at the time again. "I believe it's time to start."
Kylo's eyes were trained on her as General Hux began to speak. She didn't want to look, but it was dreadfully hard when all she could feel was his dark eyes resting on her and only her. She gritted her teeth. Raena's vision finally met his, and she narrowed her eyes in his direction. As she did this, Kylo's expression softened, and he turned away. Gerardo watched the exchange with a raised brow, but never questioned it out loud.
