Star Wars Episode 9: A New Order by J.R.Wittig

Chapter 5 The Attack

The next morning Ben works on something, very focused over a table and on a chart, and ignores Hux for half a minute before Hux breaks the silence.

"General Organa is dead," Hux flinches in anticipation of an outburst from Ben. Ben glares at him, draws a breath and then calmly speaks.

"I know."

Hux takes this an invitation to continue, "It was a happy accident indeed. We had no way of knowing General Organa herself was there. I for one.."

Hux trails off when he realizes Ben is glaring for him to stop. He looks around nervously then pauses before continuing more dutifully.

"Their morale will be low, we should strike now."

Ben looks out the window for a moment.

"We'll strike when I say we'll strike. Word is that the First Order is helping the helpless and holding strong. Let's keep it that way."

Hux steps closer, looking over Ben's plans on the wall.

"So you do have a plan." He smiles maniacally and Ben looks at him like he's an idiot.

As Ben passes the redhead he raises him high in the air with his hand at his throat.

"Oh, and any more accidents and you will no longer have a position here. Do you understand?"

Struggling against Ben's Force-gripped hand, the head of The First Order army still refuses to submit, "You wouldn't demote me. You need me."

Ben pulls Hux's face close to his, "I'll kill you."

Ben releases him and Hux drops to his feet angrily.

Later in the day Ben presents plans for something big. All the generals are excited and impressed.

General Wun is pleased, "Across the Galaxy it seems that systems are pleasantly surprised to be a part of the First Order."

The older men are always quick to pat themselves on the back. Hux feels he is in every way superior to them, by birth if nothing else. Ben knows that confidence is the first step to failure. He keeps a close eye on Hux as everyone in the room claps to celebrate the newest direction he is taking The Order. Vision is something he has never lacked, and he finally has the power to use it fully.

In the main hanger on Cloud City pilots are heading here and there. Commander Dameron grimaces. The weight of Leia's loss hangs over him, though duty calls. If he had thought their conflict would leave his mentor dead at the hands of her son he might never have joined. All those years ago when he was young and dumb and wanted nothing more than to be a hero. She had believed he could be something better. She believed everyone could be something better.

How could Ben do this? Then he knew in the back of his mind that maybe he couldn't. He wanted to believe so badly that the young man he'd met once, standing in the very hanger he now found himself fighting back his emotions in, wouldn't. There were a lot of things a man would do, a soldier would do, in the name of his cause.

Ben was no soldier. That he had stayed with Snoke so long without escaping was a mystery in its self. Ben had resented Poe for being what he couldn't, for falling in line and loving the cause that her own son wouldn't. Ben could take anything he wanted. So why take her?

Poe walks down the center of the rows of fighters, inspecting as he goes, and Finn joins him.

"Have you heard the Knights of Ren are present in every system? There are definitely more than six."