THE MONSTER INSIDE - KYLO REN

i - preparation

nb - this chapter is in the perspective of kylo ren.

I woke in the morning to a notice from my control panel that there would be a council held in 10 minutes.

I threw on my trademark black armour with a groan, pulled on my leather boots and slid on my helmet. Finally, I gave the offending control panel a glare and left my room to head to the council room. The monochrome surroundings of the corridors with their burnished white and black metal were much more refreshing. Several officers and stormtroopers greeted me as I brushed past and I acknowledged most with a curt nod. 

After what felt like hours of walking, I reached the meeting room where the council was to take place. All eyes turned to me as I walked in - I was the last to arrive. Sat at the table were my three fellow councilmen. The jury for the council sat in chairs arranged in a semicircle around the main podium.

The way the council works is that each meeting consists of debating followed by a majority-wins decision from the jury. The debate is always introduced by Senator Ruana as he is the longest serving councilman, and the introduction is followed by only one round of debating. There is no time for fooling around in the New Order - we refuse to make the same mistakes as the original Empire. If you believe your plan is good enough you will be able to fight for it in one round.

Over the time that I've been involved in the Imperial War Council I've had a chance to really get to know my competition. After all - I've been a member for the second longest period of time. 

The longest-serving councilman is Senator Danison Ruana. Although he's served for over 40 years, his age and history with the Empire is double that number. I would be intimidated by his experience if it wasn't for the fact that every idea he put forward wasn't so backdated. He never wins the vote because every plan he devises has either been tried before or is so ridiculous that no one would consider it. Nevertheless, he remains on the council due to the strength of his family name and his demonstration of his loyalty to the Empire through his lengthy service.

The most forgiving and benevolent member of the council has to be Thessa Mastigar. She is controversial among the jury for putting forward the plans which are most kind to the subject. She believes that since peace is prevalent now due to the fall of the powers we should strive to keep it that way. Often her plans involve jeopardising the resources of the New Order in order to do this but on the occasion that she wins she always makes it work. She's strong minded, persuasive and popular with the majority of the jury.

Telo Halcyon is the council member who is closest to my age, but he was a lower level stormtrooper until he was recognised in the battle with the Resistance for his bravery and resourcefulness in battle. He was one of the few stormtroopers which survived the fall of the powers and was promoted to General soon after, following the disappearance of Hux. Telo is notorious among the jury and his fellow councilmen for backing only the cruelest plans, which more often than not involve killing everyone in sight, due to the uncontrollable thirst for blood that war gave him. 

This can be problematic when there's someone you want to protect.

And then there's me, Kylo Ren. My plans might not always be the kindest or the cruelest but I hold the middle ground. The fact that I am not drawn to extreme benevolence or extreme cruelty just for the sake of it makes me the most powerful person in the room. I have no values to stick to apart from the sustenance of the New Order, so I can tailor my plans to appeal to the crowd. For this reason I win the most often out of any of the councillors.

Suddenly, a notice resonated from the huge speakers above the podium - 'The council will commence in 2 minutes.'

As always, I was ready.

____________

hi again, this chapter has a second part (hence it doesn't seem completely finished) but I'm trying to post it in chunks so it's more manageable. see you soon!