Pride

Chapter 4: Protector

I stood outside the elevator staring into the empty hall in front of me. As soon as the doors had opened the Supreme Leader had broken eye contact and stormed down an adjacent hall, the pounding of his boots echoing in the distance. I remained still, willing the previous interaction to make sense in my mind.

You're afraid of the Force.

His words still echoed in my head, the remnants of his ribbon-like fingers remaining on my brain. I didn't like the Force. I didn't understand the Force. But that didn't mean I feared the Force.

The clicking of shoes on the marble tile brought me out of my thoughts. Lightly shaking my head to rid myself of the ribbons, I focused again on the hallway to see a rotund man walking towards me.

"Miss Pryde?" he questioned.

"Yes, my apologies. I was lost for a second," I said, pulling my lips into what I hoped was a welcoming smile.

The man broke out in a joyous smile, his mustache bouncing above his top lip.

"Wonderful! I've been waiting for your arrival! I'm General Oblonsky Brenko. Now, I do apologize for the short introduction, but we are expected at a meeting." With that he turned on his heel and began down the adjacent hallway, walking at a brisk pace.

I quickly scuttled after him, my high heels matching the click of his shoes.

"I was hoping you'd be here in enough time for us to go over the specifics of the meeting, but it seems like that was willful thinking..." he chattered as he continued to walk. How this man could walk at such a speed at his height and weight, I had no idea.

"... So instead I will have to give you a run down of what we will be going over. Firstly, we are going to Sump, a small and useless planet within the Outer Rim. The goal is to convince the Nuknogs to allow us to harvest Sulfuric acid from their oceans. If they do not agree, it is up to the Supreme Leader if force will be used."

My ears perked at the mention of the Supreme Leader.

Brenko stopped in front of a large door and placed his palm on the panel. The thick metal slid to the side and the General led me into a room with a large table in the middle of it. Sitting at the head of the table was no other than Kylo Ren, surrounded on both sides by various other Generals and Officers.
Ren's eyes met mine as General Brenko took the last seat at the table, leaving me to stand behind his chair. He cocked his head to the side as he trained his stare onto the General.

"My apologies, Brenko, I didn't know you would be inviting a friend," he said.

Brenko broke out in his joyous smile again, gesturing to me from over his shoulder.

"No worries, Supreme Leader. This is my newest Planetary Ambassador, Ela."

The muscle below Ren's left eye twitched as his eyes snapped to meet mine. He pursed his lips, seemingly pushing his tongue against the back of his teeth. I swallowed the saliva that suddenly pooled in my mouth as I watched him shift in his chair.

"Sump will be very unwilling to assist the First Order," he began, shifting his focus from me to the group of men. "They are not known for their hospitality. It is not likely that they will take kindly to allowing us their resources. Our only chance of compromise is to offer them something which is more valuable to them than what we are taking. In order to do this we are going to need someone with more experience. Brenko, you will be stepping down as lead on this mission."