Chapter Text
Working in the detention center of Starkiller had its days. Usually, you had no problem digging information out of the dozens of captured captains, pilots, even the few corrupt First Order officers. But then there were the resistors. The fighters. Spitting vicious threats, callous words to try and break down the walls in your mind. Funny how they may try, you always managed to break them in the end. They would all become putty in your hands and would spill every last drop of information they had at the flit of your wrist. At the end of the week, when you delivered your report to General Hux, he always seemed pleased with your work. However, your most current prisoner was a fighter.
Stepping through the durasteel door, you faced the man strapped to the table before you. The table was upright and his head lolled to the side. He was asleep. You walked over to the table along the right side wall and picked up a heavy metal piece that sat alongside the many other torture devices. You faced the male strapped to the table and dropped the metal piece. The echo was horrendous, ringing out against the sleek floor and making your own ears ring as well. The man woke up immediately and winced as the pains in his body spread like a fire through his nervous system. “Hello again,” you said as his eyes focused on you. Your hands smoothed out the bottom of your uniform jacket. “What do you want?” he spat, a little bit of blood dribbling from his lips. You put your lips into a pout, “Just wanted to check in on you. See if you had anything to share.” He snickered, looking to his feet. “I have nothing to tell you, Empire scum.” You chuckled and ran your tongue over your teeth.
“Someone sounds a little cranky. Maybe we can fix that attitude of yours?” You pulled a tiny remote from your right pocket and his eyes glowered, his face looking a little green. Just one push of a button and he was writhing in his restraints, groaning and almost screaming in agony. You pushed another button on the remote and he stopped moving. His chest was rising and falling rapidly and more spit fell from his lips. “I’m going to ask you again, boy-” he cut off your sentence with a snarl, “I have a name and it is not boy .” Your eyes lit up with a small fire. “I do not care who you are. Here, you are nothing. To me, you are nothing” You spit the words out like it was venom on your tongue. He shuddered lightly. “Now, I am going to ask you again. What did you tell your Republic friends?” He frowned, “I’ll never tell you.” You smirked, “Oh, I think that’ll change, little boy.” You raise your hand and put two fingers up, beckoning a droid from the corner. “IT-000, do what you will with him.” His eyes went wide as he noticed the many sharp prods and probes coming out of the interrogation droid. “Have fun,” you said as you put your arms behind your back, turned, and left the room. As the door shut behind you, all you could hear were the horrible sobs and screams falling from his lips.
You sighed as you walked down the hallway. He really was a tough nut to crack. You turned right at the end of the hallway and into the control room of the detention center. At a big table that displayed all sorts of graphics and holograms sat your coworker and friend, Min. He was tapping endlessly on a datapad and barely noticed you sit down in the seat next to him. “Oh, hey,” he said after a few seconds. Your lips quirked up into a small smile. “Find something interesting?” Min nods.“Yes. I think I’ve found an engineer on Starkiller that’s trying to sneak off the ship.” He tapped at his datapad more and looked up to the big screen on the table. You looked to it as well and scanned over all the information. “Jean Wittick,” you said as you looked at his hologram, “I have to report this to General Hux. Is he getting any help?” Min tapped more at his datapad. “No, he’s alone. He has planned to take a TIE fighter to an enemy ship tomorrow after hours, but I know you’ll intercept him.” Min was incredible. He was the best slicer in his class at the academy, and he exceeded every expectation you had of him. Min tapped at his datapad again. “I’ll send you all the information about him.” You nodded and strolled out of the control room.
As you walked out of the detention center, you checked your datapad for the time and skimmed briefly over the information Min had sent you. You continued walking all the way to General Hux’s office, ready to deliver the news. The door to his office hissed open to reveal a tower of black, the color momentarily flushed out of your cheeks. Commander Ren. You immediately bowed, “Commander, I’m sorry for the intrusion. I’ll wait outside.” You were about to turn on your heel, but there was a feeling of electricity spreading through your brain, like icy fingers. His cold and monotone voice filtered through the mask, “Stay. I want to hear what you have to say.” You shifted a little uncomfortably, “Very well.” The tall man moved from in front of Hux’s desk, resting in a chair off to the right.
“General,” you began, displaying the corrupt officer as a hologram from your datapad. As you went through the motions of your report, you felt the Commander’s eyes on you through the mask. His gaze cold, lifeless. Was there anyone behind that visor? “He plans to leave tomorrow, General.” Hux nodded his head, “We shall meet him tonight then, if he seems so keen on leaving.” You nodded your head in agreement. “Yes, General.” Hux stood from his desk and typed into his own device, “Meet me at the TIE hangar at 1900 hours.” He waved you off, and you bowed. You faced the Commander, bowing, “Commander, an honor to be in your presence.” You turned and left General Hux’s office. Wow. That might have been the most nerve wracked you’ve ever been. The Commander himself sitting in on your report? That must mean something then, if he listened to just a low-rank officer such as yourself. You walked into the mess hall to at least get some food in your belly. On the line there were a few options, like some nameless sandwich followed by some nutritive drinks. You grabbed a sandwich in the hopes of finding a lasting sustenance.
The sandwich was not the best. You guessed it was supposed to be meat of some kind, but there is absolutely no telling; and besides, you had no time to guess. You stood and returned your empty plate to the line and glanced at the oblong clock hanging on the wall of the room. 16:43. Now to the hangar.
You were almost to your destination when you felt that electric feeling in your mind again, its icy fingers wrapping further around your brain than last time. Stopping in your tracks, your hands found their way to your head and massaged your temples. What is happening? Was this just an epic migraine about to ensue? The uncomfortable and almost painful feeling retreated, leaving your eyes screwed shut. You opened them again and continued walking to try to shake the feeling till you rounded a corner and through a set of blast doors, revealing the horrible cold of the base. The cold air nipped at your nose and turned it pink. There in front of you stood Hux, a group of stormtroopers and the Commander. What? The confusion in your mind almost made its way to your face. What was he doing here? This was just to be a simple interception . As if on cue, the statue of black spoke: “You’re here.” Hux turned to face you as he heard Kylo’s voice. Did you really just use his first name?
Hux beckoned you closer. “I’ve arranged to meet with our little bird here. He should be arriving in a few minutes.” The Commander said nothing as he stood next to Hux, his arms behind his back and his cape cascading down his body. Stop, what are you talking about? You shouldn’t be wondering about his body. Your eyes moved to the Commander and his head tilted slightly. Oh no, could he hear you? The hiss of the blast doors brought you out of your train of thought and you turned with your arms behind your back, facing the noise. “Wittick,” you said. His brow knitted together. “Officer,” he replied. His eyes moved to Hux. “General, I fail to understand-” General Hux interrupted him stoically, “It seems you do fail to understand. You, engineer, are going to be placed in the detention center as of today.” The man began to shake. “I don’t know why, what’s happening?” His words came out in shudders. “Don’t lie. I could rip every bit of information you know out of you right here.” The sound of the Commander’s voice through his mask sent a shiver down your spine, his stance unwavering. Jean twiddled with his fingers nervously. “I swear, I didn’t do anything-” Kylo’s hand rose and Jean stopped speaking, his arms clawing at his neck. “Troopers,” you said and two of them grabbed Jean by the arms and dragged him away. Kylo’s hand fell and all you could hear from behind the doors were faint screams. Hux stepped up next to you and spoke, “Report at 0600 tomorrow.” You nodded. “Yes, sir.” You bowed in front of the Commander, turned on your heel, and walked back through the durasteel blast doors.
As you made your way back to your room, you began to think. Why had he just sat in on your report? Why had he been at the hangar? Yes, he could do whatever he wanted, but there was nothing interesting about you or what you had to say. You decided to put the thought at rest. It was the Commander, afterall. The door to your room slid open with a hiss and you stepped in, removing your uniform coat, and revealing the charcoal gray tank top underneath. The chill of the room hit you; Starkiller really was cold. All of a sudden, your head started aching. It felt cold, as if fingers were reaching in and pulling at the inside of your mind, and as soon as the sensation came, it was gone. You were about to remove the tank top clinging to your frame, but the door to your quarters hissed open. You jumped at the sight of the dark figure towering over you as he stepped inside and realization hit you: every time your head started aching was always in the presence of the Commander. He was reading your mind. “C-Commander, I d-didn’t expect this.” The cold of your room and your nerves got the better of you as you stuttered. You could hear his breathing through his mask and could feel his eyes flitting up and down your body, and you crossed your arms. He finally spoke, “I’ll be going down to the detention center tomorrow. I’d like to see how you work.” You nodded, saying, “Yes, sir.”
He turned and walked out of the open door and it shut, leaving you cold and confused. Of course he didn’t mean personally, he just wanted to see your work in person. Right?