The bridge-crew waited in deathly silence, all but holding their breathes in the attempt to remain unseen. Captains waited, straight-backed and tense with their aides next to them, many of whom had casualty and damage reports on the tips of their tongues just waiting for a safe moment to be given.

In the center of the bridge, right in front of the huge windows, stood Admiral Tyllius. Of everyone on the bridge, only he and the Resurrection's Captain Phasma (looming quiet but threatening beside the Admiral) seemed unafraid. His hands were clasped, loosely, behind his back, and his dark grey eyes were fixed straight ahead, meeting the hidden gaze of the black figures standing at the entrance of the bridge.

The three Knights stood in a rough formation on either side of their leader, and a few acolytes, hooded but armorless, prowled behind them like hungry beasts waiting to be unleashed. Admiral Tyllius was concerned only with the Knight in front, the infamous Kylo Ren. The one who had single-handedly cut down almost two hundred of the Admiral's troops.

"Are you satisfied, my lord?" called the Admiral, his voice echoing in the still, silent room. Beside him, Captain Phasma shifted.

"You will explain the reason for this treason," she ordered, her voice as cold as the gaze of her masters. "Then the Knights will decide if they are satisfied or not."

"Very well." Admiral Tyllius turned slightly on his feet, looking sideways out the window. "General Hux was a threat to the First Order, a subtle poison from within. He would have meant the downfall of the Order, and so I had him removed."

"Explain yourself."

"With pleasure, my dear captain. You have, no doubt, heard of the General's plan to built a weapon of system-wide destruction, a super-weapon to surpass the Death Star of the old Empire. This weapon is being built as we speak, the structure of it within the heart of a world capable of sustaining life, and the weapon itself powered by draining stars."

Many of the bridge officers listened with increasing awe, the scope of this weapon almost too much to imagine. Admiral Tyllius did not share their admiration.

"The Star-Killer... it is meant to be a monument to the power of the First Order, and the means through which we destroy the New Republic. Unfortunately, General Hux's passion for the project blinded him."

A low growl followed Admiral Tyllius's voice around the room, silencing him mid-breath.

"How so?"

It was impossible to tell which of the Knights spoke, but it didn't matter.

"The Star-Killer would be an effective symbol of terror, but little else," replied Admiral Tyllius briskly, getting straight to the point. "The resources required to build it would be better used to increase our fleet, as we do not yet have the ships to directly confront the New Republic; the size of the weapon cripples it, requiring so much energy to power it that it can only be fired from the orbit of a star; and the technology to fire through hyperspace... it does not exist. Every test the General has overseen regarding the weapon has failed to succeed at the one point the entire project hinges on. Even if the hyperdrive existed that would allow an entire planet to jump into the target system, the technology would be more efficiently put to use simply driving asteroids into the enemy planet." Admiral Tyllius gestured around the bridge. "Our resources are being squandered by the General while the Resistance grows stronger. His passion may have appealed to the code of your predecessors, my lords, but the First Order is not the Sith Empire. We are the rebels in this scenario. We must not allow our desire for a symbol lead us to a place where a single weapon holds all our hopes for victory."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"If that single weapon can destroy a dozen Republic worlds, what reason is there not to build it?" asked Captain Phasma. Her voice held no interest in the discussion – she was asking questions in place of the Knights, serving as intermediary.

Admiral Tyllius appreciated her questions. Always the right ones.

"Because that weapon, especially one as large as Star-Killer Base, will become a target for every faction who stands against us. It will force the Republic to mobilize their fleets against us, it will invigorate the Resistance, and when, not if but when the Resistance blows it to space-dust, the economic cost will cripple us for years to come."

"What of the economic cost already sunk into building the base?"

"It will not be wasted. Star-Killer Base will serve the First Order and the Knights of Ren in other ways, less damaging to our ability to effectively wage this early war then it would be to continue pouring resources into General Hux's vanity project."

"And you take it upon yourself to lead the Order on the Knights' behalf?" Captain Phasma's head turned slightly, the only indication of a sideways glance at him. "You will succeed where you think General Hux would have failed?"

"All I have done, I do for the First Order." said Admiral Tyllius sincerely, then, as if to prove it, bent his knee and lowered his head. The rest of the bridge-crew hastily followed his lead, though not all very gracefully. Captain Phasma smoothly knelt beside him, her silver helmet bowed to the dark Knights on the other side of the bridge.

Kylo Ren surveyed the room, hidden eyes lingering on the Admiral. Then, without a word, the Knights turned and walked out of the bridge, their acolytes falling in quickly behind them.

Admiral Tyllius rose stiffly once the Knights were out of sight. His kneeling days were supposed to have been behind him by now.

"You're fortunate," commented Captain Phasma quietly, so the rest of the crew could not hear, "that the Knight hated Hux. Do not make the same mistakes the General did, Admiral."

He smiled slightly, returning her knowing sideways look. "Fortunate indeed, Captain." He reset his expression to stern and walked briskly towards the entrance, stepping around bloodstained footprints. "Set course for the Star-Killer Base. And someone, get a cleaning crew up here."

.

.

Raey walked back into the cockpit, spun his chair around to sit, and leaned on the central console to look intently at LN.

"I have a plan," he said bluntly, "but I need to learn to drive this shuttle. Can you teach me to operate the navigation computer?"

LN met his gaze, her expression a little puzzled but not unwilling. "I can, though it will be only the bare bones to start. Why now, though? Piloting skills require a significant amount of time and attention to develop, and would probably be better attempted after we repair the shuttle."

Raey shook his head. "I think I have a place where we can go without having to worry about the First Order, but I can't really... tell you where it is." He hesitated, knowing she had caught the implication but unable to word it any better then that. LN did not seem insulted by his lack of trust, though. She nodded briskly and turned back towards her controls.

"Understood. There is no time to waste, then; come over here."