Chapter Seven: Dance

Disclaimer: I own nothing here but this is getting out of hand, now there are two of them!

AN: I feel the need to apologize in advance for the side pairing at the end of this chapter, (I tried to keep it short!) but it has a purpose, and it won't pop up again except for a reference or two.

Kylo strode down the hallway leading to the Supremacy's bridge with Rey only a step behind him. He could feel her curiosity and concern through the Force as if it were prickling the back of his neck. He anticipated her questions but did not pause or slow his pace.

"Just who was she, anyway?" Rey wanted to know, keeping in step with him. "She had a lightsaber."

"Vallis is one of my knights," Kylo answered plainly, feeling a sense of satisfaction as officers and soldiers deferred the path in front of him. "One of six students that pledged their loyalty to me after I destroyed Luke's temple."

"I definitely got an overwhelming sense of loyalty from her," Rey deadpanned with unveiled sarcasm and sent him a baffled look. "Why do you keep surrounding yourself with people who seem to despise you?"

Kylo met her gaze squarely, careful to keep his expression neutral. "It's easier to dispose of them when they fail me."

Rey merely looked away with a dismal sigh. "I should have seen that coming."

"As for my six knights," Kylo continued as if she hadn't replied. "I use the term loosely. They have their own agendas in Wild Space. I just assign them to a broad spectrum of missions without a time-frame."

"You keep them busy but out of your way," Rey translated as she turned back to study his expression carefully. "You don't trust them enough to keep them close."

Kylo didn't reply to her prompt but opted to change the subject as they neared their destination. "Unlike the council meeting, you may ask questions or make suggestions on the bridge." He paused in front of two large double-doors and gave her a weighty look. "Just, try not to cause too much trouble. Hux already has a grudge against you and he won't make this easy."

Rey frowned and glanced up at him, a distant look in her eyes. "I still don't understand what that was about," she said, her mind obviously not in the moment. "Why was Vallis so fixated on fighting me? She's never even met me before."

"Don't concern yourself with Vallis," Kylo told her. He wanted her to forget about his knights. They were concern, not hers. "I'm sending her back to the Beyond as soon as possible."

He didn't give her a chance to pursue the matter further as he accessed the door terminal and strode onto the bridge. "Captain Peavey," Kylo said, regarding the older officer briefly as he surveyed the massive chamber suspiciously. "Where is General Hux?"

"He said he was hampered by a delay of some sort, sir," the captain answered with a salute and a nod of acknowledgment to Rey. "He should be here presently, though."

"Fine," Kylo said, his suspicions working out in the back of his mind as he glanced around the bridge. "Give me a summery of our current status."

"Sir," Peavey began with another nod. "Of the three main systems currently under siege, only one seems to be giving the fleet a considerable amount of trouble. The General thought it prudent that we reroute the Supremacy to reinforce the attack on the next rotation."

Kylo listened with a fractured attention, his mind still attempting to piece together Valiis' inconvenient return and Hux's unusual absence. He was also somewhat distracted by Rey's presence behind him as she studied the bridge curiously, from the technicians in the trench below, to the wide view of the stars that the huge windows allowed.

"Am I allowed down there?" Rey asked and gestured to one of the data pits on either side of the elevated walkway where they stood.

Peavey paused in his briefing and Kylo turned to give her a nod of approval before refocusing on the captain, though his mind still wandered around with her, as if she were doing something much more interesting.

Peavey continued to speak about fleet matters but Kylo tuned him out, only pretending to listen. He could hear Rey asking the technicians questions about their tasks, what the different images on their terminals meant and how much authority they each held over their respective divisions.

It baffled him, that even though she walked around behind their seats with her imposing shocksaber strapped to her back, the workers did not seem nervous or intimidated by her presence. Her calm aura and curious nature putting them at ease.

"What do those readings indicate?" Rey asked one of the technicians, a young woman with black hair.

"Life signs, droid signals, hyperdrive activity, shield readings," the tech answered dully as she pointed to each red bar of light. "It's my job to scan and monitor enemy ships for various statistics."

Rey seemed especially intrigued by this concept as she leaned closer to the monitor and studied it carefully. "How far away can you detect life signs? How accurate is it, really?"

The bridge doors hissed open and Kylo broke off from their exchange and turned with a raised brow to see a rather disheveled looking Hux stride onto the main walkway. His red hair was slightly mussed to one side and he was fussing with his collar as if it had been upturned a moment earlier. "Run into some trouble, General?"

"A minor mishap with an elevator," Hux answered as he straightened and clasped his hands behind his back. Interestingly, he wasn't exactly lying, Kylo sensed. "It's been sorted. Captain, what did I miss?"

Kylo narrowed his gaze at Hux and once again tuned out the captain's reply. He could practically smell Vallis' stench on the general, her scarlet essence creeping around him like an ethereal creature. If his suspicions weren't clear before, they certainly were now. Hux had been the one to summon Vallis, if not all his knights, back from their Wild Space assignments. Now, the only question was why? Unfortunately, the list of possibilities was short.

"Very good," Hux said and turned to Kylo after hearing Peavey's briefing. "What are your thoughts on rerouting the Supremacy, Supreme Leader?"

"It's fine," Kylo replied thinly and he could feel Rey's proximity as she returned to his side after her venture in the trench. He could also feel Hux's annoyance at the sight of her, like a sharp flare from a burning sun. Kylo decided he needed some time to ponder over these new developments and turned to head for the exit, Rey following behind him. "I leave the fleet to you, General. Do as you see fit."

"As you wish, Sire," Hux replied with a barely concealed complacent tone before the doors whooshed closed behind them.

Kylo didn't pause outside in the hallway but strode onward with a purpose as Rey caught up to match him at his side, her face turned upward in question. "What was that about?"

He glanced at her, slightly astounded. "You didn't sense it?"

"Sense what?"

"That shroud of darkness clinging to him."

Rey appeared thoughtful for a moment as she glanced back towards the doors leading into the bridge. "Do you suspect he'll try something soon?"

"I don't know," Kylo admitted truthfully. "I need some time to think about it. But first, I believe I promised you a sparring session."