Chapter Text
I’m awake before the next day period begins. The suite is still, calm—and cold.
Carefully, I slip out of the bed. Shivers run down my body from the sudden absence of heat, but I shake it off with a sigh. The stained wooden floors feel smooth under my feet, creaking quietly with every step I take. The door to the adjacent room is opened a bit, a sliver of light shining from within. A quick glance reveals the Supreme Leader already awake and sitting up on his bed, holding a datapad between his hands. I move past but pause after a couple of steps. It’s pretty early, but it doesn’t look like he’s too tired. Maybe it’s worth a try.
I knock at his door softly. “My Lord?”
“Clerk.”
I pull the door open a little more, just enough to peek my head in. “Would you like some tea, sir?”
He closes the holobook and looks up at me. “Tea? For breakfast?”
“I think I’m coming down with a cold,” I explain, moving my gaze down to the floor. “I saw there was some tea on the counter last night. I thought it might help.”
Saying nothing, he gets up from the bed and walks towards me. I step aside, watching as he makes his way to the kitchenette on the other side of the suite. Once I see him gathering the cups and kettle, I rush over beside him.
“I-I can do it, sir. Please, it’s really not a problem. It won’t take-“
“Ahré.”
My mouth clamps shut at the sound of my name. He’s been using it more often since that night on Tatooine… though he seems to hardly notice the change.
“I’ll do it. Go sit down.” His words are slow, deliberate—and heavy with patience.
“I…”
He turns his back to me. I stand there for a moment, taking a shallow breath while my heart runs a marathon. “Thank… thank you,” I whisper.
The room falls into silence as the soft aroma of massassi-blossom gradually fills the air. I make myself comfortable in a built-in booth to the side of the kitchenette, never taking my eyes off of him. His movements are careful yet swift, quiet except for the occasional clink of ceramic cups. The cool breeze from the ventilation system above helps fight against the creeping heat spreading through my body, but the growing itch in my throat indicates otherwise.
It’s odd. Worlds away from home on a mostly barren ice-world, staying in one of the best-kept secrets in the entire galaxy with the Supreme Leader of the First Order brewing some tea for my cold… if only Jolson could see me now.
I freeze. Images flash in my mind.
Jolson. Malobry. Vess. Celebratus. Aurora. Obroa-skai. The Yuuzhan Vong...
Home.
A pang of guilt floods my chest and runs painfully through my body, numbing almost every nerve within me in an instant. How could I have forgotten? Disappointment soon follows, but it’s not mine—it’s theirs.
How could you have forgotten about us, Ahré?
“What are you thinking about?” I hear him beside me. He comes around to the booth and sets down the cup of tea in front of me.
I manage a weak smile. “What’s it like not being able to read my mind?” I ask, picking up the cup.
He scoffs and sits across from me. “Inconvenient.”
Hm. I blow softly on the liquid’s surface, watching the ripples and steam as they move. I wish he could read my mind now.
We sip our tea in peace. The warm sweetness soothes my throat and melts my muscles, and I can’t help but close my eyes as I savor the nectary hints within the blend. The Massassi. A Sith subspecies known for its loyalty to their masters and warrior status… Long ago, they built a temple of unknown purpose on Yavin 4, but it was abandoned after just a few centuries… The most common species of tree surrounding its ruins became known as Massassi trees... Their beautiful blossoms make some of the most delicious teas in the galaxy-
“Did you really send in reinforcements when the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the archive?”
A beat. A pause. His cup stops midway in the air, a mere inch from his lips. All peacefulness in the room practically stills… and any self-control I had left evaporates into nothing.
“She told me you left Obroa-skai defenseless that day,” I say calmly. My whole body suddenly feels impatient. “And so did everybody else. They said they took over everything. Celebratus, Aurora, the Institute… all of it within the day. You told me not to worry and that everything would be okay—that everything was okay. But what they’re saying-“
“Isn’t true,” he interjects. “Obroa-skai is safe. I made sure-“
“How am I supposed to believe that when what they told me doesn’t line up with what you’re telling me?”
“You need to trust me.”
“I don’t trust you. I’m sorry, but I don’t. I don’t trust them either. I mean, they took me—basically kidnapped me. They scared me. I don’t want to believe them, but you haven’t exactly given me a reason to believe you either.”
He lets out a heavy sigh, lips pursed in clear irritation. I can tell he’s trying not to blow up on me, but even I can feel the tension radiating off of him. His knuckles grow white from his clenching fist. He looks straight at me.
“I don’t need to give you a reason. You should be taking my word for it.”
I push through that last bit of resistance and fear. I need to know. “Then prove it. Let me talk to someone from home.”
He rises from his seat and downs the rest of his tea in a single gulp before heading back into his room. He emerges a couple of minutes later with a datapad and a comlink in his hands and places them on the table in front of me.
“You have five minutes,” he says.
Without wasting another moment, I grab both items and rush into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. I slide the comlink into my ear and glance at the name on the datapad. Malobry.
“Sir? Hello?”
“Ahré? Is that you?”
It sounds like him. That same, constant worried tone in his voice is there. But I’m still cautious. I think quickly.
“Sir, do you remember what you told Jolson when he accidentally wiped the datalogs from the third-floor systems a few megacycles ago?”
A pause, followed by a sigh of irritation that I’m all too relieved to hear. “That idiot. I told him I was less than five nanocycles away from slicing his head off and throwing it out into the cold for the gabals to feast upon!”
I smile at the now-silly memory. A fraction of the tension falls from my shoulders, but now that I know that I am talking to Malobry, I need answers.
“Are you alright, sir? How are the others?”
“Everyone’s fine, Ahré. Just a little shaken up, but we’re still alive and breathing. What about you? Where are you?”
“A long way from home,” I say, unable to mask the sadness in my voice. “But I’m fine. Just like you, alive. The Supreme Leader, he’s… he’s been…”
I don’t know what to say. The words suddenly seem caught in my throat. I don’t want to speak ill of him, but the uncertainty that has plagued me for the last few days has yet to dissipate from my mind. The invasion wasn’t his fault, but if it weren’t for him, I would be at home helping my friends when they needed it most.
“Ahré,” Malobry sighs. His speech slows. “If the Supreme Leader has been… unkind… to you…”
Panic rushes in so fast that I nearly stumble over my words. “N-No, no! Oh, no, nothing like that,” I quickly clarify. “He has been very respectful of me… most of the time,” I whisper that last part. “He’s kept me safe.”
He hums in understanding. “That’s good to hear. We’ve all been worried about you, especially since…” He clears his throat. “…Vess told us how he took you that night.”
That night. A brief memory flashes in my mind. I was so scared, so overcome with desperation while everything was happening all at once and I couldn’t do anything about it. I was so angry at him for taking me, making me feel helpless and weak.
I still am.
“I’m safe and sound,” I reassure him. “But please, tell me what happened. The Yuuzhan Vong, how did they…?”
“It was an uprising,” he begins slowly. “Or at least the beginning of one. They launched an attack on the border patrols first. After the shooting died down, they managed to break through, and… well, you saw what happened.”
I listen, carefully taking in every word. I’m scared to ask the next question, but my heart can’t take it anymore. “And the city?”
“Minimal damage all around, thank the Force. They were hardly able to reach Celebratus or Aurora before the Supreme Leader stepped in with reinforcements.”
There it is. I let out a loud sigh of relief at the mention of that haunting word. The frustration I once felt hearing it has finally turned into an immense feeling of gratitude, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the smallest bit of guilt for not believing the Supreme Leader.
“And… what about-?”
“Jolson.”
He already knew. I have to purse my lips to stop myself from asking too many questions all at once. For every thought of home I’ve had since I left, there wasn’t a single one that I didn’t think of Jolson.
Malobry sighs. My heart races. “After the attack, the First Order suggested increased security at all points of the border, at least until they were able to assess the situation on the other side. There were enough troops to cover Aurora, the Institute, and the northern territories, but not enough for Celebratus and the south. Jolson’s was one of the first to volunteer.”
Of course he was. The news doesn’t surprise me, but it’s difficult to imagine Jolson in any sort of military capacity. All I’ve ever known him to be is a skilled archivist and a brilliant scholar, buried behind his work or a good book when given the chance. Trying to picture him in armor, a blaster in his hand…
“Civilians are given shorter shifts, so they come home regularly,” Malobry explains. “He just left a couple of days ago… He… he seemed fine.”
My stomach sinks. He’s lying. I know he’s only trying to spare my feelings, but I’ve worked under Malobry long enough to know when he’s hiding something. I can hear the quiver in his voice from the way his lip shifts as he speaks. It hurts.
“That’s good,” I say with a breath, trying to mask my own lie. There’s no point in trying to convince him to tell me what’s really going on. Or perhaps I don’t want to know. “Tell Jolson I miss him, would you? And that…”
“…Yes?”
“…I’ll see him soon. I don’t know how soon, but I will.”
Malobry chuckles. “I hope you’ll be seeing the rest of us soon as well, Ahré.”
I smile and manage a small laugh. “Yes, of course. I miss all of you. Please tell Vess I say hello too, and that I’m doing alright.”
“She’ll be relieved to hear,” he says.
After a moment of silence, Malobry sighs and clears his throat. “I have to get going, Ahré. They’re holding another meeting about updated safety protocols in the library and the rest of the city. Aurora’s director can’t seem to wrap his around what happened, so he’s been organizing these ‘informal’ talks even though attendance is mandatory.”
“Director Clark? Well, you know he’s always been a little… on edge. I’m not surprised he would be the one to propose such meetings.”
Malobry groans. “I know, I know. It’s just… I’ve had so much to do recently and barely any of it has to do with the library. And with you gone and Jolson only here every few days…”
I understand his frustration. I would give almost anything to go back to Celebratus and forget everything that’s happened since General Hux’s visit that day. The stress, the moving, the uncertainty… I’m reminded of my escape from Asrat so long ago, followed by the first Yuuzhan Vong invasion a mere couple of years before now. The feelings of despair are one and the same, and I loathe every second as it consumes me. But as much as I hate to admit it, there’s a very small part of me that’s grateful for having been stuck at the Supreme Leader’s side all of this time despite the dangers we’ve come across. If I would choose anyone to hide behind, it would be him.
“All we can do is pray that everything goes back to the way it was before long,” I say gently. “Even if it means enduring a few more useless meetings.”
“You’re right,” he relents, but I can hear a smile in his words. “Stay safe, Ahré. We’ll be waiting for you here.”
We both say our goodbyes. I wait to hear the soft click on the other end before I pull the comlink out of my ear and set it down on the nightstand along with the datapad. I slowly lay my head down on the pillow and stare at the wall in front of me, trying my best to let my emotions collect themselves. A pinch in my nose, a knot in my throat, soon followed by a tear slipping down my cheek.
I need to go home.
After gathering myself up as much as I can, I sit up and slide my glasses on, trying to suppress the small twinge of fear lurking in the back of my mind. The Supreme Leader was right, and I chose not to believe him.
I make my way back into the main room and see him leaning over the counter, washing his cup. Mine is still on the table. He remains quiet and seems to ignore my presence as I walk behind him and sit back in the booth. I take a sip of the lukewarm tea. When I look back up, his eyes find mine.
“Well?”
I breathe in. “I’m sorry,” I say, and I mean it. “I just wanted to be sure. And now I am. They were so convincing, I-“
“They lied to you,” he interrupts, voice calm as could be. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t defend Obroa-skai after everything that has happened with the Yuuzhan Vong?” He sets his cup down and leans his arms on the counter, refusing to take his eyes off of me. “Those monsters were—and still are—a threat to this galaxy. There have been increasing reports of attacks along the Inner Rim, and we knew about the growing unrest outside of your city. That’s why I ordered routine checks to be made at all the Institutes, including the border. But we didn’t anticipate them making their move so early.”
Drops of sweat tickle the nape of my neck. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep my eyes on him with every word coming out of his mouth.
“In fact, they had executed their plan too early. And too quickly. Reports showed as much. Cutting through the border patrols proved to be harder than they thought. Once they reached the city, it wasn’t difficult to hold them back. They were forced to retreat.”
My gaze finally drops to the table, staring at the cup in my hands. Hearing it all now, from him, any and all doubts are crushed in their entirety. I’m left with only one question.
“Why… why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Did I not tell you after I took you?” He counters immediately. “About reinforcements and about their retreat. As it appears, you chose not to believe.”
“I did believe you,” I assert, looking back up at him. “I did… I do… but the Resistance-“
“What exactly did they tell you?”
I picture the General and Commander Poe sitting in front of me as they reveal their twisted, manipulative version of events; her face reading nothing but guilt and sadness, while his is full of conviction and severity. His lips now move in silence, however, muted by the truth that’s rooted in my mind. Anger stirs my heart at the memory.
“They told me you failed to protect Obroa-skai, that the Yuuzhan Vong had claimed at least two other cities within a few hours… along with Celebratus and Aurora.” I stop, waiting to hear another word of admonition, but I don’t. “They said you did nothing to help. I… I…”
He walks over to the booth and sits down in front of me. He’s not mad, no. He’s disappointed. And the fact stings a little more.
“I’ve said it before, sir,” I whisper. “Destruction tends to follow you. I don’t believe all of it has been solely your doing, but at the moment… I couldn’t help but believe it.”
He shifts in his seat, staring across the room past me. “Did they tell you anything else?”
My shaking hands cling to my legs. I want to go back to my room, but there’s no point. As Supreme Leader, he has every right to question me, an ex-prisoner, about my time with the Resistance. He needs to know.
“No,” I respond. “Nothing.”
“Alright. Now, what did you tell them?”
The sudden question stuns me. Guilt floods my body before I even realize why I’m feeling it, freezing me with complete surprise.
“I-I… There wasn’t… err… I m-mean,” I stammer, my mouth moving on its own. I see my hands wave nervously in front of my face, trying their best to catch up with the sudden panic in my mind. “I, uh…. I didn’t t-t-tell them much….”
“Much?” He scoffs with a sarcastic grin. “Would you call leading them to the journal on this planet ‘not telling them much?’”
“…I gave them the wrong coordinates…” I try in a whisper.
“Hm. And what if they figured out that the journal wasn’t in Cordel Cove before I arrived? Did you plan that far?”
“No,” I admit quickly. “But it was the only option I had. I knew you would be here to retrieve it eventually.”
He raises his eyebrows in astonishment, though I can tell he’s only mildly amazed. “What if I hadn’t come for you? You cost me a fight with the Resistance.”
“An ambush,” I correct him. “From what I could see, they weren’t expecting it. And given your relaxed demeanor, it went well.”
“It did,” he admits. “They shouldn’t have been so trusting of a prisoner from the First Order.”
I scoff, flattered but unimpressed at another attempt to be amiable. But it helps me realize that despite its apparent inconvenience to him, he still decided to rescue me. He didn’t have to, and he certainly didn’t need to. Yet here I am. “Thank you for saving me,” I say looking at him. Once again, I mean it. “And the book, and my glasses.”
He opens his mouth to respond, but a knock interrupts our conversation. We both turn towards the door.
I get up ready to answer, but he motions for me to stay seated.
“Drink the rest of your tea,” he says. “I’ll get it.”
I sit back down. Sybel is on the other side, holding a large white box in her hands. She steps in and bows to the both of us.
“Good morning, Supreme Leader. Miss Ahré.”
“Good morning, Sybel,” I greet, holding the teacup in my hand. “How are you?”
“Doing well, miss, thank you. I’ve come to drop off the Supreme Leader’s clothes and gear that he will be wearing for the hunt today.”
What?! I nearly choke on my tea. “I-I’m sorry. Hunt?”
Sybel remains quiet, glancing at the Supreme Leader. He sighs and takes the box from her hands, thanking her quickly and leading her out the door.
Hunt? What hunt? From the look on his face, he already knows about this. But there wasn’t a single mention of a hunt last night. Did I miss something?
“Oh, before I forget.” She turns in my direction. “Following the Opening Ceremony, Master Luskin would like me to escort you down to The Library. Is this alright, Miss Ahré?”
“Y-Yes, of course. Thank you, Sybel.”
She nods. “Very well. The Ceremony will take place in the main hall, so please make sure to arrive before noontime. It will begin shortly after,” she instructs. Her eyes linger on mine for a moment before she turns away into the hall.
I don’t even wait for the Supreme Leader to close the door. “Hunt? Hunt for what?”
“Ice modrols,” he simply answers. He walks over to the counter and sets the box down.
My mouth hangs open in utter disbelief. “Ice modrols? As in… ice modrols?!”
“No, clerk. Ice modrols as in ice modrols,” he says with a hint of amusement. “Please educate yourself on the difference.”
I rise from my seat, both hands on the table, hardly believing what I’m hearing. “You’re joking!” I exclaim. It’s difficult to control the incredulity in my voice, but I’m completely stunned. And afraid. “When did this happen?”
“Last night, while you were asleep. Luskin took me on a… walk around the compound.” He unboxes the white snowsuit and holds it up. “He hosts a hunting tournament every year, and he asked me to participate.”
“Why?!" I exclaim once again. “Supreme Leader, please, you have to see that this is, well… crazy, right? Ice modrols, they’re-“
“Dangerous, yes. I’m well aware, Ahré.”
I sigh. He sees the risk, but I’m still confused out of my mind. “Then?”
A hint of a smirk. “Are you worried about me?”
“Yes, I am,” I say without a second’s hesitation. “And about myself. What if something happens to you? What would happen to me?”
“You would go home.”
“I would-“ I stop. I guess… I would go home. There would be no mission, no search, no running around the galaxy for this elusive prize if he’s not here to chase after it. I would find a way to get home and move on and bring this terrifying chapter of my life to a close. It would be over.
I shake my head. What am I thinking? This is ridiculous.
“Even if I were to go home, you would be gone,” I say, stepping out from the booth. “And with you gone, things would change. The First Order would change. It wouldn’t be the same.”
He hangs the snowsuit over his arm and steps towards me. “Do you think I’m doing this because I want to?” He asks gently. “Putting my life on the line for fun?”
I knot my hands together, searching his face. There’s no mocking tone, no impatience. He’s being sincere, trying to help me understand.
He’s giving me another chance to trust him.
“There must be something else, then,” I reason aloud.
He nods. “He’s after something, but I don’t know what.”
I furrow my eyebrows. “Couldn’t you just-?”
“No,” he says with a weak chuckle. “He would be able to tell if I was trying to look in his head. I can fool the weak-minded, but not him.”
I pour over ideas of potential things Luskin might be after. It’s difficult to think about, especially when one considers his resort filled with the rarest, most priceless collection in perhaps the entire galaxy. From trinkets to paintings, historical texts, and powerful weapons, this man must have it all.
“Don’t think too hard, clerk,” the Supreme Leader says, brushing past me towards his room. “And get ready. We’re heading out soon.”
But he has everything. Objects, power, money, even a whole planet to himself. His presence in the galaxy is evident yet invisible, hidden in the silence of clients, customers, and partners. What else could he possibly want, except-
“Ahré?”
I shake my head. “I-I’m sorry,” I apologize, still thinking. “Yes, I’ll… I’ll go get ready.”