"Sequential digits are not a formal name," Colonel Veriss firmly stated. He stomped towards the First Order pilot bound to a chair in the center of the dim room. "What is your name, pilot?"

The athletic male with chiseled features, brown eyes, and a light brown crewcut stared blankly at Veriss briefly before narrowing his eyes.

"TN-5197," he replied with a sneer. "It's the only name they gave me. I have no idea where I came from before I found myself in the First Order."

He believes what they have told him, Veriss silently pondered. First Order indoctrination is almost identical to the staple of Brendol Hux's academy on Arkanis. In that case, he won't talk even if threatened with death.

Veriss placed his hands on his hips and glared at TN-5197. "Let's make a slight course correction. Your mission was to intimidate us into submission. By whom? And for what purpose?"

TN-5197 shook his head. "An officer aboard my ship ordered us to intercept you and bring you in for questioning." He huffed. "I thought we made that clear to you during our encounter."

Veriss shrugged. "I guess I missed that part. Concerning the officer, I must know how this individual discovered my whereabouts." He paused when TN-5197 rolled his eyes. "And before you respond, I advise you that defiance will profit you nothing."

TN-5197 shrugged and cocked his head towards Veriss. "Neither will silence. Our orders came from Captain Cardinal. And we do not know how he was able to ascertain your whereabouts. He kept that information from us."

Veriss rubbed his chin. "I see. And this Captain Cardinal desires to speak with us for what purpose?" He leaned over and made eye contact with the First Order pilot. "Remember, how you respond to me determines whether or not you live through this situation. What is Captain Cardinal's reasoning for bringing us aboard his starship."

"The Absolution is not his starship. At least, it's not one he commands," TN5197 replied with a smirk. He quickly wiped it off his face when he noticed Veriss's glare. "He is a stormtrooper commander assigned to train the younger half of First Order stormtrooper cadets. Once they reach a certain age, he hands them over to Captain Phasma for completion of their training."

Veriss raised his eyebrows. "How does this relate to our fleet and Captain Phasma's assignment as Admiral Prolov's liaison?"

"I don't know, Colonel. My only information is that he needed to discuss an important business matter with you regarding Phasma."

"Is that so, TN-5197? Tell me, if I agreed to meet with Captain Cardinal would he be interested in a more neutral location than either of our star destroyers?"

"He is a reasonable individual. I can't imagine why he wouldn't."

A chime pulled Veriss's attention from the conversation. He stepped over to a wall console. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sir, we have completed the interrogations of the other three pilots," a male voice said through the comlink. "All of them were identical in their responses. I will send you the transcripts in a moment."

"I will graciously accept them," Veriss replied. He glanced over to TN-5197. "I'm sure you know of the ramifications for you if your friends have failed to corroborate anything you expressed to me. If I were you, I would pray that is not true."

The datapad on the table came to life like an upset infant waking in the middle of the night. Veriss picked it up and began to study the information. TN-5197's forehead glistened with sweat. Each moment of silence from the Imperial Colonel sent shivers through him as if the chair beneath him had been fashioned from solid ice.

Veriss's features are cold and emotionless apart from anger, he thought while continuing to analyze the Colonel visually. He's a challenge to read beyond that. Though I will admit, he fits the profile in his service record to the letter.

"TN-5197," Veriss growled, glaring at the trembling First Order pilot. "Your friends have offered nothing to contradict what you have told me. And as a result, you will be set free." Veriss pressed a control on the datapad. The restraints fell away as pair of Imperial stormtroopers stepped into the room. "If you will be so kind to follow me."

Veriss led TN-5197 into the upper portion of the Impetus's hangar bay. The four First Order TIEs hung side-by-side with a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers guarding a helmeted pilot at each one. Veriss motioned for TN-5197 to move toward his TIE.

TN-5197 gasped and glanced over his shoulder at Veriss. "The generator for powering weapons and shields has been removed! I demand to know why!"

Veriss shot him a sharp stare. "Let's say it's for insurance purposes. It's not the only modification we have made to each craft." He pointed to the open cockpit. "We have also provided a temporal artificial intelligence that will be in complete control of your respective fighters. Any attempt to regain control or contact the First Order will immediately detonate the automatic destruct sequence."

TN-5197's eyes widened. "Where are they taking us?"

Veriss motioned with his hand. "To the coordinates where I will be meeting Captain Cardinal. And for your information, when your TIEs reach the planet and land, you all will have one minute to disembark from your ships and escape before the self-destruct mechanism destroys them."

Veriss shoved TN-5197 toward his fighter. "By the way, if you try to use your ejection seats once you enter the atmosphere, know that you will not survive as the controls allowing for ejection are wired directly to the explosives. Have a wonderful voyage."

Veriss watched the TIEs release from their couplings and soar out into space. He turned to a young officer to his left. "Ensign, inform Captain Noran that I request a conference with him immediately."

The ensign bowed before moving off to fulfill his orders. Veriss turned back to the stars just beyond the shielded opening and thought, Captain Cardinal, I hope you prepare yourself well for our rendezvous. And be sure to behave yourself as I am no one to cross, and it would be a pity to have to prove that to you when we meet.

I have nothing but contempt for you, Hux thought as he glared at the tall, dark-hooded figure beside him.

"The feeling's mutual," Kylo Ren replied blankly.

Hux gave him an icy stare. "Don't start with me, Ren!"

Ren's masked face turned towards Hux. "Your thoughts betray you, General Hux."

Hux sighed before he sneered at him. "And how is that? Do you not realize we must retrieve Phasma from Prolov's fleet?"

Ren gasped beneath his mask. "I'm unaware she is being held against her will. Perhaps we could do the First Order a favor by exchanging you for her freedom."

Hux rolled his eyes at Ren's sarcasm. "I'm not in the mood for jokes, Ren."

"I assure you, it wasn't a joke," Ren retorted. "I am sincere, General."

Hux was teetering on the edge of the breaking point. "Leader Snoke demands-"

"That you follow his orders to the letter," Ren said, interrupting Hux. "You are taking a detrimental step towards violating them, General Hux. I suggest you reexamine your motives and step back in line, for your sake."

"You're the one out of line, Ren!" Hux returned with venom on his tongue. "I had this under control until you showed up."

Ren turned his masked face towards Hux and remained silent for a moment. He then pressed a control to open a conference room door. He stepped inside with Hux following a couple of paces behind him.

At the head of the table, General Enric Pryde, the seniormost officer in the room, stared at the curious pair. "Good to see you could join us on time, Kylo Ren. Please have a seat."

Pryde then cut a glare in Hux's direction. "Don't take all day to sit down, General. We have no time to spare to wait for you."

Hux grimaced and plopped down in a seat. He took a look around the table. In front of him sat a sneering General Jerek, tearing into Hux with a stare of a vicious beast seeking a new victim. Next to Jerek, General Amret Engell sat stoically. She glared at Hux with furious eyes fastened in a head crowned with neatly styled blond hair. Sometimes Hux wondered if the cold-hearted general was related to Phasma. Both had the same personality–and disdain–for him.

"We have a most disturbing situation on our hands," General Pryde said, breaking the momentary silence. "Four First Order TIEs have disappeared due to action taken by our dear friend, Imperial Admiral Prolov." He motioned toward Jerek. "General, I will allow you to elaborate."

Jerek stood up and activated a holoprojector. "The four TIEs were assigned to shadow a pair of Prolov's Phantom Squadron fighters on a recent visit to Prolov's homeworld, S'Varia. From there, they jumped to the Renda Noth system, where they were subsequently attacked, disabled, and captured by one of Prolov's star destroyers."

"General, you mentioned these fighters were disabled," Engell said, pointing at the map. "To what extent? And how did four antiquated Imperial fighters outmaneuver craft far more advanced than them?"

"Through the most peculiar means, General Engell," Jerek replied. He tapped in a few commands on the console in front of him. "I'll let the tactical display speak for itself."

The outer wall quickly filled with red holographic images. Two Imperial TIE Advanced X1s entered the center of the hologram with four First Order TIEs trailing them. The Imperials suddenly broke off in separate directions and entered a pair of thunderstorms on each side of the image.

The officers in the room listened to the cockpit recordings of the First Order TIEs while studying their movements. Within their respective thunderstorms, the Imperial TIE Advanced fighters moved stealthily behind the First Order craft and disabled them. An Imperial II-class Star Destroyer appeared in the image, obscuring the combatants.

The image went blank, and Jerek stared back at his compatriots. "You see, they used our dependence upon technology to their advantage. From a careful analysis of the engagement, the Imperial TIEs used auxiliary power to compensate for the storm's wind velocity to take our pilots by surprise. With that accomplished, they were then able to subdue each fighter and capture them."

Allegiant General Pryde furrowed his brow. "Why didn't they elect to destroy our fighters? From what we know of Admiral Prolov from the Imperial Archives, anyone who raises weapons against him is immediately destroyed."

"Prolov knew that such an action would be considered an act of war," General Hux said. "He captured them to preserve the delicate peace between our separate forces."

Pryde shot Hux a chilling stare. "Was I talking to you? Do you have the floor? No? Then let General Jerek speak for himself."

Kylo Ren leaned forward, "I believe General Hux's assessment is accurate, General Pryde. And I also believe Supreme Leader Snoke would subscribe to his interpretation as well. If you permit me, I can contact him and inform him of our discussions here." He pointed at Pryde. "And you do realize that I have a personal connection with him. Shall I include him in our discourse?"

Pryde's forehead was beaded with sweat. A slight tremble from his lower jaw exposed his fear. "No, that will not be necessary." He glanced at Hux. "Good insight, General."

Nice move, Ren. Buy why did you stand up for me? Hux thought while looking over at him. And to what end?

Don't mistake this for a truce, General. Ren stated silently. I assure you it won't happen again.

"Seeing that we have that settled, shall we continue our discussion on this matter?", Jerek asked, drawing a glare from Pryde.

"I presume you wish for us to negotiate the release of your pilots, am I correct, General Jerek?" Pryde asked while keeping his face clear of readable emotions. "What do you require for this task?"

Jerek shrugged. "I require nothing, General Pryde."

Pryde pursed his lips and clasped his hands. "Are you not concerned about the well-being of your pilots? Are you not at all committed to preserving the secrecy of your endeavors?"

"Of course," Jerek replied with narrowed eyes. "However, the pilots involved were not from the Facilitator."

Pryde cocked his head towards Jerek. "Explain yourself, General."

"They were from the Absolution," Jerek answered. The room filled with gasps from everyone except the stern Allegiant General Pryde. "I felt it was best to utilize a ship closer to the S'Varian star system than the Facilitator."

"So, you decided to risk the ship of a fellow officer rather than risk your own," Pryde stated. His grimace worsened while he kept his eyes on Jerek. "And, not to mention, you have also trodden close to violating the Supreme Leader's orders for military action to be discrete and conducted only if necessary to advance the First Order."

Jerek's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon, General?"

Pryde huffed. "Noted but denied." He shifted in his seat and kept his cold gaze poised on Jerek. "How are we to know that this entity that you and Hux have identified as Garren Prolov is nothing more than a clever ruse comprised of skilled actors? Were either of you so foolish to think that First Order High Command would be deceived into believing a lost Imperial fleet suddenly reappeared twenty-eight years after it went missing? And did you think we would overlook the sudden disappearance of eight Imperial Star Destroyers from our mothball fleets in the Unknown Regions?"

"With all due respect, these accusations are absurd," Jerek blasted back. "I have been diligently working on the dimensional gate project per the instructions of our Supreme Leader."

Pryde leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Oh, yes. How can we forget your hard work? And what have these initiatives produced for the First Order? Open war against the wishes of Snoke? Combat against star systems, though nothing more than minor skirmishes in the Outer Rim, still combat nonetheless, threatening to expose the First Order prematurely to the galaxy. I think your failures speak for themselves. Perhaps it is time for more extreme measures."

Jerek crossed his arms. "Such as?"

"Annihilation of your precious dimensional gates and Prolov's alleged fleet," hissed Pryde. "With one swift stroke from Starkiller Base, we could alleviate both issues simultaneously. It will be as if neither existed."

Hux gasped and glared at Pryde. "But Phasma is onboard Prolov's flagship. We can't afford to lose her, at least not now."

"She's expendable, as is anyone who joins the First Order," Pryde barked. He motioned towards Engell. "Not to worry, General Hux. General Engell is more than qualified to replace Captain Phasma. And I'm sure she would concur with my assessment of her abilities."

Hux glanced at Engell drilling into him with a glare slashing him to the bone. I bet you would love that, General Engle, He thought. I wouldn't trade you for Phasma or her for you. Even better would be to rid myself of both of you, and all of my troubles would cease.

Kylo Ren cleared his throat next to Hux, drawing a curious stare from the young First Order General. "Allegiant General Pryde, General Hux, and I have no choice but to agree with your suggestions. And we will have to live with the consequences."

Pryde's eyes filled with fury. "You better believe you have no choice! And for the record, they were not suggestions. They were orders from a superior officer." He paused and looked around the table. "And they will be carried out immediately! Once we rid ourselves of these gates and this farce of an Imperial fleet, we can continue laying the groundwork for our eventual conquering of the galaxy while preserving the secrecy surrounding our future aspirations. Consider this meeting adjourned."

Jerek grimaced and nodded. "Your orders shall be fulfilled, Allegiant General. I will prepare my men accordingly."

"You'll do more than that, Jerek," Pryde snapped. "You'll withdraw from Maruun Three and cease these open hostilities before you expose us prematurely to the galaxy. There will be severe consequences for failure. Am I making myself clear?"

Jerek smirked and bowed. "As transparent as the crystals embedded in the mountains on Maruun Three, sir."

Pryde's mouth contorted into a sneer. "Get out of my sight before I discipline you for your insolence!"

Jerek turned stiffly and strode out of the room. Pryde turned his head towards General Hux, who was moving toward the entrance.

"Hold it, Hux!" Pryde growled. He waited for the general to come to a halt before continuing. "You are to withdraw Phasma from Prolov's ship. But know this. Any attempts from you to jeopardize my standing orders, and I'll see to it you will join your father in whatever afterlife he is suffering in now. And if I were you, I'd wipe my mind of everything except my orders."

Hux bowed slightly and stepped out of the entranceway.

Keep it up, and you'll suffer that hell along with my father, Pryde, Hux stated while moving along the corridor.