I started back to school this week (I'm in graduate school and it's honestly terrible, haha) so I just decided to update when I had the opportunity! Thank you again for all of your kind words and encouragement. It means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter! As usual, I only own Gage.

"At worst, I may have to go and reset things from the switchboard but it still shouldn't be too long," Gage said. Even from her position under the panel, she could tell when Petty Officer Thanisson relaxed his posture, visibly relieved. Gage couldn't blame him since he'd insinuated that the problems with the panel in the control room were his fault. It certainly didn't help matters that both Kylo Ren and General Hux were there, obviously displeased.

"I hit the wrong thing," Thanisson repeated frantically, "and then I tried to fix it, which only made it worse. Much, much worse." Poor guy, she thought, still wishing he'd leave her be. She sympathized with him but his panicky way of explaining himself was starting to make her antsy.

"Oh, it's not as bad as all that. Really, it's not," Gage assured, though the damage had been enough to make her grimace. She felt sorry for the boy as his position could be on the line, and therefore his life, but he was smothering her. "It looks like you blew the power circuit," she admitted, leaning up to get a better look at the field wiring. She heard Thanisson groan. "Don't worry, I can fix that."

Thanisson began to say something else when Kylo Ren cut him off with a terse, "Leave her."

"Thank you," she whispered under her breath, low enough that she was sure he couldn't hear, when the door closed with a whoosh! behind Thanisson.

Hux pulled Ren aside as Gage drew a group of wires towards the light. She kept her hands busy, focused her mind on the task, but strained to listen to them. "She should be transferred to Starkiller Base," Hux hissed. "They have need of a technician that can maneuver in the service hatches."

"You don't trust the girl, yet you would place her squarely where a Resistance informer would want to be," Ren responded. Gage tried to pull herself farther under the panel desk to get a better view of both the panel's mainframe and Ren and Hux's conversation.

"It is a simple suggestion that could be to both our benefits." A pair of wires singed the finger of her glove and while wincing, she managed to repair the end and reattach it.

"And what benefit is that? To lose the best technician aboard because you're threatened by her? She's of better use here." Gage smirked. Despite the circumstances, despite who was saying it, it was pretty flattering to be called the best. Though Ren had never openly commented on the work she'd performed on his mask, Gage assumed he was impressed. Hell, she'd been impressed with herself.

"To fix all of your menial problems? She can do that from Starkiller Base." Gage quickly reassembled the field wiring and slammed the hatch shut.

"That should do it!" she said loudly and slid out from underneath the desk. Gage wanted, needed, to know about Starkiller Base but she had no desire to be transferred there. Not when there was so much more still to learn aboard the Finalizer, where she was finally gaining some menial respect. "But I am going to have to reset it from the switchboard to give it the charge it needs."

Hux gave a low sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Gage had to actually tell herself not to roll her eyes as she got to her feet.

"I know you don't want to give me access to the mainframes, General," Gage stated, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "but you can either let me fix this or allow the control panel to stay on the fritz."

Hux scowled. Calling in another technician would be absolutely ridiculous but had Kylo Ren not been present, that is precisely what he would have done. Ren found the suspicion of her unfounded, given her over six month employment in the First Order, but six months was a small amount of time to turn your back on your old habits, your old friends. And while Gage Marlow seemed smarmy, small, and cocksure, Hux had no doubt that she'd made friends in the Resistance. But she had proven she was as good as she claimed and Ren, contrary to what Hux expected his reaction to be, had been impressed with her initiative with his helmet. "Gutsy," he'd called her. "Gutsy," yes, that was certainly the word for the girl in front of him.

"You can escort me and plug in the codes yourself," Gage proposed, "or I can call another mechanic up here." It was accommodating, yet managed to make Hux sound foolish at the same time.

"That's unnecessary," Kylo Ren asserted. Gage's eyes flashed to his dark form, wondering if he'd really undermine General Hux for something this wearisome. Hux was obviously wondering the same because he crossed his arms over his chest. "Follow me, technician."

Gage barely registered his words before quickly trailing after Ren. Up close, she estimated he was most likely a full foot taller than she was. Even without the Force, a light push from him might end with her on the floor. But size isn't everything, she thought.

"Aren't you going to convince me to give you the access codes?" Ren asked as they entered another corridor. Gage almost jumped.

"No, sir," she replied calmly. "I'll leave that decision to you."

"Do you find General Hux's suspicions tiresome?" Ren turned a corner and Gage skittered to keep up. A pair of Stormtroopers turned their heads before quickly going back to walking out of the hallway.

"No, sir. Were I in his position, I'd think defecting was shifty too. What I find exasperating is that he believes I'd be so stupid as to bide my time during some sort of long con."

"Oh, no, he thinks you're quite clever. I agree with him." That sounded an awful lot like a compliment to Gage and she was surprised to find that she liked it. Although Leia had never officially turned her back on Ben Solo, most of the Resistance had. The argument had been that once he killed the new Jedi, there was nothing left to care for. And Gage positively hadn't cared for him. Han and Leia had sent him away long before she ended up with the Resistance. Gage had no memories of a complicated boy, torn and probably frightened. She only knew the bad and frankly, she expected to secretly hate him for the pain he'd caused General Leia, for killing people in the Resistance, and yes, for slaughtering those innocent children under Luke Skywalker's tutelage. But upon her second real interaction with Kylo Ren, she found that she wanted his praise.

"So does that mean you like what I did with the helmet?" Ren stopped and Gage had to catch herself from running into him. For a moment, she worried that she'd overstepped but then realized they'd reached the switchboard.

"You took a risk and it paid off," he responded blandly, plugging numbers into a panel in the wall. Gage peeked around to watch because it might have seemed strange for her to not want to know the codes. The only reason she didn't particularly care was that she had no use for them. Recording numbers that would be of no help unless a massive amount of Resistance fighters were on board seemed like a waste of time and energy.

Kylo Ren turned and Gage could have sworn he was looking her straight in the eye. The switchboard released and after a beat, Gage went to it. She slid it out of the wall before bending down to get a good look. Lights brightened and dimmed, various colored wires stared back.

"The problem was with your equalizer," she told him, gesturing vaguely at where it might be had she been wearing a mask of her own. "I only mention it because I wouldn't be surprised if you have the same issue again."

"And supposedly, you are my best mechanic," he replied. The corner of Gage's mouth tugged upward, as if she just loved hearing that. Ren supposed that when Leia had refused the girl an X-Wing that she'd also kept her praise to herself.

Gage laughed drily, keeping her eyes focused on the switchboard. "Oh, what I did was flawless. A lot of equalizers have recurring issues along those lines. If you feel lightheaded, I'll take a look at it again." Much of the problem laid with the helmet itself, which was shoddily made and ramshackle, especially since Ren's last outing where a crack had formed down the right side. But Gage surely didn't feel comfortable acknowledging that.

Ren watched Gage shed her gloves to get a better grip on a group of wires. Hux thought she spent too much time giving the impression that she was unassuming, busy keeping her head down, but Ren had no problem with that. If trying not to draw more attention to herself got her to focus on her work, she was welcome to do it. No doubt she was tired of the endless accusations from others in the First Order.

She was a scruffy looking girl, all things considered. Oil under her fingernails, dark hair that always appeared in some sort of disarray, circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept a full night in weeks. But under all that, Ren recognized there was something about her that was attractive. Or perhaps, he only thought that she would have been, under other circumstances.

"What are your opinions on the transfer to Starkiller Base?" Ren questioned and Gage turned to look up at him, her hand frozen on a switch. "I know you listened in on the conversation."

"You have a very deep voice," she said in defense, looking back at the panel. "And I will go wherever you would like, sir."

"You're to stay here and prove General Hux wrong." She grinned and light from the switchboard reflected in her dark eyes. Gage struck Kylo Ren as a smiler, one of those people who'd grace you with a grin when she got what she wanted and a smirk when she didn't. It was a trait that hid unpredictability in Ren's experience.

"I very much doubt that will go in my favor."

"You can start by telling me about the Resistance." Gage had already given the First Order immense information on the Resistance, from names to places to weapons capability; all things General Leia had been aware that Gage would have to impart to gain trust. And everything she'd told them had been true.

"What do you want to know, sir?" She had already finished with the switchboard but kept her hands busy, prolonging the conversation. Gage needed to get a handle on Kylo Ren, on the things he wanted, on any underlying sympathies for his parents or the Resistance in general. The mission wasn't to bring him back to Leia but she'd still made it clear that she wanted to know everything about him.

"Where is their base?"

"The Ileenium system. I told that to my supervisor on another Stardestroyer. It didn't make its way up to you?" Gage cut her eyes at him and he gave no reaction. At least, none that she could see.

"I should not have to tell you that most of the First Order doesn't trust you." Only 'most?' she questioned. I thought it would be a strong 99.9%.

"Then why ask me these questions if you think I'll lie?" she asked, flipping a switch. The panel began lighting up, restarting.

"Because I don't believe you're lying." Gage looked at him again, the expression on her face something like skepticism. Part of her found that immensely foolish, so much so that she actually felt vaguely sorry for him. Because the man behind that mask wasn't just a high ranking official in the First Order or trained by Luke Skywalker and Snoke or a Knight of Ren. He was also General Leia's son. While Gage had had her problems with Leia over the years, she hadn't disliked her or been unsympathetic. Still, another part of her reveled in actually being able to pull this off. "What about their leadership?"

"I don't think I could tell you anything about that that you don't already know," she replied, "as their leader is your mother."

"She is not my mother." A chill ran the length of Gage's spine at his tone and the way he balled his hand into a fist. It told her to tread lightly, that he's killed people for less.

"You're right, of course. I apologize, sir." She tried her best to sound genuine but knew it most likely came off hollow. If he thought the same, he gave no indication of it.

"Did she speak with you about me?" It was said in such an oddly self-effacing way that it took Gage off-guard. She forced herself to keep her gaze on the switchboard and pretended not to notice.

"Not directly, no," she answered. "Leia never said much to me, other than to fix something or other. But she did mention you infrequently in front of groups of us after the First Order would do something."

"And what did she say?"

"She said that she lost you and Han Solo the day she sent you to her brother. Other times, she'd briefly talk about what you were like before, as a boy." He seemed to scoff, as if it was impossible that he was ever a child or that Leia could have a genuine memory of him.

"And do I live up to your expectations? Do you find what she said about me to be true?"

Gage really considered her opinion on that and shrugged. "In a way, no. She spoke a lot about Ben Solo and that's not who you are anymore, is it?" Her hazel eyes flashed in his direction and again, no reaction. She wanted to know what he looked like beneath that mask. Was he handsome, grotesque, somewhere in between? Did every word out of her mouth make him grimace, make him grit his teeth and want to behead her? She'd never know. "Then again, it may help me understand you. After all, we can't change where we came from, can we?"

"You're stalling," he said in response. "You finished with the switchboard some time ago."

She half-laughed. "Yes, I did. You've got a good eye, sir." Gage wiped her hands on her jumpsuit and stood up, her back aching. "I'll head back to the control room and make sure the panel is back in working order. It shouldn't have any more problems, though I'd hesitate to put Petty Officer Thanisson near anything electrical for some time. I still don't know how he managed that mess."

After a long pause, where sweat broke out on the back of Gage's neck, Ren responded. "96-8954."

"What?" Gage asked, tucking her gloves into her belt.

"The code for the mainframes. It's 96-8954."

"Um, thank you. Your trust is not misplaced, sir."

"I hope not."