bakerstreet | winter is a lingering season

[Starkiller was basically Hoth 2.0, right?]

Edited (who needs you anyway html) 2017-01-18 05:05 (UTC)

The First Order's army had, for some time, been training specialized stormtrooper units to go up against Force sensitives; the official logic was that there was every chance Luke Skywalker might decide to reappear from the furthest reaches of the galaxy, or the Resistance might acquire another who had found means to develop their powers to the point of being dangerous, and it would be a tactical blunder to be dependent on the Knights of Ren to stop them if and when they appeared. Off the books, however, the real motivation was preparation for what would inevitably occur if something were to happen to the Supreme Leader. There would inevitably be a power struggle between the military and the Knights of Ren for overall command of the First Order, and both sides were determined to seize any advantage they could.

Which was why, for now - while they were still nominally on the same side - they occasionally arranged joint training exercises between one of the Knights and said stormtrooper units. The stated purpose was to strengthen the First Order, but it was, in reality, each side evaluating the strength and skill of the other.

Of course, the Knights sent out the least powerful and least skilled of their number, Icarus Ren - or, as Hux was more accustomed to calling him, Jacob Daniel - supposedly to build confidence among the troops and give them a chance to develop their tactics without immediately being wiped out, but also to create a false impression both the Knights' abilities, and their overall temperament and character. Despite having been Kylo Ren's pet project, Jacob was the opposite of his master in many ways - particularly in that he was even-tempered and easy to work with, and he had a way of setting people at ease around him.

That last part was one of his more effective weapons, when he had cause to use it as one. The troopers he'd just finished training with had learned as much firsthand.

It wasn't the only trick Jacob knew that the other Knights had yet to figure out. He'd made it through the entire exercise without setting off any of the troopers' infrared detection equipment, except for a faint flicker in their HUDs every now and then, in spite of the fact that what he was wearing was not even remotely climate appropriate. The sturdy boots he was wearing in addition to his light tunic and trousers were his only apparent concession to the fact that it was well below freezing out. Immunity to cold was an ability that Jacob had started perfecting just because he was curious to see if he could do it; following that thread had led him some other interesting places as well.

It hadn't, however, led him to victory in this particular exercise. Perhaps that was why the unit he was training with seemed to have taken a shine to him; they were all headed back out of the woods together, discussing their respective tactical failures and moments of brilliance, when they came across a sight none of them had anticipated. The troopers fell quickly into formation, saluting, and Jacob stepped forward. "General. I would've made an effort to be a little more presentable if I had known you were going to come out and observe personally."

Edited 2017-01-19 00:47 (UTC)

The fact that Jacob so easily put people -even otherwise well-trained troops- at ease around him was just one of the things that made Hux suspicious.

Granted, he was suspicious of a lot of people for a lot of reasons, but being at ease with someone tended to mean that one would let things slip around that person that they wouldn't around others, and that was wholly unacceptable and not permissible as far as Hux was concerned. He knew, of course, that the Knights of Ren as a whole would learn what his Death Troopers were capable of, but they only needed to know what Jacob, Icarus, had learned via the training itself, nothing further.

"That's rather the point of not giving a warning in advance." He replied, one brow lifting a little, "Though I will say I'm surprised." Not impressed, though he was, a little, "This is the quickest one of these has been finished since the spectacular failure of the first."

Jacob was, undoubtedly, a better spy and interrogator - to say nothing of assassin - than he was a warrior. He had been the absolute definition of a civilian when his master had taken him in, eighteen standard months ago, but in his usual line of work, that was something he could turn to his advantage. He hadn't unleashed every weapon at his disposal in this training exercise, however; he'd kept out of the troopers' minds, because training to resist mind tricks was a whole different animal and he'd want to do it under controlled conditions. He was conscious, in a way that his master definitely wasn't, that each soldier was an investment, and any harm he did to them was not only to the detriment of the First Order - it was also disrespectful to Hux. And Jacob had no desire to piss off someone he actually looked up to.

Being gracious in defeat was another thing he definitely hadn't learned from his master. "What can I say? Your troops are well trained. I wasn't expecting this level of discipline and coordination and... lateral thinking out of them yet." There was the rote discipline and coordination of ordinary stormtroopers, and then there was what he'd seen during the training exercise. Even with most of the unit down, "slain" by Jacob's training saber, the remaining Death Troopers had never been anything but calm and composed, never stopped maneuvering, never stopped trying to outwit him. They had made flawless use of their advantages - specifically, the realtime terrain map that Jacob didn't have access to - and three of the last four survivors had managed to catch him in an avalanche that had nearly done him real harm while the last one had made an almost impossible blaster shot to end the exercise.

Edited 2017-01-20 05:02 (UTC)

The other brow lifted to join the first, looking surprised, if only briefly, because he really wasn't used to that level of graciousness -or any, for that matter- from the Knights, and in particular Kylo.

"Yes, well, their training does continue even when you aren't present." Though truthfully he was surprised by how quickly they were advancing. He'd picked his candidates well, it seemed. He was even considering starting a second unit, though he wanted the first to progress a little further, enough that they could train the second unit, before he seriously considered anything of the sort. Starting the second unit with a younger group would be optimal, let them continue the standard training concurrent with the specialized training. He was still working out the full logistics of such an action.

"Would you prefer to give me your report and observations now, or by writing later?" The question was sincere, he'd given himself some time to receive the report right then if warranted, but he wouldn't mind getting it the way he usually did, either.

"It'd probably be best if I gave you my initial observations and impressions now, and followed up with a more detailed written report in a few hours." The most important details would be the ones that were still the freshest in his mind, and he didn't want to end up downplaying them in the more composed after-action report. Both, though, were something Hux would have a use for, and Jacob wanted to be sure he had what he needed. The time when these troopers might end up being put to their intended purpose - and not against the Knights of Ren - could well be nearer at hand than any of them had anticipated. Which meant it was also getting to be time for Jacob to bring up the issue of training them to resist mental intrusions.

He nodded once, "Of course." He turned, just slightly, towards the squad, "You're dismissed." And then, to Jacob, "My office, then?" It wasn't really a question, even though he'd phrased it as one.

The walk to Hux's office wasn't a long one, just a few levels closer to the station's core, but not entirely on the other side of the base. He did, of course, have an office and quarters on the Finalizer as well, but there was no point in leaving the base to get to the Star Destroyer when they'd only have to come back to retrieve Jacob's shuttle when he was ready to depart.

"Just remember, I'm not going to take it easy on you next time," Jacob called after the troopers as they left. The laugh that got wasn't unexpected.

As he walked beside Hux, he reflected, not for the first time, that over much of Starkiller's surface, it was difficult to imagine that beneath one's feet was the greatest superweapon the galaxy had ever seen. The forests were largely undisturbed, and deceptively silent beneath their blanket of white; Jacob relished the stillness, and the sharp chill in the air, one that was softening as the next snowstorm gathered. It was almost easy to overlook the fact that there was something off in the way the Force moved around the planet that, to anyone who knew how to read it, betrayed Starkiller Base's true purpose.

After a few long moments, Jacob broke the silence. "As impressive as your troops are, things would've played out very differently if that had been a real battle. I could've turned them all against each other with nothing but a thought, and I'm not even half as good at that as Luke Skywalker is supposed to be." There was no bitterness, no note of challenge in his tone - it was just a friendly warning.

He made a thoughtful sound, nodding at that observation as he palmed open the door to his office, waving Jacob through and letting the door slide closed behind them.

He settled himself in one of the two chairs on the near side of the desk, there was no reason to have the desk between them for this discussion, it wasn't that kind of meeting, "I've thought about that." He said, "They are, of course, trained to resist standard interrogation procedures, but I am well aware that isn't quite the same thing."

He suspected that the statement had been something of an offer, but he wasn't going to presume as much until it was more clearly stated, it was safer that way all things considered.

"Unfortunately, that's not particularly helpful against the kind of psychological attack they'll have no advance warning of." It was an offer, as Hux had noticed, but there were other things he needed to apprise the general of first. "The only way to resist mind tricks is to learn how to detect them, but there are risks associated with that, which aren't always predictable. At their level of training, anyone with the kind of psychological instabilities that react badly to mind tricks should already have been weeded out, but still, that's why I haven't touched their minds yet. I understand the kind investment in time and credits these troopers represent, so I didn't want to do anything that might actually harm them without your permission, and without having the opportunity to do it under controlled conditions."

Now that was definitely an offer and had both of Hux's brows lifting, just a little, settling back in his chair, not as nonchalant a movement as it could have been, but at least trying not to be as rigid as he usually was, "And just what would these controlled conditions be?"

He wasn't wrong, the squad had been an investment, but not one he'd had to excuse as stringently or as often as he'd thought he would at the start, their continued progress was everything he'd hoped for and more, enough that most of the higher-ups were content to let his 'little project' continue. He was sure it was something that was being watched with interest by a few, making sure he didn't get too big for his boots, making sure that the squad wouldn't be a threat to them, though none of them -he knew- would admit as much.

"Nothing too fancy. A room with a keypad lock on the inside, to slow down anyone trying to get out, and one or two medical personnel standing by, just in case. I don't think even that much will be necessary, but it'd be irresponsible not to take basic precautions." Another major difference between Jacob and his master was the fact that Jacob always took responsibility for the consequences of his actions, and he took it extremely seriously.

That, likewise, was a surprise, though it didn't show on Hux's face, and was only barely a flicker in his actual emotional state, controlled and level as that usually was, "I see."

He nodded then, "I think that can be arranged easily enough. Though it will take some time." If only because medical staff would have to be appraised on what was going on, and that wasn't the sort of thing he'd trust just any of them with.

"The point is just to have them someplace where they can't easily hurt themselves or others, and to have people on hand who are trained to deal with anything that could go wrong." Which meant Hux did have a little liberty in interpreting the requirements, if he could think of an easier way to maintain safety during the training. "Once they're used to it, then we can start incorporating it little by little into field exercises. Since it seems like those are starting to get a little too easy for them as things are." A faintly self-deprecating smile.

If Hux had memory of any of his own training, he likely would have been against the process from the outset, at least this early in the game. But he didn't, those memories were fractured and buried well enough that he had absolutely no idea that there was even anything to remember.

So as it was, he made another thoughtful sound, nodding once more, "It should be simple enough to set up then. Is it going to be something best kept separate from the regular training, scheduled at a different time, or would it be possible to do it all in the same day?"

If either of them knew about Hux's training, Jacob wouldn't have hesitated to reassure him that he was much gentler and much more careful when it came to these things than the Supreme Leader, or whoever had trained him - and Hux had seen enough of Jacob's work to know it was the truth.

Still, he hadn't done this, specifically - exposing people to mental intrusions with the intent of teaching them to defend against them - before, and in his usual line of work, leaving a target's mind intact and undamaged wasn't the priority, so he was going to proceed with a level of caution that no doubt his own master would've deemed excessive. "I'd recommend separating it as far as possible from their regular training, at least until we know they're not experiencing any ongoing effects."

He nodded, "Likely safer to train them at different times from each other, as well." For much the same reason, really, it would keep things from overlapping if any of them ended up having an adverse reaction. It would be easier to tell right away and know to keep them away from the others for a while if necessary.

"When were you thinking of starting?" He arched a brow just slightly, "Or were you waiting for approval first?"

"Actually, it would be better to train them together, so they can help keep one another stable as well as learn to recognize when their teammates are being manipulated." Not to mention it'd make the entire process less time-consuming, which would in turn allow him to work with them in more depth. "After that, I can get into working with them one-on-one, but typically, in the field, they'll be able to rely on each other, and I want to build their ability to do that first."

Of course, the method he took ultimately depended on what Hux thought was best. "Mostly, I was waiting on your permission. I do have a mission coming up which will take the better part of the next month, but after that, I can start whenever you think it's appropriate."

He made a thoughtful sound at the explanation, honestly not minding that he'd been proven wrong in his assumption, "That makes sense as well, they've been trained as a unit this far, separating them now would make them suspicious, which is something we can ill afford."

Another nod, "But yes, a few weeks should give them time to finish training their resistance to standard means of coercion."

winter is a lingering season

Hux (Force-sensitive AU) | Star Wars | OTA

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