Title: If Hux Could Kill
Characters: Poe, Rey, Hux, Kylo Ren, Leia
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Setting: After The Last Jedi, maybe a week later.
Notes: Based on three prompts posted on Tumblr mid-February.
Summary: Shortly after TLJ, Hux tries to arrange for the Resistance to kill Kylo Ren. This may or may not be ended.
"What are you doing?" Rey asked, alarmed at Ben's disheveled appearance and violent mien.
He was panting, sweating, crouched, and lit by the uneven red light of his lightsaber. He stared at her in disbelief. "Now?" he asked, slowly straightening. He looked around him and waved a hand.
"Yes, now," she asked, concerned despite her reservations. "Are you fighting? Were you … fighting?" Was the Force bond that inconvenient that it might interrupt him in the middle of a life-or-death battle? His expression was calming down rapidly and although she'd been able to sense his turmoil moments before, it was fading now.
"I was … sparring. Practice droids. Venting my many frustrations." He stood stiffly, snapping off his lightsaber from what she could tell. At least the red cast to his features disappeared.
"With me," she said quietly. The last time he'd seen her had been that wordless exchange on Crait. Honestly, if her initial impression now had not been that he was trying to kill someone, she wouldn't have spoken this time, either.
"No!" he said with more heat than he'd ever addressed to her through the bond. "You have every right to feel as you do. It's this duplicitous cur of a general I'm saddled with! He wags his tail to my face and tries to hamstring me if I turn my back!" Teeth clenched, Ben threw his hands up to the side in frustration.
"Oh. General … Hux?" She'd heard the name. Did he have other generals, though? And why did he have generals? "Are you still with the First Order? What happened?"
"Of course, I'm still with the First Order! Where else would I be?" He was snarling, getting worked up again from the temporary relaxation brought on by seeing her again. "I'm the supreme leader, not that that seems to mean anything." He picked up something and threw it across the room, wherever he was.
"Ben," she said softly. "Why?" Why was he the supreme leader? Why had he stayed? Was that really what he wanted to be? She knew him in a way no other did and none of that seemed true, yet it was what he was doing.
He drew in a deep breath. It was so shaky when it came out. A tremor passed over him and all the anger was gone. He looked at her, lost. "Because no one else will have me."
"Poe? Poe Damson?"
"Uh, Dameron," Poe said, frowning into the communicator. Given the history, he would assume Hux was putting him on. But … it really didn't seem within the stuffy asshole's range. "That's me." On the other hand, he wouldn't have imagined him to call Poe.
"Yes. Good. We know where you're at, obviously. But I'm not calling to threaten you."
"That's good." Poe looked over at Kaydel, Larma, and Leia, who were listening intently. It wasn't everyday (or actually, ever) that a high-ranking person in the First Order called and asked to speak to one of their people. "Glad to hear that."
"I have an opportunity for you. Kylo Ren has set off on a private mission to the planet you're currently hiding on. I would assume he is coming to eliminate the last of his family. I don't care about that, but I would appreciate it if he did not return."
Poe blinked at the communications panel, brows rising. "Okay. I … we'll do our best to arrange that. Thanks for the heads-up."
"Good. Should he return … you understand … we do know where you are." The channel closed.
Poe addressed the gathered Resistance members. "We have intelligence that Kylo Ren, supreme leader of the First Order, is headed our way. We don't know why, but whatever his mission is, it's not backed by the First Order leadership. It's possible he's coming to talk."
"How do you know this?" Rey interrupted, her face grave. "Did he tell you?"
Poe took in her breathless expression. "No. General Hux did. He called me to politely ask if I'd assassinate his boss while the guy was out here." Poe tilted his head and asked, "How did you know about this? This isn't the first you've heard of it."
"I …" She looked down in embarrassment. "I asked him."
Poe said, "You told … Kylo Ren … where our new base was?"
"No," she huffed. "Not the base. I was going to meet him to the east …"
"To the-?" Poe was at a loss. "Rey, he told people! Or they found out. The First Order knows where we are now. I got so many good people killed because I told the right person the right thing at the wrong time. And … why were you talking to Kylo Ren?"
"He's not coming here to kill anyone!" Rey insisted. "We were just going to talk."
Poe tilted his head. "Obviously, you were already talking to him. Why do you need him here in person?" Poe looked over at Leia and said to her, "You said he wasn't coming here to kill you. How did you know that?"
"I felt it." She glanced over at Rey, then back to Poe. "I haven't been talking with my son behind anyone's back." Rey looked up at Leia with a betrayed look, but Leia went on, "My brother though? That's a different story."
"Luke?" Finn asked. "I thought you said he died?" He looked between Leia and Rey, the ones who had reported that to the others.
"He did," Leia said. "But he's part of the Force now. I wasn't going to say anything about what he'd told me unless it was effecting others, but if Ben's coming here, then it is." She added, "I'm sorry, Rey, but it has to come out now."
Rey sighed. "He's coming to see me because he has no one else he can turn to." She looked up at Poe. "He is," she said slowly, "looking for someone to turn to. His own general is trying to get him killed. He doesn't know what to do and he doesn't want to hurt people anymore."
"I thought you already tried to turn him to the side of the light?" Finn asked.
"I did," Rey said. "It didn't work. I cannot turn him. But if I am there, he might turn on his own."
"General … Hux, right?" It was a real effort for Poe to pronounce that correctly.
"What is it? Was my previous communication unclear in some way?" Hux sounded irritated. But he always did, as far as Poe knew.
"No, that was good. We're making arrangements here and I'm pretty sure we can do what you've asked, but I need to know what the next step is after this."
"Next step?" Hux scoffed. But then he was silent. Finally he said, "After the deed is done, I might be inclined to be generous. What are you asking for?"
"You see, that's the thing," Poe said. "I was thinking we'd just keep Kylo Ren here. Talk to him a little, maybe torture him a bit. He got hold of me on Jakku and I think I'm still sore about that. We'll have some fun with it. So I think we can swing the 'not coming back' part easy enough. But are you going to blow this place up anyway? That would be very disappointing, especially after I'd started thinking we had a thing going on here."
"A thing?"
"Yeah, a thing. You, me, exchanging favors … that sort of thing." Just to mess with the guy, Poe gave his voice a sultry tone.
Hux didn't answer immediately. "As appealing as it might be, I would not recommend toying with Ren."
"No toys, huh?" Poe asked, still giving his voice a heavily sensual sound. "What about restraints?"
"Of course. But that's your business."
"Oh, yeah. My business is going to be all up in your business, baby."
"What?" Hux was confused.
"What?" Poe acted like Hux knew exactly what he meant.
The communication ended.
"Dammit," Poe said. He hailed again. When the line accepted, there was silence on the other end. "Hux? Hux? I was just messing with you, okay? But seriously, what are you going to do after Kylo's out of the way?"
"The First Order will continue without him. I hadn't intended to frame you for the assassination, but if you continue to provoke me, I will certainly consider it."
"Okay, hey baby, don't be that way," Poe said soothingly. "You know I didn't mean it."
"What? Don't retaliate against you for tooling with me? Who do you think you're speaking to? Baby? I am not some cadet you can prank call!"
"No, of course not," Poe said. "You're a general … who I can prank call."
The communication ended again.