General Hux massaged the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He'd had a persistent headache for months, starting at the same time Kylo Ren had taken the mantle of Supreme Leader upon himself. He suspected that that was no coincidence. He sighed and allowed himself to sit for the first time in hours. What was his life coming to? All of his hard work, all of his plotting and scheming to claw his way to this position only to have to answer to a petulant child? To take orders from an over-emotional ticking time bomb? It was not to be borne.
Patience, Armitage, he told himself. He would have his day. Kylo Ren was powerful, but he was not invincible. Hux would find his weakness and exploit it. If only he didn't have to endure the indignity of following Ren's orders until that day.
There was a sharp rap at the door. Hux checked the security feed and saw a junior officer waiting outside.
"What is it?" he asked over the door comlink.
"I've been sent by Captain Minko, General. He said you requested this data from the records on the Supremacy."
Hux opened the door and accepted the packet eagerly, dismissing the junior officer with a warning to speak of this project to no one.
Hux opened the packet to reveal a data drive, which he promptly inserted into the computer terminal in his quarters. The security footage from the Supremacy. Good. His exhaustion melted away at the prospect of discovering the truth of what had happened in Snoke's throne room on that fateful day.
Ren had told Hux that the girl, that insignificant scavenger from Jakku, had murdered Snoke. Hux had known not to question him, but he hadn't believed Ren for a second. True, the girl had bested Ren in their fight on Starkiller Base—a fact which never failed to make Hux feel a bit smug—so she must have some power. But to overwhelm Snoke, all eight elite Praetorian guards, and Kylo Ren at once, all by herself? How stupid did Ren think Hux was?
He decided to start from the beginning, selecting the footage from the hangar where the girl's escape pod had arrived. Why had she come in the first place? Hux had puzzled about this question many times over the last months but had never managed to arrive at a satisfactory answer. Ren hadn't captured her. She appeared to have come of her own free will. But what could her motivation possibly have been? He sped up the footage, watching the pod arriving, the girl exiting the pod, the troopers handcuffing her. The recording device was too far away to hear what, if anything, was said. Ren escorted the girl out of the hangar.
Hux sorted through the footage, trying to locate the feed from the lift that serviced Snoke's throne room. That footage should have sound.
Ah. There it was. He typed in the command to start the footage. Ren and the girl entered the lift. He held her lightsaber and stood behind her.
"You don't have to do this," the girl said. "I feel the conflict in you. It's tearing you apart."
Interesting. Hux would have to think more about that later.
"Ben," she said, turning to face Ren. "When we touched hands, I saw your future. Just the shape of it, but solid and clear. You will not bow before Snoke." She walked closer to Ren. "You'll turn." Her voice was just a whisper as she leaned in closer. "I'll help you."
Hux paused the footage and started pacing the room in excitement. This footage was already turning out to be more valuable than he anticipated, and he hadn't even reached the throne room. The girl had called him Ben. Was that Kylo Ren's real name? Could Hux use that to discover Ren's past? And what had she meant by "touching hands"? What exactly was the nature of the connection between Ren and this girl? And seeing the future? Was that something Force-users could do? Could Ren foresee Hux's plans to overthrow him? He'd have to proceed very carefully.
He resumed playing the footage.
"I saw something too," Ren murmured. "And because of what I saw, I know when the moment comes, you'll be the one to turn. You'll stand with me. Rey, I saw who your parents are." The girl backed up and the door of the lift opened. Hux stopped the footage and searched for the throne room feed. His fingers were tingling with excitement. There was clearly something going on between the two Force-users. There was definitely going to be something in this throne room footage that Ren would not want Hux to see.
Hux watched as Ren brought the girl to Snoke, kneeling before him. Snoke greeted the girl by name and ordered her to come closer. She stood her ground.
"Darkness rises and light to meet it," Snoke said. "I warned my young apprentice that as his power grew, his equal in the light would rise. Skywalker, I assumed. Wrongly." He made a gesture and the girl's lightsaber floated to him. He handled it briefly and placed it on his armrest. "Closer, I said." When the girl didn't respond, he used the Force to drag her towards him.
"You underestimate Skywalker, and Ben Solo, and me," she said. "It will be your downfall." Hux again paused the footage. Solo? As in Han Solo, rebellion general and husband of Leia Organa? Surely not.
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Leia was the sister of Luke Skywalker. Didn't the power of the Force often run in families? The family connection would explain Ren's reaction to Skywalker on Crait. And that would mean that Ren's grandfather was… Hux felt a thrill go through him. This was valuable information. He resumed the feed.
"Oh? Have you seen something? A weakness in my apprentice?" Snoke laughed. "Young fool. It was I that bridged your minds. I stoked Ren's conflicted soul. I knew he was not strong enough to hide it from you and you were not wise enough to resist the bait. Now, you will tell me where Skywalker is and then I will kill you with the cruelest stroke." Snoke was right in her face, touching her cheek with a withered hand.
"No," the girl said.
"Yes," Snoke replied, then pushed her across the room, holding her in the air with the Force.
"Give me everything," Snoke growled as the girl's screams filled the room. Hux watched, fascinated.
Finally, the girl dropped to the floor, gasping and shaking.
Snoke laughed again. "I did not expect Skywalker to be so wise. We will give him and the Jedi order the death he desires." The girl pulled herself to her feet, her arm outstretched. Her lightsaber flew towards her, then past her. It returned to Snoke, hitting the girl on the head on its way.
"Such spunk," Snoke said condescendingly. "Look here now." He pulled her over to the observation lenses. He showed her the fleet of Resistance transports, being destroyed one by one.
"For you, all is lost," Snoke told her. She called Ren's lightsaber to her, activating the jagged red blade and charging at Snoke with a yell. Snoke made a dismissive gesture and threw her across the room. She and the saber landed at Ren's feet.
"And still that fiery spit of hope. You have the spirit of a true Jedi. Which is why you must die," he said. He forced her into a kneeling position, floating inches above the ground. She slowly spun to face Ren.
"My worthy apprentice, son of darkness, heir apparent to Lord Vader, where there was conflict, I now sense resolve, where there was weakness, strength. Complete your training and fulfill your destiny."
Ren picked up the hilt of his saber and stood, looking down at the girl.
"I know what I have to do," he told her.
"Ben," she whispered.
Snoke chuckled. "You still think you can turn him? Pathetic child. I cannot be betrayed. I see his mind. I see his every intent. Yes, I see him turning the lightsaber to strike true. And now, foolish child, he ignites it. And kills his true enemy."
Suddenly, the lightsaber on Snoke's armrest ignited, bisecting the Supreme Leader, a look of horror and shock on his face. Hux paused the footage in confusion and backed up a few seconds, watching the exchange again. Ah, there. As Ren turned his own saber toward the girl, he moved his other hand behind his back. Hux could see the saber on the armrest slowly turning. Just as the blue lightsaber ignited, Hux saw Ren make another movement with his hand. He paused the footage again and resumed pacing the room. He was eager to see the rest of the footage, but needed time to process what he had seen.
Kylo Ren had outsmarted the Supreme Leader and killed him. Had he done it for the girl? Or had he been planning this betrayal all along as a bid to seize power? Why had he claimed that the girl had killed Snoke? Would this footage be enough to overthrow him? He'd have to watch the rest to find out.
Ren made another gesture, and the saber flew through the air, into the hand of the girl. She stood, and she and Ren gazed into each other's eyes for a long second, then swung back to back and began fighting the guards. Together. Hux watched intently as the guards were defeated one by one. Finally, only two remained. Ren had lost his weapon and was being restrained by one guard, while the girl struggled with the other. He caught her arm, but she dropped her saber, twisted out of his grasp, caught the weapon with her other hand, and defeated him. Turning and seeing that Ren was still grappling with his guard, she cried out, "Ben!" and threw him the saber. He caught it and activated it at the same time, driving the laser beam through the guard's head. He fell and Ren rose to his feet, gazing at the girl.
She ran to the observation lenses.
"The fleet! There's still time to save the fleet! Order them to stop firing!" she shouted. Ren had turned and was looking at the corpse of the Supreme Leader—and at the throne.
"Ben?" she asked tentatively.
He took a deep breath. "It's time to let old things die." He turned to her. "Snoke. Skywalker. The Jedi. The Sith. The Rebels. Let it all die." He walked steadily towards her as he spoke, then stopped, extending a hand.
"Rey, I want you to join me. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy."
The girl looked shocked and heartbroken. "Don't do this Ben," she pleaded, shaking her head. "Please don't go this way."
"No, no, you're still holding on! Let go!" Ren shouted. His voice softened. "Do you want to know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known? You've just hidden it away. You know the truth. Say it." He stepped closer. "Say it."
"They were nobody," she said through her tears. Hux stifled a chuckle. This was Ren's big revelation?
"They were filthy junk traders. They sold you off for drinking money. They're dead in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert. You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing." The girl looked down, tears falling down her face. "But not to me." Hux laughed again. Hux didn't know much about women, but he knew that Ren's proposal was not going well.
Ren stepped even closer, extending his hand again. "Join me. Please." The last word was a whisper.
The girl hesitantly reached out her hand, then suddenly pulled the lightsaber towards her with the Force. Ren pulled back. The power of their struggle pushed them across the room. They both yelled. Suddenly, the pressure was too much and the saber split in half; the burst of power was almost blinding. The camera must have been affected in the blast because the recording stopped there. Luckily the data was stored elsewhere and had been available for Hux to retrieve.
Hux leaned back in his chair, feeling very pleased. This tape alone was not enough to overthrow Ren. But it was a start. Hux had gained three important points of knowledge. He knew Kylo Ren's true name, he knew and had proof that Ren had killed Snoke, and he knew that this girl, Rey, was important to Kylo Ren. Could she be his greatest weakness?