Chapter 1
General Hux made his way towards the two rebel prisoners. He spared barely a glance for FN-2187. There had been a time when he had lain awake at night, devising the most exquisite tortures for the traitorous stormtrooper, but that impulse had passed. FN-2187 was a defective piece of machinery, nothing more. The woman – she was nothing more than a girl, really – was of more interest to him. He noted her futile struggle against the guards with amusement, laced with the faintest trace of regret. It was a pity that such a fetching little thing had chosen to throw her lot in with rebel scum.
A glint caught Hux's eye. In the course of her striving with her captors, the girl's necklace had come loose and landed at his feet. The bauble was precious to her, judging by the way she reached out to retrieve it, but Hux was too quick. "The Otomok system. That brings back memories," he sneered, relishing the barely suppressed fury in the girl's eyes. With exaggerated courtliness, he looped the necklace around her neck, and, against his better judgment, caressed her cheek.
He didn't stop there. He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him. "You vermin might draw a little blood with a bite now and then, but we will always win," he said with a smirk. He was about to turn away when he felt a sudden, searing pain. The prisoner had taken his finger between her sharp little teeth and was holding on for dear life. Hux thrashed about, letting out high, undignified shrieks all the while before he managed to free himself. The girl spat as if Hux had left a nasty taste in her mouth, even though he was wearing a thick leather glove. For a few seconds he stood still, cradling his injured hand and breathing heavily. Then he approached the captive, his good hand upraised, and backhanded her across the face. She slumped sideways, her head hitting the ground with an ominous crack that knocked her unconscious. FN-2187 was bellowing, but Hux paid him no mind. He turned to the nearest stormtrooper. "The prisoners need further interrogation. Install them in separate holding cells."
In the corridor, Hux overtook the stormtrooper who carried the young woman in his arms. He lowered his voice until it was barely more than a whisper. "Take her to my private quarters." If the stormtrooper was surprised or disapproving, he didn't show it. He obeyed the general without question.
Hux watched over his captive as she lay on his bed. She was still unconscious, her chest moving up and down almost imperceptibly with each breath. Hux had removed her cuffs, for he knew they wouldn't be needed. He reached out and stroked her cheek, on the side where he had struck her. A bruise had started to purple; he would have to remember to exercise more restraint in the future. No doubt the girl would have flinched if she had been awake, but the sooner she became accustomed to his touch, the better.
When the girl began to stir, Hux withdrew his hand. It took her a while to come to, and when she did, she scooted to the far side of the bed, away from him. Hux addressed her with deceptive good humor, although there was no hiding the menace that lay beneath his words. "Don't worry, kitten, you're safe. Unlike you, I don't bite."
"Where's Finn?" The captive practically spat the question at him.
"Finn?" Hux looked puzzled for a moment. "Ah, you mean FN-2187. He's unharmed, although whether he stays that way depends on you. Tell me, what is he to you? More than your comrade, I wager. Your lover? Perhaps not, but I dare say you would like him to be."
Hux knew by the way the girl's shoulders slumped that his guess was correct. He sighed, and his voice took on an almost paternal tone. "That's the trouble with you rebels, you let your private passions get in the way of the bigger picture. That's why you'll always lose. That's why I'm in the position I am in, and you're in the position you are in, my dear."
The young woman's eyes tracked him warily. "What do you mean?"
"It would be easier to show you." Hux's deft fingers flitted over a nearby touchpad, and a screen flickered to life. The image revealed FN-2187 in his holding cell. He was pacing back and forth, and intermittently hurling himself at the door, although he must have known that it wouldn't give. Hux snorted. It was hard to believe that this stupid brute commanded his captive's affections.
"As you see, he's unharmed, although I can't vouch for his continued good health if he insists on throwing himself against the door like that. Still, he's received no injury at my hands, nor will he, if you comply."
"Comply?"
Hux dropped his bantering tone. "You will kneel before me. You will unfasten my trousers, and take me in your mouth. You will service me with your tongue and your hands until I am satisfied."
The girl grimaced. "I'd rather die."
"Perhaps, but are you willing to let him die?" Hux gestured towards the touchpad. "That button over there will release a nerve gas into FN-2187's cell. It takes half a second to press it, but dying takes over an hour. Believe me, it isn't pretty. If you drive me to it, I'll kill him, and I'll make you watch."
The prisoner's face crumpled, all defiance gone. Hux smiled in triumph as she dropped to the floor and shuffled over to him. Her hands on his fly were surprisingly tentative – was it possible that she hadn't done this before? No, that couldn't be. The filth from the outer colonies didn't know what continence and self-control were. No doubt the girl was well-versed in this act, and many others besides.
When she had finally freed him from his garments, Hux had an inkling of what she might attempt to do. He seized her hair by way of warning. "There will be no biting or spitting, girl, or your precious Finn will pay for it."
The girl nodded numbly and set to work. Hux was surprised at just how much she had roused him. Sex had always been a coldly utilitarian affair for him, but this little rebel had lit a fire in him. He tried to hold back, to draw it out, but her small hands on his shaft and her lapping tongue drove him beyond endurance. He groaned and spent himself in her, holding her head so that she couldn't withdraw. What he felt was beyond pleasure – it was power. Whole star systems had been obliterated at his command, but having this vulnerable, defenceless woman at his feet had made him feel truly powerful for the first time.
His captive had begun to weep, a pitiful mewling sound. It was hard to believe this woman had bitten him in full view of an entire cadre of stormtroopers just a few hours before. Her crying awakened a long-dormant emotion in him, one that he had worked ruthlessly to suppress. "Hush, that's enough. Go and lie down on the bed," he ordered, as gently as he could. She obeyed mutely.
Hux went over to the mirror to straighten himself up. He couldn't appear before Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren in his disheveled state. His mood darkened as he pondered their recent behavior towards him. Snoke had his unqualified fealty, in spite of his public chastisements, but it was a wonder that he had tolerated Ren for so long. A flush climbed up Hux's neck, as red as his hair, as he recalled Ren's continual taunts and jibes. Ren was out of Hux's reach, but there was someone close at hand upon whom he could take out his anger. He imagined hauling his captive over his knee and thrashing her until her golden skin glowed crimson. There was nothing to stop him from doing it.
But perhaps a more subtle punishment would be more fitting for his little rebel? He envisaged himself lying between her legs, lapping at her until he heard her moan. That would be power indeed – to bring her body to pleasure that her mind rebelled against. As for FN-2187, he would make him listen, or, better yet, watch. Hux smiled at the thought.
He approached the bed. The girl was curled up in the fetal position, her fists bunched at her sides. Hux made no attempt to touch her, but he bent and whispered in her ear. "Duty calls, poppet. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." With that, he left the chamber, head held high, a spring in his step. It was almost as if he was a new man.
Chapter 2
Everyone on the base, from the lowliest stormtrooper to Supreme Leader Snoke himself knew that General Hux was keeping a female prisoner sequestered in his quarters. No one seemed to care. Hux feared that he would receive a dressing-down from Snoke over the matter, but Snoke almost seemed to approve. "I don't begrudge you your little indulgences, General," he had said in a sibilant murmur. Kylo Ren had had nothing to say on the topic, and since he was usually quick to point out Hux's failings, it could only be assumed that he considered it beneath his notice. If anyone would object it would be Phasma. There was a woman hidden beneath her carapace of chrome, and although her allegiance was to the First Order, not her sex, Hux didn't suppose she would approve of him keeping an unwilling concubine. She remained silent though, showing him the same courtesy she always had.
It was grimly ironic, considering what the whole base assumed was happening in Hux's chambers, that he hadn't touched the girl for the entire week that she had been in his custody. Her weeping at the culmination of their first encounter had called forth an uncomfortable memory, concerning an event that lay more than ten years in the past. He had been tasked with evicting people who were squatting on land that the First Order could put to better use. There was one woman who refused to leave her home. Hux had tried politeness and had graduated to threats when two of his squad mates pushed past him and seized the woman. They wrestled her into the interior of her house, bent her over a table, and raised her skirts.
They were Hux's juniors and he could have ordered them to stop. He didn't. They had been trained alongside him, and no doubt they remembered him as a timid boy, afraid of his own shadow. He couldn't afford to appear weak in their eyes. He didn't stop them, but he didn't join in when they laughingly invited him to. He kept his eyes trained on the floor, but that didn't block out the sounds. The woman's disconsolate keening reverberated in his head for days afterwards.
He lost his taste for hands-on missions after that. Missiles set on a trajectory through the indifferent vastness of space were more to his taste. There was a cleanness and precision to that style of warfare that appealed to his fastidious nature. Ground combat was a sordid and messy business by comparison, best left to the likes of Phasma and Kylo Ren.
Hux would give the girl time to get used to him. He didn't harbor any delusions that she would come to like him, but, at the very least, he didn't want her to loathe him. She would eventually come to accept her fate.
Not that she had given any signs of accepting it so far. Her attempts at escape were dogged, if not particularly subtle or ingenious. His rooms were sleek and functional, holding nothing that could serve as a weapon, but that didn't stop her from looking. One morning as he exited the room he left her crouched at the keypad that controlled entry. When he returned late at night, she was still there. Had she really spent the whole day trying to crack the code? When he informed her that the code was dynamic and that the odds of breaking it were so low as to be almost impossible, she gave him such a look of raw fury that he was momentarily taken aback. It was a good thing that he held all the cards. On a more even playing field, this woman could be a formidable adversary.
Sheer desperation must have impelled her next escape attempt. Hux had arrived back at his quarters in the early hours of the morning. As the door slid open, the girl attempted to duck past him and dash into the corridor. Bleary-eyed though he was, Hux caught her easily. He dragged her back into the room, holding her at arm's-length as she attempted to kick and bite him. Her fighting entertained rather than enraged him; it was rather like being pounced on by a kitten. His amusement promptly died when she somehow managed to close the distance between them and raked her fingernails down the side of his face.
When Hux touched his cheek, his fingers came away bloody. He knew he would sport marks the next day. He imagined the suppressed sniggers of his subordinate officers when they saw his scratched visage. He turned towards the girl, his face an icy mask, seized her by the wrists, and started to wrestle her over to a chair.
"Let me go!" she wailed.
"No. You assaulted a First Order officer and you need to be punished. If you don't fight it will be over quickly."
She did fight, of course. It took a few minutes of solid struggle before Hux had her where he wanted her, draped over his lap, one of his long legs thrown over hers, her wrists pinioned at the small of her back. He raised his hand and brought it down. The girl's body jerked and she cursed him.
"Filthy language as well as violence? You're in dire need of a lesson or two, my dear."
Hux started meting out the punishment in earnest. He varied his tempo to keep his captive off-balance – sometimes his blows were slow and methodical, sometimes swift and sharp. The girl kicked and fought as best she could while letting out a stream of profanities, some of which Hux had heard before, some of which he had not. One could hardly expect better from rebel scum, he supposed. After a steady barrage, the girl's spirit of defiance seemed to leave her. She lay motionless over his knee, and her expletives were replaced by sobs. Her tears were born more from humiliation than pain, Hux guessed – even through his anger, he had taken care not to strike her too hard. Once again, he felt an odd surge of tenderness for her.
He pulled her upright. She tried to rise, but he set her firmly on his lap and wiped her tear-stained face. He was tempted to reach out and cup one of her breasts, but he resisted the impulse. "May I give you a word of advice, Rose? Stealth and patience win the day. The next time you want to attack me, do it from an angle I won't expect."
He thought the fire in her had died down, but it flared up again. "First you beat me, now you mock me? At least you haven't touched me again. Maybe you aren't man enough."
Hux knew that her taunts were meant to rile him, but he didn't take the bait. "Go to bed. We're both tired."
Once Rose was safely ensconced in his bed, he made his way to a smaller, adjoining room. He locked the door behind him as a precautionary measure – he suspected his little rebel might try to smother him with a pillow if he did otherwise. As he drifted off to sleep, his last conscious thought was of Rose. She was wrong. He was quite man enough for her. He would have her, and soon.
Chapter 3
Hux spent the next morning in his quarters. Ostensibly he was reviewing the new security protocols, but he really wanted to keep an eye on his captive. She pretended to be unconcerned by his presence, but Hux knew better. However much she tried to hide them, she couldn't mask her involuntary responses. She flinched when he spoke to her and cringed when he came near. Hux recognized this behavior, for he had reacted much the same way after his father's more rigorous discipline sessions. He had been entirely right to chastise the girl, but he didn't want her skulking around like a whipped dog. He decided to make amends, as best he could.
"Rose, come here," he commanded. When she stayed where she was, he softened his tone. "I'm not going to hurt you. I have something to show you. A peace offering, if you will."
When Rose was seated next to him, Hux switched on a screen. The image revealed FN-2187 sitting on a bench, his head in his hands. "Alive and well, as I promised. He's rather less spirited since we saw him last, though."
Rose's eyes were fixed on the screen. Her face bore such an expression of naked yearning that Hux had to turn away. For a moment, he was bitterly envious of FN-2187. Rose would never look at him like that. No woman ever would.
"Your loyalty to your friend is noble, Rose," Hux said. "Not wise, mind you," he added wryly.
"Maybe if you had any friends you would understand." Rose mumbled the words, clearly not intending them to be heard, but he caught them nevertheless.
"That's very disrespectful. If you don't learn to control your tongue you may find yourself over my knee again, madam." Rose blanched, but the twitch at the corner of Hux's mouth told her that his threat was made in jest. She visibly relaxed.
They sat in silence for a few moments after Hux switched off the screen. Hux pondered the girl's words. Was there anyone, in the whole vast galaxy, who he could consider a friend?
"Captain Phasma is a friend, of sorts," he began ruminatively. "Even so, if she were in your place and I were in FN-2187's – "
"His name is Finn."
"Very well then, Finn. If she were in your place and I were in Finn's she wouldn't have done what you've done. She would have left me to my fate."
"Some friend."
"That's as it should be, Rose. The First Order isn't about individual persons, it's about an ideal. All of us, from the most low-ranking stormtrooper to Supreme Leader Snoke himself, are in service to that ideal."
"Oh? And what does this ideal consist of?"
"Discipline. Order. Strong governance." The girl looked sceptical. "I see you don't agree. You rebels prefer squalor and chaos, I suppose."
Rose shook her head vehemently. "No one likes chaos, and that's what the First Order brings when you seek to interfere in the lives of others. People don't want what you offer, General. They want to be left alone to work and raise their children and grow old the best way they know how. They'd rather be badly governed by themselves than well-governed by you."
"People don't always know what's best for them, Rose. They need a guiding hand, and that's what the First Order gives them." Hux shifted uncomfortably. His words sounded hollow and unconvincing, even to himself. He was the recipient of the finest education the galaxy had to offer. Surely he should be able to out-argue a chit of a girl from an insignificant mining planet?
Rose seemed to sense how tense Hux was, for she shifted the conversation in a different direction. "Not everyone has friends, but everyone has family. What was yours like, General?"
"I never knew my mother. As for my father … when it came to childrearing, he was a proponent of the stick rather than the carrot." Hux gave a dry chuckle. "I do mean that literally."
"I'm sorry."
"Why sorry? It made me the man I am today." Clearly the girl had something to say about that, but his earlier threat, light-hearted though it had been, kept her silent. "And you?"
"My parents died when I was young. I had an older sister, Paige."
"Had?"
"She's gone now. She was just a few years older than me, but she raised me, more or less." Rose looked down. "I miss her so much."
Her fingers circled her pendant. "She had one just like it. They fit together to make a whole." She held the trinket out for his inspection. As Hux bent his head, an icy thought snaked its way through his brain. Could it be possible she was trying to manipulate him? The girl seemed guileless and straightforward, but who knew what animal cunning these rebels possessed? This sharing of confidences might just be a way to soften him up. What had he advised her? "If you want to attack me, do it from an angle I won't expect."
He got up. "I don't have any more time for idle chat. I have work to do. I'll return in the evening, and when I do, I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't pretend to be stupid, Rose, it doesn't suit you. We made a deal upon our first acquaintance. I've fulfilled the terms of the deal, as I think you would agree, and now it's time for you to do the same."
His eyes bored into hers, cold as slate, before he made his way to the door. There would be no more stalling. He was out of patience, and the girl was out of time.
Chapter 4
"Take off your clothes. Don't dawdle." Hux surveyed the prisoner from his vantage point in his chair. She was standing beside his bed, her fingers hovering over the buttons of her tunic. "Unless you would like me to do it, of course." When she heard that, Rose started to tear at her garments, dropping them in a heap at her feet. Hux would have to counsel her about her slovenly habits, but now was not the time. When she was done, she reached behind to unhook her pendant. "No. Leave that on," her captor ordered. Naked but for the necklace, Rose looked Hux straight in the eye, chin upraised. Hux had to admire her spirit, not that it would do her any good. "Get into bed." The girl flopped gracelessly onto the mattress and pulled the covers over herself.
As Hux approached, a niggling thought at the back of his mind came to the fore. The girl's body looked perfect and unblemished, but suppose she was diseased? Rebels were known for their loose habits, and there was no telling how many men she had consorted with. He had taken the trouble to drop by the infirmary to get a prophylactic shot, but that wouldn't protect him. The shot would take twenty-four hours to take full effect, and he simply couldn't bring himself to wait that long. He would take his chances, and if that necessitated a visit to a medical droid afterwards, so be it.
When Hux reached his side of the bed, he disrobed quickly and slipped in beside Rose. Clothed, his height and the funereal splendor of his uniform were enough to render him imposing, but he knew he didn't cut such a fine figure naked. He was pale and thinner than he should be. He was painfully aware of his heart thudding in his chest. Why did he feel this way? Rose was in his power, he could do as he pleased with her. He should have felt omnipotent, but instead he felt awkward and diffident, like a green lad bedding a woman for the first time.
He reached out a tentative hand and pulled the covers from Rose. This was uncharted territory for him. His regular bedmates were paid companions - not common prostitutes, but courtesans whose fees likely exceeded the amount that Rose's parents had made in a year. They were jaded and cynical, but they knew how to keep themselves clean and how to give pleasure.
Rose was lying stiffly on her back, her eyes averted. In all likelihood, she expected Hux to mount her with no preliminaries, but he had waited for this moment and wished to savor it. He ran an exploratory finger down the length of her neck. Her skin was astonishingly warm and soft. He ventured further, down to her breasts, but Rose's body tensed and she put up her hands to block him. He exhaled sharply in annoyance and moved her hands away. "Stop fussing, Rose. If you don't, I'll tie you to the bed." She let her hands fall to her sides, but her body remained rigid. Hux sighed. Clearly he would have to be patient.
He began fondling her, his touch feather-light. At first Rose was unresponsive, but as he circled her areola with his forefinger, he sensed that an invisible knot within her had loosened. He redoubled his caresses, this time with more urgency. The girl let out an involuntary moan as he took her nipple in his mouth. She feebly tried to push him away, but Hux grasped her by the shoulders and pressed her firmly against the mattress.
He trailed his mouth down her stomach, pausing at her navel. Rose could sense what he intended, and she clamped her thighs shut. Hux raised his head. "Rose, I've warned you already. You know what the penalty for noncompliance is." She didn't reply, but neither did she resist when Hux prized her legs apart.
Hux raised himself on his elbow and cupped her mons pubis with his hand. As he insinuated a finger between Rose's labia, he heard her draw in a breath. No doubt she was preparing herself for his unwanted ingress, but he didn't penetrate her. Instead, he let his finger travel up until it found her clitoris. Gently, with infinite care and patience, he began to caress it.
Rose hadn't expected this. She squirmed and gasped under his touch, and before long she had reached down and seized his wrist, not to remove his hand, but to keep it there.
Hux was familiar with the various ways women could counterfeit pleasure. One of his earliest paramours had once acted out for him the feigned throes of passion that she used to keep her clients satisfied. That woman had also taught him that there was one response that couldn't be faked, and, as he saw the rosy flush spread across Rose's chest, he knew he had elicited it. As Rose crumpled, spent, against the mattress, Hux smiled down at her. He had mastered her, and they both knew it.
He wasn't yet done. He spread Rose's legs apart again and entered her with a single thrust. Rose met his entry with a grimace and a sharp intake of breath. As much as he wanted to bury himself in her to the hilt, Hux forced himself to slow down. Rose was wet and aroused. She had climaxed already. She should have been ready for him, yet she wasn't. Something was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to withdraw. As he kept going, Rose brought her arms up and placed her hands on Hux's back, more, it seemed, for the purpose of using his body as ballast than from desire.
Hux reached his climax with a shudder and collapsed, putting his whole weight on Rose. With a groan, he rolled off her. As soon as he did so, Rose moved to the corner of the bed and curled into a ball. Once he got his breath back, Hux turned to her. It was then that he noticed the blood on the sheets.
"Have your courses started? You should have told me," he said.
"No, General, I'm not having my period," Rose answered, in a voice so quiet he had to strain his ears to hear her.
It took him a few seconds to process what she had said. When he did, he sat up. "Rose, I'm sorry. I assumed –"
"You assume a lot of things, General," Rose broke in. "You assume that all those who oppose the First Order are filth and vermin. You assume that because I was born on Hays Minor, I must be a whore. Well, at least one of your assumptions has been proven wrong." Her voice was eerily calm. Hux would have preferred it if she had wept or raged at him. She turned on her side again. "Don't worry, I wasn't keeping it for anything in particular. I just never had a chance to lose it, that's all." This time, she was unable to keep the quaver out of her voice.
Hux looked at her small back. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but what sort of comfort could a man like him give? He turned his own back to Rose. His bed was big enough to fit four people, and it was easy enough for them to lie side-by-side without touching each other. Even so, he was acutely aware of Rose's presence. It made him feel lonelier than he ever had.
Chapter 5
Hux watched over his captive as she lay slumbering. In spite of all she had been through (all that he had put her through, if he was being honest about it), she was sleeping peacefully. One of her wide cheekbones lay nestled against the pillow and her breathing was deep and even. His own repose had been fitful, but that was usual for him. But then again, the girl had a clean conscience and he did not.
He was tempted to leave her to her rest. In the clear light of day, he could offer her restitution and they could begin anew. As enticing as the thought was, he dismissed it. He had committed himself to a certain course of action, and he would follow it through.
He reached over and nudged her shoulder. "Rose, wake up," he whispered. She emerged out of sleep slowly, and for a moment she seemed unsure of where she was. When her eyes fell on him, they widened and she shrank back against the pillow. "For pity's sake, Rose, there's no need to be afraid. Get dressed and meet me by the door. Be quick about it."
Hux retreated to give her privacy. He could hear a rustle as Rose gathered up her garments and put them on. When she emerged she was still disheveled. Her clothes needed ironing and her hair could have benefited from the use of a hairbrush, but that was no matter. She would be out of his hands soon enough.
Hux handed her a data pad and a credit stick. "You are to leave and FN-2187 is to go with you. Follow the route I have marked. I've rearranged the duty rosters, so you shouldn't encounter anyone. When you reach FN-2187's cell, that button there will open it. I've noted where the escape crafts are located, but he should know where they are in any case."
Rose looked down at the data pad. When she raised her face to his, her expression was incredulous. "This is a joke, right? A trick? There's no way you're just letting me go."
"That's precisely what I'm doing."
"Why?"
Hux looked down. Before he had encountered Rose, his life had been running on a predictable track. He had been formed by ideals that had been drilled into him – beaten into him – before he was even consciously aware of them. Those ideals might have been narrow and constricting, perhaps even brutal, but they had provided him with a strong roof and a firm foundation. Rose made him feel that the foundation had turned to quicksand and the roof was about to tumble down around his ears, and if that happened, where would he be?
He couldn't tell her that, of course. "You're a distraction. One that I can't afford. And Rose, know this – once you walk out that door, I am done with you. If you're apprehended, I won't lift a finger in your behalf." He gestured towards the credit stick. "I've given you the means to travel anywhere in the galaxy. There are places that are out of reach of both the Rebel Alliance and the First Order. I suggest you and FN-2187 find one and hide."
Rose still looked disbelieving. She nodded slowly, but stood still, as if frozen to the spot. Hux's mouth twitched with impatience. "Don't just stand there gawping, girl. Go."
When Rose moved, it was as if she had woken out of a trance. In spite of himself, Hux couldn't help feeling a pang when he saw how quickly she went to the door. His little rebel was truly eager to be out of his presence.
Rose paused on the threshold and turned back. She approached him, unlooping her necklace as she did so. Before he could withdraw his hand, she pressed the pendant into his palm and closed his fingers around it.
"What's this for? I can't take this," Hux said as he looked at the metal chain dangling from his fist.
"That's to remind you."
"Of what? You? Sentimentality is unbecoming of you, Rose."
"Not me, General, all the others. All those people whose fate you hold in your hands … they have a story, just like me. You would do well to remember that." With that, she turned and was gone.
Once the door slid shut, Hux crossed the room and activated a screen. He watched as her small, intrepid figure moved purposefully through empty corridors. When she arrived at FN-2187's cell and the door slid open, she fairly threw herself into his arms. While clearly glad to see her, FN-2187 was less effusive. He untangled her arms from around his neck and led her, swiftly and efficiently, towards the escape crafts. It seemed that FN-2187 wasn't the useless lump that Hux had assumed him to be.
Hux didn't fully relax until they were well and truly away. He was brought back to himself by an unexpected sensation. Pain. The hand into which Rose had tucked her necklace was tightly clenched, and the pendant was digging into his palm. He opened his fist. The pendant's crescent moon shape mirrored the bite marks that Rose's teeth had left on his finger. He brought his other hand up and stroked his cheek, where her nails had scored him. He had left marks on her too, but somehow he thought hers would fade before his.
She shouldn't have given him the necklace. It was a foolish and mawkish gesture, but it was consonant with what he had gleaned of her character. An open heart and a generous nature – when had he ever encountered the like? He inhabited a world of power games and subterfuge, peopled by those who wore a variety of masks, both internal and external. She had offered him a brief respite, but he would have to enter that world again. He didn't relish the prospect.
Hux opened a drawer and tossed the necklace in. It was a studiedly casual gesture, but Hux knew, even as he was making it, that in the days and weeks and months ahead, there would be occasions when he would lift the pendant from its hiding place and wrap his fingers around it, a talisman against his solitude. As for Rose, he hoped she would forget him entirely.
As he would never forget her.