Pushing aside the thick sheet which passed for a door in this hell-hole of an establishment, General Hux entered as quietly as he could and sat at one of the empty tables. Trailing behind him at a leisurely pace, Kylo Ren squinted as his sight was forced to adjust from the harsh outdoor sun to the dim lighting of the small bar they had arrived at.

Their instructions had been clear. Locate this specific bar and determine if one of the missing pieces of the map to Skywalker had been hidden here. An assignment which was easy enough in principle but Supreme Leader Snoke had been very clear in his briefing that the pair were to remain incognito and undetected while attempting to retrieve the piece. The bar itself had links with the Resistance and if they became aware that the First Order was seeking out the map then the pieces would most-likely be relocated. This also prevented them from simply murdering everyone in the vicinity since that would also alert the Resistance to possible trouble.

Since Ren had the most knowledge about the map it was necessary for him to be present and since Hux was the only one even vaguely capable of controlling him, he too was forced to attend the mission. Not only that but for what Hux could only imagine was Snokes' personal amusement, they had also been advised to create some form of disguise which would make them difficult to recognise should they get into any form of trouble.

Adhering to Snokes' wishes and abandoning their classic black regalia for something more appropriate for the desert planet, the pair were dressed in tan colours which allowed them to blend in. Much to Rens' own amusement, Huxs' version of a disguise was to allow his usually coiffed hair to sit in disarray, the red strands messed up and sticking in all directions, aside from a few locks which were plastered to his forehead due to the heat. The obvious loss of both his regular clothing and professional aesthetic had resulted in him having a constant look of discomfort.

Opposite him, Ren looked considerably more relaxed, Hux noted with envy. He wore the sand-coloured clothing with ease as he dropped gracefully into one of the two seats at the table while Hux took the other. Obviously barred from wearing his mask, Rens' face was plainly visible and as he watched him sweep his black hair behind his ears, Hux couldn't shake the feeling that the other man was thoroughly enjoying his discomfort.

"We should not remain too long." Ren suggested casually as the bar server placed two glasses full of some murky liquid on the table and disappeared behind the bar again. "It would seem suspicious for us to remain here without clear purpose. These people are aware that we are not local."

Nodding in agreement, Hux swept his eyes across the dim room as he assessed the number of patrons. Aside from himself and Ren, there was the server behind the bar, a trio of reptilian creatures in one of the corners, and a half-dozen local sand dwellers who clearly used this shabby hut as a local watering-hole. As part of their mission, they had been forbidden from bringing any excess weaponry and Hux was aware that their only real form of offense was his blaster, which was tucked away in his holster, since Ren had been forced to leave his lightsaber on their small craft which they had abandoned a few miles away.

Downing the murky liquid in one, Ren grimaced at the taste before dropping the glass back on the table. "Disgusting. So what is our plan for this...excursion?"

"We remain here for the next thirty minutes before attempting to strike up conversation with some patrons in order to determine if they have the information we seek. You are to use your," Hux paused, "abilities to skim their thoughts and determine the truth of their words. But this must be done as subtly as possible. If they become aware of your mind-reading then we will be discovered."

"Simple enough." Running his finger along the rim of his glass, Ren looked bored. "If I am to be stuck here with you for that length of time then I will require another drink." He stood quickly and turned from the table, leaving Hux to scowl at the intended insult.

Watching as Ren made his way to the bar, Huxs' scowl increased as he watched the childish man order himself another large drink. He pulled at the beige shirt which covered his torso in an attempt to stave off some of the oppressive heat which was causing him to suffer greatly. Hux had been born and raised on a military base on a frozen wasteland and as a result he did not react well to desert lands and the heat which accompanied them. Seeking Ren out with his gaze he was in the process of opening his mouth to shout for a water when it happened.

Ren was already returning to his seat, drink in hand, when one of the sand dwellers, a man with skin which had the oddest green-tinge to it had walked directly into him and thrown him off balance for a moment. Being the hot-head that he was and not willing to keep his mouth shut, Ren shoved the man with one hand while muttering "Watch your step fool."

Unhappy with being manhandled, the man instantly squared his shoulders in defiance, "What was that? Something to say boy?" In lieu of an answer and not appreciating the mans tone, Ren met his stance with an equally aggressive one of his own as he considered how to teach the confrontational idiot a lesson.

"Do not dare!" Hux commanded from his position at the table as he sensed the brewing danger. If Ren blew their cover than all would be lost and he commanded again, "Return here now!"

Hearing Huxs' tone, Ren dragged his gaze from the man before him until he could make eye contact with his general. Twisting his face in distaste but knowing that he could not cause a scene, he straightened up again and went to move past his opponent.

"Yes, keep moving child," the green-tinged man mocked as he watched Ren make to leave before continuing, "run back to your mother."

As soon as the words left the mans' lips, Hux sighed deeply.

That was it.

There was no going back at this point and as he waited for the inevitable outburst he knew was about to erupt he downed what remained of his drink. Clinking the glass down on the table he heard a sickening crunch and he knew that Ren had struck the rude fool to the ground with his fist, causing the room to go completely silent as the man on the floor ceased to move, apparently unconscious.

The silence did not last long however as the mans' fellow sand dwellers started to shout in outrage as they observed their injured friend, they whispered forcefully before pointing at Ren and making threatening gestures. Coming to a decision, all five rose and started walking towards the man who had knocked their companion unconscious. Smirking at the approach, Ren started to raise his arm slowly and Hux understood that he was going to try to use his powers to take down the gang.

Leaping from the table and bolting to Rens' side, he smacked the extended arm down. "Do not be so stupid!" If Ren used his abilities then they would be instantly discovered, after all, there were very few force-sensitive individuals in the galaxy and it would not be hard to work out Rens' true identity. "You would give us away over something so simple? Pathetic!" He growled, gripping the offending arm with as much strength as he could muster.

"If I cannot use my skills then I am happy to improvise." Ren hissed and before Hux could react, Ren had reached across his body and snatched his private blaster from his holster. Pointing it squarely in the middle of the group he pulled the trigger and waited for the blast to rid him of the nuisances. Surprise appeared clearly on his face when nothing happened and, irritated, he pulled the trigger again and it still clicked empty. Knowing what the issue was, Hux attempted to free his weapon from Rens' grasp but was dismayed as the dark-haired man tutted and threw it far across the room.

"You idiot!" Hux screeched in Rens' ear as the men continued their steady approach.

Ren shrugged as he swept his hair behind his ears to keep his vision perfectly clear. "It was broken."

"Idiot!" Hux repeated, incensed. "It was coded to my fingerprints and genetic signature so that it would only respond and fire at my command." Tearing his eyes away from the impulsive fool, he could see his precious weapon lying in one of the dark corners and he swore to himself that if anyone else dared to lay a finger on it he would kill them, repercussions be damned. Tensing his body as he prepared for the fight which was heading their way, Hux silently cursed the absolute lack of luck which seemed to haunt him.

As the first man approached, Ren ducked the punch which was aimed at his head and immediately drove his elbow into the stomach of his attacker, causing the man to fall to his knees. But before Hux could jump in to deliver a finishing blow to his head, he found himself being grabbed from behind by one of the men who had flanked him from the side. Pulling his feet up, the sudden increase in weight caused the man to drop him in surprise.

Using the surprise to his advantage, Hux kicked the knee out from under his assailant and used his other foot to deliver a kick to the side of his head, hard enough to put him into a daze. A sudden loud crack distracted him and looking over, he saw the remnants of one of the small wooden chairs go flying through the room as Ren broke it over the head of a man who was attempting to stab him with a dull blade.

Pleased that the trainee sith seemed to be adept and hand-to-hand combat and would not be selfish enough to die on him, Hux continued with his own fight. Back on his feet, he smacked one of the men on the jaw with as much strength as he could summon and watched as the scum went flying backwards, upturning the table which the reptilian trio were sitting at. Until this point they had apparently been willing to simply observe the carnage but they hissed as the spilled drinks soaked through their meager clothing.

Jumping into the fray, one of the reptilian men instantly began to swipe at one of the sand dwellers while another came hurtling towards Hux who had to leap backwards to avoid the creatures filthy claws. Having dodged its initial blow, Hux successfully landed a solid kick to its torso which seemed to wind it. His victory was temporary however as the creature roared in fury as it clutched its chest and straightened its body out before attacking again with renewed vigor.

Unprepared for the sudden onslaught, Hux found himself on the defense as he avoided the slashing claws and gnashing teeth. The beast eventually managed to catch his smaller fist in its grasp and as he struggled it extended the claws on its other hand fully and Hux knew that it was preparing to eviscerate him.

However, before the reptiles claws could make contact, its arm seemed to freeze against its will in mid-air and he used the split-second delay to smash a nearby glass over the creatures temple, forcing it to crumple to the ground. Nodding his thanks to Ren, he threw one of the shards of glass over to the taller man. Ren caught the large shard in mid-air and twisting suddenly used it to slice skilfully at the man before him, causing a spurt of blood to cut through the air.

Clocking the bar server who was cowering behind the bar, Hux made a mental note to question him when this was over. Noticing his distraction, an unexpected fist caught the side of Huxs' jaw and sent him spinning to the floor. As the coppery taste of his own blood filled his mouth, Hux spat the liquid onto the sandy ground and forced himself back on to his feet. Now fully in battle-mode, he growled savagely as he threw himself back into the heat of the brawl.

x-x-x-x-x

"What a complete waste of a mission." Hux seethed as he settled into his seat on the small fighter ship they were using to keep a low profile. "We failed to remain undetected, we were physically attacked and we are leaving empty handed."

Bringing the craft to life from his position in the pilots seat, Ren smirked. "We may have caused a mild disturbance but our identities remain unknown. The only one who could have identified us is dead. We should not concern ourselves."

After ensuring that everyone in the bar was fully unconscious, they had been forced to take the bar server back to their ship and interrogate him about the map piece. The man had not lasted long under questioning and his body had been buried deep within the sand to ensure that he would remain undiscovered for a decent length of time. He had no knowledge of any map piece and both Hux and Ren were forced to realise that the information they had received was inaccurate.

Knowing that Ren was right, Hux narrowed his eyes as he moved to the next point of his irritation. "I am also going to warn you Knight." He hissed. "Do not touch my weapon again under any circumstance or there will be consequences. Because of your interference I was forced to physically fight that scum, an act which is below me." He had retrieved his blaster while Ren took a moment to render the bar server unconscious for easier transportation and he was still a little furious that the idiot had dared to touch the only weapon he had any sentimentality for.

Pausing his take-off momentarily to snort, Ren announced quietly. "You should know that your inability to find pleasure in any situation will lead you to an early grave, Hux."

"Is that a threat?" The redhead demanded, throwing a scowl at Ren as he accustomed himself to the small cock-pit.

"Call it an observation. Do you expect me to believe that you did not get any enjoyment whatsoever from that small altercation?" Ren asked. "Do not forget that there is very little you can hide from me." He gestured to his head vaguely with his left hand as a knowing smile made its way on his face.

As much as he had protested, Hux could not deny that a small part of him had enjoyed the fight. It had been years since he had participated in a real physical altercation and he forgot how exhilarating it was, how it caused his blood to race and his body to buzz with a pleasant adrenaline. His typical training involved mostly target practise and when actual physical attacks were required they were perfectly scripted since improvisation in battle was frowned upon heavily.

"Silence yourself and return us to base." Hux replied, his voice tight as he instinctively tried to block any intrusion into his mind. He would never allow the dark-haired man to know how accurate his accusations had been, he would be practically unbearable to exist with if he felt he had gained some upper ground.

"As you wish." Ren agreed and Hux swore that the small, knowing smile on the pale face became more pronounced as they finally took off towards the darkening horizon as they begun the long journey back to base.