"Ren," General Hux's voice commanded her from the bridge as she passed.
Anya smiled and turned toward the command station. "General," she greeted him warmly, not bothering to allow someone to announce her.
"General?" He halted before her, his hands clasped behind his back. "So formal. From what I know of women, I must have done something to upset you. Shall I send for a floral arrangement?"
His smirk made her want to shove him playfully but she settled for a dramatic eye roll. Stepping closer, she dropped her voice. "I figured you wouldn't want rumor spreading through the ranks that one of Kylo Ren's knights calls you a pet name."
"And I thought you didn't want word to get back to Ren about how you're fraternizing with his imagined enemy." He stared at her, challenging her. Power and passion burned in his gaze. "Yet here we are for all to see."
After a moment, she reached out and snatched the cap from his head. He made a sound of protest, but quickly regained his composure. Now it sat cockeyed on her own head and she modeled it flirtatiously. "I'm not afraid of what anyone says about me," she said. "I don't answer to anyone."
"Nice try. You answer to Kylo Ren." Hux smiled and reached out to straighten the cap on her. "If you're going to be cute and snatch and officer's cap, at least conform to protocol and wear it properly." He cast a sidelong glance at a lieutenant who dared to giggle at the exchange. She silenced the laughter but still wore a smile as she looked back to her screen.
The officers' attention made Anya's chest feel warm. Indeed, the cat was out of the bag now. "It's not as if your oversized gremlin overlord is going to stroll in here and admonish me for wearing your cap crooked."
The smirk on Hux's face faded and was replaced by a worried grimace. "Supreme Leader Snoke is a wise and strong commander." His voice was frantic and several officers looked up from their stations with equally anxious expressions. Hux locked his eyes on Anya's, trying desperately to project a message."I'm pleased to serve him and the First Order! You would do well to-"
It was too late for groveling. A hologram of a huge ugly alien head popped up on the bridge, sending officers scrambling and cowering. "Hux!" it roared.
The general snatched the hat back from Anya, smashed it on his head, and spun to face the giant head. "Supreme Leader. I was just discussing how your influence-" he was cut off as an invisible force smashed him sideways against a console. Clutching his side and gritting his teeth in pain, he nodded. "Forgive me, Supreme Leader," he hissed through his teeth. "How can I serve you?"
"Why do I get the feeling something is amiss?" Snoke narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the general. "A disturbance has plagued the Force. Where is Ren?"
Hux scowled. "How should I know? I don't keep track of that- ack!"
Anya grimaced as Hux's body smashed against the console once again. She considered using her own Force powers to stop him, but knew better than to interfere with Snoke. Her fingernails dug into her palms and she clenched her jaw.
Snoke's gaze turned to her. "I see you've summoned his apprentice." Snoke momentarily studied her, then focused his attention back on Hux as he struggled back to his feet. "If you had a brain you'd ask her where he is."
"Of course, Supreme Leader," Hux panted. Tears shone in his eyes but he stood upright nonetheless. "Anya Ren, where is your master?"
She bowed to him slightly. "His comings and goings are none of my business, General."
"Good girl," Snoke purred. "See that you don't become distracted, General. I'm pleased to see you're taking my advice concerning Ren's knights." The hologram faded out, leaving only the memory of his unpleasant scowl.
"Armie," Anya breathed, falling to her knees as Hux crumpled, his face pale. "Kriff. Your ribs. They're broken, aren't they?"
"Again," Hux growled through his teeth. "They've only just healed." He looked to the other officers anxiously. "Return to your stations," he called, his voice shaking. "It's nothing you haven't seen before."
"Return to your work and pay us no mind," Anya declared, holding up her hands like a zealous preacher. The officers returned to work as if nothing had happened and she focused back on him.
"Thank you," Hux muttered.
"What did he mean about the knights?" Anya asked as she unbuttoned his jacket. "Advice?"
"The Supreme Leader wants me to get close to you to spy on Ren," he panted, watching as she pushed away his jacket and tugged up his undershirt. "It was an order, actually. The Supreme Leader doesn't give advice."
Anya's heart pounded and eyes bugged open.
He sensed her apprehension and reached out and brushed her braid back over her shoulder. "That's not why I'm so comfortable with you." Hux tried to draw a deep breath but grimaced. "The order came only after I'd already fallen for your charms. The Supreme Leader is skilled at sensing emotional connections he can exploit. I've done more than you know to protect you, and I'll continue to do so."
"Oh." Anya nervously felt around his ribs. Where the should have been a solid cage, his side felt like a puzzle of bone fragments. Though she tried to stop them, the thoughts crept in. Ren sent me, Snoke sent Hux. Are we both pawns? Are either of us really in this relationship of our own volition? She knew Ben had cast no spell over her, but she wondered about Snoke. She vowed to tell Ben everything and threw her attention back to Hux's injuries.
Hux cringed and jumped as she palpated. "What are you doing?"
"Healing you," she muttered, pressing her fingertips to his temple. He didn't protest, and Anya was surprised. "You'll wake up in your quarters. Sleep."
His head rolled back and he slept.
Hux awoke with a start. The digital display red that it was nearly 0300. He sucked in a breath and gingerly touched his side. Bruised, to be sure, but not much more. Trying his luck, he sat up and moved from side to side. No excruciating pain. No crunching of scraping. He traced the smooth curve of one rib with a finger, then the next and the next.
"Kriff," he mumbled to himself, swinging his feet to the edge of the bed. The Kenobi girl was stronger than she let on. Did Kylo Ren have the power of healing? Certainly not, or else he wouldn't have to hide his black eyes from the Supreme Leader behind his mask so frequently.
Hux mulled things over in his head. Anya knew Snoke had an eye on her now. She was no fool; she likely suspected it the moment she stepped on the ship. The thought would have made him queasy if she'd been a normal human. Her Force powers were strong enough for her to keep up with Kylo Ren and that gave him some solace. Still, not long ago Hux made the painful choice to try and scare her away from him and therefore Snoke's trap with a dramatic and emotional blow up in the viewing hall. It only brought them closer. How his heart had warmed when she burst into his quarters, utterly undeterred.
She saw him. Truly. Body and soul. There was no faking it.
Smiling, the general stood and slowly walked to his window, testing his ribs. The possibility remained that Anya was casting some long-term mind trick on him at Ren's order. If she could put back his bones without opening his skin, why couldn't she rearrange neuropathways to point back to her? Calling for a serotonin and dopamine release when she appeared couldn't be that hard. Could it?
No, he firmly thought. There's not an actress in the galaxy that could fake such a connection. Hux traced the whiskers beginning to sprout on his cheeks. The thought of Anya as a mean to an end was slightly sickening and he prayed she felt the same about him. Compartmentalizing was becoming impossible. Anya the Knight of Ren was ceasing to exist and instead she was Anya, his Anya, who also happened to be a knight. He could ignore her connection with Ren just as she seemed to ignore his position in the Order.
The way she looked at him? No, that was no trick. There was no malice in her intent. He could feel it.
For a multitude of reasons, Hux knew the key to the next part in his story was Anya Kenobi.