AN: Will the Real Ben Organa please stand up?

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Chapter 10: The Son of the Force

Hux sat up, throat sore from screaming in his sleep.

It had been a year.

An entire goddamn year, and yet there was still no respite. How was it that he was still waking up at god-awful hours of the morning, covered in a cold sweat, with images of a dead boy swimming in front of his eyes? When would this end?

It had gotten to that point where no one wanted to room with him anymore, or even next-door to him. His yelling was too loud, his waking hours too erratic.

Hux rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, clawing for his data-pad on his bedside table.

Work was the only way to distract himself. After his nightmares, he would always work on his reports, or his blueprints. Anything to drown out those awful images of Ben Organa's mangled body. God, why him? Why did he have to dance with him at that stupid party? Why did he have to get involved?

This time, however, Hux didn't open his unfinished reports, or his spreadsheets. Instead, he typed in the name of the boy haunting his very steps.

Ben Organa.

Not surprisingly, thousands of results showed up. Many were tabloid pieces decrying Senator Organa, or her husband, or photos of the Organa-Solos at parties, and conventions. That sort of thing. However, the more recent entries were all memorial-sites, plastered with pictures of a smiling boy with black hair and devastatingly beautiful eyes.

Hux snarled and threw the data-pad across the room.

"-eral!"

Hux's head smarts quite unlike anything he's experienced before. He can hear the deafening beating of his heart wracking his body, and the dampness of soil up his nose. It's all so foreign. More than ever he just wants to curl up on his bed on the Finalizer, far, far away from any mysterious planets or aliens, or ghosts.

Ghosts.

"General!"

Like a fog lifting, his mind suddenly clears, and he finds himself in a great cavern. There are no ghosts chasing him, and no images of dead boys calling out to him for help.

There are deep pools of water either side, and the walls seem to stretch up forever to meet the craggy ceiling. There are great slabs of stone, clearly man-made or otherwise, set into the ground. They are ruins now, but Hux can tell that they used to belong to a magnificent structure – perhaps a hall, or a sanctum of sorts. The writing scrawled on the stone is incomprehensible, at least from a distance, but Hux has the sneaking suspicion that he would not be understand it or be able to match it to any existing language anyway.

Stranger still, Hux knows that they have reached the heart of the temple.

He looks around, taking in his surroundings. To his relief, the others have found their way here too, most of them standing about and looking confused. Liito Ren, on the other hand, is already exploring the great hall.

"General, are you alright?"

It's Phasma, sounding overtly concerned from under the guise of her vocoder.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Hux lied, waving her off. Had she seen the nightmares too?

"The troops are inconsolable." Phasma continued, still not backing down; "…I-they saw things, in those tunnels."

"Well, we'll just have to send the lot of them to reconditioning once we find our way out of this godforsaken shithole." Hux said, already dreading the amount of paper-work involved. Perhaps he could pass it off on Phasma? They were her troops after all…

But judging from the tremor in her voice it looked like she might need a few hours in reconditioning too. Kriffing hells.

"I'm sure this is the heart of the temple. If Organa isn't here, then we all leave, alright?" Hux said firmly.

Phasma nodded, seemingly relieved at the thought. Of course, Hux couldn't blame her. This place was a hell hole.

The group, albeit shaken, quickly spreads out across the expanse of the cavern. It's absolutely huge, stretching across more hundreds of metres. Phasma heads off to the far right, and Liito Ren to the left, leaving Hux directly in the middle with troopers on either side. The huddling effect seems to calm the troopers, much to Hux's relief. Scared troopers could make ugly situations fatal. Of course, reconditioning was designed to calm the troopers, but it wasn't designed to withstand creepy Force temples. Or whatever the hell had happened back in the tunnels.

As Hux trudges forward, water splashing up his boots and drenching his knees, he realises that the cavern is even larger than he thought – monstrous, even.

The ruins tower over them, gnarled and twisted like dead trees, still deeply rooted into soil. It gives off an eerie, sort of lonely feeling. As if the place had been abandoned for a very long time. Still, Hux can't help but cheer at the sight of the subterranean plants peaking upwards through the cracks in the stones.

Once they pass under the first great ruin, however, Hux freezes.

There, in the centre of the cavern, is a great crystal pillar that's made from all the colours of the ocean: great inky blacks, swirling greens, devastating hues of blues, and even pearl. It manages to look both faded, and shine brightly at the same time. Every time Hux's eyes sweep across it, it seems to change its shape and its colour. It's beautiful.

As he steps closer, his feet slipping across the grimy stones, he notices a dark mass in the centre of the pillar. Unlike the rest of the crystal, it doesn't change shape but stays the same. It almost looks like someone is trapped in there.

Someone is trapped in there.

"Over here, Ren, Captain!" Hux yelled, his voice echoing loudly off the walls.

There's a great commotion – plenty of splashing and slipping – as the rest of the group races over to Hux. One by one, they freeze at the sight of the towering crystal pillar. As if under a spell.

Even beneath her helmet, Phasma looked taken aback, "Is that…?"

"Organa!" Liito Ren said triumphantly; "His force energy is practically tangible!"

"Yes, but how the hell do we get him out?" Hux snapped, trying and failing to disguise the desperation in his voice.

The boy was trapped in there. They had to get him out – oh god, what if he couldn't breathe? Oh no, no, no, where the hell was the medic?

He doesn't realise he's yelled the last bit until the twin-medic troopers race over to Hux, eager to please.

"Just - aghhh, all of you, come with me." Hux said, struggling with his words; "We need to get him out!"

To Hux's relief, nobody questions him and the entire group quickly heads over the pillar.

Up close, the pillar is near blinding. The light reflecting off the surface seems to intensify with every step closer, and it almost hurts to look at it. In the corner of his vison, the colours seem to swim violently in a rainbow vortex. It's – it's painful, and Hux stops, what must be a mere few feet away. He snarls, an awful pained sound from low in his throat, as he forces his feet to move closer. But no matter how much he wants to, his feet refuse to move even an inch, as if they had been forcibly glued to the slimy rock face.

Oh god, he wants so badly to move closer, to smash the twisted structure open, to get Ben Organa out. But he can't.

He tears his eyes away from the pillar, only to see Phasma and the rest of the troopers in a similar predicament. They grunt and swear in place, unable to move any closer.

To Hux's annoyance, Liito Ren has no such qualms. With no difficulty at all, he simply wades forward, until the very front of his helmet is practically kissing the face of the crystal.

With one gloved hand, Liito Ren slowly traces a path over the crystal surface.

"It's definitely Ben Organa, in there," Liito Ren said, head tilted as if in deep concentration; "Oh, he's – he's alive. Oh, oh my."

Hux's heart stuttered, a single weak moment. The boy was alive. He was alive.

Swearing, Hux pushed forward, ignoring the immediate pain flaring through his entire body. He collapses to the ground, his skin grazing against the harsh surface. He needs to get closer. How can he trust Liito Ren's words at face value? No, he needs to see the boy for himself!

To his credit, he manages to crawl forward at least a few inches before he is forced to stop. The pain is excruciating, but it is the crystal itself that has him frozen to the floor.

It's glowing.

Liito Ren draws his hand back quickly and steps away from the crystal, herding the other back too. Reluctantly, Hux clambers to his feet and stands back too.

The crystal seems to pulse as it emanates a blinding light – like a living heart. It becomes steadily brighter, until not even Hux can bear to keep on watching. It's just too painful.

His hands fly up to protect his eyes, and he grits his teeth, annoyed that he can't go on looking at the crystal. Slowly, slowly, the light of the crystal dulls and Hux lowers his hands.

There's a great gaping hole in the crystal, jagged and uneven.

Even stranger is the young man huddled at the base of the tall pillar, slightly curled in on himself. His body language is off – he seems surprised, and above all, apprehensive. Then he stands.

Hux's breath catches in his throat.

Ben Organa is quite tall, almost as tall as Captain Phasma, and maybe a little taller than Hux himself. It's difficult to tell at such close range.

To Hux's horror, Organa is still as breathtakingly beautiful as he was fifteen-years ago. His hair frames his face in thick black waves, and his stride is just as confident and graceful as ever. Clearly, he's grown into his long-limbs and asymmetrical features well. Unable to help himself, Hux's eyes linger over every inch of this new Ben Organa, particularly his gorgeous plush mouth. Oh, no.

He forces himself to look away, only to be drawn back in by Organa's eyes. They are just as bright as they were when Hux first met him, like still pools of water with hidden depths. That's when Hux feels a slow stirring in his gut. It's like he's nineteen-years old all over again, only with much more ambition and hope for the future than ever before. It's a painful sensation. Almost like his guts are being squeezed and his heart is being crushed in his chest.

Suddenly, he realises that he has no idea how to approach the young man. In fact, he feels a wave of resentment, as if all these years gone by – wasted - had been Organa's fault… then there's overwhelming sadness too. Hux wants to embrace him, to just hold him close and not let go. Not again.

…and what of the Supreme Leader's plans? Hux's plans?

Even in this state, it did not take much imagination for Hux to picture Ben Organa as the dark, force-wielding, weapon of mass destruction he had the potential to be. It was in his blood, afterall. Yes, Hux could imagine the boy – no, young man – prostrated at his feet, willing to serve the First Order, to finally enable them all to rise from the ashes of the Empire. To take the galaxy, planet by planet, system by system.

Such raw power.

…and Hux can feel it too. The Force, something that has eluded him all his life, is suddenly tangible, thrumming through his blood, pounding beneath his feet and through the rock below. It's everywhere – rushing through the walls, through them all, and they are all powerless to it. It's simultaneously empowering and humbling.

Hux suddenly wants to turn, to check on the others, on Phasma, the troopers, hell, even Liito Ren. Surely, they are all feeling this too? Are they alright? Are they just as awed as Hux is? Or is he just particularly weak to such supernatural phenomena?

Hux feels small, and he does not like it. So, he goes to turn, only to find he can't. How can he tear his eyes away from Ben Organa?

From perfection?

Suddenly, Ben is striding towards him and Hux's heart stops. Oh god, he wasn't prepared for this. Not at all. What would he say? Every single scenario he'd been practicing – all those hours wasted - suddenly faded from his thoughts and his tongue felt like lead in his mouth. Fuck.

Hux cleared his throat, steeling himself, and threw out his hand in a typical greeting that he hoped looked both formal and warm. Only he needn't have bothered.

Skirts fluttering in the icy wind rushing through the cave, Ben Organa walks right on past him, not even blinking in his direction. As if Hux wasn't even there.

Hux spun around, confused and offended on all fronts, as Ben Organa instead headed towards the entrance of the cavern where Liito Ren was.

What on earth? What had just happened? Organa had ignored him, hell, hadn't even seemed to notice him at all! Instead he'd looked right past him, as if Hux was just another slimy rock in this godforsaken hellhole.

Instead, Ben Organa seemed very much interested in the masked Knight of Ren standing stock-still at the entrance to the cavern. It looked almost eerie, how Liito Ren was transfixed to the spot, unable to tear himself away, much like Hux had been only a second before.

If they had been in any other situation, Hux would have laughed at the way Liito Ren was standing so awkwardly with his back almost ramrod straight. Instead, he remained quiet, awed by Organa's presence, and utterly infuriated at being so easily brushed off. His ego had never been so bruised, as it had been in this moment. It was not a pleasant experience.

Meanwhile, Liito Ren had removed his helmet, revealing the horned-dome of a Zabrak, and a look of awe upon his face.

"…you are the Force." He whispered reverently.

Organa considered him carefully, "…I merely serve the Force."

A shiver runs down Hux's spine. Organa's voice is deep, and his speech is oddly stilted, as if it pained him to speak too much. Despite the years apart, his manner has not changed.

Liito Ren immediately prostrated at his feet, "I will follow you to the farthest edges of the galaxy."

"Don't you know my purpose?" Organa asked, his words all but cryptic to Hux.

Liito Ren looked up, something like determination in his gaze, "I will help you achieve it, and more."

Organa crouched down beside him, "I would be glad for the company – and to help you find your own purpose too."

Hux looked on, something like jealousy already burning low and hot in his stomach. Even after all this time. It was pathetic really. As if Ben Organa would still be interested in him, or anything he believed in.

Still, he had a mission, so he had to talk to the young-man. It didn't matter that Organa had brushed past him so easily, had ignored his very existence – Hux still had to obey the Supreme Leader. So that is what he would do.

"Ben Organa." Hux called, managing to keep the edge from his voice.

The young-man, still standing closely beside Liito Ren, turned to face Hux. He looked blank – only mild curiosity upon his features. As if Hux were just like any other useless looking Stormtrooper or petty officer.

"Who are you?" Organa asked, brow knotted in confusion. He's softly spoken, but has a deep voice. It's a strange and enticing combination.

"A friend." Hux said, clearing his throat awkwardly. Oh god. Ben Organa still doesn't recognise him.

"I don't have many of those," Organa frowned.

"No, I can't imagine you would, living down here."

Goddamn it, Hux thought, you're already acting like a total asshole to him. Why couldn't he control his goddamned temper?! Especially at a time like this!

"You are with the First Order," Organa said, ignoring Hux's cold manner.

It is a question disguised as a statement, something that Hux might not have caught if he wasn't so used to Organa's strange manner of speaking.

"We were sent here to retrieve you." He nodded, fighting down the urge to smooth down his hair or rearrange his great-coat any further; "Your disappearance has long worried the galaxy."

"Am I to be your prisoner then?"

"No, you are to be my guest." Hux said quickly, hoping that he appeared as earnest as the words themselves; "I only ask that you indulge our Supreme Leader with an audience, before you take your leave. After all, it was his wisdom that guided us to you, and I can tell you that he is most anxious to meet with you."

It was the truth – only Hux wasn't sure if the Supreme Leader would be content with just one audience. Especially considering the amount of resources Hux, and by proxy the Supreme Leader, had poured into finding the boy in the first place. So, whilst Hux was being very much truthful in that he would let the young man leave at his leisure, he was certain that the Supreme Leader would not let him escape so easily.

Organa looked thoughtful for a moment, but finally nodded, "You are being truthful, so I will accept your terms."

An eerie sort of feeling fell over Hux. That had been easy – almost too easy. He had almost expected an argument, or maybe more questions, but Organa seemed content to just leave with them. Hell, they didn't know each other, or rather, Organa did not know him, but he didn't seem to have any qualms about trusting Hux.

Not to mention that this cave certainly didn't appear special, and if Hux had been in the same situation, he would have jumped at the first chance of a free ride off of this rock, but Organa didn't seem all that eager to leave or stay, as if the end-result wasn't all that important. In fact, he was just all-round impossible to read. It was strange.

But if Ben Organa was willing to join them, then Hux was not going to argue. The Supreme Leader would not be happy if he were to come back empty-handed, after all. Angering the Supreme Leader was not a smart move, and Hux was not eager to experience the backlash.

The trek out of the caverns seems so much shorter than before. What had seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of metres, now seemed like a mere quarter of the distance.

When they pass the three doorways, the creatures are all waiting. But Hux is not frightened of them, no. He is much warier of the temple itself and the ghosts. What if they returned…? Oh, he wasn't sure if he could survive such an ordeal ever again.

Still, he steels himself.

Here, grounded in the present, a much slimier feeling has been plaguing his thoughts…

Suddenly, the group stopped as Ben Organa paused mid-stride to look at the creatures. He seemed… surprised, somehow. Seeing the creatures, relatively still and swaying, Organa turned to Liito Ren with a smile on his lips.

"You are wise, then."

Liito Ren smiled too, "I have a strong connection to others through the force – animals most of all."

Hux rolled his eyes, barely holding back a sneer. How sickening. Would Liito Ren wait until they exited the temple before getting down on one knee and proposing marriage? Or would he just put them all out of their misery and do it now?

To his dismay, no-one else seemed to be annoyed at their incessant fraternising, and instead seemed patient to wait. But not Hux. Oh, no. This would not stand.

"Let's hurry this up," he snapped, pushing his way to the front of the group and marching onwards.

There are too many thoughts steaming in his head, that Hux can't think straight. Ben Organa was here. Ben Organa hadn't seen him at all. Ben Organa had been drawn like a fly to honey, instead to Liito Ren. Of all people, Liito goddamned Ren.

But he was alive.

What would the Supreme Leader do? What was to happen to them? What -?

Hux shook his head, willing the thoughts away. Enough of that. He didn't have time for such useless frivolities. He was a general of the First Order. He had responsibilities, the most important being securing Ben Organa for the Supreme Leader. That was it. Nothing more.

But when he looks back, only to see Ben Organa still trudging along through the sandy floor of the tunnel, skirts hoisted up around his knees, Hux's gaze softens.

"Organa," Hux called, finding his bravery.

The man stopped, looking towards Hux. There was no strong emotion there, only polite indifference. Hux tried to ignore how much that hurt.

"It's quite cold out," Hux continued, shirking off his great coat and placing it over Organa's shoulders instead, his fingers shaking. "Please keep this on, at least until we get to the shuttle."

Firstly, Organa looked surprised, and then a gloriously soft smile spread across his face, the sort of smile that Hux could have waxed poetry about if he were feeling particularly lightheaded. Or if he were drunk. Needless to say, it was the sort of expression that had rendered Hux dumb and the sort that he would picture aggressively in his head for at least a week.

"Thank you for your kindness, General."

As they headed out of the caverns and stepped into the light of the sun, Hux couldn't help but stare at the young man, Ben Organa, as all the light of the world seemed to shine on him, finally bringing him out of the darkness.

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AN:

Hux: "Oh no, he's hot."

Liito Ren: "Oh no, he's hot."

Phasma: "…uhhh, I guess he's good-looking, maybe? I don't know?"

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Also wow hux angst. Hux playing 'doubt' by 21p on repeat loudly on the finalizer comm system.