Ch. 13
Trigger warning-Mention of suicide
Hux barrelled down the hallways of the ship at full speed on his way to sick bay, careening around corners, and nearly falling in the process. His legs burned from the effort and he made it there in record time. He burst into sick bay, succumbing to a coughing fit that almost caused him to collapse. He waved off the med-droid that approached him and then made his way over to Dr. Ferran.
Ava was on a sick bay bed, tubes and wires coming out of her. Machines were helping her breathe, were keeping her heart pumping. She looked tiny and fragile.
"What happened?" Hux did his best not to shout at Dr. Ferran, but he never felt so afraid before in his life.
"She got a transmission while here in the sick bay. She became very, very agitated when she reviewed it. I tried to talk to her after her shift, but she wouldn't say what was bothering her. Then, I asked her something about dinner and she said that she couldn't go to your quarters to eat, but she didn't have any food in her chambers. One of the Stormtroopers who had just gotten discharged had suggested the mess hall, that they were having some sort of special stew and she left with him." Dr. Ferran took a deep breath. "According to the witnesses at the scene, she seemed incredibly upset. She started eating her stew and then . . ."
"Then, what?"
"She collapsed. They brought her here."
"And you're sure it's poison?" Hux's mind began to race, trying to figure exactly which of his many enemies would stoop so low as to target his wife. It was disturbing to realize that the number was quite high.
"Yes, I had the rest of the food brought to test it."
"What's her prognosis?"
Dr. Ferran sighed. "At the moment . . . . it isn't good."
"What do you mean?"
"Her organs are shutting down. Unless we find out what it is . . . ."
Hux gripped the doctor's upper arm. "You have the full resources of the First Order at your command. There is no line I will not cross to protect her. I hope I'm being absolutely clear. Do anything, and I do mean anything, to keep her alive."
"I will."
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Hours turned into days. Hux neither slept nor ate. He sat in a straight back chair next to Ava's bed, hunched over, his face in his hands, staring at her still form and the machines that were keeping her alive.
Dr. Ferran approached him gingerly one afternoon after Hux had waved away one of the med-droids trying to offer him a meal. "General Hux, you really should go to your chambers and rest some. We'll notify you if there's any change in her condition."
Hux shook his head, his jaw set. "I have to be here. When she wakes up. I can't let her be alone. When I was sick, she took care of me. When I was hurt . . . I . . . . I can't leave her when she needs me. What she's done for me, no one else in the the universe would ever do that for me. She's my only friend." He winced at the word. It didn't accurately sum up all that she was to him. Not by a longshot. She was so much more than merely a friend.
"If you won't go back to your chambers, please, at least rest here in the sick bay. We'll make up the bed next to hers."
"I can't."
Dr. Ferran's tone became firm. "General Hux, you're still recovering from Andovian fever. Your body needs rest. If you keep pushing yourself, you'll have a relapse and then you really won't be there for her."
Hux thought for a moment. Him collapsing in the middle of sick bay would do Ava no good. "Alright. Thank you."
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After nearly a week of staying in sick bay, Lt. Ruchi arrived, with an insincere smile and a datapad to show him. "General Hux, might I enquire as to how your wife is doing?"
"They've stabilized her . . . but she isn't showing any improvement."
"That really is a pity," Ruchi said perfunctorily before launching into the real reason for his visit. "Sir, there are some other pressing matters that we must discuss."
Ruchi and the affairs of the First Order were the last things that Hux wanted to deal with. "No, there aren't. She is the only pressing matter, do you understand that? Everything comes second to her recovery. If you need to consult with anyone, talk to General Selmur. He's taking over my duties for the interim. I need to be here for her."
Ruchi nodded his head in agreement. "I understand, sir. If anything were to happen to her, the treaty would be null and void. And then, Supreme Leader Ren would most likely strip you of your position. It's in your best interest to keep her alive."
"The treaty?" Hux shook his head. "I couldn't possibly care less about the treaty or my position. I only care about her."
"I see," Ruchi said tightly. "Well, then, I suppose that I'll take my concerns to General Selmur."
"See that you do," Hux replied, more harshly than he intended to.
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A few days later, Dr. Ferran approached him late in the evening, looking like he had aged nearly ten years in the last week. "General Hux, I have some good news. I had a hunch about the poison that was administered to your wife and I ran a few tests. The results are finally in. Now that we know what it was, I'm hopeful that we can start to reverse at least some of the damage done."
"Oh, thank goodness." There was something about Dr. Ferran's demeanor that unnerved Hux. "And?"
"The poison. It's draya root. It is usually prescribed in very small doses to those with heart problems. It causes incredible damage at high doses. It's nearly impossible to detect, unless you specifically test for it."
"Draya root? I'm sure I've heard of it before."
Doctor Ferran swallowed hard. "It's a major export from Thaxton 15."
"General Selmur!" Hux cursed under his breath, raw anger filling his veins.
"I was granted access to his First Order medical records when he came aboard. He was prescribed draya root last year."
"Thank you. I'll deal with this." Ruchi had been right. With Ava's death, the treaty would be dissolved. Such a failure would most likely cause his own demotion, not to mention installing Selmur as the ranking officer. Selmur must have figured out that Hux had reached the end of his patience and was plotting Selmur's demise, so Selmur decided to strike first. "I'll make him pay."
"I hope that you do," the doctor said viciously.
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Hux made his way to the helm of the ship as quickly as he could, rage fueling each step. The fact that Selmur had been cowardly enough to strike out at Ava only further angered him. It confirmed every suspicion he had about that loathsome man and the morals of the First Order elites.
Selmur wasn't on duty, having already given his command over to the night-time watch. Hux strode over to the communications center. "Open a communications line to security," he growled at the communications officer.
The officer's eyes opened wide at that, but she quickly nodded. "You have an open line, General Hux."
"This is General Hux. General Selmur has committed treason. He should be in his personal quarters. He is to be taken into custody immediately, preferable alive. Report back to me as soon as he is in custody." Hux needed to interrogate Selmur personally. He was sure that Selmur had at least one other accomplice, perhaps a Stormtrooper who had actually slipped the poison into Ava's food.
There was nothing that Hux wanted more than to personally track Selmur down and leave a blaster hole big enough to stick a hand through his chest. However, he hadn't slept or eaten well in days and his eyes were blurring. He could barely stand. He knew that sending a contingent of Stormtroopers was his best option in capturing the monster.
Hux sat heavily in a nearby chair, the weight of the past days pressing down on him. After several minutes, a soft hiss of static announced the security contingent's reply. "General Hux, we arrived at General Selmur's chambers. When we told him why we were there, he took out his blaster. He . . . he turned it on himself. He died."
Hux balled his hands into fists. Of course, Selmur would rob him of his chance to seek retribution. He took a deep breath. "Very well. Bring the body to sick bay for examination."
Hux wanted to see for himself that Selmur was truly gone.
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Selmur's death should have brought Hux some peace, but he felt more than a little uneasy. He kept jumping at shadows, his paranoia for once completely justified.
Not to mention, Ava's progress had been painfully slow. Draya root was an insidious poison, affecting nearly every system in her body. Counteracting its effects was a near insurmountable problem.
Dr. Ferran came to him a few days after Selmur's death. "I know that Ava's recovery has taken longer than we'd like. I have an idea that may speed things up considerably."
"Go ahead."
Dr. Ferran gave him a hesitant look. "It's very, very expensive."
"Money is no object. I've already told you that I'll do anything to help her. Anything. What do you want to buy?"
"A bacta tank. It weighs about 500 kilos. The logistics of installing it on board and the expense of suspending her in bacta . . ."
Hux held up a hand to cut him off. "But, you say that it can heal her?"
"It's our best chance for a full and speedy recovery. I've seen it perform near-miracles."
"Order it. Immediately."
"Are you sure? I've made some preliminary inquiries. The price is astronomical in this quadrant."
Hux nodded. "Absolutely."
"Alright. I'll contact the suppliers. It should be delivered and installed with a few days."
"Good."
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Watching Ava suspended in that opaque liquid was more than a little disconcerting to Hux. He'd heard about the amazing healing properties of bacta, but he'd never seen it up close before.
"She seems to be responding," Dr. Ferran noted as he inspected the control panel.
"Doctor, words cannot express how grateful I am for what you've done for my wife."
"She's special."
"I know." Hux took a deep breath. "I know it's not enough to repay you for what you've done, but I've made some arrangements. Your son will be released within a day. Once your replacement arrives at the end of next week, I've secured a shuttle to take you to the nearest base. From there, I've booked you passage so that you can meet up with your son."
"I . . . I don't understand."
"What the First Order did to you was . . . . No one should be held hostage like that. You've been a fine doctor."
"Why are you doing this?"
"She wanted me to send you home the first day she met you. Did you know that? I argued against it. But, in the end, she was right. She almost always is."
The doctor uttered words he never thought he would before. "Thank you, General Hux."
"It was the least I could do."
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The next day, Dr. Ferran approached Hux and he was beaming. "I have wonderful news. We're transferring her out of the bacta tank. She should awaken within the hour."
"And her recovery?"
"A complete reversal of all of the damage inflicted by the poison. She doesn't need any more medical interventions. It's as if it never happened."
It felt like a burden of a thousand pounds had been lifted from Hux. He watched as the med-droids gently extracted Ava from the tank, drying her off, and changing her into a soft, white flowing robe. They placed her gingerly onto her sick bay bed and within a few moments, her eyes fluttered open and she moaned softly.
"You're awake." A feeling of pure joy enveloped him. "How are you feeling?" Hux asked.
"Tired," she said tightly, her body radiating tension.
Hux figured that she was nervous and confused about her ordeal. "You've been in a coma for weeks. You were poisoned, but you needn't concern yourself, my dear. The person who did this to you has been taken care of. He's gone. You're completely safe and have fully recovered. The doctor said that you're going to be fine. And I vow that I will do everything in my power to protect you. "
"I can never be completely safe aboard a First Order ship. It's not possible," she scoffed, clenching her fists.
There was something that Hux was missing and it irritated him more than it should have. He knelt down and leaned in closer to her. "Why weren't you at dinner with me that night? Why were you in the mess hall, eating with the Stormtroopers? That's how you got poisoned. Someone slipped it into your food. That's why I always make my own food. You're right, I suppose. The ship can be treacherous. I do have my enemies. You need to stay with me to be safe, my dear."
He reached out to take her hand, but a look of pure contempt came over her as she moved her hand and edged away from him. "I got a transmission. From General Selmur. He sent me some footage from last year." Her voice cracked as she continued. "I . . . I saw you. The speech you gave . . . . at the Starkiller base. Before you killed all those people. Billions of them just blotted out of existence on your orders. I guess I finally saw you for who you really are. The First Order really is your family. The only one you could ever really love. You're what I'm 'concerned' about, not the person who poisoned me."
"I see." Hux stood quickly and instinctively backed away. He felt as though he'd been punched in the gut.
"I thought that you were different. I really hoped you that were. But, I was mistaken."
"I . . ." But Hux had no words.
"I'm going to rest now," she said softly, closing her eyes and turning away from him.
Hux stood there for a long moment, unable to form any coherent thought, as once again his world fell apart.
Author's Note- You can see Luke Skywalker in a bacta tank in The Empire Strikes Back on Hoth after he is attacked by a wampa.
If you get a chance, before you read the next chapter, look up the video clip from The Force Awakens of Hux's speech right before the attack on Hosnian Prime that killed billions of people in that star system. It's chilling, to say the least. Then, imagine being married to that person.
As always, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I can't tell you how much you uplifting words encourage me to write even when I'm overwhelmed and super busy. Thanks to my wonderful readers!