Day 8
"Captain Peavey's status report was normal, sir," Eddiva Birnham informed Hux shortly after he returned. "Freighter traffic has increased back to normal levels after the lull following our arrival. I have a log."
"Let me see." He took the datapad from her and scrolled through the entries. None of the registries looked out of place. So he scrolled through them again. "With this many ships, we should be starting to see smugglers. Although Naboo is a fairly high-security operation. I want you to speak with their chief of port security about these just to be thorough. Make sure our scans and observations match up with their records."
"Yes sir," she answered.
"And tell Captain Peavey to have the Harbinger and the Conqueror begin a standard bracket patrol. Make sure we're not missing anything. Be on the lookout for cloaked vessels. The technology was worrisomely common even before our wayward core worlds started leaking ships across the galaxy."
"Yes sir," she repeated.
"The remaining ships are to stay at high alert." Hux returned the datapad to her. "Make sure you contact the Naboo chief of staff and inform them of the change to our deployments. Tell them it's a routine fleet security procedure. We wouldn't want them getting even more alarmed than they are over something trivial."
"Sir," Eddiva acknowledged and then asked, "Is there any action you want undertaken if we do uncover evidence of illegal activity?"
"No," Hux said with an annoyed frown. "Unless they're heavily armed, armored, traveling in a group, or doing something else distinctive that requires immediate action, just record their information and let them pass. It's a Naboo internal security matter for now. Until the negotiations are over, our policing authority here is ambiguous. We'll compile the information and pass it on to Naboo later as proof that we have something to offer in a civilian context.
"Oh," Hux added as Kylo Ren approached. "Don't shoot anything without checking with me first, no matter what they look like."
"Unless fired upon," Ren said.
"True," Hux said. "But even so I want to know about it immediately. Dismissed," he said to his junior officer, who set off to complete her duties. The grand marshal looked to Kylo Ren expectantly.
"Situation normal?" Ren asked.
Hux nodded, folding his hands behind himself. "The good citizens of Naboo are behaving themselves. At the end of a gun, but they are behaving. It's a start."
Ren nodded, falling into place next to his grand marshal. Hux waited, mind blank, anticipating the slight push of mind-reading that didn't happen. Together, they watched as the Resistance people dissected the information they'd been given – complete descriptions of the First Order core planets and the known current situations of each. Despite Poe Dameron's insistence that First Order records were easy to get, this was new to all of them but Finn. The former stormtrooper was walking them through the information. He'd spent time on most of the worlds, even if it was just a few weeks here and there.
After a while, Hux spoke. "I find myself in an uncertain situation concerning your attempted-betrothed."
"Yes?" Ren said.
"It would appear you continue to be smitten with her, despite what even you describe as an irrefutable rejection. Do I refer to her in the terms I would normally reserve for those of honorable romantic significance to my fellow officers, or do I refer to her as a rebel rubbish sorter who has declined the best thing that could have happened in her sorry life?"
Kylo Ren slowly turned to face Hux. "Rubbish … sorter?"
"It's one or the other." Hux gave Kylo a single, unfazed blink, wondering if they were about to have a repeat of the situation with Leia's funeral. He kind of wanted to provoke the man, for reasons Hux couldn't articulate to himself. Ren's expression was mostly unreadable.
"Refer to her with the utmost respect," Ren ordered.
"As you command."
Kylo turned back to watching the others. "What's behind this insolence? It's been building for days."
"You are-" Hux cut himself off. His voice was more strident than was appropriate for keeping their conversation private. "Read my mind." A moment later, Hux felt the intrusion. You are not behaving in the way I expect. What am I to do with this? Am I in charge? You are allowing me too much free rein! I should have Peavey bombard the entire complex. He's loyal to me, not so much to you, as you said. It would seal this information breach, wipe out the Resistance leadership, get rid of you, and send a clear signal to everyone in the New Republic that the First Order is willing to sacrifice anyone in order to destroy our enemies.
"Even you?"
I am immaterial. Even me. You have done nothing to prevent me from doing this. You even caught the essence of the plan earlier, though you called it a 'safety net'. It's not a safety net, Ren! It's treason! I was contemplating treason and not being careful enough to keep it out of my thoughts. I was being careless and you are doing nothing about it!
"Yeah," Ren said simply, "I knew."
"Then why aren't you doing something about it?" Hux couldn't keep himself from bursting out. Everyone at the Resistance table stopped and looked over.
Ren shrugged. "You can be in charge. I don't care. Be the supreme leader."
Hux struggled for a moment, flabbergasted. "What?"
"You'd be a good one. It's what you want. You've always wanted it. Everyone knows that."
Hux looked over at the others, who were staring. They'd clearly heard. Then he looked back to Ren. "But … you're … abdicating? Are you serious? Have you gone mad?"
Ren shrugged again like the title was unimportant to him.
"How dare you act like who leads the First Order is meaningless!" Hux snapped in a fury. "I won't let you!"
"Fine."
Hux raised a hand as though to point at Kylo and then realized what he'd just done. He'd just declined the opportunity to be the supreme leader. He unleashed a bitter dressing-down of his own commanding officer, in public. "This has to be a joke! All of it. It's the only sane explanation. The offer wasn't valid in the first place. You have a sickening sense of humor!"
Ren was entirely unruffled. He gave Hux a sly, infuriating smile. "It was valid. If you change your mind, let me know. It's a very stressful job and you're the one who makes it possible. If you're going to fight me, then you can have it. I'd rather not find out if I can use the Force to stop the orbital fire from two dreadnoughts simultaneously."
"Well," Hux collected himself, blinking. He still didn't know if Ren was serious, but … maybe? "There … is probably a limit to it." He paled as he realized the extent of disrespect he'd just delivered to someone who might actually be able to stop that much firepower. He supposed it was time to grovel. "My most abject apologies, Sup-"
"Shh. No," Ren cut him off with a quick shake of his head. "Let me tell you about Anakin Skywalker instead." Hux stared at him for the abrupt change in subject. Ren went on, "He used the Force once to land a Providence-class dreadnought on Coruscant. The engines were nonfunctional. All he had was steering jets and he even landed it from orbit, onto an airfield. No casualties. It was incredible. I've seen video of it." Ren looked very taken with this piece of information.
"Ah." Hux straightened and collected himself. Obviously, Ren had no interest in seeing him grovel. It took him several beats before he nodded a couple times and said weakly, "Yes. Darth Vader again. At least now I know you haven't been replaced by a clone. I … was wondering."
"I like think if I had any clones, they would also appreciate him, so that's not really conclusive."
"Allow me my illusions, Ren."
"Okay."
"What did we just see?" Finn whispered about the bizarre behavior from the two highest-ranking First Order officers. They'd overheard everything Hux had said (all of it had been loud except the very end) and about half of what Kylo Ren had said (all of which had been at a conversational tone).
Poe snorted softly and answered just as quietly. "I think we just saw a power-hungry madman get completely shut down. That's a good thing."
"What do you mean?" Finn asked.
"I'm starting to think Ren's heart's in the right place," Poe answered.
"It is," Rey said patiently. "I've been telling you that all along."
Poe shrugged. "Kind of hard to believe until you see it. Looking the way he does. With the people he's with and the things he's done. Especially the things he's done. You know?"
"I don't believe it," Finn said.
Rey sighed. "Then let's get back to work on this," she gestured at the plans they'd been going over.