Chapter 34: Interference

As Lyra and Armitage arrived back in their chambers, Lyra slumped onto the sofa as the General fed Millicent before fixing two drinks for him and his wife.

Lyra leant back against the soft fabric as she groaned. "Ugh my feet are killing me after walking all that way, I've been cooped up here for so long it would seem I've forgot how to walk."

Armitage smiled as he placed a drink in her hand and his on the coffee table as he sat down next to her.

"Here, rest your legs on my lap, I'll massage them, like I used to do back on Naboo after our hikes" he told her.

She looked at him, reluctant to take him up on his offer.

"Come on, I won't bite, besides, it's a foot rub, not an invitation to renew our wedding vows."

Lyra smirked at his little joke, happy he was showing signs of joy, as well as the Armitage she had grown to care for in the first place. It was nice to see him filled with an emotion that wasn't simply fear, or anger. Finally, she relented, putting her feet on his lap as she allowed him to start rubbing them.

Armitage watched her as her head fell back against the sofa and she moaned in relief at the loss of tension. He tried not to let his mind wonder, but it had been so long since he had heard those noises, it had felt like so long ago since he was the one responsible for making her moan in such a way. He would be lying if he said he didn't desperately miss being intimate with his wife. He was only human after all. Armitage knew it would be a long while before Lyra felt at ease with him enough to want him in such a way, if ever. He had tried to mentally prepare himself for the fact that his wife might never want that experience with him ever again. But looking at Lyra every morning, waking up to her beautiful face, watching her stretch out her body, revealing the shape of her form, a form he had worshipped for the past six years, it was hard not to covet her in every way conceivable.

She opened her eyes and saw his eyes focused on her, gauging her reactions to his touch. Lyra smiled at him, feeling at ease around him for the first time in a long while.

"Why did you find my mother for me?"

Lyra shrugged. "I told you, I wanted you to have a little solace in your life, given how you spoke about her in your letters to me. I didn't want you to think you were a shadow of your father and nothing else."

Armitage shook his head. "It was more than that. Why would you do such a wonderful thing for me, given the current state of our marriage?"

He did not stop rubbing her feet, but Lyra sensed his concentration was wavering as instead he focused on waiting for her answer.

She sat up straighter before answering. "You're not the only one who carries guilt about how we treated one another. I feel bad for the way things have turned out too. I cannot change how I feel about Poe, but I need you to understand that I also never meant to hurt you. It was wrong for me to leave without warning….."

"You were frightened, I had done something you had never seen before and you had every right to be afraid…."

"Let me finish Armitage. You have said sorry to me enough times, let me speak. I shouldn't have left, I should have been there for you more when Snoke began his bullying and manipulation. I sat around and thought of my own loneliness I didn't stop to think you were struggling to stay afloat as well. There are things we cannot or will not change, like our political beliefs, or who we fall in love with, but I should have been there to support you as much as you have supported me since meeting me. I wanted to find your mother because I didn't want you to feel alone, there have been times where I have been cruel, and I don't want you to solely rely on my love and support. I didn't know how much I needed a family until I found the Resistance, and now I want you to have that same love and support."

The General was quiet for a moment, eerily quiet. He looked down at his hands resting on Lyra's feet before moving across the sofa to rest his head on her lap. She stared down at him before she began to stroke his hair soothingly as his arms hugged her legs.

"I didn't think it were possible to love you anymore than I already did but, you surprise me every day my love. You were there for me as much as you could have been my darling. No wife should have to endure the struggles their husband is enduring."

"Armitage the very point of a marriage is to support one another through hard times. You have always been there for me through my troubles. I just wanted to do something good for you."

They sat there for a few minutes in comfortable silence before he sat up and smiled over at her. Lyra couldn't help but giggle at the dazed and lovestruck look in his eyes.

"What? Stop staring at me like that" she said with a smile.

"Sorry it's just, you are just wonderful."

She rolled her eyes. "Hardly."

"I noticed, I noticed you still had your wedding ring on, did you keep it on, all this time?"

Lyra nodded slowly. "Yes. It felt strange to take it off. It feels like a part of me."

"What about, what about the Pilot? I'm sure he hated that you wore something that tied you to me."

Lyra noted Armitage's change of expression at the mere mention of Poe.

"He made no demands on me. He knew how much you meant to me. He never pushed for anything Armitage I promise you that. He was kind and patient and he never overstepped any boundaries, I made my own decisions. He should not be blamed for that."

"I shall blame him how I like. In my eyes he is the man who stole my wife's affections from me, surely you cannot expect me to see him in a different light?"

Lyra shrugged gently. "You expected me to see you in a different light. When you murdered those people in the Hosnian System, you expected me to forgive, to move on and to understand that it was more than just an act of genocide. You expected me to see the bigger picture did you not?"

Armitage paused, mulling over her words before letting out a deep sigh. "Must you always be right? It's incredibly infuriating you know."

"You must have fallen in love with me for my brains and not just beauty, or else you would have gotten bored of me by now."

Armitage smiled. "Quite so. In any case, it means a lot that you kept the ring. It shows you still care, no matter what amount that may be."

Lyra came to rest her hand upon his cheek gently. "Of course I care. I told you, my feelings for you didn't go away, they didn't disappear in the space of a few months, especially as we never had closure. I just, fell in love with another, it wasn't planned and it wasn't something I ever wanted to do to you, but it happened nevertheless."

Lyra could have practically pinpointed the moment his heart sank at the words "fell in love with another." She hated to hurt him, but he deserved the truth. He deserved to know she was in love with Poe.

Just as he went to reply, a phone call came through to him. He leapt off the sofa to answer and Lyra tried to listen out to what he was being told. As he listened to the officer talk, what little colour he had seemed to drain away from his face and his brow furrowed.

She stood up, waiting for him to finish on the phone and when he finally did, she did not like the look on his face.

"Armitage, what is it, what's happened now?"

"Nothing. Stay here. Don't leave this room."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Nothing, it's fine, stay here."

Lyra frowned. "The last time you kept me in the dark about something it did not end well for you, what is happening? Please, tell me."

"There's an incoming signal from someone that, isn't the Order. Please stay here Lyra, for me."

Her eyes widened. "It's the Resistance isn't it?"

He fastened his gloves on his wrists and raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps, we don't know. Stay here where it's safe."

"If it's the Resistance you will want me around so they don't start firing at will. I'm coming with you."

Armitage frowned. "You are not."

Lyra, who seemed to practically be allergic to those words squared up to him, moving closer to the door as she did so. "Yes I am. Now we can stand here and argue, or we can go and see what the fuss is about. I have all day to do either so please, you decide."

Armitage looked down at the ground. If it was her Pilot, he feared he would back at square one when it came to his progress wining his wife's favour back, but if he refused and locked her in the room as he had done when it had come to the destruction of the Hosnian System, he would risk losing her love and trust forever.

"Fine. Please just promise me, promise me you won't…. make a show of me. Don't do anything to endanger your life, or mine, if you don't mind."

She nodded and allowed him to lead the way to the bridge. As they walked, she noted his silence and sped up to walk beside him.

"Thank you, for letting me join you."

He sighed. "You didn't leave me with much choice did you?"

Deciding not to rock the boat anymore than she already had done, she stayed quiet as they approached the ship's bridge.

Mitaka stood at attention the moment Hux arrived.

"Well, what news? What is it?"

Mitaka shuffled awkwardly as he looked from Lyra back to his commanding General.

"The Fulmanatrix was pulling in beside us sir and we received an incoming signal from another ship. An X-Wing model, he's trying to communicate sir. We were waiting for your go ahead to open the channel."

Hux nodded. "Yes, very well, let him relay whatever silly message he has for us."

Lyra noticed the huge dreadnought pulling up beside the Finalizer and swallowed nervously. Whoever it was in the Resistance trying to convey a message was hugely outnumbered.

They listened as a radio signal crackled and muffled sounds filled the bridge until finally, a voice rang through clear. A voice Lyra knew well.

"Hello, this is Commander Dameron of the Resistance, I have an urgent message for General Hugs."

Lyra hid her smile, Poe was playing. He knew full well who Hux was, he had been face to face with him a few times now. But whatever game he was trying to play she didn't know. Poe was skilled, but he wouldn't be skilled enough to take down two dreadnoughts, not on his own. Besides, he knew she was on-board that ship, he wouldn't have risked her safety. Not even for a minute.

Hux's fists clenched as he stepped forward, further away from his wife's reach. "This is Hux. I warned you once Pilot to stay away, I will not be so merciful this time. The Republic is no more. Your fleet are rebel scum and war criminals. Tell your precious Princess there will be no terms. There will be no surrender."

Lyra reached forward to place a hand on his arm in an attempt to get him to stop, but he stood firm. Poe had crossed the line. Saving him once as a favour to her was one thing, but for Poe to get cocky and confront Hux a second time, even she knew her husband would never be that merciful, not at least in-front of his men.

Poe's voice sounded through the bridge again. "Hi. I'm holding for General Hugs."

"This is Hux. You and your friends are doomed, we will wipe your filth from the galaxy."

"Ok, I'll hold."

"Hello?" Hux questioned, looking back at his wife for a moment for some clarity, however Lyra just shrugged and shook her head, not knowing where Poe was going with the conversation herself.

"Yep, still here."

"Can, you hear me? Can he hear me? He can?"

Again Poe ignored him. "Hux, with an H. Skinny guy, kinda pasty, beautiful wife though I mean, she, she really is something. Stars knows how he managed to get her."

With that, Hux's patience ran out, his face grew red and as he went to speak, Poe cut him off.

"Anyway, I can't hold forever, if you see Hux tell him Leia has an urgent message for him, about his mother."

As Hux was pre-occupied with Poe humiliating him in-front of his men, Lyra reached for a small radio close by and scanned for a nearby signal. As it locked onto Poe's X-Wing, she hid the radio just as Hux turned to look at her.

"What the blazes is he talking about?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Captain Peavey smirked. "I believe he's tooling with you sir."

Hux grew redder by the second until finally, he gave the signal.

"Fire!"

Lyra lurched forward, grabbing Hux's arm. "NO! No Armitage please, please don't do this."

"I gave him one chance to escape and he takes my generosity and throws it in the ground by returning and humiliating me. No Lyra, his luck has run out, I offer no truce or leeway now. If you don't want to witness this, I suggest you return to our chambers."

Lyra knew trying to reason with him at this point was useless, Poe had pushed him too far and even she could see that, but still, she could not stand and watch Hux destroy him. Deciding it would be far more useful to talk to Poe, she left reluctantly, briskly walking down the corridors away from prying eyes and Stormtroopers until she found a room that was in view of Poe's ship and the dreadnought across from the Finalizer, primed for attack.

"Poe, Poe can you hear me? Poe? Can you hear me, please answer, please, please answer" Lyra spoke into the radio.

Another crackle and muffled voice and then, "Lyra, Lyra sweetheart is that you?"

"Yes! Yes it's me, oh stars I can hear you, yes it's me my love."

"How you doin' sweetheart?"

Lyra frowned. "How am I doing? What are you doing Poe? You can't take on a dreadnought yourself, remember what happened last time you were outnumbered? You nearly died, please, you have to retreat. I don't want you to get hurt. I can't allow you to get hurt. I need you."

She could practically feel Poe's smile through the radio. "You won't lose me Lyra, I have a plan and the Resistance isn't far behind."

Lyra gripped the radio. "How is everyone? How is Leia?"

"She's doing good, she misses you, not as much as I do though. Stars Lyra I miss you like nobody I've ever missed before. I've felt like a part of me died the day I had to leave you."

Lyra watched Poe as he began moving his X-Wing closer to the dreadnought.

"Poe what are you doing?"

"Easy sweetheart, the dreadnoughts deal in long range weapons, with me being this close, they won't be able to catch me. Just watch, you'll see."

Lyra watched as Poe's little X-Wing began to take out the dreadnoughts cannons with ease. She didn't want to imagine the look on Hux's face when he realised he was being outsmarted by a single Pilot in an X-Wing.

"I'll never hear the end of this from him you know. He will hold this against me, he will hold it against himself, you'll make him wish he had never spared you" Lyra said quietly.

"That's his problem, not mine. Bastard took you away against your will. How have you been holding up? Are you hurt, has he hurt you?"

She watched on as Poe took out more cannons with ease. "No. No he's never hurt me. He's been kind, patient even when I've told him I'm in love with you. He holds onto the hope that I'll somehow fall back in love with him. I think he's been manipulated by Snoke, I think he's starting to realise the Order has it's faults but he's too scared to leave. Snoke threatens me, and it causes him to stay."

Lyra watched as suddenly the Resistance fighters began to join Poe through light speed, and with them, a fleet of bombers.

"I'll kill Snoke too, and Ren, anyone who threatens your life will answer to us both sweetheart, I promise you that. Listen, I have to command the fleet now, but, I promise you I haven't given up sweetheart. I'll find you, now you have the tracker we can find one another, I'll bring you home, back to our family and our friends, back to me. I love you sweetheart, I love you so much it's killing me not to take you home right now but, it's too dangerous. I need you to stay safe, like you promised me when I said goodbye last time. Can you do that?"

Lyra's tears fell soundlessly as she listened to Poe's words. Wanting nothing more than to hurl herself out of the Finalizer and back into the Resistance's grasp. She nodded, despite knowing he couldn't see her do so.

"Yes. Yes I'll do that. I love you Poe Dameron, please be safe and get out of here as soon as you can."

She heard Poe breathing on the line and for a moment all she wanted was to be curled up next to him with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Alright Lyra, I love you. Goodbye, for now at least."

"Bye my love, please be safe."

When Lyra heard the radio cut off, she watched as Poe sped off to destroy the last of the cannons and then, the bombers began to fly forward. Within minutes, the First Order obliterated most of the bombers, until there was just one. Lyra was so focused on watching Poe get out alive that she barely registered the last bomber succeed in it's drop before being brought down by TIE fighters. The bombs deployed and the dreadnought began to take serious fire. The sort of fire you didn't come back from. The sort of fire that would earn a serious punishment from Snoke when he learnt one of his precious warships had been brought down by a handful of rebels.

Lyra left the radio behind and quickly made her way back to her chambers where she could pretend she had been in the whole time. She wiped her cheeks of the tears that remained there and waited for Hux to return.

XXX

When Hux finally returned, as Lyra predicted, he was bruised and bloody. Snoke must have found out immediately. Lyra stood up, twiddling her fingers nervously as he looked over at her.

"I bet you're ecstatic at such a sight."

Lyra winced, noticing his bloody lip and nose. "No, of course I'm not."

"Your bloody Pilot couldn't stay away could he? He couldn't help himself, he had to make a show of me, in-front of you, in-front of my men and then had the nerve to bring down the dreadnoughts defences single-handedly, while I had to watch on helpless, knowing Snoke would blame me for such a loss."

Lyra tried to go to him but he was intimidating when he was this angry and she feared he would only push her away in anger.

"That's hardly my fault he showed up is it? I didn't ask him to come here, I didn't ask him to talk to you or act the part of cocky flyboy."

The General roughly grabbed some tissue to stop his nose from bleeding. "You don't have to pretend you feel bad for me Lyra, I know this is probably a lovely bit of payback for you isn't it?"

Lyra's hands went to her side as she stood firm. "No it is not, I do feel bad and this isn't what I wanted and believe it or not, I wasn't involved in this. Now sit down at the edge of the bed and let me look at your nose."

They stood there, frowning at each other for a moment before Armitage faltered and sat down on the bed as Lyra went to the bathroom to fetch a wet cloth. As she stood in-front of him she tipped his head back rougher than she had meant to, causing him to flinch.

"Sorry, didn't mean that, just, keep your head back to stop the bleeding. What happened?"

"Snoke happened."

"I gathered as much. What was it this time? It's hardly your fault the Resistance attacked."

Armitage sighed. "When are you going to learn that Snoke doesn't care if it's my fault or not, he will blame me regardless."

Lyra dabbed the wet cloth on his bloody lip gently. "If that is the case then when will you learn the Resistance are not our enemy? Snoke is."

"Lyra really? Must we go through all of this every time? I'm tired and fed up and I'm in pain and I would really prefer not to argue with you right now."

She raised her eyebrow. "Ok, alright, fine, I'm sorry. Well, the good news is, if your nose is broken, it was a clean break so your nose shape won't change. As for the lip, sore, a little swollen, but no permanent damage. You're still handsome, don't worry."

She wiped the remainder of the blood off his lip as she stroked a strand of his hair back. Snoke's roughness with him had caused some of his hair to fall loose from the hair gel and it was now hanging in-front of his face. She felt bad for him, wishing Poe hadn't humiliated him in-front of his men while Lyra was there too. Poe was clearly angry at Armitage for keeping her away from him against her own will, but Armitage had been kind and patient with her, and humiliating him felt unnecessary.

"You think me handsome still? Well, perhaps today hasn't been all bad then. I suppose."

Lyra gave him a small smile, running her finger over his swollen lip softly as she noticed him wince.

"I'm sorry he embarrassed you. That was, wrong of him. He just misses me and resents you for taking me away from you."

"I know exactly how he feels then."

Lyra's smile grew sadder as she thought of Poe. It was yet another opportunity where he was so close and yet so far. If Poe had another failed attempt at getting close to her, his luck would soon run out. Her husband's patience would eventually waiver and eventually he would bite back.

Armitage noticed her sad expression as she continued to dab away blood from his lip. He reached up to stop her, holding her wrist gently.

"Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm not the one Snoke threw around."

His expression softened. "You know what I mean. I know you spoke to him, you wouldn't have so easily agreed to returning to our chambers had you not have made some plan to contact him. Not like you to go without a fight. Are you alright?"

Lyra put the wet cloth to one side as she wondered over to the window. "Giving you the answer to that doesn't help either of us."

Armitage sighed. "I suppose not. Well, I'm tired, I'm going to try to get some sleep."

She nodded slowly. "Take the bed. You should grab as much sleep as possible."

He smiled to himself as he readied himself for bed, glad that Lyra's growing care for him hadn't dimmed.