"She's pandering to them like… like a nursemaid?" Hux scowled, throwing his open hand at the image of sickbay before them. Rather his intoxication caused the motion to flail his hand upward and almost over his shoulder as he slightly staggered into the control console. "They don't need a pretty nursemaid. The medical techs should suffice." He whipped a metal flask out of his uniform's jacket to throw back a swig.

Kylo rolled his eyes behind his mask. "Apple's attempting to alleviate the delicate political situation. Your," he stressed, "delicate political situation."

He observed, mildly impressed at his aunt's powers of persuasion, "She has managed to assuage most of their," his visor turned to the viewer, "resentment at your interrogation. Except the one with a considerable amount of force— I can still sense his hate." The dark haired teenager glared back at the observation deck. "Her efforts have been substantial even despite her own fatigue."

"They are unworthy of her attentions." Hux contorted his face, despite his eyes trying to focus on the blurring green indicator lights on the console's code-board.

"Just an hour ago, you termed her actions towards them," Kylo reminded him simplistically hateful, "a political necessity."

"The necessity no longer exists," Hux glowered, "Now it is just supercilious."

Kylo rolled his eyes a second time. Why was he even reasoning with the drunkard? The dark knight had to admit that he was surprised that the general was still standing upright and was relatively coherent for all the alcohol he had consumed over the past several hours.

Lord Ren shifted his attention to the sickbay below. The tiny form of his aunt flitted from Hapes dignitary to the next. She patted a cloth to a man's bloodied lip, doting on the foreigners in her usual fashion of child-like mothering.

A small smile curled the corner of his mouth up. Prattling back and forth between the battered Hapes men, Apple tended to their injuries… Gentle as always.

The aft observation deck afforded them a better view of the activities in main sickbay than even the one that Kylo had destroyed a day before. And the effect? The more the other men's expressions softened at Apple, the more Hux appeared grated.

A dry smirk flit across Kylo's features, hidden wastefully behind his mask. The whole idea of her paying attention to the male dignitaries needled Hux, driving him to pace and sputter. That fact alone delighted the Knight of Ren.

On the other hand, Kylo remained largely unconcerned about his aunt's compassionate nature. Rather, he adored that absurdity about her. It did rack his nerves when she'd try to drag him into her philanthropies, but allowing her a few charitable causes didn't affront his tastes… much.

He watched her pat Fuo'stil's arm tenderly. The middle-aged prince nodded in response. The corner of Kylo's mouth turned up. Not distorted by false ideologies like his mother, Apple operated femininely in realms that suited the First Order's designs… and even promoted them. She had the prince placated in a moment.

Eyes following her movements, General Hux squirmed, face contorting into deeper degrees of jealousy. He kicked the command chair across the room, "But does she have to be so close to those ingrates?! Look at them! Watching her every movement." He eyed the way the princess padded about, voice softening, "her every graceful… soft… movement." He threw another swig back.

The dark mask slowly turned to him, fingers opening and closing over his lightsaber. A massive portion of him wanted Hux to keep talking, so he could have a reason to lob the man's head off.

One of the nobles crumpled onto the princess's shoulder, starting to bawl like an oversized infant. Huge sobs. Awkwardly, she patted the Hapan's back. She lifted her eyes to the observation deck, almost exasperated.

Hux practically threw his head back at the nauseatingly sweet scene with a loud groan. "Oh, come on!"

Kylo snickered at the bawling grown man. "Priceless. Simply priceless."

More of the Hapes men starting crying, sending Apple into a slightly panicked frenzy to attend to them all.

With a frustrated howl, Hux threw up his hands at the one-way wall. "And what's this now?!"

"Their time of the month," Kylo snarked dirtily, "Seems like they synchronized their hormones."

Hux swiveled his head to the dark knight with a frustratedly-confused expression, "Their what? Synchronized hormones? What are you even talking bout?"

Kylo laughed a sardonic sound, "It's so…sweet…" his gravelly voice dripped with cruel sarcasm, "…how innocent you are."

"I am far from innocent," Hux jabbed a defensive index finger at his colleague, "I am a man of the universe…" He cut himself off, finally realizing that his voice sounded both tight and slurred. He threw his hand down in a haphazard manner at the knight, "why am I even discussing this with you?"

He swung his torso back to watch the princess. "Now, what is she doing with the mradhe mucks?"

Kylo pushed away from the console, irritation rising. "She's still tending to their wounds and their emotional turmoils," he ground his teeth, struggling not to give into the temptation to murder the inebriated man, "as she has been for the past twenty minutes."

Dr. Wintlock strode into the observation room, eyes on his datapad. "The Hapes nationals are almost ready to be released."

"Thank the stars!" Hux burst relieved, throwing his head back and nearly bowing his upper back with the exaggerated motion. "Send them to their quarters, immediately."

"And what of the Hapes women?" The physician asked finally looking up from the medical files to scratch the scar on his cheek, "I thought they were to report here for physicals today."

Hux sent a look at the dark helmet whom hardly returned his glance.

"The princess arranged a sound punishment," the general explained then took a nervous drink.

"A punishment?" The scar lifted only a half-centimeter with Wintlock's arched eyebrow. "Dear heavens, you let the princess decide their punishment?"

Kylo snickered, "But of course."

—

Captain Phasma crossed her arms, looming over the two younger Hapes women. "Put your back into it, you weak slugs!"

Scrubbing one of the dirtiest bathroom floors in the history of bathroom floors with the tiniest of brushes, River gagged. "What do they feed these guys?"

The foul odor wafting from the stalls overpowered the disinfectants with a plentiful aroma of death and cabbage.

"Leu's Grease Pit slab sandwiches," Blaze managed to answer in between dry heaves, pulling a dripping and feces covered sandwich wrapper out of the nearest toilet. "Gross!"

Both ladies groaned.

"Those things leave a layer of grease on your intestines," River made a face, covering her nose with the back of her arm. "And don't get me started on the carbs!Gah!" She lifted her small brush, a string of gooey puke-and-urine-smelling greenish-brown mucus slung off it. "Ewwwwwe!"

"Ummm… Captain Phasma? Is the floor around the toilets supposed to be squishy?" Blaze asked as her gloved hand sunk a few inches into a brownish-grey sludge. She sniffed against her better judgment. "And reek like the inside of Hou-ki-lo pit."

"That's last night's dinner, sweetheart." Phasma's helmet leaned down to her condescendingly, "A few of my boys got upset stomaches and it… rather spilled over."

Blaze lifted her eyebrows with an impressed bob of her head. "Massive." She pealed a thick layer of gelatinous stench to wave it at her sister. It flubbed and flopped. "Look River. It's got chunks in it."

River started dry-heaving then catching her breath she squealed, "Please just shoot me!" She began crying, "Just shoot me! Pleeeease!"

Phasma laughed, a hoarse crackle through her mask's filter, "You, prissy-pampered-princesses may wish for death, but it will never," she emphasized, "come. There are six more decks of bathrooms, so perhaps instead of whining like sissies, you'll get back to scrubbing!"

The Captain spun on her heel to kick their cleaning bucket over, spilling its contents on them. The girls yelped and gagged.

Phasma snickered, "Oops. You missed a spot." She walked away laughing before barking, "Now get back to work! Before I make you clean these floors with your tongues."

The acapella of gags erupted again.

—

Dr. Wintlock choked on an amused chuckle. "And the eldest sister?"

He tapped his index finger against his datapad, cancelling the scheduled appointments for the ladies. The blue and red figures reflected on his features. "I assume I must reschedule her exam as well?"

"She's under guard in my office," Hux answered with a twisted smirk, "Passed out on my couch." He emptied his flask in a single gulp. Frowning, he turned the flask over bouncing it to make sure it was empty.

Wintlock's scar creased curiously on his forehead.

"She lasered herself with two bottles of my finest liquor," Hux grumbled tossing the flask aside and extracted another one from his pocket.

Throwing back a lengthy chug, he wiped his mouth with the back of his arm and smirked, "Drank the harpy under the table." Shot a lofty look at the dark knight. "So much for the superior Hapes constitution."

A round of snickers erupted among them. Hux took another long drink, wobbling on his feet.

Wintlock frowned, "General, don't you think you've had enough to drink?"

Hux pointed his flask at the physician and an uncoordinated slashing manner, "No one tells me how much I can and cannot drink, doctor." He emptied the second-flask. "I have a strong constitution," he swayed, "I can hold my liquor."

"Sure you can, sir," the physician said far from convinced then added, "Would you like me to schedule Lady Roan's physical tomorrow… after she recovers from her… ahem.. hangover, sir?"

"That Hapes woman? She could drink," the general commented in a slight slurring manner, "Impressive. Such a beautiful creature," he warbled on, "Perfect figure. So tempting… so very tempting… But my heart belongs to…" he spewed his thoughts to Wintlock's horror and Kylo's increasing chagrin, "the princess. The angelic princess… I will marry the angelic princess instead of the sultry dark temptress. Beautiful temptress passed out on my couch. And I did nothing." He chortled wobbling with a dark smirk, "Too bad I am a gentleman."

"You are no gentleman," Kylo grit his teeth. "You're drunk."

Hux's heavy head swung inebriatedly to face him. He opened his mouth to speak but was losing that capability with every passing moment. "I'm not drunk." He countered then said, "The princess is mine. I will marry her," he smiled, staggering two steps to catch himself on the console, "yes, marry her." Completely drunk.

The Dark Knight opened and closed his hand over his lightsaber, ominous presence wafting off of him.

Eyes widening, Wintlock knew that sith look. He stepped forward, quickly changing the subject, "General, you should really get some sleep. The Supreme Leader will be expecting your report at 1800."

"Not until she sleeps," Hux returned his attention to the imager. He blinked his eyes as if the console's control lights blurred in front of him. He placed his hands on the control desk to lean his fatigued weight onto them. "And when she sleeps, I will sleep. Isn't my future bride perfect? An obedient angelic doll." He ran his fingers swayingly down the screen, its surface illuminated under his touch. "And our honeymoon…? That shall be recorded in history."

"Enough!" Kylo roared.

He threw out his hand. A dark wave of force slammed into the general flinging him back into the wall. With a loud thud, Hux's body dented the metal.

Kylo swiped his hand to the left, telekinetically throwing him into another wall. Another swipe and the general flung across the counter, breaking instruments with his face.

Wintlock grimaced at the nano-microscope bludgeoning the general's right eye. He glanced down at his data pad, reviewing the schedule. Hux's body flew back and forth into walls to finally stop midair. Unconscious and bleeding, Hux gasped, right arm twisted in an unnatural way. Blood pooled at his left knee. Face bloodied and starting to swell.

Kylo telekinetically held the general by his throat. He ignited his lightsaber in a swift motion, anger still unabated.

Dr. Wintlock sighed loudly, "Are you trying to make my work harder?"

The dark mask snapped to him, "Careful doctor," the gravelly-filtered voice held a steely edge, "My aunt may favor you, yet I do not."

"Obviously," the physician tossed the data pad on the counter, "but if the general dies, how will you account for it to the Supreme Leader?"

The lightsaber shut off and Hux's unconscious body collapsed to the metal floor. "I will tell the truth," Kylo spun on his heel, his cape swirling after him as he strode for the door, "He pissed me off."

Wintlock made his way over to the general to crouch down next to him. "You had to break his arm," Hux's unconscious body wheezed, "and his ribs, and I think you snapped his patella. He has a meeting with the Supreme Leader at 1800 hours. How am I supposed to fix this by then? No Bacta Tank in the universe can—"

"Well, doctor," Kylo sneered, "you have your work cut out for you." With that, he stalked out.

The seasoned physician watched the door hiss shut then glanced down at the broken image of his superior officer. He held his comm to his lips, "Officer down. Need a gurney in the observation deck. STAT." He flipped the communicator off with his thumb, "You brought this on yourself, sir," he told the unconscious man, "you really have got to stop drinking."

Three medics entered pushing a hover gurney. They gathered up the young general.

"Careful with his spine," Wintlock barked at them, "Hit him with an isotonic solution at 500 rate, add the synthetic pain cocktail on a backer, and make sure his vitals are stable before inserting him into the Bacta Tank."

"Yes, sir," the medics said in unison before they left.

Wintlock moved to follow them, but paused to glance back at the observation screen. Lord Ren appeared on the screen to drag the princess out of sickbay after him. She happily waved at the Hapes men on the way out then turned to chastise the dark knight.

Wintlock chuckled at her carefree attitude with the dark knight, "So she sensed his actions after all." He shook his head smiling, "If only there were more people with that affect on that monster."

A moment later, the princess had Lord Ren mollified with a pout, patting his arm. A deep set frown etched onto the physician's features, "It will not be good when he finds out that her true heritage."

Wintlock's frown deepened as Kylo smoothed a wild curl out of the princess's face, "Not good at all."

His communicator erupted. "Doctor, we need you. The general's vitals are… are not… normal sir. They're… they're… I don't know what to make of these readings."

"Blast it!" Wintlock grimaced, cursing under his breath. "Never mind that. Just proceed according to standards. I'll be there." He barked, white knuckled grip on his communicator, "And stop recording his diagnostics."

"But sir?!"

"I said, end the recordings! Do not under any circumstances record the general's vital signs." He shut off the communicator, cursing under his breath again. "Blast it all!" the imperial-trained physician squeezed the commlink in his fist tempted to throw it against the wall but against it. He had forgotten one important detail.

"I take that back," he strode towards the door, "it will be even worse, if his true heritage is found out."