Hux tugged at his black leather glove, and straightened his back as he walked towards hangar 23. The only sound he heard were the heavy boots of the Stormtroopers following him. His Stormtroopers, he thought with satisfaction.

He had finally arrived at the top… the Finalizer was a magnificent ship. He had gone over the technical specifications as soon as Snoke had promoted him to General. He brushed the two stripes on his greatcoat's sleeve. He shouldn't allow himself to be proud – this was nothing, just another stepping stone.

The massive hangar doors slid open and the Troopers formed a cordon around the landing pad. They stood stock-still for about 10 minutes. Hux glanced at his chronometer – the shuttle was late. He pressed his lips together. Was this a show of power? Letting him wait like a subordinate?

Hux clasped his hands behind his back when the black, large shuttle approached. The landing was so flawless that Hux took notice. The pilot was clearly very skilled, Upsilon-class command shuttles tended to get sluggish as soon as the wings started to fold in their landing position. Hux let his gaze wander over the SJFS-200a sublight ion engines, elegant, efficient but high-maintenance.

The airlock opened and moments later a tall figure in black robes briskly walked down the ramp; Hux's right eyebrow twitched when he saw the dark mask under the hood.

So this is Supreme Leader Snoke's famed apprentice? He certainly looked the part with his black cowl and the shiny lightsaber hanging from his black leather belt.

Hux stepped forward and gave the man a polite but curt bow. "Lord Ren, welcome aboard the Finalizer. I'm General Hux."

Ren tilted his head a little and said in a deep, calm voice: "Well met, General."

Hux noticed that Ren hadn't extended him the courtesy of a polite bow. First he made him wait and now this? So Ren was going to play the oldest and cheapest game in the book? Very well, Hux hadn't gotten where he was if he couldn't play a game of his own.

"I've organised a meeting with all senior officers on the bridge. I assume you wish to address them?" continued Hux.

At first Ren didn't respond, but then he just said: "Yes."

Hux gestured towards the exit and they started to walk. Ren obviously wasn't interested in small talk, so Hux kept quiet. From the corner of his eye, he registered that Ren looked at him from time to time.

He had checked his appearance before he had headed to the hangar, of course, he knew that his charcoal uniform was flawless. He was clean shaved and there was not a hair out of place. Ren had no reason to stare at him… unless he took note of his physical shortcomings.

Overused power plays and cataloguing his inadequacies didn't worry Hux. During his career he had heard every insult there is about his appearance – if this was the extend of Ren's finesse, he wouldn't pose a problem.

They stepped into the turbolift and Hux activated it.

"You took over command of the Finalizer only days ago, didn't you?" Ren asked.

"Yes," said Hux, bracing himself for a scanting follow-up comment. 'And already the discipline of your troops are lacking' or 'And yet you haven't managed to do this and that'.

But Ren didn't continue. Hux shot him a curious look, why had he bothered to mention it?

The turbolift doors opened and they both stepped out onto the bridge. The senior staff was already gathered and snapped at attention.

"At ease," said Hux, and waited for the inevitable outburst of Ren. If his tactics so far were anything to go by, he would now insist that he was the one to tell the officers when they could ease into parade rest.

Again he was surprised when Ren remained silent. Hux introduced the Commanders and gave an introduction the current tasks they had received from Supreme Leader Snoke. Ren remained monosyllabic until Hux finally dismissed the officers.

"Do you want to see the rest of the ship or do you prefer to retreat to your quarters?" asked Hux.

Before Ren could answer, the comm officer called out: "Sir! Supreme Leader Snoke is calling on the priority channel."

"Put him through, Ensign," said Hux. He straightened his uniform.

A gigantic projection of Snoke's face appeared on the bridge. Hux bowed, Ren on the other hand just stood there with crossed arms. Hux registered with curiosity that Snoke didn't seem to mind that Ren wasn't paying the usual respects he expected from all other First Order personnel. So he had to thread carefully with Ren, he had clearly Snoke's favour.

"Apprentice, I see you've arrived," said Snoke in a quiet voice, but there was an edge to it.

"Yes, master."

"I said explicitly that I wanted you to call me as soon as possible!"

"Yes, master, General Hux introduced me to the senior staff and-"

"General!" Snoke's voice seemed to drone through the whole bridge, right into Hux's brain. He suddenly felt lightheaded and unwell. Hux wanted to say something, but he had trouble to think straight - the next thing he knew was that he knelt on the polished floor of the bridge, blood dripping from his nose.

He staggered back on his feet and automatically snapped at attention.

"This is a lesson, General. You're new on the Finalizer, but I won't tolerate that my apprentice is hindered in his service to me," Snoke said with a greasy smile.

"Yes, Supreme Leader," stammered Hux. He felt ill, the back of his head hurt. He was dimly aware of the utter silence on the bridge – they all must be busy to relish in his humiliation. Cold anger took hold of him. His mind cleared up and he gritted his teeth as he stared in Snoke's visage.

"Report to me as soon as you're in your quarters, apprentice," said Snoke in a low voice. The bluish image flickered and disappeared.

Hux pulled a grey handkerchief out of his greatcoat and wiped his nose with a slightly trembling hand. He was annoyed at the lack of self-control.

"General, please show me to my quarters," said Ren next to him.

Hux straightened himself and put the handkerchief away. He stalked away, not bothering with pleasantries.

While they stepped again into the turbolift, Hux's mind was already working. He had misread the situation, the fact that Ren had been transferred to the Finalizer had nothing to do with rivalry. Snoke already knew who he preferred. This is why Ren could afford to play sloppy power-games… he already was untouchable.

They didn't speak as they walked down the corridor to the officers' quarters.

In this case, all he could do was try to get along with the man and keep up with his other assignments. Unless, of course, he found an opportunity to manipulate Ren to do his bidding.

He stopped and turned on his heels and gestured towards the doors to his right. "Your quarters, Lord Ren."

Ren stared at him, Hux could dimly see his own reflection on the metallic elements of the mask. That stupid thing was starting to irk Hux. Was this supposed to be intimidating? He almost scoffed. He wasn't scared, not of Snoke, and certainly not of his apprentice. He had long ago stopped being afraid. There was nothing left that scared him… not anymore.

"Is there something else, Lord Ren?" he asked politely in a cold voice.

"No," he replied and headed into his quarters, his black cape billowing behind him.