Chapter 19: Ambitions Accelerated
Hux stared at the view screen with a twitch, not knowing if he should be angry or terrified. The news his New Republic informant had brought him was both predictable and yet had dangerous implications for himself as well as the Empire as a whole. After reading the short statement a dozen times over he still didn't know if he was grasping the full significance of the situation. "Luke has returned, he knows about Snoke trying to regain his power. Has a spy in place. Kylo? Natasi Daala also in communication with Leia. Apparently Pryce is setting up a coup among the Moff's to reinstate Daala after your performance on Tatooine. Snoke targeted as well. The Moff's vote on the action at the Ring of Kafrene in two standard days. Luke following Daala but I'm not sure why. Will keep you updated as I know more." There was a lot to unpack from that message. Where should he even begin?
His eyes kept being drawn to, "Kylo?" The idea of him being a New Republic agent was laughable, if you had asked him prior to the mess on Tatooine. Kylo's behavior was far more understandable when you considered he never actually wanted the map to Skywalker in the first place. Hadn't Armitage already been questioning Ren's operational performance? And that wasn't even taking into account that Ren revealed himself to be Jacen Solo in a desperate attempt to salvage Operation Warhammer. Was Snoke blind to the deception or just senile? His original brilliance in orchestrating a plan to have the New Republic and Chiss Ascendancy go to war suggested he was only blind to Ren's manipulation. On the other hand, how could he dismiss the fact that the Supreme Leader was afraid a literal baby could be a threat to him? Blind or just too old to rule? That was a question Hux found he was asking more and more in his mind. Either way the old man was proving to be unable to lead the Remnant effectively. If his resources merely came from the fact he was part of the Banking Clan, another Imperial leader could take out another loan from another Muun. Maybe that was why Snoke hid his appearance as a Human, he didn't want anyone to know how expendable he truly was.
With all of that in mind, he couldn't just allow Natasi Daala be the one to take the Empire's military away from the old husk of a strategist. First of all, she was probably only ten years younger than Snoke meaning she wasn't that far behind him from making the same mistakes Snoke was doing. Planning some elaborate scheme that apparently had so many ways to fail couldn't be a proper method to ruling the Empire. All Operation Warhammer had been good for so far was placating bloodthirsty Moffs. Secondly, Daala had been a huge supporter of keeping the Truce of Bakura the status quo during her tenure as Grand Moff to the Remnant. Couldn't the other Moffs on the Council see she was just as bad as Snoke at getting into a war? Most likely it wasn't really a vote for Daala and more an action against him for trying to humiliate Pryce. They needed a younger leader willing to leverage the entire Imperial Navy against the New Republic now. They needed him in charge to see their ambitions through. What he was considering at this moment was treason, he would only have one shot at this. Yet desperate times call for desperate measures.
However, he owed it to Snoke to give him some of the news to see how he would respond, which was why he made his way down to the communications room once again. "Supreme Leader, I hate to disturb you but I have information I believe should be brought to your attention."
He found it interesting Snoke was wearing his Human 'mask' despite Hux knowing his true face, "You are never a bother my friend. What is it? Has Kylo retrieved the child from the bounty hunters?"
"Not yet, as far as I know Ren is still on his way to Nar Shaddaa from Nirauan. The trip could take several days even in the fastest vessel." Hux decided to choose his next words very carefully, "However, the information I have does concern Ren..and Skywalker."
Snoke pressed his fingers together with an amused expression dancing across his face, "I wondered how long it would take for us to have this conversation. You have my permission to speak freely, although I hope you know I am more familiar with my apprentices than you will ever be."
Armitage knew to expect backlash for daring to call into question the Supreme Leader's judgement. What he hadn't been prepared for was Snoke saying the word apprentices. Plural. Was he talking about the pair that arrived with Ren? One of which died on Tatooine. He had never seen them train together although to be fair he had just started this assignment recently. The possibility though that Snoke had multiple students running around, ones that could come back to haunt him was terrifying. Perhaps Snoke bluffed sensing what Hux ultimately had in mind for him. He couldn't turn back now, doing so just made him seem more suspicious. Surely Snoke could understand how Imperial officers would be put off by the idea that a Solo had access to some of their top intelligence. All he needed to ask for was some clarity.
"My top agent inside the New Republic has reported that Luke Skywalker is aware of your presence...from a source inside our ranks." Hux stopped himself hoping the implication he made had an obvious angle.
Snoke waited for a few seconds as though he anticipated Hux to continue, "Oh...you think Kylo Ren informed Skywalker of my existence. Do you have evidence or are your personal emotions clouding your judgment?"
While he could ask him the same thing in reverse, Armitage thought better of saying that aloud, "The incident on Tatooine, Ren's peculiar actions during the assault on Mos Eisley. It all leads me to believe that Ren tried purposely to avoid acquiring the map to Skywalker."
"I asked for evidence not wild speculation based upon your belief. Furthermore, I seem to recall assigning you to the Tatooine mission with Ren serving in his typical advisory role. If you were not so focused on following Ren across the planet it is possible the map would be in our hands right now." Snoke mused with a calm voice wandering around his estate.
Hux allowed himself to pipe up in anger, "Is it impossible for you to believe a Solo might have alterior motives while taking orders from-"
With a flick of his wrist from across the galaxy Snoke had him floating in the air, "Of course my apprentice has motive to work against me. Even the most loyal of students follow one basic rule: one master and one apprentice; one to embody the power, the other to crave it. As all Sith should very well know. I assure you Ren's antics are not for the Jedi's benefit."
Like everything else, Snoke seemed to think that Kylo's actions were part of some game only the two of them were playing. In his opinion, this rule of two nonsense was not only confusing it also seemed detrimental to their goals. Why compete for power before you actually had it? He may have been blinded by his unlimited resources at one point but now Hux could see him and Kylo for who they really were. Pathetic children crawling all over each other preventing real progress for the Empire. Had Palpatine's and Vader's differences got them here in the first place? Hux knew he could stop the bleeding and bring order to the galaxy, his command of the Finalizer showed that much already. His approach just had to be more subtle, despite his advanced age and other vulnerabilities, Snoke was still holding him high in the air right now. When he eventually went for the kill he had to be sure the first shot was lethal.
Hux clawed at his collar hopelessly wishing that alone would get him released back to solid ground, "I am sorry Supreme Leader for making any assumptions about your students. I will not do so again."
Just like that Snoke gently let go of him and had an almost playful grin on his face, "Your apology is accepted, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Always working in my best interests." Hux started to leave the room only for Snoke to add, "Aren't you forgetting something Admiral?"
"Sir?" Hux asked thinking maybe he could play the useless idiot for a little while longer.
Snoke surprisingly had to be in a good mood to toy with him, "Oh well, I thought you said you received this troubling information, supposedly about Kylo Ren, from a source from inside the New Republic. Did they tell you anything else?"
Unfortunately Hux was never a good Pazzak player so the confusion must have been written all across his face. Snoke wasn't asking a genuine question because he already knew the answer. How did he know Natasi Daala and the rest of the Moff Council was planning a coup against the two of them? He had made his instructions to his spy very clear, only send intel to him so he could forward it to the Supreme Leader. They might have seen the information too vital to Snoke's safety that they blasted the intelligence across all relevant Imperial channels, however, he couldn't see them doing that. Not only did they have an excellent working relationship, screaming coup from the rooftops would give all of the Moffs enough time to run for the nearest escape pod. His informant thought three moves ahead just like he did, meaning Snoke must've tapped his personal terminal. The Muun might have been old, yet he still knew which officers to keep a closer eye on.
Snoke patiently waited for Hux to work everything out and even let him speak, "Right, the business on Kafrene. I didn't think one old woman's attempts to get rid of you deserved your specific attention. I highly doubt the Moffs will give her the light of day, at least not enough of them. And even if she convinces one or two of them, they can never agree on anything. You are safe my Supreme Leader."
"You are right to point out the Moff Council is a pointless body of bureaucrats who cannot get anything meaningful accomplished on their own. What if we were to eliminate them for a more centralized command structure like before the Battle of Endor?" He asked as though it was a genuine query and not an implied suggestion.
It was as though the stars were shining down upon Hux with every word that was coming out of Snoke's mouth. He thought he was going to have a harder time of persuading the Supreme Leader to take control of the Empire like that. After all, the Moff Council served as a way to thwart fighting amongst each other while they searched for a second Emperor. Snoke obviously believed that search was over and he deserved full control of the Remnant. Certainly Hux couldn't abide by an alien running the Empire yet this was an opportunity to advance his own goals while making Snoke believe it was for his benefit. Ending the Moff Council put him a single step away from inheriting the entire Empire if Snoke were to have a tragic accident. Everything kept falling into place for him, his destiny to rule grew closer as the days went by.
Hux pretended to consider it, "We would definitely be able to move ahead with all of your operations far more smoothly without anyone to legitimately oppose your rule. And from the sound of things all of the Moffs, including Natasi Daala will be physically meeting on the Ring of Kafrene. The only obstacle I see is that Crimson Dawn have official control of the ring."
"And?" Snoke demanded before continuing, "I am well aware your Warhammer infiltration team have already suited up as New Republic soldiers in disguise. Tell them to take a detour first. An incident between Dawn and the Republic will serve our interests nicely."
Hux was grinning from ear to ear, "It will be done my Lord."
Snoke's finger hovered over the holo projector for a few seconds until he added, "And have Ren's surviving student travel with your team. You may believe Ren is a spy but I think it is important to test others loyalties..."
The Supreme Leader disappeared just a second too soon for him to voice any objection. As he understood the situation, the girl couldn't remove her helmet without dying. Even though the helmet wasn't exactly officially Imperial, it absolutely had no resemblance to anything the New Republic wore. This fell more like a way to test Kylo's reaction to the move while he was away instead of a legitimate strategy to test her allegiance. At least he might actually be skeptical of him even though he had no intention of showing that outwardly to Hux. The problem was that the consequences of this game were potentially sabotaging an operation that was his idea to begin with. This twisted ball of lies was the perfect example to him on how the rule of two actually hurt the cause they were trying to promote. And like always, he was going to have to be the one to clean up the mess for the future glory of the Empire.
He grabbed his smaller comm unit pacing around the room, "Phasma, we have to have a small change in plans."
"You know I don't like plans changing minutes before launch, what is it this time?" She asked with a moderate amount of frustration edging her voice.
Hux had a mock sympathetic tone not bothering to be someone else around her like he did for the rest of the crew, "I apologize but you are being paid by the hour so you should be thanking me for a larger credit haul. I need you to suit back up in Imperial gear and hit the Ring of Kafrene, then you can make your way back to Warhammer with your New Republic equipment."
Her voice got hotter and he could hear her throw something on the ground with a clatter through the comm, "Why would we do that?! Do you know how many hours we spent replicating Republic gear?"
Hux had to do his best in order to try and calm her down, "And you will still use it! Just not as soon as you thought. Snoke is sending one of Ren's agents with you as a sort of tag along. I think he's testing all of us."
"Because that worked out so well last time." Phasma retorted in clear irritation with what happened on Tatooine.
Hux sighed knowing she had a good argument, they should be doing this by themselves, "Listen, your going to be killing all of the Moffs on Kafrene. All of them. Meaning after Warhammer is over and you return we will be able to assassinate Snoke so we can be the face and leaders of the Empire. It's just a little longer now."
Phasma clearly didn't feel completely convinced, she just knew when she had lost an argument, "You know with her blindness she'll be a liability right? What do you want me to do about that?"
Her blindness hadn't come up in Hux's immediate assessment of the situation because he had just assumed it wouldn't be an issue. If Jedi could jump over tall buildings and read peoples thoughts, he doubted physical injuries weren't much of a problem for them. Saying that though, how many Jedi had serious training for combat blind? His guess was it wasn't among the Jedi training fundamentals and Kylo left in a hurry so he hadn't provided any guidance either. Phasma could have just highlighted an opportunity for them to get rid of a future threat. Kylo probably wasn't just going to lay down and accept Snoke's assassination if they were working on the same side as Snoke thought. So disposing of Kylo's allies had to also be a priority. Hux was finding it very easy to fall into a little complacency since everything continued to be heading in the right direction of him becoming Emperor.
However, just in case he might not have understood what she was saying he had to ask, "What are you suggesting exactly...?"
Phasma had a vague air in her response, "Killing Moffs can be complicated... A lot of blaster bolts flying everywhere. It would be a shame if she was shoved into the path of that."
Hux laughed heartly picturing it now, "A true tragedy, I'll write the after action report right now. And Phasma? There can be no mistakes. We're reaching a critical moment and if just one thing goes wrong..."
"I understand, just wait on your ship while the real men do your work. I'll comm you when it's safe to come to Warhammer." She ended the call leaving him with the confidence everything was going to end the way he had set out.
_o0o_
Dyn had to love a good game of Dejarik with Artoo. Even after some eighteen years now the two of them were still good at predicting the others moves. And both of them still playfully joked that the other had to be cheating. Artoo claimed Dyn had to be using his force abilities to accurately assume what move the droid was going to make. In turn he argued there were mathematically only so many moves an opponent could make at any one time and the droid could calculate all of them in seconds. Both of them would agree not to use their powers only for him to be pretty sure Artoo was cheating. He didn't really mind the silly banter or losing every game because it distracted him. Goran's loss wasn't as painful if you could just ignore the fact that it happened that way. He also had to remember Goran wouldn't want him to mourn until after his ad'ika was safe. The child's rescue deserved his focus right now.
Yarv was sitting next to him watching the latest game while eating a snack, "I think he's got you beat again."
"Maybe have some more faith I know what I'm doing." He teased while setting up a winning move in the next turn if he was lucky.
Artoo made several triumphant beeps as his king piece murdered Dyn's, "Beep eet de ree e beep."
Threepio just had to do the translation, "R2 would like to announce that he has one the game yet again despite your best efforts."
Yarv gave him a teasing smirk glancing right into his own eyes, "Told ya. Artoo has only ever been beaten by Chewie and I think that's just because he's worried about what will happen if he kicks Chewie's rear to the next star system."
Those light green pools were so easy to get lost into even if it was just for a few seconds. Should he feel guilty he was attracted to his friend after just losing his former riduur? Probably although the way he saw things there were several big things helping him get off the hook. The biggest item was that he and Goran had been apart for a year now. That wasn't to say the pain of losing him for good wasn't there, because it was, he just could deal with it more appropriately since he had already been mourning him for a long time. Secondly and this was very important, he had no idea what Yarv got attracted to when it came to romantic partners. Unless he noticed, what was the harm in having some innocent fantasies about the Lasat? All he had to do was ride out this mission together and he could be back on Mandalore alone with his ad'ika.
He was about to say something after realizing he was staring only for Mirta to make him jolt, "Oy, ner vod what is this?! I found it carrying the girl's things off of the Razorcrest since laser brains decided it was a good idea to leave it behind." She was unceremoniously holding the supposed helmet of Mandalore the Ultimate.
Han sounded offended from the cockpit, "Hey that 'girl' has a name you know and she's my daughter. So watch how you talk about her."
Mirta had a flippant reply, "Whatever ruug'la jagyc. Ner vod, what is this buy'ce?"
Han didn't let him answer shouting back, "If you're going to insult me at least do it in basic. I don't know how upset I should really be right now."
Threepio was about to translate but he finally cut in, "I don't know. It might be what you think it is but... there's no way we can tell for sure. It could just be an elaborate fake."
"It doesn't matter if it's fake!" She shouted in excitement only to lower her voice, "It doesn't matter if it's a fabrication as long as it's convincing. Where did you find this?"
Jaina got up from where she was sitting next to Jag to give a helpful response, "I found it in an old Krayt dragon cave on Tatooine. It had a map with it too that I showed to Ben already. We don't know what it means."
"Can I see it?" Mirta asked with a not so subtle hint of desperation in her voice.
Dyn held up a hand to stop Jaina, "Maybe, but after you tell me why a ruug'la buy'ce interests you so much. I know it might be the helmet but, the days of unification are long gone."
Mirta actually glared at him, "I'm interested ori vod because your buir gave up his position as Mandalore for you. That's why we were the only hunters on Nirauan. If this is the real thing, we won't have to deal with a Vizsla in charge forever."
The realization Boba gave up his position as Mandalore to protect him hit hard. He hadn't asked for that, he had been preparing to fight the entire Ordo and Vizsla clans single handedly due to the shame associated with putting your ad'ika in danger. Yet Boba had been willing to give up everything just to hopefully make sure his ad'ika was found safe in Karga's custody. From Mirta's tone he could tell she was upset with the decision, was it out of jealousy? Surely she should know he would've done the same thing for her if their roles were reversed. The more likely explanation was that she knew exactly what the Vizsla's wanted to do with the Mandalorian people and it was everything Boba fought against. Instead of having the personal freedom of each individual clan to decide what kind of oya'karir it wanted to take, the Vizsla's intended to start another crusade against the Republic. They would never have the numbers to win yet he knew what kind of damage they could do before it was over.
"Show her the map Jaina." Dyn said essentially granting Jaina permission to do so.
To his surprise, Yarv and Mirta spoke simultaneously, "Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, Korriban." They stared at each other with Mirta gulping, "Osik, it's real isn't it?"
Dyn's gaze bounced between the two of them, "What's real? What's going on?"
Yarv stood up quickly heading towards the cockpit, "No time, I have to get in contact with Master Katarn. I think we have our lead to the dagger..."
