AN: Hello once again. I promised shenanigans, so here they are (I'll just apologize up top: I'm very sorry)
Also, completely unrelated side note, but I'm glad at least one of y'all caught The Sun reference in the last chapter. I have a merciless number of puns/references/eastereggs hiding in these fics and I'm glad someone saw one.
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Speaking with the moffs hadn't led to the same explosion of infighting as it had the first time, but the meeting hadn't been productive either. General Hux had found a few of the moffs desperately searching for a way to discredit his claims about Kylo Ren, while others instantly became more agreeable whenever he mentioned the other man.
Leaving the meeting, he tried to ignore the lingering resentment that they had all seemed more concerned with the force user who wasn't even there, than they had been about appeasing him.
Smoothing down the sleeves of his coat, Hux looked to Lieutenant Mitaka, "How long it is until my meeting with Emperor Fel?"
Mitaka had been nervously checking the time for quite a while, "Only ten minutes sir."
Unsurprisingly, the moffs had run long. The general cursed them a second time, he had hoped to spare a moment to send an update back to Lori.
"Very well," he said, just before gesturing for the lieutenant to show him the way.
Phasma wordlessly fell behind the two others as they began their way down the hall. It was oddly empty of servants, and the few that they did see spoke to each other in hushed tones. A tension sat in the air, and the further they went the more apparent it became.
They turned a corner, only to see a flurry of movement come from its other end.
Admiral Pellaeon hurried down the hall. Quickly coming to pass them by without so much as a glance.
Odd, Hux thought to himself, he had been so affable yesterday.
Lieutenant Mitaka seemed similarly taken aback.
When Hux noticed the change in the younger man's features, he asked, "Have you something to say, lieutenant?"
He paused for a moment, before answering, "Yes, sir. Admiral Pellaeon requested to speak with you, but now must not be a good time."
Depending on what Fel has to say, the admiral might not get another chance.
"Very well," the general said instead, "He can come find us later, if it's so important to him."
"Yes, sir." Mitaka gave a simple acknowledgement.
Hardly a moment later, they made a final turn down the main corridor of the palace. Tall and wide, it was made of brown stone and held up by the occasional ornately carved pillar. Hux was sure that some architect would be very impressed, but he was more concerned with the few guards that milled about.
Emperor Fel is either very confident, or very foolish. Hux thought as he counted no more than four palace guards in the main hall.
Sure that there must be more hiding in the wings, Hux peered around the room as the group came to stop just before a tall set of stone doors that lead to the throne room.
There were of the old style, held up on archaic hinges so that they had to be opened and closed by hand. When they were creaked open by two robed guards, they revealed a long, elliptical room.
At the far side of it was a raised dais, on top of which sat a high-backed throne. Brown and gray stone made up the bulk of the room, with occasional purple banners streaking the walls. In the ceiling was set a lattice made up of tinted and stained transparasteel. Its pieces formed something reminiscent of the old empire's seal.
Hux could respect the flare for the dramatic, even if it was hopelessly outdated.
More concerning to the general was the duo on the far side of the room. Emperor Fel lounged on his throne. A few years older than Hux, he had a heavy scar sat above his right eye, and ran vertically up from there until it disappeared at his hair line. At the top of the scar was a white steak in an otherwise dark expanse of hair.
Beside the man stood a familiar face.
Representative Sol leaned nonchalantly against the high back of the throne.
"Punctual as always, general," she called out.
"I was under the impression that this would be a private meeting." He spoke with the same careful clip to his words that he used when speaking to Snoke.
The man in the chair let out a good-natured laugh that immediately put the general on guard, "As private as it can be when I'm talking to a man, his aid, and their personal security."
From the corner of his eye, Hux saw Phasma's stance go slightly rigid. He would have said something for it, but he was distracted by a quick twist of motion flickering past the skylight. The general just had enough time to make the commotion out to be a handful of TIEs careening past the palace. Although idly impressed by how much sound the building blocked out, he turned back to the conversation at hand
"My apologies, your majesty," the general began, trying to salvage the situation by being as formal as he knew how.
"None needed," the emperor replied with a relaxed wave of the hand, "I would spend more time on pleasantries, but I think we've both studied up on each other to skip them over."
Hiding how taken aback he was by Fel's almost good-humored admission of having spied on him, Hux considered his options. Fel clearly knew that Hux had also developed a file on him. It was an easily guessable fact, but Hux hadn't thought that the emperor would mention it so casually. In his experience, to do such a thing would be opening oneself up to attacks and accusations from others.
"If I've heard right," Fel continued on, his pleasant expression hardening slightly, "then you think my empire should fall in line under yours."
After the initial shock from Fel's initial demeanor, Hux found his bearings. Thinking the admission followed by a blunt accusation had been a clever plan to goad him into replying recklessly, he carefully considered his response, "On the contrary, your majesty, my stance is much more nuanced than that. I believe that an alliance between your empire and the First Order may prove to be mutually beneficial."
Fel let out a quick laugh under his breath, "Well, you get a few points from a response like that. Tell me, general, what mutual benefits do you think you're going to gain by goading my moffs into a civil war?"
Hux hesitated for a second, thinking of some way to twist the situation to his benefit.
Should I say that the First Order would help quell the rebellious moffs? No, that wouldn't work. They're rebelling in the First Order's favor to begin with.
In the time it took for Hux to consider his next comment, a servant entered from some well-hidden hall that lead to the far side of the room. Emperor Fel beckoned them over, much to Hux's chagrin. They spoke in hushed tones for a moment before the servant scampered off again.
"Sorry for the interruption. Where were we?" He wondered aloud before going on, "Oh, right. You were telling me why it would be a good idea to let some potential war mongers sit on my council."
The hint of good nature in Fel's voice was gone, and Hux was left to wish that he had Lori at his side rather than Mitaka or Phasma.
In the small pause, Hux saw Representative Sol go stiff at something. Suddenly she turned to grab at the emperor. In the split second that the action took Phasma reached for her blaster, ready for an ambush.
When the ceiling came down, none of the First Order officers were prepared.
Heavy stone rained down, pulling clouds of fine dust after it. Shattered transparasteel followed as glistening shards. Some large enough to impale a man where he stood, while others were simply content to leave a hundred tiny wounds on the exposed skin of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in their shadow.
Hux tried barking an order to Phasma, or to Mitaka, or to anyone that might still be near him.
But he found himself short of breath, and staring at the freshly revealed sky. A pile of rubble sat over his hips and legs. Dust coated his face and clothes, and when he forced an arm up to wipe some of the dirt from his eyes, it came away streaked in fresh blood.
TIEs screamed overhead, weaving in and out of sizzling blaster fire. Towers fell with thunderous claps and pilots met their end in bone shaking explosions. The world had fallen into little more than chaos, little more than the steady wailing of an air-raid siren that had failed to warn the palace.
Spurred on by the sight of bright blood on his hand, Hux kicked at the rock and tried to claw his way free. Somehow finding the breath to shout, he didn't hear his own words over the high pitch ringing in his ears
He had to go. Mission be damned, he needed to flee to the outskirts of the city. He knew the way back to Lori's apartment, and there wasn't a single thing that mattered more than getting there and then getting them off the planet.
The wound at the side of his head began to throb, a glaring distraction for the frantic thoughts racing through the general's mind.
Before he found control of his thoughts, another heavy blow cracked against the palace walls. A second wave of battered stone fell flew from the side of the room and crashed against the pile on the throne room floor. A small rock slide came from the commotion. Beneath the heap came a snap and a bolt of fire-like pain from Hux's leg.
The falling stone ground against him and battered his shin before tumbling to the side. Shaking in pain and terror he clawed desperately at the ground. For a split second, a gap in the stone passed over his pinned leg and he just barely managed to scramble free. Breathing heavily, Hux scraped himself off the floor. When his injured leg buckling beneath his weight, he put a hand out to catch himself as he fell against the pile. It landed against a section of stone made nearly molten by blaster fire.
Flinching away and fighting the urge to clutch at the searing wound on his hand, he tried hopelessly crossing the floor on a fractured leg.
He had to leave. Had to hurry. Adrenaline rushing due to the wounds, and the explosions, and the burning fear he held for Lori and Ardis, he forced himself onward.
When he found himself laying on the floor instead of making any progress, he tried in vain to force himself up once again.
While he did, a figure came up through the lingering dust. Staggering uncertainly through the haze, Lieutenant Mitaka called out to the general.
Hux had worked himself into a crouch when the lieutenant dipped down to help him the rest of the way. The younger man's mouth moved, as if he were saying something, but Hux heard none of it through the insistent whine that rang in his ears.
They managed to make it a few more steps to the edge of the throne room when the world shook once more. Mitaka saw something, his eyes going wide just before ducking.
The general never got the chance to follow suit. A heavy blow landed at the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.
.***.***.***.***.
A sharp sound jolted Lori out of a light sleep. She had been dozing off, with Ardis curled into a comfortable resting place on her chest.
The warbling that cut through her front door combined with the afternoon sun to make a harsh wake up call. Even worse was that they gave Ardis a reason to wake up and add her own shrill crying to the cacophony. The rude wake up left Lori wishing that she could simply cover her ears and roll to the side.
Wishing that Ardis and the noise outside had an off switch, Lori forced herself from the couch, carful to hold Ardis in the upright position that she seemed to prefer. Lori just barely managed to tiredly stagger to her feet and take a confused step towards the living room window.
There wasn't a parade planned for today, and Lori knew that Bastion wasn't the sort of place to hold impromptu festivals. The blaring sound had been going on for far too long to be some sort of traffic dispute.
Blinking away the last of her nap, Lori gently tapped Ardis on the back and tried in vain to calm her, "Shhh… Shush now. You're ok. It's alright." While she muttered to Ardis, Lori got a clear view of the scene outside of the apartment.
The street was nearly empty. A lone couple abandoned a speeder in the center of the road before running to the indoor market across the street.
Before she had time to wonder, the building shook and the wailing siren was hidden beneath the scream of a TIE fighter passing over head.
Ducking involuntarily at the sound, Lori quickly realized that the alarm was meant to be an air raid siren. As if to confirm her suspicions, a second TIE careened into view and opened fire on the first.
Working off of reflex, she turned away from the window. The afternoon light grew brighter for a moment, before turning dim and uneven. A quick glance out the window found burning debris and a heavy black smoke wafting up from a series of ruined buildings less than a block away.
An attack.
Spurred on, she raced for the data pad that lay undisturbed on the kitchen table. When a glance found it empty of any messages, Lori unceremoniously tossed it into the go-bag that sat by the front door.
Ardis continued to scream while Lori put her into the hovercrib. Instantly wishing that the infant was back in her arms, Lori tossed the bag over her shoulder. The hovercrib had a retractable visor. It was meant to keep away the sun or slight rain, but it would be better than nothing against falling debris.
Lori reached of the control panel to open the door. She hesitated for a second.
Armitage was at the palace. She hadn't made out any noticeable features of the TIEs that had been screaming overhead. Had a civil war kicked off already? If it had, a rebellious squadron of TIEs was one hell of an opening move.
But then, wouldn't Armitage have sent a message warning her?
What if-
She forced thought to a clattering stop. Worrying about him being caught up by the Fels in some way wasn't going to help him now, and it wasn't going to get them out of the crossfire.
Crushing down the persistent fears for his safety, she opened the door. A quick skim of the sky showed her a dog fight several miles away, occasionally flitting over the palace. Knowing better, but still hoping that the pilots would be drawn away from the capital building, she hurried down the stairs and to the street below.
The hovercrib followed closely behind. Ardis' cries from within seemed to grow even louder. Lori moved on, wishing that she had the breath to spare on a reassuring comment.
Adrenaline sent blood rushing through her ears. Spurred on by it, she turned to make a final run for the speeder that had been abandoned only seconds ago. As she did, she caught a glimpse of the sky behind her apartment.
It was gray.
The afternoon sky was gone, hidden behind the hull of a massive ship that stretched for miles into the horizon. A terrible thing, shaped like a dagger that promised to tear the world asunder, it spat dark clouds of TIE fighters into the air.
For a brief second, Lori stopped in her tracks.
This wasn't rebellion.
It was an invasion.
Now wasn't the time for caution. If it came into range, that ship could turn the city into a sheet of glass in less than a minute.
Terror clawing at her, Lori raced for the speeder that sat in the center of the road. The hovercrib stayed close to her side, only coming to a stop when Lori deactivated it with a quick gesture that left it laying in the passenger seat.
The speeder was still on. Lori hoped that the tiny sliver of luck was a sign. It had been far too long since she had to hotwire a speeder, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to revive the old skill now.
Dust kicked up in the speeder's wake as Lori shot down the freshly abandoned city streets.
She only had a second to make up her mind. The palace sat in view, twice as far away from her as the landing zone was. She doubted that she could get there and then off-world before the ship above fired.
A T-intersection that would require a decision grew closer by the second.
Ardis cried in the covered crib. Wind whipped through Lori's hair. Air-raid sirens and the occasional explosion punctuated her thoughts, but Lori found that she couldn't shake her mind from a single decision.
I have to find Armitage. He wouldn't leave us-
Just as she made her mind up, a fresh batch of TIEs strafed the city. Shots rained wild through the tall buildings. Hidden blaster turrets ripped hostile ships out of the sky and sent pilots to their fiery doom. Most of the debris fell far from the small city streets that Lori sped down.
What wasn't spared, was the palace.
A TIE came down at a steep descent over the capital building. Blasting through defending ships, it let loose a salvo of neon green blaster fire. The sizzling hot plasma beams crashed into the palace roof.
Breath caught, and heart gripped from the display, Lori brought the speeder to a skittering halt.
Even from miles away, she felt the earth shake as the main citadel crumbled inwards. Plumes of gray and brown stone dust wafted up from the disaster, only to be cut thought by speeding fighters, and eventually twisted away by the howling winds.
He's not in there. He can't be in there. He couldn't be. He had to know about this, he had to know that we would run. He had to-
A fresh wave of TIEs cut Lori's thoughts short. Ducking against the dust and debris that they kicked up behind them, Lori moved the speeder once again. This time twisting around to take Ardis and herself to the ship yards, she tried to ignore the sensation of her guts turning as heavy as mud.
Fighting down a wave of nausea conjured by the fear she refused to acknowledge, Lori was slow to respond to a collapsing building. A second too late she jerked the wheel to the side.
Thrown by the sudden shift in direction, she tumbled out of the speeder that had spun to a stop mere inches away from the stony debris. The duracrete was hard, and hot, and caused a loud pop to sound from the arm that Lori landed on. Trying her best to ignore the blossoming pain from her dislocated shoulder, Lori crawled over the ground before forcing herself to her feet.
Fresh beads of panic coming in unrelenting waves, she desperately searched the speeder for the hover crib. She found it still resting in the passenger seat. Heart thundering out of terror, a moment went by where she heard nothing from inside the pod.
"No. Nononono."
Frantic hands tore away dust and ash that coated the plastasteel cover. Arm screaming in pain, blood oozing from road rash that had torn through her shirt and skin, she slammed her hand against the side of the pod.
Sputtering and occasionally stopping, the hood retracted.
Ardis twisted and screamed, angered and terrified, but alive.
Lori crumbled, relief breaking over her like a thunder wave.
Before Lori had a moment to catch her breath, a fresh rain of blaster fire crashed into the city streets. In a split second she found herself huddled over the exposed crib. Hot shards of duracrete and steel rained over her back, but she dared not move until they had fallen from the air.
Lori looked up. Filled with soot, and choked by rubble, the roads were useless now. The speeder had seen them most of the way there, and there could only be a block between her and the landing pad.
Closing the hovercribs hood and then picking up the no longer functional machine, she hoped that her ship was still in once piece. If the Tolera were little more than scrap, then she would happily steal a different one.
With one arm dangling uselessly to one side, and the other clutching the only thing left to protect Ardis from the destruction, Lori went off in the closest thing to a run that she could manage.
She didn't look up.
Death could come as a stray shot from a TIE. Or as a building collapsing through the haze. Or as a burning heap of scrap shot down from the heavens. Or from the dagger shaped ship that loomed beyond the haze.
It could come from anywhere.