The room shook and rattled General Hux out of his stupor. Immediately groaning and clutching his throbbing head, the general hadn't the wherewithal to take in his surroundings.
What he could make out was a voice. Seemingly distant through the rushing sound of blood that roared in his ears, but in reality quite close.
Lieutenant Mitaka stood above the general, leaning over the bench in the Upsilon shuttles passenger compartment that Phasma had laid the unconscious man on, "Sir! Sir…? Captain, I think he's waking up."
Thoughts began bursting through Hux's mind one at a time, made slow by the still fresh blow to the head, "…Ugh. L-lor…?"
"S-sit down, sir." Mitaka held out a hand against Hux, who had uncoordinatedly tried sitting up.
More scared to touch the general than he was to give the ghost of an order, the lieutenant took a meek step back. Hux ultimately failed at his attempt, and instead lamely rested against the bench as he slowly came around to the situation.
"Where-" he began with a hoarse voice before switching to an order. "Status report."
Mitaka wasn't sure how to begin. Their escape from the palace had been a mess. The Alignments blockade of Bastion had nearly been their death. Never mind that any hope of diplomacy with the Fels was gone. The hermit empire might be dust for all the lieutenant had seen.
"Lieutenant. Report!" The general pressed, having finally begun to brush away the persistent ache in his head. Mitaka's stalling did nothing to reassure him, and the dawning reality of being aboard a ship drove him to the worst possible conclusions.
"S-sir." Mitaka finally spoke, "There w-was an attack on the palace. Alignment forces o-organized a preemptive strike."
"What of the city?" Hux tried to sit up again. His vision of the compartment and Mitaka both swelling and distorting in waves as he did.
The lieutenant moved back, narrowly avoiding the generals flailing arms and trying his best to stay composed, "The pa-palace was destroyed, sir."
"The city, lieutenant! What of the city?!" Hux swayed, his head tapping against the wall and letting lose a fresh wave of nausea.
Mitaka had never suffered the full brunt of the general's legendary temper, and as keen as he was on avoiding it now, he hadn't an answer. "I-I don't-"
Hux wasn't concerned with I-don't-knows. Staggering to his feet, he lurched forward when his injured leg threatened to crumble beneath him. Narrowly avoiding a collision with the lieutenant, he fought the urge to vomit from the sharp pain blooming from the back of his skull. From all the nagging injuries, he was left to sway on his way to the pilot's compartment.
He was only a step short of the door when it slid to the side.
Captain Phasma stood in the doorframe. Despite the missing helmet and scuffed armor, she stood with an unshakeable air. Beyond her was the cockpit. The pilot sat keenly in his station, eyes skimming the control panel for any hint that the ship might have been damaged during their escape.
The general barely registered either of them. The white-blue glow of hyperspace beyond the viewport was his main concern.
"Turn the ship around." Hux had meant to shout, but he found himself short of breath.
Phasma moved forward until there was only a mere inch between her and Hux. It left just enough room for the door to slide back shut behind her.
"That was an order!" The general managed to raise his voice once again.
The trooper looked down at the general. Phasma was sure she had seen him more brutally injured than this, yet he wasn't even bothering to stand up straight. Dried and flaked over blood ran from a head wound just above his left temple, and he had made no attempt to wipe it away. Adding to that was the fact that he was still partially coated by dust from the palace's destruction. The general that she knew would have awoken only to immediately begin cleaning himself and correcting his uniform.
Mitaka approached the two others, clutching a med kit, "S-sir. Please, sit. You'll reopen your head wo-"
He stopped as the general tried to face him. The movement proved too much, causing Hux to sway and nearly fall to the ground. He was only kept from collapsing into a heap by Phasma's catching him.
She was met with no real resistance as she lifted Hux back to standing and half dragged him back to the bench.
The room still swirled around the general. The garish lights stabbed into his eyes, while the normally reassuring hum of a hyperspace drive did nothing but remind him that he grew further away from his family with each passing second. He would have cradled his head in his hands, or stood up to do something –anything– that might right the wrong, but Hux found that his body wouldn't listen.
Exhausted and terrified, Hux tried speaking. He only just managed to make it above a whisper, "Captain. Report."
Phasma wasn't as easily flustered as the lieutenant. She spoke with a practiced monotone, "Forces from the Pentastar Alignment launched a preemptive strike on Bastion. Casualties unknown. The Alignment fielded a single Executor-class dreadnaught, as well as at least two Imperial I-class Star Destroyers. TIE compliment, unknown."
On any other day, for any other battle, he would have had a harsh comment about the lack of details. But today he wasn't concerned with who fielded what, with the tactics, with the hundred tiny details that would tell him which set of strategies would see a victory.
For the first time, he was concerned with the collateral damage.
"The planet's surface," he huffed out, "what remains of the city?"
It wasn't lost on the captain that General Hux had never before worried about the civilians that might be caught in the cross fire. Perhaps there was some other hidden tactical property about the city that he hadn't told her of.
Or maybe he was concerned for whoever he had been sneaking out to visit.
Mitaka took a seat next to the general and pawed through the medkit, eventually coming to the canister of bacta spray he had been searching for. Hux would have brushed the other man away, but he only really registered the lieutenant's presence after he began spraying the bacta over the remains of his head wound.
Realizing that it wouldn't be long before the general was back to his old self, Phasma spoke, "The palace and surrounding city blocks sustained heavy damage, the status of the planet at large is unknown."
She watched something twist along the generals features. The familiar sight of anger and annoyance meant nothing to her, but there was some other emotion. She almost thought she saw the shadow of fear pass over the general, but it was quickly hidden by Hux rubbing a hand across his tired eyes.
The medication was fast acting, but it didn't shake the soreness from the general's limbs, nor did it solve the burn on his hand, or the freshly blossoming bruises along his ribs. Biting his tongue, Hux considered his options.
At the very least, Snoke would demand a report over this failure. Hux could worry about his reputation later, he had Lori and Ardis to think about now.
Assuming they aren't- He stopped himself. They're alive. They have to be alive.
Aware of the lump that sat in his throat and the sting in his eyes, Hux clung onto a shred of hope.
"Contact Captain Canady," He began, already stitching together a plan that might salvage the situation, "He's to claim Bastion, and then push eastward through the rest of the Fels and the Alignment. No orbital bombardments, and absolutely no attacking civilians."
Even Mitaka heard how strange the general's orders where, "Sir?"
Hux knew he was acting bizarre by their accounts, but he couldn't begin a three-way war that might catch his family in the crosshairs. He came up with a convenient lie instead, "If we appear as liberators to the Fels, then they are less likely to rebel and more likely to join our ranks against the New Republic. Liberators typically don't fire on civilians."
The captain wished she was still wearing her helmet. The First Order were conquerors, not liberators. She saw it as foolish to pretend otherwise.
Mitaka was much quicker to accept the explanation, "Brilliant plan, Sir!"
Before his subordinates commented further, the general spoke again "Now fetch me my data pad."
Phasma didn't move while the lieutenant scampered to the other side of the compartment. She knew that the data pad couldn't be outfitted with a long range communication array. If he were trying to send a message ahead to the Finalizer, he would have to use the one installed on the Upsilon, or have the pilot drop out of hyperspace.
Of course, she thought, he might not be signaling the Finalizer at all.
She hadn't the chance to speak on her concerns before Mitaka returned with the battered machine.
Hux grimaced at its cracked surface, and for a moment he was worried that it wouldn't turn on at all. It did, but his heart was left to sink a second time when there were no messages waiting for him.
That proves nothing. He thought, trying to convince himself that the message simply hadn't caught up due to their being at light speed.
As if to contradict his thought, the Upsilon shuttle shuddered once more, signaling a drop from hyperspace. The movement was enough for Hux to put a hand down to keep from falling over.
The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom., "Incoming transmission from the Finalizer."
For the second time, Hux pushed himself to standing. Mitaka nearly offered a hand to help, but was stopped by a pointed look from Phasma. Hux wouldn't have accepted the offer, regardless. His ego wasn't quite as badly bruised as the rest of him, and he intended to keep it that way.
Stiffly making his way to the cockpit, the general tried to hold onto some dignity when he slumped down in the copilot's seat. The pilot didn't interrupt him when he toggled the holoprojector on.
A blue tinged hologram of Captain Faro snapped into existence. The sight of her simultaneously relieved, and annoyed the general. Ren should be at the helm of the ship. If not because it was literally his job, than because the generals return should be important enough to warrant the other commander's attention. Still, not being face to mask with Vader's heir did leave Hux with one less problem.
"General Hux," the translucent figure bowed slightly. He could only imagine the rest of the bridge crew sitting just outside the holoprojector's receiver. Any slip he made now would no doubt be the subject of gossip and rumor for weeks to come.
"Captain Faro." He kept his back straight and didn't acknowledge his disheveled state, "I see Ren has abandoned his station."
Faro had served on the Finalizer long enough to know not to goad either commander into complaining about the other. Instead of trying to explain away Ren's absence, she simply talked on as if the comment hadn't been made, "Sir. We've begun preparations for a jump to lightspeed. Landing bay four has been cleared for your arrival."
A sour look twisted Hux's features. He'd been very clear that the Finalizer was to remain in position until he returned. To come back to them preparing for a jump was no less than insubordination. He only had one guess as to who was behind the change, "I don't care what Ren has ordered, remain in this sector. I will resume command upon landing."
The captain shifted nervously.
"Do you have a rebuttal, Captain?" Even he heard the venom on his words. The familiar ire at his subordinates did something to ground him back to reality.
Faro made an effort to still herself before replying, "Sir. Supreme Leader Snoke himself issued our relocation order."
A dozen angered thoughts vied for attention over the aches and the persistent fears for Lori and Ardis.
"Explain." He finally hissed out.
The Upsilon moved for the landing bay while Captain Faro gave a shortened account, "After receiving word on the location of objective MTLS-2, Kylo Ren reported to Supreme Leader Snoke, who then issued our movement orders."
The map to Luke Skywalker. When the FOSB had found their target and how they had tied the hutt to the map, was lost on him. He didn't much care to find out how the mishap had happened, as he was too busy thinking of all the ways it might doom the First Order.
When he hesitated in his response, the captain went on, "Our course is set to Jakku, Sir. Launch procedures are complete. We will jump upon your landing."
Bad news upon bad news, that last sentence left General Hux to stiffen in his seat.
Jakku.
That dreadful, dusty corner of the galaxy. That no-named sphere of sand and unrelenting heat. That pathetic planet at the edge of the inner rim that only served as a wretched hold out for scavengers and desperate souls.
Jakku, where the Empire officially fell. Jakku, where Brendol had found someone he actually cared to call son. Jakku, where some zealot hid his map that would lead to the First Order's doom.
Jakku, that was fifteen thousand parsecs away from Lori and Ardis' last known whereabouts.
He didn't reply before snapping the holoprojector off. The Upsilon settled into the hanger bay floor at the same time, its heavy blast doors sliding shut behind the smaller ship.
The door to the cockpit had been open during the exchange. Phasma stood in the walkway, with Mitaka having curiously listened in from behind her.
Hux's leg was killing him, his hand was blistered, and it hurt to breathe from under bruised ribs.
But he had work to do, and a reputation to maintain. If he failed at either, he wouldn't be in any position to launch a rescue effort for Lori and Ardis.
"Lieutenant," he called.
Mitaka stiffened, "Yes, sir?"
"Relay my previous message to Captain Canady. Then begin a file on the new front. I'll take daily reports, no later than 0700," he spoke while slowly coming to standing. When it became apparent that the lieutenant was waiting for something more, Hux told him to leave with a stern, "You're dismissed."
Quickly doing an about-face, Mitaka hurried out of the shuttle.
After Hux had taken his first stiff step, he addressed Phasma, "Draft a summary of our mission. Have it to me by the end of the shift."
Phasma wouldn't admit it, but she was surprised that he asked for help in summarizing the mission. Normally he would have insisted that no one but himself would do a satisfactory job. Noting that oddity to be one among many, she gave a simple acknowledgment before turning to leave.
When he didn't give some sharp comment at her leaving without being dismissed, Phasma was left with no doubt that the general wasn't the same man that she had come to know.
Completely ignoring the pilot, Hux left the shuttle as well.
He had never made a habit of visiting the med-bay, but he was certain he'd fractured something. Beyond that, he knew that the next few days would continue to test him. He'd already been pushed far past the edge, and even he knew that the sense of control he clung to was an illusion.
Lori and Ardis were out there. Somewhere. On Bastion, trapped under a planet-wide siege. Or perhaps fled into a war zone, dodging hostile TIEs and capital ships.
Or maybe they never got the chance to do either of those things, The general crushed the worries from his mind, They're alive. They have to be.
He slowly made for the med-bay, staring daggers at anyone who gave him a questioning or frightened look in the hall.
They have to be alive.
.***.***.***.***.
Lieutenant Mitaka had been madly scrambling around for the last hour, but he had relayed the general's message to Captain Canady. At first he was surprised that anyone had listened to a lowly lieutenant such as him, but it turned out that acting in General Hux's stead was a good way to make any officer, junior or senior, listen to what he had to say.
With that job done, Mitaka made his way to a mess hall. He had only suffered minor injuries from the palace collapse, and his stomach vied for more attention than the few shallow cuts he had suffered from raining transparasteel.
It was only after he collected a tray of food that he noticed one of the other junior officers lingering nearby.
Lieutenant Quin Grier sat at the bench towards the far end of the table. He had spoken to Quin on a few occasions, she had always been kind and unassuming. After it became obvious that she had been spotted, she resigned herself to scooting to sit across from Mitaka.
His guard immediately shot up. A few of the other personnel had been badgering him for details about his recent outing. Mitaka knew that spreading gossip was the fastest way to be placed on a suicide mission, doubly so when it was about a failed mission. Triply so when his own bungling might have added to the failure. It wasn't lost on Mitaka that the Alignment only knew to attack after a newspaper mentioned the First Order's intervention on Bastion.
"I'm not going to talk about the mission," He blurted.
Caught off guard by the sudden and stern dismissal, Quin blinked a few times before timidly asking, "Are you ok?"
Immediately feeling bad for being so defensive, Mitaka let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "I-I'm fine. The cuts are very shallow."
She nodded slightly, a second question bubbling just below the surface. Dopheld was clearly distressed about something, and even if he was only a passing acquaintance she was still concerned that he had returned covered in wounds.
"Do…" she was trying and failing to think of a question that wouldn't be too intrusive, "Did something go wrong?"
He wasn't going to talk about the details, but he did appreciate the concern, "Put lightly, yes."
"Put less lightly?"
Taking some comfort in her expression, Mitaka tried to hold onto the conversation, "It was an absolute disaster."
She gave him a sympathetic look. It was a well-known fact that working as Hux's aid was a precarious position, but it rarely ended in bodily harm. It did, however, often end in being sent off to some no-name position. To Quins mind especially, the general had a habit of disappearing anyone that came near him.
Mitaka watched Quins expression flicker. Sympathy turning to concern for a brief moment.
It was his turn to wonder, "Are you alright?"
Suddenly aware that her face betrayed more of her thoughts than she realized, "Oh? I…" She knew it was a longshot, but neither she nor Vanya had heard anything in months. For a brief moment Vanya had even been adamant that Hux's sudden interest in that other imperial remnant had to do with Lori's departure, "It's probably a dumb question, but was there anyone there? One of us? A major?
Her question struck him as impenetrably odd, for a moment he worried that she were trying to goad him into saying something he shouldn't. He spared a glance to the mess hall around them. Only after he was sure no one was listening did he answer Quin, "No? Should there have been?"
"No!" She nervously answered back, louder than she had meant to, "Just curious, never mind."
He hadn't been suspicious of anything in particular, before her sudden dismissal "Are you su-"
Quin abruptly stood from the table, face reddening from the slip, "Sorry I asked. Thanks for talking, good bye!"
Before Mitaka had a chance to respond to the commotion, Quin had stumbled way from the bench and was conspicuously rushing from the room.
Blinking in confusion, Mitaka just barely noticed a few snickers come from the table behind him. Glaring over his shoulder at a handful of other junior officers, he didn't bother speaking to them.
Instead he turned back to his untouched and now cold meal.
The general had been sneaking out. Could it have been to visit this mystery person that Quin had been asking after? Mitaka decided that Lieutenant Grier might know more than she should. And against his better judgment, he was tempted to find out what it was.
.***.***.***.***.
A series of x-rays had found two broken ribs and a hairline fracture in the general's left leg. Combined with the head trauma and second degree burns on his hand, the medical officer on duty hadn't let Hux leave before he had spent an hour in a bacta tank.
The general only had his ruined uniform to change back into once he'd left. Able to breathe deeply and move without nearly passing out, he made the walk back to his quarters as quick as he could.
Ingrained motions had him changed into a fresh uniform in a short moment. He hadn't a minute to spare, but he did have pressing matters that could only be addressed in private.
He reached into the interior pocket of his ruined tunic, now little more than tatters that sat at the edge of his bed. When he retrieved it, the holodisk was battered and cracked in some places. Stomach sinking, he tried powering it on. For a moment, nothing happened. Frantically clicking the activation button, Hux was only a second from throwing the thing across the room in a fit when it finally sputtered on.
The hologram was of low quality to begin with. Now it was dim to the point of ghostliness, heavy lines cut through the image before running to the edge of the projection and fizzling out. Lori's features had gone out of focus completely, and Ardis' face was barely identifiable from the blurred blanket.
Looking at the near broken thing, Armitage felt more alone -more useless- than he had in years.
His family was broken, lost, or possibly worse, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.
Alone in the room, his fear and terror quickly turned to anger. And then to rage. And then back down to a cold determination.
He clicked off the tattered holodisk. It slid easily into the pocket of the clean uniform he was wearing. A quick look in the mirror found his face free from bruises or blood, the dunk in the bacta tank having done its job.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he left the bedroom and made for his private office upstairs. Apprehension rising, he checked his ruined data pad.
Nothing.
It couldn't have been more than a day, but radio silence had taken its toll on the general.
The battered datapad that sat on his desk offered no hints, its fractured surface blank and good for nothing besides reflecting Hux's worries back at him. With nothing left to glean from the datapad, he was left to agitatedly check through his computer.
Mitaka had sent in his first report: Canady and his task force had been dispatched to the newly opened war zone.
Scoffing at the lack of detailed, he closed the report and turned elsewhere. Hux entered Lori as missing in action in the First Order's data base. There were already thousands of names on the list, but if she ran into Canady and his forces then she would be welcomed back, rather than arrested for desertion.
Leaving the closed system, he went to a near forgotten corner of the holonet. A short while later, and he had put a bounty out for Lori. As anonymously as he could have, of course. What she was wanted for wasn't clearly stated, but the reward was handsome. More importantly, it would only be paid out if she were returned alive and unharmed.
He doubted that she had even seen the messages he'd been sending. She would have replied if she had.
But, they were some tiny thing he could do to make it feel like he could still reach out. And -he worried and hoped at the same time- there was the chance that she might somehow be able to read his messages but might not be in a place to reply.
This one was short:
"I'm looking for you."
Aware that anyone might be reading these messages now, he kept himself from adding any more information.
Heavy with the fear that he may never hear from her again, the general took to old habits. Closing down the computer and stiffly correcting his uniform gave the illusion that he was in control of something. It was pitiful, and as he left the room, he bit down bitter comments about how pathetic he had become.
Consumed by thought, he left his quarters.
Lost. Injured. Captured in battle. He didn't let himself consider what other fate might have befallen Lori and Ardis.
A contingent of Stormtroopers passed him in the hall. What were they, other than tools to be used in his conquest? What were people, or ships, or even his grand military strategy? What did he care for any of it? They hadn't done him any good to protect what was his.
They hadn't done any good because he hadn't used them.
He'd gotten too clever for his own good, too reliant on diplomacy when he should have used a fleet of Star Destroyers.
Deep in his thoughts, the general came to the bridge. Searing blue-white light cut through the shaded view ports. Crew members huddled over their stations, making a point to work even more diligently as the general stepped over the officers walk above them. Even Ren stood at the far end of the room, focused on his own dread laden thoughts.
The general stopped even with his co-commander. Kylo Ren shifted his stance at the curious anger that rolled off the other man.
Hux didn't try to hide a scoff as he gazed out of the viewport. Speeding towards an objective that didn't matter, on a planet that he might blast out of the galaxy on principle alone. It was a horrendous waste of time and military resources.
Military resources that hadn't mattered, because he had been slow to use them.
Hux looked to the burning light of hyperspace. He would find them. Lori and Ardis were coming back to the Finalizer, everyone else be damned. Not a single planet in the galaxy was safe, and it would stay that way until he ruled over each and every one with an iron fist.