Chapter 8 - Collision Course
Sometimes it's possible for a decision to be right and wrong at the same time.
Anakin Skywalker
Dopheld Mitaka stared at his datapad with unfocused eyes, reading the same paragraph again for at least the tenth time without really seeing it.
The last few days had been some of the most miserable in his life. Since the evening Opan had told him, what he had found out about Elodia Brentiss' past, he had been caught up in his own thoughts, barely able to work.
The sound of heeled shoes in the corridor made him tense up. He should have known that she would not let this rest; after all, he had stopped speaking with her from one day to the other without any real explanation.
As expected, the Zi'daya aide entered his room, clad smartly in a blue skirt and a white blouse, her black locks brushing her shoulders and her dark eyes grave. "Dopheld," she greeted him. "Have you suddenly forgotten I exist or" her pretty features hardened. "is your Informations officer actually as good, as he says?"
Clearly, Elodia was too intelligent to not piece together, what had happened on her own.
"So it's true, then?" Icy cold settled in his stomach. Some part of him it seemed, had still hoped that Opan might have made some kind of mistake. That was probably, why he had not gone to confront her himself, it had allowed him to cling to the illusion a while longer. "Are you really a criminal? Some kind of assassin?"
"Were," her expressive eyes closed for a moment and she sighed. "I had hoped I could leave that part of my past behind me."
The Lieutenant stared at her incredulously. "Leave behind that you killed people for a living? All for some crime cartel? How could you? Was it for the money? How many were there even…"
"So I guess Opan is not so good after all," she stepped closer to him, her eyes intense. "No, not for money. And for the number…more than a hundred, but not so much more." Elodia's voice turned pleading. "But that all happened long ago. That is not, who I am anymore."
"Stars," Dopheld had to get up, too agitated to remain seated, desperation tinging his own voice. "I feel like I don't even know you. You just admitted to killing countless people."
Something flashed in her eyes then. Something cold and angry. "Oh, and how is that any different to what the First Order does? I never held any of those crimes against you. I didn't take you for a hypocrite."
Dopheld couldn't face her gaze for a moment. Thinking about the victims of the First Order's wars, was actually something he found harder and harder in the last years. He would never say it out loud, but that day they had used Starkiller base had horrified him. Although it was treason to even think it, it might be better that it had been destroyed. Still…
"That is different. We are in a war. Some sacrifices have to be made."
"Did you take that out of one of Hux' speeches? Well, I can tell you one thing, dead is dead. And the dead don't care, why they were killed."
Dopheld stepped closer to Elodia, his eyes fixed on her face. He needed to understand this, it just didn't make any sense that she would ever kill somebody in cold blood. "Just tell me why? Did the Black Sun force you to do it?"
Pain and regret flashed over her elegant features. She sighed. "I was not really a member of Black Sun. The Red Hounds of Corellia were never more than a very small branch of the syndicate. Good enough to do some dirty work for them."
She turned away from him, fiddling with the datapad on his desk absentmindedly. It was obviously hard for her to talk about this.
"It was actually my father who brought me to the Hounds. You know the old story. When I was a little girl, we were the typical middle class family. Two children, little house in the outskirts of town. Father worked for one of the bigwigs in the shipyards. We were happy, I guess." Her voice turned very soft. "Then he started to gamble. And he lost. Badly. First, we lost the house, having to move to one of Coronet Cities seedier districts, then all the money. And when nothing else was left, he sold his daughter." She looked up at him then, an ironic smile on her lips.
"You could probably say, at least he didn't sell me to one of the pleasure houses. But then I can remember him telling Vertak to do with me, whatever they want. So I can be grateful that he saw some potential in me and decided to train me." There was nothing grateful in her eyes, though.
"Vertak?"
"The leader of the Red Hounds. I did most of my assignments for him."
"And what happened to you father? Your family?"
"Oh, he died. Someone put a knife between his ribs for some unpaid debt." Elodia's eyes held an old anger, that still burned brightly. "But not before accumulating enough debts to indenture me to the Red Hounds for decades. As for my family…" She scoffed. "Vertak is no fool. He knew keeping my mother and brother under his thumb, would prevent me from ever running away."
Dopheld's mind was spinning, as he tried to make sense of it all.
"Is Elodia even your real name?" he asked.
"It is actually. Although I went under a different name for many years." Onyx. That information had actually been in the file. "I used it again, after I became a Zi'daya citizen."
"And Commander Sa'onserei knows all this?"
"I would say so, yes. After all she was my target."
"What?" Dopheld's voice was incredulous. Elodia actually tried to kill the Commander?
"Some years ago Selene and her brothers had a run in with the Black Sun. It had something to do with their parents' death. They settled it with their leader, but the syndicate does not always speak with one voice. There were branches that still wanted to teach them a lesson. So I was sent to pose as her roommate when she studied in Coruscant. To try and get some information at the beginning. But yes, at some point I got the order to kill her." The Zi'daya aide's eyes had closed, the memory obviously still full of pain.
"But you didn't go through with it."
"No, I didn't." She breathed. "And it was the most terrifying decision in my whole life. I was sure they would kill me and my family for it." Her eyes were full of tears, as she opened them to look at him again. "But I knew Selene by then. And I just couldn't."
The Lieutenant could just not watch her being in so much pain, his hand reaching up and touching her shoulder. "And what happened then?"
"Selene paid all my debts to Vertak. She and her grandmother got my family out as well, they are now living in Ellesmee. And they made sure that the Black Sun was aware it would not be wise to come after us again." A satisfied smile played around her lips. Dopheld wondered for a moment, how one convinced the most dangerous crime cartel in the Galaxy to stay away. "I was lucky." Elodia put her hand on his for a moment. "And I hoped I could live my life without the shadows of the past. A second chance."
She turned towards the door. "Well, now you know everything. I know I should have told you, but I was just so afraid you would detest me." She gave him a sad look over her shoulder. "I guess, I better leave."
Dopheld watched her starting to leave with trepidation in his heart, his thoughts racing. She was not really responsible for those crimes, wasn't she? She had no choice. And when it had counted, she had actually been brave enough to do, what was right.
Before he knew, what he was doing, he had made a few steps in her direction, reaching for her arm. "Elodia, wait!" He swallowed hard. "I don't want to lose you."
Because while he only knew her for a few weeks, he was quite sure what he felt for her. He never wanted her out of his life again.
Her eyes met his. "You don't think I am some kind of monster? A murderer?"
"Stars, no!" She was in his arms in a second, the warmth of her body a cherished comfort after so many days without her. "I think you are the bravest person I ever met. I can't even imagine how hard this must have been for you," he murmured against her hair.
Although he could not help a little unease at the thought of a possible future together. He knew quite well Elodia was far from what his family expected in a future daughter in law. He had actually begun to make some plans regarding the topic. Hoping that there might be a possibility to get a posting in the Zidan system or near it, after the First Order won the war. Surely after they met Elodia, his family would have understood what a wonderful person she was. There was of course the little problem of a prior agreement that needed to be broken…
But all of that was kind of impossible now. There wasn't much any respectable imperial family looked down on more than any ties to criminal elements.
As she looked up at him, a brilliant smile on her face, all those thoughts were becoming quite irrelevant though. He would deal with it later.
"I don't want to lose you, too," she said softly.
"So," Dopheld said with more than a little curiosity. "I guess you have some amazing skills with a knife then?" Somehow, he could still not align the image of the deadly assassin with the kind-hearted woman he knew.
Elodia gave him an assessing look. "Are you actually asking for a demonstration?" Before he could answer her, she moved with surprising speed, whipping out a small, elegant knife from a hidden sheath on her thigh and holding it against his throat. His heartbeat sped up at the cold feeling of metal against his skin, as he hardly dared to breathe. Elodia's smile was quite self-satisfied. "Convinced now of my skills?"
The Lieutenant swallowed hard, his voice a little nervous. "Very."
"Don't worry, though," there was a glint in her dark eyes, as the knife continued to hover over his throat. "You are completely save from me." The look in her eyes turned softer. "I would never harm you."
He must have made some involuntary move then, because he felt a sudden burn, the knife tip having nicked his skin a little. "Oh!" Elodia's eyes widened and she immediately let the weapon clatter on the desk. Her fingers traced along his neck and then she bent forward with a fiery look on her face, her tongue laving at the small hurt. The sensation burned through him hotly and before he could stop himself, he had buried his hands in her black locks and dragged her mouth up to his.
He could taste his own blood on her tongue, but strangely, it was not all that off-putting. Just a reminder of the danger that drummed through his blood. His dangerous little assassin. There was a definite thrill to the thought, what she was capable of.
Their kiss became quite a bit more passionate than the ones they had shared previously; Elodia sitting on his desk, after he picked her up and put her on top of it, his hand gliding up her bare leg to the hem of her skirt daringly, while her hands tangled in his hair.
"Mitaka, can you sent me the current fuel reports immediately?" General Hux' voice cut through the haze of excitement in his aide's brain, making him look up in shock.
His commanding officer was standing in the door to his office and had obviously just glanced up from his datapad. His green eyes narrowed, as he took in the scene in front of him. Dopheld quickly removed his hand from Elodia's leg.
"You have two minutes to make yourself presentable, Lieutenant." The General's voice was all icy disapproval. "And then I want to see you in my office with a good explanation for your behavior." The door closed behind him with an audible whoosh.
"Oops," Elodia commented, her eyes a little wide, as she climbed of the desk, righting her skirt. She immediately patted his hair down, trying to erase the traces her fingers had left in it. "Will it help, if I stay or only make it worse?"
Dopheld sighed, resigned to the fact that he would not get around one of the General's unpleasant dressing-downs. Not that he had not earned it to a certain degree. He should have kept his hands off the Zi'daya aide, while still in the office. "I fear I will have to deal with that alone."
"Okay," Elodia gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "I will see you later then?"
"If I am still alive," he murmured, watching her leave with a little trepidation. Well, no use drawing this out. He had just started to move in the direction of the General's office door, when the door to the anteroom opened again, Commander Sa'onserei rushing in.
"Is Hux in?" she asked, clearly agitated.
"Yes," Dopheld's answer made her enter the office and only seconds later he could hear snippets of her and the General's conversation that was obviously quite loud.
"I can't believe..."
"This is so typical…"
"Cold-hearted…"
"Ridiculous…"
After a few minutes, the door opened again, the Zi'daya storming out, just stopping to throw something back at her Co-Commander. "You know, if this is such an uncritical standard procedure without any dangers, it should not be a problem to demonstrate it to me."
General Hux had followed her to the door, his voice full of annoyance. "Definitely not. I have better things to do than senselessly climb around the Finalizer's ion cannons, to prove something to you."
Commander Sa'onserei raised an eyebrow, her voice conveying a lot of doubt. "Is that so? Or are you just afraid after all?"
Hux carefully let the lead rope run through his heavily gloved hands, allowing him to climb down an additional few feet along the turbolaser turret at the starboard side, until he reached a small ledge. Having arrived at his destination, he clipped his security rope, attached to the space suit he was wearing, into a contraption on the Finalizer's hull, anchoring him safely to the ship, so he would have his hands free. A light banging warned him to get out of the way, to allow his partner to do the same.
After Selene had clipped her own security rope in, she immediately let herself fall back into the rope, her feet floating into space freely. "Oh wow, you know, this is actually kind of nice. What a view," he heard her saying over the comms.
The way, she was only held back from flying into space by a flimsy looking steel rope, made a strange kind of nervousness settle in Hux' stomach. "Could you please stop that?" he ground out.
She laughed, "Mmhm, not so sure about your security standards after all?", but thankfully she grabbed the rope and pulled herself next to him. "So, where do we start?"
Hux gave the ion cannons in front of them a disgruntled look, asking himself what in the blazes of the universe he was doing here. He would have thought himself far too old to let someone provoke him into anything by calling him a coward, but obviously, his Co-Commander had an unrivaled talent to bring out his most irresponsible sides.
When she had stormed into his office accusing him of using stormtroopers instead of droids for the Finalizer's outer space cleaning tasks, because he thought them expendable, an information she had picked up in one of her maintenance meetings, he could have easily corrected her. But to his chagrin, he had felt more than a little irritated that she still thought him capable of something like that. It made him snap at her and then one thing had led to the other, ending with them both out here on today's cleaning shift.
"We will have to work our way along the whole line," he commented. "First check for damages and then clean the plasma outlet on every cannon."
"Fine." Selene took out her cleaning equipment, an around two feet long mop whose handle could be pressed to apply a cleaning solution automatically. "So we do every second one?"
"If you want to," Hux said curtly and started on the one in front of him. Today's quarrel had only been the last strain on his patience. Since their conversation in the Finalizer's lab, he had been more than a little on edge.
He still did not completely believe Selene's theories about Snoke. However, his mind was working too rationally to not see the evidence in front of him. The analysis of the Victorinox' data systems had delivered a more than disappointing result. Both the flight monitoring and all surveillance systems showed nothing out of the ordinary, until a point four weeks ago. After that: nothing, as if someone or something had frozen all systems at once without even leaving a trace. It just reeked of the force being involved somehow.
However, he had realized that if Selene was actually right, it might provide him with a golden opportunity. If Snoke had been a fraud and he could proof that without doubt, it would be a perfect chance to finally get rid of Kylo Ren. Because, who would believe that he had known nothing about his master's deceit? In the best case, the Supreme Leader would be branded a traitor, in the worst, an incapable fool. If he played this right, it might even be possible to let Pryde take the fall with him. The only challenge was how to style himself a victim in this scenario.
Anyway, he would need Selene's help, if he wanted to move against Ren and Pryde. And that might be a little complicated. He had the feeling she would not be very supportive of him trying to become Supreme Leader himself. She was far too idealistic for that. Which meant he had to sell it to her as something else. Perhaps just as a way to rid the galaxy of Ren then. She should be on board with that.
The General finished his cannon and glanced over at his Co-Commander, checking, if she was ready as well, so that he could move the lead rope. His eyes widened a little, as he saw her jump up again and again, trying to reach the upper part of the cannon, her being obviously too small to do so easily. The way her security rope strained at every jump made him flinch.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked. "Cleaning the cannon, of course," she answered, her voice a little annoyed.
"By jumping into space?" he grumbled. "Why didn't you say something? We could just divide them into an upper and a lower part."
"Okay," she catched up to him and started cleaning the next cannon.
Hux' eyes stayed on her for a moment, his thoughts captured by her again. After their slip up in the lab, he had tried his hardest to turn their relationship professional again. While he had succeeded to a point, as there had been no indiscretions between them again, there was a definite strain on his self-control. Especially their morning meetings in his office had become a special kind of torture. His mind had begun to use any weakness in his defenses to tempt him with fantasies of Selene. He woke up more than once with his body longing for her touch after a very vivid dream of what could have happened, if they were not interrupted every time. And taking care of the problem himself, while thinking of her, only made it indefinitely worse, since he had to sit across her only hours later.
"Could you stop going so far to the left? I'm not finished yet," Selene complained and tugged at the lead rope hard.
"Well, then hurry up, I don't have all day for this," Hux answered, fed up with the whole task. At this speed, it would take them hours to complete this.
Thankfully, they found some kind of rhythm then, the next cannons being cleaned much quicker. Finishing earlier than the Zi'daya a few cannons later, he used the time to stare into space for a moment. The view was actually kind of nice.
When he felt a hard tug on the rope, Hux gave an annoyed tug back, thinking that Selene was just complaining again. "Uff, "he heard and then a much harder pull on the lead rope followed. As he looked over to her, his heartrate picked up in shock.
It seemed, it had not been Selene's intention to pull on the rope after all, but it had just been caught on her cleaning equipment. And his tug back had dragged her down the ledge, so that now she was just hanging only on the security rope, her feet drifting into space again.
"Can't you be more careful?" she said and reached for her rope to pull herself back up. As if it happened in slow motion, he saw the tangled cleaning equipment grind against the security rope and then the steel rope snatched with a sudden pop.
"Selene!" Hux threw himself forward as fast as he could, his hand stretched out to reach her, as her own suddenly grabbed into nothingness, her eyes wide in sudden fear under her helmet's visor. For a long terrifying second he thought he had been too slow and she would be thrown into space. Then his hand closed around hers and he had to strain against her momentum, his other hand grabbing for the lead rope hectically to pull them both back into safety.
When they were both back on the ledge, their breath more than a little labored after the shock they had, he turned towards her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," her voice was still shaking a little. "Kriff, I guess this is nothing you should do with someone, who wants to get rid of you."
"So, no recommended First Order activity," Hux joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"There must be a few people in the Order you would trust not to chuck you into outer space, when the opportunity arises," Selene said, her tone surprised. Well, perhaps Opan and Mitaka. Belatedly, he realized what that implicated regarding the fact that he was out here with her.
"One or two would probably not try to get rid of me," he admitted. She was silent for a moment. "I just don't understand the First Order. I mean I would go through hell for my crew and them for me. But then in your eyes we are all probably incredible naïve."
Yes, a few weeks ago he would have thought so. Now, he could not help feel a twinge of envy for the security she had in her people's loyalty.
"No, not naïve," Hux said solemnly. "Just irritatingly optimistic." He sighed. "I don't know what you think, but I have quite enough of this. We should return to the ship."
His Co-Commander looked down on her destroyed rope. "But we haven't finished and I lost my cleaning equipment."
He laughed. "Well, thankfully Captain Fallon can't give us a demerit."
After they returned to the ship, Hux helped Selene with the buckles on the space suit, his fingers lingering just a little too long at the one close to her neck, brushing against her hair.
Stars, the man was confusing.
After their conversation in the lab, he had not touched her again. Sure, the tension between them remained high and they were teasing each other quite often, but it was obvious he was putting himself under some kind of restraint.
She did not know, how she felt about that. Part of her was glad that she was not as tempted any more to do something she might regret later. However, another part felt a strange sort of insecurity and perhaps even disappointment at the easy way he had returned to business. Had she just imagined those flashes of desire she thought she had seen in his green eyes?
As she bent over to get off the weight downed space shoes, she caught him gazing at her ass, though. Or her Co-Commander's self-control was just inhuman, she thought. Now, it would be completely crazy, if she tried to provoke him into letting go, wouldn't it?
Captain Fallon did not comment on the destroyed security rope and Selene's lost cleaning equipment, although something about the way his pale eyes narrowed for a moment told her he would have loved to, if they were not his commanding officers.
"Now," Selene said, as she and Hux made their way through the Finalizer's corridors. "Can you just admit…"
"Wait," he interrupted her, peering into her face. "Are you bleeding?"
"Huh?" she touched her finger to the point at her temple he had stared at and really, it came away smeared with a few drops of blood. "I must have hit my head on the helmet a little."
"Let's get you to medbay," Hux grabbed her arm and changed direction.
"And have that sullen Doctor Kline prod at my face?" Selene shook her head. "No, thank you. It does not even hurt. It will probably stop bleeding on its own in a few minutes."
"Or it will get infected and scar. You should at least have it cleaned."
"Oh," she grinned. "So worried about my pretty face?"
Her Co-Commander sighed. "You're impossible, you know that?" He let his eyes wander over the corridor's walls. "If you are so unwilling to go to medbay, let me disinfect the wound quickly and put a bacta patch on it. " He had obviously found what he was looking for, a small sign indicating a first aid station and led her to it.
With efficient movements, he pulled down a small cot from the wall, she could sit on and started to get some supplies out of the cabinet next to it. Selene sat down on the cot without resistance, more than a little amused by the fact that he seemed adamant to take care of her. Probably he felt a little guilty, because it had actually been his fault that she had fallen off that ledge. Moreover, there had been a noticeable tone of panic in his voice, when he had reached for her. It seemed he did care for her wellbeing quite a bit, not that he would ever admit it, she thought.
"Mmm, that's practical," she just said, as he pulled off his gloves and opened a small package of disinfectants. "You have those all over the ship?"
"Yes," Hux stepped closer to her and took her jaw in his hand, tilting her head to have a look at the wound. "with a ship this size, medbay might be too far away in an emergency. And," he raised an eyebrow. "there are always those who prefer to just quickly tend to their own wounds instead of doing the sensible thing and go there."
As his leg brushed against hers, Selene realized this might not have been a good idea, after all. Her unwilling attraction to him flamed up with a vengeance at their close proximity, making her heart beat wildly in her breast.
"It is fortunately only a small cut," he murmured, his eyes concentrated as he inspected the wound. Selene used his preoccupation to study his face in peace without him noticing.
Objectively speaking, she mused, his nose was a little too long and his lips a little too full for a man. Oh, and he was far too pale for her usual tastes. Probably, he did not go planetside for years. Only that her body did not seem to care for objectivity at all. Although, those clear green eyes with their long lashes made more than up for it, as did those high cheekbones. And she was much more partial to the fiery shade of his hair, than she would have ever thought possible. She just wished, he wouldn't glue it into submission all the time.
He shifted slightly and raised the disinfectant to her face. It made her aware of the subtle cool scent she had begun to associate with him. Heat pooled in her stomach.
"This might burn slightly," the General warned her, before slowly cleaning the wound. The sting made Selene hiss. "All done," he said with a small smile tugging at his lips. "I will just put some bacta on it to seal it up."
As he opened a prepacked bacta patch and carefully applied it to her temple, the Zi'daya could not keep from marveling how tender his touch was on her skin. He was good at this. Who would have thought?
When he tilted her head one last time to have a look at his work, she could not help a teasing comment from escaping her. "Are you not going to kiss it better?"
Hux' fingers stilled on her skin, his green eyes sliding to hers, an unreadable expression in them. One elegant finger slowly traced from her temple over her cheek, passing her jaw and continuing to her lips. The way it whispered over them, sent small shocks of electricity through her. With a soft sigh she parted them slowly, his skin warm against her own, as his fingertip slipped inside her mouth.
His eyes darkened so violently in desire that she wondered, how she could have ever questioned his attraction to her, sending an answering pulse through her body. Her eyes not leaving his, she let her tongue swirl around his finger, making his pupils contract wildly. Her own need urging her on, she took this even farther, by sucking his finger inside her mouth without warning.
His reaction was even better, than she had anticipated, his head going back with a groaned "Oh stars, Selene." Then he drew her closer sharply, her backside hanging of the cot quite precariously and she was drowning in green eyes full of heat.
Before he could cross the distance between them, loud voices echoed through the corridor.
He let go of her so abruptly, that she nearly fell of the cot. As she was fighting for balance, her hand gripping the edge, he made a few steps away from her.
"I am sure you will manage the rest on your own, Commander," he murmured curtly, his voice strained. Watching him leave down the corridor, his steps a little quicker, than strictly necessary, she could not help frustration well up inside her. This was getting ridiculous.
Fayth and Tank were coming up the corridor in the opposite direction, the stormtrooper throwing a curious glance at the General, as he passed them. Greeting her with a nod, he commented. "Something seems to have really occupied the General's mind. I think, he did not even notice that I wasn't wearing my helmet."
Fayth raised an eyebrow in his Commander's direction. "Something or someone." She swatted at him.
Having finished today's shift in the C hangar Tank and his squad made their way back to the stormtrooper quarters. It had been quite an exhausting day, since they had been occupied with moving countless boxes and containers with evidence from the Victorinox there.
Allegiant General Pryde had ordered the dreadnought back to the Core Worlds, obviously adamant to have her back in fighting condition with a new crew as soon as possible. The thought that in a few days it would be, as if a crew of over 150.000 had never existed sent a distinct chill through Tank.
As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with Fayth Hikeda, who was laboriously drudging an obviously heavy box through the corridor.
"You should ask him, if he needs help, sergeant," Clics murmured with amusement in his voice audible even over the voice modulator. "Prime opportunity to make a good impression."
Tank gave him a quick shove to shut him up. He should have known that his gossiping troopers would catch on to the fact that he talked quite often with the good-looking Zi'daya lieutenant.
Making a shooing gesture to keep them going down the corridor, Tank ignored Meg's and Lyra's giggles, as he stopped next to the slim Lieutenant.
"Do you need help with that?"
Fayth looked up in surprise, his brown eyes turning warm, as he realized, who it was under the stormtrooper armor. "That would actually be brilliant, yes. I definitely underestimated how kriffing large this ship is. And how heavy that box."
Tank bent down and hoisted the box on his shoulder in one smooth move. While it was quite heavy, it was nothing he could not handle.
"Where do you need it?" When he turned back to the Zi'daya, his mouth closed with an audible sound, more than a little admiration in his eyes. "Oh wow, that is actually quite impressive."
The sergeant could not help a small, pleased chuckle escape him. "Squad 245, at your service."
"Ah, so you are my friendly neighborhood stormtrooper now? Good to know. I might have a few more heavy things that need carrying in the future." Fayth' smile was cheerful. "That box needs to go the C hangar as well. A few more data consoles, although I don't think they were able to analyze anything useful yet."
As Tank trailed back the way he had just come from, Fayth fell into step beside him. "So the Victorinox left for the Core Worlds today? Strange, isn't it? To think that she might be back in action in a few days, as if nothing has happened."
"First Order policy states that we are all replaceable, it is only achieving our goals that matters." Tank sighed. "So I guess it's only logical to use the ship again as soon as possible."
"Well, would you want to serve on that ghost ship?" The Zi'daya gave a soft shudder, as they reached the hangar.
"Stars, no." Tank put down the box next to a few similar looking ones. "But who knows, if the same does not happen to us. Whoever did this, is still out there and we are going after them."
"I hope not, I planned to have a nice long vacation on Solei after this mission." The Lieutenant's face turned apologetic. "Sorry, that was thoughtless. I mean, do you have anything like shore leave?"
After a quick glance around them to make sure the coast was clear, Tank put off his helmet, sighing as the cooler air of the hangar touched his skin. Working with these things on, was uncomfortably stifling sometimes. "We had a few days off here and there. But not since the conflict with the Resistance heated up again. I think the consensus is no free time until the Order is victorious."
Some emotion flickered over Fayth' face too quick for him to catch it. "And what are your plans after the war is over?"
That was a loaded question, Tank thought. He had always known that thinking about a time after the war, without the First Order, was a fragile hope that would probably only get him killed. Still, there remained a stubborn part of him, a remnant of a desert child, who knew nothing but sand and dust, that could not stop imagining a different future now and then. "I always thought I would love to do something with plants. Farming or working an orchard. You know growing things." Instead of destroying them. This probably sounded incredible simple.
But Fayth' brown eyes were warm. "You would love Terenia then. It is the Zidan agriculture plant. They are all about those things. Moreover, they brew a very good beer. Selene's oldest brother actually lives there."
The understanding look made Tank tell him something he would not normally have shared that easily. "Actually we have a little project near the stormtrooper's living quarters. We are trying to breed a version of the jogan fruit tree to be harvested in space. It is not much, but I could show you, if you want."
For a moment, Fayth seemed a little surprised, then the lieutenant's smiled turned very wide.
"Yeah, sure, I would love to."
They made their way through the Finalizer's corridor in the direction of the lower decks, Fayth sharing some stories about the Zi'daya planets. As they neared one of the elevators, Tank suddenly realized that General Hux was standing in the corridor with his Co-Commander, who was sitting on one of the medical emergency cots. Blast, and he had been so caught up in his conversation with the lieutenant that he had forgotten to put his helmet back on. This would be a demerit for sure.
To his surprise though, the General just passed them very quickly without really seeing them, more than a little color on his cheeks.
As he greeted Commander Sa'onserei with a respectful nod, he noticed she was a little flushed as well. What exactly had those two been doing?
"Something seems to have really occupied the General's mind. I think, he did not even notice that I wasn't wearing my helmet."
Fayth teased his Commander a little. "Something or someone," making her swat playfully at him. "Everything alright Selene? Have you been hurt?" he added with a frown, clearly having noticed the bacta patch on her temple.
The stormtrooper sergeant blinked, still a little taken aback by the informal way the Zi'daya communicated with each other.
Sa'onserei jumped of the cot, her eyes returning to the corridor, where her Co-Commander had vanished. "Only a very small cut, don't worry. Hux and I have been doing today's outer space cleaning shift and I kind of slipped on one point." She turned towards the cot, pushing it back against the wall, before stopping suddenly. "Oh, he forgot his gloves." She picked them up with a pensive look on her face.
"You did the cleaning shift, Commander?" Tank asked. "Well, that must have been fun. The troopers always draw straws to decide, who is allowed to do it."
Sa'onserei stared at him. "Draw straws?" Her voice had turned incredulous. "You mean, you actually like doing this?"
"Mmmh, yes?" Tank answered cautiously, confused by her reaction. "I mean, it is a nice change from guard duty and the view is brilliant."
"But of course you do." There was obvious dismay on the Zi'daya heir's face. "Stars, I am such an idiot."
Fayth laughed. "What is it? It can't be that bad."
Sa'onserei cringed. "I kind of accused Hux of using the stormtroopers instead of droids for the cleaning shift, because he thought them expendable. And I called him cold-hearted."
Well, that was pretty bad, but Tank was quite sure Hux had been called worse things by a lot of people in the galaxy. What was more interesting were the emotions that flashed over the Commander's face. Remorse and concern.
"You do care about his feelings," the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Commander Sa'onserei gave him a wide-eyed look. "No, of course not. I just…" She looked down at the General's gloves and sighed. "Well yes, perhaps more than I should."
Something about her reaction made Tank comment more on the topic, than he would normally have. "You know, compared to the other Generals, General Hux actually does care about the troopers. I mean, as far as First Order regulations allow," he was probably talking himself into trouble now.
"Is that so?" Having those golden eyes focused completely on him was a little bit unsettling, the sergeant thought. "Interesting. You can imagine why?"
"It might have something to do with the fact that he was with us in the stormtrooper training as a kid for some time. Under Brendol Hux that is," he should definitely not say anything more. The General would kill him, if he ever found out, he blabbered to Sa'onserei about that time.
"Oh, so you knew Brendol Hux?" There was obvious curiosity on Sa'onserei's face, her voice soft. "What kind of person was he?"
"A monster," the verdict was out before he could reconsider his choice of words. She clearly had a talent for making people tell her exactly, what they were thinking. "Cruel, without compassion for anyone or anything." Not even for his own son. He was not suicidal enough to say that part aloud, though.
"I see." Sa'onserei's emotions were even easier to read than before, compassion and pity shining in her eyes. She clasped his arm for a second. "Well, then we should be glad he is dead, shouldn't we?" Although the hard expression flashing through her eyes at those words, made the Sergeant think, she would have liked to do the deed herself. He had wondered before, if the General actually had some kind of feelings for his Co-Commander, now he was wondering, if, as unlikely as it seemed, Sa'onserei was actually returning those feelings.
The Zi'daya nodded at them in parting. "Well, I will go apologize, then."
Tank glanced at Fayth, when she was gone. "Do you have any clue, what is going on between those two?"
The brown-eyed lieutenant shook his head, concern in his eyes. "No, I don't. And I can't say I like it."
Making her way to Hux' office, Selene absentmindedly played with his gloves. Very nice, supple leather, she thought. It seemed the Order only afforded the best for its officers.
It kept her from thinking about what really was on her mind for a moment. She had clearly misjudged her Co-Commander, when she had accused him of indifference towards his crew. And Tank's hints about his father…
It made all her conflicting feelings for Armitage Hux raise up again. Why could this not be nice and simple, him being some evil, ruthless monster she could condemn to death without any remorse at all? Instead, she was stuck with this turmoil in her head. Instead of righteous contempt, she had begun to feel compassion and curiosity and, the most disturbing, fascination.
Selene thought back to their conversation in the Finalizer's lap. Perhaps there was a way… But then she could never fully trust him, could she? Even, if she were able to turn him to their side, he would always remain a threat. The loyalty to the First Order and its beliefs too deeply ingrained. She just could not take the risk, that he would stab her in the back.
When she entered his office after a short knock, there was a visible look of frustration on Hux' face. Well, at least she was not the only one feeling that way.
Stepping up to his desk, she slowly lay his gloves on top of it, her eyes intend on his. "You forgot those. Probably, because you were in a hurry for some reason." Her lips twitched in amusement.
Her Co-Commander levelled a deliberately impassive look at her, his eyes cool, while he remained seated at his desk. Oh, so it was time for the 'I'm completely unaffected.' routine again. "This has to stop, you know."
"What has to stop?" she widened her eyes innocently. "Me, carrying your stuff after you?"
Obvious annoyance creeped into his cold façade. "You are the worst tease in the whole galaxy."
Selene did not let his standoffish tone deter her and she leaned over his desk a little, a playful smile on her face. "But you like it."
Hux glanced away from her for a moment, one corner of his lip raising in his customary half-smile, seemingly against this will. That had been easier, than she had expected. "One day you will take this a step too far and…" he trailed off.
Her heartbeat picked up considerably and she tilted her head slightly, as she watched him. "Mmm, is that a promise?"
"That," the blatant hunger in his clear green eyes, made a thrill of excitement swoop through her stomach. It seemed her Co-Commander had given up on shielding his emotions from her. "would be a very bad idea." Something else flickered in his eyes then. Something a lot softer, she could not really define. It reminded her of the tender way he had cared for her wound earlier, the near panic in his voice, as she had fallen of the ledge.
It sent warning bells ringing in her mind. Some kind of visceral feeling warning her that she might be in far over her head. What was she really doing here? There was a line between being reckless and being downright crazy and she might have crossed it at some point.
Uncertainty making her strangely unsecure, she had to look away from him. Wandering through his office, her gaze catching on some military award here and there, she changed the topic to the real reason of her visit.
"I actually came here to tell you, that I might have judged the situation too quickly earlier without having all the relevant information."
Hux scoffed. "You do know an apology ordinarily includes the words 'I am sorry'?
The Zi'daya gave him a significant look. "You could have told me the truth, instead of letting me assume the worst."
"Already backtracking, aren't we?" He shook his head and pulled over his data pad. "It doesn't matter. We have something else we need to talk about. The scouting mission was quite successful. They found an empty ship nearly exactly on the coordinates you have calculated. Signs indicate that whatever happened, happened not more than a day ago. We are getting closer. What brings us to the question, what will we do, if we find what we are looking for?"
"What kind of ship?" Selene thought about the poor people onboard of that vessel that had most likely ended up with their life sucked out of them as well.
"Luckily, only some spice smugglers it seems." Hux' voice was full of disdain.
"Luckily?" She felt a cold chill at his unfeeling words.
"Well, it is not, as if it has happened to someone, who hasn't deserved it. They were only dirty criminals, who most likely destroyed the lives of countless others."
"Oh, and who decides who deserves to live and die now? You?" Selene felt anger raise up inside her. "You did not know this people. There might have been mitigating circumstances that led to that kind of life."
"Stars, please spare me your overdone sense of morality," her Co-Commanders eyes flashed dangerously, as he started to get incensed as well. "Someone has to make the hard decisions yes, if there should ever be anything like order in the galaxy. If it would be up to people like you with your bleeding heart, we would be ruled by criminals and rebels."
"Oh, and I guess a few lives more are nothing, if one has lost count for how many deaths one is responsible long ago."
Selene saw her remark finding its target, Hux' face hardening, as his hand clenched on the desk. She was far too agitated to care.
"Get out of my office," he growled.
"Gladly," she snapped at the way to the door. "It isn't, as if there is much space left in here next to your ego."
Her ire at Hux did not lessen all the way back to the Evenfall. How, she asked herself, could she have actually thought he had anything resembling a heart? Those glimpses of real feelings she had thought to have catched here and there in the last weeks, had deceived her and now she was disappointed by her confrontation with reality.
The ruthless General, who coldly dismissed the lives of others, was the real Armitage Hux and not the man, who had traded confidences with her and whose touch made her long for more against her better judgement. And that was probably, why she was really that angry. Having to face the truth about him, made her only too aware that her continuing weakness for him was infinitely wrong.
The next two hours she tried to work in her office on the Evenfall to no avail. It was, as if her thoughts had a mind of their own, driving her insane. Finally giving up, after she nearly approved a request from Shima for an additional food supply in his quarters, she decided she had to get her mind of things for a while. Her gaze fell on the sleek customized blaster her brother had gifted her on her last nameday. Deciding a little training could not hurt; she quickly changed into a more comfortable outfit and made her way to the First Order training facilities.
Checking into the first empty shooting range, Selene had a quick look at the training simulations, deciding to start a very simple one that was basically targets popping up in front of her at varying distances. She only wanted to shoot something, no thoughts required.
The familiar weight of the blaster in her hands was more than a little comforting, even more the slight recoil at every shot, as she went through a few rounds. This had been a good idea, for the first time in days her mind was blessedly unoccupied.
She made a face as the training system visualized her results in front of her; she tended to get sloppy, when she was agitated.
"Your problem is that you have an abysmal firing stance," the cool voice commenting her performance was probably the last she wanted to hear in the whole galaxy. "It's clearly a matter of focus not ability, because the few times you did get it right you were not that bad."
Selene turned around to find Hux leaning against the partition to the neighboring firing stand. Dressed in a black First Order training outfit, it seemed, same as her, he had planned to use a little weapon's training to vent.
"It might have escaped your notice, but I actually came her to be alone and cool off," she ground out, her anger at her Co-Commander returning full force.
"Ah," he said, ignoring her not so subtle hint to get lost. "so you were shooting that badly on purpose? My fault for thinking that you wanted to train."
"Are you not supposed to have some kind of superior survival instinct? " she said sweetly, stroking her blaster. "You really want to provoke me now, while I am still armed?"
She gave the shooting range an assessing glance. "Let me guess, of course you are some kind of expert marksman."
Hux just raised an eyebrow at her and went to the simulator, starting the program again.
He immediately moved into a firing stance, his own blaster raised, those piercing green eyes deeply focused. With more than a little annoyance, she saw his form was training book perfect, as he shot three rounds, the sizzle of the blaster bolts hitting their mark the only sound in the room.
The fact that the way he looked, as he was shooting a blaster, all concentration and coiled strength, made her heartbeat pick up again, her thoughts returning to that moment earlier, when he had touched her lips, only deepened her anger at him.
Rhea save her, did she really have no pride left?
Selene was not even surprised, when the training system reported a perfect score.
The General gave her a very smug look over his shoulder.
"Have been training much?" the Zi'daya heir grumbled, realizing herself, that she sounded more than a little envious.
"Shooting a blaster is part of the First Order officer's training. It is recommended to train at least two times a week in the shooting range to keep one's skills sharp."
And he surely followed every First Order training plan to the T, probably in the time those lesser humans like her needed for those pesky things like sleeping and eating.
Sometimes she kriffing hated the man with a passion.
"As is hand-to-hand combat, isn't it?" she asked. "Since I seem unable to get rid of your presence you perhaps care for a round?" It was probably wiser to remove the temptation of a real weapon in her hands, as long as she still thought of strangling him.
"That might not be the best idea," something like unease flickered in Hux' eyes at her suggestion. Selene gave him a challenging smile. "Afraid I will kick your ass?"
There was more than a little bravado to her words, though. While the thought to have an excuse to hit him was more than a little tempting, she had no illusions about her chances against him. She had a little training yes, but nothing on real military level.
"Hardly," he gave her an arrogant smile of his own. "But don't complain later, if you lose."
Hux changed the private training room's setting to 'Don't disturb', letting the door close behind them. Watching his Co-Commander move through the room decked out in black mats, he noticed in the way her eyes still flashed and she threw her braid over her shoulder every now and then that she was still angry. Not that he was really over the things she had thrown at his head. That holier-than-thou attitude of hers grated on his nerves.
The desire he had felt for her earlier mixed uncomfortably with his lingering anger, making him feel more than a little on edge. He had the distinct suspicion any activity that would bring them into close physical contact, would be a challenge. It was, why he had had been reluctant to agree to her idea. At least, thank the galaxy for small mercies, she was not wearing her shorts today, but soft training pants. Although that ridiculous shirt was bad enough.
A few minutes into their sparring, Hux had realized two things:
One: While she obviously did have some training, as with her shooting, she let her emotions influence her movements. He had seen more than one opening that would have ended the fight, if he had decided to use it.
Two: Having her this close, her body touching his at every move and countermove was more than a little strain on his self-control.
It was why he started to move into a much more defensive fighting style than was his wont, trying to avoid any unnecessary contact between them.
"Stop toying with me," Selene growled with an annoyed look on her face, as he just made an evasive move for the umpteenth time instead of engaging. "It is kriffing condescending."
He was going easy on her yes, but he was quite sure, if he had ended this in thirty seconds flat, she would have been angry as well. He just could not win with her in that mood.
Still, if she wanted it that way, he was quite pissed off enough to teach her a little lesson. The next time she moved closer to him in an offensive move, Hux pushed out his hand and yanked on her flying braid hard. Predictably, her own momentum sent her to the floor with a pained yelp.
"I told you that braid is a security hazard," Hux offered in a self-satisfied tone. In a real fight, an enemy would not hesitate to use this to his advantage after all. His Co-Commander's face turning downright murderous, as she was looking up at him from her position on her knees, made him realize that might not have been his wisest idea.
He was still more than a little surprised, when she threw herself at him with an angry scream, sending them both tumbling over the training mats. For a moment, they were rolling over in a tangle of limbs, before he got the upper hand and pressed her down, his hands around her wrists.
He would actually have let her up after a moment, but Selene seemed too agitated to realize it and moved her leg to kick him. Her foot against his shin was quite painful and he got a little annoyed himself. He used more of his body weight to pin her, her straining against his hold. "Blast it Selene, would you stop that!"
The way her golden eyes blazed up at him, was probably the angriest he had ever seen them.
It made him suddenly very aware, what position they were in. Him laying on top of her, holding her down, while her tempting lips were only inches from his own.
The feel of her body underneath his made desire crash through him again and he could feel himself grow hard. As close as they were, there was no way she could miss his reaction. Predictably, her eyes widened a little and she gasped.
Hux tried to salvage the situation as best as he could, giving her a stern look. "Now, could you just yield, Selene."
The expression in her eyes shifted then, surprise replaced by something quite different. That golden, molten gaze that made him long to burn himself in it. She slowly shifted her hips against his, the pressure driving a groan from him. The smile on her lips was more than a little wild.
"Make me!"
Something taut inside him snapped at her challenge and without thought, he bridged the remaining distance between them and claimed her lips in a bruising kiss.
Her mouth opened under his without any resistance, their tongues continuing the fight from before in quite a different way. She tasted as good as she smelled, of sweet berries and summer heat. The galaxy narrowed down into flashes of sensation, her hot mouth under his, the way her body writhed against his passionately, her quickened breath and the little gasps that escaped her. Stars, he wanted her so much he just could not deny himself any more.
At one point, air did become an issue though and Hux reluctantly dislodged his lips from hers. He had let go of her wrists somewhere in between and one of her hands immediately went into his hair, dragging him down for another round. The hungry way she moved her mouth against his, adding a playful bite to his lips in between their kisses, made his head reel.
The urge to explore her alluring curves became irresistible and he gave in, letting his hands roam all over her. When he cupped one of her breasts and stroked her through the thin fabric of her shirt, Selene moaned into his mouth, her legs opening to let him move closer. He could not help thrusting against her, the thought that only a very thin layer of clothes was separating them now, burning through his mind.
"Oh, stars, yes," she breathed into his ear, their hips moving against each other frantically, both desperate for any kind of friction to alleviate the growing need between them.
Selene's hands began to wander down his back and for a moment, he thought she wanted to slow down, but when he glanced at her face, there was no hesitation in her eyes only that blazing look of desire that mirrored his own. Still, he was more than a little surprised, when she hooked her fingers under the waistband of his pants and started to drag them down.
Part of his mind whispered in a slightly disbelieving tone 'Are you really going to fuck your Co-Commander on the floor of the training room now?'
Before he could think anything more though, one hand glided over his stomach and closed around his cock firmly, making him groan loudly and any remaining thoughts flew out of his head. A mischievous little laugh escaped Selene.
After that, it was a hurried race to get rid of the necessary articles of clothing, her shoes and pants following his quickly. Hux would have liked to explore the soft skin of her thighs, but it seemed she was even more impatient than he was, as she pulled him on top of her, her hips raising up to meet his own. His eyes were riveted by her face, as he entered her slowly, taking in the way her pupils were blown impossible wide, her cheeks flushed and her mouth forming a perfect bow, as pleasure flowed through her. He had a feeling the image would stay with him for a very long time.
The sensation of her wet heat around him, as he filled her completely, was nearly too much and he had to bury his face in her hair, trying to keep some control. After a moment, her fingers grabbed his forearms, her body moving underneath him, urging him to continue. He indulged her with slow, deliberate thrusts, every movement sending sharp waves of pleasure through him, her gasps breathless in his ear.
He grabbed one of her legs, hiking it up higher against his hip and deepened his thrusts. It earned him a wild exclamation of 'Oh yes, Armitage, please' from her, her fingernails dragging over his arms nearly painfully. As they both swayed on the edge, she started to moan something in Zi'daya, her tone more than a little desperate.
His own pleasure had reached an intensity that was nearly painful, drowning out anything else. She captured his mouth in another kiss, wet and sloppy with need, their teeth clanking together clumsily. The way she tightened around him hard then, something close to a sob on her lips, made him tumble over the edge with a groan as well, lights exploding in front of his eyes, as he spilled inside her.
For very long moments, Hux could just breathe afterwards, his breath ragged, all thought completely wiped from his mind. Then slowly separate sensations came back to him, the coldness of the training room on his naked skin, the burn of the mat under his knees and the fact that he had just collapsed on top of Selene, surely crushing her. He somehow found a rest of energy left to roll of her, drawing a soft noise of discontent from her as his body left hers.
It made him glance over at her with a little trepidation. With her cheeks flushed, her pale hair disheveled and slightly sweaty, a slight smile around her mouth and her eyes closed she looked quite well pleasured. What made a strange sensation flutter in his stomach though, was the soft expression in her golden eyes, as they slowly opened, meeting his. Before he could think about it, he had leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to her brow.
Selene's lips twitched. "Mmh," she murmured. "It seems you do have some redeeming qualities after all, General."
The use of his rank, even in a playful way, unfortunately let reality crash into the feeling of contentment that had been coursing through him as well.
Kriff, what had he done?
He had broken a dozen First Order regulations, desecrated Order facilities and behaved completely inappropriately for a commanding officer in one single act. Not to mention the fact that he had crossed nearly every imaginable line with his Co-Commander.
But blast it, it had been kriffing glorious.
Selene must have seen some of his conflicting feelings on his face, because she sat up and one of her hands raised, her fingers touching his jaw. "You're okay?" she asked.
He needed to think, Hux realized. Get a grip on his own turbulent emotions, before he did any more things he would regret later.
"Yes," he answered, his voice more than a little rough, "we should get dressed. This is after all a training room, someone could come in."
He had half expected her to force him to talk about what happened, but she silently followed his example and grabbed her clothes, quickly putting them on, very obviously caught up in her own thoughts. It made him wonder briefly, what she felt about this.
Regret? She had been as eager as he had been, but that had been in the heat of the moment.
Her eyes, as she turned towards him, did not seem to hold anything of that kind though, warmth still shining in them. "Well," she said hesitantly. "I guess, I will see you tomorrow?"
Hux just nodded, not quite knowing what to say, the whole situation so far out of his experience that he felt a little lost. With a smile back at him, Selene slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with his racing thoughts.
He was halfway on the way to his quarters, when he remembered the surveillance cameras in the training rooms.
After he had walked the long way to the security center, shooing out the technicians stationed there and using his override command to delete all of today's data from the training area, he contemplated for a moment what his life had come to. He had made the same track a few days prior for quite similar reasons after all.
Finally back in his quarters, he tried to look at their indiscretion with a rational view. Yes, it had not been the professional behavior that was expected from a First Order General. But, if he was honest, the growing tension between them had been harder and harder to ignore. It had started to negatively affect the efficiency of their work.
He absentmindedly bent down and patted Millicent's head, who had come out of his bedroom to greet him. Perhaps indulging once had been what was necessary to get this unfortunate desire for his Co-Commander out of his system. Surely, she would feel the same and be glad to return to a cordial working relationship with him, now the curiosity was sated.
Only when he stood under his shower later, he realized that they never had anything resembling a cordial relationship. No, only something fluctuating so wildly between anger, grudging respect and want that he could not even define it.
And his mind kept on relentlessly teasing him with vivid flashbacks of what happened between them in the training room. The way her skin had felt against his, her taste, how beautiful her face had looked like caught in rapture. It did not feel at all, as if sleeping with Selene noe Sa'onserei once had been enough to get her out of his system. On the contrary, his traitorous body seemed quite adamant that it would be a great idea to repeat the experience. In the end, it took all the rest of his control to not give in and call her over his comms.