Rey

It took us three days to reach the space Hux currently occupied.

Kuruk looked at me when we were three clicks away, and all the Knights gazes followed. They had not suited up for the day, and were all standing around us in their casual dress.

I looked to Ben, but his huge, dark eyes were downcast, staring at the Finalizer on the map in front of him.

"What?" I asked.

"If we're….taking you." Kuruk said. "We'll need to let Hux know that we have you, and that we're here."

I felt my eyebrows fly up. "You haven't told him?"

Kuruk looked at Ben, then to me. "Well, we, uh." He swallowed. "We were giving you a chance to change your mind."

I wondered if Ben had asked them not to tell him yet or if they'd not done it on their own. I nodded once. "Well, I haven't. You can make the call." I looked to Ben, and saw his shoulders move as he took in a heavy breath, held it, and then let it out slowly.

I felt a sudden stab of guilt. He was respecting me enough to let me make my own decision, but he was barely holding himself together.

"I beg pardon, My lady." Cardo said, and I looked over at him. "We should not go in unprepared."

I shrugged. "It's just Hux."

"That is how most of his enemies met their demise." Ushar warned. "Do not underestimate him."

His deep voice rattled me, and I shivered just a bit. "Ok, so you want a plan?" I looked around at their faces, but they did not meet my gaze. "You call Hux, you cuff me, you take me to him, and then we kill him."

Ap'lek snorted. "If it were that simple, don't you think we would have done that ourselves?"

Ben cast him a warning look over his broad shoulder and Ap'lek sighed. "He has eight Praetorian guards, who will be on high alert as soon as we walk in with you."

"He made the mistake of not having his guard with him the last time you were in his throne room, when you choked him out and got away." Vicrul said. "He won't be making that mistake twice."

"Vicrul does bring up an interesting point." Cardo interjected. "Hux will be angry, and will most likely avoid a one on one conflict with you. He's not one to go into a fight he knows he can't win."

"That just means he'll order one of us to do it for him." Ap'lek said, dryly.

"He won't make you fight me." I said, remembering the last time I'd seen him. When I'd unknowingly confessed that Ben and I were mates, and his mind had shown me exactly what he planned to do to me.

I heard a furious growl from Ben as he saw my memories, and Hux's intentions play in my head. "That's enough." He bit out through clenched teeth.

The Knights straightened, their heads whipping around to stare at him.

"Keep him talking long enough for me to find my saber." He said. "I'll handle the rest."

"It's going to turn into a massacre as soon as you walk in." I tried to reason. "We need an exit plan."

"The exit plan is getting you out." Ben snarled, and gave me a furious look. He looked away almost instantly.

He wasn't angry, not really. But, the call of the Bond was screaming at him, pulling him to protect his threatened mate.

I could see him tremble with the effort it took to resist.

I sent a wave of gratitude and reassurance toward him, but it did not quell him.

"The exit plan is to get all of us out." I said, gently. I looked at Kuruk. "Call him, tell him you have me, and bring me in like you would any other high val bounty. It won't be hard to get him talking about his master plan to take over the universe, and that will give you," I said pointedly to Ben. "Plenty of time to find your saber and meet us in the throne room. We knew it was going to be a fight."

"A fight we can handle." Ben said. "Even with the guard. With you, and me, and Hux gone, it's an even match." And, if he and I had taken out all eight guards by ourselves…"They don't stand a chance." Ben finished. "That's if they choose to fight. They may surrender when they realize he's not Supreme Leader." He turned to face us.

"I expect each of you to uphold your vow to me by protecting my Mate at all costs." He said, solidly.

There was a round of "Yes, sir." from each Knight.

"If anything happens to me, I've already programmed the coordence and the main data bank." He looked at Kuruk. "You abandon the mission and you get her there, is that understood?"

I opened my mouth to object, or at the very least ask him where he wanted to send me.

Don't. Ben nearly screamed through the Bond, and I conceded, with an irritated huff.

Kuruk nodded. "Yes, sir."

Ben held his gaze for a moment, then nodded, slightly. "Make the call."

Shortly after, I was bound in stun cuffs, in the center of six helmeted and heavily armored Knights.

Ben stepped forward before we made our final descent, and put a massive hand on my neck, pulling me to him so that he could plant a long kiss on my temple.

I love you. He said through the Bond.

I love you. I said back. Everything will be fine. Trust me.

He disappeared before the loading bay doors opened, and we marched out.

Just get him talking. I reminded myself on the elevator ride up. Just until Ben finds his saber, and then all of this will be over.

My stomach was tied into knots, and with the final ding of the elevator, I broke into a cold sweat.

As predicted, there were eight guards, all in ceremonial red robes stationed around the room. I tried not to notice them as we moved passed, trying to keep my focus solely on the man seated on the throne in front of me.

We stopped our march, and I noticed two silver towers on either side of him, both emitting a purple glow.

Force blockers. So I wouldn't be able to use the Force even after I got these cuffs off.

Hux was turning a small black box in his gloved hands. "My Knights." He said, and I couldn't help the shutter his mechanical voice made slither up my spine. "I knew you would not disappoint me. The bounty has been deposited in your accounts." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Leave us."

They did not move.

After a long, silent beat passed, Hux repeated himself, louder. "Leave. Us."

"Lord Ren." Vicrul spoke. "This woman killed Supreme Leader Snoke. We want to make sure her punishment is appropriate for her crime."

"Damn Snoke." Hux spat, and I stared at him in shock, not believing what he'd just said. "Snoke was foolish enough to get himself killed by a scavenger girl from Jakku." He leaned forward and pointed to himself. "I'm Supreme Leader now, and you will not question me."

Vicrul moved to charge forward, but Trudgen caught him by the shoulder. There was a hiss of metal on metal and the clank of armor as the guards readied themselves.

Hux motioned for them to stand down, and they obeyed. "Since you insist on staying." He drawled, speaking to Vicrul. "You can carry out the first of her sentences."

A silent moment passed before Vicrul shook his head. "I won't."

Hux leaned forward in his throne. "And why not?"

"Maybe he's waiting on you to grow a pair and do it yourself?" I guessed.

Several Knights turned their heads to look at me, but I kept my eyes forward, watching Hux shoot to his feet with an angry grunt.

He took several steps forward, and stared down at me. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He asked. "I'll bet he treats you no better than the whores he had here."

I wasn't expecting that, and his words hit me like a slap in the face.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Hux probed. "Snoke raped and tortured him for years. It's all he's ever known. I can only imagine what he must do to you."

I shuddered at his implication, but said nothing.

"Unless you were used in the pleasure huts on Jakku." He took a step forward, closing the distance between us to just a few inches. "No, I have it all wrong, don't I?" He purred. "He's not mated to you, he just traded one whore for another."

"That's enough." Ap'lek snapped, and Hux looked up at him.

I blinked, and looked at him as well.

"What did you say to me?" Hux demanded.

"I said that's enough." Ap'lek repeated, his voice not wavering in the slightest. "And I suggest you watch how you speak to my Lady."

Hux turned his head toward me, then back to Ap'lek, but before he could respond, the tense silence was broken by the sound of a lightsaber.

Hux glanced over his shoulder to watch Ben walk into view from the stairwell, his sputtering red blade casting an eerie glow across his features.

The guards ignited their own weapons, taking battle stances, as did the six Knights behind me.

I sighed, relief nearly making my knees weak.

"Ah." Hux calmly turned the black box in his hands again. "There you are." He said to Ben. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't get to see this "

He sprang faster than I would've thought possible, bringing his fist, and the box in it up, then down.

I yelped in surprise, then pain as I felt several tiny pricks into my chest.

I heard Ben scream my name as the Knights charged forward, and I looked down at the black box now protruding above my heart.

I reached up with both of my bound hands, and pulled it away, staring in bewilderment at the six now empty syringes nestled inside. Six matching dots of red oozed out of the injection sites, staining my tunic.

I looked up through the mist of tears in my eyes to see Ben's horrified expression as he rushed toward me.

And then dark.