When you're afraid
I'm right beside you
When you're in the dark
I'll come and find you
There is no door
I'll leave unopened
And there is no chance
I'll leave it broken
So, hold on, hold on
Don't let go
Hold on, hold on
I'll be your hope
I'll be your lifeline
I'll never stop fighting
So hold on, hold on
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
- Hold On by Mickey Guyton
Aurelia stood near the bed and glanced down at Hux. His skin was flushed, his hair disordered and damp with sweat. She looked at him for a long moment. She was strong in the Force - not as strong as Kylo or Rey (they were ridiculously powerful) - but strong enough to do this. Master Mac Dhomhnuill believed she was strong enough. An integral aspect of accessing and utilizing the Force was having confidence in your abilities. She could do this.
A significant part of working with a patient going through Threshold Sickness was to stabilize the physical effects on their body and help their minds maintain a distance from both hallucinations and flashes of precognition. That would require some sort of bodily contact. Well, the bed was wide enough that she could easily sit near him and touch him. She settled down next to Hux, back straight, and crossed her legs, each foot placed on the opposite thigh. As she began to meditate she reached over and gently took his hand.
"Alasdair, it's Aurelia," she said softly. "May I come in please?" She went deeper into meditation and attempted to link with his mind. Surprisingly, there was no real resistance. The strong durasteel walls she had seen before were riddled with cracks, his mind, and Force signature vulnerable to a determined assault but still safe from a casual probe.
"Alasdair?" she tried again. this time she felt him reaching out, allowing her to establish a link through the Force. She sharpened her focus, strengthening her connection with his mind. As she settled into the bond she realized that she was in … something. A dream? Maybe. More probably a hallucination. She looked around. This was some sort of office. The furniture was heavy, leaning toward wood and leather. The walls were covered with memorabilia from the Galactic Empire. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a uniform reminiscent of the ones worn by officers in the Empire's Army stood behind the desk. His brown hair was slicked back with some sort of hair product. His cold, stormy grey eyes were focused on a small, thin, uniform-wearing red-haired boy. The boy stood at attention in front of the desk. Although his face was blank it was clear to Aurelia that he was was terrified.
As she watched the man picked up a cane from the desk and started walking around it toward the boy. "You will learn, boy," the man said in a flat emotionless voice. On an impulse, Aurelia reached out and grabbed the boy's hand. Maybe she could protect him. Maybe … there was a feeling of being wrenched sideways, and Aurelia was standing just outside the illusion looking in. She was still holding the boy's hand. At least she thought she was still holding the boy's hand. She looked back at the room saw that the man had the boy bent over the desk while he beat him with the cane. A stream of invective accompanied the beating, with the man calling the boy weak, useless, and a disgrace.
"That's something I never wanted to relive," said a voice next to her. She looked down at the hand she was holding and then up into the face of Armitage Hux. It was twisted with bitterness and anger.
"Is this one of your memories?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes," he replied. "The abusive son of a bitch is my late, unlamented father, General Brendol Hux. I'm sure you've figured out who the boy is."
"So your hallucinations are coming from your memories."
"It appears so," Hux answered. He peered at Aurelia. "Who are you? You look a little familiar but I don't think I know you," He started withdrawing his hand from hers. She grabbed on tighter.
"Don't let go, Alasdair. It's helping me stabilize you through your bout of Threshold Sickness."
"I don't hold hands with strange women," he answered flatly. "And I don't let them call me that name."
"You know me, Alasdair," she replied, annoyed. "I'm Aurelia Galen."
He eyeballed her doubtfully. "Aurelia Galen looks like somebody's grandmother. You look like somebody's sister."
Aurelia looked down at herself. Well, it appears that the Force illusion she was wearing didn't follow her into the mental realm. She had never intended to wear it this long.
"Oh for the love of … do I really need to prove my bona fides to you? You should recognize my Force signature."
"Really? How would I know how to do that? As far as I knew I was a Force null." countered Hux.
"Fine," huffed Aurelia. "I was using the Force to project a 'harmless old biddy' glamour. It's an advanced technique. Now stop arguing with me."
"I have to admit, you sound like the Aurelia Galen I met through Ren. She could be really bitchy, too," smirked Hux.
She gave him a flat, unfriendly look.
"So how does this work, exactly?" asked Hux.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "There haven't been many cases of Threshold Sickness. I'm stabilizing you in the Force to minimize physical discomforts. I'm not sure what sort of adjustments your mind will make as you fully Awaken as a Force-sensitive."
"So we wait for the next hallucination?" asked Hux.
"Pretty much," allowed Aurelia.
"Are they all going to be memories? I have some rather unpleasant ones I would rather avoid."
"I don't know. Just don't let go of my hand."
***TaBa***
It was edging into late afternoon at the guest house. Kylo and Rey had gone to their room to meditate. Master Mac Dhomhnuill had left after looking in on Aurelia and Hux and breezily concluding that they were 'just fine'.
Phasma was still worried. She and Armitage had been friends since they were students at the Academy. They had served together in the First Order, risen in rank together. They had escaped together during the final battle at Exegol. He was like a brother to her.
He was sick because of the Force and she didn't understand what that meant. It made her feel helpless, and she hated that.
"What do you think, Red?" she asked as she and Kateria peeked in through the door at Aurelia and Hux. He was still unconscious and Aurelia was still meditating next to him on the bed, holding his hand.
"I don't know Blondie," replied Kateria. "There's something going on in the Force that's using a lot of energy."
"Should we go in and check on them?"
"Bad idea Blondie. We don't want to mess things up."
"Fine. But if Armitage doesn't wake up soon I'm going to find that old geezer and raise hell."
***TaBa***
"What sort of school did you attend Alasdair, Marquis de Sade University?"
Aurelia had just pulled Hux out of a hallucination of a particularly nasty incident from his academy days.
"It was a military academy that trained officers for the First Order," he replied, a little breathless.
"And was it an acceptable part of the curriculum for the students to attempt to garrote each other in the library?"
"I was the Commandant's son. I was an easy target when they realized I wouldn't complain to him about my treatment."
"It was reprehensible," she fumed.
"I survived," he said shortly.
"You did," acknowledged Aurelia. "But it did have a profoundly negative effect on your psyche."
"Don't psychoanalyze me, doctor. How much longer am I going to have to endure this nonsense?"
"I don't know, Alasdair. I suppose when the Force is finished."
***TaBa***
"Do you feel that, Kylo?"
"Yes I do, Rey."
Rey and Kylo were standing in the doorway of the bedroom, watching Hux and Aurelia. It was early evening at the guest house. Hux was still unconscious and Aurelia was still meditating next to him. The Force was still moving around the pair, snapping and glowing to the eyes of the two Force users.
"I think the Force is stronger than it was this afternoon," remarked Kylo.
"Do we need to intervene?" Rey asked.
"No. We don't know what the Force is doing. If we jump in we may disrupt the will of the Force." answered Kylo.
"So we just wait? Are you sure?" asked Rey petulantly.
"I'm pretty sure Aurelia will reach out to us if she needs us."
***TaBa***
"What the hell was that?" growled Hux.
"I take it that wasn't one of your memories?" asked Aurelia
"Do I look like someone who would be insane enough to transport live rathtars?" retorted Hux.
"I wonder if that was a random hallucination or if it's a memory from someone in the guest house?"
"Who cares?" muttered Hux, who would have picked Kylo if he had to hazard a guess.
"Good shooting on your part," observed Aurelia.
"Thanks. Good thinking on your part to hit the blast door controls," said Hux, "Good timing, too," he added, looking down at an oozing hunk of tentacle.
"It's a good thing I saw the controls," observed Aurelia. "The rathtar had almost pulled you out of my grip."
***TaBa***
It was late evening at the guest house. Phasma was standing at the main door, holding onto the handle, the door partway open, frozen in place with the Force.
"Let me go, Ren," she grated through her teeth.
"If you promise to close the door and sit down I'll release you," said Kylo calmly.
"I want to find that old geezer and get some answers."
"The Force isn't done with Hux yet," stated Rey. "It would be hazardous if we interfered. Aurelia is keeping him safe."
"I. Don't. Care." snarled Phasma.
"Please Blondie," chipped Kateria. "Give it until morning. The Doc is taking care of him. If he's still out then I'll help you shake down the geezer."
Phasma glared at Kateria and then sagged. "Ok Kylo, you can let me go." As Kylo released the Force she let go of the door and moved back into the great room. "Until morning," she promised.
***TaBa***
Aurelia looked around. They were in a snowy wooded area. It was bitterly cold. Light snow was falling. There were some buildings nearby. There was a sense of foreboding in the air. She looked over at Hux. His eyes were wide and his face was pale.
"Alasdair, where are we? Is this one of your memories?"
"Yes," he breathed, reluctantly. "This is Starkiller Base."
An amplified voice, full of vitriol, floated on the wind.
|| "Today is the end of the Republic. The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder." ||
"Alasdair is that …?"
"Yes, that's my voice."
|| "At this very moment in a system far from here, the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the rogues of the Resistance." ||
"The Hosnian System?"
"Yes, Aurelia."
The wind began to pick up. Aurelia felt the pressure of the Force increasing. Significantly.
|| "This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand will bring an end to the Senate, to their cherished fleet." ||
She wrapped her arms tightly around Hux. "Hold on to me Alasdair. Hold on tightly and don't let go."
Hux looked down at her. "I don't understand."
|| "All remaining systems will bow to the First Order and will remember this as the last day of the Republic!" ||
"Hold on now!" she barked. Hux wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
||" FIRE!" ||
Five lines of deadly red energy shot across the darkened sky. They waited as the Force swelled around them. Then it hit.
It felt as if billions of screams tore through the Force. Voices crying in terror. Voices crying in confusion. Voices of sapients. Voices of sentients. A sense of destruction as whole ecosystems were torn to pieces by the relentless red lines of energy. Five planets were torn apart down to their cores. On and on it went, relentlessly.
All Aurelia could do was hold on to Hux and protect his mind as much as she could. It felt like they were being scraped raw.
Hold on, she told herself desperately. As she wrapped her arms tighter around his chest she felt Alasdair's energy flare and weave together with hers. Slowly, ever so slowly, the voices quieted, the destructive energy tapered off.
Finally, they were standing with their arms wrapped around each other in the quiet, snowy clearing. They waited. And waited a little longer.
"I think that was the last one," murmured Aurelia against his chest. She was too tired to move.
"So what do we do now?" Hux muttered into her hair. She could feel the weariness coming off of him in waves.
"Now, I close the link between us and we open our eyes."
She closed the link between them and pulled back from the deep meditative state she was in and opened her eyes. She peered down and saw that she was still holding his hand.
"Aurelia …"
She moved her head and saw Hux's bright green eyes gazing at her.
"Let's never do that again." he finished.
Author's notes: The day is nearly over, but happy Star Wars Day to y'all. I really wanted to get this posted before midnight - yea me!
I found the text of Hux's speech before Starkiller was fired and included it in this chapter. And yes, there is a brief TFA reference.
While I was working on this chapter I was listening to "Hold On" by Mickey Guyton. It's quite lovely. If you have never heard check it out here: /4_oSt1AEPEU