[Hux]

Armitage Hux did not regret being the last to leave the bridge. Or rather, attempt to leave. Because he was still there, clinging to the edge of a canted, slippery bit of decking, in danger of falling to an uncertain but probably final fate. He did regret taking a last moment to look around the place in useless sentimentality, which was when some diabolically well-placed shot had blown a gaping hole in the bridge tower, collapsing one of the lower levels and taking out much of the floor of the bridge itself.

He wasn't sure what was below him, but the idea of letting go to find out sounded unhealthy. On the other hand, his purchase on the deck was slipping despite the otherwise good gripping power of his gloves. He was sweating inside them and was possessed of only enough upper body strength to cling here – not enough to hoist himself out like some athletic holo-drama star. He didn't get very far into considering his limited options when the shadow of Kylo Ren filled the open hatch, then moved inside abruptly after catching sight of him.

Of all the people to find him like this! Ren wasn't even part of the First Order anymore, having been ousted for treason, assassination, and a handful of related charges. He must have joined up with the damned Resistance and here he was back. Hux snarled up at him. "Here to gloat?"

Ren moved on the tilted deck as though it were perfectly flat – the Force, of course. Damn him again! Ren knelt and extended a hand without hesitation.

Hux looked at it disbelievingly. He slipped a few more inches, stopping only by scrabbling with renewed desperation. "You expect me to ask for your help?" In the background, a figure loitered in the doorway. Other than their non-regulation boots, Hux couldn't see them past Ren's looming form.

"Take my hand. You're not going to die."

"I sentenced you to death!" There was no reason for Ren to offer him aid. Hux had made sure all the theatrical window-dressing of an impending execution was real enough to pass muster.

"The future can be different."

"I have no future, as you might have noticed." He hazarded a glance over his shoulder, desperate enough to take the risk. It wasn't good. If he let go, the ship's artificial gravity would pull him straight down into empty space. Beyond that was the main hull, far below. Even assuming the containment field was intact (he suspected it was, as he was able to breathe and wasn't being sucked away into vacuum), there was no way to survive a fall that far.

"You do," Ren insisted. "You still do. I've seen it. Take my hand."

Damn him and the Force, too! What was Ren even doing here? "I can't." He didn't mean he wasn't physically able. He meant it wasn't something he could let himself do. He slipped again, barely hanging on. He realized the only way to do this in a dignified fashion was to let go on purpose. That would be hard, but he could do it. He steeled himself, shutting his eyes for a moment and letting resolve fill him.

Ren grabbed his forearm with a grip of iron, thwarting Hux's plan. Ren looked off-balance. Hux wondered if he kicked out, if he could pull the both of them over the edge. It was what an enemy deserved; what a Hux deserved – to die taking out his most powerful foe. But Ren wouldn't be in danger if he hadn't been trying to help. It took him out of the category of enemy and put him in one Hux wasn't familiar with at all.

Hux mentally promised himself he'd kill Ren for this later, then let go of the deck and grabbed Ren's arm in as smooth a transfer as possible. He'd expected Ren to use the Force to lift him. The nerf-bull lifted him with sheer muscle instead, beyond what even a holo-drama actor could manage. The only role the Force played was keeping him stable during it.

"You can't say I just happened to be nearby this time," Hux hissed. Ren didn't answer, which was an answer unto itself, confirming something Hux had suspected for years. Ren put Hux on the tilted deck and gave him a few undignified pushes up it.

In the hatchway, Hux passed that Resistance pilot they'd captured (and had then escaped) over Jakku. Hux couldn't recall his name. The guy had a blaster in his hand, but it was pointed at the floor. "We need to move," the guy said to Ren. "This place is going to pieces."

Ren nodded. "Find a ship you can fly. I'll join up. I have to see if I can find the rest."

"I can fly anything," the other guy objected. "Also, we shouldn't split up."

"We're splitting up," Ren said, then turned to Hux. "Where are my personal effects?"

Hux could feel his face twist in confusion. "Is that what you came back for, in the middle of a raging battle? They're in storage!" There was a pressure in his head, familiar and hated. But Hux was already thinking about where he'd had the stuff archived. It was there on the surface of his mind for anyone to read. "Get out of my head!" he snarled.

Ren recoiled from him and smirked. "I have what I need. You should get as far away from this battle as you can if you want to survive." He dashed off in a swirl of black cloak.