"Why didn't you tell me you could fight like that?" He asked. She looked away as though avoiding the question.

"I guess it's time for a 'Hux Family History Lesson.' She answered after a moment, turning her gaze back to him. Something had changed in her expression again. The color in her cheeks was gone and he detected a deep sadness in her eyes.

"Our father was a military man." She began slowly, "He served the Grand Republic Army first, then served the Empire after that. Soon after the transition, he was made the Commandant of the Imperial Academy on Arkanis. That's where we were born." She paused, glancing up at Poe. He motioned silently for her to continue on, so she did.

"He had an affair with our mother, a kitchen worker. Quite the scandal." She forced a small laugh, then her face became serious again. "Our father hated us. We were nothing more than bastards to him. But since he had no children with his wife, he decided to keep us. He was a cruel man. Every breath we took was a black mark on his reputation, and he made sure we paid the price." She pulled her knees to her chest instinctively as she spoke, a cold expression settling on her face. "Armie and I were very close back then. All we had was eachother."

"Wait...Armie?" Poe asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Yes, Armie." She laughed. "Short for Armitage. We couldn't pronounce eachother's names when we were young, so we used nicknames and they sort of stuck. I called him Armie and he called me Tessa." She smiled softly to herself. This memory was clearly a good one. He could read her face like an open book. She directed her gaze back to Poe. "I saw that face you made. You may hate my brother but he wasn't always the General Hux you know him to be. Once upon a time he was a sickly little boy who took extra beatings to protect his sister. If he hadn't stepped in all those times, our father would have eventually killed me." She snapped, giving him a warning look. Poe sank a little in his seat. He didn't feel sorry for Hux at all, but thinking of the abuse she endured through her childhood saddened him. She continued. "He always seemed to hate me more. I was a headstrong child and Armie only ever wanted to please him. After we left Arkanis, the abuse eventually stopped and he started training us with his soldiers. It wasn't long before Armie began to excel in his studies and father's superiors took notice. Armie wasn't a fighter by any means...he had no strength or endurance. But he has an amazing mind for strategy." Poe resisted the urge to roll his eyes and kept listening. She didn't seem to notice and continued.

"Where Armie excelled in strategy, I excelled in combat. Channeling my hatred for our father has always been my driving force." Her brow furrowed and she clenched her fist. "Father saw my skill as a fighter and he shipped me off to complete my training. I studied close quarters combat and specialized weaponry. The time I spent away from him gave me the freedom to develop a mind of my own. Something my father didn't anticipate." She paused for a moment, as if searching for her next words.

"This part is difficult to explain..." she started, squinting slightly. "I believe it was around this time that our father truly began to lose his mind. He saw us as two sides of a powerful coin. He focused all of his energy on building our individual strengths so that one day he could place Armie in a position of power, and me at my brother's side as his protector and enforcer." She noticed Poe's incredulous expression and laughed. "I know how crazy this all sounds, but it's true. His desire for power drove him mad. His dream was to use our bond as twins to create an unbeatable regime and take control of the Galaxy back by force. But our father failed to see that I, unlike my brother, had no desire to please him and his whole plan eventually blew up in his face. Using the brutal education he had given me, I managed to escape the madness. I guess I can thank him for that much. The irony of it all must have driven him insane." She chuckled. "After the Galactic Concordance was signed, he and Armie fled with what remained of the Empire's forces to the unknown regions and I was finally free to live my life without having to look over my shoulder. Years later Armie sent a messenger to track me down to tell me that our father was dead. He begged me to come back, so I did...I hoped we could reconnect. I missed him terribly...I just wanted to start over and forget about everything that had been done to us. When I arrived on his ship, I found that the boy who had once protected me was gone. Armie had become the man I always hated, cold and calculating. He commanded me to join him, and when I refused, he made me his prisoner. They starved me and beat me, and then every few days he would come and ask me again. I refused every time. Eventually he decided I was a lost cause and sentenced me to death. When his pet Phasma took me to be executed, I managed to fight my way out and I've been hiding ever since." She said with an air of finality.

Poe didn't know what to think. It was an overwhelming story, and would take some time to process. He watched her cautiously, unsure of what to say. She was curled up defensively in the copilot's seat. Her arms were folded around her body, and she was trembling slightly. Poe took off his jacket and held it out to her.

"No, no...You don't have to do that. I'm fine..." she protested.

"You're cold, I can tell. Just take the jacket." He insisted. She begrudgingly accepted it and put it on.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

They travelled in silence for a while. He thought about her story over and over, trying to understand what she must be feeling. Suddenly he realized what General Organa had asked her to do.

"She asked you to go back to your brother as a spy, didn't she?" He asked quietly. She shuddered and wrapped the jacket tightly around her as if to shield herself from something.

"She did." Tessa replied after a long pause. "And now you know why I can't do that." She added firmly.

"Are you sure your brother would still want to kill you if he thought you were coming to join him?" He asked. She didn't answer. "I only meant that if you were to change your mind, and somehow you could send word to him that you were ready to join the First Order, maybe he would receive you with open arms." He clarified. She took a deep breath and considered the question for a moment.

"It's not the fear of death that stops me. It's the temptation of going dark." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. Poe looked at her, confused.

"Going dark?" He asked, confused.

"I don't mean like the "force" or the "dark side" or anything like that..." she said quickly. "I mean the darkness that comes with power. I've seen what it does to people. Power is addictive and corrosive. It can turn even the best men into savage beasts. My brother loved me once. He loved me so much that he put his own life on the line for me. Power has turned him into a monster. He cares for nothing but himself. He wants to win above all else and he'll do anything to ensure that he does." Her voice was low and shaky. He finally understood what drove her. She wasn't worried about being hurt or killed, she was afraid that she'd become like her father if she assumed her place beside her brother. Poe mulled this revelation over in his mind, trying to think of a way to make it work. He honestly hated the idea of letting her walk into the proverbial fire, but admitted that the plan was the best option they had. With her inside the First Order and in an unquestionable position of power, she could provide the greatest amount of intel...and with Hux's unwavering trust she could do it without being detected.

After some time had passed, he glanced at her and found that she had drifted off to sleep. She was curled up in the seat, still facing him, resting her head on the back of the seat. Her expression had softened as she slept, no sign of pain or darkness lingered on her face. Now that he could really study her face, he saw how truly different she was from her brother. She had the same fair complexion as Hux did, but she had a smattering of freckles on her cheeks and across her nose, giving her a healthier color. She obviously spent more time in the sunlight than Hux did. They both had the telltale Hux-red hair, but hers seemed to be a warmer shade. Her unkempt curls gave her a softer look. A few stray curls had fallen down over her eyes as she slept and he resisted the urge to brush them back with his hand. Something in him warmed at the sight of her bundled up in his jacket. He shrugged the thought away and spent the rest of the journey watching the stars fly past.