***Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the feedback! I have gotten a few private messages asking about my inspiration for Tessa, so I thought I'd address it. She is a mixture of two strong female characters: Hattie Shaw (Hobbs and Shaw) and Black Widow (Marvel). I love both of these fierce characters and took the best parts of them and their personalities to create Tessa.***
TESSA snuck one last look at Poe from the window of the transport as they lifted off. He was still standing where she left him, his dark, wavy hair blowing in the wind. She wished that there had been more time to truly get to know him. She knew the odds of seeing him again were slim, given the danger they were all in. She sat down on the bench that lined the side of the vessel and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. "That was exactly the kind of thing I was trying to avoid..." she said to herself, exasperated. All she could see in her mind were those deep brown eyes begging her not to go. She hated to admit how close she was to calling the whole mission off after seeing him like that. This was all new territory for her. She'd never been close to anyone but Armie...and never allowed herself to trust anyone but him. She felt a single tear slide down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly and forced the feelings away. This mission needed all of her focus. There was no room for a distraction like this in her life, and Poe Dameron was exactly that. A tall, dark, charming distraction. The pilot announced that they were about to jump to lightspeed and she buckled in, mentally preparing herself for what was to come. She would have to convince Armie and everyone else that she was truly joining them. It wouldn't be easy, but as long as she stayed quiet and kept her feelings buried she could fly under their radar. She closed her eyes and practiced her story over and over in her head, thinking that eventually she'd start to believe it herself.
POE watched until the transport was completely gone from his sight. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make sense of the empty feeling he was left with. She was walking into certain death and he had been the one to bring her here to do it. He wished that they had met in another time, where there were no dangerous missions, no battles to fight. He walked slowly back into the hangar as the blast doors were closing. He went straight to his quarters, ignoring everyone he passed along the way. He wanted to be alone and rest. He entered his room and shut the door behind him. He stood facing the door, resting his forehead against the metal.
"Poe." He heard a familiar voice say his name. He sighed and turned around, finding General Organa seated at his desk. Her face was full of worry.
"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" He said, half-inquiring and half-accusing. He knew Leia was force-sensitive, and could sometimes see how the future might play out. "You sent me to get her knowing I'd develop these...feelings." He said bitterly. He sat down on the edge of his bed, waiting for her to confirm what he already knew.
"It's not exactly like that, Poe." She said calmly. "I had a feeling that you and Tessa could become close. I just didn't know how close. I sent you to get her because you were the only one I trusted with that mission. I never meant to hurt you."
He relaxed slightly, her warm voice comforting him. "What now?" He asked quietly. Leia sighed and leaned forward in the chair.
"Now we fight." She said matter-of-factly. "I need you to focus on the task at hand and let Tessa focus on hers. She's got enough on her plate without some handsome, brave, hot-shot pilot trying to steal her heart." She added, laughing. Poe chuckled and looked down at his hands. She was right, as usual. "Before she left she had one condition for agreeing to this mission. Against my better judgment, I agreed to it." She said, standing and walking over to him. He looked up as she held out a wrist link to him. "Her one demand was that you have the only receiver to her communicator. They're encrypted, so you're the only one who can communicate with her. Don't make me regret giving this to you." She said firmly, giving him a half smile. He nodded, taking the communicator from her outstretched hand.
"You have my word, General." He said smiling. She patted his cheek with her hand and started toward the door, stopping in the threshold.
"You coming, Commander?" She asked quickly, "You missed the briefing after you ran out like a lunatic." She quipped lightheartedly.
"Sorry, General. It won't happen again." He said, standing.
"Oh, something tells me it probably will." She replied jokingly. They walked back to the war room together, arm in arm.
Everyone was waiting for them when they arrived, and Poe apologized quickly for the disruption before. Once that was out of the way, they went over the plan again. The Starkiller Base used the power of suns to fire the weapon. Finn pointed out the target of attack, a large thermal oscillator located behind the main base. A ground team consisting of Finn, Han, and Chewie would get in and locate the girl that Ren had abducted from Takodana, and then find a way to render the oscillator vulnerable to attack from the air. They had to act soon, as the Starkiller was already consuming a nearby sun to recharge the weapon and had been turned to point directly at their location. The pilots donned their flight suits and hopped into their X-Wings. Han, Chewie, and Finn loaded the Millennium Falcon with gear for the ground mission and took off first. Han had a plan to get through the shield so they could disable it for the fighter squadron. Poe sat down in the cockpit of his fighter and started his checklist. Once he was done, he put his helmet on and closed the hatch. The last thing he did before he took off was check to make sure his link to Tessa was safely secured to his wrist.
TESSA's stomach was in knots as the transport landed on Akiva. The resistance pilot opened the hatch for her and wished her well. She forced a smile and thanked him, and then set off on foot toward the city. When she was a safe distance away, the transport left to head back to D'Qar. As she watched it disappear, she was painfully aware of how alone she was and fear rose up inside of her. She took a few deep breaths, mustered some courage and started walking. There was no sign of any inhabitants where they had left her, but as she walked she began to see little houses and farms scattered along the way. Once in a while she'd see someone watching her, clearly suspicious of the hooded traveler walking by. She kept her gaze forward, focusing on the next step. Leia had told her there would be a garrison in Myrra, and she was to find it and turn herself over to them as soon as she arrived. She wondered how she would be received, and decided that she needed to act the part if she wanted to fit into the First Order without raising suspicion. She thought about her brother, and began to practice walking and talking like him. Some of it felt so silly that she laughed out loud at herself. She felt a little better after that. Soon she had perfected the art of being a Hux: stand up straight and tall, chin up, look down your nose at everyone and everything, maintain a cold and emotionless expression.
As she approached the city, she immersed herself in the cold 'Hux' persona and went over her story again in her head. She and Leia had come up with the cover story together, and she hoped it would be convincing enough to fool Armie. The story was that she was afraid to join him before, and that she hid because she was ashamed. When his patrols came to get her on Batuu, she was captured by the Resistance and held in a Resistance cruiser. She heard them talking about attacking the First Order, and knew that she needed to warn her brother before they could get to him. When she was able, she overpowered a guard and stole an escape pod from the ship and crashed it on Akiva, where she walked to Myrra and located the garrison there.
As she rehearsed her story, she began filling it with some details as best she could, knowing that he would have questions. Her brother was a keen observer, so she would have to almost believe the lie herself in order to make this work. As she approached the city, the sounds of speeders and voices grew louder. Myrra was a busy city with narrow streets that hummed with life. She kept her black hood pulled down low and stayed to the edge of the road to avoid getting run over by one of the many small speeders that were racing up and down the streets and channels. Her presence attracted some attention from the inhabitants, most likely due to her cloaked appearance. People here were nosy and highly suspicious of newcomers. She maintained her 'Hux' persona as she made her way through the city, ignoring the stares and keeping her gaze forward. She noticed a young man standing near the next corner, wearing what appeared to be some sort of uniform that she didn't recognize. A city security officer, maybe? She wasn't sure, but decided to ask him about the garrison. She walked right up to him, making sure to radiate an air of self-importance. She pushed back her black hood when she reached him.
"You, sir," she called out authoritatively, "I'm looking for the First Order garrison that is stationed here. Where can I find them?" she snapped her fingers at him as she spoke. The persona was working...he looked up at her with wide, nervous eyes. "I don't have all day." She added when he hesitated.
"S-sorry, ma'am. They're at the docking bay...by the cargo area." he stammered nervously, pointing down the street.
She felt sorry for the man now, but gave nothing away. "And how far down is it, exactly?" she asked in an impatient tone.
"Just a few blocks. I can take you there, if you'd like-" he offered quickly.
"Not necessary. I'll find it myself." she snapped. He looked as though he had just been slapped. She walked away in the direction he had pointed, smiling to herself. She was proud of that performance. "So this is what Armie must feel like..." She mused silently. She pulled her hood back up and followed the steady flow of traffic down the side of the street. The crowd of people seemed to dissipate the further she walked, and soon she found that she was one of very few heading for the docking bay. She caught a glimpse of the docking bay up ahead, immediately recognizing the First Order ships docked there. When she spotted the stormtroopers moving around the area, her stomach dropped. "Keep it together, Tessa." She told herself, trying to calm down. She made a last-second decision to ditch her blaster, not wanting to push her luck with the guards. She ducked into an alley to her right and took off the belt and holster that she had brought from D'Qar. She stashed the holster and blaster in a crate of junk in the alley and then continued toward the garrison.
She noticed the two stormtroopers who appeared to be standing guard over the docking bays and walked casually in their direction. They saw her approaching and ordered her to stop and identify herself. She took a deep breath and stopped, pushing back her black hood. "No turning back now." She said to herself.
"My name is Tressida Hux. I demand that you take me to my brother, General Armitage Hux, immediately." She commanded in a firm voice. They two stormtroopers glanced at each other with what she assumed were dumbfounded expressions beneath their helmets. One of them ordered the other to go find their commanding officer. He took off quickly, heading toward the ship on the closest docking bay. "Did you hear me? I said you are to take me to General Hux immediately, he is expecting me. I don't think you want to make him wait." She said louder, stepping toward the remaining stormtrooper. He fidgeted with his blaster nervously, but did not raise it toward her. "That's a good sign..." She thought to herself. The other stormtrooper came back from the docking bay, followed by a First Order officer dressed in a light gray uniform. As soon as his eyes met Tessa's his face paled slightly, a sign that he recognized her or at least her resemblance to her brother. He quickened his pace as he approached her.
"Miss Hux, is it? Lieutenant Grest at your service." He said calmly. "I am sorry to have kept you waiting. The General has been searching for you. He will be pleased to see you." He looked pleased with himself as he spoke. She realized bringing her back to Armie would likely win him a promotion. She wouldn't make this easy on him at all, and the thought made her want to smile. Instead she glared at him. His smile faded and he beckoned her to follow him, talking as he walked.
"I am sorry to report that our departure will be delayed slightly. We are still loading supplies from the warehouse." He apologized.
"Delayed? How delayed?" She asked curtly. "I have urgent news for the General that cannot wait." She added firmly, planting the first seed of her cover story. He nodded quickly, leading her to the transport vessel that sat on the docking bay. He paled again and swallowed hard.
"I will tell the crew to work as quickly as they can, but I'm afraid we won't be able to return to the cruiser for several hours." He cringed slightly as he said this, watching for her reaction. She glared at him as coldly as she could, and he squirmed under her gaze.
After watching the poor man sweat for a moment, she finally responded. "Well don't just stand there, Lieutenant! Get them moving so we can get underway." She snapped, motioning toward the warehouse. He nodded quickly and hastened away. She watched him disappear into the warehouse and she took a seat inside the transport. She enjoyed that a little too much. She needed to be careful not to lose sight of her real mission. Her mind wandered back to D'Qar and to Poe, and suddenly she remembered her wrist link and wondered if Leia had given him the receiver. She considered sending a message, but decided not to. It wasn't for idle chat, it was only for important information. She closed her eyes and pictured him, wondering what he was doing now.
POE and the rest of Black Squadron had jumped out of lightspeed just as the Starkiller's outer shields went down.
"They did it! The shield is down!" Poe exclaimed into the comm. The voices of his comrades came through, whooping and cheering for the ground team. They went straight for their target, the large thermal oscillator positioned to the rear of the main base. As they approached, he caught a glimpse of enemy Tie fighters coming straight for them. "We've got a lot of company!" He announced, turning his attention to the enemy fighters. All other worries faded away as he engaged the enemy. He was in his element, evading their weapons and taking them out as he went. He managed to destroy a few of their surface-to-air canons as they buzzed the base. His adrenaline was flowing freely, and with every opportunity he got to fly down over the oscillator he would fire on it. His hits didn't seem to be affecting it much. He jumped on the ground team comm and hailed Finn.
"Ground team! Our weapons are useless on that oscillator. Anything you can do from down there?" He asked. Finn's voice came back over almost immediately.
"Han has a plan. He said you'll know when you see it." Finn replied cryptically. Poe shook his head and focused all of his attention on the enemy fighters.
"Poe! I've got two on my tail I can't shake!" A voice belonging to Snap Wexley called out over the comm.
"I see them. Hang on, Snap!" Poe responded, falling in behind the Tie fighters. They dodged the first few shots but he managed to take out the first one without much trouble. The second one was clearly a decent pilot, since they were managing to avoid all attempts to bring them down. The Tie fighter broke off of Snap's tail and Poe pursued it. After some daring maneuvers just above the treeline, one of his shots landed and the Tie fighter went down, exploding on impact. He whooped happily at the sight. Suddenly another voice came across the comm.
"Look! There's a hole in the oscillator! I saw an explosion!" Poe flew by for a better look, and sure enough there was a large split in the shell of the oscillator. The sides of the gaping hole were still burning from the explosion.
"This is it!" He exclaimed. "Black squadron, cover me. I'm going in to finish this." a chorus of acknowledgment came through, and Poe dipped down to destroy the oscillator. He flew his X-Wing into the gaping hole like threading a needle. Once inside, he fired on the inner walls of the chamber, setting off a chain reaction of explosions. The harvested sun's energy became too much for the damaged oscillator to handle, and just as Poe flew back out through the opening the whole device exploded. He watched as the ground below shook and began to crack, and he silently hoped that the ground team had made it out safely. He and his squad remained, circling the area, searching for any sign of the ground team or the Millenium Falcon. His eyes scanned the ground as he made pass after pass over the area, and his adrenaline high was replaced with worry and anxiety. He thought he caught glimpses of light in the dense forest below a few times, but wasn't sure what he was seeing. The ground itself was cracking and splitting, revealing the stored solar energy deep below the crust. He knew it was only a matter of time before the whole planet exploded from the stress, and though he hated to even consider leaving Finn, Han, and Chewie behind, he knew he would have to lead the squadron out before too long. Suddenly, a bright light lit the forest a little ways off, and the Millenium Falcon burst from the treetops. He breathed a sigh of relief, announced the sighting to the rest of the squadron, and they departed. Just as he expected, the planet went up in a cataclysmic burst of fire and solar energy behind them as they fled. They managed to escape unscathed, and jumped to lightspeed for the journey home.
He carefully landed his starfighter on the pad back at base and practically jumped out of the cockpit. He ran directly for the Millenium Falcon, which was just landing on the other end of the pad. The ramp lowered and Chewie stepped out, carrying an unconscious Finn in his arms. Poe's heart dropped when he saw his unconscious friend and he called for a medical team that was staging nearby. They lowered Finn gently onto the medical cart and he was rushed away for treatment. Poe turned around and saw a young girl dressed in scavenger garb standing just at the bottom of the ramp. "This must be the girl Finn was talking about..." He thought to himself. He saw General Organa approaching her and decided to follow the medical team instead to check on Finn. All around him, people were celebrating the well-earned victory, but he didn't feel much like celebrating. The only people he'd be interested in seeing at the moment were Tessa and Finn, and she was gone and he was seriously injured. He went straight to the sick bay to check on Finn after he took off his flight suit and gear.
TESSA had waited for what felt like hours before they had completed loading the ships with supplies. Lieutenant Grest returned to check on her many times while she waited, partly a polite gesture, and she assumed the other part was to make sure his prize hadn't wandered off. She pretended not to see the relieved look on his face when he saw her still sitting there in the transport. This time when he came he was practically beaming, and reported that they would be heading back to the cruiser that was orbiting the planet very soon. She decided to give him a tiny ray of hope.
"Very good, Lieutenant. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. I will be sure to pass along your name to the General when we are reunited." She lied, giving him an imperious smile. He was delighted to hear this, and could barely find the words to thank her. Little did he know, she would forget his name after this. She waved him away unceremoniously and sat alone again until the transport began to fill with the armor-clad stormtroopers. She could feel the tension in the transport as they filed in and sat down. She kept silent, focused on maintaining her persona. The vessels took off one by one and left Akiva for the First Order cruiser. "Deep breaths...don't let them see you sweat..." she told herself as they traveled. Soon she heard the pilot giving the large ship their clearance code, and they were given instructions to land. Soon they were landing in a large hangar bay on the ship, and the hatch was opened. Lieutenant Grest came to personally escort her off the vessel, a seemingly honorable gesture, but she knew it was so he would be sure to get the credit for locating her. They were met at the bottom of the ramp by other uniformed officers. She spotted a teal uniform with Captain's insignia on the chest, immediately recognizing him as the highest ranking officer in the group, and gravitated toward him. He was older, with graying brown hair showing at his temples. He reached out his hand and she shook it.
"Miss Hux. I am Captain Barrex. We are honored to have you on board." He said curtly. "After the Lieutenant sent word of your arrival, I had private officers' quarters prepared for you." She nodded approvingly.
"Thank you, Captain. I am grateful for the gesture. I would ask for a change of clothes, if possible. I don't want the General to see me in such a state when we meet." She replied, more of a demand than a request. The Captain dipped his head in acknowledgement and snapped his fingers, and a gray-clad woman scurried off to complete the task. He beckoned her to follow him and waved off the rest of the group, escorting her himself.
"I had the pleasure of serving under your father, at one time. I was a cadet at the Imperial Academy and was fortunate enough to be mentored by him. He was truly a formidable man." He said, assuming she would take it as a complement. She resisted the urge to shudder at the mention of her father. Instead she forced a half-smile.
"He was indeed." She replied shortly. "How long have you served under my brother?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"Since the day your father passed away." He replied. "It is an honor to continue to serve the Hux family. I see so much of your father in the General, if I may be so bold to say it." He added. Tessa caught herself before she laughed out loud. This man clearly worshiped the ground her father had walked on, and now Armie. She wondered if he knew about the abuse they endured at the hands of his beloved mentor. The man droned on as they walked, praising Armie and their father as though they were gods among men. Tessa felt sick to her stomach and silently hoped she wouldn't have to endure this level of boot-licking every time she met someone that had known him. They arrived at the door to her quarters and the Captain opened the door for her and ushered her inside. It was a cold, pristine space, void of any warmth or comfort. She had expected as much, and made a show of walking around, inspecting everything.
"Please make yourself comfortable. We will be underway very soon. I will need to lock the door for your safety, I hope you understand. If you should require anything, please use the intercom by the door." He said politely. She stifled a chuckle. Lock the door for her protection? Hardly. They didn't fully trust her yet. She wasn't an honored guest, she was their prisoner. She thanked the Captain graciously and he gave her a short bow before leaving through the door. As soon as the door was closed behind him, she heard the lock click into place. She took a quick look around the spacious room. The best way she could describe the space was to call it "sterile." The floor, walls, and furniture were all white and polished to a high shine. The stark contrast from Poe's quarters back on D'Qar made her laugh. Despite the obvious attempt at luxury here, she had been much more comfortable in Poe's modest living quarters. There was a large window on the far wall, giving her a clear view of the stars outside the ship. She had to admit the view was spectacular. While she was looking around the room, the ship jumped to lightspeed and the view turned to a bright blur of starlight.
She opened the door to the closet, and found that they had supplied her with some gray uniforms in various sizes. They had the First Order emblem on the sleeves, but did not have any rank or insignia attached. There were three pairs of shiny black knee boots on the closet floor, she assumed in different sizes. She took out a pair of gray pants and a gray shirt, leaving the coat hanging in the closet. She took the clothes to the washroom and closed the door behind her. The washroom was the same as the bedroom, stark white and cold. She looked at herself in the mirror, surprised at what she saw. The bright light washed her out, making her seem paler than normal. Her red curls were unruly again, most likely due to the humid climate of Akiva. She undid the loose braid that was still half holding her hair back and shook her curls out. The bright red against her pale skin made her think of Armie, who had always been lighter complected than she was. She pushed the thought away and showered, thankful for the hot water. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a shower this hot, and took her time, letting the water run over her back and shoulders. She was tense with anticipation, and found that the water helped her relax a little. Once she was done, she stepped out and dried off, then wrapped her hair up in a towel. She put on the uniform, tucking the shirt into the waistband. She took her hair down from the towel, and wondered how she would tame her curls. She had always had unruly hair, one of the things her father always hated. He and Armie both had smooth, straight hair that they kept slicked back with hair oil. Hers never would lay right, and she had come to like that about herself, the one thing that made her different from them.
She used the brush on the counter to smooth her curls and braided it back again, tighter this time. Her bangs were not long enough to be held by the braid, and they fell forward to her temples in a wild mess. She sighed, frustrated. She needed to win Armie's approval immediately, and in order to do that she wanted to make sure she looked the part. She spotted a small bottle of hair oil on the edge of the sink, and took some in her hands. She took the curls that hung at her temples and twisted them with her oiled fingers, causing them to spring up into a more uniform fashion. Satisfied, she went back out into the bedroom and tried on the boots that looked like they'd fit her best. They were stiff and uncomfortable, but she figured they would break in eventually. She tucked her pants legs into the tall boots and sat next to the window, watching the stars fly past until someone came to get her.