Rose felt a cold, desperate bead of sweat run down her back. An ashen taste spread in her mouth as she marched forward until she reached a door. It slid open with a low hissing sound. She stared at the dimly-lit hallway in front of her, slowed her step and gulped. There was a small door visible at the far end of it; that's where they were going. Their final destination.

The Stormtrooper behind her pushed her with his plasma rifle, she stumbled and brushed against Finn who was walking right beside her. She looked up at him, trying to catch his gaze but he only stared straight ahead, probably trying to come up with an idea on how to escape.

She gulped. It couldn't end here. Not like this. Someone had to think of something! She turned her head towards Chewie, the tall Wookie was snarling - suddenly he whined and she could smell the stench of burned hair.

She glared over her shoulder at the Stormtrooper holding the remote to his shock collar.

"Eyes front, rebel scum," hissed the Stormtrooper, her voice muffled from the helmet.

She pressed her lips together and resisted to look at Poe. He was silent and he was never silent. She needed him to be cocky, to make a silly joke despite their bleak situation. It was absurd of course, there was nothing to laugh about. This was deadly serious.

Her heart was hammering against her chest, she could hear the blood rush in her ears. The only sounds besides that were Chewie's silent whimpering and the boots of the Stormtroopers behind them making hard noises on the metallic floor.

Please, please… don't let it end like this, she thought again, not knowing who she was even addressing with this prayer. Perhaps the Force? Rey?

Her breath became ragged when they reached the door, she felt cold. Her chest was constricting and she had trouble drawing breath. She blinked and turned her head towards Poe. He looked pale, but when he noticed her gaze he straightened himself and lifted his chin.

"I said eyes front!" yelled the Stormtrooper and pushed her so hard that she fell against the durasteel door. Her hands had been bound behind her back, so she had no possibility to cushion her fall. A sharp pain from her lip and the coppery taste of blood spread in her mouth.

She panted as she got up, heaved her nose and turned to spit at the Stormtrooper. Spittle mixed with blood left a reddish stain on the white chestplate of the soldier.

"You-" began the Stormtrooper but she was interrupted by General Hux who was standing behind the soldiers.

"There is no need for that, Sergeant," he said with a crooked eyebrow. He tugged at his black leather glove, glaring at the prisoners with a haughty stare. The light behind his back made his face look harsh.

The Stormtrooper snapped at attention. "Yes, sir."

Rose shot Hux a withering glare. This was the second time she had been caught by the Order. Last time he had ordered Captain Phasma to kill them and had strutted away with a sardonic smile. This time he apparently wanted to see it through personally.

The door behind her sild open, a cold draught brushed against the back of her sweat-soaked shirt.

Hux clasped his hands behind his back. "Get in there."

She didn't detect any gloating in his voice. He was very calm and collected despite having all three of them within his grasp. She had at least expected him to sneer at them.

The Stormtroopers pushed them inside, it took Rose only a moment to recognize the mouldy smell mixed with rot. Every trash compactor room apparently smelled the same, be it on Hays Minor, D'Qar or the flagship of the First Order.

"Turn around, rebel scum," ordered the Stormtrooper who had hit Rose in the back.

Rose stared at the garbage heap in front of her. She felt sick to her stomach, this was really it. They would be disposed of like trash, a footnote in galactic history. She clenched her fists, it couldn't end here - Paige's sacrifice had to mean-

"Give me the rifle, Private. I want to shoot them myself," Hux's cold voice rang out.

Rose breath faltered, she wanted to reach out, take at least Chewies hand, look at Finn before-

Shots echoed through the room and Rose flinched and squeezed her eyes shut. Moments later she realised that she was still breathing, with a frantic look she looked at Finn, then at Poe and finally at Chewie.

They were all alive.

They turned on their heels, only to see three Stormtroopers laying on the floor, blaster holes in their chests, a thin runnel of blood seeping out of them. Hux lowered his rifle. "I'm the spy."

For a moment nobody said anything, then Poe yelled, "I knew it!"

Finn frowned. "No, you did not!"

Chewie growled to agree with Finn.

Rose could just stare, unable to process the information. Hux was… the spy? The man who was responsible for Starkiller… a spy for the Resistance?

"We don't have much time," said Hux. "Pryde expects me back any moment. Turn around so that I can unlock your handcuffs."

Poe went first, Hux pulled a code cylinder from his uniform jacket and freed him. After a short moment of hesitation Finn went next, then Chewie. Rose just stood there like rooted to the spot.

"Rose!" hissed Poe. "Come on, we got to go."

She blinked and turned around. She shuddered when she felt his gloved hands on her skin, as soon as she was unshackled she took a quick step back and started to rub her chafed wrists.

"There is a shortcut to the hangar right down this hallway," said Hux. He was still holding the rifle but it was trained at the floor.

He took the lead as they jogged down the hall and turned left at a small junction. About a minute later they stood in front of a blast door, apparently an emergency exit.

Hux quickly punched in a code and the heavy door started to move. They heard heavy footsteps rushing down the hallway.

Rose stared at the slowly moving door. Kriff! They wouldn't make it!

Suddenly Hux shoved the rifle in Poe's hands and stepped back from them. Before anybody could say anything two Stormtroopers appeared, training their blaster rifles on the Rebels.

"Sir! We found bodies in the trash compactor," one of them said to Hux.

Hux nodded. "Well done, Private."

He went to the Stormtroopers while Poe put the blaster on the floor.

With one quick movement Hux stepped behind one of the Stormtroopers and something dark and metallic slid into his left hand. He jerked the Trooper's head up and slit his exposed throat. Just before he could turn on the other one, the Stormtrooper maged to throw his rifle around and shoot. With a scream Hux fell on the floor, clasping his upper leg.

Chewie roared and lunged at the Stormtrooper, breaking his neck with one swift twist. Poe grabbed the blaster rifle and checked the hallway. "Damn it! I don't see anybody but maybe they sounded an alarm. We got to hurry!"

Finn knelt down next to Hux and tried to get a look at the blaster wound. "His leg is shot, we have to carry him!"

Rose quickly took one of the blasters laying on the floor. "Chewie, carry him - we'll cover you."

The Wookie picked him up roughly, making Hux groan in pain and together they ran towards the Falcon. To their surprise there were no guards.

"Is this your work, Hux?" asked Poe while he looked around.

"I changed the parol patterns to- argh, to-" he broke off, his face was scrunched up in pain.

They boarded the ship and moments later Poe and Chewie powered up the engines. Finn and Rose were in the back, helping or rather dragging Hux on the couch in the middle of the ship.

Rose pressed her lips together as she saw that Hux's black pants were glistening with blood. Finn hurried away and appeared moments later with a medkit. He bandaged Hux's leg, Rose wanted to ask Hux if he needed a painkiller but when she lifted her head she saw that he had fallen unconscious.

His pale face was covered in sweat with his usually slicked back hair hanging down. They jumped to hyperspace.

.

-o-

.

Hux could feel the cool wind in his face and the biting smell of burnt wood was in his nostrils as he stared in the sky. The brilliant, bright red beam before him made him shudder. With a jerk he woke up.

His leg was numb and his stomach was upset. Before he could even gather his bearings he realised that he had to vomit. He leaned over and threw up. His head was spinning and he let himself fall back on a thin mattress.

Only now he realised that he was lying on a stretcher. His memories came back to him - Pryde, the Rebels… those damn Stormtroopers who had been too attentive for their own good. The Stormtroopers… the men and women under his command. He had betrayed them - at least that's how they would see it.

He closed his eyes and exhaled. It was all over now. He was the Rebel's captive - they would certainly shoot him as soon as they had gotten every piece of intel out of him. Well, he had known the risks of helping them escape.

A middle-aged human woman with light skin and silver streaks in her brown hair appeared on his right side. Hux flinched and lifted his arms out of reflex. Only then did he notice that he wasn't bound to his bed, there were no shackles, no handcuffs.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were awake," she said.

She looked down on the floor and Hux blushed. "I apologize, usually I have better self-control-"

"Don't worry. A lot of people experience nausea after surgery - especially when the kolto isn't fresh anymore."

His eyes went wide. "The kolto… isn't fresh anymore?"

"I'm doctor Harter Kalonia by the way. And don't worry - kolto can't turn bad, but it's effectiveness can suffer a bit if it's older than six months."

Hux lay back down on the stretcher.

"PN-2, please clean up," Kalonia said as she typed something on the pad she was holding.

A small cleaning droid appeared and started to do its job with beeping noises.

"The blaster bolt shattered your femur, it will take a couple of weeks to heal. I already injected you with nanobots to support in accelerating your healing process."

Hux's throat was parched, he gulped in vain to get rid of the bitter taste of vomit lingering in his mouth. "May I have a glass of water?"

"Ah, of course. Forgive me, my bedside manners aren't the best."

She stepped to a nearby table with a jug on it and poured him a glass of water. He rinsed his mouth a bit and drank the rest. He was tired and exhausted.

Kalonia took the glass back and put it on the table. "You should eat something, it would help with the nausea."

That sounded sensible, he decided. "Alright." A ration bar would also be easily consum-

"Okay, I'll call somebody to take you to the Cantina… although it's more of a hangar with benches to be honest."

"Wha-" Before he could ask his question she was gone.

He looked around some more, the room looked like a med bay on a backwater planet: Crampy, old tech and ancient holomonitors. PN-2 made one last loud beep before it scurried away. Yes the droid wasn't exactly state of the art either.

He heard footsteps approach and then trai- FN-2187 appeared. Hux set his mouth to a thin line. He was a traitor too.

"Heard you wanted to go to the Cantina."

"Dr. Kalonia stated that I should eat something. I didn't know that she wouldn't simply hand me a ration bar."

"Ration bars are reserved for pilots, the rest of us have to eat whatever the chef is cooking." He stepped closer. "Come on, get up. I'll give you a crutch and come along in case you need assistance."

Hux attempted to sit up but it was surprisingly hard without being able to move his right leg.

"Want me to give a hand?" asked FN-2187.

Kalonia joined them. "Finn, why don't you just-" she reached out and under Hux's shoulders. Upon contact Hux jerked up and grabbed her hand hard.

"Let her go, Hux. She didn't mean to startle you," said FN-2187 in a calm voice.

Hux realised that he was holding her hand so hard that his knuckles had turned white, he also noticed the pained expression on her face. He let go, falling back on the stretcher. "I- apologize, doctor."

Kalonia rubbed her hand, frowning at him.

"Don't surprise him like that, okay?" said Finn. "We- they- the First Order teaches you that close proximity is dangerous. It takes some time before one realises that not everybody is an enemy."

Hux blinked in surprise. He hadn't realised that there are people in the Galaxy who didn't mind if their personal space was intruded. He looked from Kalonia to FN-2187 and propped up on his elbow. He would show them. He wasn't weak just because his leg was broken!

He pushed himself upright and grabbed his numb leg; after a few attempts he managed to swing it over the edge of the stretcher.

"I'll help you to stand up," said FN-2187, "too much pressure on the injured leg might make it worse."

Hux panted, he was hot and feeling sick. He didn't like the idea of needing help but FN-2187 was right of course. It would be foolish to refuse his help. He nodded.

FN-2187 took Hux's left arm and put it around his neck. Slowly he pulled him up on his feet. Kalonia gave Hux a wooden crutch which he took. Odd, he didn't even know that there were still things made of wood instead of alloy.

Slowly he put some weight on the crutch and took a small step forward. The crutch almost slipped away from under his armpit, but he managed to keep the balance.

"You shouldn't move around too much," said Kalonia.

"Come on, Doc, how else is he supposed to get to the Cantina? The hoverchair is out of commission." FN-2187 crossed his arms and lifted his eyebrow.

Hux thought about saying something but nothing came to mind - what was he supposed to say anyway? He needed to eat and he wasn't about to show them any weakness.

The way to the Cantina proved quite a challenge, Hux could only take small steps and had to pause from time to time. The crutch pressed into his armpit and his shoulder started to hurt.

FN-2187 didn't offer his help and Hux didn't ask.

Judging from the clattering of cutlery and the cacophony of voices Hux thought that they were close to the Cantina. He hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, making an effort to put on an indifferent face before he walked the last few steps and entered the room.

As soon as he stood in the room the conversations slowly died down, Hux was aware of everybody staring at him. The Rebels looked tired, some wore old Republic uniforms, others just civilian clothes. Most of them were too old or too young to be regular soldiers. They glared at him. He had been their most hated enemy for years, chasing them mercilessly, attacking their fleet on D'Qar, almost finishing them off on Crait.

And they had Ren to thank for their escape. Not him.

Yet here he was - standing in their midst. He couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine, they would without a doubt scream and insult him on every occasion. Make his life - or what was left of it - hell.

Or perhaps they would just settle for jeering at him, goat their enemy who has fallen from a disciplined, powerful General to a traitor in a blood stained, wrinkled uniform. He had to resist to try to slick his strands of hair back, but in an attempt to show them that he wasn't afraid he lifted his chin.

It had been a gamble and he had lost. He had hope that he would make the transition from a position of power… not like this.

The silence stretched out, when suddenly somebody in the back of the room got up - it was no other than Commander Poe Dameron. Hux gritted his teeth, perhaps he shouldn't have come here. Dameron would mock him, perhaps even mention his moth-

"That's our spy! I told you guys!" He pointed his finger at Hux. "I told you it's Hugs!"

The crowd started to murmur and slowly one by one turned their eyes away from Hux and continued to eat.

Taken aback by the development Hux blinked a few times before he realised that he had to find a place to sit down. There were no empty tables and so he decided to join Dameron - at least with him he knew what to expect.

He attempted to keep a straight face when he hobbled through the Cantina to the table in the back. As he drew near he saw that Dameron wasn't alone - with him was the dark-haired woman who had been on the Steadfast.

Hux chewed on his lip, thinking if he should sit down or if he should ask if the free seat was already taken.

Dameron grinned at him. "Come on, Hugs. Sit down, you look like death warmed over - you need to eat something."