Hands held behind his back, the young First Order General stood on the bridge, looking out at the vastness of his domain. His eyes glittered with the prospect of meeting the Supreme Leader. Finally, the time had come. He had proven himself superior to the fool Kylo Ren, even though he possessed no command over the supposed mystical, invisible force. No, Hux commanded millions of tangible souls, all ready to die at his command for whatever cause he named. The Supreme Leader recognized his potential. These so called Knights of Ren were just flagrant relics of a bygone age. His was the true power.
"General Hux, we are entering the Atheanian system now," a nameless, faceless officer reported from her console.
"Good," he responded. Moments later, the destroyer dropped out of hyperspace, causing a slight shudder underneath his boots. Unacceptable. Hux frowned and approached the pilot's console. A lock of errant red hair fell onto his forehead, giving him the youthful appearance he hated so much. Kylo had his silly intimidating mask, but as for himself, he only had his own image and fury to project fear in the hearts of others. He swept the lock back into its slicked, severe position.
The pilot refused to meet the General's loathing gaze. Sweat beaded along the man's forehead. Hux had heard stories from his father how the Sith Lord Vader had strangled men for lesser offenses. At moments like these, Hux allowed himself to envy that ability, but even so, he would make sure the pilot was dealt with appropriately. A dark glance to the bridge commander and the man's fate was sealed. Hux left the bridge before the pilot's cries for mercy could reach his ears. He had other things that demanded his attention.
The First Order General had ordered the force-sensitive prisoner moved to the brig. She was still unconscious from Kylo Ren's meddling, and Hux sneered when he realized that the wan, emaciated creature before him could not respond to his inquiries. He would so much rather hear her confession from her own lips, but alas, she remained still on the floor of the cell were she was roughly deposited some hours earlier.
The small cell was kept cold by a vent in the ceiling running constant air flow. Attuned as she must have been to the miserable heat of her desert home planet, Hux allowed a quirked smile when he saw the prisoner reflexively shudder. Gone were sand-colored scraps she called clothes, replaced now by the more functional thin white fabric tunic and pants, designated for all First Order humanoid prisoners. Her feet were bare, and there was no blanket provided.
Her brunette hair might have been styled at one point, but he could no longer tell; it was a tangled mess around her face. Hux frowned. More the pity. If she was cleaned up, she might be reasonably appealing. Her breathing was quiet and even, and despite the purple and black smudges under her eyes, her skin was like porcelain. He longed to run his fingers along her smooth cheek, but stopped himself. What was he thinking?! She was filth, a worthless member of the doomed Resistance.
Leave, you fool, he urged himself. He had garnered several surprised looks when he opted to question the prisoner himself. He had his minions to take care of such unsavory work. It was business for storm troopers, not an officer, and yet, he wanted to see this girl for himself. She remained, incredibly, a precious commodity for that terror Kylo Ren, fickle enforcer that he was. Hux simply wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this girl. Seeing her now, thin, pale and sickly, he was not impressed, but even so, he knelt to observe her more closely.
"Rumor has it," he began, licking his bottom lip, "that you nearly defeated a Knight of the Ren in combat." Naturally, he didn't expect her to answer, but it felt good to address her all the same. Conspiratorially, Hux lowered his voice. "Might I say, my dear, that we are all very disappointed you failed in your task."
The prisoner's breathing was still steady, and emboldened, Hux moved a step closer. "The Supreme Leader says you are valuable, but," he mused, reaching out and stroking her bare arm with the back of his hand, "I think you hold all the worth of a spent Twi'lek whore."
He let the comment linger in the air, satisfied. Just then, impossibly, a vice-like grip caught his wrist. Horrified, General Hux looked down into the burning eyes of a very awake Rey.
"You...but..." he stammered, still unable to process her actions.
Rey wrenched his arm back into an impossible angle, and he cried out for the guards. Stormtroopers entered the cell moments later, bewilderingly looking at the prisoner, then back to the captive General.
"Get her!" he ordered, though it came out as a whine.
It took two solid hits from the butt of the blaster to knock Rey out again. Free and gasping for air, the General Hux bolted from the cell, ignoring the concerned, "Are you alright, sir?" from the stormtrooper.
Fuming, the General stormed down the hall, cradling his arm and wrist. The sooner this girl was dead, the better.
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Resistances members scurried like busy ants in the temporary headquarters they occupied. Despite the recent victory in destroying the Starkiller base and super-weapon, the mood was tense. Inventories of fighters, food and medical supplies, tech and remaining personnel were done with grim precision. The members, new and old, were used to constant motion. The New Order was too big and too powerful for the Resistance to operate in one location for more than a few weeks at a time. Like a battle-worn army, they packed and moved on to the next location at a moment's notice.
In the corner, removed from the chaos, sat the sparsely equipped medical cot, and lying on it, the man whispered to be a former stormtrooper. Spies were so commonplace that his presence was not accepted until the General herself helped treat his wounds. The aging princess was a ubiquitous force in the Resistance; she went where her aid was needed, and she always knew when it was needed. This ability baffled the younger members, but the older ones gave a knowing look.
General Leia Organa held the dark hand of Fin. He grimaced and blinked his eyes. "I feel terrible," he muttered, to no one in particular.
She smiled sadly. "I've heard that one before," she told him, and gave his hand a squeeze before settling down to business. "We're lucky Chewie found you before..." she couldn't bring herself to continue. So she settled on, "we've patched you up the best we can. Our healer says you'll have some scars, but that builds character."
Fin chuckled and then winced as the action sent a shock wave of pain through his back. Leia gave him a moment, her soft brown eyes intent on his face.
"Where's Rey?" Fin asked, easing himself up on the cot. He took an anxious look around the crowded room, but saw only the unfamiliar faces of the Resistance members hard at work.
To her credit, Leia held her gaze steady. "Fin," she began slowly, and with certainty, "Chewie didn't find Rey. He just found you."
Fin cried something unintelligible, and instinctively, Leia reached out and held him as he sobbed against her shoulder. "We are so sorry for her loss," she said, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Rey was strong. She will be missed."
Fin pulled back, wiping his eyes quickly with his hand. "He did it." He paused, before brokenly shouting, "he did it!" The whole room stopped for a moment to look at him before returning to their duties. Leia, for her part, maintained a quiet dignity. Fin needed solace. He needed a rock. He needed a cause.
Even so, the General was too smart not to know of whom Fin alluded to. It made her heart heavier. Before the healer had spoken to her, she recognized the lightsaber slashes on Fin's back when he was brought back to them, nearly dead. Only the years of training herself to hold her emotions in check under a strong, regal facade enabled her to endure the shame. Her son, traitor and killer, had made his mark on yet another innocent.
"There is no good left in him," she admitted quietly, refocusing Fin with her words. "That's why, with your help, we will go after the First Order. We will destroy the twisted doctrine that he follows."
"And Kylo Ren?"
"I'll kill him myself before I see him harm another one of my people," she said, her eyes hardening. Fin believed her.
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A/N Ewww isn't General Hux such a creep? That scene practically wrote itself. This chapter was mostly minor characters, I know, but the plot needs to move along with their help. If I focused just on Kylo and Rey it wouldn't work. They deserve more complexity than that.
It's been a rotten few days. I would love to hear your thoughts. They always cheer me up.