First Order Base, one week later…
Ellie had spent a lot more time with General Hux. She found him a bit easier to be around. She tried to keep him at the back of her mind whenever Master Ren was around to avoid Hux getting in trouble. Hux wasn't one to be over her. Even though he was in charge, she felt he treated her as if she were a friend. It was a relief from her overbearing master.
Ellie strided down the hall, right behind her master. Apparently there was some 'urgent news' that he needed to hear. Soon, we made it to the meeting room, where General Hux was there waiting for us with another soldier I don't know.
"Sir, one of our outposts have been attacked," Hux said.
"What?!" Kylo Ren exclaimed, looking as if he were about to lose his already short temper.
"Sir, we won," the other soldier mumbled.
"Oh… Alright. Why did I need to hear this?"
"It was strange… At first they were going all out, and then suddenly, the leader took off. Of course, the others followed, but they seemed just as surprised as we were."
"What colors were the leading ship?" I blurted, wondering if it was Poe's custom black and red X-Wing. I wouldn't be like him to just ditch his partners like that. He would usually be the last to leave.
"Black and red if my memory serves me right."
My heart sank. I was ashamed that Poe would do that.
"Why?" Master Ren asked, turning to me.
"It's nothing," I said, knowing he wouldn't fall for that.
"What's the significance of the ship's colors?"
"Because of ranks. He might have been wrong when he assumed the leader left first, but he was right," I explained.
"Oh no, miss, I could tell that he was the leader."
"Why?" Master Ren asked again, clenching his fists.
"I was just curious."
"Who is it?"
"You don't want to know."
Furious, he stuck his hand out, using the Force to lift me off the ground, choking me.
"Did you tell them anything?" He asked, extremely upset.
I struggled to breathe. I had seen him do this to others, but I had never considered what it would be like to have it done upon herself. She barely managed to choke out her answer. "No."
"How did they know where the outpost was?"
"I-" I coughed more. "Put-me-down!" I barely managed, reaching my blaster. He saw me do that and dropped me. I coughed and hacked as he approached me. "Why would I help them? I've been here for- what a month now? I'm tired of waiting for them to rescue me, especially Poe," I grumbled, not meaning a word of it. How could I even communicate with them when I never get a chance to? Not even Hux is nice enough to let her send a simple 'I'm okay/ I love/miss you' type message.
He got into my head. I felt his fingers combing through my membrane, searching. "I can tell when you're lying, Ellie," he said disappointedly.
"I didn't tell them anything."
He was silent, concentrating. When he was silent, it was deadly. It was usually him contemplating what to hit or who to kill. Still on my hands and knees, I heard his lightsaber buzz to life. I sat on my legs with my head hung over, waiting for him to just do whatever he was going to do.
He slashed a nearby table and I let out a shaky breath I never realized I was holding on to.
"Why would you threaten to pull your blaster on me?"
"You were kind of killing me so I had no choice," I croaked, still with a sore throat.
"Leave us," he ordered Hux and that other dude. They left hastily, ready to leave that uncomfortable situation we had all seen before.
"I had been so nice to you," he mumbled after they left.
I stood to face him. "Nice? I'm your slave, and you terrorize, kill, and torture the galaxy for a living!" I tried to shout, but I had to lower my voice because I was starting to lose it.
"I apologize for giving that impression, and I apologize for not trusting you. I care about you, Ellie," he confessed, taking his helmet off. I had seen him before without it, but his newly scarred face made me feel a pit in my gut.
"Thank you, but that still doesn't change my opinion of what you do," I said.
"What can I do to change that?"
"I dunno… Quit taking over the galaxy?"
"I can't do that."
"Get me some water?"
"I'm not sure it'll help your throat, but I can go do it re- wait. What if I let you go? You can go back to your brother or your precious Ewoks. Not have to hear from me directly."
"But then you'll be after me. I'm not that expendable," I said, giving him an excuse to keep me. If Poe did come to rescue me, it might be a good idea to make Master Ren think I'm on his side, even though I have no choice in the matter.
"So you'll stay with me?" He asked.
"Yes, Master," I said, letting myself slip under his control.
"Great. Go find Hux and bring him here."
"Yes, Master," I said, leaving the room to find him striding down the hall, as if he just left the room. I jogged to catch up with him. "General Hux?" He turned to face me.
"Yes, Ms. Dameron?"
"Master Ren would like to see you," I relayed, trying not to smile at him calling me Ms. Dameron.
"Got it. Thank you for telling me, Ms. Dameron. Tell me, are you alright? You sound hoarse," he asked, genuinely worried.
"I'll be fine. I'll go by the hospital wing and get it scanned…" I trailed, stopping to cough.
He nodded. "Well, Ms. Dameron, I hope to see you later."
"Goodbye, General."
We went our separate ways. I made my way to the hospital, he went to the meeting room. When I arrived, there were some kind women who offered me their care.
"What seems to be the matter?" One woman asked.
"I'm losing my voice. Master Ren-" I said before another coughing fit.
"Say no more. We can help you from there," she explained, getting out a scanner. I got down on a bed and she scanned my throat. Her face said it all. It was bad. "There's permanent damage to your vocal chords. We can give you something that will take the pain away, but you will have to be stuck with your current voice."
"You mean a medicine?" I asked.
"Yes. A liquid," she said, digging in cabinets before finding what she was looking for. She said liquid, but Ellie viewed it more as a slop. When the doctor poured the medicine into a cup, she handed it to me with a smile. I drank it all and set the cup down, waiting for the effects to kick in.
"You can go ahead and go on to your post. If that medicine didn't work, just come back and see me."
"Thank you, ma'am," I said, feeling better already. She smiled.
"You're welcome."
I left the hospital wing, meaning to find Kylo Ren, but instead, I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy. I leaned on the wall of the barely travelled hall, having a bad feeling deep in my gut. Fearing what would happen next, I tried to make it further, but I couldn't move my legs. My vision blurred, I tried to speak, but found that no sound came out. I finally collapsed on the ground, passed out.