**WARNING: This is definitely an 'M'-rated story. Be warned if this is not your cup of tea.

The Finalizer was an excellent ship, the best in the fleet by far. Leading a battlecruiser of this magnitude was a tremendous concern, one that wasn't meant to be taken lightly. To Hux, the duty of General was second-nature. It was his destiny. He was born to rule.

He stood on the command floor of the ship overlooking the planned coordinates set for their jump into hyperspace. It would take half a day to reach the First Order base in the Unknown Regions. The Supreme Leader had recalled his surviving commanders to regroup and strategize their next attack on the Resistance. Hux wondered what possible plan the Supreme Leader had in mind.

A courier approached him, his face impassive as he reported, "Sir, I have word that they have located Captain Phasma. She was brought aboard a transporter that escaped the Starkiller Base before the attack."

"Do you know where they located the Captain?"

"Per our initial report, Captain Phasma was disposed of in a trash shoot by the same Resistance group that infiltrated the Starkiller Base. She sustained minor wounds, but has made a full recovery."

Hux couldn't help but snort at the absurdity reported to him. He knew that Phasma wouldn't let such indignity affect her. It was an immense relief to know that his comrade was recovered. In the days to come, he would need every ally to rebuild the disgraced Order.

The courier was dismissed.

Turning back to the screen, he could see that every transport vehicle had been docked, inspected, and secured. That meant Private Xue had successfully brought Nadya aboard the Finalizer. Something stirred within Hux at the idea of the woman being present on the ship. Quickly, he left the command platform determined to see if his guest was properly settled. As he moved through the halls of the spacecraft, Hux was pleased to see that the crew had taken on a level of normalcy that had not been present in the past 24 hours. Everything was slowly falling back into place, and he felt strengthened by the notion. He waited for the elevator doors to open and was greeted by Private Xue.

"General Hux everything has been done as you wish," the Private gave a salute as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Was there any issue with the tavern owner?"

The Private shook his head, though he paused in hesitation, "Uh, no sir. Everything went as planned."

Hux wondered what the hesitation was about. Military training demanded him to probe, but he decided against it. There was no point in needling the young soldier. The Private was a loyal lapdog, and Hux needed as many allies on his side at this point. So long as Nadya was aboard the Finalizer in one piece, he would waste no time fussing over useless information.

"Private, I have further duties for you. I will meet with you after I take a momentary…respite. You are dismissed until then."

With that, Xue disappeared in the direction of the mess hall.

The General's suite was down from the officer's dormitories. It was a triad arrangement; a comfortable living area with a bedchamber and bathroom off each end. He rarely took advantage of the apartment when in charge of the Finalizer. There was barely time for him to eat let alone take a full night's rest. His father had instructed him that a General never slept lest something dire happen when under his watch. The idea seemed idiotic now. Hux had been wide awake when the Rebels had attacked the Starkiller Base. Though he had been conscious, he could do little to stop the rebels.

The door to his suite opened. Nadya was nowhere to be found. However, the telltale sign of a running shower ticked him off to her location. Hux shrugged off his cloak and carefully removed his crested hat running his gloved fingers through his coiffed hair. The ginger strands were too long. He would need to employ a barber when they landed in the Unknown Regions.

Uncharacteristically, his stomach grumbled. It had been two days since his last meal besides an energy square he had consumed the morning before. Hux wondered if Nadya had properly eaten. Through the communications system, he ordered two trays of food from the mess hall. The water turned off and Hux glanced at the door waiting for the woman to appear.

Nadya stepped from the bathroom enveloped in a cloud of steam. She was wringing her hair on a towel when she spotted him. Her eyes glittered and Hux felt a hitch in his breath. Conventionally, the slave was appealing with a round face, a straight nose, and wintry blonde hair. But, there was something about her eyes and mouth that he always watched with interest. A mirth waiting to break forward; a spirited laugh on the cusp of her lips. She did not approach him, but continued drying her hair waiting for him to address her.

"I see that you are settled. By nightfall, we should reach our destination," he chattered inanely. Small talk had never been his forte. His communications skills were limited to delegating orders. During the nights spent in Nadya's bed, Hux had never talked for the sake of filling the silence.

Thankfully, Nadya did not respond but dipped her head in understanding.

Maybe she sensed his discomfort. Hux liked to think of himself as a blank slate; collected and dependable unlike people such as Kylo Ren. It was worrisome that she had a habit of knowing his likings without him even saying anything. That was precisely the reason he had brought her along. She knew too much about him to leave her behind. He observed that she was out of her slave clothes. She had donned a pale grey jumpsuit much like those worn by the foot soldiers in his squadron. It was baggy on her, yet he could make out the lines of her lithe physique beneath the material.

An alarm at the door captured both of their attentions.

Nadya looked at him expectantly. Hux informed, "That would be the meals I ordered. I assumed you were hungry and would enjoy something to eat."

"I am famished, thank you," she motioned for him to sit. "I'll get it."

Hux took a seat at his dining table trying to think of the last time he had sat down for a meal. A droid handed Nadya a metal tray with covered dishes on it. She balanced the tray with an expert hand, and set it down before him standing to the side while he picked up the dish lids. It was the typical military fare of protein-loaf with gravy and boiled potatoes. With the food before him, he realized he was much hungrier than he had thought. He began to pile potatoes onto his plate until he noticed Nadya remained standing.

Frowning, Hux chided, "Hurry up, the food is no good cold."

Her eyebrows quirked in surprise and she hesitantly slid into the chair beside him. She placed a meager amount of protein-loaf with gravy on her plate before taking a forkful of it into her mouth. Her pale eyed widened and excitedly she announced, "This is delicious!"

"I would hardly call this slop delicious," Hux snorted.

While out on assignment, the food wasn't supposed to be appealing. It was hearty and packed with synthetic vitamins needed to keep his squadron at top performance.

Nadya did not look phased by his comment, but eagerly continued her meal, "Well, it is better than the food at Sidd's Tavern. We were only ever given grainmush twice a day or the occasional instant meal. Sometimes clients would order a tray of food. Then, we could eat the scraps after they left."

Hux stilled his utensils at the idea of Nadya consuming food fit for prisoners. When their relationship had been arranged, when he had handed over a sack of money to Sidd for her welfare, Hux had assumed that his companion had been comfortable. His fist tightened at the notion that his coin had paid not for the woman's safe-keeping, but her master's lascivious lifestyle.

"Is something wrong? You've gone pale…"

Without consideration, Hux coldly snipped, "I'm fine. I had not considered what your life had been like at Sidd's Tavern."

Nadya's face fell. She continued to eat, but took carefully measured bites. In all his training, he had never been instructed in discretion. He didn't have time to waste tiptoeing around people's feelings.

The meal continued in silence until they had both satiated their hunger. Nadya cleared away the dishes while Hux reviewed charts on his electronic tablet. She was flittering around glancing over buttons and screens on the walls. It was a mini-command center in his living room; he could never be too far from work. He stopped reviewing the charts to watch her out of the corner of his eye. Her hair had dried and hung down her back, the pale blonde clashing against the muted grey.

"You know, it wasn't all that bad."

Her voice broke his meditation. She was leaning her hip against the table, arms folded over her chest.

"What are you talking about?"

Hux cringed at the tone of his voice. Was it always so harsh?

Nadya didn't seem phased, but continued, "I was saying it wasn't all that bad at Sidd's Tavern. I was never beaten or tortured. I had it better than most girls. Plus, I was able to meet you."

Inadvertently, Hux's heart skipped a beat, but he clenched his fists. The sentiment angered him because it made things so much more difficult. The purpose of having Nadya accompany him had not been to build the bond between them, but to slowly dismantle it.

"Take that suit off. You look like one of my soldiers."

It was the only thing that he could come up with that didn't sound ridiculous, and that changed the focus of their conversation.

The woman's eyes widened before they darkened with a steely glint. Slowly, Nadya used her hand to playing with the zipper on her jumpsuit, "I am at your command, General."

In one deliberate motion, she pulled the zipper down revealing an expanse of creamy white skin. Her pert breasts were revealed. A warmth settled in his stomach and he felt himself stir in his trousers. This was a much-preferred reaction. He did not want to talk of weepy feelings or heartfelt emotion. Hux desired Nadya. Desire was much more familiar, and easier, to deal with.

Another chapter! I'm going to try and keep them coming.