Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

"You cannot escape me."

The voice echoed through his entire being in an attempt to engulf his consciousness in its web. He took it head on, lashing out just as violently, his power pulsating out like a raging fire.

He was not afraid of the Darkness.

He was still the one in control.

Kylo's eyes snapped open. He fought the urge to draw his lightsaber, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he scanned his unfamiliar surroundings. A plainly furnished room with a couch that looked out of place next to the bed greeted him along with a greatcoat peeping out from beyond the sliding closet door. His turbulent thoughts calmed at the familiar sight of red hair in front of him, its owner breathing softly along the gentle rise and fall of the sheets.

He remembered now. Hux had cried himself to sleep in his arms earlier, and the soft nasal breathing of the other had lulled Kylo into oblivion as well. He could still make out the red rim under the other's fine lashes in the dim light and wondered idly if the general was going to gripe about the inevitable swollen eyebags later.

He reached over to brush a few strands of hair away from the man's eyes, cupping the other's face in his hand gently. Kylo frowned slightly as he recalled the incident from the night before. He had brushed off the first few times as remnants of Hux's less than pleasant memories of the former supreme leader, but from what he had sensed yesterday, the man's Force signature was too pure to manifest something as tainted as Snoke. That only left one culprit.

Kylo himself.

He grimaced at the thought, knowing that something was definitely off. He could feel the Darkness festering under his skin even now where his fingertips, callused from years of holding a lightsaber, met smooth translucent skin, and he drew his hand away from Hux's face reluctantly.

He decided that he would figure out what was going on himself. There was no need to involve the general in any more of his affairs with Snoke.

Kylo hadn't trained for all these years just for his former master to control him like this.

He was the pure Darkness itself, raw and untamed.

.

Hux awoke to the sensation of his bed shifting, opening a heavy eye in time to see Kylo getting up. He stretched his limbs out to the now unoccupied side of his standard bed, much too small for the two of them to have fit comfortably the night before. A light crack in his back reminded him of such.

Kylo chuckled above him, and he blinked at the man with puffy eyes when the memories of the night before came flooding back to him. He had cried, no, openly bawled like a child in front of the supreme leader. The thought made him want to crawl back under the covers and disappear from the world. He couldn't even remember the last time he had cried.

He attempted to ignore the look the other was giving him as his barely lucid thoughts began drifting elsewhere.

No, he did remember. It was after Jekri's funeral, after Brendol had beat him senseless in another attempt to purge the sickening emotions from his mind, when he finally had a moment to himself in the refresher as he stared at the aftermath of the damage on his body, as the blood that dripped down the long gash on his back splashed softly on the white-tiled floor.

A soft nudge at the edge of his mind snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Rest a little more," Kylo told him. "I'm going to check to see if they have any updates on the investigation."

"Investigation?" Hux repeated the word, confused. He had heard of no recent "investigation" on the whereabouts of the remnants of the Resistance, although he knew in the back of his mind that they would have to start looking for them soon. He had seen the other's hesitation before in regards to General Leia, and he wished to forestall that inevitable meeting for as long as possible.

"Ah," Kylo seemed to notice his confusion before he even had a chance to ask. "I had them bring back the assailant's body from Arkanis. We might be able to figure out who sent him."

"I see," Hux replied, slightly relieved that his assumptions were off for once. He had to admit that it was a rather smart move on the other's part and was impressed that Kylo had even thought to do that while searching for him in an unfamiliar city. The thought almost made him smile. Almost. "I'm assuming that they should be almost finished by now, given how long I've been out?"

"That's my assumption as well." Kylo's dark eyes met his briefly before they trailed down to his lips. He could see the man take a particularly long swallow, and he suddenly remembered the kiss from a few days ago. To Hux's disappointment, Kylo seemed to catch himself in the act and compose himself. "Take your time. I'll comm you if they find anything of interest," Kylo said softly.

Hux reluctantly watched the other leave, the sound of the door sliding shut leaving him alone in the silence of his own room. He turned in his bed, drawing the sheets over his head. They were still warm from Kylo's heat and smelled of the man. He brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, vaguely recalling the sensation of a hand cupping his face just before he awoke. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks at the thought. His breath hitched, and the warmth spread further down before an abrupt memory stopped it in its tracks.

Snoke.

Hux bolted up, nearly falling out of the bed when one of his legs got caught in the sheets in his rush to get to the refresher. He turned the temperature of the sonic as low as it would go, stepping into the cold water to wash all traces of the heat away from his mind.

The burst of chill calmed him instantly, and he rested his head helplessly against the wall, holding back the traitorous tears that had escaped without mercy the night before. He will not ask for more than what was given to him. Kylo had already offered him so much, and he refused to push for more.

He returned to the bedroom with a towel draped over his shoulders to fight the cold, finding the small kyber crystal still gleaming on the bedside table where he had left it the night prior. Hux picked it up, holding its light to his eyes as he slumped back onto his bed.

Something in him had caused the Darkness in Kylo to surge unnaturally last night. At first, he had thought that the strange happenings were due to his own weakness, manifestations of his own memories, but he had known for sure they were not his own creations when he reached out with his mind and found the lurking monster hidden within Kylo's consciousness.

The kyber crystal hummed contently in his palm. Hux shivered at the sensation.

It was all so foreign to him, and despite how the light in his hands offered a warmth to him, the entire sensation was terrifying. Only Kylo's mind, nestled against his own the night before, with all its Darkness, seemed natural, comforting, but something was happening with Kylo's control over it, and Hux was fairly certain that it was his fault.

His fingers closed carefully around the crystal, and he could see the slight tremble of his fingertips, betraying his attempt to accept the warmth that was given to him. He steadied his hand. He had to figure out how to control this, or he could potentially hurt Kylo with it.

Hux sighed, finally setting the kyber crystal back on his nightstand before drying the rest of his body with the towel. He threw it into the laundry chute, shivering at the cold as he put on a clean uniform. Hux opened his closet to grab his greatcoat for some additional warmth when he noticed a non-regulation poncho hanging next to it. Leave it to Kylo to not wash off the dirt, he thought as he took the item out and mindlessly shook it a little, dropping little pebbles and sand on his spotless floor. The cleaning droids would take care of that later.

He studied the article of clothing curiously, the only non-regulation piece he currently owned besides the black silk robe he had allowed himself to indulge in. He had bought it mostly on a whim down in Arkanis; he could have easily procured a waterproof coat from the Finalizer before they had gone down planetside, but he had wanted to bring something back from his homeworld. It was a childish act, now that he thought about it, buying things he didn't truly need.

It was then that his eyes trailed down to the bulging pocket. He didn't recall buying anything else on Arkanis during their short visit besides this garment, and they had definitely not found time for Kylo to go shopping either. Hux hesitantly reached in and pulled out a package, his eyes widening with recognition as he peered into its contents.

"Salted kelp tea," he muttered under his breath as he turned it around his hands. "But how?"

As if in response to his question, a faint memory washed over him, soft and gentle against his mind.

"You really shouldn't go today. It might rain," a man with brilliant green eyes muttered to his mother, but she merely waved at the other dismissively.

"It always rains even when you say it won't. You worry too much, Garik."

She turned away from her best friend to him, smiling.

"Come now, Armitage."

He blinked, nearly dropping the bag. The brief visions were definitely going to take some getting used to.

Hux gritted his teeth and deposited the package on the nightstand next to the kyber crystal. He paused briefly when he heard the hum again, and he sighed, slipping the kyber crystal in his pocket before leaving the bedroom. He had wasted enough time recovering from his ordeal on Arkanis. He did feel slightly guilty for abandoning the tea in his room, but he'll drink it later he decided, when they didn't have this blasted assailant to worry about, after he had asked Kylo about just how the other had acquired it.

To his surprise, his datapad greeted him on his desk in the small living room. One of the droids must have dropped it off while he was showering, and he silently thanked Kylo for finally allowing him back to his work. He picked up the device and scrolled through several hundred messages disinterestedly as he waited for his caf to brew, taking a bite out of one of the tasteless ration bars to fill his stomach for the time being.

The caf itself was a welcome relief, its familiar aroma filling his nose as he sipped it gingerly. His eyelids still felt much too heavy, and he had to push away the sudden urge to swipe a stim from the medbay. With Kylo watching him this closely, it was likely not going to end well if he was to go through with that plan.

A sound indicated a new message from Mitaka, and he opened the communication, satisfied that the lieutenant had the commonsense to give him the location of the autopsy room.

The rest of the caf went down fairly quickly, and after another futile attempt to lessen the swell under his eyes with cold water, he covered the mess with some concealer and headed out to the location Mitaka had specified.

He wanted to ask Kylo about the meeting with Garik. There was still a chance he could find her. Hux's hands tightened at his side as his step slowed to his usual pace.

Was he even allowed to look?

A shred of doubt flashed past his mind as the door slid open to the autopsy room minutes later. He found Kylo already there, hands crossed as one of the droids turned to Hux, the assailant's blaster presented on its arms.

"Hux? I told you that you could sleep some more," Kylo muttered indignantly, but the supreme leader should have known this would happen the moment he got his hands back on his datapad.

"I have rested quite enough, thank you." Hux's eyes trailed to the blaster, immediately fighting down his urge to ask Kylo about Garik as he pulled himself back together. They had more pressing matters at hand at the moment. "Did you find anything of interest?"

"The blaster was set to stun," the droid told him.

"So, they weren't planning on killing us? Probably wanted to take a hostage to use as leverage against the First Order." Even as the words left his mouth, he felt like that there was something more to all of this. If their enemies had wanted to take a hostage, they would have sent much more than one man with a blaster set to stun.

"Perhaps," Kylo said, eyes contemplative.

"That's not all," another voice made Hux look up. He was surprised that he had failed to notice Mitaka's presence in the room, his eyes having instantly found Kylo when he entered. The lieutenant gulped, fiddling with one of the datapads.

"He's one of ours." Mitaka held out the screen for them, and Hux peered over Kylo's shoulder at the photo, a much younger image of the pale blank wrinkled face of the body on the autopsy table. "SC-1998, supposedly currently stationed on the Dominion."

Hux narrowed his eyes. The fact that this man was here now only meant one of two things. Either one, he had defected alone and went after them on his own accord, or two-

"Have you contacted the ship?" he asked when Kylo did not offer any suggestions.

Mitaka looked down. "Well that's the thing. We've sent multiple encrypted messages, but there hasn't been any response."

Kylo cursed beside him. Hux supposed that he should be happy that the supreme leader was holding up so well. They really couldn't afford too many complicated repairs with their budget after the loss of the Supremacy.

"Send out a message at once for all ships to report back with their locations. I want every single one of them accounted for," Hux ordered, feeling his stomach drop at the implications. They should have done this the moment the Dominion did not respond, but he couldn't fault the other. He was fortunate that Mitaka had even gotten this far.

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant saluted and rushed off.

Hux could sense Kylo seething next to him. The man let out a shaky breath, likely still trying to stop himself from destroying anything in Hux's presence. "Do you think it's a mutiny?"

Hux approached the body, swallowing the lump of uneasiness in his throat. "It is too early for assumptions. He could be only one defector after all." His eyes trailed to the blaster the droid had placed back on the workbench. It bothered him to the end of the universe that it had been set on stun.

"There are those from the older generation who are more than likely to grab at power at the first chance they get," Kylo commented, pacing around the body.

Hux watched the other's movements warily. "You mean from my father's circle."

Kylo nodded, dark eyes staring into his intently as he stopped next to Hux. "You know, I've always wondered…" the other trailed off before looking away. "No, I shouldn't make you say it."

Hux blinked, knowing exactly what Kylo was implying. Everyone had always suspected the same. "You think that I killed him."

"I've heard rumors," Kylo admitted.

"Many suspected that I did." He averted his eyes, wishing even more now that he had committed the act with his own hands. If he had only stabbed Brendol, the way he had heard Kylo killed Han Solo, then perhaps he could offer some kind of connection to the other. As it was, he still had absolutely nothing to give to Kylo despite everything the man had done for him.

"Did you?"

He felt his heart twist at the hopeful glint he saw in the other's eyes, and he shook his head. "It was Snoke."

The revelation seemed to cause some confusion in the other, and to Hux's relief, it appeared to have replaced whatever emotion the man was feeling before. "Why though? Wasn't the commandant one of his highest-ranking officers?"

Hux bit his lip, taking a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke.

Kylo must have noticed the change and immediately raised his hand. "Like I said, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He shook his head. It was all in the past he told himself. There was no reason to hide it. "Snoke had seen the scars on my back and asked if I wanted my father dead. I thought he was joking. I did keep silent, but the next thing I knew, Brendol just suddenly collapsed during one of his meetings in front of everyone. I might as well have killed him myself by just existing."

Kylo regarded him for a moment before asking in a small voice. "Do you regret it?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "What's there to regret? Nothing changed after my father's death. Snoke had already set himself up as Brendol's replacement after all. We're all the same, all grasping for control of our lives, of the lives of others."

He looked back at SC-1998's corpse, imagining a young boy taken from his home to be fashioned into one of the stormtroopers of the First Order. "For the greater good," he had always justified to himself when he started the program alongside his father. He wasn't so sure anymore. "Look at me. I've pretty much grown up in my father's image. I destroyed an entire system for control." He looked back up at those expressive eyes. "I don't understand, Kylo. Why are you…" he could not say the words.

"Why are you so kind to me?"

"You are not your father, and I am not Snoke," he heard an answer in his head and took an involuntary step back at the sensation.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to project myself like that," he muttered hastily.

"I don't mind," Kylo whispered, taking a step towards him.

"Your presence is calming."

Hux snorted. He felt as if his recent thoughts have been anything but calm.

"So how exactly are you going to teach me to control this?"

Kylo seemed contemplative, eyes falling back briefly on the body before returning to Hux's. "We can have a session now while we wait for Mitaka's report," the man offered.

Hux eyed the covered body on the table with distaste. "I'd prefer to change locations."

"Good idea."

He found himself following Kylo to one of the many viewports of the Finalizer, this particular one empty at the moment. "I like coming here to meditate," Kylo admitted out loud even without Hux asking.

"I see." Hux wondered idly if that was why the room was empty, not by chance but by the plain fact that the other had frequented this place so often, the other staff knew now to avoid it. Kylo motioned for him to sit, and he grudgingly obliged, draping his greatcoat over one of the railings before making himself comfortable on the hard durasteel floor, sitting cross-legged facing the expanse of space beyond the viewport. Kylo sat down next to him, their shoulders just inches shy of one another, so close that he could faintly feel the heat radiating from the other.

"What do I do now?"

"Close your eyes."

Hux raised an eyebrow at the other before obliging, attempting to calm his breathing as he tried not to think about the warmth next to him. He still had not asked the other about Garik, and to be honest he wasn't sure what he wanted out of the conversation. They were still relatively close to Arkanis, and he was certain that Kylo would allow him back on the planet if he asked, but for some reason he doubted that she was there. And, if he was to meet this man named Garik, what would he say?

He was no longer one of them. He was Starkiller.

Hux's breath hitched.

"Stop thinking so much," Kylo's voice interrupted his raging thoughts like a calm wave. "Reach out and just breathe."

He honestly had no idea what Kylo meant by those words. He could manage the breathing part just fine, so he focused on that instead, matching their breaths together as he concentrated on the darkness on the back of his eyelids instead of the man named Garik. He found the activity quite calming after a few minutes. It was just him and Kylo breathing softly with nothing but the distant hum of the engines around them.

For a moment, the expanse of the large empty room suddenly felt much more intimate, almost like a part of him.

He felt Kylo next to him, a raging entity of Darkness that simmered at the edges, mixed in with a glow that drew him in just as beautifully. Then there was the vastness of space itself before him, empty yet so full of something that he couldn't quite put a name to, something that was neither friendly nor hostile.

Everything just was.

A warmth in his pocket brought him back to the current room, and he recognized the familiar humming again from the kyber crystal. It was warm, powerful, and for a moment he felt as free as the wind that blew over the seas of Arkanis in his youth.

It was then he felt a surge of the Darkness again, flaring up to meet him.

He realized it was from Kylo.

Hux's breath hitched, and he fought to control the sensation. Kylo wouldn't hurt him, he told himself. The man was not Snoke.

With this thought in mind, the air seemed to calm, and everything felt at peace, a balance.

He sighed contently at the sensation.

"It's so strange," he heard Kylo's voice in his head.

"What is?" he replied, focusing on the connection between them.

"I'd always thought the Light was too bright, but you…"

He almost laughed at the idea. Someone like him couldn't possibly be the Light.

"But you are," Kylo insisted.

"That's highly unlikely. Everything must seem like Light to you in that case."

"No, Armitage. You are the Light."

He could feel himself flush at those words. It was preposterous that someone like him could possibly have any "Light" left in him. He was General Hux of the First Order, Starkiller, the son of Commandant Brendol Hux...

A boy named Armitage taken from the seas of Arkanis...

A sound from his datapad interrupted his thoughts, and he had to blink a few times to readjust before he stood up and grabbed his datapad from his greatcoat. Mitaka's panicked expression greeted him on the screen.

"Report," he barked, still disoriented from the session.

"Sir, we've found something disturbing. Please hurry to conference room 5!"

He looked at Kylo, who gave him a nod.

.

Kylo trailed behind Hux as the two of them entered the room to find Mitaka fiddling with the holoprojector in the middle of the large table.

"What have you found?" He had honestly been expecting a verbal report about the other star destroyers, but instead of a visual of the other ships, Mitaka connected to the HoloNet and pulled up several blurry holograms into the space above the table.

"You'll understand when you watch these, sir."

His eyes widened at the scene before he could scold the other for interrupting his session with Hux with some ridiculous HoloNet gossip. "What is the meaning of this?" he breathed out.

The images playing through the projector were filled with static, but he could still make out a familiar figure cloaked in black armor. It advanced on a young man running through the narrow streets, most likely a civilian judging by the clothes. The man reached what looked like a dead end and raised his hands up in defense, the air around him seeming to shudder before a random storefront sign flew at the cloaked figure from off screen. The shadow ignited its weapon, and a red beam sliced the projectile in half before its owner continued to advance on the man, undeterred by the other projectiles thrown at it.

There was no sound, but Kylo could almost hear the victim's screams as the red lightsaber ran the man through.

The shadow turned briefly to the camera and all became black.

The image switched to another location and this time it was a woman, likely a bounty hunter with the way she expertly held her blaster, her shots deflecting strangely through the air towards another shadow with slightly different armor than the first, who blocked them effortlessly with another lightsaber gleaming red. The figure raised its arm and the woman froze, dropping the blaster and clutching her throat. The end result was the same as the first.

Finally, there was a third with a boy running through the streets, a shadow approaching towards him. Kylo looked away.

"How many of these have surfaced?" Hux inquired, his pale green eyes unreadable as he watched the remaining hologram expressionlessly.

"Four of them in total. The only similarities are the red lightsabers and black armor," Mitaka answered.

"The Knights of Ren," Kylo finally breathed out.

"And the victims are all Force-sensitive," Hux noted, peering into the last holo of an elderly male twi'lek. Kylo looked at the redhead briefly before finally turning back to the projections, surprised that he did not notice that detail himself. Hux was right, though. Each one of the victims in the holos had the same surge of the Force around them before they were killed.

The assailants were masked, but he recognized every single one of them. He knew they had been sent away by Snoke on some random missions before he was stationed on the Finalizer, and this was not the way he expected to meet them again. Kylo gritted his teeth in frustration. He should have checked in with the Knights the moment he took the throne from Snoke.

"I will go and attempt to contact them," he declared, turning around to leave.

"Kylo."

He turned around to see pale green eyes peering back into his. Hux seemed to have surprised himself with the gesture and swallowed.

"Be careful," the general mouthed.

He nodded, feeling a slight warmth tingling in his chest before he whirled around and left the two to carry on with the investigation.

Kylo entered his temporary office several minutes later and pulled out his datapad, recalling the personal codes of the six other knights. Four were already accounted for in the holos, and it was most likely unwise to contact them if they were under the direct orders of another entity.

He hesitated for a moment and then sent out comm requests to the two remaining Knights he had not seen in the holos, hoping that he had made the right decision in trying to reach them. To his surprise, a return message came only seconds later, requesting for a video comm. He took a deep breath and accepted the invitation.

"Ky- I mean, Supreme Leader," Igniv Ren's unmasked countenance greeted him, the long side bangs the other loved keeping styled to perfection even under the mask now hanging limply against the man's grit-stained face. He noted that the other had lost weight, once gleaming purple eyes sunken and rimmed with red. Igniv had never had a very imposing figure even back in their days at the temple, and the man looked even more like a skeleton now than ever.

"Kylo is fine," he told the other, relieved for the moment that at least Igniv was alive and seemed to still possess his own will. "Snoke is dead."

Igniv shook his head wildly, his eyes darting about like a madman's. "He lives, Kylo. The others heard him."

Kylo froze at the revelation, recalling his own encounters the past few days. "He spoke to them?"

Igniv nodded. "All five. They listened to his call, went to him… He has taken over their minds. I know not how." He finally ceased his tremors and looked away, ashamed. "I resisted, but I was not strong enough to save them. They've been searching for me. I can sense it."

Kylo bit his lip, pondering through his options. He didn't sense deceit in the other; Igniv's emotions had always shown clearly on the man's face despite the man's quirkiness. "Where are you now?" he asked after a moment.

The man looked at him pleadingly, and he knew that Igniv did not want to say it, lest Snoke was listening.

"Never mind, come to me."

Igniv's eyes lit up for a second before the knight caught himself. "Are you sure? You would go against Snoke?"

"He's no longer my master. It's time you made the decision for yourself as well."

Those dead eyes seemed to glow again with fresh life as the corners of the Knight's lips turned up in a small smile. "My life is yours, Supreme Leader. I will come to you."

"Kylo."

Igniv cleared his throat.

"Kylo, be careful. He's coming for you next if he hasn't already."

"A little too late for that," he growled to himself after the channel shut off.

He paced around his room impatiently, trying to calm his seething rage and his need to break something. He had sensed no menace from Igniv, but there was no telling what the others were doing. He also needed to relay the information to Hux. The general was likely already planning an array of countermeasures to deal with the missing star destroyer. He still hoped it was just one.

The fact that Snoke was still somehow able to project himself through the minds of the other Knights also gave him no solace. If what Igniv had said was true, then the attacks he had been experiencing were truly Snoke's doing. He gritted his teeth, frustrated that he had let his former master get so close to Hux without him knowing.

A familiar sensation flowed over him, and he stopped his pacing, redirecting his anger towards the newcomer.

"So, you've finally decided to let me back in?" He called over to the girl behind him before turning around. He found his anger immediately dulling at the sight of hers, radiant through even their peculiar Force-bond.

Her hands were shaking, balled into fists at her side. "You attacked Maz," she snarled, eyes flashing with hatred.

"Huh?" Of all the things Rey could have accused him of- Who was Maz?

"Why are you doing this?" Rey demanded, not noticing his confusion.

"Doing what?" he countered, figuring that he might as well try to get some information from the girl, deducing that she had specifically contacted him for the same purpose.

Before he could continue on with his plan, he heard the office door slide open and inwardly cursed. He had told no one about his previous meetings with Rey, and he feared the fact would only push Hux away from him.

"Kylo, there's been another…" Hux stopped mid-sentence as he approached Kylo, his eyes scanning the room suspiciously.

Kylo gulped.

"Is someone there with you?" Rey asked as she peeked around him. Kylo's breath caught in his throat when he saw both parties' eyes widen.

"You..." the girl snarled in a way that reminded Kylo very much of their first meeting through the Force. "You're Starkiller."

"Wait, Rey," Kylo began, but Hux held up a hand. He could sense the wheels turning in the general's head, trying to figure out if Rey was truly there or if she was a mere hologram.

"It's fine, Kylo," he muttered.

"She's not really here, is she?" Kylo heard in his head.

"No," he admitted.

Rey did not seem to be able to hear their internal conversation and instead continued on her rampage, now directing all of her rage towards Hux. "You ordered the deaths of millions and now these public executions? When will you ever be sated?"

"The last victim isn't-" Hux composed himself as quickly as his outburst had started. He took a breath and continued. "It's true, I gave the order to fire Starkiller. I won't deny it." Kylo watched the other's eyes narrow, fascinated by how quickly and efficiently Hux had gathered his own emotions into a bundle and locked them away. "But what's happening now, I can assure you that we have nothing to do with it. We're as perplexed as you are."

"I suppose you were in the middle of trying to get information out of her, correct?"

"Yes," Kylo replied, thankful that they could communicate silently like this even in the middle of his own Force-bond session with Rey. He turned back to the girl, ready to continue on his previous objective.

"Liar," she hissed before Kylo could say anything. He turned to Hux helplessly, but the other kept a steady gaze on Rey. He could still make out a slight tremble on the other's lower lip.

"I suppose that would be an expected response, given what I've done," Hux replied after a moment.

This seemed to switch something on in Rey as her gaze softened slightly. "You feel guilt," she stated to Kylo's surprise.

"Does it matter if I do? Starkiller happened regardless," Hux said quietly.

"She doesn't seem to know anything about the attacks."

"So it would seem," Kylo replied.

"If you don't mind, supr- Kylo, I think it wise to throw her a bone."

Hux did not wait for Kylo to give the okay before continuing. "You came to him for information, correct? The latest victim, Maz Kanata, is still alive. I suggest you go to her immediately."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Rey's eyes narrowed again. "I'm not falling into your trap, Starkiller," she hissed.

Hux shrugged, seeming to contemplate his next words. Kylo could sense the turbulent wave of emotions threatening to break through the man's defenses every time Rey said, "Starkiller." He decided that he would take it from here.

"Hux," Kylo crossed the room to the other when the general did not reply, but the Darkness flared out just as his fingers touched the other's hand. Even Rey sensed the change and immediately whirled around, looking for the source.

Snoke's voice echoed through the room.

"You dare bite the hand that fed you, rabid cur?"

Hux's eyes rolled back, and Kylo barely managed to catch the man and pull the Darkness back. He saw Rey, her hand outstretched in an attempt to help, and their eyes met briefly before Snoke's presence finally dissipated again. A crack signified that their session had ended. He turned his attention back to Hux, relieved to see the shallow rise and fall of the man's chest.

Kylo knew now. Snoke was not dead, and the beast had somehow latched onto his own Darkness, ready to devour the man in his arms at any signs of weakness.

As usual, thank you for reading!