Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.
Hux opened his eyes groggily to an unfamiliar durasteel ceiling as he came to. He noted that the lights were much too bright to be his room and the object below him much too hard to be his standard-issue bed. Yet, he still instinctively rolled onto his side, suppressing a yelp as the artificial gravity nearly claimed his body before he righted himself the last minute on what seemed to be a couch.
A shadow was beside him in an instant, and it finally registered in his mind that he was in Kylo's temporary office. The man in question currently hovered over him, brow furrowed in concern.
"How are you feeling?"
It also suddenly occurred to him just why everything was so warm and comfortable. Kylo had removed his greatcoat and draped it over him like a blanket. He tried to ignore the heat that rose to his ears at the thought of the man undressing him, and he sat up, fighting the wave of nausea that swept over him.
"Just a little dizzy," he decided to admit as the room only continued to spin. He looked to Kylo, trying to concentrate on the moles on the man's face. "What happened?"
He vaguely remembered telling the scavenger girl that the latest victim was still alive, from what he could tell on the latest broadcast at least, and then Snoke had somehow interrupted their conversation.
Snoke.
It suddenly all came back to him.
"You dare bite the hand that fed you, rabid cur?" The memory echoed loud and clear in his mind. His body instinctively shrank away, trying to disappear between the cushions of the couch.
Kylo reached out to him with a gloved hand before stopping abruptly, the man's lips drawn into a thin line as he opened and closed his mouth, seemingly unable to find the right words. Hux already knew what the other was thinking and decided not to draw this out any further as he eyed the hand longingly.
"It was Snoke, wasn't it?" he whispered, feeling the familiar shiver make its way down his spine when the name left his lips.
"Yes," Kylo admitted quietly, those beautiful expressive eyes looking away. "I didn't expect him to manifest like that."
"What do you mean?" This was all beginning to pan out much worse than Hux had thought. He had originally assumed that he was the one who was causing all of these strange outbursts of Darkness from the other, but as always, it seemed like things regarding the Force were not meant to be so easily explained.
The supreme leader took a long deep breath, eyes focused on the stars outside the ceiling length window. "He's somehow taken control of five out of six of the Knights of Ren. I have been suspecting that he's been trying to encroach into my mind as well the past few cycles, and well, you just saw one of his attempts first-hand."
Hux regarded this information for a moment as he tried to ignore the chill that had already proceeded to spread through the rest of his body. "I suppose it was too hopeful on my part to assume that he had been killed so easily."
"Sorry," Kylo muttered.
"Stop apologizing. It's not your fault. If anything, it's mine." Hux rubbed at his temple, trying to regain control of his senses. His mind still felt quite muddy from the recent episode, and he needed it functioning in full capacity. He had to keep it turning, had to keep it from freezing over with fear. "It would explain the missing Dominion and the defector if Snoke is somehow behind all of this. What of the last Knight? You've managed to contact him I presume?"
"Yes, Igniv Ren is making his way to us as we speak," Kylo replied.
This gave him a little hope, a small light at the end of the tunnel. "Maybe we can get some answers from him."
"I hope so too," Kylo agreed.
Satisfied that they had some sort of plan to work off of, Hux made to stand up only for a gloved hand to force him back down.
"Kylo," he warned, finally finding those dark eyes staring into his once more. He yearned for them, yet they were not his to take. He had made that decision already.
"You need rest."
"I need you to let me do my job," he said through clenched teeth.
"But you just passed out!"
"That is exactly why I need to do this!" he snapped, his voice louder than intended. Kylo fell silent, an indiscernible expression on the man's face. Hux looked away, feeling his ears burning in embarrassment at the outburst. He could still hear Snoke's voice echoing in his head before he lost consciousness. The familiar helplessness radiated through every fiber of his being, and he grasped at reality with a new surge of determination, his heart pounding up to his ears. "Never again," he whispered, hands clenched in his lap.
Large warm hands covered his hesitantly, the surge of Darkness restrained just under the surface. He peered into their owner's eyes, those expressive eyes he had come to yearn for so much. He wanted so much to look away, to let go of the clenching feeling in his chest, but instead he held his gaze and fought the urge to lean in.
As if he could sense his thoughts, Kylo closed the distance between them and captured his lips in a kiss, effectively turning off the remaining traces of Hux's neural function as he found himself leaning into the other with a desperation he had barely been able to keep under the surface. His body longed for this warmth. It needed it. Pure instinct took over even as his lungs began to ask for air, taking and taking from the other until his mind had quieted to nothingness. No hands grabbed at him, no cold swept over him, he was simply surrounded by a warmth that he had forgotten long ago, buried by the memories of Snoke and his father and pulled roughly back into reality by Kylo.
There was a name to this sensation, he remembered, a word that he had not allowed himself to entertain in his vocabulary since Jekri's funeral, something Snoke had made sure to mutilate during his many years of servitude under the former supreme leader.
"Kylo…" he reached out through the bond, unsure of what to do when the familiar panic began to spread through him like wildfire at the thought of Snoke. He yearned, wanted, but he did not feel ready. At the same time, he wanted to shrink away, to disappear into a little black hole where no one could see the taint smeared upon his body.
He felt something akin to a caress in his mind respond, calming him.
"It's okay," he heard Kylo in his thoughts. "We'll take it slow."
"I'm not used to you being this patient," he projected back after a moment.
"I can be patient if I wanted to be," the man answered, and he felt Kylo smiling under him at his incredulity at that statement.
"It would have saved me quite a few headaches if you had decided to do that from the beginning."
He could almost hear Kylo laughing in his mind.
They finally pulled apart, gasping for air, and Hux watched those lips longingly, already missing their warmth.
"We'll get through this," the other reassured him, a silent promise of things yet to come.
Hux nodded, his heart pounding in his chest for a completely different reason now. Kylo still wanted him after all of this, was still willing to give him- oh stars, he did not know what to think anymore. A ping on Kylo's datapad snapped him back into reality, and they both turned their heads to the desk.
He nodded to Kylo and watched as the man stood up almost reluctantly, separating from him to pick up the datapad left on the table. An unfamiliar voice greeted them from the other line.
"This is Igniv Ren, requesting for landing permission, supreme leader."
"That was fast," Hux commented. Kylo only smiled wryly.
Hux found himself in the shuttle dock just minutes later watching the ship's door lower with a hiss, sending a wave of compressed air through the hangar. The Knight had arrived much earlier than he had expected, and he found himself more anxious than usual given his initial impression of the Knights of Ren in the form of the man currently standing next to him. They really couldn't afford repairing any more counsels at this point in time. A shadow stepped onto the ramp, cloak flowing behind it as it walked towards them.
Igniv Ren was tall, the Knight's height just an inch shy of Kylo's, but the muscles were much less defined under loose fitting robes. He noted the lightsaber that hung at the Knight's waist, designed with the usual single blade unlike Kylo's crossguard lightsaber. Then to his surprise, the Knight removed his helmet, revealing a grimy face rimmed by matted black hair that shone with the faintest purple tint in the artificial light.
"Welcome aboard the Finalizer, " he said to Igniv Ren, finding himself staring into a pair of bright purple eyes.
Igniv Ren bowed gracefully. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"O-of course," Hux nearly started at the man's cordiality, completely different from his and Kylo's first encounter. He cleared his throat in an attempt to also clear his mind from that particular less-than-fond memory. "You arrived earlier than anticipated. We're still finishing up with the rest of the fleet, so there should be some time before the debriefing."
The Knight's face immediately relaxed as the man let out a sigh in what appeared to be relief. "Thank the stars. I can't wait to get to a sonic. Oh, and I guess water. And a ration bar or two would be much appreciated."
Hux blinked, not expecting the other to actually voice his human needs so openly. Kylo had really been an enigma back then. "Right," he found himself shrinking under the other's unwavering eager stare. The Knight noticed something behind him and immediately bowed, finally breaking eye contact.
"Supreme Leader Ren."
Kylo motioned for the Knight to rise, looking a little uncomfortable at the gesture.
"Your general smells strongly of the Light, Kylo." Hux heard the echo of the Knight's voice in his head.
"You are not to touch him, Igniv," Kylo answered, his words like a sharp knife.
"I can take care of myself just fine, thank you," Hux interrupted them, feeling the annoyance boil in him. Forget Igniv Ren's peculiar nature for a Knight of Ren, the last thing he needed now was the two at each other's throats.
Igniv blinked at him, eyes gleaming with fascination. "And you are Force-sensitive! Amazing! Truly amazing!"
"Igniv, calm down," Kylo warned, his thoughts now more exasperated than annoyed.
"Yes, sir." Igniv slinked back like a scolded child. "Um…" He turned to Hux, his demeanor now complete submissive. "Could I use that sonic?"
Hux sighed. "Yes, let me show you the way. Normally Lieutenant Mitaka would do it, but he's busy at the moment."
"I'll escort him," Kylo said hastily, stepping between them.
Hux looked at him.
"You have some things you still want to go over, right? And I know you don't trust him enough to let him go off on his own yet."
"But Kylo, as the Supreme Leader-"
Kylo cut him off before he could even finish the thought. "I don't want anything happening to you if I made a miscalculation on Igniv."
Hux huffed, fighting with himself to not cross his arms in front of the Knight and giving away their internal conversation. "We will be meeting in Conference Room 5 in exactly one hour."
Kylo threw him a slight nod before leading Igniv away, the Knight seeming to have not overheard their conversation.
.
"Hmm, that one is strong," Igniv commented as soon as the elevator doors closed in front of them. "He heard our conversation even when I was explicitly trying to only talk to you."
Kylo flashed him a glare, prompting Igniv to throw up his hands in defense, grinning.
"Relax, I'm not here to steal away your precious general. Your reaction was quite entertaining though."
Kylo cleared his throat to change the subject. He had not seen the man for a few years now, and he had nearly forgotten the other's tendencies to jest at whatever was in front of him. It really was a miracle how Igniv Ren had survived this long. "You've lost quite a lot of weight," he decided to comment instead, steering the conversation away from Hux.
The Knight's eyes narrowed. "Happens when you're being chased by five of the people you've grown up with. If I had met them head on even once, I'd be dead by now."
Kylo hesitated, wondering if he should even mention him.
Igniv seemed to catch his unease. "Feel free to say whatever's on your mind. I'm past caring about him."
"Skaara Ren turned as well?" he tested the waters cautiously regardless.
Igniv looked away. "Yes, even him. That traitor's always been more invested in the Darkness than anything else." The man's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment, eyes far away. "Probably even moreso than you," Igniv added, playing with his hair airily. "He was the first to go after me, you know. Thought he could gain the upper hand given our past."
Kylo shifted uncomfortably. "How did you escape?"
Igniv shrugged, suddenly looking very uncharacteristically tired. "I've never trusted Snoke. It also helps that my tracking abilities are top-notch. I found the Finalizer in record time, didn't I?"
Kylo sighed. "Yes, you did." The elevator came to a stop and they exited to the corridor leading up to the Knight's assigned room. He really did consider themselves lucky that Igniv hadn't turned, although he knew that Hux wasn't completely sold yet. To be truthful, a small part of him was still cautious. If he was wrong, and Hux got hurt because of his decision to take Igniv in, then he didn't know what he would do.
They reached the designated door and he turned to the Knight. "Here we are."
Igniv seemed to sense his unease and met his gaze straight on, purple eyes as clear as he had always remembered them. He had always wondered if the other would have willingly converted back to the Light if ever given the chance. Igniv had always stayed away from the messier aspects of the Knights, volunteering for the more mundane tasks such as searching for ancient Sith texts and such despite the man's outward demeanor.
"Hey, I've followed you this far. I'm not backing out now, Kylo," the Knight assured him, grabbing his hand and placing it against the man's greasy forehead next to those long bangs. "Read my mind if you have to."
"Go wash yourself up already," Kylo scolded him, giving him a half-hearted nudge on the shoulder instead. "I'll come back to get you in forty minutes."
"What about water?"
"I'll have a droid bring it."
"And the ration bars?"
"Droid," Kylo growled, suppressing the urge to wipe the grin off of the man's face as Igniv cackled and disappeared into the room.
His irritation only mounted fifty-five minutes later as he paced impatiently in front of the Knights room. The door finally slid open, and Igniv stepped out in fresh black robes they had found in the man's size and hair as fluffy as he remembered it.
"Took you long enough," Kylo growled as he began walking away.
The Knight hurried after him, munching on a ration bar. "Hey, I haven't had a sonic for days!"
"I didn't need to know that. Hurry, or Hux will have your head if we're late."
"Why just mine?" Igniv whined.
"Because I'm the Supreme Leader."
"Oh yeah! I forgot."
They reached Conference Room 5 in record time with only a few seconds to spare. The door slid open, and he could almost sense the impatience radiating off of the general as the two of them entered.
Mitaka stood on the other side of the desk seemingly distracted by whatever report that he had compiled together for them. He also noticed Captain Peavey standing to the side, shifting uncomfortably at his arrival although he made no note of the man. Kylo supposed it was only proper for the other to attend as well.
"Oh! That one is a looker too!" He suddenly heard Igniv's voice in his head, the Knight's attention directed towards Mitaka. He could hear Hux cough. "You are truly blessed the Supremacy went down, Kylo."
"Igniv…"
"Sorry sorry. The less concentration I have, the less I can feel Snoke's call."
Kylo grimaced.
.
Hux could almost sense the lieutenant's nervousness increase three-fold under Igniv Ren's gaze as the man swallowed hard and turned on the holoprojector, enlarging the 3D map until it focused on one of the planets located in the Mid Rim. Hux recognized it immediately.
Mitaka cleared his throat. "The good news is that we've actually managed to track the Dominion to Takodana," the lieutenant announced, although his nervousness did not reflect any relief as far as Hux could tell. "And I guess that's the end of the good news, really," the man added meekly.
"You tracked them?" Hux inquired. They hadn't captured the ship prior to lightspeed, so there was really no "tracking" involved, per say. He noted to correct Mitaka's word choice later.
The lieutenant noticed his mistake instantly and cleared his throat again. "That is, we have received visual confirmation from several sources matching the description of the Dominion ."
"But why Takodana?" Kylo muttered.
"That's where Maz Kanata was attacked," Hux recalled, grimacing. "They're likely there for extraction once they finish the task."
"Well, that's the thing." Mitaka sank under his gaze, but the man continued on regardless. "They've declared war on the planet."
The room fell silent.
He imagined the planet burning, its lush lands engulfed in flames. He suddenly thought of Arkanis under siege by the New Republic, of his father dragging him away to the shuttle, away from the seas that called to him for many years after until he learned to ignore their voices in the emptiness of space.
Captain Peavey was the first to speak, snapping him out of his reverie. "What the hell are they thinking? The First Order shouldn't be making such a public display of aggression against a planet for something like that, not when we've just lost the Supremacy . Just what is going on?"
"I did not order the recent attacks, if that is what you are implying, Captain," Kylo commented, eyes focused on Peavey. Hux would have reveled in the sight of his father's old acquaintance shrinking away on any other day, but instead he glanced at Kylo in the corner of his eye, feeling the cold continuing to crept through his veins.
"Is it because I told the scavenger girl that Maz Kanata was still alive?"
"It's too early to assume that," Kylo replied.
"But Snoke heard me say it, right?" He could feel the panic building in him. This was his fault.
"Hux-"
Hux took a breath, composing himself as he turned back to Mitaka. "What of the other ships? Have you gotten a response from them?" He turned to the lieutenant when the other didn't answer. "How many ships defected?" he decided to reword his question.
"It's not that they've defected, sir," Mitaka finally replied, the slightest tremble on his lower lip. "We've actually been able to make contact with all of them except for the Dominion and three other star destroyers. However, they seemed a little uneasy given the current situation."
"Mutiny?" Captain Peavey asked.
Mitaka was beginning to turn pale, his eyes darting over to Igniv.
"It was said that the Knights of Ren boarded the Dominion and took control of a few squadrons of stroomtroopers before they opened fire on the bridge. The other ships managed to receive the distress call before it stopped broadcasting. It's implied that the entire leadership of the Dominion has been slaughtered by their own men. Everyone's on edge, sir. They fear that they would be next, fear that some would turn even without the presence of the Knights."
Hux cursed under his breath, finally understanding Mitaka's unease now with Igniv in the same room.
"And the Finalizer?" He could see Captain Peavey turning pale on the other side of the display, eyes also straying to the Knight.
"You need not worry. I don't sense any abnormalities among the crew here," Igniv Ren spoke up pointedly.
"How can you be sure?" Captain Peavey asked.
"Please don't question my skills, Captain," Igniv emphasized the man's title with a little sarcasm. Judging by the wide grin that had made its way across the man's features, the Knight seemed to also enjoy the sight of the officer shifting uncomfortably. It was at that moment that Hux decided that Igniv and him could actually be on amicable terms, assuming that the man wasn't going to turn the entire ship against them in their sleep.
"You can relax, Captain. I don't sense anything, either," Kylo added, gaze concentrated more on him than Peavey. Hux supposed that this was Kylo's way of reassuring him that Igniv was to be trusted.
If anything, Hux supposed he couldn't sense anything either, not that he knew what he was looking for to begin with. "Please don't spread any unnecessary rumors of our esteemed guest, Captain. The First Order doesn't need widespread fear choking its new flagship as well."
Peavey nodded, seeming to grudgingly fall silent.
"Hey, say thanks to your general for me…" Hux could hear Igniv's voice in Ren's head. He looked back to the display, the echo of the Force in his head still very strange to him.
.
Kylo decided to announce a break to discuss their options, giving Mitaka a well-deserved break before the man fainted from nervousness and leaving Peavey to the man's own devices now that he was sure that the older Captain knew nothing of Snoke's plans. He supposed he should be relieved that that particular part of the First Order still had the sense to follow him.
That just left Hux and Igniv in the conference room now, the former currently staring at the projections, likely thinking about Mitaka's report. He might as well take the time now to see if Igniv had any intel on what was going on.
"Before we make any decisions," Hux was the one who spoke first but stopped just as abruptly. The general looked at him almost pleadingly, uncharacteristically unable to finish the sentence. It was then he realized that the other didn't want to say anything unnecessary lest Snoke was listening.
Kylo felt an ache in his chest at the general's unease. He had promised the other that he would protect him, but at this rate he wasn't sure if he could even protect Hux from the Darkness festering in himself. "I do feel him in the back of my mind, trying to take control," he decided to admit.
Hux nodded slowly, and he wanted to go to the man's side, to reassure the other that everything was still within his control.
"Yeah, me too," Igniv added a little too casually for his liking.
"So does that mean he's watching our every move?" Hux seemed to have decided to complete the thought, and he could the wheels starting to turn again. Kylo always did marvel at the general's ability to appear calm despite the raging thoughts that he could sense at the surface of the man's mind.
Igniv shook his head. "To my understanding, as long as you keep him at bay, he is unable to take control of your mind or listen in on your thoughts. If that weren't the case, the others would have found me when I was in hiding."
That was good news, Kylo supposed. "That's why you wouldn't tell me where you were," he suddenly realized. "You knew Snoke was trying to talk to me as well."
The Knight nodded guiltily. "Forgive me, Supreme Leader. I had to make sure." He sighed, stroking his chin as if deep in thought. "So, Snoke really has already spoken to you then," he muttered. "From my experience, he can only manifest when the mind is at its weakest. I'm actually surprised that he was able to control so many people at once on the star destroyers."
"He must have used all five Knights," Kylo reasoned.
"They just need enough of the crew to take out the leadership and the rest would follow blindly," Hux explained. "They've been well trained," the general added quietly, more to himself than anyone else. Kylo frowned, knowing that the other was referring to the stormtrooper program. This was likely one occasion that blind loyalty was not something the other would have wanted.
Igniv seemed to be staring at Hux quite oddly.
"By any chance, did you hear him too, General?" the Knight asked before Kylo could stop him.
"Yes," Hux replied without hesitation, pale green eyes meeting the Knight's.
Igniv stroked his chin as if deep in thought. "And does it only happen when it's with Kylo?"
Hux seemed to think for a moment, likely trying to separate the actual incidents from his own nightmares. "If my memories serve me well, then only once."
"When was that?"
"Before Arkanis," Kylo muttered. "And then after that, it was only whenever I was there…"
Igniv raised an eyebrow, purple eyes gleaming. Kylo still did not know where the other was going with this, and he moved a little closer to Hux instinctively.
"What happened on Arkanis?" the Knight inquired.
Hux looked to him for permission, and he nodded, giving it. The general hesitated before reaching in his pocket and removing the kyber crystal, its soft white still gleaming as brightly as Kylo had remembered it.
Igniv grinned, his eyes glistening under the light of the kyber crystal.
"I thought I sensed an awakening, but I did not expect it to be you," the Knight said, his voice low with something akin to reverence.
Kylo blinked. "You sensed an awakening?" If Igniv sensed it from all the way out there, then there was no telling who else had felt the call.
"We all did. You must have not noticed since you were so close to him already."
It all made sense now. "Maybe that's why Snoke's going around slaughtering Force-sensitives."
"Perhaps," Igniv muttered.
"Wait, what does my little incident on Arkanis have to do with any of this? It was the kyber crystal that called to me, not the other way around," Hux interjected, obviously confused. Kylo had forgotten that the man still had much to learn.
"Aw, don't blame it on the rock, general. It is simply a catalyst for your power. You must have had the Force all along. It was just asleep in you. Speaking of which," he looked to Kylo. "You are planning to have him build a lightsaber, right? It'll probably help with his control over the Force."
"Of course," Kylo replied, annoyed that the other would think him that incompetent a teacher.
Hux cleared his throat. "We have more pressing matters at the moment. And for your information, my blaster works just fine."
"Not against someone like Kylo. Have you seen him stop a blaster beam in midair? It's quite the sight." Igniv pointed his finger in the air, mimicking a gun.
Hux frowned, his uneasiness unfortunately only egging Igniv on.
"I'm assuming you're not accustomed to slicing people in half?" the Knight asked, grinning.
"Igniv, we'll talk about this later," Kylo intervened before the man got too into it.
The Knight backed off, bowing his head. "Of course." The man looked back at the holographic map, still settled on Takodana and an image of the missing Dominion . "So what's our next plan of attack? This could all be a trap, after all."
Kylo looked to Hux, finding that the other had put back on his usual expressionless mask. He could sense the wheels turning at full power again, much like a well-oiled machine. He still did not know what he wanted to do himself. Igniv was likely right about this being a trap, but at the same time he felt that they would lose something very important if they decided to sit back and do nothing.
"Well, regardless on what you two decide, I'm starved. I'm going to go grab something to eat," Igniv announced, seeming to notice the sudden uncomfortable silence the two of them had fallen into. "Meet you guys on the bridge in half an hour?"
Kylo nodded silently and the Knight left with a wave.
"He's a perceptive one," Hux finally spoke after the door closed behind the Knight.
Kylo sighed. "So, what do you think?"
Hux continued to stare at the screen, its soft light reflecting off his pale green eyes. "I suspect it is surely a trap. But, do we let another planet burn, or do we fight our own?"
"Snoke controls the Dominion now. They are our enemy," Kylo reminded him.
Hux chuckled, his voice a little broken as he sat down on one of the chairs, cradling his head in his hands. Kylo still did not know where the other was going with this and waited patiently for the other to explain.
The general seemed to find his voice again after a moment and looked up. "I designed the stormtrooper training program. We took children from worlds in the Outer Rim that would have otherwise been sold into slavery, offered them freedom from their fates in exchange for loyalty to the First Order."
Kylo blinked. "You're worried about the crew of the Dominion," he put the man's worries into words.
"I pulled them straight out of the grasps of one abuser into another."
Kylo knelt down, careful not to touch the general lest Snoke decided to manifest at this moment. "Hux, this is not your fault."
"Are you going to continue that line of reasoning by saying that Starkiller was not my doing as well?" the other returned.
Kylo bit his lip, knowing where Hux was trying to go with that line. However, the general merely shook his head. "What is it that you want to do, Kylo?"
Kylo thought it over for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "Rey might also be heading to Takodana as we speak."
Pale green eyes pierced into his. "Then you'd best contact her."
He tilted his head to the side, trying to discern the expression the other was giving him now. "I don't understand. Don't you want the Resistance destroyed?"
"Not by Snoke's hand." Hux turned his gaze to the stars outside. Kylo thought the other suddenly looked very tired.
"I'm going to head to the bridge," the general announced, standing up. "I think you'd have an easier time talking to the girl if I wasn't there." He was halfway to the door before Kylo could react. "Half-an-hour, right? I should also make sure that Igniv doesn't get lost."
Kylo nodded and the door closed behind the general.
Hux had not even spared him a glance back.
Kylo sighed, now alone in the conference room with just the holoprojector to keep him company. He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, wondering if it was even worth the effort. It was only by chance that Rey had been the one to contact him last time, and that was when she was desperate for information.
"Rey? Can you hear me?" he attempted regardless.
She came to him quicker than he had expected and in full force and fury. "Just what do you hope to accomplish by doing this, Kylo?"
"Don't go to Takodana," he said simply.
"You sure change your mind quickly," she spat. "If you think-"
"It might be a trap."
Those wide eyes blinked at him, confused. "Why tell me that now?"
Kylo grimaced, wondering how much information he was allowed to share with Rey. Hux had not given him any explicit concerns before the other had left, and he was suddenly struck with the urge to tell her the truth. He supposed that this was one of those times that trust had to go both ways. "We've lost contact with the Dominion. Snoke might be commanding that ship."
"Nice try. You killed Snoke."
"He's not dead. I can…" he hesitated. "I can still sense him. You sensed him last time too when he attacked Hux."
A flurry of emotions crossed the girl's face as she fought with herself on whether or not to believe him or not. To his dismay, she grasped her resolve again.
"I'm still going to Takodana. Maz is in trouble. If you don't agree with what your ship is doing then do something about it, Supreme Leader." She cut off the link, leaving the sting behind as Kylo stared blankly at the space before him.
Well that didn't work at all, he acknowledged as he stepped out of the conference room, finding Igniv just outside, the Knight holding a half-eaten ration bar in one hand and a cup of caf in the other.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Just got back. I felt a surge of the Force, and your dear lieutenant was kind enough to show me the way back here instead of the bridge." He bit off another piece of the ration bar. "Made up your mind yet?"
Kylo nodded as the two of them set off to the bridge silently. Igniv remained thankfully silent along the short walk, the man's constant chewing the only sound that accompanied their footsteps. He found Hux already there, staring into the depths of space beyond the large windows.
"Did you manage to convince her?" Hux asked him, not bothering to turn around as he approached the other.
"No." Kylo grimaced, wondering if this was what Hux had expected all along. "Have you decided what to do?" he asked out loud, his voice soft.
"I've already made my decision from the beginning."
Hux turned to look at him, eyes set and unwavering, their intensity nearly taking his breath away. This was the general, he realized. Despite everything that had happened the past few weeks, Hux was still fundamentally the same. The man had not climbed to the rank of general riding on the coattails of his father. No, Hux had clawed his way up, destroying anything that got in his way in his quest for control of his own life.
Except, now there was barely anything left in the way. Only Kylo. And perhaps Snoke, but they will deal with that menace together accordingly.
Kylo stepped aside and nodded, an unspoken agreement whispered between them. Hux's gaze softened for a moment before the man walked past him to the middle of the bridge, back straight with the aura of a general blazing around him. He could sense the man's resolve radiating off the other like a bright flame.
"Set a course for Takodana. Comm the other star destroyers to meet us there. We will teach the traitors what happens when they defy Supreme Leader Ren, Knight or not."
Kylo could hear Igniv's laugh in his head.
"He's a keeper."
"Shut up."
As usual, thank you for reading :D